Why the Gnostic path is not an easy one.

     I found out the other day that a good friend of mine had passed away.  It was a painful reminder of the power that the archons have over the physical world. Unlike a lot of world views, the Gnostic world view doesn't paint over the suffering in this realm with platitudes.  The archons suck and when you stand against them, they hit back...hard.  It's certainly true, however, and I have experienced it myself, that when your able to see the petty rulers in your life for what they are and work to overcome them, your life will become much better.  Not only will you be able to do things they scared you from doing before, you will also be able to appreciate the eternal things and put the temporal things in their place.  Things like love, wisdom, family, and friends will likely become more important to you than material stuff.  You will start to appreciate the eternal things and be able to put the temporal in their place.  Yet material stuff will likely come as a byproduct of this and the archons will do every thing they can to make you think that is the important thing....since they can easily snatch it back. When that doesn't work anymore, different archons show up and hit you in places you where your defenses are down.  Eventually, one way or another, they will destroy your hyle and your psyche with it (or those of who you care about) but they can't touch the Spirit (pneuma).  All they can try to do is make you forget this and make you identify with that which you are truly not,.... and they're very good at it.

     In my opinion, Gnostic Christianity is about living in the Spirit now (as much as possible) and "dying daily" so when the archons come looking for their field we can cast off these monkey suits and trample them under our feet.  Easier said than done since we are quite literally "attached" to our bodies and psyches.  Perhaps that's why Jesus had to go as far as he did to show how deep this rabbit hole goes and how big of a sham the archon's world really is.  When our bodies are broken and hanging on the Cross of Wood (the power of this world) and our broken psyche, gone mad from the pain, cries out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"; the archons will laugh thinking they've won.  But then the voice of our Spirit will cry out from within, "You are mistaken Samael!!!"  We will then shine in the Cross of Light and have overcome and will perhaps redeem the darkness that knows us not!!!

..........That's my take on it anyway.  Thoughts?