Two Gospel of Thomas groups Are being offered Over Zoom in the Fall of 2023.
The first, an advanced Group, will be offered Monday Evenings and will focus on Living The Gospel of THomas and Canonical Gospel BEatitudes. This Group is Currently At Capacity!
The SeCOND will be Open to Anyone and will be A Topical Study Into The Depth Of The GOSPEL of THOMAS. This will be offered on Tuesday Evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and run from Tuesday September 26 - November 28. You can FinD Further Information and Sign Up for this Group beLow.
The Gospel of Thomas is one of the sacred books of early Christianity recording some of the deepest insights Yeshua shared with his disciples. It is composed solely of Wisdom Sayings (Logia) of Yeshua. These are similar to the parables and aphorisms of Jesus found in the Canonical New Testament Gospels.
When you spend time with the Gospel of Thomas you notice that is not so much a text you master as a text you live into in greater depth. In the upcoming program, A Topical Study into the Depth of the Gospel of Thomas, we'll focus on the sayings bring insight into a transformation of awareness and presence to the level a Consciousness Yeshua called "the Kingdom of Heaven."
Tau Malachi, a modern Christian Gnostic Master who has written about the Gospel of Thomas states:
Holy Scriptures have many levels of meaning, from the surface and literal meaning to the metaphorical level, and deeper still, to the secret and mystical level. At each level, there are many different spiritual teachings that can be drawn out of any verse of Holy Scripture, all according to the inspiration of the Spirit in the moment and one’s own capacity to receive. In effect, each verse is like an endless well of Wisdom into which one can dip one’s cup again and again, continually bringing forth new Wisdom – the very living waters of which Jesus spoke… While we may look at the depth contained in a verse… we can also seek what the verse draws out from the depths of our own being… The process of seeking knowledge, understanding and wisdom must be more than merely the formation of mental concepts. While the mind and mental-being needs to be involved in the process, the heart and soul-being needs to be primary… The heart with its capacity to feel and intuit, and the soul-being, with its capacity in metaphysical dimensions through interior senses, are crucial to making the process experiential. When it is experiential, we restore our own Spirit-connectedness and are transformed in the process. We thus progress in the gospel.
Abbot George Burke, a Commentator on the Gospel of Thomas states that "it was made clear in the Gospels that Jesus had two levels of teaching; one for those dedicated to attain the highest ideals of the spiritual path and the other for ordinary people whose capacity for understanding and interest in spiritual things was limited." In our work together we'll focus on the first level of Jesus' teaching and seek to draw out the depths from the Gospel of Thomas as well as from ourselves. We'll explore the ties with Christian Nonduality, No-self, Christ-Consciousness, Unitive- Awareness, Christian Mystical Understanding and the Practice of Presence.
Our program will focus on the Gospel of Thomas Logia grouped under the following topics:
The format of this program will be a small group study of the Gospel of Thomas with particular focus on uncovering it's deepest Wisdom in the group and individually. Each week of this program will feature a facilitated exploration focused on the Gospel of Thomas Logia (Sayings) aligned to a particular topic for that week. We'll utilize a Lectio Divina style format and contemplative sharing to allow the group's Wisdom to flow in order to reveal the deeper meaning inherent in each Logion considered.
To further enhance private exploration and understanding, complementary Logia which support the Logia we've reviewed together with questions to ponder during the week will be provided. In addition, commentary from a variety of sources will later be shared to enhance the deeper meaning of the Logia revealed by the group. Each member of the group is encouraged to spend time with the Logia we discuss and the additional resources provided between meetings so that their transformative meaning might be further revealed to them. Each meeting with start off with a sharing by group members on whatever additional insights they had by spending time with the prior week's material.
Because Wisdom work is inspired by the Spirit, each session will begin with a 20-minute period of Centering Prayer / meditation practice to ground and open all participants to the workings of the Spirit.
We will be using the translations found in "The Luminous Gospels" by Lynn C. Bauman as our primary Gospel of Thomas source. Other sources of commentary and insight will be used to augment the insights of the text.
The size of the group is limited to 14-16 participants how have been with the group during parts of this study to ensure that we cover the remaining Logia during the 10 weeks and that there is ability for all to share. All sessions will be conducted over Zoom.
The suggested offering for this program is $95 for this ten-session series.
If you have any questions please email Mike Smoolca at [email protected]. You may also register your interest in this Fall 2023 group below:
When you spend time with the Gospel of Thomas you notice that is not so much a text you master as a text you live into in greater depth. In the upcoming program, A Topical Study into the Depth of the Gospel of Thomas, we'll focus on the sayings bring insight into a transformation of awareness and presence to the level a Consciousness Yeshua called "the Kingdom of Heaven."
Tau Malachi, a modern Christian Gnostic Master who has written about the Gospel of Thomas states:
Holy Scriptures have many levels of meaning, from the surface and literal meaning to the metaphorical level, and deeper still, to the secret and mystical level. At each level, there are many different spiritual teachings that can be drawn out of any verse of Holy Scripture, all according to the inspiration of the Spirit in the moment and one’s own capacity to receive. In effect, each verse is like an endless well of Wisdom into which one can dip one’s cup again and again, continually bringing forth new Wisdom – the very living waters of which Jesus spoke… While we may look at the depth contained in a verse… we can also seek what the verse draws out from the depths of our own being… The process of seeking knowledge, understanding and wisdom must be more than merely the formation of mental concepts. While the mind and mental-being needs to be involved in the process, the heart and soul-being needs to be primary… The heart with its capacity to feel and intuit, and the soul-being, with its capacity in metaphysical dimensions through interior senses, are crucial to making the process experiential. When it is experiential, we restore our own Spirit-connectedness and are transformed in the process. We thus progress in the gospel.
Abbot George Burke, a Commentator on the Gospel of Thomas states that "it was made clear in the Gospels that Jesus had two levels of teaching; one for those dedicated to attain the highest ideals of the spiritual path and the other for ordinary people whose capacity for understanding and interest in spiritual things was limited." In our work together we'll focus on the first level of Jesus' teaching and seek to draw out the depths from the Gospel of Thomas as well as from ourselves. We'll explore the ties with Christian Nonduality, No-self, Christ-Consciousness, Unitive- Awareness, Christian Mystical Understanding and the Practice of Presence.
Our program will focus on the Gospel of Thomas Logia grouped under the following topics:
- Yeshua - his role and his invitation (1 week)
- Not everyone is ready – the Master and the ready student recognize each other (1 week)
- The Kingdom of Heaven - what is this level of Consciousness like? (2 weeks)
- Listen to your Inner Authority - When you can depend on your Deepest Identity you don't need to rely on externals (1 week)
- Your Deepest Identity - Our origin reveals our nature! (1 week)
- In the world but not of It - Remain detached to see the world for what it is (2 weeks)
- Finding our Deepest Identity - Living in the Kingdom (2 weeks)
The format of this program will be a small group study of the Gospel of Thomas with particular focus on uncovering it's deepest Wisdom in the group and individually. Each week of this program will feature a facilitated exploration focused on the Gospel of Thomas Logia (Sayings) aligned to a particular topic for that week. We'll utilize a Lectio Divina style format and contemplative sharing to allow the group's Wisdom to flow in order to reveal the deeper meaning inherent in each Logion considered.
To further enhance private exploration and understanding, complementary Logia which support the Logia we've reviewed together with questions to ponder during the week will be provided. In addition, commentary from a variety of sources will later be shared to enhance the deeper meaning of the Logia revealed by the group. Each member of the group is encouraged to spend time with the Logia we discuss and the additional resources provided between meetings so that their transformative meaning might be further revealed to them. Each meeting with start off with a sharing by group members on whatever additional insights they had by spending time with the prior week's material.
Because Wisdom work is inspired by the Spirit, each session will begin with a 20-minute period of Centering Prayer / meditation practice to ground and open all participants to the workings of the Spirit.
We will be using the translations found in "The Luminous Gospels" by Lynn C. Bauman as our primary Gospel of Thomas source. Other sources of commentary and insight will be used to augment the insights of the text.
The size of the group is limited to 14-16 participants how have been with the group during parts of this study to ensure that we cover the remaining Logia during the 10 weeks and that there is ability for all to share. All sessions will be conducted over Zoom.
The suggested offering for this program is $95 for this ten-session series.
If you have any questions please email Mike Smoolca at [email protected]. You may also register your interest in this Fall 2023 group below:
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Presented and Facilitated by Mike Smoolca:
Nearly a decade ago Mike Smoolca retired from a nearly 30 year career in Business and Technology to focus on deepening his relationships, spirituality, teaching and service to others. Mike is a practicing Spiritual Director, Spiritual Director Supervisor and BioSpiritual Focusing Companion as well as a leader and teacher in the area's Christian Contemplative Community. Mike has been facilitating Spiritual groups for over 10 years and, in particular, Gospel of Thomas study groups for three years. |