no problem Abby : ) i love this kind of conversation : )

'gnosis' in this case refers to growth... anything which grows or changes or even exists for that matter, solid or liquid or imaginary... all are subject to gnosis (think of diagnosis)

imagine an object and its current 'gnosis' (state of being)

it is assumed that sedation can create stagnation in this example and so 'change' must occur for a 'new' gnosis.... (with me so far?)

growth is a process of change... change can be difficult at times... sometimes if a thing/object/being requires change to avoid stagnation, the 'process' can be painful... particularly if moving from a state of depression or obsession..... there is an assumption the the 'uprooting' of the old will cause the exterior of the place to tremble and shake.... for example.. removing a crystal from the earth, or a healing process thru the darkness of depression....

that describes 'there is no gnosis without pain'

the second line 'One must come to know dressage' refers to that actual process of 'dressing' the horse and rider as one together....

the rider will first understand the 'sanctity' of dressage... to do that, the person must remove obstacles which would interfere in the connection between the horse, the rider, and the dressage of both..

the sense of 'self' or the personal 'ego' is considered an obstacle in the sense that the rider would project his/her own personal thoughts, images, beliefs or emotions onto the 'sanctity' of the dressage process..

for the horse/rider/dressage connection to be ultimately clear and pure and thus the ultimate of the art, the ego self must be placed aside to ensure the highest performance desired of the art expression as taught by the masters from ancient historical times... the purity of the essence is the dressage students highest goal..

i am positive that Sherry Ackerman would present this description in her own way....