Spiritual Transformation - A Comment

This was supposed to be a comment on Fra. Peregrin’s last post about Spiritual Transformation or, a whole hunk of questions. I figured that it (my comment) went too long and decided to put it in my own post here in order not to hijack Peregin’s MOTO blog.
The questions raised by Peregrin are indeed good and important questions, and they are eternal questions which kept people busy for a while already.

If I may, I would answer the question “what do you want “ from going back to forth.

Analysing the life situation I live in – my personal microcosm (family, friends, work, closer social and cultural environment etc) as well as the macrocosm (the society I live in as such, the city, country, the world, (mankind - ?)), it seems obvious that “life” as such, as it comes by default is not perfect. Well for some people it actually is damn close to it but also these people have issues. I am caught up in the odds of everyday life, conventions, etiquette, customs etc which are all present at all levels concerning life. This affects my thinking and my acting. I may even be forced to act in way which do not make sense or are unfair. Unfortunately a lot of people settle with this or resignate, in the best case arrange, in the worse case ignorantly live in their own private comfort zone. I should maybe say that it is ok if someone wants to live a peaceful life not being bothered and has either arranged with the daily odds or is happy with things as they are.
However, realizing that there may be more than just that, seeing that life is covered with the daily mud, I would say I want to search out for a way to

1) gain competence over myself and my life
2) gain the ability to see beyond the borders of my comfort zone
3) hoping to find an answer to the questions you asked in your post –who are we, where is our position on earth, in universe, in the creation as such.

This goes beyond the quest for the sense of life. I may even say it has nothing to do with it. You should already see a sense in life. If you have none, well I am not sure that magic or transformation of any form will help you. But however, it may bring other aspects of such a (very personal) sense in/of life.
The thing is that I really do not know who I am in respect to creation. Am I part of the divine? Well I could give a standard answer: all and everything is connected with all and everything. God, or the One is within and around everything, and so on and so forth. And there lies truth within this, for sure. It also reflects the old hermetic principle of “as above, so below”. But it also does not explain much as to why one needs to or wants to transform. Am I impure, dirty, bad? Again, my start would be to analyse my status quo and go from there, hoping that I will find out.

As far as religion/theology is concerned, I agree with you that theology is helpful in practicing magic. I would even say that religion and faith is helpful, if not essential. Within our practice we work with the divine in so many ways and manifestations or representations, that I find it difficult for a real Atheist to transfer all this into simple representations of – well what? – aspects or principles of the universe or reality? Where does the power then come from?

All this may not work for everyone and it may well be that a lot of people start to follow the “path for transformation” (whatever that now means) but will never really transform. There also may be many other, maybe even better ways for reaching the goal – depending on ones very personal background. In Christianity, the mystics did not necessarily engage in magical practice but contemplation and other rituals aiming for the same thing than we aim for (writing this down, maybe it is being closer to God?). I also once read that some “teachers” advise their students – if not request it from them – to have their magical ritual work accompanied by therapy.

I find the questions raised by Peregrin very difficult to answer. They are eternal questions and it seems impossible to give a satisfying answer. However, unfortunately often enough people are not really willing to think about these questions but rather give a standard answer. These may need to contemplate the questions a bit deeper…

At the end, Fra Peregrin raises the maybe most important question regarding how to reach the aim: "What makes an esoteric path effective, what makes it actually able to lead us to the One is death. The ‘I’ now cannot become the ‘I’ we desire, so we must die. Effective esoteric paths shake us all the time; they invite us to die continually and completely. It is up us to choose death or not.” - I have nothing else to add.

Does this make sense?

Prohibition of the GD - nothing is for granted

I am working with Holocaust related issues. Through my work I found the Decree regarding the prohibition of esoteric and masonic groups and orders or similar orders, groups and organisations by the Chief of the Reich's SS and German Police, Heinrich Himmler, dated 20 July 1937 (these are poor photos of the pdf print out) . As you can see on page 3 you find the O.T.O. (Germer) and also the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (page 3, no. 16). With this, also the founding and continuation of any substitute organisation was prohibited with the threat of severe consequences under the penal code. I am not going into further legal details here but this should be a reminder that the freedom to follow and work the path of light is not for granted. We all should be grateful to live in a society where we are free to think, say and do what we want and are free to develop and evolve our spirituality and personality in which way ever we chose. It also should be a reminder that different opinions should be taken as a contribution to a fruitful discourse, which does not necessarily has to finish with total agreement, or worse, surrender, and that people at other times (depending where they live even these days) would not understand any dispute based on personality issues, urge for power and dominance or other issues which are not at all related to the true substance of the issue – the development on, or through the path of light, doing the Great Work.

And let us also remember that some of our brothers paid a very high price for their choice to do the Great Work. Some still do.

In L.V.X.

Arcad

The right Vibe

Two of the most essential techniques for performing ritual in Magic are Visualization and the proper Vibrating of divine names. At the same time these may be the most confusing elements of ritual work. Everyone who starts with ritual/ceremonial magic will have to face these two concepts and has to master them before he/she can really go on. Since this blog is about the struggles finding your way, and hopefully is helpful to someone who considers taking this path, I wanted to post about this for a while. Funny enough, on another blog I saw that Donald Craig just posted about visualization (and will have a follow up post on it). I like the way how he describes visualization as “mental magic”. Check it out.

Anyways, as for visualisation, the first training recommended is trying to visualize a piece of yellow clay (or something similar) in your hand, forming a ball out of it, move it around in your hands and put it away. Throughout the following days, you create some other colored balls and at the end put them in an order and let them dissolve. I also once read that one could start with looking at a (real) flower for a longer time. In between change position so you see the various perspectives of the flower, the different forms and shapes depending on your view. After that, close your eyes and start to imagine that flower, turn it around, at some point maybe move it upside down, let it grow etc. I actually found that advise helpful since you train your inner eye with something your real eye was used to see before. Although in this exercise you only reproduce a picture of something you actually saw, it is a good start before you continue to create pictures your physical eye did not see before. You also could think about a picture you have no problem imagining – like a scenery or person from reading a book and then start to move items or that person...

More of a problem – or more confusing I would say – is the question of how to properly vibrate the divine names. In his Liber O. Aleister Crowley describes the technique like this:
3. The Vibration of God-names. As a further means of identifying the human consciousness with that pure portion of it which man calls by the name of some God, let him act thus:
4. ("a") Stand with arms outstretched.
("b") Breathe in deeply through the nostrils, imagining the name of the God desired entering with the breath.
("c") Let that name descend slowly from the lungs to the heart, the solar plexus, the navel, the generative organs, and so to the feet. {17}
("d") The moment that it appears to touch the feet, quickly advance the left foot about 12 inches, throw forward the body, and let the hands (drawn back to the side of the eyes) shoot out, so that you are standing in the typical position of the God Horus (Sign of the enterer); and at the same time imagine the Name as rushing up and through the body, while you breathe it out through the nostrils with the air which has been till then retained in the lungs. All this must be done with all the force of which you are capable.
("e") Then withdraw the left foot, and place the right forefinger upon the lips, so that you are in the characteristic position of the God Harpocrates (Sign of Silence)
5. It is a sign that the student is performing this correctly when a single "Vibration" entirely exhausts his physical strength. It should cause him to grow hot all over, or to perspire violently, and it should so weaken him that he will find it difficult to remain standing.
6. It is a sign of success, though only by the student himself is it perceived, when he hears the name of the God vehemently roared forth, as if by the concourse of ten thousand thunders; and it should appear to him as if that Great Voice proceeded from the Universe, and not from himself.
In both the above practices all consciousness of anything but the God-form and name should be absolutely blotted out; and the longer it takes for normal perception to return, the better. {18}
I am not sure how helpful this explanation actually is for anyone who never did this before, never saw anyone doing it and who just starts with ritual work. Although this explanation is used in many books and on many sites, I doubt that this is the answer one is looking for when asking him/herself “I wonder how I vibrate these names in the LBRP”. Also one may rather be distracted by the various elements of that explanation (is the name still descending down, passing the navel or is it already at my feet – how do I actually feel that name in me....).

I have seen people just shouting out the names in a quick, short way. Others are actually chanting them. Some let their voice actually vibrate, some rather silently push or hiss the names out... My experience is, you need to experiment to find out which way really works best with and mainly within you. For me, a loud(er) chanting works pretty well. My body then gets all involved and most of the times I can feel a kind of excitement and an energizing effect that shows me that I can not be that wrong. In a magical online class I attended, we had a discussion about the question whether you can actually silently vibrate the names (in order not to wake up family members or freak out colleagues in an office...). Most of us agreed that volume is not essential if you manage to find the right tone within you. However, I still would think that a “silent” vibration is for someone who has already some practice with a “non silent” vibration – and if it is only to learn how the feeling of the “right” vibration is.

In my case, after I found my way and was satisfied with the result, I went back to the explanation in Liber O. And now it made sense to me.

So, if you are a beginner, this may help. But always remember, in magic the key to success is practice, practice, practice – and patience.

Obviously this was only about the rather technical question HOW to do these things, not about WHY. That may be reserved for another post...

In
L.V.X.

Arcad

Scarifying my Life

In his recent post, Nick Farrell posted about becoming old (not really) and how things have changed since… He comments about how students these days do not always show the right dedication in following the magical path and are unwilling to scarify some of their private lives and convenience to their studies.

I definitely agree that a lot of “aspirants” these days may lack dedication and devotion. I assume that with all those Dan Brown like books, it is just fancy to call yourself a member of this or that mysterious order. I also guess that a lot of people have a profound misconception regarding the aim and essence of magical teaching and working and the “powers” one achieves as a member of such groups and orders. Such aspirants will not be missed because they would only take (if they even take) and leave instead of dedicate and provide.

I also think that the amount of magical orders, groups, lodges etc is legion and it is rather difficult to find a serious, reliable, not only profit orientated order which can provide real and profound knowledge and, in a optimal case, is close enough that one can actually afford to become a member. We see a hype about anything related to New Age, Mystical teachings, “Light Working” etc. If I just see how many kinds of Reiki were invented lately (Smurf Reiki I guess was one of the weirdest things I have read about) – there is a huge market out there and many want to get their piece of that cake. But that also means that even with modern means like the internet, finding a serious group that can provide real knowledge is still hard work.

In my case, I was reading a lot, comparing a lot, I (guess that I) developed a sense for the smell of the money (others want from me) and finally decided that the GD tradition is my way. Due to various reasons I need to stay solitary – one of then indeed is that there is no close by lodge/Temple. I simply can not afford a few hundred Euros every month or so to travel. And what I have close by indeed does not meet my needs.
Nick also said: “if people are not prepared to jump in a car or a plane to find the right training and path then let some other group have them”. That in a way sounds like promoting an elite kind of thinking. Only those who can afford and are ready to spend significant amounts of money have the right of the “right” magical training. Of course they could go to the next door group but what if that one is a scam? Tough luck? He also writes that in the old times people put their magical training as number one priority and even the loss of family, having to leave job and country would have not mattered in order to get the best training. Reminds me on Matthew 10:37,38: “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me”. I do not think that it needs that much of a dedication that I need to be prepared to leave family, house, job, country etc. Also, lucky are those who have a profession that enables them to work anywhere in the world. Some of us are rather limited. In my case, I have been lucky to work in other countries (as I currently do) but also my flexibility is limited by my profession. Of course I could always become a waiter or work in a supermarket filling shelves. At the end of the day you need to be able to prepare for you (and your family). If now the true dedication to the studying of the western mysteries means that I need to be ready to give up everything else, well then I may rather quit – with a heavy heart – but if I have to loose everything I love first, how could I possibly reach the goal I am aiming for in my magical studies? I do admire those who are able to dedicate their entire life to the quest for the light – like the monks do (maybe most amazing is the order of the Carthusians, who are a group of hermits who do not talk at all and even do not eat together, just pray and sing together at the various times) and who still live very simple)
Anyways, I am over exaggerating and I am assuming that Nick did not intent to go as far as I described it above. But I believe that true dedication does not mean that I have to sacrifice everything else. I do, however, agree that some money, travelling, time, holidays etc need to be sacrificed for the goal of a magical training because, as you said, it requires a lot of time and effort and the path is not always straight, clean and free of rubble.
In L.V.X.

Arcad

Best Buy?

I always have been a skeptic. This is why it took me a while to adjust to the term “esoteric” - but that is for another post. However, although I learned to be open to other concepts of thinking and to people’s experiences, sometimes I am having a hard time to overcome my skepticism. Like, some of the homepages of people offering services, knowledge and what else in the field of spiritual development. The “idea” or concept promoted looks good but then there is all that additional merchandising . After reading Frater AIT’s recent post mentioning astral projection, I checked out Robert Bruce. On his webpage he not only sells his courses and books, he also sells some kind of Medaillon and I would not be surprised if there are some T-Shirts as well. Or Donald Walsh. Although I never read his books and I know people who highly value them, I am turned off by the inflation of similar books. Talks with GOD; more talks with GOD; Things GOD did not say but was supposed to add…. I am exaggerating but seriously, sometimes it looks like someone initially had a real or honest idea and then realized that there is a lot of money to make. Now, I am not saying that either` Bruce or Walsh or all the others are not serious and only after the money. I just used them as examples. I also think it is legitimate to make money in the field of the search for spiritual enlightment. Just sometimes my impression is that the selling interest is higher than the sharing of knowledge aspect. The problem is that there are so many schlemiels out there who want to sell you some nonsense, that it is difficult to filter what is useful if everyone uses the same way for promotion. In that sense it would be of great benefit if there would be some samples or excerpts of what is promoted . These should be of sufficient size or kind so one is able to judge if this is what one was actually looking for3- as subjective such an determination is, As I said, I am a general skeptic.

Having said that, I will have a look on Bruce’s books as this sounds interesting enough to give it a try and also because it was recommended by people who know what they are doing (Thanks for this, this is why I love these blogs).

In L.V.X
Arcad