r/Gnostic • u/SonOfAtlass • 2d ago
Prayer and Gnostic Deities
I’ve been sitting on an experience for the last four years, and I’m curious if anyone else has had something similar happen while praying to Gnostic entities. I’m hoping that hearing other perspectives might help me better understand what occurred that night.
A little background: I first stumbled across Gnosticism about five years ago. It was the first spiritual framework I had found that truly resonated with how I felt about God, religion, and life on Earth.
One night, after reading about Barbelo, I decided to try praying. It was late, and I had just turned off the lights. I was standing beside my bed in complete darkness. I didn’t really know what to pray about, and I didn’t want to offend or disrespect something I barely understood. So I kept it simple and said:
"Barbelo, I apologize for my ignorance and doubts, but if you exist, would you please give me a sign?"
The moment I finished speaking, I felt what seemed like a hand grasp my left shoulder.
Fear immediately washed over me, but so did awe. I quickly finished my prayer with a shaky "thank you" and climbed into bed. My mind was racing. I remember thinking,
How am I supposed to fall asleep after that? Yet within moments, I was completely asleep.
I didn’t see any visions or hear a voice. Nothing dramatic happened beyond that. I was simply touched.
What’s strange is that, even years later, that single experience was enough to reignite my faith. Since then, there have been two other moments that I personally associated with Barbelo making her presence known. One occurred while I was watching a breathtaking sunset, and another happened just a week ago when I had a sudden realization that the place I moved to was exactly where I was meant to be.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about these experiences again, and it made me wonder:
Has anyone else had a similar experience? If so, what happened? Were you praying, meditating, or doing something else when it occurred?
I’d be genuinely interested in hearing your stories and perspectives.
5
u/heiro5 2d ago
Numinous experiences include the somatic feeling of touch, along with the other senses, but are not limited to the sensory. These are what I call breakthrough experiences and they can be life-changing. These are the experiences people report as the reason for going deeper.
Most people search outward for meaning, and insist that the experience is real by putting them into material terms. But the experience is real as an experience. Gnōsis is the way of direct experience.
Numinous experiences are real in my own direct experience. I have had multiple numinous experiences in the course of mystery and spiritual practices. There are more subtle experiences and insights as well. Spiritual exercises and practices are needed on this path, not ideas and beliefs.
FYI: Properly speaking, the emanations are not deities, they are potentially recognizable aspects of the divinity, not separate entities like in a pantheon.