"Unverified Personal Gnosis"
The meme of "Unverified Personal Gnosis" (UPG) is a new one to me, and a meme that I've seen a few times bantered about here and there. I have serious issues with this meme, and here's why:
To assert something as an "Unverified Personal Gnosis" makes the false assumption* that, first of all, Spiritual Experiences somehow need "Verification" by others, which I deny. To imply that something on the Astral, for example, can be held up to "Truth Values"** seems to be silly at best (and that's being nice about it). Yet this seems to be the only purpose for this meme. More insidiously, if people are talking of "Truth Values" of others' statements re: Spiritual endeavors, they are relying upon OTHER PEOPLES' Experiences and not their own. I mean, if you doubt something, then go and try it for yourself! If you don't have the same Experience, then you know "Gno" that it doesn't seem to be your Experience. Period. No need for labeling things as "Verifiable" or not, but rather more accurately would be "I've not Experienced that". Put more succinctly:
The whole UPG meme has a very condescending tone that masks Experiential laziness, IMNSHO***.
* and we all know that making an "assumption" makes an "ass" outta "u" & "mption".
** I don't think I need to mention that relying upon "Truth Values" goes against the skepticism that all Magi & Mystics should embrace, let alone the infamous Chaote maxim "Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted".
*** Great, just what we need, more armchair Theorists going around passing Judgments (via "Truth Values", no less!) on things they're too lazy to investigate on their own. How High School.
To assert something as an "Unverified Personal Gnosis" makes the false assumption* that, first of all, Spiritual Experiences somehow need "Verification" by others, which I deny. To imply that something on the Astral, for example, can be held up to "Truth Values"** seems to be silly at best (and that's being nice about it). Yet this seems to be the only purpose for this meme. More insidiously, if people are talking of "Truth Values" of others' statements re: Spiritual endeavors, they are relying upon OTHER PEOPLES' Experiences and not their own. I mean, if you doubt something, then go and try it for yourself! If you don't have the same Experience, then you know "Gno" that it doesn't seem to be your Experience. Period. No need for labeling things as "Verifiable" or not, but rather more accurately would be "I've not Experienced that". Put more succinctly:
The whole UPG meme has a very condescending tone that masks Experiential laziness, IMNSHO***.
* and we all know that making an "assumption" makes an "ass" outta "u" & "mption".
** I don't think I need to mention that relying upon "Truth Values" goes against the skepticism that all Magi & Mystics should embrace, let alone the infamous Chaote maxim "Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted".
*** Great, just what we need, more armchair Theorists going around passing Judgments (via "Truth Values", no less!) on things they're too lazy to investigate on their own. How High School.