Samael Aun Weor

"We explain the secret doctrine of our adorable Savior [the cosmic, universal Christ of all religions]. We intensely love this poor suffering humanity. We warn this humanity of the planet Earth about the apocalyptic hour in which we are.... The times of the end have arrived and we are in them. Those who suppose that the times of the end are in a very remote future are very mistaken. Events are speaking for themselves." -Samael Aun Weor, The Aquarian Message

Samael Aun Weor dedicated his life to deliver to humanity the complete path toward the realization of the inner Being, or in other words, the total and exact science required by anyone of any religion, race, culture or creed who wishes to fully and completely develop the human soul. The path he taught is the path of the bodhisattva, that mysterious and ancient wisdom long hidden in the bosom of every great religion.

"For as long as space endures
and for as long as the world lasts,
may I live dispelling the miseries
of the world."
- Santideva, Bodhisattvacharyavatara

The bodhisattva path, also known as the straight path, is taken by very few. While many aspire to the Light, the vast majority take the easier spiral path, which is accomplished over a much longer period. The walker of the straight path is rare because that road is bitter, painful and filled with terrors. Embodied in the life story of Jesus of Nazareth, the path of the bodhisattva is a path of crucifixion and suffering on behalf of others.

The straight path, the upright course of action, the eightfold path, conducts us from the darkness to the light. Thus, this is what Christ meant when he said to us: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." - John 14:6

Those who renounce the happiness of Nirvana because of their love for mankind, those who have the body or vehicle of solar transformation, the Nirmanakaya, are the authentic bodhisattvas, who indeed walk along the straight path; they know the word of the Lord.

Regarding myself, concerning me, I am a walker of the straight path; thus, I teach the doctrine related with the straight path for those who want to go on the straight path. As to those who do not want to go on the straight path, well, I’m sorry, but the moment at which they have to define themselves will come: then, to those who choose the spiral nirvanic path, we, the ones who follow the straight path, have to say “good-bye," because we go towards the Absolute! - Samael Aun Weor

Clearly, the path taught by Samael Aun Weor is a radical departure from the teachings of thespiral path, and is even more sharply opposed to the far more common teachings of the Baalim, or lunar path. Thus, the student, when encountering Gnosis for the first time, is often shocked, outraged, or offended, because these teachings contradict much of what we believe or hold dear. Upon closer study, it will be discovered that Gnosis is indeed the doctrine of the synthesis, the expression of the universal wisdom in the heart of every religion. What is in conflict with Gnosis are the ideas and interpretations of mankind. Truth is one; it is the mind we have within which degenerates that truth into opinions, dogmas, politics and wars.

As a vibrant embodiment of the bodhisattva ideal, which renounces all self-interest and seeks instead to benefit others, Samael Aun Weor rejected any notion of personality worship or the attachments of followers. Throughout his life, many thousands of students projected onto him their ideals and their needs, and this continues to this day. While many worship him and make gnosis into just another system of belief, his own message is very clear: the only master we should follow is our own inner divinity. To reach that inner divinity, we must remove from our mind mere belief: we must instead study the path as taught by all the great teachers of humanity, and put those teachings into daily practice.

Perhaps most remarkably, what he wrote and taught was not mere theory: unlike most authors (especially those who write about religion and spirituality), he taught from personal experience.

There are authors who write marvels, but when one looks at them, one realizes that they have not lived what they have written; they did not experience it in themselves, and that is why they are mistaken. I understand that one must write what one has directly experienced by oneself. I have proceeded in this way on my part. - Tarot and Kabbalah (1978)

The Terrestrial Man and the Celestial Man

The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. - St. Paul, from 1 Corinthians 15:47

In order to understand the true identity of Samael Aun Weor, it is necessary to understand something about the identity of all people: we, as terrestrial people, are the children of our own, individual inner Divinity. We are the "first man," of the earth, and we have within us the "second man," who, at this point, we do not know; that is why we suffer, because we do not have a direct connection with our own true, inner nature.

The goal of "religion" (Latin: religare, to unite) is to re-unite these two parts. This is what is meant by the "Self-realization of the Being." The Terrestrial Man "realizes" his inner nature, the Heavenly Man.

And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. - 1 Corinthians 15:49-50

For us to accomplish this goal, we must remove all corruption from within, for God, the Celestial Man within us, cannot mix with our corrupted psyche.

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. - Matthew 5:48

This is why all true religions and mystical traditions emphasize the need for Sanctity, or psychological purity. The one who purifies himself of all that is corrupt can then "inherit the Kingdom" or in other words, become united with his own true "Self." Yet, this "self" is not self in the way we think of it, for our real existence is beyond any sense of "I" - the real self is the Being:

Our real Being is of a universal nature. Our real Being is neither a kind of superior nor inferior "I." Our real Being is impersonal, universal, divine. He transcends every concept of "I," me, myself, ego, etc., etc. - The Perfect Matrimony

Beyond this, there are those who work to embody more; they choose the most difficult path of all, and seek to incarnate the very sourse of all Wisdom and Compassion: the universal Cosmic Christ, also known as Jupiter, Vishnu, Quetzalcoatl, Avalokitesvara, and many other names.

The Path of the Bodhisattva

Bodhisattva: (Sanskrit) Literally, Bodhi means "enlightenment" or "wisdom." Sattva means “essence” or “goodness,” therefore the term Bodhisattva literally means “essence of wisdom.”

In the esoteric or secret teachings of Tibet and Gnosticism, a Bodhisattva is a human being who, through tremendous work on himself, has reached the Fifth Initiation of Fire (Tiphereth) and has chosen to continue working by means of the Straight Path, renouncing the easier Spiral Path (in Nirvana), and returning instead to help suffering humanity. By means of this sacrifice, this individual incarnates the Christ (Avalokitesvara), thereby embodying the supreme source of wisdom and compassion. The Cosmic Christ is known in Hebrew as Chokmah, which literally means "wisdom."

This is the entrance to the Direct Path to complete liberation from the ego, a route that only very few take, due to the fact that one must pay the entirety of one's karma in one life. Those who have taken this road have been the most remarkable figures in human history: Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Quetzalcoatl, Krishna, Moses, Padmasambhava, Milarepa, Joan of Arc, Fu-Ji, and many others whose names are not remembered or known.

The truly humble Bodhisattva never praises himself. The humble Bodhisattva says, "I am just a miserable slug from the mud of the earth, I am a nobody. My person has no value. The work is what is worthy."

The Bodhisattva is the human soul of a Master. The Master is the internal God. - Samael Aun Weor, The Aquarian Message

Samael Aun Weor, through tremendous psychological revolutions within himself, achieved the glory of his own inner Master, and incarnated the Cosmic Christ, becoming a Bodhisattva, or "essence of wisdom (Chokmah)."

The Initiatic Life of the Terrestrial Man

Samael Aun Weor, the bodhisattva of Samael, the Spirit of Fire, was born in Colombia, South America. At a very early age, he was able to remember his past incarnations. Thus, he knew who he was.

He never identified with his Christian name since he knew that it was just a passing accident of life that soon disappears in time. Even though many people who knew him still like to use his Christian name, we omit it, because just like him, we only want to talk about his Real Self or Real Being.

At the age of eighteen, he came in contact with his Innermost through a maha-samadhi and met his Guru in the Internal Worlds.

After passing terrible ordeals in the physical world he was initiated in a Gnostic Temple of the Superior Worlds. Through his initiation he remembered his reincarnations in Atlantis, Lemuria, Hyperborea, and the Polar Race. Reaching the state of prajnaparamita he gained access to the cosmic Akashic Records (the memory of Nature) and thereafter went beyond the Polar Race, remembering past mahamanvantaras (Cosmic Days). This is how he came to know about the origin of the human being on this planet, a knowledge that he wrote in one of his books entitled Gnostic Anthropology.

He achieved the complete annihilation within himself of the subconsciousness, unconsciousness, and infraconsciousness through the techniques of meditation and sexual dynamics; thus he developed Supraconsciousness, which gave him the ability to investigate cosmic phenomena within all of the sephiroth of the Tree of Life. He also became able to consciously communicate with all of the sentient beings who inhabit the different spheres or dimensions, parallel universes of the cosmos. This is how he was able to bring into his physical brain a great deal of wisdom in relation to esotericism, mantras, invocations, Kabbalah, esoteric psychology, etc, etc, etc.

There were many times when he explained to his disciples the great difficulty he had in crystallizing into contemporary language, the wisdom that he received within the Internal Worlds. He needed to learn Sanskrit, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew in order to explain what was impossible to express in everyday language. This is why when one reads his books we find that they are impregnated with a vocabulary appropriate to the knowledge he expresses. (That is why this website has begun compiling an online glossary ). Any reader will improve his own language in a spiritual way when reading his books.

Samael Aun Weor achieved complete Self-realization at the age of sixty-one; thus at that age he passed through a terrible ordeal which allowed him to achieve the degree of a Resurrected Master and return into Shangri-La. Since then, he is operating anonymously in the physical world, while simultaneously continuing his mission from within the Internal Worlds.

This is how his Real Being, Samael, the Spirit of Fire, absorbed him completely within his bosom and became one with him.

The Celestial Man

A great deal of information about Samael, the Spirit of Fire, is written in many esoteric books. In some places Samael is described as a demon, and in others as a great angel. This is because there is always movement in the heavens and hells; the demons can renounce evil and work to become angels, and the angels can make mistakes and fall into evil. This is the true meaning behind Jacob's Ladder.

And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending (to higher realms) and descending (to lower realms) on it. - Genesis 28:12

The ladder is the Tree of Life.

Samael Aun Weor said regarding this:

I ended up transforming myself into a fallen angel. Many egos resurged within my mind and I became transformed into a true devil.

Now, in this present existence, I comprehend the necessity of eliminating my egos, the necessity of performing the Great Work of the Father. Therefore, this is why today I am here speaking to you all, with my hand placed on my heart.

Samael Aun Weor is my true name as a Bodhisattva.

Samael is the name of my Monad!

The name Samael Aun Weor is his true, eternal name. Every creature has their own eternal name, which has nothing to do with the profane name we receive at birth.

As he wrote in his book The Zodiacal Course:

Samael Aun Weor is the authentic name of a flame of the great blaze, before whom I must prostrate myself. Samael Aun Weor means “Will of God"...

Samael, the inner Being of Samael Aun Weor, is a great archangel who has been assisting humanity for ages. He has been known by many names throughout our history, but he is perhaps best known as Ares, Mars, the god of war. His war is always a spiritual one, the war against the corruption of the human mind. Knowing this helps the reader understand why the writings and teachings of Samael Aun Weor are so direct and so potent.

Samael (Ares) is the great cosmic intelligence which is responsible for the spiritual development of this current humanity, which has long been known as the "Aryan" (from Ares) race. (Unfortunately, this term "Aryan race" has been corrupted by many ignorant people.) Therefore, he needed his terrestrial part to work here in the physical world on behalf of humanity.

His son, the bodhisattva, fell into disgrace for many centuries, and committed many mistakes. Due to this, the esotericists of past ages knew him as a great demon. Subsequently, the bodhisattva was brought to realize his mistakes, and he worked very hard to rectify them. Now, Samael, the inner Being, has his son standing upright once more, and he was able to deliver his teachings to humanity.

Any neophyte can invoke the Master Samael in the internal worlds using the techniques that he gave in many of his books, and investigate all of this directly.

The Tradition of Samael Aun Weor

Over the last century, many schools and traditions have arisen which call themselves "Gnostic." Of those, some are based solely on dry old texts which were uncovered in the desert. Some are the offspring of various "occult" schools which claim some connection with the ancient mysteries. Yet, in the case of those schools which are founded upon the tradition of Samael Aun Weor, there is one striking difference: the application of practical techniques in order to know for oneself.

Gnosis is Greek for knowledge, and is the same as the Hebrew Daath, which is the Tree of Knowledge. This knowledge is beyond belief or theory: it is direct knowing through experience.

In the tradition of Samael Aun Weor, no one is asked to believe anything. There are no demands made of the student, save one: use the techniques so you will know for yourself. The knowledge, like the teacher, is merely an indication, a signpost; one should follow it in order to reach the goal.

"I, the one who writes this book, am not anyone’s master, and I beg people to not follow me. I am an imperfect human just like anyone else, and it is an error to follow someone who is imperfect. Let every one follow their “I am.” - Samael Aun Weor, The Major Mysteries

Granted, there are schools and instructors within the tradition of Samael Aun Weor who have lost sight of this essential point, and they become just another "cult of personality," which seeks to gather followers and build organizations. This, however, has nothing to do with real Gnosis. Samael Aun Weor indicated this many times.

"Do you not know that you are the temple of the eternal living God, and that the Most High dwells in your heart?

"You were taught the Our Father precisely so that you would learn to converse with your inner God, and yet you are looking for loopholes within schools. How foolish you are!

"So what is the need for schools if the master is within, and he calls us?" - Samael Aun Weor, Secret Notes of a Guru

"I sustain that Nirvana can be won by us in a single reincarnation, properly taken advantage of. Samael Aun Weor has delivered you this course precisely for you to win Nirvana quickly and in a few years. I do not want henchmen nor followers, only imitators of my example.

"I have not come to form any sect or one more belief, neither am I interested in the schools of today, or the particular beliefs of anyone!"

Real Gnosis is the experiential knowledge of the soul, which is beyond theory, dogma or belief. Therefore, we must reject from within ourselves all theory, dogma and belief in order to enter into the experience of Reality (Direct Knowledge).

"The mind must free itself from all kinds of “schools,” religions, sects, beliefs, etc. All those “cages” are obstacles which render the mind incapable of thinking freely. It is necessary for the mind to become free of the illusions of this world and become a fine and marvelous instrument of the Inner Being." - Samael Aun Weor