This post was originally published on my old blog.

Revealed gnosis or transmitted gnosis as I’ve seen it called by various practitioners, is knowledge one receives from their Gods and/or Spirits. This gnosis is usually not some temporary message or generic advice from our Gods. It’s information and knowledge transmitted for specific purposes. It is often esoteric in nature and helps guide the practitioner towards a fuller experience and understanding of the Mysteries. In many cases it can also have valuable practical uses. While not always as clearly communicated as we might hope, Gods and Spirits have the capacity to teach us techniques, incantations and spells, rituals and invocations, secret names and words of power, and even entire systems of practice over time.

This type of knowledge, the gnosis revealed to us by the Gods and Spirits, is an extremely important part of the Triskelion’s nature and identity. My system would not exist without such gnosis because a large part of it has been and continues to be revealed to me through communication with my Gods and Spirits. I do not claim to be some kind of prophet or oracle. It’s simply that in order to fulfill duties, goals, and plans, the divinities I worship and work with have deemed necessary to teach me all sorts of things. This doesn’t mean that the entirety of my personal practice is revealed gnosis – not by a longshot. Neither are the things I have been taught some kind of unique, never-seen-before super-tradition. Let me make things clearer with concrete examples.

In the Hekatean part of the Triskelion, there are a number of tools I employ for my rituals and various practices. These aren’t necessarily completely newfangled tools; what is “new” and “Triskelian” – in other words, what was revealed to me – are the specific uses, properties, names, and methods of creating and utilizing these tools. For instance, the Dagger is nothing new: most magical systems have some kind of magical knife (or more!). What was revealed gnosis was the way to consecrate it, its specific uses and purpose within the Triskelion system, how it is connected with Hekate etc. Other types of revealed gnosis were the existence and names of specific spirits, the way to approach them as well as rituals and spells with Triskelion-specific purposes.

Revealed gnosis is a fundamental part of the Triskelion because most of it wouldn’t exist without this gnosis. Almost everything ends up tying together with previous bits and pieces of gnosis and over time has allowed me to give shape and form to the magical tapestry that is the Triskelion system. There’s also quite a few “gaps” in the system because I either haven’t received the associated knowledge yet or I haven’t applied all of what I’ve been taught (and in some cases, both). This is also a disadvantage of my personal practice and its reliance on revealed gnosis: Gods and Spirits don’t operate on human time or terms. I’ve received gnosis that didn’t make sense or have an applicable role until years down the line, when I reached certain points in my practice that related to it. Other times, I didn’t catch all the information (the unclear communication I mentioned earlier) and couldn’t proceed with what I had. Still, I find that this systemic model suits both me and the Triskelion as a practice due to the extensive presence and utilization of ecstatic rites, trance-work, and spirit-work.

How do I receive this kind of gnosis though? Honestly, in many ways. Usually it happens when I am in a trance state, either in full ritual or during more casual spiritual and magical exercises. Somewhat more uncommon ways are direct instructions through oracles, divination, or unprovoked “spirit dialogue”*. I’ve also received quite a bit of gnosis through omens, signs, dreams, and similar synchronicities, although this has been the most random and least detailed way to receive gnosis. My preferred method is to engage in “spirit dialogue” during communion rituals and similar ecstatic rites and thus open myself up enough to receive any knowledge my Gods and Spirits might want to impart. It is my preference because it’s a more “controlled” and familiar method which affords me the capacity to both acquire a lot of information and retain almost all of it.

After all these years, I tend to always keep one eye (and ear!) open, so to speak, so I won’t be caught off-guard and miss or forget any important information. Sadly, I’m not perfect so I do miss “cues” at times, especially if the imparting of gnosis occurs through dreams or the trance-like state before we fall asleep. Like I mentioned earlier, Gods and Spirits don’t operate on human terms and time so Their timing and approach can sometimes be inconvenient. Still, I consider myself lucky and blessed to have received and continue to receive so much knowledge from my Gods and Spirits. I am extremely thankful and happy to see my path unfold in such a manner. That said, I do wish things could be a little clearer at times!


* “Spirit dialogue” is what I call ecstatic, direct communication with a God or Spirit. In simple terms, it’s literally talking with an entity! For me, their side of the “conversation” tends to manifest as foreign thoughts (seemingly random thoughts that I didn’t consciously form myself – they often mentally “sound” different and contain information I couldn’t know and didn’t have the time to imagine), feelings and impressions, visions and/or manifestations in pathworkings, etc. Physical auditory and visual responses are very rare for me in general so I don’t generally experience them in “spirit dialogue” either.

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