Handbook to Higher Consciousness by Ken Keyes
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Hey I just wanted to share a wonderful book on spiritual developement with you guys. It speaks very clearly about the path and strips away much of the mystical hoo ha. The stages Ken describes correspond roughly well with the 'sephiroth - grades' of the western hermetic path.
PEEEACE
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The stages Keyes speaks about actually correspond to the Chakra system. There are 7. The 3 lower centers which are the Centers of unhappiness [1- Security, 2- Sensation, 3- Power]. Then there are 2 Joyous Centers [1- Love, 2- Cornucopia] and finally 2 more [1- Conscious-awareness, 2- Cosmic Consciousness] which are the fulfilling centers.
He speaks about how people who are in the lower 3 centers do not experience happiness. They have brief experiences of pleasure. The goal is to turn addictions to preferences because addictions lead to unhappiness.
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Ah, that sounds like Maslow's pyramid.
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Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law,
Sorry it took so long for me to respond I never noticed your response Zeph.
Ken's system is greatly influenced by the east. Anyone who is familiar with buddhism will see the correlation with Buddha's four noble truths. The truth about suffering and the path that leads to the cessation of suffering. Ken describes the path in terms of addictions (clinging) that leads to unhappiness. Much of his system centers around training the consciousness to, first of all, change it's addictions into preferences, and then later to discard even the preferences.
The lower three centers (security, sensation, and power) correspond roughly well (with the chakras) to consciousness below Tiphareth when the individual is caught up in identifying himself with his body/needs/mind/fellings. When in these centers the individual's lower consciousness is active, and his higher consciousness (Tiphareth) is passive. This results in a great deal of time and energy trying to fill the proverbial unfillable hole.
"All I want is what I can never have - enough" ~Wookiefoot
Then comes The fourth center which Ken calls the love center. This corresponds roughly well with the three grades of adeptus. This is when the individual is beginning to, as Gurdjieff said, "Struggle with yourself and only yourself, thank everyone who gives you the opportunity" As Ken says "you are beginning to love unconditionally.
His fifth center, the cornucopia center, corresponds to Binah - Master of the Temple.
The sixth center, the conscious awareness center corresponds to Chokmah - Magus.
The seventh center, cosmic awareness, of course corresponds to Kether - Ipsissimus.
He uses a range of techniques for raising consciousness and breaking through hangups. One of his techniques is strong verbal reprogramming. One builds the emotions to a very high state and then uses the energy summoned to reprogram emotional addictions verbaly. It is a good method but I must admit I have had much more luck with "Destroy every thought with it's opposite".
Anyway.
He also uses mantra and many other methods and I will say that his system has given me a better insight into the nature of the path.
If I may be so bold to say, I have been dissapointed to find that while Crowley was himself fluent in many modes of attainment, and was adamant about his students studying diverse systems, his modern followers tend to restrict themselves to the Magus's teachings and don't themselves venture out and study and practice other systems. It has been my experience that studying and practicing many diverse systems has given me a broader view of the path, and having descriptions of the many stages given by many different authors has allowed me to see the path in ways that I never would have been able to had I restricted myself to Crowley's works, however great and awe inspiring his texts are.