Gnosis vs. Christhood

It occurred to me the other day that one does not necessarily result in the other. Allow me to explain my thought process.

Gnosis can be defined in any number of ways since the experience is largely undefineable. Suffice it to say that Gnosis is experiential knowledge of the Universe and a recognition of our own identity as the universal "I".

I have heard many of my teachers and learned folks on the internet state that Gnosis initially is an experience that occurs and then passes. It takes a lot of work and dedication for this experience to become a constant state of being for someone. Buddhists would equate this to "cessation" or the total lack of suffering. Only the most advanced attain this level of consciousness on a mostly permanent basis.

To become a Christ, one must awaken to our actual identity as a consciousness witnessing the life of this physical being we appear to be. This is not to say that it is becoming only a spiritual being to the detriment of the physical being, but instead a harmonizing of these two seemingly opposing perspectives. It is both/and instead of the either/or. As a Christ, you are aware of life as the physical being experiencing the miracle life and at the same time being aware of being a consciousness witnessing these experiences. They are two ends of the same pole and must be embraced together rather than separately.

So when does someone become a Christ? Is it in the first experience of Gnosis or once cessation is achieved or somewhere along the way. I would posit that the Budhhist concept of cessation is identical to the Gnostic concept of becoming a Christ.

So if this is indeed the case, than Gnosis is not the end goal of any practicing Gnostic. Is only the first step to a larger state of being. Sort of like how all 12 years of Math is only the basis one must have to start the entry level Calculus in University.

In this way, experience does not instantly transform one into a higher state of being. It is simply a finger pointing at the moon. It seems to me then, that many Gnostics, myself included, have been confusing the finger with the moon.