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I set pen to paper lying in the sun amidst the joyful fecundity of a spring day. The beauty of my garden reveals to me something of the simplicity of attaining the three 'True' goals of life; Real Happiness, Real Peace and Real Freedom. As Lao Tsu, among others, has said, a careful observation of nature conveys all one really needs to know about how to live with joy.

Around my garden I hear the growls and yells of 'civilization', sometimes called 'hell'. For the most part this reality is artificial, anti-life and generally contrary to every law and example of nature. Why things are this way is beyond the scope of this commentary, I simply' wish to point out that this mess is the reality into which each of us is born and the arena within which each of us must craft the most livable pattern possible. If one rejects all the programming and artificial creeds, beliefs and values that one is given by parents and society (a very' difficult task) what is one left with? How can we approach the Mayic Monster of civilization, what shield and sword do we have?

We have many wonderful allies and a master pattern of growth and spiritual attainment has been offered to us in the form of the Organum of the Magnum Opus. This means 'The Instrument of the Great Work'.

This Great Work is the attainment of Real Happiness, Peace and Freedom for EACH AND EVERY PERSON!

If you think this is not possible please read on!

Most people rely on their parents, friends and society to provide a template or model for living the 'correct' life. Early and constant conditioning including language, customs, religion, caste etc. forms a difficult shell to crack and escape from. A majority of people never even see beyond their shell of conditioning, a very few escape it entirely. As a rule, we need a little help in cracking our shell, that is, if we even have the urge to do so. Often this help comes in the form of a Great Teacher (Guru; 'light from darkness') though other events, especially 'shocks', can also jolt us and crack the shell.  This is what an 'initiation' should do. In our culture most initiations simply prepare us to accept yet another layer of programming- REAL esoteric initiation should break through all conditioning and wake us up!

When all organized religious patterns and other superstition (including most science) has been stripped away simple truths become apparent All these things are not bad or untrue, yet in the babble of ASSUMED TRUTH that forms the core of our programming, how can we really know?  When one is Free of all the dogma, then one can discover what is true for him or herself.  Of course, most people are egocentric and committed to surrounding themselves and other with layer after layer of conditioning.  This is mostly due to past, present and future attachments and ignorance of things and people outside walking wounded 'and simply don't know any better way of life and can't envision one.

Western culture has determined that the things of worth center on temporal power and money, thus all things are determined by these two concepts. Is it any wonder that people strive all their lives, always feeling that something is very wrong? Yet most have so much tied up in their layers of conditioning that the idea of letting go of ALL of it is simply too frightening.

So, who am I? I am a participant in this mad culture, I work and play with the walking wounded. I and my Lady work 'regular' jobs, pay rent, shop, go to parties and in general lead an outwardly 'normal' life. Through our eyes this 'normal' reality is a repressive nightmare, yet we exist amidst this cultural cremation-ground with ecstasy, equilibrium and equipoise. HOW is this possible?

We are certainly not alone and we certainly have our problems, sorrows and neurotic moments. Yet, we have awoken to the fact that we are trapped in a lunatic asylum and can still achieve a pleasure of Real Happiness, Peace and Freedom. This is the reason I wish to present an comment on the Organum of the Magnum Opus, subtitled The Magik Way of Life of the Cosmic People. I believe that this simple yet revolutionary manifesto gives us all we need to crack our shells and begin to weave our OWN master pattern of life, one in which we are not just manipulated puppets dancing to pre-created programming but REAL men and women doing what we really WILL to do. This Way expresses a practical and simple method of realizing one's own divinity within the process of a 'normal' day-to-day life. In this declaration of spiritual independence we find all the 'rules' needed to free ourselves from the bonds of mental, physical and spiritual imprisonment IF we apply Will and Love towards finding our own path and if we have the courage to confront our own weaknesses and stand without the comforting shell of conditioning. For those with those qualities, onward!
 

-HERMETICUSNATH

TO SEE THE DELUSIONS OF THE MATERIAL WORLDS, ITS INVOLVEMENTS, AND ITS BONDAGE, BUT ALSO TO UNDERSTAND ITS RELATIVE REALITY AS A MATRIX FOR DEVELOPMENT. THE COSMIC PEOPLE HAVE ONLY ONE PRECEPT 'NOT TO CAUSE HARM, LOSS OR SUFFERING TO ANY OTHER LIVING CREATURE BEYOND THAT OF DIRE NECESSITY'.

The process of awakening to some sort of consciousness of the web of life and death that surrounds us is, at best, an arduous one. We simultaneously exist in several worlds... In the life I lead, this is not so.  At night I go home to a different world, a different life. I am married and when my wife and I are together I become yet a different person, our relationship is very much another world. These worlds all interact yet they' are indeed different worlds. All of these worlds are illusion in that none of them are my 'true' world, yet all of them are important and 'real' to me.

In deep meditation the 'true' world is sometimes glimpsed and occasionally experienced. This forms the basis of all faiths. If we move from the circumference of the ever-spinning 'Wheel of Illusionary worlds' to the center 'hub' of stillness we can look at each of the worlds we function in dispassionately and see that they are merely shadowy different 'playgrounds' (or hells!) that we seem to exit in; but they are not US. The more we play, hate, love, work etc. the stronger and more influential our Ego gets. The more controlling our Ego gets the stronger our attachments or bonds become to those things, people and ideas we consider 'ours' or parts of 'our worlds'.
 

Once this condition of bondage to 'Maya' or illusionary reality is realized, and we all do experience moments of this realization, then one of three choices must be made.

1. We can continue to exist as if there was no problem. We can also trust in some sort of higher/distant/outer god that will eventually fix everything after we die IF we follow a basic game plan.

2. We can renounce this illusion, these many worlds, and remove ourselves from the 'rat race'. We could join a monastery (choose your sect) or live alone in a cave as a hermit, slowly but surely severing the bonds to this life.

3. The third choice is the hardest of the three. It is sometimes called the Tantrik way; we call it the 'Magik way of life'. It is to live fully in the many worlds of our lives and to USE the very bonds of attachment we create as instruments of spiritual liberation and enjoyment. This is akin to walking a tightrope; we must learn and experience all things and yet not let them control us or manipulate us. This is the difficult path of Total Responsibility and following one's True Will.

By observing Nature as the Taoists did, we can perceive an optimal way to live life. We can use the fantastic unlimited worlds of our perceptions and imagination to further our evolution, experiment with personal myth, mind and magik and help others do the same.

Real deeds and actions determine what a person is and how his or her worlds integrate, not blind robot socially conditioned gestures. This web of real words and deeds forms the ever-creating matrix for spiritual development. Each of us, of course, has a unique matrix a different path and viewpoint. No one can say what Will of another is.

It isn't what one 'wants' or 'hopes', it of who one IS in the deepest truest sense. The True is the flower that is to be cultivated constantly and take a above.  A person views life through choice number one, sees sex as either a sin, a means to breed within acceptable social limitations (i.e., marriage) or as a pleasurable thing to do, period.  These are the most prevalent views of sex in our culture.

A person who has a strong desire which leads to attachment and therefore bondage to the illusionary world or Maya. This causes suffering and is to be avoided. Thus celibacy and sublimation are seen as the best spiritual choices. This viewpoint is very strong in most Eastern cultures. The third viewpoint puts forth a wholly different view of sex. Sex is seen as a totally natural part of being human and also as a very powerful spiritual tool and powerhouse. It can be used, if approached as a sacrament, as a way to aid spiritual awakening and evolution.

As one becomes more aware of ones inner-Self and the interconnection with all living things, the thought of hurting other beings, unless very necessary, begins to look like masochism. If I kill and eat a cow I must accept full responsibility for that suffering, interrupted life etc. This is more bondage. Modern and ancient sages have proved that energy and matter can never be destroyed, only transformed from one to the other. E=Mc2. All we put out reflects from the mirror of SELF/UNIVERSE right back to us. This can often be very necessary to learn a lesson, no one can judge another and only' one's inner Self REALLY knows. So what does this all say to us? What the Great Teachers have always said; BE AWARE! We carry the burden and responsibility of all we say and do. This can be as light or as heavy as you will it to be.
 

TO DEVELOP THE POWERS AND WISDOM OF THE SUPRACONSCIOUS MIND; TO BECOME AWARE AND AWARE; TO ATTAIN FREEDOM ON ALL LEVELS. WE CAME FROM GOD AND TO DIVINITY WE MUST RETURN.

As we have seen in our wandering discourse a possible path towards attaining REAL freedom, happiness and peace lies in the 'Magik Path' of blending and balancing. In Tantrika this is called the Three-fold path, signifying the union of the SUN and MOON in the FIRE of consciousness. The SUN and MOON are very old archetypal symbols of YIN and YANG, DAY and NIGHT, left and right...by unifying opposites we achieve the power and clarity of going beyond duality. In this light it is interesting to note that one of the meanings of 'Tantra' is 'to weave'. In the eclipse of Sun & Moon, the universe is seen.
 

What is the Higher Self or Guardian Spirit we each have? What are the powers of this being? We can take as a given that we are born with all the tools we'll ever need to achieve a Conscious and creative life. Within the right and left hemispheres of the brain and in the interplay between them we find all the 'occult' or hidden secrets of the ages. We only use 10% of our brain, many use less than that! We rarely use the phantasmagoric right hemisphere of our brain except to list to an occasional song or to enjoy a painting. Most of mind and the weird dreams and ideas we build a little fortress of Ego, as island floating upon the vast unconscious ocean. Terrified and insecure of this vast void we create 'ME' and 'MINE' until we die or simply solidify, whichever comes first. Doesn't this seem a bit petty and cowardly? The vast arena of the Supraconscious mind is around you and in us. Freedom and power can only be cultivated, realized and accepted when:

1. One feels that one is TRULY DESERVING of the goals one wishes to attain on all levels of consciousness.

2. One makes the EFFORT, unconscious robot-like life is much easier than struggling with the difficult problems of consciousness and responsibility. Our society rewards robots and punishes freethinkers.

3. One takes FULL and COMPLETE RESPONSIBILITY for one's life. Simply adapting and devoting oneself to these three attitudes is the way to destroy the mummy-wrappings of ignorance and restriction. The Magik path of TRUE WILL is unique for every person; "Every man and every woman is a star".

Our Inner Selves, our essential beings were formed by the play of cosmic matter and energy within the vast star-filled matrix of Universal Life Energy, IE; God. Into this we will again dissolve, of this there is no doubt! Remember energy & matter are NEVER destroyed, only transformed.

TO ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH OUR GUARDIAN SPIRIT AND TO LIVE IN HARMONY WITH IT. THUS WE ATTAIN DIVINE GRACE AND GUIDANCE.

Every great spiritual path dwells upon a concept that has many names but one reality. This is the existence of an inner being that helps and protects the individual. If we go back into the dim Pagan past we find the Sumerians calling it the 'personal god' or IL, the Greeks called it the 'Daimon', the individual protective deity, at times they called it the 'Genius' or higher self. The Egyptians called it the Ka and showed it as a small winged replica of the person, later this idea was called the Holy Guardian Angel, the Spirit Guide or the Ally. The transcendent psychologist and mystic Carl Jung referred to it as the Self.
 

This inner being is the 'real' voice of conscience, the higher self that tells you the best course of action, as opposed to the petty tyrant Ego that pulls you hither and yon on the winds of desire and programming. The Ego is necessary to enable us to function, but it is merely a furtive, grasping stepping-stone to the Guardian Spirit. In short, the Guardian Spirit is the voice of one's True Will.

Jung says that the Self or Guardian Spirit emerges from the matrix of conscious-subconscious interface. As we discover, explore and grow within our new more open consciousness, the Self individualizes, gives birth to itself, and emerges as a unique 'personal god'. All of this complex babble really is just trying to describe a simple truth that most people experience but maybe don't have a name for. Who takes over in emergency situations when survivors say' I felt like someone else was in control' or 'Well, it isn't possible, but he did it somehow? For want of a more universally name for this secret private being, especially in childhood. This being was your 'imaginary playmate', remember?

Entering and functioning in the wondrous world of Magik and Empowerment, one needs a guide to protect and help one on the way. Once one has awakened to the existence of the Guardian Spirit one can attune oneself and 'plug-in' to the truth all around. God is constantly talking to us, teaching and guiding us with symbols, intuition, events and experiences. We are usually blind to the underlying communication going on but our Guardian Spirit is not. When we tune in to our inner voice, the voice of the Guardian Spirit, we also hear the voice of the Infinite Spirit. In India a Great Teacher is called a Guru. The ultimate Guru then is the Guardian Spirit. Great Holy men have listed such Gurus as bees, rivers, the wind, trees, the sun and moon etc There is no great ritual or fantastic experience one must go through to come in contact with one's Guardian Spirit. It (He? She?) is always with you. One old traditional text on the subject states that' for every step you take towards your Guardian Angel, it takes two steps toward you'. The method of 'taking a step'? As Shri Dadaji says; " Insight, Imagination and Intuition". Thus we can live a meaningful and joyous life always assured of divine guidance.

TO LIVE IN ACCORD WITH THE NATURAL LAW OF EARTH AND COSMOS. THIS IS THE WAY OF LIFE OF COSMIC PEOPLE AND IS WITHOUT FRUSTRATIONS AND OPPRESSION. LET US NEVER FORGET THAT IN OUR TRUE NATURE WE ARE DIVINE AND IMMORTAL.

How would TRULY natural people, unprogrammed by our civilization, deal with life? If we dumped a bunch of children on a desert island with food sources, good climate and few natural enemies, what would occur? A so-called 'primitive' culture would probably evolve, like the few that are still in existence. It would more than likely be rooted in a mythos that stressed the observation of, and cooperation with, nature and what is seen, harvested and enjoyed from the natural world. Who has not at one time or another yearned for escape to this existence? How many 'desert island' fantasies are popular? If I offered this ideal life to you NOW, would you take it? Ah! Your reaction is something like this; Well, it's a nice dream but clearly impassible today' or 'Such fantasies are for children with no responsibilities, I have to go to work!' or 'Yes, it would be very nice but I COULDN'T live without hospitals, pizza or TV!' Step back from all this. All argument aside, doesn't the 'natural life' still beckon to you? When you go to a park or to the beach or to the mountains, don't you feel a deep peace? We still feel deep ancestral stirrings of our primitive 'pagan' past when all cultures lived in and with nature.  Now we vaguely remember it as 'Eden', and the 'Golden Age' or the 'Summerland'.

You say that we can never return to this past ideal.  Maybe, but can't we create an even better future based on the same natural expressions of humanity?  Who says we can't?  Society has programmed us.  Some people have not given up on a natural life. Such groups as EARTH FIRST! have adopted the return to the natural life as their long-range goal. Their primary goal, as ours should be, is the preservation of what's left of our natural world.  Their motto is; NO COMPROMISE IN THE DEFENSE OF MOTHER EARTH!

Indeed, if our 'Mother' dies, where is Eden then?

It seems that by observing and interfacing with nature in a life-affirming manner, as well as living, creating and understanding ourselves, we can live 'the good life'. This and consciously striving toward living with the help of our Guardian Spirit, the Voice of our True Will, can create a lifestyle free of the usual neuroses and negative knee-jerk behavior that is the usual wasted lot of most people. The alchemy of inner discovery, natural living and social interaction based on Love and Will lead us to an astounding reawakening to the fact that WE ARE GODS, we are manifested GOD; Stars in the web of life.

TO STUDY THE SECRET SCIENCES, TO GAIN ESOTERIC KNOWLEGE AND GUIDANCE. TO DO THE EXPERIMENTAL WORK TO CONFIRM OUR BELIEFS AND MAKE ALL THIS POSSIBLE.

Every culture has a living or traces of a living 'shamanic' or hidden (i.e.; 'occult') tradition within the mainstream culture. A small number of 'illuminated' or Awake people are involved in esoteric secret societies, mystery schools, brother or sisterhoods etc. Whether we are looking at the male Yoruba dancing societies in Nigeria or the Masons in America, initiated traditions form the core of every spiritual movement within the larger society they inhabit and, in some cases, direct or control in part these societies. These magikal traditions, be they Egyptian, Druidic, Masonic or Sufi, focus on the study and understanding of how nature works, how the laws of magik (energy/matter) work and how we can understand and become one with the cosmos. This was true two thousand years ago and it is true today.

Today a new secret society of mystics called 'physicists' have a new name for the magikal universe secret societies and in-groups have studied for centuries. They call it Quantum Physics. They have 'proven' that all things exist simultaneously in space and time, something aboriginal bushmen have known for thousands of years. So our 'science' is beginning to explore how matter and energy 'play', how they transmute and transform moment to moment. The world we see is NOT the real world which has been 'proven' to be systems of loosely connected particles, molecules and atoms which are in turn made up of complex forms of energy science is only now beginning to study. So the ancient mages were correct about the levels of reality and perception. Much has been made of this connection between ancient knowledge and current physics. Such books as THE TAO OF PHYSICS, and THE DANCING WEI LU MASTERS help show that the ancient occult knowledge and the new occult knowledge are in fact the same.

KALI YUGA or the final age before the cycle of ages begins again. This tradition states that ALL KNOWLEGE will be available to everyone this age. Thus what was once the hidden realm of secret societies, Orders and in-groups, is now being made available to all. Hopefully this essay is part of this process!  Go to any library or metaphysical bookstore, almost everything is there, jewels hidden in mounds of garbage BUT, the jewels are there if one has the will to dig. Since no book or oral instruction can explain 'awakening' or 'higher consciousness' all this knowledge is useless unless it is put into practice.
 

All truly wise teachers have known this and it is perfectly illustrated by the fact that Shri Purdurabo entitled his irreplaceable master-work MAGICK IN THEORY AND PRACTICE.  Theory alone is useless. To quote the well-known Zen koan; 'Talking does not cook the rice'.

Exploring the fabulous 'occult' or hidden world we have been talking about means real effort and trial-and-error experimentation. Not just once or twice but continually, for the rest of your life. This means testing basic concepts and theories with practice. The Guardian Spirit quickly shows us the direction to take at any given time once our self-evolving practices are underway. With this guidance we pick and chose the rites, meditations and/or other practices that our True Will shows us to be our path. The knowledge one gains from these practices, dreams etc. form the basis of one's own Master Pattern, or Way. Still, our memories are not always the best and Ego loves to tamper, so it is imperative that, live other 'scientists', we write everything down in a journal. By doing we will later be able to see patterns and themes that run through months or years of practices and maybe this will help those other people who are also embarking on the same quest both now and long after we are gone.

It is important to note that everything said so far rests on the foundation of experimentation & confirmation. No one can give you your magikal reality. They can share theirs with you, you can certainly pick and choose ancient ideas and practices, but in the end YOU are responsible for your own Master Pattern of Life.

TO BE FREE, TO LIVE FREE, AND MAINTAIN FREEDOM; TO LIVE BY OUR OWN WILL AND ENJOY REAL HAPPINESS ON ALL LEVELS.

As consciousness expands, as the Inner Self awakens, one begins to became aware that one has been bound hand-to-foot while 'asleep'. The perpetrators of this insidious crime are our parents, and the society/customs/taboos that they followed, all helped by our friend 'Ego'. As our consciousness of these restrictions and chains grows, so does our struggle with them grow. We push and strain at these bonds, some break easily, but others are indeed much more difficult to break. These may take years and endless effort some may take lifetimes. Soon those around us will be disturbed by our struggles for Real Freedom, paternally advise us to 'accept reality' or seduce us into falling back into their slavish ideas and fixations. The pressure will get worse; soon we will be slandered and accused of heresy, sedition, immoral acts and rebellion. We then discover who our real friends and allies are. Many will give up, some will revert dramatically, denouncing others and their old ways of questioning and experimentation. Some will simply withdraw and become hermits. Those committed to spiritual independence and freedom will continue the fight, becoming chameleons sometimes, tigers at other times.

Some, like Wilhelm Reich, will be destroyed by a religion/country/culture that is threatened by too much freethinking. Eventually one realizes that one is and always has been free, it is our programmed-cloudy thinking that has been eliminated.

The process, the fight, continues until we die and, many say, beyond. This is not an easy path, it is probably the most difficult path of spiritual awakening. It is also the most rewarding. In many places and countries it is called "The Way of the Warrior".

Freedom on all levels is the first duty of all sentient beings. When one is free, then one naturally follows one's True Will. This then puts one in accord with Nature and the Cosmos; Peace and Happiness result. Aha! You may say, easier said than done.

Yet again, what you believe yourself to be, you are; what you believe possible becomes your limitations for what IS possible. You are totally responsible for your life. You want to be free? DO IT! Open your mind, chose your own beliefs, transcend your limitations. Who can enslave you if you don't give them the power to enslave you? As Shri Leary has pointed out, the two great mantras for our age are; QUESTION AUTHORITY! AND THINK FOR YOURSELF! Create the world you wish to live in and live there.

TO SPREAD OUR WISDOM AND WORK SO THAT ALL WORTHY PEOPLE MAY BE ENLIGHTENED BY IT AND LIVE IN HARMONY AND ENJOY PEACE, FREEDOM AND HAPPINESS.

Why have there always been magikal societies, orders, circles and such? Why do priests, gurus, shamans, buddhas, magickans, wizards, medicine men, Zen masters, prophets, and lamas etc. exist? What IS the Magnum Opus, the Great Work, and the goal of these enlightened beings? (Those who are not frauds that is.) Generally and simply, their goals could be listed so; to protect, enlighten, bless and bring happiness to their people and, by extension, ALL people. The evolution of mankind, the attainment of species unity, Global Consciousness; Planetary Awakening! This, indeed, is the Great Work.  As people everywhere wake up and find themselves in bondage, they awake to their True Wills. This leads to consciousness of their OWN Pattern for living, thus the voice of the Guardian Spirit begins to be heard and the Master Pattern of universal evolution begins to be seen.

The birth pangs of the World soul are happening around us now. All are assisting the birth of our awakening as individuals and as Planetary Consciousness; the World Soul if you will.  We can join this Great Work. If we are all united in the vast amazing web of life, helping another being is also self-help. If everyone follows his or her True Will freely there will be little conflict, just as the planets and stars follow their orbits through the heavens in a symphony of coordinated movement.

Real Peace, Freedom and Happiness are NOT requests or nice ideas, they are the RIGHTS of all sentient beings. We each can attain them for ourselves in our own time and way. A helping hand should not be refused and should be extended after- thus will our 'in-group' of awake & aware people, COSMIC people, grow!

THIS IS THE MAGNUM OPUS OF ALL MAGICK AND ESOTERIC SCIENCES. IT SHOULD BECOME OUR OBJECTIVE, AIM, AND WAY OF LIFE.

SVAHA!  So may it be.  The will to love is the law to live.
 

With great & amazing indebtedness to Gurudev Mahendranath
Completed & revised the First Day of Spring 1989
Hermeticusnath, Emerald Circle Zonule
Guru OM!