External entities or subconcious mind?
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JPF I grew out of the same type of environment and used the same methods. I had eaten LSD often and always enjoyed it, but once I started to truly realize the potential for change, it was absolutely indescribable. I would eat at least 5 hits twice a week and during the trip would spend approx 4 hours meditating. Without that tool I know I would probably be nowhere near the state of mind I am in normally now. I eat LSD about 4 times a year now, mostly during celebration or when I am feeling in a funk and need to get a better perspective on the situation. I wouldn't recommend doing that to people who don't have extensive experience with psychadelics owing to the fact that whatever is bothering you will smack you in the face. I find that when I have some kind of issue I'm trying to work out, tripping makes me innitially get very uncomfortable, but during the process I transform and come out of it much more positive. It's kind of like going through hell to get to heaven.
I definitely have in the past and still do get lots of criticism from my family for not wanting to stay dogmatically catholic. It can definitely be difficult to endure the conversations which inevitably lead to, "you need to go to church", but it truly doesn't bother me. In all honesty I feel sorry for people trapped in that state of existence, but I know it's all just programming. Most of our believes about everything were formed when we were children and everything continues to build upon them unless they are examined later. At such a young age our mind is not able to reason and we have to find a way to cope and exist in our environment. All of our fears and the reasons for our cyclic existences stem from believes we developed before we realized we were able to develop believes. Because of this, we should all show ourselves the same love and understanding we were afford a 5 year old. I remember years ago when I started reprogramming myself and truly understanding myself, I would see events I didn't remember from my childhood. From there I would see how that affected me in another situation a year or so later. This chain would continue and I could easily view the entire chain which would lead to different believes and actions that I had at the present. Just seeing the chain made it able to be broken. LSD and many hours of meditation and self examination seem to be an incredible way to de/reprogram. If you don't have alot of experience with it though, remember fear is failure and to love yourself. For me at least, alot of my memories were painful, yet didn't bother me because I was able to detach and view the events as an outsider. I could see others driving themselves into some real depressed states though. We don't supress memories because we enjoyed them lol
For all the psychadelic warriors or future psychadelic warriors, good luck and remember, YOU ARE IN CONTROL. If anythings get too intense take a deep breathe and think of something that makes you happy. Also, if you are brave enough let your mind run wherever it goes. Sometimes the darkest states of our mind can be the most illuminating.
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Your words are encouraging. I had a lot of trouble with my crazy, Jesus-ridden kinsfolk as well. I remember arguing with my mother about the virtues of LSD. "It operates on the brain in much the same way as fasting, by depleting certain chemicals in the brain. Remember Jesus fasting in the desert?" In the end my family kicked me out of the house because of my lifestyle, and I went on a long homeless pilgrimage--but that's another story.
Now that I'm a little older, (and wiser, I hope), I've more or less graduated from the psychedelic scene. There comes a time when the deprogramming stage is over, and one must move on to other things. Still, LSD remains a useful tool for some, and a gateway to insanity for others.
The best recommendation I can give to the curious is this: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law."
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@Alrah said
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I believe this. I was born with aspergers syndrome, which is a type of autism. It's not an illness, but my brain is wired up a little differently and this conveys both advantages and disadvantages. Until the last few years, it went unrecognised until my eldest daughter was diagnosed and the family suddenly looked at me and a collective 'aha!' went up.I don't want to go into an overly detailed account of all the difficulties this had thrown up, although I'm willing to answer questions about aspergers, but only to say that there was quite a lot of deprogramming to do. I'd asborbed a lot of negative and harmful attitudes over the years and at one point had gotten rather stuck in dependancy victim/abuser cycles that took a lot of work to root out, amongst many other matters that come with being hypersensitive to stimuli, retraining eye and body language, and working to adjust the outsider personality type to more healthy parameters. But today, I'm happy, my life runs smoothly, I do what I am fitted to do, and know what I am not fitted for and am content that it is so. I consider that being born an aspie has been a boon to the work, a spur to the horse, and I would not have wished to have a different life."
I have the same thing dude. I had ADD as a kid and they put me on meds until they thought it went away. I still had the same symptoms though and when I was 18 I was diagnosed with AS by a professional psychiatrist.
There's been times in my life I've really despised myself for having it, especially for the social difficulties it brings. But I've learned to just accept it as part of who I am.
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@Alrah said
"Yes, when we are born with some type of disadvantage or in a disadvantagous situation then if we can work to slowly transform it little by little then eventually it becomes a great strength. When we can appreciate the past from that perspective and love ourselves, then grief and anger at past trials and ordeals fade and we understand that to be the well rounded and happy people we are today it was neccessary to undergo them. Perhaps we even chose the circumstances of our birth, in full knowledge and accord of our natural inner strength in order to ensure that we would develop the vehicle according to our true will.
I believe this. I was born with aspergers syndrome, which is a type of autism. It's not an illness, but my brain is wired up a little differently and this conveys both advantages and disadvantages. Until the last few years, it went unrecognised until my eldest daughter was diagnosed and the family suddenly looked at me and a collective 'aha!' went up.
I don't want to go into an overly detailed account of all the difficulties this had thrown up, although I'm willing to answer questions about aspergers, but only to say that there was quite a lot of deprogramming to do. I'd asborbed a lot of negative and harmful attitudes over the years and at one point had gotten rather stuck in dependancy victim/abuser cycles that took a lot of work to root out, amongst many other matters that come with being hypersensitive to stimuli, retraining eye and body language, and working to adjust the outsider personality type to more healthy parameters. But today, I'm happy, my life runs smoothly, I do what I am fitted to do, and know what I am not fitted for and am content that it is so. I consider that being born an aspie has been a boon to the work, a spur to the horse, and I would not have wished to have a different life.
Besides... an overlong stay in Tesco's can be like free drugs for me as long as I am content to let the overload be and go with it.
"@Infernal Seraph said
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I have the same thing dude. I had ADD as a kid and they put me on meds until they thought it went away. I still had the same symptoms though and when I was 18 I was diagnosed with AS by a professional psychiatrist.
There's been times in my life I've really despised myself for having it, especially for the social difficulties it brings. But I've learned to just accept it as part of who I am. "
Conditions like these are common in those with afflicted planets in Pisces, which is a watery, psychic, receptive sign. Not surprisingly, I have an afflicted Mars in the exact degree as your Moon, Alrah. The crux of the matter seems to be this: the brain is so sensitive that it developes artificial barriers as a defense mechanism. Otherwise the flow of information would be overwhelming. I'm glad you've learned to overcome your difficulties. The sick being, if they manage to heal themselves, is often the most talented healer in turn. (By the way, our "condition" seems to have this upshot: wanton creativity.)
I've had a lot of difficulty adjusting to social contexts. But after years of meditation, Magical practice, and self-medication, I seem to be moving past this. Any disability can be treated if one learns to diagnose the problem properly. Ask Paracelsus.
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@Aum418 said
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They are subjective 'entities,' and externalized parts of oneself. There are no such thing as external, objective demons or angels just like there are no djinns and no Zeus and no Vishnu and no Loki and no Cherubim... they are metaphors, at best.IAO131"
Totally disagree. at best it's both. But external beings - definately in at least many cases.
when you actually get a result of something manifesting so that it casts it's own shadow in your room, moves before your eyes and can be witnessed by another - it's no longer a "subjective aspect of one's self."
Sadly, one of my greatest frustrations with Crowley is his definition of magick as simply "change in conformity with will" -
That would ascribe magick to making a ham sandwhich. It's far greater then psychological blinks of ideas. or changes in personality. While that can be empowering... magick can also heal another outside of your "self", enrich, and make physical transformations. While that may not be the greatest use of Magick - it is certainly possible. But when it's psychologized down, it's just NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programing.)I agree it's in the mind, if we're saying that all matter, people, beings are of the mind. in some sense yes. But in the sense we are talking about, I think it's both. In some cases it can be subjective mental conditions, but in many cases it is external entities as unique as you or I.
so I ascribe to the answer: BOTH.
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@Arsihsis said
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@Blythe A. Blanche said
"I'm curious to the know everyone's opinion regarding the objetive reality or subjective illusions of gods, spirits, etc."In An Initiated Interpretation of Ceremonial Magick featured at the beginning of 666's publication of the Goetia he says:
"An Initiated Interpretation of Ceremonial Magick*":1i483fav]The spirits of the Goetia are portions of the human brain. Their seals therefore represent[...]methods of stimulating or regulating those particular spots (through the eye). The names of God are vibrations calculated to establish:
(a) General control of the brain. (Establishment of functions relative to the subtle world.)
(b) Control over the brain in detail. (Rank or type of the Spirit.)
(c) Control of one special portion. (Name of the Spirit.)"...and on a similar note:
"The Magical Record of the Beast*":1i483fav]Attainment 'is' Insanity. The whole point is to make it perfect in balance. (10:00pm 26 Dec. 1919)"
729"
However, that wasn't his view of Enochian Entities... (i.e. not aspects of the mind.)
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@ldtab said
"when you actually get a result of something manifesting so that it casts it's own shadow in your room, moves before your eyes and can be witnessed by another - it's no longer a "subjective aspect of one's self." "
Correct. Now it's a subjective aspect of two people.
(teasing, somewhat)@ldtab said
"Sadly, one of my greatest frustrations with Crowley is his definition of magick as simply "change in conformity with will" -
That would ascribe magick to making a ham sandwhich."I agree, I think it's an atrocious definition. Then again, it might serve a useful purpose in bringing levity ad humility to the general operation. Plus, even if we are to accept this definition, there would still be a big difference between "change in conformity to will" and "change in conformity to True Will"...
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"However, that wasn't his view of Enochian Entities... (i.e. not aspects of the mind.)"
Could you explain a little more? Where does he say this?
Good points, btw. Ascribing everything to one's own mind is a rather narrow view, considering all the stars besides one's self.
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@Takamba said
"I view there is a misunderstanding here in regards to "The Initiated Interpretation of Ceremonial Magic." He was Perdurabo when he wrote that, he was NOT [Nemo] when he published Liber 418."
Yeah Crowley seemed to changed his mind on some things through the course of his life. In his early works he leans towards the idea that Gods and spirits are purely psychological, but in Magick Without Tears he states that he believes in Gods that have a higher existence beyond the human psyche (though I don't think he was downplaying any of the psychological aspects of magick).