Ying Yang Double Dragon

Gnosticism

Discovering Spirituality
Gnosticism

The term gnosticism derives from Latin gnosticus, which comes from Greek gnostikos (knowledge) and refers to gnosis which is a mystical and godlike knowledge of the heart and the soul. It is a journey of self-discovery and self-knowledge, which by experiencing the Truth within oneself awakes one's consciousness, hence bringing it into the state of pleroma (fullness or the totality of divine powers).

"Matthew said, "Lord, I wish to see that Place of Life, that place in which there is no evil but rather where there is only pure light."
The Lord said, "Brother Matthew, you cannot see it, as long as you wear the flesh."
Matthew said, "O Lord, even if I cannot see it, let me know it."
The Lord said, "Every one of you who has known himself has seen it"

"The Dialogue of the Savior"- Codex III of the Nag Hammadi codices

Uncovering this knowledge and the spiritual transformation that results from it is the goal of the gnostic seeker. Finding this individual inner peace enables one to help others achieve the same.
Gnostic Teachings & Beliefs
1. Self-knowledge leads to the state of pleroma, which is the center of divine life. In that world there are spiritual beings, like aeons (eternal beings), who are sent to help people recover lost knowledge about their divine origin. Jesus is such an aeon;
2. Tolerance of different religious beliefs within and outside of Gnosticism;
3. There is no dogma but personal mystical experiential knowledge of God;
4. Process of inner transformation liberates humans from compulsive imprisonment of dualities which are harmonized in pleroma.
The qualities of Pleroma are pairs of opposites:
The Effective and the Ineffective
Force and Matter
Fullness and Emptiness
Good and Evil
Light and Darkness
The Hot and the Cold
...
These opposites are balanced and void in pleroma. But, although being in us, they are not balanced. Being distinguished from them delivered us. Neutralizing them brings us again in one with Light.
C.G.Jung "Seven Sermons to the Dead", (1916)
5. Both genders are treated equally;
6. Matter and the human body are of earthly importance;
7. The goal is to reveal the spirit, which is divine by origin. It was hidden when brought by Sophia in the form of a seed to be understood and discovered;
8. Spiritual experience is individual and cannot be destroyed;
9. When the experience of gnosis is upon the person, one can do no other but love oneself, another, life, and God, as this is the state of no separation.


Gnostic Practices
Spiritual and mystical practices include working with life questions through meditation, silence, concentration, self-observation, out-of-body-experiences, dreams and other spiritual techniques that aid in achieving a transcendental knowledge about destiny and death while still being embodied on Earth.


http://www.deepspirits.com/

Influences of YIN and YANG food

Yin and Yang Logo - This is the traditional symbol for the forces of yin and yang, sometimes described as two fish swimming head to tail.

What is Yin and Yang?

Hot and cold. Male and female.

How does the concept of yin and yang relate to food? A basic adherence to this philosophy can be found in any Chinese dish, from stir-fried beef with broccoli to sweet and sour pork. There is always a balance in color, flavors, and textures.

COOKING METHODS (as below)

Yin Qualities:
Boiling
Poaching
Steaming

Yang Qualities:
Deep-frying
Roasting
Stir-frying

Yin and Yang Foods

Yin foods are cooling, tend to be watery,soft, and dark in color.Yang foods are warming, dry, hard and light in color. They are found growing on or above ground in the presence of light.

Examples of cooling and heaty foods:

Cool (yin) Foods:
Bamboo shoot, banana, bitter gourd, clam, crab, grapefruit, lettuce, persimmon, salt, seaweed, star fruit, sugar cane, water chestnut, watermelon, lotus root, cucumber, barley, bean curd, chicken egg white, marjoram, oyster, pear, peppermint, radish, strawberry, tangerine, and yogurt, broccoli, cauliflower, zuccini, corn, tomatoes, pineapple, turmeric.

Neutral (balanced yin and yang) Foods:
Honey, corn, abalone, apricot, beef, beetroot, black fungus, carp, carrot, celery, chicken egg yolk, cuttlefish, duck, fig, kidney bean, lotus fruit and seed, milk, olive, oyster, papaya, pork, potato, pumpkin, radish leaf, red bean, plum, sunflower seed, sweet rice, sweet potato, white fungus, yellow soybean, brussels sprouts, snow peas, sweet potato, taro, dates, figs, raspberries, raisins, sage, rosemary, thyme, brown rice, apple.

Heaty (yang) Foods:
Pepper, cinnamon bark, ginger, soybean oil, red and green pepper, chicken, apricot seed, brown sugar, cherry, chestnut, chive, cinnamon twig, clove, coconut, coffee, coriander (Chinese parsley), date, dillseed, eel, garlic, grapefruit peel, green onion, guava, ham, leaf mustard, leek, longan, mutton, nutmeg, peach, raspberry, rosemary, shrimp, spearmint, sweet basil, tobacco, vinegar, walnut, jackfruit, durian, leek, shallots, spring onion, , apricots, blackberries, black currant, mangoes, peaches, cherry, mandarin orange, grape.

Heaty/yang foods:
• grow under the hot sun;
• are sweet;
• have lots of fats

• rich in sodium;
• are hard, dry or spicy.

Cold/yin foods:
• grow in little sunshine;
• are salty;
• are lean;
• rich in potassium;
• soft and wet.

The heatiness and cooling effect of foods refer to their capacity to generate sensations - either hot or cold in our body. They do not refer to the state of the food but its effect on our bodies. For example, tea is a cooling food. This means that it generates cold energy in our body. Hence, it's almost natural for the Chinese to have a glass of a lemon barley or winter melon (cooling) drink to go with a plate of (heaty) fried rice, or a bowl of (heaty) spicy noodle with some (cooling) fruits such as star fruits or water melon.