Name changed on request

Having personally known Mark (Belzebuub) for more than a decade, during which I have spent substantive periods of time with him, I feel it my duty to weigh into this discussion and share my experience of him as a person, a spiritual teacher and of the movement he guided.

Experience with Mark (Belzebuub)

It is hard to express in words Mark’s qualities: he is the most gentle, honest, caring, sincere, generous, wise, and intelligent human being I have ever met. In his dealings with people he treats them with the utmost respect, he does not judge people nor rumour monger, he is a total gentleman.

Down-to-earth nature

It’s interesting to contrast Mark’s behaviour with that of other leaders of religious or spiritual organisations or even successful authors. Mark does not expect any special treatment, on the contrary when at events he socialises freely and openly with all attendees whether they be members of the public, new students or senior teachers. He respects everyone’s opinion, patiently answers questions and looks just like anyone else. To meet Mark in the street, you would have no idea of his spiritual achievements.

Selfless lifestyle

I have visited Mark in different places he has lived, all of which were very simple and sparsely furnished. For example, when I first met him he didn’t even have a couch, instead a small stack of meditation cushions served this purpose. Later a student did donate a second hand couch to him but in itself it was pretty tatty.

Working tirelessly in difficult conditions

Mark (Belzebuub) worked tirelessly to spread the spiritual teachings. In the early 2000’s I visited him whilst he was still issuing his courses as free pdf’s, releasing a topic a week to eager students online. His office at the time was an uninsulated garage, he worked surrounded by boxes in a space that was freezing in winter and boiling in summer. At the time, Mark was chronically ill and receiving regular medical treatment, legally he was classified as medically unsuited to work. Nonetheless, he worked all day at the computer, longer hours than a paid office worker, producing the courses free of charge.

When Mark’s pain became too severe or he was overcome by fatigue he would retire to his bed for a few minutes, as soon as the pain allowed he would drag himself back to the computer. In this way, Mark maintained a gruelling schedule, releasing a new pdf course topic each week, administering the website, answering online questions and directing the movement.

When I arrived for a visit, Mark maintained the same gruelling schedule. Yet he still found time to host me and answer my multitude of questions throughout the day and late into the night. Mark was the most gracious host I have ever met.

Living hand-to-mouth

Mark lived hand to mouth, funded by donations. When donations lagged, he had no money. I know of at least one month when he was so poor all he could afford to eat was potatoes.

A principle Mark has expressed numerous times is the need for free access to the teachings, he said this works at multiple levels. We receive spiritual knowledge from above for free, were we to charge for them we break universal laws and would cut ourselves off from the source. Furthermore, charging for them would be an obstacle to people obtaining this knowledge. I know how selfless Mark is, how he has never charged for teachings and given everything he has to pass them on to others, living a hand to mouth existence just above the poverty line to do so.

Role-model for responsibility

As a parent I have found Mark’s teachings invaluable in bringing up a child. Mark’s behaviour is impeccable, he taught that spirituality is to live one’s life correctly and that spiritual progress is impossible without fulfilment of family responsibilities. Applying this as a father I saw that it was not through words alone that I should guide my child, but every action and interaction should exemplify life lived lovingly, honestly and ethically. Recently my child said “Daddy, you’re not like any of my friends’ parents, you never argue or get angry, you’re always good, you never act old, I’m so very lucky”. There is no doubt in my mind that without Mark’s examples and teachings I would never have heard such words.

Impeccable standards of conduct

Having been within TGM for over a decade, I can state categorically that relationships between men and women were treated with the utmost sanctity. Belzebuub’s teachings encompassed alchemy, a sacred sexual spiritual practice, practiced by men and women in a committed monogamous relationship. We discussed this topic as well as love, lust, adultery, monogamy, relationships in general and marriage in particular on enumerable occasions. Mark was always clear and consistent in his denouncement of lustful behaviour and adultery, his own behaviour in this area was faultless.

Experience in The Gnostic Movement

Donations and finances

I was involved in the financial administration of several centres. As many have said, all of the courses were run for free and there was never an expectation that attendees would contribute for attendance. Should people choose to donate, a sealed donations box was available.

Donations were not processed by individuals, there were always two people present to open the boxes and count the donations. All donations were duly noted in a register, which was signed by the counters. Donations were deposited directly into bank accounts.

Practical and grounded approach

The courses taught practical spiritual exercises, exercises that have been documented in countless spiritual works throughout cultures and history with an emphasis on the practical aspect of spirituality. Attendees were encouraged to practice the exercises and experience the benefits for themselves. Following the practices, group discussions would be held, nobody was told what to think or how answer, frank discussion was encouraged.

Spiritual practices

Some of my favourite memories of The Gnostic Movement were the practices nights, which could range from a few hours to an entire night. I always had a strong sense of anticipation leading into these nights, knowing that something very special could occur. On the allotted nights we would gather in an incense-perfumed room focussed on maintaining a good level of concentration throughout the practice. Many of us would have astral experiences, sometimes multiple experiences and when particularly focussed I could project ten or more times. Sure I would be a little tired the next day, but gosh it was worth it. People chose of their own volition to attend and everyone I knew considered them rewarding experiences.

Positive feedback from attendees

I attended all of TGM’s courses, and I never heard anybody claim the courses impacted them negatively, on the contrary I heard people claim the courses had a positive impact on their personal and professional lives. People from all walks of life attended: students, unemployed, homemakers, blue and white collar workers, professionals, academics etc.

Back to People’s Experiences

I began my studies with The Gnostic Movement in November 2000 at the Bondi Study Centre in Sydney, Australia. During this period, I was part owner of a Design and Construction company operating throughout the Sydney region, the company specialised in high end architectural and building design. My background is construction, and I’m a hands-on builder with a life-time of experience in the building industry.

Experience in The Gnostic Movement

I found the teachers at the Bondi Centre to be very friendly and welcoming to everyone who attended the classes. I also found them to be very well presented and extremely dedicated to teaching.

The centre was always kept very clean and was exceptionally well organised, and the nine week courses offered were strictly free of charge. The centre had an informal cafe which was run by voluntary donation, and I never once felt any pressure to donate – actually it was quite the contrary. It was made clear that there was no need to donate. Often over the years people attended the classes and ate there, free of charge.

As I worked my way through the very popular courses, I found all the information presented very inspiring and very practical to apply in my daily life. The peaceful messages of love which was taught were exactly what I had been searching for all of my life. I devoted any spare time that I had to these studies, and it very quickly became my passion and way of life.

Serving on the International and National Boards

My wife Daya and I were Members of the Australian Gnostic Movement. For a short period I held the role as Auditor following which I was elected as President, and my wife Treasurer. Both my wife and I resigned as office holders not long after Mark (Belzebuub) left The Gnostic Movement in 2012.

Daya and I both served on The Australian Coordinating Board and on The International Board for The Gnostic Movement. During those years both my wife and I worked very closely with Mark (Belzebuub).

I was in charge of all building activities related to the Australian retreat property which had been purchased in Australia. My wife assisted me with this task (during this period, my wife worked as a building manager for a large design and construction company operating commercial projects throughout the Sydney region. Daya has a building degree).

Over the years, I was involved in the international search for retreat properties, which also included Australia. I provided building advice on the condition of potential retreat properties, which were inspected from around the world

Daya and I can provide first-hand experience, to tell our story having worked with Mark and on many other matters at the forefront of The Gnostic Movement.

Working with Mark on the International Board

The International Board for The Gnostic Movement was made up of elected male and female Members from around the world, and Mark was the International Coordinator. It was set up to deal with global matters related to the running of The Gnostic Movement. Some of these matters included administration, finances, websites, advertising, publicity, designing, books, courses, online activities, radio/TV interviews, centres globally, global retreat property searches and legal matters.

The International Board was very well organised and democratically run and I always found our weekly meetings to be very productive and a very warm experience. Any decisions, action plans, and recommendations made by the board would be passed on to allocated teams to assist with the running of Movement. These teams within the Movement had been established to take care of specific areas in the running of the Movement. For example, there was a design team, a website team etc.

During my long service on the International Board as a volunteer, it was always such a joy to come together for our weekly meetings, and never once did I experienced any negativity from Mark or any of the other Members. Everyone treated each other with absolute respect, and I often felt a deep understanding of brotherhood amongst us. Mark never put himself above anyone else, and he always showed a lot of interest in all of our ideas and recommendations. He never pushed his own ideas onto us. Mark genuinely had complete respect for everyone, and has never once put any pressure on anyone in the team, or anyone else in the Movement to complete any task required. He showed a lot of interest in our health, and always encouraged us to rest. He was never controlling or bossy, and totally respected the will of every individual. He never came across as high and mighty, which is unlike situations in the work force. Mark’s guidance and coordination positively enabled the International Board in the running of The Gnostic Movement around the world, and is the only reason that we achieved such a high standard in all tasks related to the spreading of the amazing teachings of Gnosis.

The Gnostic Movement was truly an amazing spiritual school and the internal system was brilliantly set up to pass on a peaceful spiritual message of love to the world. The running of this spiritual school was superior in every sense, to any organisation that my wife and I had ever been involved in, in the work force. It was beautifully engineered and coordinated by Mark. Exemplary standards of conduct and administration

Throughout my time as the President of The Gnostic Movement, I’ve always witnessed an above standard duty of care, in all aspects in the running of the Movement. Our tax and legal requirements were always fulfilled to a very high standard. Professionals, such as auditors, lawyers and accountants have praised the standard of order upheld in the running of the Movement.

The Australian Board was always very well organised and democratically run. Our constitution, spiritual teachings, and codes of conduct were always upheld to a very high standard. The women and men treated each other with total respect, and the women were always treated as equals. The men were always complete gentlemen toward the women. Everyone took great care to listen to others speak. Votes on all decisions were made, and minutes were recorded. Our excellent way of operating and joyful conduct among each other has been an amazing experience. The direct influence and the understanding of those times is greatly appreciated, and we all have Mark to thank for that. Over the years, never once did the Gnostic Movement and Mark ever make any profit from the courses and the books written by Mark. As a matter of fact my wife and I have personally witnessed Mark contribute a large portion of his personal money to ensure that he got the spiritual message to humanity. He has personally and financially suffered greatly to achieve this legacy.

All donations were always used specifically for the purpose to which they were donated, and never once were donations used for any other purpose.  For the use of any Movement funds two signatures were required for all transactions. All donations were always double-checked by two individuals in each centre. I found that the Movement always upheld a very high standard with their internal book keeping.

The running of Absolute Publishing Press was no different to The Gnostic Movement, and it always upheld a very high standard in all its activities. Most of the time during our involvement, it barely had enough money to survive, and all proceeds from book sales were used to print more books and to run the company. My wife and I were involved at one point when Mark decided to obtain a contract to ensure that he receive no royalties from the sale of the books.

As members on both boards, and teachers of the Gnostic Movement, my wife and I have learnt a lot of new skills and gained valuable experience, which has helped us a great deal professionally, and we have become quite knowledgeable and experienced in many areas. Most of all, the teachings and good influence of Mark have allowed us to experience true peace and happiness in our lives.

Experience with Mark (Belzebuub)

As a human being and a spiritual teacher, Mark has always been a perfect role model who completely lived by the Gnostic doctrine and his own teachings. He is a brilliant spiritual teacher who has selflessly worked to help anyone who is searching for inner peace, to reconnect to their true Divine source. He is a very kind and humble person, very honest, completely trustworthy, extremely generous, considerate, gentle and very warm, exceptionally fair and caring with all those working with him and to people in general. He has always been very supportive in our lives, which included our families and children. Never once did he put himself above anyone and he has always treated women and men equally, and with the utmost respect. Women were often in charge of many high positions within the Movement and the publishing company.

Humble and selfless nature

Mark has always been very grateful for any assistance, never asking anything for himself. I witnessed first-hand that he lived with the absolute bare essentials in life, with no material wealth of any value. Over many years, Mark struggled personally and financially in the most difficult situations in life – he has always lived very simply. In all the years that I’ve known him, he has never had a comfortable place to live in, and he moved around a lot. He lived in a very run-down cabin, which was totally unfit to live in, and also in very tiny old run down apartments and houses, as well as some cheap hotels and even garages. Very often Mark couldn’t afford proper meals and didn’t have basic utilities such as heating and cooling systems.

Considering his very poor situation, Mark always chose to use most of his personal donations, and eventually his own funds to assist the Gnostic Movement. Mark chose to live on the absolute bare minimum of everything in life. Before he went to the US, he lived on under $60 per week.

Support for families

I was a parent when I discovered the Gnostic Movement, and both of my boys were always welcomed at any Gnostic events. In fact, Mark’s teachings taught me a lot about being a good father, husband and person in general.

In late 2011, when Daya and I announced that we were having a child, everyone in the Movement gave us a lot of support – in particular Mark. I have no doubt that anyone who has truly known Mark would agree that he’s always a perfect gentleman. Today, my wife and I still treasure these great memories of the amazing times that we all shared working together at the forefront of the Movement.

Australian Retreat Project

Towards the end of 2002, advanced students and teachers at the Bondi centre were advised that the Australian retreat property, which had been purchased that year, had been neglected, and was in need of urgent repairs. For this reason Mark moved there to repair the property himself. At the time we were told that he was living under very difficult circumstances. I had no hesitation to volunteer in assisting, and very quickly I organised a trip with a fellow student from the centre.

Condition of property

Upon our arrival we were warmly greeted by Mark who expressed a lot of gratitude for our commitment to help out. Mark showed us around the rural property and briefed us on the many dangers which could be encountered on this property. Very quickly I was quite overwhelmed at the mammoth task which Mark was enduring. Nothing could have prepared us for what we were uncovering. The very steep terrain surrounding the property proved to be quite an exhausting challenge as we made our way around the property, and it was very evident that maintaining this property, and the surrounding land would require a high level of fitness, and a certain endurance to manage the very hot and humid climate. The other very important factor was an urgent need of the right machinery and tools to be able to tackle the hardship of this land.

My friend and I were very happy to meet the spiritual teacher who very soon proved to be an excellent role model of the fundamental teachings of the Gnostic doctrine. My friend and I were quite eager to get started, and for safety reasons the first task to complete was to seal the many gaps in the dilapidated cabin. Small and large gaps could be found in all walls, ceilings, floors, doors and windows, and the roof which leaked in many areas of this derelict cabin. The roof and walls were infested with insects, rats, mice and other vermin, and we also found deadly snakes. As a builder, my first impression of this outback shack was that it needed to be knocked down.

The dangerous and difficult conditions Mark lived in

The extremely hot conditions inside the property proved to be unbearable, and to be honest it was cooler outside. The walls and ceilings had never been fitted with thermal insulation, and the windows and doors could not be kept open for ventilation since flyscreens had never been fitted. No fans could be used since it would knock out the very poor and small solar energy system. There was no town power, gas, water and sewage system. The water from the rain water tanks was not fit for consumption, and drinking and cooking water had to be purchased. Also, the internet was terribly slow.

Basically, insects, vermin, and deadly snakes dominated the environment and we desperately needed to keep them out of the cabin.

Throughout the days Mark always reminded us to drink plenty of water, and we were always well fed. Each evening we were invited to stay for dinner, and the inside temperature was still unbearable. We learnt that this was the case all night long especially since windows and doors could not be left open.

There was no kitchen stove, and so a portable camping stove with a gas bottle was used for cooking meals. Due to the very poor solar power system, the lights and power would stop working soon after sunset. At this point candles had to be used, and basic living was extremely difficult. Having no lights was quite disturbing in this environment especially because of the deadly snakes, scorpions and whatever else infested the cabin. Even if the lights worked there was still the issue of the high infestation of insects that made it impossible to have the lights on at night since you would be swarmed by bugs.

The surrounding vegetation on the property was extremely difficult and dangerous to maintain but for many reasons it was a regular requirement. The main reasons were to reduce the potential fuel in case of bushfires, which is a serious problem during summer in Australia. The other was the deadly snakes. Some of the most dangerous snakes in the world could be found at this location, and we certainly found that to be the case. Some of these included Taipans, Brown snakes, Death Adders and Red Belly Black snakes. Taipans were discovered in the cabin and the store shed. During the repairs of the cabin, I also discovered a brown snake inside the wall cavity, and quite a few brown and black snakes were seen on the grounds of the property. Other snakes were discovered in the ceiling which may have been after the mice and rats. The only snake I didn’t come across was the Death Adder 🙂

I found Mark to be quite relaxed about the snakes, scorpions, and all other creepy crawlies on the property, although he took a lot of care and precautions with them. On one occasion Mark casually and very calmly called me to witness a brown snake which had been very close to his feet.

The work Mark did on the property

I never understood how Mark managed to maintain the grass areas with a simple scythe especially since the grass grew so quickly in summer. He also maintained the overgrown landscape surrounding the property with very basic handyman tools which were not fit for the work required.

These were extremely difficult and dangerous living conditions, and to top it off, he was coordinating the many Gnostic Movement affairs globally with a candle, and a very slow internet. I felt that after my experience on the property, there would have been no chance that I personally would have been able to live and work from this cabin. Even today, the thought of sleeping in it under those conditions still sends chills down my spine.

At the time, I found it difficult to understand why our spiritual teacher had been left in such a terrible condition, and upon my return to Sydney both Daya and I began to organise ongoing working trips. Luckily other dedicated students, Teachers and Members were happy to help out.

Mark’s vision for a retreat

This was the beginning of an amazing friendship with Mark, and the beginning of his quest with our support, to build an Australian public retreat. His vision was to have a sanctuary place for anyone in the world to come and experience, free of charge, this magical ancient spiritual wisdom, which could have the potential to bring true peace, happiness and love in anyone’s life.

Inheritance used to help the retreat project

In 2003, Mark left for UK after being the caretaker for just under a year, and although we all shared some magical times during the renovations, Mark had lived under terrible and very difficult conditions during this period. The physical and financial hardship in Mark’s life would prove to continue during the following years.

While Mark was overseas, his mother passed away and he inherited a small rundown terrace property which needed a lot of work. It was very damp and mouldy and needed to be renovated in order to be able to sell it. Mark and I communicated regularly to assist with the building work necessary to renovate. I also sent videos to show him how to do certain building tasks. During these renovations Mark lived in very difficult and cramped conditions. The dust, damp and mould from old Victorian Terrace building sites is very harsh, and potentially very toxic for the physical body. Also, during building renovations, dust becomes airborne, and is extremely hard to manage. This was certainly not a fit environment for anyone to live in. However, somehow Mark managed to complete all the renovations, again, while coordinating the Movement and doing media interviews.

It became clear from the local Council, that the Australian retreat property could not be developed as a retreat property. Therefore the Members decided to sell the property and search for a suitable retreat location. By this stage a lot of love and care had gone into the renovations and we didn’t want to sell the property to an outsider, so the Members offered it to Mark to buy it, as they felt that it would be a suitable house for Mark to live in.

Mark accepted the offer after checking that no other Members were interested in buying it, but he insisted that we get an independent accredited property valuer to ensure that we were getting the proper market value from the sale. Mark was able to use the money from his inheritance to purchase the property.

I was the Member who met up with the valuer on behalf of the Australian Board. The valuer proved to be very knowledgeable with the local property market, and he gave the Movement a very good market valuation for the property. The valuer also told me that we were very lucky to have a buyer since he felt that it would be very difficult to sell this property while so much work was required, and the property was a building site. He explained that there were other properties for sale in the area which did not require any building work, and these would surely attract any potential buyers before ours.

All the Australian Members were very happy that Mark had agreed to buy the property, especially since we got such an amazing deal The Movement could have received a lot less money for the property.

The Members felt that Mark was paying too much for the property but Mark insisted that he wanted to give the Movement as much money as possible to go towards the purchasing of an Australian public retreat property.

Once the property was sold to Mark, the people who were skilled tradesmen and handymen wanted to help Mark. We very much enjoyed working on the property. Whilst there, we were able to spend special moments focusing on our spiritual values but most of all we all enjoyed giving.

Mark’s idea for a monastery

It was during this period that Mark shared his future vision for the dedicated ones (those who wanted to work seriously on themselves spiritually). He wanted us to complete the renovation, and once he enjoyed living there for a short period, he wanted to sell his home and purchase a monastery for the dedicated ones to be able to practice, and even to live there. He also mentioned that the dedicated people could even build their own houses on the land. This would be a separate retreat to the public Australian one, therefore there were two visions.

With the building experience of my wife and I, and thanks to the passion and hard dedicated work of the others, the renovations went underway for a fraction of the true building cost. A lot of recycled and brand new building materials were acquired for free, and sent up to the property. On one occasion Daya was able to obtain the finishes of a brand new two bedroom display apartment, and we were able to keep all the new items and send them to the property for the renovation. We also saved a lot of money by shopping around for the cheapest deals for new and recycled materials. Mark and I spent many enjoyable hours working on ‘self-sustainable green building’.

Mark returned from overseas, and lived at the house for a short period while it was still a building site. Basically, it was still a long way from the finish line, but Mark managed to live there under the difficult conditions of a building site and somehow he managed to continue his work. We all very much loved working alongside Mark, and we enjoyed every moment spent with him. These times were magical in every sense, and I can honestly say that those days are still some of the best memories of my life.

Mark gifts increased value of property to the retreat project

Mark sold the property back to the Gnostics for a lot less than the market value provided by the accredited valuer, which was 48% less, if the property was sold with the remaining renovations done to it, and 30% less, if the property was sold “as is”. However, the property was sold by Mark only for what was spent on it. Mark wanted to gift all profits of the property to the Movement so that we could have a bigger budget to purchase the public retreat in the future. The retreat company of the Gnostic Movement paid Mark about half of the agreed amount and we also agreed to pay him the other half when we had the money. Three years later the retreat company of the Movement paid Mark the other half of the money owed.

Sadly, while Mark owned the property, he never saw it completed. He lived there for a very short period while it was a building site and sold it while there were still some renovations to complete.

Mark’s work in the USA

In 2007, the Australian and USA Gnostic Movement organised all requirements for Mark’s mission to the USA. My wife and I were very involved during this period and it was a pleasure to assist.

Mark’s own donations covered salary

In order to be eligible for a USA visa, it was a requirement that Mark be an employee and be paid a salary. Mark wouldn’t agree to be paid a salary. It’s completely legal for a not-for-profit organisation to pay for services, for example Priests from many religious groups are well paid, fed and housed. Even though this is the case, Mark still would not agree to be paid, and he decided to use his personal donations for his salary by getting them deposited into the Movement account. The Movement would then pay Mark, so effectively he was paying for his own salary and meeting the USA requirement for a visa.

People in Australia who had been regularly donating to Mark to support him with his work, began to instead donate into the Movement account to support his USA mission. In some centers in Australia, donations were also specifically collected for Mark’s USA mission.

During this period, my wife and I also did all the salary transfers to the USA Gnostic Movement. Since the donations Mark received weren’t enough to pay for his salary and for his living expenses in the USA, Mark donated a large portion of his personal money, which he had received from the sale of his house.

Living conditions in the USA

When Mark first arrived in the USA, he could only afford to rent an old run-down house since his salary was the absolute bare minimum. This property was located in a very low socio-economic location, and was subsequently quite a dangerous neighbourhood. Sadly while Mark was in the USA he was experiencing a lot of difficulties.

Hate campaign against Mark and The Gnostic Movement

In 2008, Mark stepped down as International Coordinator, and my wife and I continued to work closely with Mark. Around that period, Mark told some members that The Gnostic Movement was finished, and that he was going to be betrayed. I remember hoping that this would not occur, and I couldn’t believe that someone would be capable of betraying him. I was very naive and in time Mark proved to be spot-on.

In mid-2009, two individuals were asked to leave by the Australian Members for misconduct. The Board didn’t allow them to come back because they would not correct their conduct, and in retaliation they began a revenge campaign of vicious lies against Mark and the Gnostic Movement. Very soon, they were joined by other people who didn’t even know Mark.

These vicious revenge attacks lasted three solid years, and caused a lot of harm to so many innocent people. The horrible lies were spread all over the internet. This caused very serious harm to families which included mine and even broke up some marriages. By far, Mark suffered the most, and the effects had damaged his safety.

This vicious revenge campaign created confusion, fear, and even hatred towards many of us, and even threats were made to the innocent. Eventually it completely destroyed our beautiful spiritual school, which had to be closed down.

I hope that we can all seriously learn from our past mistakes and never forget that it’s our duty in this great work to always stand strong in the name of justice.

Back to People’s Experiences

In 1996, I started to attend ‘The Universal Christian Gnostic Movement of the New Order’, which had been established two years prior in 1994 by Mark (Belzebuub) in Sydney, Australia.

I attended the courses until December 1999 when the organization merged with another titled ‘The Gnostic Movement Inc.’

During this four year period I attended numerous weekly lectures and functions, and also participated in Board meetings where we determined strategies for the advertising and organizing of functions, plus maintenance of the legal entity and upkeep of the Centre where we would regularly meet.

I was part of The Gnostic Movement for approximately 12 years.

Experience in The Gnostic Movement

From 2002 to 2008 my official capacity with The Gnostic Movement Inc. was limited. I continued to participate in regular activities at the local Centre and assist members of the organization with different tasks. In early 2008, I took official capacity again with The Gnostic Movement Inc, and held various Board positions until the organization formally dissolved in 2013. In 2013, I was involved in winding up and cancelling The Gnostic Movement Inc. registration in Australia.

Meticulous administration and functioning

This organization was a non-profit organization established lawfully as an Incorporated Association via the local government. When I was part of it, it was always run very methodically and meticulously. I personally was a member of the organization plus acted in different capacities of the governing Board at different times. The organization had to abide by a voting system, it was part of the law governing the legal entity. Its formal meetings were recorded and minutes kept. Initially when I joined the governing Board, I didn’t like this administration part of things. I thought spirituality was somehow outside of such ‘mundane’ and ‘boring’ requirements. I soon realized that it was a necessity and legal requirement when having groups of the public congregate. It also made it possible for the group to be well organized.

Donations

The organization ran solely via public donations. It did not receive local government subsidy, nor money from any other companies or sources. It was the public who attended that donated, if they wanted to. All we simply did was leave a donation box on a table, and people contributed whenever they wanted. It was made very clear that the monies were accounted for and only used by the organization to further its aims, such as paying for rented halls, advertising and marketing, plus administration and legal costs of the organization. As per the Constitution of the organization no monies were ever used by individual members for personal use. This was strictly forbidden in law.

Advertising of courses

The advertising of courses run by the organization was no different to any other educational establishment offering courses to the public. If people were interested and applied to attend a course, the full contents of the course were explained during the first meeting. Nothing was secret or misleading. Oftentimes large numbers of the public would only attend for a few sessions and decide it wasn’t for them and left. It was down to individuals if they wanted to attend the course and for how long. All the courses and activities were free, so again there was absolutely nothing holding anyone to stay.

Freedom of participation

Individuals chose to participate in courses of their own free will and without cost. The organization was a group of individuals acting together with the same affinity and personal interest. People join clubs or groups they are interested in, if you are only interested in chess you would not go regularly to a club that only plays darts or snooker. It’s common sense.

Democratic structure

As in any group, voting by its members was paramount and enshrined in law of the organization. It’s inevitable that some people may not want to attend a discussion, may not want to vote on something they are not interested in, or perhaps couldn’t make it and pass their vote to another who would be present etc. Equally the opposite; be keenly interested and involved wanting a certain outcome. Debates, discussion and democracy were always present. Everyone had a voice if they wanted to use it. It’s no different to operations of any other company or other legal structure. If a person volunteered to perform a task or position on the Board then, just like any other job, there is an expectation the person is keen and wants to do it. They have volunteered to do it in the first place. If they subsequently decide they don’t have the time or inclination they simply resign and pass it to someone else who would like to volunteer their time and energy to it.

Retreats

In 2001, I attended the retreat held in Perisher Valley, NSW, Australia, with a number of other members, students and teachers from around Australia. I think it was subsequent to this that the organization started searching for its own land and property to purchase, with intent to hold similar retreats. I participated in various retreat searches.

I attended retreats at Bunya Mountains, QLD Australia, in 2006, 2007, and 2008. I attended the retreat at Alpine Ash in VIC Australia in 2009. In 2010, I attended the Lake Dewar Lodge retreat in Myrniong VIC, Australia. In January 2011, I attended a retreat held at Sine Cera, NSW, Australia. As with prior retreats I would assist with organizing and running of the retreats where possible.

Decision to ask disruptive attendees to leave

In 2009 I became involved in decision making processes to remove certain former attendees that had become disruptive. They subsequently retaliated and started a smear campaign against the organization they had actively and voluntarily participated in for many years.

Australian retreat project

I also helped establish a new company limited by guarantee that was intended to house and protect retreat premises and assets. I was involved in getting legal advices, and having TGM transfer some of its assets to the new organization to enable it to acquire such property.

Mark donates capital gain of property to retreat project

During 2010, as director of the retreat holding company, I was directly involved in purchasing a property from Mark. The property was purchased below the current market value which was substantial. The intention of Mark was to donate any capital gain to the retreat holding company. Valuations were performed to ascertain Mark’s capital expenditure on the premises. The final sale price ensured he had no losses, as well as no gain, from the sale to the retreat holding company.

The company did not have enough capital to finalize the purchase immediately so a deposit was paid, with conditions applied to the sale contract. One such condition included the option of the retreat company reselling to obtain capital to pay the debt, no time frame was stipulated. Mark took on a private risk of non-payment, or substantial delayed payment of balance, by selling to the retreat holding company.

Mark (Belzebuub)

I have known Mark personally for approximately 15 years and wish to share some reflections. Mark limits his writings to what he has personally experienced rather than what he holds true as belief. Some of what Mark has written about I have also experienced and I therefore consider his writings and writing style extremely useful.

Humour

I have always admired Mark’s personality and Welsh accent. Maybe because I grew up in England and there was humorous banter between the different cultures and accents that existed within Great Britain as a whole. This ‘British’ humor wasn’t limited to the separate internal countries, like Wales, Ireland and Scotland but also existed simply between different geographic areas within England that had different dialects, accents and ways of living.

Book reviews

To leave a positive book review for a book you have read, whether written by a friend, or author you don’t personally know, is presented by the haters as ‘dishonest’. I have trouble determining the logic behind this. If you have read a book and like it and want to write a testimonial or review so that others can read your opinion, there is nothing ‘dishonest’ at all about doing so. If it makes any difference, the books that Mark (Belzebuub) has written were not being sold for profit. Mark has not received any royalties from selling books. So again writing a harmless book review is simply that, particularly when neither the reviewer nor the author receive any monetary benefit from doing so.

Back to People’s Experiences

I never considered myself a spiritual person, however, I have always looked for answers to creation and the meaning of life, wondering why people are so different, some are nice while others not so, etc. I have read a lot of religious/spiritual texts and was part of a practical yoga and meditation school for a while, but found it lacked purpose and didn’t provide tools to liberation, which I now know, is what I am really looking for. Nothing has provided me with more insight and depth into these subjects than the Gnostic Movement has.

Experience with Mark (Belzebuub)

An authentic role model

I can say from my own experience that Mark is the best role model one could have, from his simple and modest ways of living, to his profound thought processes dealing with challenges. I witnessed and admired his continuous patience and fair decision making, through the difficult circumstances he faced running the organization. Unfortunately, instead of helping him, many of us (students/teachers/members of the ex TGM) had put an extra strain on him, often creating more problems for him to solve.

I witnessed the complexity of the different facets he had to face to ensure no stone went unturned.

No one has the standards Mark has in my opinion; he truly lived the teachings and consistently strived towards psychological and spiritual perfection. He was easy to talk to and had a great sense of humour. I realize now that each conversation, as ordinary as it may have been, had its time and place, with lessons to learn if one was willing, listening and observing.

Right to teach

Mark (Belzebuub) earned the right to his position, to teach those willing to learn the mysteries of life and providing keys to inner change. He did not appoint himself; he was elected through the organisation’s by-laws. I bear witness to that.

Working with Mark

I never felt forced to do anything, when I took a project upon myself, it was always my desire to do so, sometimes, Mark proposed things, but we always had the choice to say yes or no.

Caring and supportive attitude

At one stage, I couldn’t continue to do an important duty that I had been taking care of for a long time as a member, and asked to pass it on to someone else. Mark was understanding of my circumstance and reassigned my task, no problem. This shows that TGM was a voluntary organization, we were never forced to do anything, and others could have also re-assigned their tasks, if they wanted too, as I did.

Unassuming manner

In many member’s meetings, I witnessed Mark’s instructions and recommendations being ignored or initially agreed on and later ignored. Mark speaks softly in an un-authoritative manner, and often his students would not listen to him, worse even, they would speak over him. Sometimes, this made our meetings counterproductive; hours wasted discussing intellectual and practical solutions that in the end would never materialize, frustrating and deluding for all involved.

Ensuring regular rests, breaks, and days off for members

I witnessed Mark telling a member in person, to stop pushing themselves so hard and to take days off from their task or activity. He insisted they should rest, or to do practices instead if they wished. He always encouraged outdoor activities, physical exercise and the importance of resting the mind and body. He even introduced a “PC away” policy, for all members who had TGM web tasks, to not do them on certain days of the week, and even then, people would not listen. Also it is known by all that Mark insisted that if one is not feeling well, they need to rest and focus on getting well.

I also heard Mark say to be cautious not to scurry through life. Yep, he hit the nail on the head, this is a problem of mine, lingering in the past and anticipating the future, making me absent of the present. I still use the memory of that now when trying to get out of those inner states.

Experience with The Gnostic Movement

In TGM our motto and actions spoke for themselves, from the online to the centre courses, we spread love, strength and self-improvement through practice. Always encouraging experience rather than belief. Never did we endorse or preach hatred.

It was an extraordinary environment with many positive changes taking place in its advancement, with it came many challenges.

Well organised and open environment

All in all, in my opinion The Gnostic Movement management fulfilled their duty to the best of their ability, striving to always be in line with the organisational policies.

TGM teachers were encouraged to take their own approach and to talk from personal experience. We were free to express our views and concerns like any organisation should. We did have rules and by-laws to abide by too. I have personally found stricter working environments elsewhere. Our superiors were very approachable in relation to all matters.

Donations were never asked for, it was up to every individual if, how and when to donate, the amount did not matter, everyone was treated equally.

Opening new study groups and centres

When I became a member, I actively engaged in the spreading of the teachings and with it came benefits and responsibilities. Members were encouraged to start new study groups and open up centres nationally or internationally. I welcomed the idea to travel to different places and liked the new challenges entrusted in me. Once again, we were never forced to do anything.

My wife and I for example, participated in the opening of the early Melbourne centre, then went abroad to open a centre in Montreal. Later we went to support teachers in London and then together we finally established the Edinburgh monastery. My wife and I eventually returned home to Australia. These were our decisions with TGM management’s support.

Anti-cult crusade

Then unfortunately it all came to an end for all of us due to the anti-cult crusade, completely through defamation.

Regretfully I had been deprived of the right to religious freedom, because of heinous and hateful ex-student detractors on an anti-cult crusade.

Consequently, The Gnostic Movement was forced to close down, students pushed away, spiritual yearnings crushed, and members denied the chance to pass on the free teachings on to others willing to listen. A spiritual teacher deprived of his life’s calling.

Thank you for reading

Back to People’s Experiences

I began taking the online courses offered through Mysticweb/Gnosticweb in 2003. In 2007 I enrolled in the online Teacher’s course, and did the course online until moving to a study center in Toronto, Canada, in July of 2007, where I continued in person. In September 2008 I became a teacher in TGM, and became a member of the organization in January 2010.

During this time I came to know and experience a lot about the workings of The Gnostic Movement, the Toronto Center where I participated, and got to know Mark (Belzebuub).

The Gnostic Movement was a spiritual school teaching people to explore spiritual topics through meditation, observing one’s thoughts and emotions, astral projection, etc. All courses were provided to the public free of charge. The entire organization ran on donations, some of which came from the public when they attended free lectures, courses, or fundraising events like a movie night or dinner, but most of the time came from the serious volunteers, teachers, and members of the organization.

Other Gnostic groups

Before attending Mysticweb’s online courses, near the beginning of 2003, I wanted to familiarize myself with what Gnosis was about. So I searched for information online about Gnosis and Samael Aun Weor, whom I had an interest in after reading one of his books. In doing this, I came across another Gnostic school’s website which had forums, and found a thread about Mark (Belzebuub). I remember being surprised to see such a heated thread on a Gnostic site, in which people appeared quite angry and were putting him and The Gnostic Movement down. Even though I had yet to attend a Gnostic school, I got the sense that the angry comments I was reading were incongruent with how people attempting spiritual development might conduct themselves. When I actually met Mark in person and got involved in Mysticweb, I found that both the person and the organization were genuine and conducted themselves very differently from the other school.

Experience with The Gnostic Movement

A few months later in 2003 I decided to sign up for one of Mysticweb’s online courses. I received the course in pdf format through my email, accessed online forums to ask questions about the topics, and got help from the online teachers. I found it interesting no one ever asked me to donate money despite providing such valuable in-depth information and support. I eventually decided to donate online because I found the courses helpful and wanted to give something back to the organization which was providing me with such useful information and services.

Volunteers and funding

Later on in Toronto, over the time I was involved in the group there, which was from 2007 until The Gnostic Movement shut down in 2011, there were always just a handful of dedicated people who donated their money, time, and effort to make the courses and centre happen. These were the serious students, volunteers, and teachers who were always participating at the center anyways.

Most of the time the public who attended the courses did not donate much money, maybe a few dollars after a class or a $20 bill at an event night. This was fine. There were no expectations that people would give money. The reason for this is that we all thought spiritual information should not be charged for, and people should not be discriminated against based on what they could afford to pay.

I handled money at times, collecting or counting donations that came in after a course or fundraiser, or due to the sale of books or gift shop items. Accounting for all money was done extremely carefully, everything was double counted down to the last penny, with two people present, and money was always put towards the cause for which it was donated. For example, if someone wished to donate to the Toronto Center, then their money was used for expenses incurred in the running of the center–rent, internet, electricity, printing/advertising materials, and so on.

None of the money donated to The Gnostic Movement ever went to Mark. If someone wanted to donate to him there was a separate way to do that. Money from book sales went back to Absolute Publishing, and I understand from those involved that it was to pay for the publishing of more books. Mark did not receive the proceeds of the book sales.

Besides the money that was donated by the volunteers at the center, we would sometimes come up with ideas for fundraisers to cover basic expenses. Sometimes we’d sell things at a yard sale, sometimes it would be a donate-if-you-want movie night with a home cooked meal, and we often had baked goods offered before and after classes and people would sometimes donate for those.

Courses

Courses that TGM offered included a variety of spiritual subjects: Gnosis, meditation, astral projection, self-knowledge, the spiritual path, mantras, dreams. The most popular subject was always astral projection/out-of-body experiences.

In Toronto we had a few course rounds where the astral travel course drew a gathering of over 100 people in the first session. It was very popular. The sessions consisted of part lecture/discussion of a topic, which was guided by a teacher, and part practice session. In the astral travel course, some of the group practices included: concentrating on your heartbeats, visualizing a distant place, or using a mantra to help with astral projection. The majority of people really enjoyed these practices, and those who didn’t enjoy them didn’t come back for the next session, which was fine by all teachers and volunteers involved. We only ever wanted people who were truly interested in the material to participate, because having interested people involved made for a better group practice for everyone.

Astral travel

Sometimes the more serious students and teachers would schedule an all-night practice to try and astral project while being in the same room. These were optional, just for whoever wanted to, and were also popular among the serious students and teachers because of the higher rate of success you were likely to have with astral projecting.

The way it worked was we would all meet at the center in the evening and start with a nighttime astral projection exercise. We would have a few alarms set throughout the night and when the alarm went off we’d wake up for a few minutes (or not, sometimes people chose to remain lying down/resting, which was fine), have a quick drink of water perhaps, and then lay back down to try to astral project again. Many of us had success in these all-night practices, and looked forward to them for this reason. They took place over the weekend when people were off of work, and nobody found that they missed out on much sleep—we actually got more rest than if we’d gone to your typical weekend concert or party. In the early morning hours we’d head home to try one more time to astral project from our own bedrooms, and then catch up on any more sleep if we felt like we needed it.

Self-Knowledge

Another course which was offered by The Gnostic Movement was the Self-Knowledge course. This one was less about training to have an out-of-body experience, and more about finding out how your inner psychology worked. The structure of the course was similar to the Astral Travel one, with classes split into a lecture/discussion guided by a teacher, and then a practice portion. Some of the group practices done in this course included meditation, observing one’s thoughts and feelings, practicing concentration to quiet the mind, learning to be in the present moment, and retrospection/reflecting on past events or dreams.

The results of this course were particularly interesting, because it helped people to take a deep look at the kind of person they were, the types of thoughts they had during the day (catching if they were prone to negativity, anxiety, or carelessness, for example), and then they could begin to take the steps to change if they wanted.

For example, if a person noted that they had a lot of angry thoughts, this course helped them learn to come back to the present moment, and not act on those thoughts by say, picking a fight with a family member or coworker. Behaviors such as relying on alcohol or consciousness-altering drugs as an escape or a way to deal with life were discouraged, and some students gave feedback that this course dramatically improved their life for the better, i.e. helped them quit smoking or quit a drug addiction they’d had a hard time tackling in the past. To be clear, we did not offer or claim to offer psychological counseling or anything like that, but we did notice that if a person followed through and practiced the techniques in the self-knowledge course, more often than not the corresponding outcome was they became a more mentally and emotionally balanced, stable, and caring person. Another example of the kinds of change we might see would be for individuals who were prone to being pressured or swayed by what others thought they should do. If they learned to observe their inner thoughts and feelings, and go against the tendencies that allowed them to be pushed around (like wanting to please others no matter what), they ended up being more self-reliant and independent.

Advanced courses were offered to people who had completed the Astral Travel and Self-Knowledge course. These courses focused on improving concentration, with longer/more robust meditation practice sessions, and covered topics about the spiritual path, balancing the energies, and alchemy to name a few.

Searching for retreat properties

Besides volunteering to help out with graphics and design, I was involved in some other projects over the years. One of these was the search for a retreat property in North America. I helped out for a short time from 2010-2011. During this time I searched for properties online, made phone inquiries, and followed up with due diligence research for properties that looked promising. It was extremely difficult to find suitable properties with the budget that we had. Most of the really decent (not fancy, but just good value) properties were double or more than our budget allowed, and so we were in a position of constantly combing the lowest priced listings, trying to find a property that would meet our requirements. We were very careful to abide by all the rules for zoning and this actually made it more challenging to find properties, because often zoning would be incorrect or agents/sellers would say that a property could be used for a purpose that it wasn’t actually zoned for, so it took a lot of questioning and digging to get to the bottom of what the true situation was with a property.

Benefits of volunteering

Reflecting back on the time I spent in TGM as a student, teacher and member of the organization, I can say that overall it was a very enriching time in my life, and gave me some unique learning opportunities. I developed a greater degree of responsibility and care for others through volunteering and running the center and courses, because I could see how appreciative people were to have access to the spiritual information and the practice space we provided, without having financial demands or expectations placed upon them. This was the same way I felt when I found the courses online myself. I learned the skill of graphic design in order to make advertising materials for Toronto, and once my skills developed enough made graphics for various websites run by The Gnostic Movement and for book covers and posters. There was always a constant need for design materials, and I really enjoyed using my time in a way that helped others find the spiritual teachings I had benefited from. Additionally, I’ve personally benefitted from developing those graphic design skills, as it’s been an invaluable skill to have, especially for subsequent employment I’ve pursued.

Experience with Mark (Belzebuub)

Over the years that I was involved in TGM I had various interactions with Mark (Belzebuub). I first met Mark in 2007 in Australia at an international retreat, and had contact with him online over the years while working on some projects for the organization. In all contact I had with him I found him to be a principled, honest and caring person. At the retreat where I met him the first time, I watched as he patiently answered questions and spent time with people, sharing meal times and conversation. His concern was always to discuss spiritual subjects and explain how to learn and use your life in order to gain spiritual knowledge.

He attended a retreat in Canada as well that I went on in 2010, and my impression of him then was the same. He was there to help people, and spent a lot of time just talking to us about spiritual topics, and answering everyone’s questions patiently.

Altruistic and caring nature

Whenever I’ve seen him in person, he was always dressed normally, without being flashy nor looking overtly ‘spiritual’; he just looked and dressed like an average person. He never struck me as being concerned with accumulating wealth or having any preoccupation with getting famous. Instead what I observed over the years was that he consistently gave away his time, effort, writing, and teaching free of charge to others. He didn’t make money off of books, nor get financial compensation for all the videos, lectures, audio recordings, or other unique material he made available through his website.

The only times I’ve ever known Mark to be interested in publicity has been in order to get the message about the spirituality he teaches out to people, which of course needs to be through various media channels, since that’s how you reach people. But my observation has been that things like radio interviews, television appearances, and public appearances have been done with the aim of introducing people to spiritual subjects, rather than becoming rich or famous. An indication of this, of course, is the many years he has given away spiritual information for free on his website.

I’ve noted Mark on many occasions having care for other people’s well being. For example, on several occasions over the years that I’ve known him and when I was very focused for a period of time on projects that involved graphic design, at the end of the project he’s suggested I take some time off and have a break so that I don’t get burned out on creative work.

Encouraging first-hand experience over blind belief

As a spiritual teacher, Mark consistently encouraged those of us interested in spirituality to go get our own experience of how things work, rather than just relying on what he or anyone else explains. It’s interesting, because he has a lot of spiritual knowledge and experience himself, which makes him a good guide, and his way of operating is to help people be in the position to learn for themselves and go through their own internal process of spiritual development. He has never encouraged anyone to ‘follow’ him as such. It’s more like he’s a guide and helps everyone get into the position of being able to discover what they need to for themselves.

Respect for free will

Another thing I’ve noted about Mark is that he always let people choose what they wanted to do, and had respect for the free will of others. If someone wanted to step down from a position of teaching or membership in TGM, they did so without impediment from him. I’ve known him to be open to suggestions and different opinions when I’ve worked on projects like his books or website.

When false accusations were going on against us and Mark, some of us decided to speak up against them. This was a decision those of us who were teachers and members of the organization made on our own, without intervention from Mark. We did so by making posts online, starting up some websites, and making videos to put forward the facts of what was happening and to respond to the false information being put out. In hindsight, things may have turned out differently if more of us had spoken up sooner and more consistently about the truth of what we knew regarding the organization, Mark, and so forth. This was something that Mark could have influenced had he wished to tell people what to do, but he did not, and instead let all of us involved make our own choices out of respect for people’s own free will.

Respect for relationships

The last thing I’d like to note about Mark from the time that I’ve known him, is that I’ve gotten the sense that he has a great respect for relationships. Part of this is what I just mentioned about him letting people learn from their own actions, but also I’ve seen and heard him explain on numerous occasions about the special relationship between husband and wife, and noted that he regards this as a sacred relationship, and one that is not to be meddled with by outsiders. I’ve found this to be extremely refreshing, because most people today are more casual towards sex and marriage. Giving advice to others about what they should do when they are unhappy with their spouse (meddling/gossiping), encouraging loose behavior with members of the opposite sex or worse yet condoning or encouraging infidelity have become commonplace behaviors in our society.

Honorable conduct towards women

Within TGM, though, it was totally different. As a woman participating for years in the capacity of student, teacher, and member, I always felt a sense of safety, if you will, that I didn’t necessarily feel when interacting with men in other parts of life, specifically because of the values of chastity and respect that were exemplified by Mark, and present in the functioning of the organization at all levels. Not only were men and women treated as equals within the organization, everyone also respected each other as equal counterparts, without the need for any kind of exploitation of the other gender or the sexual overtones that commonly get introduced between men and women in other places in life. Mark’s teachings about the importance of marriage for spiritual development, and the way he conducted himself with honor really, in all the interactions I had with him in person and online, were to me tangible examples of what true spiritual development is all about. I find his views on the sanctity of marriage and the teachings he gives on the spiritual importance of a loving, faithful and harmonious marriage, extremely helpful.

Physical and online harrassment by a short-term participant

For the most part the courses and material taught helped people to balance out their lives and take time to find quietness and reflection amidst the usual hectic life/work schedule. However, there were occasions where someone would attend the courses, become unhappy with what was being taught and then leave. On a rare occasion, we had an individual even attack the people they were once friendly with.

Behavior at the center

This case happened in Toronto with an individual who started attending the center in May of 2008, and stayed on for about five or six months. When they first arrived they said that in the past they had been diagnosed with mental illness, had been on medication for it, had seen a psychiatrist, but managed to pull through. It was pretty evident from talking to them that their mind was in constant overdrive because of the way they talked, jumping from one thought to the next. Their spoken sentences were often left incomplete, as they would think of something new mid-sentence, and then just go on to talk about that new thing without completing the first thought. They also had the tendency to want to revisit certain topics, and talk about the same point again and again.

What was interesting was that as they began to practice the exercises taught in the Self-Knowledge course, this person’s conversational skills notably improved. When speaking, they were easier to understand, their speech pattern stabilized to a more consistent pace, and they were able to verbalize thoughts through to their completion, which made it a lot easier to talk and relate to them as a person.

I personally spent a lot of time talking to them before and after courses for several months, discussing how they were going with exercises, and they shared the improvements they were noticing in their life, and difficult situations they faced as well. We were friendly enough that I would give this individual car rides home from courses at the center on multiple occasions when they stayed late.

One day in October of 2008, after completing both the astral and self-knowledge course and signing up for the esoteric course (and purchasing the book that went along with it) they stopped attending the center. They sent an email thanking us for helping them on their spiritual journey, and said that they would no longer be able to attend, but generally wished us well.

Sudden swing of opinion

However we later found out that this individual had a major shift in opinion and had actually become openly hostile to TGM, Mark, and the group of us that ran the center in Toronto. It was surprising at first because the last interaction we had with them was that email saying they weren’t coming back, but thanking us for the time we spent with them, and it was not a hostile email. Nor was there ever a falling out. The next thing we heard, they started posting messages in an online forum that our group was a dangerous cult, and they stated online that they were ripping down our posters in Toronto when they saw them.

Abuse on anti-cult forum

These actions were surprising since there had been no triggering event with any of us in person, but I could also see how they might be prone to the drastic swing of opinion, given the previous information they shared about past issues with mental illness and the way they liked to revisit the same point in conversation over and over. For example, this person started posting about TGM being a cult online, and ended up making over 300 posts on a forum about cults, mostly talking to themselves, and not actually carrying on a meaningful conversation with other people. That’s a lot of posts on a public forum talking to oneself. They also went so far as to put up their own posters in October 2010 outside our center that said “WARNING, CULT GROUP ALERT!”.

These events with this particular individual coincided with a time that two people in TGM were asked to leave the organization for misconduct. This was in early April 2009. When they were asked to leave there was a period of time that they tried to gain access back into TGM but were denied, and after about one year they turned and became publicly hostile towards TGM and Mark. They had a few friends who started engaging with this individual online, which undoubtedly had an effect and encouraged their course of action.

Physical harassment

Besides the effect on this particular individual, there were other consequences when those rumors and allegations which were started online by supporters of the former TGM members, spilled over into everyday life out in public. On one occasion I found a cult notice left on my car windshield while it was parked on a street near the center, with TGM being mentioned specifically as an example of a dangerous cult. Another time when some of us arrived at the center, there was a handwritten cult message taped to the door. It made me wonder, if people would get upset enough to go out and put messages on cars and buildings from reading anonymous allegations, what might they do next? I wondered, particularly since the anti-cult crowd seemed to be attracting people who were already angry and appeared unstable, if it was only a matter of time until someone was incited to violent physical acts.

Our center was never vandalized but I wondered if that might happen in the future. I also noticed while out postering, that our course posters would be specifically targeted to be ripped down, slashed, or have the word ‘cult’ written on them. This happened in various neighborhoods around the city, and was very unsettling, as it seemed to evidence the growing climate of intolerance and hatred being stirred up towards alternative spirituality in general, and Mark and TGM in particular.

In April of 2011, myself and the other directors of TGM Canada voted to close down and cease operation of the Canadian branch of TGM, because it was clear that the organization was not able to function well, or even have a positive effect for people at all in the midst of the climate of intolerance, and hostility. It was a very sad time, because what TGM personally did for me, and the service it provided to the public free of charge, was quite priceless, and I felt this as a very tangible loss.

Back to People’s Experiences

I began attending the Melbourne Centre of The Gnostic Movement in September 2002 after seeing a poster for a free course in Astral Projection. I had been interested in Astral Projection for many years and although being skeptical looked forward to the opportunity to explore it in a group.

I completed all introductory and intermediate courses in order. During this time I attended lots of sessions at the centre as I really enjoyed doing the practices and got a lot out of being around like-minded people. It was amazing to me that such useful information was all given freely by volunteers.

Experience in The Gnostic Movement

Approximately 10 months after I started attending the centre I joined the Teacher’s Training course where I learned to be a teacher. I wanted to do this course as I had benefited a lot from what I had been taught and wanted to learn how to teach Gnosis myself. In the Teacher’s Training course I participated in more advanced practices, like night time meditation sessions with the goal of astral projection. These practices aimed at deeply exploring the process of sleep and dreaming by focusing on meditative practices as we fell asleep. Mark (who writes as Belzebuub) talked about these practices in his book on astral projection, explaining that it was important to allow extra time for rest if sleep would be disrupted. I looked forward to these practices with great anticipation, as they were often very successful for me in terms of having interesting experiences.

Becoming a teacher

I spent approximately nine months in the Teacher’s Training course before becoming a trainee teacher. As a trainee teacher I began taking group lectures and running practices. After approximately 2 to 3 months as a trainee teacher I became qualified as a teacher. When the member who was running the Melbourne Centre decided to take a break from his role for awhile I was offered the role of administering the Melbourne Centre. I thought this was a great opportunity and happily agreed. I am very grateful for all the help and support this member gave me, and we still remain close friends to this day.

I was a teacher for approximately 2 years before taking a six-month break from the courses and the centre. After the break I attended introductory courses for approximately one and a half years before deciding I wanted to become a teacher again. I became a qualified teacher again and remained one for the duration of The Gnostic Movement, and also became a member and took on the role of secretary for the Australian organization for a period.

During my time as a trainee teacher, teacher and member I was involved in many different teams and projects related to the administrative, publicity and design aspects of running The Gnostic Movement. I was also involved in most aspects of the administration of the Melbourne centre and the Geelong study centre and the courses and events run there.

Volunteering for The Gnostic Movement is one of the most personally fulfilling things I have ever done. It allowed me to learn about myself, and help people in many ways that I never would have had the opportunity to otherwise. It was very inspiring to see the excitement and enthusiasm of others trying the gnostic practices and having lots of success with them. I also learned many new skills which have led to career opportunities.

Roles and responsibilities

Some of my responsibilities in The Gnostic Movement as a trainee teacher, teacher and member included:

• Coordinating, running and delivering courses and events
• Sourcing and booking community halls and liaising with booking coordinators
• Organising advertising material
• Centre accounting, including administration of donations and expenses and quarterly accounting which was submitted to the National Treasurer
• Accounting for book sales made on behalf of Absolute Publishing Press
• Coordinating centre publicity efforts
• Managing teams of trainee teacher and teacher’s course student volunteers in administrative and publicity tasks
• Administering volunteer and student paperwork
• Organising participation in spiritual festivals (such as Mind, Body, Spirit Festivals, the Parliament of the World’s Religions and smaller regional festivals) along with presenting at various festivals as a speaker on behalf of The Gnostic Movement
• Organising council permits related to centre events and activities (ie. planning permits)
• Working on the design team to design publicity material including websites, book covers, brochures, posters, flyers, magazine advertisements and other published material
• Working on projects for the creation of The Gnostic Movement online course materials
• Organising centre fundraising drives and activities
• Organising and coordinating retreats for the Melbourne centre
• Searching for properties that may have been suitable for purchasing as a permanent retreat
• Preparing meeting minutes for TGM member’s meetings

As part of administering the Melbourne centre and in the various teams I participated in I worked closely with a number of other teachers and members in Australia and around the world. As a teacher I also held the position of Design Assistant to a member who was in charge of publicity and marketing. Working closely alongside those who were responsible for administering The Gnostic Movement and the centres within it and being involved in lots of different projects gave me a close view into the upright way The Gnostic Movement was run.

Upstanding and diligent administration

In his teachings Mark spoke clearly about the importance of honesty and acting in accordance with the law, even in small ways that could easily be overlooked. This principle was upheld in every aspect of the way The Gnostic Movement was run. It was an upstanding organization, whose administrators were very diligent in their roles, going above and beyond to ensure that it met all its legal and ethical obligations, and to ensure that it was an engaging and supportive learning environment for its students.

Logical course structure

Both as a student of the introductory courses and in my volunteering roles as trainee teacher, teacher, and member, I found The Gnostic Movement to be a very open place for exploring spirituality. The introductory courses were open to anyone from the public to attend, and anyone could choose to continue onto further courses once they had completed the introductory ones if they wished. It was my experience both as a student and teacher that course participants and members of the public were able to ask questions at any time about any of the Gnostic work. Even advanced information from the Gnostic doctrine was available as the works of Samael Aun Weor were available for free download for anyone who wanted to read them. When I first read these books however I had difficulty understanding what they were talking about. Mark’s teachings in my view built on, developed and helped clarify the concepts in Samael Aun Weor’s work. After spending some time learning from Mark I found that I was able to later return to reading Samael’s books and find them quite useful and understandable.

The courses encouraged personal exploration of spiritual practices and information rather than blind belief. The courses, events and information provided empowered attendees to understand themselves, including their thoughts, emotions and the psychological causes of their actions. As a result the people who applied the exercises and information were able to see very positive changes in their lives, for instance overcoming challenges such as depression and various addictions. Those who did not use the practices tended to hang around for a while before moving onto something else. The Gnostic Movement welcomed anyone interested in its courses. Many students attended other spiritual groups, churches and even other gnostic groups while attending The Gnostic Movement.

Free of charge

All courses were free of charge in line with Mark’s teachings that spiritual knowledge should be provided freely so it can be accessed by all no matter what their financial situation may be. Financial contributions were accepted in the form of voluntary donations; The Gnostic Movement was solely funded by its students and volunteers. I never felt any pressure to donate however, and there were a number of periods where because of personal situations I did not contribute financially at all. In the centre I taught at the donations box was displayed unassumingly and people could donate quite privately if they chose too. The donations box was emptied and monies banked on a regular basis by teachers. Even small donations were greatly appreciated and used carefully. Reimbursements for any goods bought for the centre where receipts were provided were also made upon request. Teachers and members were extremely careful not to make anyone feel obliged to donate. It was made clear to me upon becoming a teacher, as well as many times after, that people should not feel obliged to do things in any way so as not to infringe upon their free will. Respect for free will was a core tenant of the teachings of The Gnostic Movement. In reality few people contributed donations. The centre bank account never had very much money in it after rent and utilities were paid.

Financial accountability

All finances were very carefully managed and accounted for. Donations were counted by at least two people at all times and the initials of those people were entered into the centre accounting ledgers along with the amount of money to be banked. As well as accepting donations we ran occasional fundraisers for important projects or causes. All funds raised were directed specifically to the cause the fundraiser was for. Mark accepted donations however these were separate from donations received through the centre. No money from the centre donations was ever directed to him. Book sales were also carefully recorded and accounted for on behalf of Mark’s publisher Absolute Publishing Press. Separate accounting was done for Absolute Publishing Press quarterly around the same time as centre accounting.

Encouraging and supportive environment

Students, teachers and members of The Gnostic Movement also retained strong relationships with family and friends outside Gnosis, with many people finding these relationships improved as a result of the understanding developed through Mark’s teachings. A large majority of teachers and members also had part or full-time jobs in addition to volunteering for The Gnostic Movement in their spare time. Strong relationships were encouraged, as was personal responsibility at work, in daily tasks and in all the interactions of life.

The friendships I developed in The Gnostic Movement were some of the best and most genuine I have ever experienced. I have retained many friends from my time there even though it has now closed. In the period in which I was not involved I regularly caught up with friends who were still attending the courses and running classes. In The Gnostic Movement it was taught that life is a school for spiritual knowledge. Students were encouraged to be active and involved in all aspects of their lives, including in their relationships at work, with friends and family. This is a totally different approach to many spiritual traditions who teach renunciation of the world in order to seek enlightenment.

High standard of conduct

When someone wanted to become a teacher there were requirements. A code of conduct like this made sense to me, as it protected The Gnostic Movement and its reputation from being damaged, as well as ensuring that teachers were good role models for students. I still maintain the same level of conduct even though The Gnostic Movement has closed. I have found living in this way aids me in making better, clearer choices that are beneficial for me spiritually.

Life-changing teachings

When I found out about the teachings I had been struggling with depression for some time. I was not looking for a cure through the offerings of The Gnostic Movement as I was most interested in the possibility of out-of-body experiences in the beginning. I soon found however that with the understanding gained through the teachings of Gnosis I would be able to address my depression too. I have not felt depressed now for many years solely thanks to the self-application of practices I had learned from Mark’s teachings in The Gnostic Movement. I also feel that discovering the teachings of Gnosticism gave me a purpose and perspective in life that I had not previously had. This prior lack of purpose was a contributing factor to the onset of depression in the first place. Mark’s teachings allow me to look at my life with clarity and to make informed decisions to benefit my well-being in a way I had not been able to earlier.

I have studied spiritual doctrines from many different traditions and at times have worked closely with Buddhist practitioners on mindfulness-related projects. I found the teachings of The Gnostic Movement to be much more practical, grounded in reality and effective than any other spiritual teachings I’ve come across. I personally believe that there are no other teachings as effective for spiritual exploration as those taught by Mark and The Gnostic Movement. Because of this I happily took the initiative to promote The Gnostic Movement and Mark’s books wherever I could, for example through putting up posters in my community and leaving reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, Youtube etc. I know that many other students also felt the same way as me in regards to the quality of the teachings provided by Mark and The Gnostic Movement and wrote reviews and engaged in publicity activities of their own volition in similar ways.

Independant thinking encouraged

Students of The Gnostic Movement were always encouraged to think for themselves, to question and to take what they were learning with a grain of salt until they were able to prove it for themselves. The Gnostic Movement taught the importance of making informed and rational decisions. In my view one of the goals of the courses was to create leaders rather than followers. Personal initiative was encouraged and personal opinion and input was valued when working on projects as a group. Mark clearly explained in his work that gnosis was not about following or worshiping an individual. He explained how the practices of gnosis help a person make informed decisions based on a clear perspective of what was occurring in their lives.

Responsible and inspiring teachers and members

I found the teachers and members of The Gnostic Movement to be very grounded, balanced, sensible individuals, who were able to make complex management decisions with clarity, calmly managing many competing priorities. They were were successful both in their volunteer capacity and in their lives outside of gnosis, and were caring and supportive friends and mentors. I considered the members to be excellent role models, very natural and inspiring people whose selflessness I admired.

I also found the teachers and members of The Gnostic Movement to have a lot of forbearance as other gnostic groups were often negative towards us feeling that they alone had the right to teach Gnosis. When people came into the public forums of our websites to make antagonistic or negative comments and to try to stir trouble they were dealt with peacefully, sometimes simply being blocked from further posting, in a similar manner to other communities who face trolling. We always respected other’s freedom to practice the spirituality of their choosing and hoped that they would do the same for us.

Participation at the discretion of the individual

Everything in The Gnostic Movement was done voluntarily, including attending sessions at the centre, any donations given, any time spent volunteering etc. much the same as participation in any other type of group in society, such as a sporting club or church. Mark’s teachings made it very clear that we have to understand and work within our own limits related to time, money and health, and only do what we felt capable of doing. Mark taught that it was much harder to do a spiritual work if we were sick, and that we should do the best we can to look after our health. Mark also made it clear how important it is to ensure we are being responsible in our daily activities to meet our physical needs and those of our family.

Teachers and members of The Gnostic Movement were able to resign from any positions of authority they held as they pleased. Many students in the Melbourne centre did not go beyond the introductory courses, some deciding to repeat them continuously for many years. Some people attended only briefly. Some attended for a while, left for a while and then came back. I was taught early on that it was inappropriate to interfere in the decisions of others and it was my experience that if people decided to leave they were not followed up about why they had left, or asked to return, nor was there any judgment about them leaving. We often found that by the end of a course round, of those who began only approximately 20%-30% completed the entire course, and only approximately 10% of those who completed the course decided to continue onto further courses with The Gnostic Movement. It was taken as a matter of course that some people would decide Gnosis was not for them and would move onto other things.

Care for people’s wellbeing

I have had a chronic health condition for many years which began prior to finding out about Gnosis, and on a number of occasions I was reminded of the importance of looking after myself by members I worked with. It was clear the members did not want me to force myself in any way and that my needs and health came first. At times when my health was worse I received a lot of help and support in rearranging tasks in order to have more time to rest. I also felt that I could turn down or pull out of tasks at any time if I needed to without receiving any kind of judgment. For example, at one stage I was working on a team looking for a retreat property in Australia. My health issues had flared up so I emailed the member in charge letting him know I was having to rest more and apologising for the delay in sending through what I was working on. He replied saying that it was fine to take a longer time to finish what I was working on. He also stated that if I felt like I couldn’t keep going at all due to my health not to hesitate to let him know. He stated that my health was more important and that I shouldn’t push myself to the detriment of my health.

Experience With Mark (Belzebuub)

I have been studying Mark’s books, reading his articles and listening to his talks and radio interviews for many years. I feel that the consistency and depth of knowledge about life that is displayed in Mark’s teachings comes from a great deal of personal integrity and spiritual experience built through years of dedicated spiritual practice. His teachings have helped me to understand myself and improve the quality of my life, and to gain amazing life experiences in ways I never could have imagined possible.

Here’s a video review I gave of Mark’s astral book for example many years ago:

Caring and compassionate nature

Mark is an upstanding person of the greatest credibility and trustworthiness. A gentle, self-effacing, self-sacrificing, balanced, down-to-earth and humble person who encouraged teamwork, naturalness and friendship in pursuit of spiritual development. In his interactions with people in The Gnostic Movement and from the public Mark showed a great deal of care, warmth and understanding, even with people he barely knew. I remember one instance where a woman whose husband had recently passed away phoned in to ask a question about the afterlife on a radio interview with Mark. The compassion he had for this lady’s circumstances was very tangible in his voice when replying. I was struck with surprise that it was possible to have this much compassion for a person you had never met. Mark would regularly answer questions from people both old and new to the Gnostic doctrine. It was clear his answers came from experience rather than a theoretical understanding. I found his suggestions worked very effectively when I tried them out.

Treating men and women as equals

Mark’s respect for his students and the Gnostic work is obvious in the exemplary values expressed through his teachings, and in the approach to administration and the ethical standards that were upheld in the running of The Gnostic Movement. Standards like equality and respect between genders were a matter of course. Both men and women held positions of responsibility in the Movement, working together collaboratively on projects as friends and equals. Mark commented on a number of occasions that women have the same opportunities that men do in terms of spiritual development, correcting a misconception that is common in some areas of society where women are looked down upon as inferior.

It is a testament to the values developed through practising Mark’s teachings that my experience working with others in The Gnostic Movement was refreshingly free of anger, negativity, competition and divisiveness compared to other areas of my life where I’ve interacted with people who did not know about Gnosis, for instance at some of my previous workplaces. It was also the first place where I felt I was able to have genuine friendships with women which were not based on any sort of underlying agenda or sexual interest which is often present in interactions between genders. This was also very refreshing, as I felt that prior to learning about Gnosis the friendships I had with women were somewhat artificial.

Emphasising the sanctity of marriage and relationships

Mark placed a lot of emphasis on the sanctity of marriage, the importance of committed long term relationships and the role that love in this context plays in spiritual development. When learning to be a teacher it was explained to me very early on that relationships are considered sacred and that it was inappropriate to interfere in other people’s relationships in any way.

Mark explained in his teachings that feeding lust and temporary sexual desires leads to relationship breakdown and is opposed to spiritual development. While growing up I looked down on permanent commitment and marriage, however Mark’s teachings about relationships changed my perspective, speaking to something deep inside me about the possibility of finding a “soul mate”, and that a long term relationship rather than promiscuity was important.

Principled conduct in all interactions

Mark was a strong role model for me regarding relationships and interaction between genders, and I looked up to his example in the principled way he conducted himself with both men and women in The Gnostic Movement. I have also had many role models in friends practicing the teachings of Gnosticism whose relationships have benefited greatly from the understanding and cohesion that Mark’s teachings bring whether their partner was also involved in Gnosis or not.

Unassuming and down-to-earth

In talking to Mark I found that he has a very unassuming form of wisdom and a great depth of understanding about human emotions and difficulties. This understanding means that his teachings are very relevant for the modern day challenges we face. Mark is very humble and down-to-earth in his interactions, and has retained these qualities despite running very successful courses and writing a best-selling book. I personally have a great respect for Mark and view him as the pre-eminent source of spiritual teachings alive today however he has never made, nor can I imagine him making that claim of himself. Despite his popularity, I have never felt that Mark wanted to be worshiped or upheld as a spiritual luminary in any way. Mark has stated on a number of occasions that his role is to simply give his teachings and that anyone is free to take or leave them as they wish. Mark greatly respects free will, as can be seen throughout his teachings.

In my view Mark was careful never to make anyone feel pressured in any way regarding his teachings, and to me his teachings were based in common sense, aligned with major religions, and taught in a way that allowed personal verification rather than leading to blind belief. Interestingly I was brought up a Christian but found religion boring and irrelevant. I only began to understand and appreciate Jesus’ message as a result of practicing what I learned from Mark.

Very modest living conditions

As a friend, I helped with some renovations of Mark’s home. Seeing his residence it became clear to me that he was not financially motivated in regards to spreading his teachings. Before renovations, his one bedroom house was in a poor condition which I personally would have had difficulty living in. The house was located in thick vegetation inhabited by all sorts of spiders, bugs and poisonous snakes, many of which found their way inside. The climate was hot and humid and his house had no air-conditioning. The water supply had to be treated before drinking, and the kitchen relied on a makeshift camping stove connected to a gas bottle.

Mark was very safety conscious in regards to those helping to renovate his house. At the beginning we were given a safety briefing and first aid kits and plenty of water were kept on hand. We ate very good, filling meals which were some of the best I had ever eaten and there was plenty of time to rest and converse with others after meals, in the evening etc.

Mark was very appreciative of the people who helped to renovate his property and he expressed this to me. I helped because I wanted to improve Mark’s living conditions so he was not subjected to such physical hardship and had a more comfortable environment in which to work.

I also chose to donate towards Mark’s living expenses, and was glad to help out in this way so he could focus on writing and teaching. These donations were separate from those going to The Gnostic Movement. I feel like I have received much more than I have ever given.

Effects of hate campaign against Mark and The Gnostic Movement

When Mark and The Gnostic Movement came under attack from a small group of individuals it impacted my life dramatically. During the attacks much negativity was spread online by a few people who falsely and manipulatively depicted Mark and The Gnostic Movement as harmful. As a result it became unsafe for people to keep attending centres. The online attacks also incited physical vandalism, and eventually The Gnostic Movement was closed. It was no longer safe for everyone involved due to the public stigma that had been maliciously fabricated.

The opportunities and experiences I had through The Gnostic Movement were among the most important and valuable experiences of my life, in fact they were priceless. As I had lived in the Melbourne Centre as a caretaker for a period of time it was like a second home to me. I felt a huge sense of loss and wasted opportunity when the Melbourne Centre and the Movement closed. Unfortunately the repercussions of the attacks in my life did not end there.

Assistance from courts and human rights comission

A contributor to the online harassment targeted towards Mark and members of The Gnostic Movement posted a number of statements about me which detailed aspects of my personal life and involvement in The Gnostic Movement but depicted in a very negative and false light. When I spoke to this person regarding what had been written, they admitted to falsifying information. I had to initiate legal and court proceedings in order to get all the false representations this person had posted as part of the online harassment removed. It is a testament to the character of people in The Gnostic Movement that they were not influenced by the negative statements that were posted about me, and the way they related to me did not change.

In another instance, the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) accepted our complaint against an individual who was contributing to the online harassment more generally, but who was also harassing attendees of our centre directly. A representative of the VEOHRC contacted the individual in order to try and organize mediation between them and The Gnostic Movement. However after the initial contact by the VEOHRC the individual cancelled their phone number and stopped responding to VEOHRC emails. The VEOHRC was unable to contact them again.

Back to People’s Experiences

I was involved with The Gnostic Movement’s Australian retreat from basically the start until almost the end of the project. Initially, I started like others on a research basis and then later I actually lived, managed trades people and was a caretaker of the property with my wife, who was also involved with the project. We both lived there for many years together, all together we were involved for about 10 years all up and lived there on and off for about 6 years.

Australian retreat project

I and others worked at the beginning to research properties that might suit a retreat. Later when the property was purchased I visited the house before any renovations were started. At that time, the house was in need of much maintenance and repair with it being overgrown with trees and vegetation, which attracted snakes, spiders and many bugs.

Condition of property

The house was old and unsealed, and so I saw many bugs and spiders crawl through the gaps in the floor boards and geckos would hide in the gaps in the corner of the wall and ceiling joints. I heard snakes crawl in the roof and nearly put my hand on a sleeping python under the house on another occasion. I lost count of how many times I got bitten by mosquitoes, sand flies and jumping bull ants and over time, after seeing so many snakes, I actually started to admire them for their natural beauty.

I spent many hours with other people sealing and caulking the house so bugs wouldn’t endlessly enter through all the gaps. I experienced the heat of the house due to its very poor ventilation and I saw the state of the small solar power system which ran out of power regularly and so a generator had to be run at night time to have a reliable power source. The conditions were very hard in that old weather board cabin.

Mark purchases property for full market value

At the start of 2005 my wife and I started to caretake the property and not long after we moved in I witnessed the sale of the property to Mark. I know that he bought the property out of his own money from his parent’s inheritance, which he was entitled to and it was not given to him by the movement.

I can attest to the fact that the property was professionally valued at the time, to ascertain the current market value, as I was living at the property when the valuation occurred and I saw the valuer when he came to the house to value it and inspect the property. This market value of the property was what was used as the basis of the sale of the property which Mark ended up buying, after other people in the movement were asked if they were interested in buying it. My wife and I were asked if we would like to purchase the property by a member of the movement as well, but we declined the offer.

When Mark bought the property we were asked if we wanted to continue on with working on the property, we weren’t forced to or pressured to, we were asked what we wanted to do and my wife and I replied that we wanted to continue on with the property with Mark owning it. We didn’t have the slightest hesitation.

The house was a building site with unfinished rooms and no kitchen. We used to cook our meals on old gas camping burners for years because we had to move the burners around according to what rooms were being worked on at the time. The house never had a proper kitchen sink for years either.

Over the years of working on the property I witnessed how Mark never forced his opinion on people, he would get involved with research, give ideas and feedback, seek your opinion, openly share information etc. But he would never insist that things be done his way. The property had a team of people involved with it and 90 – 95% of the ideas that were actually implemented at the property came from the property team. Sometimes Mark didn’t want to carry out those ideas but if the consensus of the property team agreed to an idea, he never overrode that consensus, he would respect that decision even if he didn’t agree with it himself.

Mark gifts increased value of property to retreat project

Mark came back to the property in 2006 for about 11 months before he headed off to America to promote the teachings of Gnosis in that country. He stayed in America for a while and whilst overseas he sold the property to the Gnostic Movement’s retreat company and it was the retreat company that did extra finishing work to the building in preparation for the final sale of the house. Mark was very generous with the sale of the house to the Gnostics and put them in a very good position to sell the house, so it could benefit the movement so it could buy its own retreat. I was involved with this valuation as well and talked with the man who came to value the property, and I know that Mark sold the property to the Gnostics for much less than what that valuer gave us as his valuation.

I can honestly say that in working with Mark (Belzebuub) I have worked with an honest, down to earth, generous, likeable person, who has always tried to help me and inspired me to do the best I can in my pursuits whatever they may be, from business ideas to spiritual goals. He has been a friend that I deeply trust and respect for the honest, reliable & trustworthy person he is.

Back to People’s Experiences

This is my personal experience being involved with The Gnostic Movement from 2006 until it closed.

Finding The Gnostic Movement

When I first came to the courses and read Belzebuub’s books, I was looking to understand and experience spiritual things. I wanted to know if the practices really worked. To my pleasant surprise, they did – I began to understand and overcome many debilitating inner states I had been facing such as tremendous fears, addictions, anger, and so on, as well as having mystical experiences through dreams and astral travel. I was grateful to Belzebuub for having taught it, and appreciated his straightforward presentation of the unique information.

Sometime in the first half of 2006 I had ordered a copy of Belzebuub’s book The Peace of the Spirit Within before starting any of the courses. I had already read a lot of the articles and experiences online but wanted to delve deeper. This book had such a profound impact on me – Mark wrote with such simplicity, explaining deeply spiritual topics such as our personal relationship with the divine, but made it sound so achievable that I longed to put it into practice and experience it for myself.

Other Gnostic Groups

In my initial research into gnosticism I had come across a few other groups online, but to me they seemed so aloof and unpractical. In comparison, The Gnostic Movement (Mysticweb and Gnosticweb at the time) felt very approachable, with the published experiences coming across as very real and from people that I could easily relate to. The other sites were pretty much all anonymous. They even spoke against TGM and Belzebuub as well as his predecessor Rabolu, which if anything put me off due to their negativity.

Early on, when I used to participate in the online forums a lot, I noticed harassment from people from other gnostic groups in the forums who repeatedly tried to undermine Belzebuub while preaching to new students to join them. I found out later about all the time spent by the moderators to try and keep the forums a positive and productive place free from anonymous trolling. Sadly some people just didn’t want to allow The Gnostic Movement to exist or Mark to teach freely.

Critical Thinking Encouraged

From the very beginning, the importance of “gaining your own experience” was continuously spoken of, and standing on that rather than belief about this or that theory. It was such a refreshing change to what I had been used to previously. Growing up as part of a church there wasn’t much talk of personal knowledge; it was more about learning the established doctrine and sticking to that. This was very different.

Throughout all the courses, retreats, and events I attended at various locations with people from The Gnostic Movement, the focus was always on the practices, and individual exploration. I eventually began to teach others through TGM because I had personally benefited from inner change and was happy to share my understanding with others.

My experiences with The Gnostic Movement and the teachings of Belzebuub helped me to be more independent, to think for myself, gain my own knowledge, and take responsibility for my life.

After putting the practices to work in my life, I overcame many difficulties I had been facing. Being able to come out of depression and laziness, and vastly improving my ability to concentrate, all helped me get back into university and eventually graduate with a double major and two academic awards, when at one point previously I had been dropping out of classes altogether. I was astonished that such a change was really possible.

Relationships and Involvement in Society

Relationships were treated with great respect in The Gnostic Movement. There was a big focus in the courses on how we relate to others, and changing ourselves so that we can relate to others better, whether it was our partner, family, friends, colleagues, and so on. Removing things like anger is one example of what we aimed to do.

Belzebuub’s teachings on relationships resonated with me greatly, from the way we relate and interact with the world, to the sacredness of marriage and our partner, and ultimately to within ourselves and our connection with the divine.

Through self-knowledge, I was able to become more of a social person, not afraid of meeting new people or being in new places or circumstances. Negativity had previously kept me from going out of my comfort zone, but I managed to largely overcome this. The aim was to become responsible people fully involved in society, not apart from it.

There were responsibilities involved with being a part of The Gnostic Movement which took time and commitment, but it was no different from having responsibilities in any other area of my life, like with family, at university, social commitments, and so on. I just chose to be involved with TGM and the courses because I got so much out of it.

Because I cared, I gave a lot of my time to helping at the center and took it upon myself to organize things like music and artwork. I appreciated the space and valued having it as a nice place not only for myself but anyone who came and wanted to also practice as a group.

Having felt such a positive impact, I naturally wanted to tell others about it, so would occasionally leave positive reviews and comments online. I also told a number of my friends I thought were most interested, particularly regarding astral travel. One of my friends attended the Brisbane Centre for a few months and spoke very positively of the courses and his experiences, remarking how peaceful he felt being at the center.

Over the years in TGM, I developed some of the strongest friendships I’ve ever had, and was able to vastly improve the relationship I have with my family.

My sister attended one of the workshops in the Bay Area Center when she was visiting the US from Australia. She enjoyed the practices and chatting with everyone there for the day. I knew of others who brought along their parents, siblings, and friends to various activities over the years.

I maintained a regular meditation schedule, taking breaks in nature when possible (every day at times), and managed to have consistent astral and dream experiences over my whole duration with TGM. I set my own personal practice schedule.

The Gnostic Movement’s Courses and Esoteric Teachings

The Gnostic Movement taught some practices which in history were kept secret due to persecution, but today are taught openly, such as the esoteric technique of alchemy. The complete spiritual work as taught by The Gnostic Movement was available for anyone to learn about at any time, however, the courses had a structure that would allow people to learn the theory and practices in an orderly and progressive way, as you would expect of any course where you learn lots of information.

Personally, before I started the courses with The Gnostic Movement, I wanted to know what to expect. So I researched, reading personal experiences on their websites, as well as some of the recommended books. Through this initial research I learned almost everything that was to be taught in the courses before I even started! The benefit of the courses was in being able to practice the various techniques with others at the center in-person.

I gained a lot from the initial courses, so I stuck with it and progressed through them all. Most (almost all) people didn’t even finish one course. That’s just the way it was – most people didn’t seem interested. But if they liked being there they could become more involved and train to be a teacher. I knew of people that left the courses for a long time of their own accord, and returned later to become involved as they pleased.

There were recommended readings many times in the courses, because we were studying different practices or spiritual teachings referenced in those particular readings. The outward presentation of TGM was ultimately from a Gnostic Christian perspective, so naturally we focused on texts from that lineage, rather than sacred texts of other religions. However, I owned other spiritual books and knew others involved with TGM who had many other types as well. We would often openly discuss different religions and spiritual texts/books.

My Experience with the Centers

The centers were very open and welcoming to people of all walks of life and spiritual backgrounds. Over the years at the center in Brisbane one regular attendee frequented Hare Krishna gatherings. He was one of my best friends at the center.

In mid 2009 I had moved from Brisbane to the Bay Area of California and began to be involved with the center there. A huge amount of varied activity was underway which appealed to me greatly, and there was an eclectic mix of people from around the world gathered there for the same reason. Mark was also in the area and gave a number of talks. The biggest attendance I remember from any center activity I had been to was October 2009 when Mark gave the intro talk for the new course round – about just over 80 people attended. I remember being amazed at the way he managed in simple language to sum up everything The Gnostic Movement taught in about 10 minutes. The audience was captivated, and he led everyone through a simple yet effective relaxation practice. At the end of the session there was a lot of lively discussion.

In one chat with Mark and everyone in the Bay Area Center cafe, he made a side comment about video work in TGM. As I was looking for new things to learn, a couple of days later I asked one of the members about getting involved with video. A short time after that I began to help out in small ways setting up equipment for the video projects that were underway at the time and learning the basics of video editing. Through the support of the teachers and members of the Bay Area (and remotely from Perth, Australia), I eventually became one of the key people involved with video production. And in the years since The Gnostic Movement closed, I have become a successful freelance video producer, despite never having any formal qualifications. I never even thought of this as a possibility in my earlier years. I was never asked to take on this work, but I knew it would benefit myself and TGM, and it has since paid off for me personally in a massive way.

All-Night Astral Practices

Both at the Brisbane and Bay Area Centers, I participated in “all-night” astral practices, where we would use techniques for astral projection such as mantras or concentration on the heart, waking up about three times through the night to share how we went and refresh ourselves before trying again. These were some of my fondest times at the centers due to the number of amazing mystical experiences I gained out of the body. I always relaxed the following day (generally a Sunday) and in the Bay Area for a time we even had pancake breakfasts and music sessions. They were very happy social times!

At these all-night practice sessions men and women would practice in separate rooms, as respectful behavior was always observed.

The Gnostic Movement’s Structure

There was a structure within The Gnostic Movement of trainee teachers, teachers, and members, which is a pretty typical structure for a well-functioning organization.

Mark initially coordinated The Gnostic Movement, however, over time he became less involved with its day-to-day administration, so he could just concentrate on writing books and teaching. The running of the study centers was the responsibility of those at the individual centers, then on the national level it was the responsibility of the national boards, etc.

While Mark (Belzebuub) didn’t administrate the Movement, the times he attended our study center to teach and give advice were extremely valuable for everyone there. Naturally he would make suggestions now and then, but ultimately it was up to those of us directly involved to make decisions. We had many open discussions with everyone free to have a say.

One of the main reasons the structure of The Gnostic Movement was so beneficial was that it provided a means to work with other people giving spiritual knowledge while also changing yourself for the better.

There were high standards we had to maintain to keep a spiritually beneficial atmosphere. If people displayed behavior that was consistently negative, angry, judgmental etc. towards others it was an issue affecting everyone around, so sometimes people would be asked to take a break from attending. I saw this as overly positive and beneficial – negativity was addressed rather than left to have an even more debilitating effect later.

Money and Donations

Running the study centers was up to those of us involved at each individual center. While small donations were made by the public for the free courses we ran, and occasional fundraiser (e.g. movie nights), the majority of funds came from the trainee teachers, teachers, and members, who ran each center. We gave our money for the simple fact that we benefited from having a center running, and wanted it to continue.

In any nine-week course we would maybe briefly mention to the public that we ran on donations during the first three weeks, and point out that we had a donations box. All mention of money would be left at that.

In Brisbane I was involved in counting cash donations given at the center. This was always done by two of us to ensure accuracy. We treated it very seriously as we understood the non-profit principles by which The Gnostic Movement operated, and the honesty required to always use money for the purpose in which it was given.

For a short time in the center there were donations given directly to Mark (Belzebuub), kept in a separate box so it was very clear if a donation was going towards running the study center or to Mark. The amount placed in the box to him was pitiful.

I freely gave donations and time to The Gnostic Movement because I valued it so much. If people became involved and valued it too, naturally they gave to it as well. People were also free to give nothing at all – and most didn’t.

All work I was involved with was as a volunteer. Volunteer organizations exist all over the world, and in this case it was very clear from the beginning that there was no money to be made. I was happy to give my time and effort so that others could learn if they wished.

Mark’s Character

The description of “down-to-earth” is an understatement regarding Mark’s character. From the very first retreat I met him at the beginning of 2007, he always taught in a simple, straightforward manner, at times with appropriate humor. In addition, his teachings have been more profound and life-changing than any other I have come across. He showed care and respect to all I saw him deal with, whether new students or those who had been around for many years. The first time I met him, at a retreat in January 2007, I was sitting in the main hall with a scattering of other students; he came in with a friendly smile and took the time to greet each person individually, asking who we were and where we were from. This personal approach impressed me greatly.

The car I saw him driving to this retreat was basic and not at all new. He dressed in simple neat smart casual clothing.

One evening at this retreat in the main hall, everyone gathered and he spoke about The Gnostic Movement acquiring a permanent retreat that could operate year-round. This sounded quite awesome as the retreat had been amazing so far. He opened the discussion to everyone there which I found surprising as myself and quite a few others there had only been attending TGM for a few months, but it just showed how much he valued open discussion and hearing everyone’s opinions.

Mark’s conduct over the years has always been at the highest standard I can think of. He has treated men and women as equals, and lived the spiritual virtues he taught. That he demonstrated his teachings through his life and actions was important to me, as it continually reinforced the validity of what he taught. The core principles of removing lust from everyday interactions, working on having a committed strong and loving marriage, and respect and privacy in personal relationships – his was the best example I’ve ever seen and continues to be an example to look to for inspiration.

On a personal level, I have enjoyed numerous social gatherings with Mark, and would definitely consider him as a friend like any other. You could think of Mark as just a normal guy, albeit with a rich and unique spiritual knowledge. In personal interactions I’ve only ever seen him show the utmost respect for people and genuine care and compassion.

Of all the times in which I’ve heard him speak, his ultimate concern was always helping others selflessly and giving the teachings in the right way so that people would have the best chance to understand them and take them up if they wished. This among many other things has shown me he is truly a genuine and sincere spiritual teacher.

I greatly respected Mark’s role as a spiritual teacher, along with his predecessors Samael Aun Weor and Rabolu, as you would respect any teacher that imparts helpful knowledge.

Retreat Projects

Over my years with The Gnostic Movement, I was directly involved in the project to establish a permanent retreat in North America, helping with fundraisers, searching for properties online, and contacting real estate agents. There was never much money involved (certainly not enough to purchase a functioning retreat property, or even a decent “land only” property), but what money was involved was only ever reserved for the purpose in which it was given, i.e. for establishing a permanent retreat.

At one point in the North American retreat project, a promotional offer was made for people to donate a certain amount and secure a spot at the planned upcoming retreat to be held at a property secured for purchase by The Gnostic Movement. When the property purchase didn’t go ahead due to issues with road access, those who had donated to this promotion were offered a full refund. I was one of those people, so can attest to the honesty involved.

Despite the lack of funds, the project was continued by other organizations and a retreat was ultimately purchased and established in Canada, while the Australian project continues (and has never ceased). Mark was extremely generous to the Australian project to his own personal financial detriment.

As The Gnostic Movement was winding down, I was witness to the funds from the North American Retreat Project (as handled by TGM USA), sent to a Canadian organization with the same purpose of establishing a permanent retreat. My wife as Treasurer of TGM USA oversaw this donation. Eventually the Canadian organization purchased a retreat using these funds – I attended a couple of years later. It was able to operate solely on donations with attendance for free just as had been envisioned in TGM.

The Malicious Smear Campaign

When the smear campaign started, I could immediately see they were making outlandish claims against Belzebuub and The Gnostic Movement. I dismissed it as sensationalized lies. In hindsight this was careless on my part as I didn’t take the time to understand or find out what was really going on at the time in order to take the right course of action to defend against the lies.

It was only a year or so later that I fully found out what had been happening. By then the malicious anonymous attacks had already had a devastating impact. I regret my lack of care then – I had been solely focused on my own tasks without considering the welfare of Mark whom had given so much to help me and everyone who had become involved with TGM.

Eventually a number of us took action of our own accord in defense, but ultimately it wasn’t enough. I regret my lack of responsibility around that time in not clearly seeing the issues involved and adequately dealing with them. Eventually through the lack of an appropriate response or defense, The Gnostic Movement closed.

Conclusion

I had been attending the centers in Brisbane, Australia, and then the Bay Area, California, since mid-2006. I had formed many long-term friendships over the years based on common spiritual leanings. The closing of TGM and the centers meant the activities (courses, workshops, retreats, social events, etc.), came to an end, and thus all the opportunities to be together in groups.

To me, the courses had been a way to change myself for the better, gain spiritual experiences, and teach others what I had learned. It was a precious opportunity and time. The good memories will remain with me the rest of my life.

Back to People’s Experiences

I started in The Gnostic Movement (TGM) as a student and I trained and became a teacher after about three years. Later I was also a member and worked on many projects, from running centres, Mind-Body-Spirit stalls and public seminars, to web tasks, publicity initiatives, retreat property project and many other projects, which taught me invaluable life and work skills. The range of learning was enormous and it has improved my life tremendously on so many levels and areas.

Background to involvement in The Gnostic Movement

I found TGM to be more than a non-profit benevolent spiritual organisation; it was an authentic spiritual school. It was very well structured and practical and helped me to learn in a positive and constructive way according to my understanding. The way the teachings of Gnosis unfolded through the courses allowed freedom to learn at my own pace and also to absorb and try the information and techniques in my life to get my own experience of them.

The courses at every stage were always free of charge and free of obligation. I learnt and also saw that this was an inherent part of true spirituality. I volunteered where I could and in any way, and I gained spiritually by taking part in things.

I developed great friendships through TGM with people at the centre and online across the world – it really felt like we were one big worldwide family. Meeting with people in the online forums and chatting and sharing experiences I could feel a heartfelt bond. Through the teachings of Gnosis I began to see changes in how I felt towards people.

I met my husband through these courses 15 years ago and we have only grown in love since then. I deeply appreciated how much Mark, TGM and the teachings of Gnosis valued and respected the privacy and sacredness of marriage, which I have found to be rare qualities in our society today. One of the core teachings of Gnosis depends on love and commitment between a couple and this being an integral part of the spiritual journey. There was this true respect, decency and sacredness towards relationships. I found that the teachings of Gnosis and what Mark taught supported how to achieve this commitment

Working with Mark (Belzebuub) in The Gnostic Movement

Donations

I learnt to ensure that all funds donated to the organisation were to be used for the purpose for which they were given, and Mark was very clear about this so that funds were honoured for their intended use. Mark has always been very principled about money, and very clear in all matters relating to funds. At the various centres I was part of, TGM had several donation boxes according to the fund-raising purposes at that time, so that people had a choice to donate to a project they wanted including a donation box to support Mark personally. There was never any obligation for anyone, including myself to donate. The donation boxes were visible but they were placed in an area that people had to go to put money into if they wanted to, so that people didn’t feel any obligation to donate. We were always clear that the organisation ran on donations and how they were used, so that people knew how the organisation operated and how donations were applied. Mark also taught how to have respect and care for the funds people donated and not to waste funds in any way; he explained very kindly that people had to work really hard in life in their jobs to earn a living and their donations needed to be respected and used carefully and wisely. Mark was also very considerate of my husband and I’s donations to him, and he would decline to take donations from us when he felt that we needed them more, and at other times he would decline our donation to him as he didn’t want to take potential donations that could be applied to other projects that we were interested in being part of. He is very considerate, respectful and transparent with funds and has always been so.

Mark’s Character

By his genuine and principled conduct and friendship, Mark (Belzebuub) has been a remarkable role model, guiding with love, humility, care, understanding and his high respect and support for women. He never put himself above anyone. His down-to-earth, genuine kindness and humanity towards everyone I’ve seen him interact with has been a quality of Mark’s. Even though his teachings are incredibly profound, Mark’s persona is very subtle; his peacefulness and common-sense approach to tasks, and scheduling and working in a practical way, emphasise this more natural and light way of working through all the projects I was part of. I find that he imbues this within his unassuming nature.

One thing that also stands out about Mark is his exceptionally witty sense of humour. I’ve found myself laughing years later when I remember some of his light comments which always put a smile on my face. It’s not like he cracks jokes, it’s that he is very witty and can see the comedy of situations or things very naturally.

Over the 20 years that I have known Mark I’ve only seen his care, warmth and amazing gentleness continue to grow, which has been quite remarkable.

Australian Retreat Property Project

I was part of the retreat project in Australia for many years and in different capacities; as a volunteer student, as the TGM member overseeing the research and purchasing of the retreat property, as a live-in caretaker at the property with my husband and later as a director of TGM’s retreat organisation that purchased the property from Mark.

Poor condition of property

I had inspected the property before the initial purchase by TGM and visited the property many times during the years TGM owned it. It was a densely-vegetated property, and the small cabin on the property had become home to snakes, vermin and venomous insects like scorpions, centipedes and spiders. I came to be bitten many times by ticks and jumping bull ants and I developed huge swellings from their bites and became increasingly allergic to them over time. I also remember coming across one of Australia’s most venomous snakes, the Brown snake, right at the front entrance to the little cabin and its presence was the scariest of all the snakes I had seen there.

The cabin itself was deteriorated and had gaping holes in the walls and ceiling, as the sealing between the boards had disintegrated. Unfortunately, even the basic provisions were quite poor, such as a dirty water tank that provided the drinking water to the cabin, which I remember my husband trying to seal up from creatures getting into it. The cabin only had a tiny solar power source which wasn’t enough to supply power through to the evening There was no cooling facility, and no fly screens to keep the swarms of flies, mosquitos and plagues of flying ants out of the cabin that were common in that region. It only had a dial-up internet connection which was painstakingly slow.

Unfortunately the property wasn’t suitable as a retreat property due to the local government restrictions of use in that location, which had been overlooked in our initial research for a property. At that time we were very limited in our choice of properties because of the small funds we had, and in many ways it was the best property we could find for the funds available and so we tried to make the best of the situation.

TGM sells property to Mark for almost double the amount it paid

My husband and I became the caretakers of the property in 2005, and shortly after we were advised by a member of TGM that TGM was going to sell the property and I was asked if I could assist with finding an accredited valuer to assess its worth. My husband and I were there when the valuer came to assess the property and his valuation of the property was $100,000 more than what TGM had bought the property for. Other members and my husband and I were asked by the member of TGM if we would be interested in purchasing the property from TGM, but my husband and I declined the offer. Not long after that TGM sold the property to Mark at the valuation price, and I know that Mark paid for it using his recently acquired family inheritance. I also assisted TGM with finding a solicitor to contract the sale for them.

TGM did look to buy another retreat property after selling this property to Mark, and though I was only part of a retreat property search for a little at that time, I remember the research itself going on for a long time to make sure that a new retreat property would be suitable and usable, which was understandable.

TGM had been fundraising for the retreat property developments during the time it owned the property, but when the property was sold to Mark I was advised, as the caretaker with my husband, that all donations from TGM for the property would stop at the termination of TGM’s ownership, which they did and no more public donations for the property were received when Mark became the owner of the property.

During the transition of ownership, we were asked by a member of TGM if we’d like to continue to caretake of the property when Mark became the owner, which we were very happy to do. We really enjoyed being there and being part of the developments. Mark returned to the property for about 10 months and my husband and I chose to rent a house in the local area. The conditions of the property at that time were still of a building site. Parts of it had become infested with vermin due to the holes in the building, with insects finding their way into cupboards we had temporarily set up. Mark had to put everything into plastic boxes and it was pretty much indoor camping type of living with the building works continuing when Mark was there.

Mark left for overseas at the end of those 10 months to continue his work overseas. I remember speaking with Mark on the phone while my husband and I were living at his property and he was living in a very poor and dangerous residential area in the US.

Experience working on the property

Mark treated my husband and I and all the other people who helped work on the property developments like we were his family, and he was always so thoughtful and caring towards all of us. There was a lovely family feel with much love, care and laughter; it has been one of my fondest memories of the past 20 years. Mark very much appreciated all of our help in working on the property developments, and he also supported my husband and I’s efforts to start our own business and helped us to get it up and running which made a big difference to us.

During those years of working on the property, Mark always sought the advice and opinion of people involved in it, and there were many times where what Mark wanted was not the outcome chosen by all of us, but what we as a team decided. He would make suggestions and put forward his opinion and considerations but he never enforced it, even though he was the home owner. He always respected our free will and the democratic choices made by the team. As it turned out Mark wasn’t able to live at the property for the majority of the time he owned it, as Mark had only been there for 10 months.

In 2010 I was advised that Mark was going to sell the property to TGM’s retreat company. I was asked if I could assist with sourcing an accredited valuer to undertake a valuation of its market value, in preparation for the sale, which I did.

My husband and I met with the valuer, showed him through the property and discussed the property with him on the day of his inspection. His advice was to only carry out basic renovations to the property.

Retreat project further boosted by Mark’s generosity

Also, I was informed that Mark wanted to sell the property for only the amount that was spent on it, which was going to be much less than the market price the valuer had assessed it to be worth even in its unfinished state, ‘as is’. The price Mark sold it for turned out to be 30% less than the lowest value the valuer had assessed it to be worth if sold ‘as is’.

Mark was hoping that TGM’s retreat organisation that bought the property from him would gain the profit of the market value themselves once they sold it, so that it would help the organisation to increase their retreat funds and thereby give them the best opportunity to afford a good retreat property. I know for a fact over all those years Mark had done all he could possibly do to make that plan a reality.

Mark helped a great deal with the retreat property plans both when he bought the property and when he sold the property; having paid the market value when he bought it and selling it for much less than the market value when he sold it – both times this assisted TGM to have the funds to acquire a retreat property. Mark himself throughout this time only lived in pretty much poor conditions both at the property and when he was overseas. The real facts are that Mark worked very hard and went without so much for all of us in TGM to be able to have a retreat property.

As caretakers, we were told by the retreat organisation that the property was needing to be sold. Plans unfolded to renovate the property to its full potential after the property was purchased from Mark.

We then undertook major renovation works, and ended up going beyond the basic renovations outlined by the valuer and Mark’s own request, as we felt that the property would be worth a lot more if we finished all the property renovations so that we could buy a larger retreat property.

Mark’s request had been to sell the property as soon as possible. Half way through the renovations I had learnt that the real estate market had become a “buyers market” not a “sellers market”, which meant property prices were dropping. It became a very difficult time to be selling the property. It was also a year since the retreat organisation had bought the property from Mark.

Correcting the lies about the property

Not long after the property had been listed for sale, malicious people, that had been unrelentingly attacking Mark and TGM, used the property against Mark, when Mark didn’t even own the property, he hadn’t owned it for over a year and Mark hadn’t even lived at the property for over 4 years.

This terrible lie about Mark was not corrected by me or any of us in the organisation, nor that his only experience of living at the property was when it was only a cabin, and then a building site and only indoor camping-like facilities instead.

Unfortunately, and very regrettably, at the time I was more concerned and overwhelmed with selling the property and dealing with the issues that we were facing due to the delays that the extensive renovation works had caused, instead of supporting Mark with the facts that only a few of us knew were the actual truth.

I deeply regret that I didn’t take the steps to ensure that the truth was known. It also meant that people were left without knowing the truth about the property and about Mark.

Mark suffered a great deal through this property in ways that I never would have imagined had I not seen them first hand myself, however I never saw Mark with any negativity or ill will of any kind against anyone.

So malicious were the attacks that many people in the organisation crippled with fear of being targeted remained silent and Mark was left on his own to take the full brunt of the smear, lies and verbal abuse with very little proper defence from the many that knew the truth, myself included.

I wouldn’t have thought or imagined that despite knowing the truth about Mark that I would have remained silent at a time Mark and TGM really needed people to come forward to just tell the truth, but unfortunately that was what happened and it has been a devastating outcome with the rippling effects continuing many years after – for Mark, for everyone who loved being part of TGM and for all the people who would have wanted to be part of such a well organised and highly principled spiritual school that TGM was.

I feel a great loss for those people who are truly keen on experiencing spirituality to not have the opportunity of incredible learning that I had and I feel quite sad that I didn’t safeguard it for them. I feel the deepest sorrow that I didn’t stand up for Mark and TGM in every way I could have.

Back to People’s Experiences

I used to be a student and teacher of The Gnostic Movement (The Gnostic Movement) of the UK and Greece. I joined The Gnostic Movement in Athens, Greece in March 2007. In July 2008 I moved to London, UK to volunteer at The Gnostic Movement in the UK and in July 2010 I moved to Edinburgh to help out with a new Gnostic center that was being established there.

Background

I joined The Gnostic Movement because I wanted to become a better person and lead a spiritual life. I had been part of another Gnostic school a few years before joining The Gnostic Movement which was called UCGM (The Universal Christian Gnostic Movement), and had felt the positive impact that the Gnostic spiritual teachings and values could have in my life. I was aware of what The Gnostic Movement was about and I decided to join so that I could make full use of its gnostic techniques that had already proven effective from my previous experience. During my time in the Gnostic Movement I made friendships with like-minded people and we always enjoyed meeting, discussing and practicing the spiritual exercises that were taught by Belzebuub through his books, courses and talks. I found them to be very beneficial for my self-development and my relationships with others. Being among others that were after self-knowledge and spiritual experiences as well as attending courses that were both simple and practical offered me guidance, discipline and inspiration to focus on my spiritual practice. Furthermore, I liked The Gnostic Movement’s approach which was allowing me to make my own decisions and encouraged me to be self-reliant and think for myself through the space of explorative sit-down practices and critical thinking when running projects and various tasks within the organization.

Experience in The Gnostic Movement

My introduction to The Gnostic Movement actually started in October 2006 at Gnosticweb.com in their online forums. I was quite active in the forums as I enjoyed discussing different topics that I found interesting. The topics of discussion were mainly topics from The Gnostic Movement’s courses but also other subjects, such as movies, art, music etc. Most of all I enjoyed the process of entering an online community; coming home from work and being part of a live network of spiritual seekers that were commenting about different things. This online environment gave me the push to be part of a very interesting larger discussion that I loved being part of and learning from. I also appreciated that most of the people were open minded to discussion and views were generally exchanged with respect to others’ beliefs and opinions. It was a very constructive environment and I was learning a lot from the insights, opinions and attitude of other forum participants and particularly the forum moderators. For example, now and then there would be some strong opinions over one thing or another but the moderators would effectively defuse any arguments respectfully instead of being arrogant or angry at people. I admired their insights and calm reactions in heated arguments. I generally felt most people had a really good time at Gnosticweb.com. I certainly did.

Athens center

Between March and June of 2008 I helped with the renovations of the then new Gnostic Center of Athens. I had already been attending the center courses for about a year then and I felt like attending more activities at the center. I wanted to get more involved with The Gnostic Movement and I had the wish to help and volunteer. I had asked if there was anything I could do to help and I was told that the renovations at the center could use an extra pair of hands since there was a lot to do. I joined the renovations team which consisted mainly of teacher’s course students of the Athens center but also some new people, like me, from beginner’s courses. I was glad I was able to help.

Retreat property search

It was around May 2008 when a teacher of the Athens center, invited me to drive with him to a place he had spotted in a Greek mountain. This was part of The Gnostic Movement Greece’s expeditions to find a property that could be used for a permanent retreat project for The Gnostic Movement. It was a long drive; we spent the whole day driving as well as inspecting the property. The property was very nice but it was not ideal for retreats as it was too close to a village and neighboring a relatively busy country road. This teacher as well as others were driving a lot around Greece in search for an ideal property.

The permanent retreat was a vision that many advanced students had embraced and were looking forward to. This project was in most people’s mind because we have had great times in retreats throughout the years but the cost of accommodation was sometimes difficult for people. A permanent retreat project would provide the same benefits but with a fraction of the cost.

Retreat in Greece

In June 2008 I joined a retreat in Greece. About 50 people from different European countries as well as the US had joined. It was great to meet many people I had talked with at Gnosticweb’s forums. After so many online interactions I felt I knew them already. Out of all the activities that The Gnostic Movement organized, retreats were my favorite. It was great to spend a few days enjoying the beauty and serenity of nature, meditating, going for walks and meeting like-minded people. I had the chance to talk with people and get new insights about how they approached the Gnostic techniques. That was helping me to refresh my interest in the existing exercises and try out others that I hadn’t given justice to. Retreats also gave me the chance to reflect on my own self-development. Being away from the hustle and bustle of city life always helped me feel rejuvenated.

London center

In the summer of 2008 I moved to London, UK. A new center was being renovated there. The building was in a very bad state and there was a lot to do to make it functional. A few people had joined this effort from around Europe and North America.

Activities in London

I helped the teachers in London with the running of the center until I left to go to Scotland in spring 2010. Living in London was very expensive. Trying to also sustain and run a venue that generates no profit can become very difficult financially. Especially when the only income is from donations. There was no charge on any of the courses or events as that was the policy of The Gnostic Movement. If people wanted to donate they were free to do so and some did. Sometimes in the lectures we mentioned that courses are run on donations and any contributions were welcome. However, although donations coming from the introductory courses were always welcomed, they were never enough to cover even the most basic expenses. More advanced students and trainees were made aware of the financial situation and could contribute as much as they felt like. All the money raised would go towards the center, and every bit helped. There never seemed to be an excess of money. We always barely covered the running costs. Occasionally, we held fund-raising events to generate some income that would help sustain the center, but we never raised any large sums of money. Nevertheless, we had fun during those events that were usually creative and entertaining. Although money was needed to run the center and events it was not really our focus. More than anything, we cared to practice and disseminate the teachings of Gnosis.

Harrassment from a few former attendees

While being in London we found out that a few former attendees had started spreading false allegations about the organization and Belzebuub. I was shocked to the extent of their unreasonable and vicious lies. Around that time, I found out that they had approached my family in person. They had tried to convince my family that I was attending a cult and that I was being deceived. I was unfairly put in a position to have to explain myself regarding things I had never done. I got extremely worried that those lies could detrimentally affect my relations with my parents. Gladly though, my parents stayed on my side since, as they said, they could see how improved my character was compared to when I was not in The Gnostic Movement.

Retreat in Slovakia

In June 2010 I participated in a retreat organized by The Gnostic Movement in Slovakia. I have very nice memories of that retreat. More than 50 people from different countries had joined. It was great meeting up with all these people to practice spiritual exercises like meditation, go for walks in nature and also relax, discuss, gaze at the night sky and sing around the bonfire. Some of the talks in the retreat were about exploring spirituality as a way of life, relaxed and with simplicity; enjoying even the simplest of activities.

Gnostic Monastery in Edinburgh

In July 2010 I moved to Edinburgh, UK. The teachers there had found a really beautiful 15th century house, built from the ruins of an old castle. It was a big deal for us to have such a place not only because of its beauty but also because of its size and the favorable location. We called it the “Gnostic Monastery”. People visiting for events and retreats were praising its beauty and serene atmosphere; it was a unique place. During breaks, event participants would go to the lounge or the gardens and sit in contemplation or take part in lively discussions in the foyer or the dining room. It was encouraging and gratifying to be able to provide a venue where everyone seemed to be having a very good time. The center was sustained mainly by the teachers although the occasional donations from others were helping as well. Later on advanced students from around Europe joined the center and helped by contributing some money to the retreat as well.

Becoming a teacher

In August 2010 I became a teacher of The Gnostic Movement. It was a big responsibility I felt I had, and I encouraged people to rely on their experience rather than anybody’s theories or opinions. From my understanding and from the way I was taught, Gnosis was about gaining personal spiritual knowledge and experience. As a result, I tried as best as I could to relay that message and guide other people to have the same approach. The Gnostic Movement was preparing teachers that were responsible individuals that cared and helped others with respect to their free will. Trying to acquire and uphold The Gnostic Movement’s values was very beneficial for me individually, but it was also a starting block that taught me to genuinely care for others.

Spiritual practices

Sometimes, usually on Saturday nights, we would gather and do all night spiritual practices at the centers mainly geared towards astral projection and out-of-body experiences which were meditation practices that worked with sleep. Saturdays worked best since on Sundays we could rest extra if needed. There would be one practice before we would go to sleep and usually one or two optional wake ups during the night to give another go to the techniques we were trying that night. Sometimes, I felt too tired or I was busy the next day so I wouldn’t participate. Other times I would simply skip one or two of the wake ups depending on how I was feeling and how rested I was. But most of the times I would look forward to all night practices as they were very beneficial for me. Although other people were also in the practice rooms the exercises felt very individual and were very much geared towards personal investigation. The silent presence of others relaxing and meditating around me added to the mysticism and inspiration of those spiritual practices. I usually felt invigorated and was looking forward to the next week’s all night practices. It was an enjoyable and strengthening experience for me.

Practice rooms were places where everyone would feel comfortable and have the chance to meditate. Everything from the temperature of the room to lighting and also the practitioners’ personal space was taken care of from the teachers. People would sit or lie in comfortable cushions and pillows; if someone had any medical problems like back pain or anything else then they could choose to sit on a chair, lie down or anything that would make their experience practicing meditation comfortable. Women and men were either on separate sides of the room or if the practices were longer, like the all-night ones, men and women would have separate rooms.

Democratic and well-organized structure

The Gnostic Movement was functioning in very democratic ways and people’s responsibilities were respected. There was a lot of value given to personal initiative and everyone’s opinions and skills in order to improve the spiritual school collectively. The organization, management and running of any events or retreats was very thoroughly taken care of.

Respectful and welcoming environment

Participating in courses, retreats and other events in The Gnostic Movement was always a pleasant and comfortable experience regardless of race, sex, or religious preference. There were people participating from various ethnicities, backgrounds, religious denominations and everyone was treated the same. The organizers of those events were usually very busy looking after everyone’s needs. I remember we had people attending events that were Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, New Age groups and even atheists. The environment was open to all and positive discussions were common.

Occasionally, there were some people that did not agree with what was taught and it happened that some were quite strong in their opinions. These people were treated with respect to their beliefs and opinions and any tension that could emerge was gently defused by the experienced and good-mannered teachers and event-organizers. In my view, that was helping interactions to become pleasant, constructive and the events to be flexible and open to everyone.

Experience with the Teachings of Belzebuub

Practicing Gnosticism, as taught by Belzebuub, has helped change my life for the better. Mark is a man of integrity, decency and care for others. His books, articles and online talks have really helped me understand and improve many things about myself, my life and my relations with other people. He is down-to-earth and able to talk about spiritual and psychological topics in a simple way and without pretenses. His guidance through his teachings has been invaluable to me because of the positive impact it has had on my life. I consider him to be a person with a lot of wisdom and care for the spiritual well-being of others and at the same time very approachable and easy going. Belzebuub practices what he teaches and that is obvious in everything he says or does.

Popular and successful courses

A lot of people attended Belzebuub’s (Mark) online courses and I had encountered many people coming to the centers, workshops and retreats where his work was taught. Many people were helped from the teachings of Gnosis and the simplicity and effectiveness of the techniques and from what I could see many people were returning from course to course to learn and practice his teachings. Those that were more keen were joining the advanced courses and becoming trainees and later on teachers. This is the process I went through as well. Seeing how much we had benefited from his teachings, we appreciated and admired Mark’s teachings and the efforts he had made to set up a spiritual school.

Down-to-earth approach

Mark’s stance and general behavior was not pretentious at all and he was not trying to promote himself as a person to be idolized or anything like it.

Equality and respect between men and women

In Belzebuub’s teachings the relationship between a couple is considered sacred and of high importance. Being faithful and loving to one’s spouse is essential to a person’s spiritual progress. Men and women are considered equal and have the same spiritual potential. Throughout my time in The Gnostic Movement I remember that women were respected and always felt safe. I admired their dynamism and how they could take up administrative roles and tasks and fulfill them really well. My wife was a teacher and a director of The Gnostic Movement-UK during the period I was a student. She had been managing the center effectively, teaching, keeping track of finances and fulfilling other administrative tasks responsibly. Men and women in other centers were doing the same. The Gnostic Movement, to me, was a role model for equality and decency in any group or in society as a whole.

Other activities in Scotland

After The Gnostic Movement closed my wife and I decided to keep renting the retreat facility in Scotland. We believed that it had a lot of potential. We carried on organizing retreats in this venue under a different organization. We were also running events in the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Some people from Europe that used to be in the more advanced courses of The Gnostic Movement were also helping to run the place in various ways including financially.

Meanwhile various people, mainly from Europe but also from the USA, Canada and Australia, used to participate in summer week-long retreats organized by our new group. We also ran weekend retreats where people from the UK could come and practice meditation and other mystical practices for a few hours on Sundays. Sometimes these retreats lasted for the whole weekend with people staying overnight on Saturdays.

European retreat fundraising

The Gnostic Movement UK, before its closure, donated the small amount it had fundraised for a permanent European retreat project, to our new group in order to be used for a similar purpose. That motivated us to launch an effort to fundraise for buying a property that could be used for retreats. We put up a board at a central place of our retreat venue and were explaining our intentions to all retreat participants. On the website we created a separate web page which was dedicated towards fundraising for a retreat property. That money was transferred to the dedicated bank account for the fund raising efforts to buy a retreat property. Mark’s books were also donated to us by an organization that supported his work, so we could sell them and put the profits towards the permanent retreat project. We sold some of them in various events with all proceeds going towards the EU Retreat Project.

Insufficient funds to pursue project

The fundraising effort ended up having mediocre results. Although people from around the world and especially from Europe were contributing in different ways, this contribution was not significant enough to make a difference. After about a year and a half of trying to fundraise we barely managed to gather much money, not nearly enough to start thinking seriously about moving on to the next stage of the project which would be to start searching for a property somewhere in Europe.

How funds were dealt with

The directors of this group decided to return all funds that had been donated to our group for the permanent retreat project. We contacted everyone that had donated. Some people agreed to be refunded, others asked us to transfer their donations to other non-profit organizations with similar goals and others said they did not want a refund. A non-profit organization in Canada had just found a retreat property to utilize for reasons very similar to ours. After talking with the rest of the directors we decided to transfer what remained of the funds to this organization in order to support their efforts. We decided that this would be the best use of the funds and would be the most beneficial for the vision of a permanent retreat project where people could practice spirituality freely.

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