The New Gnostic

"There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the Light gets in." – Leonard Cohen

Category: Leonard Cohen Series

Leaving the Table: A Master’s Farewell

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On 2024-12-31

In Leonard Cohen Series, Articles

I don’t need a pardon, no, no, no, no, no
There’s no one left to blame
I’m leaving the table
I’m out of the game

“I’m Out of the Game”

I remember the moment I realized I was done. Not in a dramatic, storm-out-the-door way, but in the quiet, knowing way that fills every corner of your being with peace. I didn’t need to fight anymore, didn’t need to prove anything, didn’t need to win or lose. I was simply done. Leonard Cohen’s “Leaving the Table” puts words to that feeling, that moment of clarity when you step back from the game and know you’ll never sit at that table again.

For years—maybe lifetimes—I’ve played the game. I’ve sought love, validation, meaning, and resolution outside myself, believing that the answers were out there somewhere, in someone, or something. But they weren’t. And at some point, the seeking itself became exhausting. It’s not that I gave up—it’s that I realized I didn’t need to keep playing. The treasure I had been chasing was already within me.

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Everybody Knows: A Spiritual Anthem for Awakening

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On 2024-12-31

In Articles, Leonard Cohen Series

Everybody knows that the boat is leaking 
Everybody knows that the captain lied 

Leonard Cohen’s Everybody Knows strikes a hauntingly familiar chord. It’s a song that carries the weight of truth, unveiling the fractures in our shared reality. Yet beneath its raw honesty lies something even more potent: a call to awaken, to see clearly, and to embrace the profound alchemy of truth and transformation.

From the very first line, “Everybody knows the dice are loaded,” Cohen invites us to step into radical clarity. This isn’t just a lament for the broken systems we live in; it’s a challenge to recognize them for what they are. Awakening begins with seeing—not with rosy optimism or denial, but with an unflinching gaze at the way things truly are. And in that moment of seeing, there is power. When we stop pretending that the dice aren’t loaded, we reclaim our ability to choose a different way forward.

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Discovering Leonard Cohen: A Reflection on “Hallelujah” and the Questions Beyond Faith

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On 2024-12-12

In Articles, Leonard Cohen Series

This world is full of conflicts and full of things that cannot be reconciled. But there are moments when we can…reconcile and embrace the whole mess, and that’s what I mean by ‘‘Hallelujah.’ – Leonard Cohen

I had known of Leonard Cohen and his iconic song Hallelujah for many years. Like many, I first encountered it through its varied covers, from soaring talent show renditions to soulful tributes. And yet, it wasn’t until recently that I truly discovered Leonard Cohen—not just as a songwriter but as an artist, a poet, and a seeker.

Now, his work feels like a quiet yet profound presence, speaking directly to the questions I’ve carried and the experiences I’ve had—particularly those shaped by my Christian upbringing. Something about his music, his voice, and his words drives so deeply into me. It’s as though he’s giving voice to thoughts I hadn’t yet fully articulated, bringing clarity to the ineffable.

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Embracing the Shadows: Reflections on Leonard Cohen’s “You Want It Darker”

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On 2024-12-11

In Articles, Leonard Cohen Series

If you are the dealer, I’m out of the game.
If you are the healer, it means I’m broken and lame.
If thine is the glory, then mine must be the shame.

Reflections on Leonard Cohen’s You Want it Darker

Leonard Cohen’s You Want It Darker is not just a song—it’s an experience, a meditation, and a reckoning. With its haunting melody and evocative lyrics, it speaks to something primal within us, a part of the soul that yearns for understanding even as it wrestles with the mysteries of existence. For me, this song is a companion in those quiet, reflective moments when questions outweigh answers and surrender feels like the only path forward.

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There Is a Crack in Everything: Letting the Light In

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On 2024-12-10

In Articles, Leonard Cohen Series

There is a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in. – Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen’s Anthem of Awakening

“There is a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” For me, Leonard Cohen’s words from Anthem feel like an old friend whispering a gentle truth we’ve always known but sometimes forget. They remind us that imperfections, doubts, and challenges aren’t mistakes. They’re the way light—awareness, understanding, and awakening—finds its way into our lives.

Beliefs, whether they’re spiritual, societal, or personal, can sometimes feel like solid, unshakable walls. But over time, cracks start to form. Maybe it’s a moment of doubt or a question you can’t ignore. Instead of resisting these cracks, what if we welcomed them? What if we saw them as invitations to grow and evolve?

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