“The mystic… is concerned
essentially with liberating consciousness from the illusion of embodied
existence. The magician, on the other hand, seldom cares about states
of consciousness that do not promote his personal aims. The mystic is
little concerned with the ego; the magician’s is so inflated that he
sees little else.”
Kenneth Grant – Interview,
Skoob Occult Review
I’ve heard similar
complaints about magicians from other people who deal with them
extensively. In my own experience, there have been many who fit the
description of “egotist”—but there have been many who do not.
There have been egotists in
traditions other than magick, as those who have witnessed “witchy wars”
can attest. I assume any school of initiation will have a fringe
following of people who like the mystique and the trappings of the
occult, but who miss the point entirely.
For those whose
introduction to magick has been through the writings of Aleister
Crowley, it’s easy to cultivate the inflation of the ego through a
mistaken emulation of the Master. His writing style is that of a
Victorian Englishman with money and education who considers himself
superior to most of humanity. It’s my opinion, from how I
read the internal evidence of his work, that Crowley began as a
self-satisfied youth who maintained that attitude in his writing and
living style long after it was no longer a true reflection of his state
of consciousness. After a certain initiation he decided to maintain the
façade as part of “the Demon Crowley”, which is a useful
screening device. Those who can discern the truth in his words
are separated in the screening from the guru-seekers and poseurs.
Unfortunately, even to this
day the deliberately blind are snared in his/their ego-net. I’ve heard
a self-proclaimed magician boast of magickally causing the death of an
enemy. Even without the Crowleyan influence, I’ve seen self-proclaimed
witches harass others for practices in which they themselves indulge.
I’ve had my own energies drained by those who talk magick but refuse to
do any. The doing of magick is work.
What is to be done with or
about the egotist in the “initiated community”? Here I invoke
circumstances: in what way are you being affected by the
pseudo-magician, the dictatorial High Priestess/High Priest, the
self-declared “black” magician or Satanist, the infallible guru or
teacher? Do you recognize that the problems of an unbalanced ego go
beyond that of public nuisance?
In a general way,
ego-bound magicians fill an ecological niche in the community by
repulsing the unready. True magick requires strength in every Sphere;
only the intellectually, ethically and spiritually strong can see the
value in a system that is associated with flawed practitioners and
self-styled Magi. It requires a measure of courage to pursue a course
or tradition that’s been given a bad name by egotists—one can be tarred
with the same brush on a social level.
Magick and mysticism are
dual aspects of the same process. Those who refuse the introspection
and realizations of mysticism will fail in their magick. The ego-bound
use the outer trappings of the High Art to confirm themselves in their
present state of consciousness, to resist the personal transformations
that are the heart of magick/mysticism.
Those who set themselves up
as leaders and gurus may divert a few neophytes and followers, but if a
person trusts his/her higher Self, sooner or later the
self-aggrandizement of the leader becomes apparent, and valuable
experience is gained.
If you’ve realized a
measure of responsibility to and for the initiated community, you could
provide a means—ritual, recommended reading, etc.—for the ego-bound to
go beyond their present condition. This may seem like a futile
endeavor, since there’s a wealth of information already published that
can assist personal transformation, and to which the ego-bound have had
access, in all probability. And yet, the eternal truths need to
be spoken anew for each generation in the language of the times.
Beyond words,
though, the most valuable assistance to be rendered lies in your own
work, your own personal transformation. There have been a number of
theories posited about how the process works—magickal linkage,
morphogenetic fields, etc.—but it remains true, in my experience, that
transformation is at its most difficult the first time it occurs.
After the trail-blazing
explorer has passed through, the way becomes more easily traveled by
those who come next. Your own successes encourage the successes of
others. It can be
viewed as unseen example. What you achieve in your own transformation
directly affects others on the path. Not only will the direct magickal
effect encourage evolution within your sphere of influence, but you’ll
acquire the experience and understanding of ego’s many tricks to
preserve its domination. This understanding enables you to diagnose and
treat problems in the path for yourself and others.
Initiation into magic
begins as an internal event that can be experienced as a restlessness
and dissatisfaction with life as it’s lived and seen from the point of
view provided by one’s family, friends, education, religious tradition
(if any) and social consensus. There comes a sense that there must b
more to existence than what’s readily apparent. This sense prompts a
search for information in libraries, bookstores, among one’s less
conventional friends, amid the lyrics of certain songs and in the
solitude of nature.
If you look for a
doorway to initiation with persistence, it will find you. From
shamanism to the reconstructed nature religions of Wicca and paganism,
from Druidism, to Tao, Vedanta, Voodoo, Tantra, from Thelema to
high-tech improvisational magic, there’s a way of initiation to attract
every seeker. There are Orders, covens, and less defined groups of
like-minded occultists that one may encounter either in the flesh, by
mail, or online. Whatever the gate of entry,
the initiate encounters certain landmarks of transformation as he/she
proceeds along the path. After a varying period of learning, the
information one has been acquiring begins to gel. You see everything in
a new light; patterns emerge from ordinary living and strange
experiences amaze you with their sublimity and inevitability.
For many, the original
vision of reality, opened by the first influx of the Gnosis, is similar
to the conversion experience of the born-again Christian. There’s a
warm and golden ecstasy, similar to falling in love but feeling more
exalted. There can be spontaneous astralizing where visions come
unbidden and communicate initiatory information. Some people in this
stage become difficult to be around, depending on their subscription to
the fourth power of the Sphinx, which is silence.
In the best of
circumstances, the ego or sense of self is lost in wonder and acts
according to the flow of the ecstasy. In the worst of circumstances,
the ego assumes an air of sanctity, taking credit for being worthy of
ecstatic experiences. In either event, the ecstasy needs to be earthed
in ritual of some kind in order to stabilize. It. If a person were to
stop learning at this point, the ecstasy would fade
to a memory and no transformation would occur. The initial ecstasy
should be taken as encouragement and as an omen that one is heading in
the right direction.
In the course of
pursuing further learning, the sense of self returns in due time, but
changed. As one continues practicing, observing and learning more, in
the best case, the ego loosens its hold on the tiller and more action
is directed by the Self than by the self. In the worst case, the ego
sees magick as a means of control over the physical world and other
people.
After the momentum
of the first euphoric realizations and manifestations begins to wane,
one often encounters a stage of spiritual dryness. If you’re doing
astral work, there may be difficulty seeing anything useful. If you’re
pursuing Qaballah, its meanings may tend to dissolve and leave empty
formulae. Many people give up on magick/mysticism at this point and
turn their attention elsewhere, particularly those whose egos demand
easy gratification.
There’s not much
that needs to be done about or with the early dropouts; they usually
remove themselves from the field. Those who persevere through this
period in their learning and practice will find their sense of self
revised, set more intimately in a larger context. The excitement of
exploring beyond the physical Sphere usually occupies the ego enough to
keep it from being obnoxious to other people. The same excitement,
however, can lead to false identifications of the ego with phenomena
encountered in the various Spheres. The astral planes can
englamour the ego into seeing itself in the most grandiose ways. One
can become convinced of romantic and important past lives; one can
become an embodiment of primitive survival-urges, or become obsessed by
raw and bloody emotions, or become astralized and unearthed.
Most astral hazards can be
circumvented by proper banishings and earthings, but the main
protection against false self-identification is the distinction between
astral experience and spiritual experience. Just because it’s
non-physical doesn’t mean that it’s spiritual, and just because an
entity is dead doesn’t mean he/she/it is smart. Spiritual experiences
can lead to a larger field of view, a broader and deeper grasp of life
and being. Astral experiences refer to their own Sphere of Yesod, and
to the physical plane of Malkuth on occasion. Spirit sometimes uses
astral imagery to communicate with the newly awakened “through a glass
darkly”; correct interpretation depends heavily on experience.
Contact with the astral
Sphere does increase your power to manifest epiphenomena or acquire
siddhis (paranormal power). Incidents of telepathy, telekinesis,
clairvoyance and synchronicities are not uncommon. The ego is ever
ready to claim credit for miracles, and some pause, or stop, on the
transformative path to set up shop as mediums, channelers, psychics,
shamans and healers. It’s
possible to exercise one’s psychic abilities without derailing one’s
quest for enlightenment, of course.
The perennial advice on the
siddhis is to note their presence and go beyond them without denial of
or desire for them. If you know to expect them, you can treat them
pragmatically when they occur in yourself or in others. Activation of
PSI powers is a good sign that one’s transformation is proceeding, but
a lack of siddhis doesn’t mean one isn’t transforming. It also
pays to double check any information received on the astral planes
before acting on it or advising anyone else to act on it. Astral
information often needs some interpretation before it’s useful. The astral experience presents
the dangers of false ego-identification with various forms and
entities. It also can provide competence in psychic influence,
hypnotism, emotional triggering and manipulation of the unwary.
In the best of
circumstances, the sense of self is expanded beyond one’s physical skin
to include the lunar world. This gives you access to Jung’s “Racial
Unconscious”, and a means to bring the content of the Unconscious to
consciousness. This process can liberate a person from restrictions
imposed by hidden psychological problems. The astral world can reunite
the self with instinct, emotions, dreams and visions. The astral world
is the plane in which physical magick is accomplished. The self
acquires a sense of the seeds of events and how they may be influenced.
In the worst of
circumstances, the sense of self can enhance its own importance through
the siddhis. This enhancement can divert one’s course of spiritual
development into guru-hood or other lucrative and/or impressive
positions. More dangerously, psychic manifestations can convince
certain people that they have reached the apex of magickal attainment,
that they have arrived at perfection and need no further work.
Yesod is rich in magickal
resources and experiences. It should be thoroughly explored, which
means a number of visits made at different phases of one’s
spiritual/magickal development. The astral planes are like museums of
rare art and powerful forces, galleries of dream and nightmare,
moonlight and madness—and they can’t be “done” in a day.
The transformations
possible in Yesod include the expansion of familiar reality to include
non-physical realms; integration of the instinctive mind with rational
mind; learning the ways of the astral backstage in physical reality’s
theater; acquiring useful abilities. These abilities are the legacy of
properly-handled siddhis, or they can grow directly from practice on
the astral planes. They include linkage of empathy and sensitivity,
lunar virtues useful to anyone.
It’s helpful in the ongoing
balance of growth to remember that the astral planes represent an early
stage of the Great Work. Other wonders lie beyond. The rational mind is rarely
operating at the top of its form in daily life on the physical plane.
We call upon it on special occasions and wonder why it seems slow,
stiff and rusty. Too often we operate on habit, rote, and familiarity.
Regular practice in the use of mind will sharpen its points and edges,
though, and make it useful in personal transformation.
The Sphere of mind, Hod,
concerns itself with the multiplicity of things, the relationships
between and among them, and significant patterns formed by things and
their relationships. Mind can see options, draw upon memory of
experiences, organize data and extrapolate from the known to the
unknown. Mind tends to abstraction, forming theories on the behavior
and nature of things based on observation. Mind discovers subtleties
and nuance, numbers and geometrics, language, speech and writing, logic
and science.
An initiation in the Sphere
of mind is a good balance to an astral initiation. A Working of mind is
a good balance to an astral or atavistic Working since the ordering of
experience is essential in the earthing of it. Events in the astral
realm are, by nature, a-logical and often apparently illogical. Seeing
these events from the mental plane gives them a broader context in
which their subtler logic stands revealed and through which the events
can be communicated intelligibly to others.
Mental exercise is good for
honing the sword of intellect and keeping it in good working condition.
While there may be some who hold that the rational mind is incompatible
with magick, nothing could be farther from the truth. Only when the
mind is preoccupied with faulty premises and attempts to restrict its
sphere of competence to physical phenomena or abstract mathematics does
it become imbalanced and less than useful.
It’s important that the
mind should be kept open to new data and revisions of theories.
The scientific method is one of humanity’s greatest discoveries and
should be employed in the Great Work. It requires accurate observations
and record-keeping, the formation of hypotheses, the experimental
testing of the hypotheses, the formation of predictive theories, and
the confirmation or refutation of the theories’ predictions by further
experimentation and observation. If one’s colleagues get similar
results when repeating one’s experiments, confidence in the reality
and/or usefulness of the theories and methods grows toward trust in
their validity. When new data are observed
that seem to contradict a theory, they should be experimentally
investigated and never rejected out of hand. If the new data cause a
theory to be revised or even discarded this is good and should be
welcomed. Mind can become attached to a pet theory to the extent that
the ego becomes identified with the theory; thus, any threat to the
theory becomes a threat to the self and new data are denied or ignored.
In a changing universe, this can be fatal.
The task of mind is to
inform the will. The law of Thelema states: “Do what thou wilt shall be
the whole of the Law; love is the law, love under will.” Uninformed
will cannot do anything effectively except follow the dictates of
instinct and emotion. Without mind, even instinct and emotion can err
in their ends or their means.
Mind is initiated by
expansion and strengthened by use. The physical sciences, philosophy,
mat and mental games such as chess and Go provide expansion and
strength as exercise. The Qaballah, the Tarot, the Runes, astrology and
any form of divination initiate mind into the subtler worlds. Another
approach is invoking Mercury, Thoth, Hanuman, Coyote, etc. Through
these magickal means, mind learns/teaches itself the logic and natural
laws that apply in the rarer/finer realms beyond the denser world of
manifestation. In the best of
circumstances, mind follows its lines of curiosity to new learning,
constantly integrating the new information with memory and its
contents. This produces an evolving world-view from which will can act
effectively. Mind, when it’s balanced and transformative, provides the
self with an organized array of information, solves problems (with
sufficient data available), and finds elegance in systems of great
complexity.
In the worst of
circumstances, mind can refuse new data and rust shut, or it can become
enamored of its own aimless chatter, or it can become identified with
ego and then confuse itself with will. Qaballah has its own hazards;
I’ve known people to go for two days without sleep to work on Gematria.
Like the astral planes, the realm of intellect can provide distractions
and seductions from continuing in transformation. Mind can become
transfixed by elegance or complexity and neglect its duty.
Mind is crucial to personal
transformation since it is our link of coherence with the universe
around us. The mind and its extensions, the senses, constitute our
interface with the world. The mind must find its own limits and measure
its own sphere of competence. Will makes decisions based on mind’s
information. Intuition reaches correct conclusions on data inadequate
for reason’s operation.
Aleister Crowley warns
against confusing the work of the wand (will) with the work of the
sword (mind). Balancing the development
of mind and its initiation into the subtler levels of existence is the
development of art and of relationships with other individuals. The
initiation of this Venusian realm is a vision of aesthetics, a
perception of systems that please the soul metalogically. Illogical
juxtapositions and blends of form, color, volume and ambiance are seen
to be harmonious and coherent; secret alliances are perceived and
depicted. Words, tones, shapes, colors, tastes, scents and textures are
taken from the physical and intellectual realms, drawn through our
astral Sphere of the unconscious, and then shaped by our Art into art.
The Sphere of Venus
(Netzach) is as illogical in its relational aspects as it is in its
artistic aspects. What is it that draws lovers together? The curve of
an eyebrow, the corner of the mouth, the beauty of the soul, the aura,
ideas, scents and sounds of the beloved are taken from all inputs—are
also drawn through the unconscious—and are loved by the whole self.
Relationships in this realm inhabit different radii of our spheres of
attention. The most intense experience here is being “in love”. The
most remote experience is indifference. The other spheres of attention
are occupied by other types of relationships, such as family,
friendships, business colleagues, etc.; their precise arrangement
varies among individuals.
One traditional
practice in the Sphere of Venus is that of Bhakti Yoga, union through
devotion. Usually a godform is chosen for the object of worship. If
you’re more inclined to working atheistically, choose a principle you
revere, personify it, and make it your temporary god(dess). Faith of
the lack of it is a matter of choice, and it need not be a surrender to
unreason. The key to faith under will is a strong imagination that can
incorporate the revered principle in an appropriate and symbolic form,
often anthropomorphic or zoomorphic.
Whatever the means of
choosing your godform, give it prayers of love and longing, make
offerings to it, invoke it often. The rewards of initiation here are
union with the godform, absorption of its revered principle, and your
practice of that principle in your daily life. Principles are
abstractions of the mind, and cannot enflame you to the point of
successful invocation as well as or as thoroughly as can the rarified
sensuality of a living symbol.
The transformations
available in this Sphere are of the function of human nature. The
attraction of lovers often leads to new lives; the creation of art
makes magickal children of writings and paintings, music and dance. An
important transformation is the power to choose aspects of divinity
(godforms of principles) that are the most appropriate and helpful to
your particular situation. Preachers don’t just exhort you to believe
in God; they want you to embrace their version of God.
In the best of
circumstances, the transformations of Netzach include: a world-view in
which the illogical and a-logical acquire aesthetically pleasing forms,
a new appreciation of love, sex and Tantra, and the ability to depict
more accurately spiritual reality in art. This Sphere’s initiation
doesn’t replace or supersede previous initiations; rather, it
coordinates them into a working whole and balances them with itself
according to the aesthetic principles is has revealed within itself and
in all of Nature. This coordination and balance completes the
preparation necessary for what is called Knowledge and Conversation of
the Holy Guardian Angel.
In the worst of
circumstances, we can become distracted by our relationships, swallowed
up by personal politics, bound in games of dominance and submission. We
can become attached to a damaged or dysfunctional relationship through
misplaced notions of compassion or dependency. We can become
love-junkies, expecting manifested godhood in each lover and assuming
we’re manifesting godhood for each lover. It’s possible for some to
mistakenly define themselves in terms of their relationships, to depend
on the opinions of others for self-image.
The artistic aspect of
Netzach can produce an addiction to the state of creation, that
suspended sense of self where one disappears into the work at hand.
While this state of no-mind serves as a foretaste of life “above the
Abyss”, it can be hunted by the misguided for the sake of its pleasure.
The state of no-mind, experienced erratically in Netzach, can tempt one
to look for substitutes in dry times. Visionary substances can be
misused. The religious aspect of
this Sphere can lead to emotional dependency on a god or God if the
voluntary nature of faith isn’t understood, or if one isn’t aware of
the personification of principles. Each level of initiation has
pitfalls for the unwary, and no level is free from hazards. The risks
and stakes increase at each step, as do the rewards, capacities and
abilities to be developed.
The traditional
approach to K&C of the HGA employs the prayerful invocation
techniques of Bhakti Yoga. The aspirant calls upon his/her
Angel/Daimon/Self to reveal itself and unite with the aspirant.
For atheists, the Holy
Guardian Angel can be thought of as the “capital S Self”; our
individuality is our “lower case s” self. The Knowledge and
Conversation is the first firm linkage between the self and the Self
which is the ground of being, the Nothing which emanates the All.
Theists would probably frame the Angel as the Great Other with whom
they unite. For those who admit to no intelligence larger than their
own, there is no progress possible.
The initiation into the
Sphere of the sun, of the heart (Tiphereth), by whatever image it’s
seen, is Self-knowledge. In it, you experience the larger Self, and
achieve harmony between it and your waking consciousness. This is a
major milepost on the path of spiritual evolution, in that it’s the
second self-integration; the astral initiation was the first.
In the best of
circumstances, the Tiphereth initiate is triply integrated among the
waking consciousness, the unconscious and the higher Self. People
gather around him/her, drawn by the charisma of an integrated human.
There is a “natural” charisma that uninitiates can manifest. The
initiate encourages self-development among those attracted to him/her.
K & C of HGA brings to the initiate the revelation of his/her true
will or mission in life.
In the worst of
circumstances, the operation can fail, or its success can be forgotten.
The clear realization of “Thou Art That” is layered-over by denser
events and emergencies. The memory of divinity fragments and nurtures
the ego’s delusions of godhood; the charisma is misused to gather
students and disciples whose admiration also feeds the delusions.
Vampiric relationships can develop in both directions. Even with a successful
integration, care must be taken in dealing with fellow-humans; gods who
disappoint their followers are often sacrificed.
It’s important to renew, on
a regular basis, the Tiphereth consciousness in meditation or by other
methods. Magickal/mystical attainment is not ensured by its initial
experience. Like a talent or a skill, it takes practice and frequent
use of a new awareness to make it a part of oneself and to change
oneself to reflect the new awareness.
Traditionally, successful
Tiphereth initiation marks the beginning of Adepthood. Previous
experience is used to approach further initiations. The adept is a
whole person, united and balanced and ready for full empowerment. One approach to this empowerment
is the invocation of Martial godforms, especially Horus, the Egyptian
hawk-headed god, or other fiery warriors such as Chango, Ogun, Ares,
Mars, Thor, etc. This form of power can be useful in many
circumstances, but it’s also necessary to acquire a subtler power, that
of transparency and permeability to the magickal Current.
The magickal Current is a
force that has bathed the Earth since the planet solidified, a force of
change that has existed since the beginning of the universe. It’s been
called the Tao, the flow of things, the will of existence, fate, and
any number of names. When you discover your true will, you not only
gain guidance for life-decisions, but you also see how you fit into the
universe. The individual’s true will aligns with and is part of the
will of existence. This alignment and participation are why luck seems
to favor those who are following true will and why disaster dogs the
footsteps of those who are not.
While you can use the
essence of Mars for power to drive your magick, it’s often more
efficient to fine-tune your alignment with Tao and let the full
magickal Current bring about the desired manifestations. The Sphere of strength (Geburah)
concerns itself with endurance, perseverance, stamina, discipline and
courage as well as outward0directed defense and power. The Eastern
Martial Arts have much to teach Western Magickians about guiding the
thrust of an attack away from oneself, about the use of Chi, about
alignment with Tao. Successful initiation in this Sphere
Enables you to persist in
action or the abstention from action, to be alert to significant events
in your environment, and to become effectively invisible to sources of
danger and inconvenience.
In the best of
circumstances, this initiation changes you into an integrated,
harmonious, charismatic individual with great power. You use this power
ethically, honestly and efficiently. You finish what you begin and
exercise quiet patience when it’s called for.
In the worst of
circumstances, “power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts
absolutely.” The attraction of power is as great as, and sometimes
greater than, the attraction of sex. Even an integrated person can be
seduced from the path by the dark joys of power. Practice of the
Martial Arts and meditation help maintain detachment from power.
It’s a good idea to
approach the Jovian initiation (Chesed) relatively soon after
establishing yourself in the realm of strength. The essence of this
Sphere is judgment, long-range planning and intuition; it balances the
various forms of strength with inspired decision-making.
Invocation of the proper
godforms, such as Jupiter, Zeus, Indra, Ra, Odin, Agwe, etc., is a
valid approach to this initiation. It’s traditional to write a thesis
on the universe and your plan to improve it in this Sphere. Here, you
complete your individuality as you realize your intimate quantum
connection with the universe around you. You expand your capacities and
practice your intuition; you see your influence at work in your
environment. You learn to anticipate the manifestation of events and
how to direct events closer to their source than astral working can
bring you. You learn to begin trends in the general human consciousness
and the flow of events, as well as how to divert and redirect them. You
achieve excellence as a human being. In the best of
circumstances, your generosity toward the universe and the human race
becomes vast and boundless. You feel a strong desire to improve life
for other people by creating opportunities for self-knowledge. You
acquire the ability to see the potentials of situations and
individuals, as well as the ability to make correct decisions that
assist in the actualization of the potentials.
In the worst of
circumstances, you use your increased vision to take advantage of those
with more limited sight. Your generosity can become a manipulative
trap, forging subtle chains of gratitude, dependency and resentment.
Those of weak mind or lazy character will gladly put their moral and
spiritual well-being in your hands, accepting orders in return for
freedom from choice. While the three mid-Spheres
of the Angel, Strength and Judgment all can be conducive to delusions
of false divinity, the Jovian energies most closely match the
Jehovah/Allah frequencies that have permeated Western/Islam society for
two millennia. Far too many people have been conditioned since
childhood to consider such energies as God, and thus are especially
vulnerable to misuse of the powers of this Sphere.
In the event of a
successful Jovian initiation, you then face another milepost on the
path, the most significant one so far: Crossing the Abyss.
You’ve perfected yourself
as best you might; you’ve struggled through many initiation ordeals and
radical changes. You’ve learned what your mission in life is, and
you’ve acquired the tools to carry it out. You may have a group of
colleagues willing to help manifest your plans to improve life for many
people, to alleviate suffering and pain. The sum of all your work so
far is the fatted calf, the perfect sacrifice, the Isaac of your
Abraham.
The Abyss is the next
initiation, that which cannot be refused. The near-perfection of your
integral and empowered self cries out for its Next Step, which is the
sacrifice of that near-perfection.
This is accomplished by
invoking Understanding in itself or in godforms such as Kali, Magna
Mater, etc., and/or vowing to consider every event as an encounter of
God with your soul. At the moment when you fully comprehend the
language of the Cosmos, you realize that your individuality has always
been an illusion, as are all the Spheres of your experience and
initiation. The Grail of Initiation
that you’ve been pursuing is illusion, the universe is an illusion,
other people are illusions—even your discovery of the illusion is an
illusion. I could catalog illusions
indefinitely. The Abyss is an infinite branch of the Void—you float in
the middle of nothing, dissolving before your own eyes—then choose. You
can reconstruct your perfected self and seal yourself away from
dissolution and become a “Black Brother”, neither open to the Current
that would dissolve you, nor to its nutrients. There is no intake of
Current, and therefore no output of manifestation. You dwindle as your
isolated substance evaporates; you seek parasitic and/or vampiric
continuity. In essence you declare allegiance to illusion against your
knowledge.
You can also welcome the
dissolution, relaxing into the freedom of non-reality and
does-not-matter, need-not-be. (The echo of existence is the laughter of
joy.)
There is that which
remains. In a classic description, you precipitate, on the far side of
the Abyss, into a pyramid of dust, in the City of the Pyramids, on the
shore of the Great Ocean, under the Night of Pan. It is here that you
come to realize your responsibility for the evolution of all parts of
the illusion “below” the Abyss.
The game of existence has
revealed itself to your understanding as a game—but it’s the only game
in town. For as long as you’re in the flesh, it’s necessary to
regularly experience the Abyss, lest you forget its truth and begin to
mistake existence for reality. This is easy to do since the density of
matter makes a convincing case for itself through gravity. Since the
illusory nature of existence is the Cosmic Joke, returning to the City
of the Pyramids periodically can restore a balancing levity. In the Sphere of understanding
(Binah), you apply the “pastoral counseling” aspect of Priesthood,
either directly or through magickal linkage. In the classic
description, the Master of the Temple tends his/her garden of souls.
In the Sphere of
wisdom, (Chokmah), the Magus/Maga speaks his/her Word, which is the
creative truth. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God.” (John I, 1.) “…that the Falsehood
thereof shall ensnare the hearts of men.” (A.C. Liber B vel Magi) The
speaking of the Word is the final creative act; after it’s
accomplished, you’re free to give up will altogether and just be.
This is not a traitorous
abandonment of the beloved world of illusion, but rather the
recognition that all is perfect in existence in spite of human opinion.
Nature is concerned with species; individuals are significant only as
agents for species’ continuity and evolution. Humanity’s peculiar form
of intelligence creates individual significance from self-awareness.
We resent Nature’s
indifference to our individual importance, and we take steps to
conquer, control and use natural resources of energy and matter to
create and shape our environment. If we pursue the meaning of life
beyond the ideas of God and the gods, we find that we’re responsible
for determining our own meanings. If we pursue truth beyond the
creation of meanings, we see that the fractal unfolding of the universe
and of our consciousness has always been perfect.
Pain, suffering, injustice
and cruelty arise among us from incomplete, unbalanced and inaccurate
world-views. Sin and evil are as real as anything else in existence,
but they are all ours; projecting them as the work of a devil denies
our responsibility.
Initiation can be achieved;
it can’t be bestowed, but it can be assisted. Any living human can walk
the initiatory path, but few choose to do so. Sin and evil will remain
endemic in our species until a simple majority (51%) of us begin the
spiritual trek of initiation. It’s not a process that can be preached
or proselytized; the mystic/magician cannot convert anyone.
The individual must
hear the call to initiation within him/herself, must become utterly
bored with the incomplete and inaccurate world-view surrounding
him/her. The Holy Guardian Angel/Self provides educational experiences
for the seeker, but fellow seekers can share information, expertise and
advice. Just as a cell is at its
most vulnerable when it’s in the process of division/replication, so is
a human most vulnerable during the process of initiation. If you’re
alert to the various symptoms of problems, either in yourself or in
others, it’s possible to take corrective measures while an imbalance is
small. We grow spiritually in cycles of transitions and consolidations.
The purpose of the initiatory path is to achieve an amount of control
over the process, to speed the transitions and to firm the
consolidations.
In all, it’s a
glorious adventure, well worth the dangers and work involved. A life is
a terrible thing to waste.
