Description:
This video is a special release from the original Thinking Allowed series that ran on public television from 1986 until 2002. It was recorded in about 1986.
The late Gay Gaer Luce, PhD, is author of Body Time and founded and directed the Nine Gates Mystery School. Here she describes the importance of the mystery school tradition within modern society.
Summary:
In this episode of New Thinking Allowed, hosted by psychologist Jeffrey Mishlove, the guest is Dr. Gay Gaer Luce, a former psychologist, author, and founder of the Nine Gates Mystery School. The discussion explores the concept of modern mystery schools, their esoteric roots, and their relevance in expanding human consciousness through ancient and cross-cultural spiritual practices.
Key Points:
Background and Inspiration for Nine Gates Mystery School:
• Dr. Gay Gaer Luce, with a background in psychology and consultancy for the National Institute of Mental Health, founded the Nine Gates Mystery School in the tradition of ancient mystery schools (e.g., Greek and Egyptian). Her motivation stemmed from a lifelong journey moving from scientific inquiry to esoteric sciences, influenced by teachers like Tarthang Tulku (a Tibetan Lama), Brugh Joy, Richard Moss, and Jack Schwarz.
• Luce references the esoteric roots of modern civilization, noting that many U.S. Founding Fathers were Freemasons, inheritors of traditions tracing back to ancient Egypt and possibly Atlantis. She uses the example of the U.S. dollar bill’s “Eye of Horus” over the pyramid to illustrate this hidden influence.
Purpose and Structure of the Mystery School:
• The Nine Gates Mystery School is a nine-month program where participants meet monthly to explore nine energy centers (chakras) in the body, each associated with a different spiritual tradition (e.g., Navajo, Sufi, African, Buddhist). The goal is to awaken latent psychic and spiritual sensitivities, enabling a unitive consciousness that transcends ordinary awareness.
• Each session focuses on a specific chakra, using practices like ritual, breathing, sound, and movement to shift consciousness. Guest teachers, such as a Navajo shaman for the solar plexus chakra or Sufi practitioners for the heart chakra, introduce culturally diverse methods to access higher states of awareness.
Chakras and Human Potential:
• Luce describes the body as an instrument capable of multiple “wavelengths” of consciousness, with chakras (energy centers) acting as gateways to expanded perception. These include the feet, knees, pelvis, solar plexus, heart, throat, and brow, each vibrating at different rates and offering unique insights (e.g., precognition, clairvoyance, telepathy).
• She emphasizes that these sensitivities are often unnoticed or misinterpreted as illness in everyday life but can be harnessed through deliberate practice. For example, the feet are described as “vast antennae” picking up cosmic and earthly rhythms, like neutrino tides, which align with human physiological rhythms (e.g., alpha brain waves).
Practical Demonstration:
• Luce guides Mishlove and the audience through a brief exercise to feel sensations in the feet, highlighting their sensitivity as a connection to earthly and cosmic energies. She extends this to other body parts, like the hands and knees, noting that each chakra has distinct vibrational qualities that can be consciously activated.
• She illustrates how different sounds (e.g., “oo” or “ah”) resonate with specific chakras, encouraging viewers to experiment with their own “tuning fork” to find their resonant tone and enhance awareness.
Cross-Cultural Unity and Consciousness:
• The mystery school integrates diverse traditions, recognizing that while their expressions differ (e.g., African trance dance vs. Buddhist visualization), they all lead to a shared understanding of a deeper reality. Luce believes a Tibetan lama and a Navajo chief would understand each other’s deepest insights.
• She stresses the importance of balancing chakra energies to suit different situations (e.g., shifting from the solar plexus’s power to the heart’s compassion), allowing individuals to broadcast positive energies and influence others, such as in healing contexts.
Broader Implications:
• Luce cites Alice Bailey’s prediction that ancient mystery traditions would become accessible to the masses in the modern era, moving beyond elite circles. The Nine Gates Mystery School aims to fulfill this by teaching experiential practices that transform consciousness, rather than relying on dogma or verbal explanations.
• She critiques conventional education for neglecting self-care and esoteric knowledge, advocating for a holistic approach that recognizes humans as beings of “space, charge, and spirit.”
Conclusion:
The episode underscores the transformative potential of the Nine Gates Mystery School, which synthesizes Luce’s scientific and esoteric backgrounds to teach participants how to access higher states of consciousness through nine chakras and diverse spiritual traditions.
By fostering experiential awareness of the body’s energy centers, the program aims to help individuals play the “right note” in their lives, aligning with cosmic and earthly rhythms for personal and collective growth.
Luce provides contact information (415-927-1677) for those interested in the Nine Gates Mystery School and encourages viewers to explore their subtle sensitivities, starting with the soles of their feet.
