Membership is open to anyone interested, regardless of accidents of the World of Forms such as race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Petitioners will not be excluded by virtue of membership or ordination in any other spiritual organization, provided the aims or activities of said organization do not conflict with the aims and activities of the Order.

The ideal applicant shall demonstrably possess the following characteristics:

  • A calling to serve the spiritual needs of others;
  • A sincere compassion for all individuals;
  • A willingness to cultivate humility within the self and approach others accordingly;
  • An inclusionist, ecumenical approach to modern Gnosticism.

Individuals wishing to petition for membership may do so by contacting any existing Order member and requesting copies of the Principles, Rule and Protocols for study, after which additional information concerning initiation into the Order will be made available to those individuals as needed.

Ordination into the Order of Allogenes is a two-step process, beginning with the First Mystery of Initiation, which ordains one as a Member of the Order, and continuing to the Second Mystery, which ordains one as a Solitary. According to the founding documents of the Order of Allogenes, members are ordained to perform these sacraments for others once they have been ordained as Solitaries, but may perform them on a personal basis as Initiates.

Gnostic practice has always existed both within and without of Apostolic Succession (AS). We in the Order of Allogenes do not wish to open an argument on whether this is positive or negative; it is simply the state of our chosen Path, and has always been that state, even back in Alexandria, where evidence indicates that the forms and structures of Gnostic practice ran the gamut from individual contemplation to practice outside of AS to practice within traditions claiming AS.

This is reflected in what we know about the universality of some of the Gnostic groups, who welcomed all to participate, whether Pagan or Christian, Jew or Gentile, and in their differences of opinion even internally. Ireneus once claimed that he, “could find no two Valentinians who agreed with one another.”

Sadly, our tradition fell out of favor thanks to the influences of the Archons, and was shunted underground for about one thousand years. Nonetheless, the ‘threads’ were kept alive in various esoteric traditions and were taken up by the Wandering Bishops, Theosophists, Spiritualists, et al in the Nineteenth Century. Regardless of the question of their validity, these traditions were very much based on what was known of the Gnostics at the time, information in a large part found in the Church Fathers but also a few codices like the Bruce and the Askew.

The structure and culture of what we know now as the Wandering Bishop tradition provided a ready vehicle for the transmission of the tradition through lineate Apostolic Succession, which lead to the formation of such worthy groups as the Apostolic Johannite Church and Ecclesia Gnostica. Nonetheless, it is important to this discussion to note that, until the publication of translations of Bruce and Askew, the sources for Gnostic rite and ritual were limited to fragments found in anti-Gnostic patristics and inner, largely occult traditions. If one was interested in, or called to Gnosticism during this time, these traditions were your options.

The discovery of the manuscripts at Nag Hammadi in 1945, however— and more importantly their publication in translation— changed everything. Until the publication of these manuscripts, Gnosticism was a subject of study for individuals involved in these extant Gnostic traditions and scholars of Coptic and church history. Now, however, the living information contained in the Nag Hammadi Library (NHL), as unwittingly prophesied by visionary author Philip K. Dick, was borne into the “information age.” With the publication of the NHL, all of this new information was released into the general public, when previously it was simply unavailable.

It also had a deeper effect, in that it made Gnostic concepts available to anyone who had the interest and $20 to pay for a copy of The Nag Hammadi Library in Translation. It also necessitated a reevaluation of practice within the extant Gnostic organizations who simply did not have the information until then. Before the publication of the NHL, Gnostic liturgy, for instance, could not contain language or ritual found within the NHL texts.

This was good and bad. On the one hand, the traditions within lineate AS which had until this point nurtured the Gnosis were both validated and enriched. Although the snowball has been building mass rather gradually, the Gnostic traditions within AS have done an admirable job adjusting to this influx of new material, and will hopefully continue expanding and passing down the tradition to many, many new adherents.

On the other hand, the release and distribution of the NHL sent those interested in Gnosticism into “information shock.” Since the translations were not distributed within the context of the tradition– indeed, since this was the first time most people even knew there was a Gnostic tradition– interpretation ran wild. The Gnostics were anti-church. The Gnostics were channelers. The Gnostics were Essenes. The Gnostics were aliens. The Gnostics were killed by the Catholics. The Gnostics were this, that and the other. Since, however, the AS traditions had not loudly proclaimed their existence or proselytized or put up giant signs saying “GNOSTICS RIGHT HERE,” these groups, which probably had the most valid claim to Gnosticism, were essentially shunted aside by populist “gnosticists.”

There is, however, another component at play here. The history of Gnosticism has been a constant struggle between the Christos and Sophia and the forces of the Archons. It is the opinion of the Order of Allogenes that the Christos and Sophia tend to manifest within each age depending upon the Zeitgeist of that age. In other words, we can expect the power of the Pleroma to expand to fill its greatest possible potential within any given age. It will always go as far as it is able, as far as necessity has planned for it.

Since this is the case, and given the information-rich nature of our era, the Pleroma is breaking into the World of Forms in many, many ways. Obviously, not every “Gnosticism” out there represents this inbreaking. However, perhaps not as obviously, it seems that Gnosticism is by necessity (because it is spreading like wildfire, because the information is so widely available outside of the traditional forms) dipping its toes outside of the Apostolic tradition (or, rather, one might say that the Apostolic spirit is extending outside of the boundaries of traditional, lineate AS).

To elucidate further: lots of people are learning about Gnosticism. Lots of people are interested in seeking gnosis. The traditional forms are growing like mad, but alternative forms are also growing apace. Our individualistic society which so values personal freedom is producing individual seekers who look to Gnosticism and to Sophia and the Christos outside of the Ecclesiastical model. Plenty of organizations exist, as well as unscrupulous “teachers,” who are perfectly willing to tell them that the Ecclesiastical, Sacramental models are no good, washed-up, too “Catholic,” just plain wrong.

The Order of Allogenes hopes to serve as an organization for these individuals who will also teach that Ecclesiastical Gnosticism is just plain right.

Whereas the Ecclesiastical Gnostic Churches (EGCs) meet the needs of those individuals interested in traditional, church-style Gnosticism, the Order of Allogenes seeks to meet the needs of those individuals who either have no access to EGCs but wish to participate, or who are smitten by Gnosticism in its post-modern, post-NHL context as “independent” practitioners.

OA Initiates perform sacramental services, including a form of the Eucharist, but in an individual context. It allows those who need individual expression during spirituality a chance to nurture that through the development of personal, individual sacrament. It attempts to nurture the virtues of Inquiry, Compassion, Humility and Service within the Gnostic tradition but outside of the tradition of lineate AS. OA Solitaries perform sacramental services on both an individual level and for other individuals interested in becoming involved in the Gnostic community, in the tradition of the Apostles but outside of the tradition of lineate AS.

The OA is very much a product of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries. It is something new; imagine, if you will, if the Protestant Movement writ large had not been at odds with Catholicism, but had instead respected them, recognized them, even pointed people to them as brethren in Christ. It is a modern form of Gnosticism, as much the product of our age as the Valentinians were a product of cosmopolitan Alexandria, or the Albigensians a product of the 11th Century Languedoc. In many ways it does not resemble traditional Gnosticism whatsoever, but it remains true to the core and essential facets of the Gnosticism of our forefathers.

Please note that the Order of Allogenes is not a legally established religious organization in any city, state or country. Individuals wishing to perform legally binding sacramental services under the auspices of the Order (weddings, etc.) will need to pursue ordination in a registered religious or secular organization.

For information on joining the OA, and/or to request a copy of the Order Protocols, which describe the Order in detail, please contact us.