Samael Aun Weor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Samael Aun Weor |
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| Religion | Occultism, Theosophy |
| Known for | Gnostic Movement |
| Personal | |
| Nationality | Colombian, Mexican |
| Born | Víctor Manuel Gómez Rodríguez March 6, 1917 Bogota, Colombia |
| Died | December 24, 1977 (aged 60) Mexico City, Mexico |
| Spouse | Arnolda Garro de Gómez, V. M. Litelantes |
| Parents | Manuel Gómez Quijano and Francisca Rodríguez |
Samael Aun Weor (Hebrew: סמאל און ואור; March 6, 1917 – December 24, 1977), born Víctor Manuel Gómez Rodríguez, was a teacher and writer. He wrote over sixty books about spiritual topics. He started a new religious movement called "Universal Gnosticism," or simply gnosis. He taught practical ways to awaken and change one's inner self.
He first became known in Colombia for his Gnostic teachings. In 1956, he moved to Mexico, where his movement grew. His books became popular among people interested in occultism (hidden knowledge) and Western esotericism (spiritual traditions). His works were translated into many languages and are still studied today.
In 1948, Gómez started using the name Aun Weor, which means "the messenger of God." In 1954, he adopted the name Samael Aun Weor. He used this name until he passed away in 1977. Samael Aun Weor called his teachings "The Doctrine of Synthesis." He believed it showed that all spiritual paths share a common truth. He taught that its main goal was to help people become more like "Christ" and achieve "Final Liberation."
Biography
Early Life and Learning
Victor Manuel Gómez Rodriguez was born in Bogotá, Colombia. His parents were Manuel Gómez Quijano and Francisca Rodríguez de Gómez. He was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church, but he later chose not to follow it. Not much is known about his childhood, except that he had a brother. His father remarried after a divorce.
He went to a Roman Catholic Jesuit school but left at age twelve. He felt disappointed by traditional religion. Instead, he spent his time studying spiritual and hidden knowledge. At 17, he gave talks at a local Theosophical Chapter. A year later, he joined an occult group called Fraternitas Rosicruciana Antiqua (F.R.A.).
Adult Life and Family
Not many details are known about his life between the mid-1930s and 1950. He traveled a lot without a home or job. He said he lived with an indigenous tribe in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. There, he learned healing secrets. These secrets later became part of his book, Occult Medicine and Practical Magic. During these years, he also described meeting his "Inner Being" or Atman, named "Aun Weor." This name means "Strength and Light" in Hebrew.
He was briefly married to Sara Dueños and had a son named "Imperator." In 1946, he married Arnolda Garro Mora, known as "Litelantes." They lived together for 31 years and had four children: Osiris, Isis, Iris, and Hypatia. Samael Aun Weor said that Litelantes taught him how to place the physical body in the fourth dimension.
Teaching and Leadership
By 1948, he began teaching a small group of students. In 1950, using the name "Aun Weor," he published The Perfect Matrimony, or The Door to Enter into Initiation. This book was later simply called The Perfect Matrimony.
From March 14 to 19, 1952, Aun Weor was jailed for five days for "healing the sick." He wrote about this experience in his diary, Secret Notes of a Guru.
After March 19, 1952, Aun Weor and some students built an "underground temple" called the Summum Supremum Sanctuarium. It was located in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. On October 27, 1954, Aun Weor had a spiritual experience he called the "Initiation of Tiphereth." He said this was the start of his "Logos" or "Glorian" (spiritual essence) entering his soul. He stated that his Glorian's name had always been "Samael." From then on, he signed his name Samael Aun Weor.
Aun Weor said that this joining of Samael (the spiritual essence) with Aun Weor (the human soul) made him the Maitreya Buddha Kalki Avatar of the New Age of Aquarius. When asked what this title meant, he explained:
A messenger or avatar is someone who delivers a message. So, the word avatar means a servant or messenger of a great work. I am a cosmic mailman, delivering a cosmic letter. This word should not make us proud. It just means an emissary, a servant, someone who gives a message. Regarding Buddha Maitreya, we need to understand it clearly. The Inner-Buddha is our true self. When someone's true self becomes fully realized, they are called a Buddha. The term Maitreya can be for one teacher or for many. It means any spiritual person who has become like Christ.
He often said he was the true Kalki Avatar, but he always rejected people worshiping him:
I, Samael, do not need followers. I only need people to follow my teachings: Gnosis. I don't follow anyone, and I don't want anyone to follow me. I want each of you to follow your own inner self. I am just a lighthouse in the sea of life. I don't need clients to exist. I am against enslaving souls. I don't want to enslave anyone. There are many Masters, and I am just one of them. Those who want to find the Masters will find them inside themselves, deep within their own consciousness.
Life in Mexico City
In 1956, he left Colombia and traveled through Costa Rica and El Salvador. Later that year, he settled in Mexico City. There, he began his public work.
Before 1960, he published about 20 more books. These books covered many topics, from endocrinology (study of hormones) and criminology (study of crime) to kundalini yoga. He started many Gnostic Institutions and centers in Mexico, Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Venezuela. He also connected with other spiritual groups in Argentina and India.
Despite his success, the Gnostic Movement faced challenges. By the time he published a new edition of The Perfect Matrimony (1961), the movement had shrunk. Aun Weor wrote that "those who did not leave the Gnostic Movement can be counted on the fingers of one hand." However, by the time he passed away, Samael Aun Weor had rebuilt the movement. It once again reached many countries.
In the 1960s, he continued to write many books. Topics included hermetic astrology, flying saucers, and the Kabbalah (a system of Jewish mysticism). He also wrote about social and political ideas, such as Platform of POSCLA (Latin-American Christian Socialist Party) and The Social Christ. He discussed the problems of Wall Street materialism, atheism, and Marxism-Leninism. POSCLA's motto was "All for one and one for all." Its method was the conscious practice of ahimsa (non-violence).
Later Writings and Passing
In the last ten years of his life, he wrote books like Parsifal Unveiled. This book explained the hidden meanings in Wagner's opera. In Gnostic Anthropology, he strongly criticized the ideas of Darwin and Haeckel. His books The Great Rebellion, Treatise of Revolutionary Psychology, and The Revolution of the Dialectic explained his ideas on spiritual psychology. During this time, he also worked on The Pistis Sophia Unveiled. In this book, he studied the ancient Gnostic text Pistis Sophia verse by verse.
By 1972, Samael Aun Weor wrote that his death and spiritual "resurrection" would happen before 1978. In his book The Three Mountains (1972), he said he would face challenges between his 53rd and 61st birthdays. He also said that this period of trials happens before spiritual resurrection. The person going through it would be "deprived of everything" and "afflicted by an impure sickness." By August 1977, he had stomach cancer. Even then, he continued to speak to students and the public. He gave radio and television interviews while traveling in Mexico. Eventually, severe stomach pain forced him to stop. As his health worsened, he told those around him, "Don't cling to my battered body, instead cling to my doctrinal body." Aun Weor passed away on December 24, 1977.
Years before his death, he said he would use an ancient Egyptian "mummy" as a new body for his work. He believed this body would be better prepared than his own. Many of his followers expected him to return publicly soon after his death. He stated he planned to remain hidden for a while so that his teachings could grow.
Doctrine of Synthesis
The "Doctrine of Synthesis" is the name Aun Weor used for his teachings. It combines many different spiritual ideas from his books and talks.
He believed that authors like Blavatsky, Steiner, and Gurdjieff prepared people for his deeper teachings. He saw his work as the true unveiling of occultism or gnosis.
Aun Weor stressed that his teachings were meant to be experienced, not just read. He said they must be put into practice to be valuable. His books contain hundreds of techniques and exercises. These help develop psychic powers, like leaving the physical body at will (astral projection). This allows students to learn in the "Higher Worlds." These techniques are always combined with meditation. Achieving these powers might take more than one lifetime.
He taught that if a student awakens their consciousness, they will be aware all the time. This means being aware during the day, while the body sleeps, and even after death. This is important because Aun Weor said that people with sleeping consciousness are not aware after death. They are like people who are not aware when they are physically sleeping. Awakening consciousness allows a student to continue their spiritual work no matter their physical state.
Religion and Spiritual Growth
Aun Weor saw religions as different ways of expressing eternal spiritual truths. He said that religions are born and die over time, but their core spiritual values always remain. When a religion has served its purpose, it changes and fades. Then, a new messenger appears with teachings for that culture. Different cultures need different teachings, which leads to many religious doctrines. However, if one understands their core values, all religions support each other. He stated that any true religion has "The Three Factors of the Revolution of the Consciousness." These are practical parts of daily life:
- Death: This means working to get rid of the ego (our psychological flaws).
- Birth: This means developing the higher potential of the soul.
- Sacrifice: This means helping others without expecting anything in return. It is pure, sincere, and selfless giving.
Aun Weor emphasized that the first factor, "Death" of the ego, is the most important. He believed that any teaching missing one of these parts is incomplete.
Psychology and the Ego
Aun Weor's main spiritual work focused on psychology. He said that his teachings aimed to bring about a psychological change. He used terms like Gnostic, Esoteric, or Revolutionary Psychology to describe his methods. He said these were the same as the psychological teachings found in ancient religions.
A key idea he presented is that an ordinary human is not truly human. Instead, they are an "intellectual animal" with a sleeping consciousness. According to Samael Aun Weor, a true human being has no psychological flaws. They are like an image of God, as Jesus said, "Become perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect." Aun Weor believed he was an example of such a "human being." He described awakening consciousness in a way similar to traditional Buddhist ideas. He often showed how different religions talked about similar processes.
To awaken consciousness correctly, Aun Weor said it was necessary to destroy the ego. He taught that one's ego is not a single thing but many. It is a group of independent, conflicting desires. Each person's ego contains many "I's" or "aggregates." Each desire is an "I," and each "I" has its own reasons for appearing at a certain time. This is why people "change their mind." When one "I" changes to another, a different part of the self takes over. This idea of the "plural I" or "Pluralized Ego" is similar to what G.I. Gurdjieff taught. Aun Weor said that Gurdjieff did not create this idea. He stated that its origin is found in ancient Egypt and Tibet.
Awakening Consciousness
Consciousness is described as a state of being, very close to God. In most people, consciousness is said to be 97% asleep. This means it is subconscious, unconscious, or infraconscious. These are different levels of psychological sleep. Psychological sleep means a lack of self-awareness. The average person is unaware of most of their own being. Sleeping consciousness is caused by what Aun Weor called identification or fascination. This means consciousness is not aware of its own actions. To awaken consciousness, one must realize it is asleep. This means understanding every impulse, action, thought, and movement. This is achieved through meditation and self-observation. Awakening consciousness is the only way to gain gnosis. It is also the only way to truly change by removing the psychological flaws that cause suffering.
Psychological Aggregates
The goal of this psychological work is to get rid of all the psychological flaws one has gathered. The term "psychological or mystical death" describes this process. It is needed to reach liberation. "Psychological aggregates" are also known as aggregates in Buddhism. Other religions used different ways to describe them. Examples include the "Legion" that Jesus removed from a man in the Bible. Or overcoming the "49 Self-willed demons of Yaldabaoth" in the Pistis Sophia. It also means Moses escaping the Egyptians. Or Arjuna fighting his own family (the ego). Or the demons of Seth attacking Osiris. Jesus throwing merchants out of the temple is another example. The stories of Jesus and Osiris show the death and rebirth of a "Solar Hero." Descending into Dante's Inferno (our unconscious) or Paradise Lost's Pandemonium to do a great task, like Hercules or Orpheus, also fits. The Dragon (ego) that a Knight must defeat is another example. Aun Weor stated that this idea is called "The Doctrine of the Many." It has been taught in spiritual schools since ancient times. It means the divine spark is trapped within hundreds of psychological flaws.
To change psychologically, many methods of meditation and self-observation are taught. They are meant for daily practice. The goal of this work is to awaken consciousness. Ultimately, it leads to a state of complete truth (Paramarthasatya).
Salvation and Paths
Soteriology (the study of salvation) is explained through different religions. However, Aun Weor's views often differ from traditional ones. There are many levels of salvation. These are achieved by paying off one's karma, removing psychological flaws, and creating "solar bodies." The idea that simply believing in God brings salvation is rejected.
Many levels of salvation are described, depending on a person's willpower. For those who do not remove their psychological flaws (ego), they will face consequences. After about 108 rebirths, their ego will be removed forcefully. This happens through a process called "mechanical devolution" in the "infradimensions" (Hell). Here, "Mother Nature" makes people pay their karma. This involves much suffering over thousands of years. Eventually, the person returns to an innocent state, like an elemental. This state is total happiness, but not conscious happiness. So, it is not complete happiness. Hell is not seen as a place of eternal damnation. It is a place to pay karma. It is even seen as part of God's grace. If the ego were not removed forcefully, these souls would suffer forever. After Hell, the elemental is put back into the cycle of evolution. They start again at the basic level (minerals). Over millions of years, they move through more complex organisms. Eventually, they reach the state of an "intellectual animal" again.
For those who work on themselves, two paths appear. These depend on how much perfection, happiness, and wisdom they want. There is the Straight Path of the Razor's Edge and the Spiral Path. The Spiral Path means reaching a state of partial enlightenment. This involves enjoying the "Higher Worlds" (Heaven or Nirvana). Sometimes, they return to a physical body to pay off more karma and help humanity. Aun Weor called these the Pratyeka Buddhas and Sravakas. He said most people who reach this state choose the Spiral Path because it is easy and enjoyable. The dangerous Straight Path of the Razor's Edge is the Path of the Bodhisattva. A Bodhisattva gives up the happiness of the Higher Worlds (Nirvana) to help humanity. In Aun Weor's teachings, a Bodhisattva has a very specific meaning. It is not just someone who has taken Bodhisattva vows. It is the human soul (physical, vital, astral, mental, and causal bodies) of a self-realized spirit. This spirit has chosen the Straight Path to become like Christ. In other words, the Bodhisattva is the "Son" of a self-realized God. They are trying to return to the Absolute.
Understanding Christ
Christ is seen as a savior, but not in the usual Christian way. Instead, Christ is an impersonal force or intelligence. It comes from the Absolute as the Trinity. It is also called the Cosmic Christ. Christ is said to have existed before Jesus. It is represented in different traditions by names like Thoth, Ormuz, Ahura Mazda, Osiris, Zeus, Jupiter, Quetzalcoatl, Okidanokh, Kulkulcan, Chrestos, Baldur, and Avalokitesvara. It is believed that Christ enters and elevates any person who is ready. This means completely destroying the ego, clearing all karma, and developing the "solar vehicles." These vehicles are needed to handle the powerful energy of Christ. Aun Weor wrote that only those who choose the Straight Path can become like Christ. This is because the Spiral Path is not a path of total sacrifice. Any true Bodhisattva has become like Christ or is in the process of doing so. It is said that throughout history, Christ appeared in Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Krishna, Moses, Padmasambhava, John the Baptist, Milarepa, Mahavatar Babaji, Joan of Arc, Fu Xi, and Ramakrishna.
It is important to note that some of these individuals represent Christ as an impersonal force, like Jesus. This means that even though Jesus was an individual, he taught about the Cosmic Christ. He intentionally shaped his life to show the inner processes needed to become like Christ. Like Buddha, Jesus is seen as a Bodhisattva who came to help humanity. Jesus is seen as the Savior of the World. He was a Paramarthasatya (someone from the Absolute) who came to Earth to help suffering humanity. According to Aun Weor, Jesus purposely acted out the inner struggle one must go through to achieve Self-Realization. So, the Gospels are a mix of real events and hidden, symbolic meanings. Aun Weor said there is the historical Christ, as seen in churches. Then, there is the Christ of Transubstantiation, known through the Gnostic Church. Finally, there is the Apocalyptic Christ, who will come with the New Jerusalem after a great disaster.
Anthropology and Evolution
In his book Cosmic Teachings of a Lama, Aun Weor stated that life on Earth did not start from non-living things (abiogenesis). Instead, it came from life seeds traveling through space (pansperma). To Aun Weor, abiogenesis theories were like the idea of spontaneous generation. He believed that Pasteur had already disproved this idea. He also said that while evolution is real within a species, speciation (one species evolving into another) through Darwinian evolution has never been seen. He called it "an absurd theory without basis or foundation." Instead, he believed that all animal variations come from life seeds traveling through space. These seeds determine how life evolves and devolves on any planet. Life, according to Aun Weor, is eternal. However, its expression goes through periods of evolution and devolution. Species evolve, reach a peak, and then must devolve and return to a basic state.
Therefore, humans did not come from apes. Instead, humans are part of an eternal principle.
They say humans came from apes. They came up with theories of monkeys with tails, monkeys without tails, and tree-dwelling men. But, which of these is the missing link? When have they found a monkey that can speak? It hasn't appeared yet. So, these materialistic people are funny. They only give us guesses, not facts.
Are materialists not disproving Darwin's own theories? Does the human being come from the ape? On what basis do they support this theory? How do they prove it? How long will we wait for the supposed missing link? We want to see that type of ape speaking like people. That ape has not appeared, so such an ape is just a silly guess that isn't real.
He did state that evolution within a species is possible. However, no species can evolve from another species. Furthermore, he said that humans naturally evolve over time. For example, our society has evolved from earlier societies. But the evolution of species can never lead to spiritual liberation. This is because it will always return to devolution. Spiritual liberation requires a "revolution of consciousness."
Future Events
In many books, Aun Weor wrote about the "Final Catastrophe" or Apocalypse. This was a key part of his teachings. His book The Aquarian Message explains the Book of Revelation. It says that our current civilization will end, and a new one will begin. Only those who get rid of their ego now will avoid a "Second Death" and rebirths. He never gave a specific date. He only said that this civilization was nearing its end.
Social Ideas
Aun Weor wrote about social problems in The Social Christ and The Social Transformation of Humanity. The Social Christ mainly criticized Marxism or Dialectical Materialism. But it also discussed the unfairness of the Capitalist system.
We are horrified by so much evil. Those who cannot pay for a market stall are chased away. But powerful people who steal millions from the public are praised.
In this way, capitalists prepare the ground for the dirty flower of Communism to grow.
Aun Weor stated that all political systems reflect our own inner selves. He explained that to end unfairness, we must change our own psychological state. This means getting rid of the ego. He combined this with non-violent resistance and workers uniting.
The fight for social justice is long and hard. But we must never use violence or bloody revolutions.
To "start a new age and make the Social Christ real on Earth," Aun Weor formed a political party. It was called 'POSCLA', The Christian Socialist Party of Latin America. He later ended this formal organization.
Healing and Nature's Magic
In his books, Occult Medicine and Practical Magic, Igneous Rose, and others, Aun Weor taught about elemental magic. In Occult Medicine and Practical Magic, he opposed modern medicine. He urged Gnostics to learn the healing ways of Indigenous and Elemental Medicine.
Aun Weor taught that all plants have living Elemental Spirits. This idea is similar to what Paracelsus and other spiritual teachers believed. He stated that these Elemental Spirits are what heal, not just the plants themselves. Plants should be treated as living beings. They should be gathered at the right times. He said that the Elementals of all plants are aspects of The Divine Mother, in the form of Mother Nature. In Occult Medicine and Practical Magic, he discussed the healing methods of the Kogi Mamas. They diagnose illnesses using clairvoyance (seeing things beyond normal sight).
See also
In Spanish: Samael Aun Weor para niños
- Fourth Way
- Mysticism
