Eternity, Time, and the Concept of Becoming in Gnosticism

Eternity, Time, and the Concept of Becoming in Gnosticism

Introduction

The language and religion we are born into inherently contain elements of Gnostic knowledge. This means that one does not need to change their religion or language to attain Gnosis. Instead, the quickest and most effective path to enlightenment is through one’s native language and inherited beliefs.

Every religion, regardless of its teachings, is merely a shell that encases a universal core: Gnostic wisdom. Similarly, every language is a vessel that carries human perception and feeling.

Gnosticism is about reaching the core, not transitioning between external layers—whether they are linguistic, religious, ideological, or doctrinal. Changing one’s religion or language in search of Gnostic knowledge is a distraction from the true path.

Personal Experience in the Search for Gnosis

I was born into a Sunni environment, but I later turned to Shi’ism, believing it to be the absolute truth. I spent years in this pursuit, only to find myself lost. Eventually, I returned to Sufi mysticism, where I found knowledge with ease.

Despite remaining within Islamic traditions for most of my search, I later realized that I had wasted too much time navigating theological boundaries instead of seeking the deeper truth.

This leads me to a crucial question: What about those who spend their entire lives chasing illusions in foreign religious traditions? If the goal is Gnostic enlightenment, then the fastest and most direct route is through one’s own religion and language.

Time and the Beginning: Humanity’s First Awareness

In the struggle for survival, early humans were unaware of time. Like other animals, they focused only on hunting and survival. However, it was the female—waiting for the male to return from hunting—who first became aware of the passage of time.

She had to soothe her children, manage hunger, and anticipate the return of the hunter. This patience and awareness led to the first recognition of time as a concept.

Thus, awareness of time was humanity’s first major shift from animal existence to human consciousness. Those who recognized time also understood the concept of beginning and end—a foundational idea in human thought.

Time: A Cycle or a Spiral?

Many people, despite being intellectually capable, live without true awareness of time.

• To them, time is merely the ticking of a clock.
• Time is just a routine cycle—nothing more than numbers on a calendar.
• They perceive a circular motion, where days and nights simply repeat.

However, time is not a perfect circle. It is a spiral—each moment is similar but never identical to the one before.

• There is a difference between the clock’s movement today and tomorrow.
• There is a difference between today’s sunrise and tomorrow’s sunrise.

While the cycle appears the same on the surface, each revolution of time brings a subtle shift. The first to consciously recognize this was the female, who then passed this knowledge to the male.

Thus, humanity’s awareness of time led to the realization of beginnings and endings, marking the birth of philosophical contemplation.

Human Evolution: From Matter to Awareness

When humans became aware of time, they began questioning beginnings and endings, setting themselves apart from the animal world.

According to Gnostic thought, evolution is not just a physical process but a transformation in awareness:

• Matter (inanimate objects) was the first stage.
• Plants evolved from matter.
• Animals emerged from plants.
• Humans developed from animals physically, but their consciousness is entirely distinct.

This raises the philosophical debate between religion and materialist atheism:

• Materialist atheism claims that humans are just advanced animals.
• Religions argue that humans were created by a divine force.
• Gnosticism states that while the human body evolved from animals, the essence of human awareness is independent, making humanity a unique entity rather than a mere biological extension of animals.

Creation vs. Manifestation in Gnosticism

In Gnostic philosophy, creation is not an instant event by a divine being but a process of gradual manifestation. Even religious texts, upon closer examination, describe creation as an emergence from something else rather than a spontaneous act from nothing.

Once humans understood time, they faced terrifying existential questions:

• How can I live knowing that I will die?
• How can I build something knowing I will leave it behind?

These questions still trouble us today—so imagine how shocking they were for the first humans! How did the first mother feel when she realized she would die and leave her children behind?

This existential terror gave birth to Gnosticism—a pursuit to transcend time and mortality by seeking deeper truth.

Time and Divinity in Ancient Beliefs

In ancient pre-Zoroastrian religions, time was considered a deity. The god Zuran (or Zurvan) was worshiped as the supreme force, the entity that created both good and evil.

• Zurvan was time itself—neither male nor female, neither good nor evil.
• Time was seen as a neutral cosmic force that governs everything.
• This belief persisted in pre-Islamic Arabia, where followers of this philosophy were known as “Dahris” (Eternalists).

The Quran mentions their beliefs in the following verse:

“And they say: ‘There is nothing but our worldly life; we die and live, and nothing destroys us except Time (Dahr).’ But they have no knowledge of this; they only speculate.” (Quran 45:24)

Interestingly, despite criticizing the idea that time is a deity, Islamic tradition contains a divine hadith (sacred saying)that confirms it:

“Do not curse Time, for Allah is Time.”

This suggests that early humans mistakenly equated time with divinity, creating the foundation for many later religious and philosophical ideas.

Conclusion: The Gnostic Perspective on Time

In Gnostic thought, time is not the Logos, but rather the movement of the Logos. Just as your movement is not your essence, time itself is merely a function of existence, not the source of existence.

Understanding time is what separates humans from animals. Awareness of beginnings and endings compels humans to search for truth beyond material existence.

A Call to Reflection

For modern humans, awareness of time seems obvious, but for the first humans, it was a revolutionary realization. To truly understand time, we must reconnect with this ancient awakening:

• Step away from the distractions of daily life.
• Contemplate your own presence within the flow of time.
• Recognize that seeking truth is an evolutionary step beyond mere survival.

Returning to our original state of curiosity and self-awareness is not a step backward, but a leap forward. To seek Gnosis is to move beyond conventional thought, beyond ideological and societal conditioning, and to embrace the eternal quest for knowledge and self-discovery.