UPG: an ugly, misguided notion

[icymist]

“Unsubstantiated Personal Gnosis” as a term is dismissive and insulting, but worse it turns us away from the only spiritual reality…experience.

The only point in saying that a person has had a UPG, an Unsubstantiated (sometimes Unverified) Personal Gnosis, is to be dismissive and demeaning to them, and on examination the claim or criticism of UPG has no worthy intellectual basis. The Wikipedia entry is illuminating. I will start by taking the phrase apart, backwards:

‘Gnosis’ is being used here as a euphemism for knowledge acquired through intuition, insight, or a spiritual event, such as conversation with a Spirit or Deity. In another day this might have been called a revelation. There may be words or symbols involved, but it is not limited to discursive intelligence. Non-discursive communication or knowing (properly called noisis and contrasted with gnosis which means knowledge in the ordinary sense), is also included when people use UPG as a label.

The internal and private nature of this phenomenon leads to the ‘Personal’ clause in UPG. By not being ‘public’ or external and visible to all (or some) the ‘Gnosis’ is reduced to mere interiority without any claim on the public outside of the recipient. “It’s just personal” becomes a way of dismissing the insight into irrelevance.

http://witchesandpagans.com/EasyBlog/upg-an-ugly-misguided-notion.html

[libodem]

1. Very intetesting

Love the link. Liked the advertising on the page, too. Very precious Goddess sculptures and jewelry.

I've noticed that many of the current 'religious' texts profess 'the word' and that it is written as a basis for absolute truth.

[icymist]

3. I like finding this type of article that makes you think...

When I was younger there were too many times that my personal experience was dismissed because it wasn't the experience that was written down or that an 'elder' didn't experience it with me under their 'guidance'. This led me to actually doubt myself until it got to that point that I started to keep the experiences to myself. Then I met a witch in Central Illinois and all of a sudden all those experiences became valid. That's one of the lessons I can give out to others: Never invalidate what others say they experienced just because it isn't what is considered the norm. We all have life lessons to learn here and no two are alike. I remember the Buddha saying something like 'The realization experience is true. As soon as that realization experience gets written down, it has become corrupt.'

Well, that's enough of this rant.

[libodem]

4. I love to read and study

And to talk to people whom are well informed. In the early 80's my friend and I went to a meditation group that wad pretty new-age. Our leader was a trance chaneler who had incredible knowledge about occult subjects. I still have a box of info under my bed. Who knows if she really had a disembodied entity speaking through her? I gained all sorts of answers and sometimes it was as if I'd known all along, I just needed reminding. Sometimes I had thought the things that were said but didn't know anyone else had the same ideas.

It feels safe to have validation but sometimes one just has to know for themselves what is right.

I think even early Christians were much more of a gnostic cult than they are given credit for. Or it was removed on purpose.

[rrneck]

2. Bookmarked for later. nt

[idendoit]

5. I would hazard to guess...

... this term could conceivably apply to practically any experiential belief system. Whether you believe or not, you're probably right. Which would include the value judgement that the author is making.