Is Magick Needed?
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93,
Hello all,
I'm wondering if people feel that Magick is necessary to attain the knowledge and conversation of one's Holy Guardian Angel.
I know that every man and every woman is a star, and every path is different, and etc. etc. etc. but let's face it, Crowley was pretty focused on Magick, modern Thelemic groups are pretty focused on magic, (I haven't come across any Thelemic Zazen groups, for example), and even though there are sections on this website for Mysticism as well as Magick, the focus still seems to be on the magick.
I'm just asking because I have absolutely no access to any kind of magickal training, lodge, organization, or even master's battered notebook, and so my practice has revolved mostly around meditation and prayer, and I'm thinking of undertaking the kind of Bhakti practices outlined in Liber Astarte.
I know my path is my own, but, does anyone else here use Magick only as an auxiliary practice? How's that going for you?
::cue crickets::
Love=Law
- C
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right now, I am practicing Asana as my main practice, and the LBRP morning and night. When undertaking Asana, I feel it becomes the mean of one's life. One is always in asana, mentally, more or less. Of course I believe the mental side of it is called Kria Yoga. So while yoga is sustained, the LBRP is more of a burst effect.
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The practice of magic made me see the world in an entirely new way. There is a freedom that stems from knowledge. The more clearly you see, the less likely you are to stumble. Practically speaking It is the study of how things in Life work, and a fundamental desire to learn the details of these interactions to a level not generally discovered by the average person. Finally, it is an attempt to use the knowledge of these interactions to accomplish great things in this Life. Spiritually At least in my path of study, is in getting closer to Divinity, and to be more fully accomplished in holy tasks in favor of the Divine Plan -- or, as it is more commonly known, The Great Work. I think most miss the boat when it comes to the HGA and most spend there time chasing phantoms . I don't know what else to say right now except to say that if you look for it, it definitely there.
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@ThatNarrowFellow said
"93,
I'm wondering if people feel that Magick is necessary to attain the knowledge and conversation of one's Holy Guardian Angel.
Doing magick is neccssary to attain Knowledge and converstion with one's higher self...I think only under some rare cirmstances is it not the case[such as if a person was a Adept is a past life and carrys over much the abiltys to this life] but even then the act of attaing knowlege and converstion is a act of magick with in its self...hence a magickal experance resulting in a higher form of consciousnesBut dont take my word for it..practice with a pure heart and true will and see what happens!
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93,
The point was made recently in another thread that we need all the techniques so that (a) we can be led to those which work for us, and (b) teach others later. So I'd agree with Seti Draconis that practice done with a pure heart, allowing whatever results comes to come, is useful.
But I would at least try magick for some months (or years!) You don't have to be able to call up the spirits at the drop of a pentagram in order to find it useful.
Also, the K&C has always been explicitly presented as the outcome of a long period of magical practices, not solely mystical ones. Other systems approach realization from a different perspective, using different terms, different symbolisms and so forth. I'm not sure how well a person would do going for a magical aim while using only mystical means. If I were after nirvana, I wouldn't necessarily using pentagram and hexagram rituals to get there - I'd use vipassana or tantric methods.
93 93/93,
EM
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HGA is sort of like thy dynamic aspect of mystical results.
One can attain static visions on the astral planes, without a body of light, just a point of awareness, but to command events on those planes one must integrate ones ego or "spirit" with the body of light to get it moving, expand ones WILL into it as one would animate a corpse. To do this requires learning feed back with it, developing its muscles.
Now, the HGA is working from the higher plane down, one can attain static awareness of the HGA via mystical works. But, works of magick help to synchronize the TRUE WILL with the physical body.
There is a chapter in Magick in theory and practice, that deals with projecting ones WILL into animals, but one must first convince the spirit of the animal to allow this, by force of WILL or by negotiation. In the Case of the HGA, ones Ego is the natural spirit that inhabits the body, so mysticism works to break the control of the ego over the body, but one must still work magick to harmonize the body with the WILL of the HGA. Otherwise the attainment is static, and the Law is to DO what thou Wilt, not to simple become aware of it.
Further more, one wants knowledge of the HGA as well as communication. Think of an RC car that tunes out its usual remote signal and tunes into a new one, well if its not able to respond to the new input, just being aware does no good. It must learn the language, it must CO-mmunicate.
Cases where in dangerous situations people do the seemingly impossible, mothers lifting cars off babies and the like, we may have an example of the HGA taking over by force, rather than invite, as panic weakens the EGO and concern for its material ward, motivates the HGA to take action.
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93,
So it occurs to me that what I really should have asked is whether or not Magick is needed for attaining a level of enlightenment necessary to do one's true Will. The HGA is a term from Ceremonial Magick, so it's pretty obvious Ceremonial Magick is needed to attain knowledge and conversation with it. Perhaps.
Anyway, so if Magick is really important, and someone like me, who's Magickal experience consists only of LBRP, is interested in exploring it further but has no access to group work, what's the solution?
The Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn is down, and as far as I can tell there are no other online Thelemic orders offering instruction, which leaves me with various Golden Dawn off-shoot groups, or, I suppose, BOTA, which I know little about.
Any advice, gentle readers?
Love=Law
- C
PS - I could, of course, simply buy Magic Without Tears and dive in myself, but I suspect without the more formal structure of a community, even an online one, I'd give into laziness rather quickly. Obviously I'm still sluggishly hanging around Malkuth.
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Unless you are looking to overcome inhibition or tendency to distance yourself from people, there is no real need for group work. I would say your inclination towards group work may indicate that you should work on solo workings, maybe even developing your anti-social side.
Magick is about balance, if you just do what you feel comfortable with you will neglect the other aspects of your psyche. Such as one should not invoke only gods that one has an attraction to, but those one finds repulsive as well. Not only so with god-forms but with all things. (This may be a big step as "control of the attractions and repulsions of ones being" is the Work of the A.'.A.'. Philosophus)
Anyway back on track. I find the desire for group work is generally due to a feeling that others, either by authority, seniority, or mere quantity are more adept than oneself. The idea that ones inner compass is faulty, ond seeks to follow the herd or the leader whose compass produces an attractive sheen.
Thelema has nothing to do with this impulse, no matter how common and natural it might be. A Thelemite is one who does not believe any compass in the true or correct one, he does not doubt himself, nor does he put his stock in some other person, principle or group.
A Thelemite in short is one who has faith in himself as the sole guiding principle. The self as generally understood is a complex of external influences, of attractions to certain class of experience and repulsion from others, desire to live up to various moral expectations and ideal of various persons, groups or general culture, etc. The SELF the thelemite is TRUE to, is the HGA, the higher guiding principle that exists above and beyond the acquired complexes of ego self.
Magick is a means to systematically, untie the knot of the ego self, force one to act against the concept of who one is. To counter balance the "Karma" of the self image. It is a means by which the software of the Self is forced to crash, and the hardware of the HGA can take over and allows one to re-program the software of the Self at WILL. One can ever create different egos, to switch between as the situation calls.
Do what thou WILT, requires magick, in that is requires that every aspect of ones psychology, mind, emotions, and body be WILLed actions under the direct control of the HGA, rather than each blindly acting out its learned patterns.
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ThatNarrowFellow there are a few books that can get you out of the rut eg: Modern Magick By Donald Kraig even though GD based its a good simple step by step primer in Magic, Ritual and Terminology. If you are hell bent on going a thelemic route I can suggest Justin Augustus Newcombs " The new hermetics" Is pretty solid stuff Its magic 101 with a thelemic slant. Uncle Al's "Magic without britney spears" Is def essential reading. BOTA is brilliant but progress is frustratingly slow with there material. To much emphasis is placed on the HGA. Yes its the goal but you need the vehicle to get there. The best way to learn magic is to practice, there are to many talkers and not enough doers. Start off slowly get the LBRP down pat move onto the BRH the MP The invocations of the elements. Read and experiment with talismanic magic. Check out the star ruby etc read the analysis of these rituals. Groups are great if you can find a good one but you can do it alone if you put in the effort. I hope this helps
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I think a good place to start, not as mechanical and systematic, but a good start, is to read The Illuminatus! Trilogy, and practice "Fire clown's guide to sigils" Or you can obtain Carroll's Liber Kaos and get the same lessons, only you have to extract them from an ore of pseudo-scientific balderdash.
The balderdash is a good way to workout your conceptual skills, and the psotmodern nihilistic relativism is a good way to disperse the clouds of the ego, so the sun of the HGA can shine through, just be careful not to throw out the baby with the bath water. (don't accidentally ignore, cast out and banish the HGA, along with the maya of the ego.)
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93,
Thanks you guys for the advice.
I understand what you're saying, Froclown, and I think it's very wise, but until now my practice has been mostly Zazen, so I'm not sure I really need to develop my anti-social side anymore.
My real problem is that I've been working with LBRP for months, as far as I can tell I'm doing it correctly - I've read everything I can and watched all the videos on Youtube, but so far nothing is happening with it.
I guess what I really pine for is a teacher who can point out the obvious mistake that I'm missing. Oh well, maybe next life.
Thanks for the book recommendations!
Love=Law
- C
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You will not get Zen like results from LBRP.
Its not really like a mechanical operation that must be performed in a certain way. Ritual are more like learning dance steps, at first it seems mechanical and difficult, but eventually you just do it without being conscious of each step. One does not dance in order to do the steps right, if one has to ask "am I doing it right" in the middle of dancing, one is assuredly not dancing correctly.
Rather, when dancing one looses oneself in the activity, stops worrying, it becomes organic and fluid.
Dancing is a way of "catching the beat of the music" likewise the rituals of magick are a means of catching the "current" or the spirit of whatever the ritual is designed to harmonize with.
Try to do LBRP as if it where a dance, learn the steps, then forget the steps and try to hear the music.
In magick the music is not sound, the LBRP the result is a sort of clearing of an inner space, an opening of the mind. The more it is performed the clearer the mind space gets. The nature of each pentagram determines the nature of the space, one can banish or invoke any element combination of elements into that space.
In zen you may practice focus on a single idea of object. LBRP, clears a space in which to hold that object of focus. Even nothingness, needs a place to manifest in the mind. The circle on the ground is linked to the space in the mind. What is done in one space reflects the other.
A full invocation of a God-form clears out the ego from the I space, and replaces it with another persona or God-form. Generally though you will start with banishing accidental or non-essential aspects, rather than the whole ego. Generally its the conceptual of visual imagination that one works with at first, not directly on the ego as a whole, until working with the Rose and Cross, uniting the SOL of the hexagram ritual with the Spirit point on the pentagram.