Unpacking the LBRP
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@he atlas itch said
"In the past a certain momentum would build up, more and more synchronicities, signs all around me, and then I would suddenly become aware of the fact of these highly intelligent forces, acting through events and people, with the horrifying realization it's all very personal and directed toward me. That's when the shit would hit the fan and ordeals commence. This happened at least twice to me. I would love to say that I'm being overly paranoid or a megalomaniac but, regrettably, that is not the case.
I'm sure some of you can relate to what I'm talking about. So my question is, do these forces ever back off? Or are they part and parcel of the Yetziratic terrain and sending initiatory currents to work through, and which only intensify as you work up the Tree?"
Yopur experience of them changes... because your relationship to them changes. Some of these things are the content of your own personal subconscious field, or similar elements hovering in or near your psyche. Some are of a more universal ("shared") nature. Those that are wholly within your personal domain need to be purified and consecrated by you. Others change their relationship to you as you grow stronger or weaker, or make yourself more open to them or less by other means. For many, you change your relationship to them as you grow and change.
"Perhaps it's not quite accurate to call these forces "evil""
You're right.
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@Atlas Itch
I would imagine that while initial conditions are similar, the process after that, which involves a lot of our own individual reactions, can vary quite a bit.For me, it was about understanding a couple things.
First, while I was very much the target and scapegoat for a lot of bad energy in my latest go around with magick and the LBRP, it wasn't really about me. Sure, I triggered a reaction by changing/growing as a person, and stirred up a bunch of ugliness. But I don't have to resolve someone else's issues, no matter how much they think I should be a part of that.
Which led to the second realization. The "battle" between "good and evil" (or my ego and someone else's ego, if you prefer) was something I kept voluntarily taking up. I would have dreams of confronting this person that wronged me terribly, and I would blow up with emotion. This meant that it was my emotions that were out of control. They needed expression, and balance.
Third, my attachment to the emotion went hand-in-hand with my attachment to an alternative present reality. I couldn't let go of the idea of wishing for a different present, and it expressed itself as a wish for my ordeal to end.
So... (I hope I haven't been projecting too much!) your process may be very different, but I would suggest trying to listen to your dreams, etc., as a message from your unconscious, and try to incorporate them in a way that YOU (big YOU) see as healthy and balanced. Meanwhile, let go of attachment to emotions and circumstances.
Anything can be an ordeal, if we imagine that it ought to be different than it really is....
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Thanks for that feedback, that’s very interesting.
One simple observation I’ve noted when working regularly with the LBRP is that, as my mind gets sharper, my personality becomes equally sharp. My down-to-earth understanding of what brought on my ordeals was the retroactive realization that my comments and irreverent sense of humor were offensive to many people, but I was quite oblivious of this until the shit hit the fan. That is, when you invoke higher energies, the natural personality may not be a suitable for their expression in Malkuth. The LBRP amplifies myself until subsequent circumstances force me to change and adapt. My ordeals taught me to maintain more distance toward people, be far more selective in my socializing, and tone down my humor. I attribute the scale of my ordeals to the fact that I used to make irreverent jokes about nationalities and I must have attracted the attention of some ruling spiritual principalities. My ordeal manifested as a campaign to humiliate me on a massive scale and cut me down to size.
It’s curious because I also note the personality starts to naturally change when under the influence of the LBRP – I lost interest in certain topics, became much more action-oriented, and discovered a hitherto unknown interest in topics I never imagined I would be interested in – e.g. war, the military, foreign intelligence, physics, geology, paleology.
Jim - when you say the person’s relationship to these spiritual forces changes do you mean one must learn to control and command them? Or recognize their ruling function and jurisdiction and learn to conform to their laws - like a good citizen?
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@he atlas itch said
"Jim - when you say the person’s relationship to these spiritual forces changes do you mean one must learn to control and command them? Or recognize their ruling function and jurisdiction and learn to conform to their laws - like a good citizen?"
One must first learn to control oneself. This takes care of most of them
And then, yes, one must place oneself in right relationship to them. This depends on the circumstances, but an extreme case (almost an archetypal case) is the matter of the 4 Princes and 8 Sub-Princes etc. for the full Adept. In this case, one addresses each by name and swears their obedience not to oneself but to one's HGA. Thereafter, one's work for a long time involves the journey into Hell and coming to know each demon individually, calling it by its proper name, knowing that it is already in sworn obedience to one's Angel and thus in alignment with one's own True Will.
The psychological parallels of this are probably obvious.
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That’s extremely interesting and, yes, I see what you mean by the psychological parallels.
The one thing that kept me from losing it in the midst of the ordeals was the child-like awareness that nothing could happen without permission from the HGA and that I had to accept the lesson. The people behind the campaign broke numerous laws in acts of seemingly pure malice. On the surface I had every right to bring a lawsuit or wreak some form of retribution, but part of me recognized they unwittingly did a big favor in that their actions caused a needed change in lifestyle that I was unable to do so on my own. Most importantly the experience brought heightened awareness of the consequences of straying from attention toward the HGA.
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of solar invoking to fully heal myself from the memory of the experience. If I may ask a few technical questions. I understand the logic behind the Adept commanding demons to swear allegiance to his or her HGA. My questions:
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in the objective spiritual dimension, are the demons already subservient to the HGA and is this act of forcing them to swear allegiance a formalization of an already-existing hierarchical relationship? Or do the demons become subservient *through the act *of the Adept forcing them to swear allegiance to the HGA? It’s subtle point - a question of how purification works. That is, whether the Adept has to only read the signs and respond passively to circumstances to draw closer to the HGA or whether the Adept must slash and burn his way through the infernal realm, subjugating demons, to work step-by-step toward the HGA?
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After the Adept forces the demons to swear allegiance to the HGA, do they come to him naturally over time or does he have to hunt them down?
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What do the demons get out of swearing allegiance to someone’s HGA? Are they participating in the redemption of the Adept by helping a human attain KCHGA? That is, does an Adept pass through the infernal realm in which the demons are condemned to stay and act as initiatory forces to move the Adept toward the HGA? Or is the Adept’s passage through the infernal realm a gradual psychological process of integrating the sub-demons in his own mind back into the Four Crown Princes and then integrating the Four Crown Princes back into himself to finally meet his HGA – i.e. toward the full realization that the Adept had* created his own Hell* but his mind is no longer subject to division and its shadows?
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@he atlas itch said
"1) in the objective spiritual dimension, are the demons already subservient to the HGA and is this act of forcing them to swear allegiance a formalization of an already-existing hierarchical relationship?"
If they were, it would be a waste of perfectly good magick. No, I don't think they are.
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It varies with individual circumstances. In the orthodox presentation, one is given four spirits to be with one always as personal servitors.BTW, in my own case there were a few years between the K&C (at the climax of what was essentially a Liber VIII form of the classic Abramelin working) and this swearing of the Princes etc. The latter, in fact, was part of my formal transition to 6=5. (At the climax of the 5=6 operation, I asked about it and the Angel said, "Not now.") That seemed strange until I revisited the book; I came to think that was the actual meaning. After one has attained the K&C of the HGA, it is this other work that gives one access to the magical powers of Part III of the book - Abramelin's catalogue of siddhi, so to speak - which is a 6=5 prerogative. It's as if the book compresses those stagees artificially, but essentially preserves a map of the way. So I tend to relate this whole "demon" part of the process with the "journey through Hell" aspects of Adeptus Major.
"3) What do the demons get out of swearing allegiance to someone’s HGA?"
Remember, the individual spirits are naturally in obedience to the Sub-Princes, of whom they are essentially aspects (sharing in astral appearance for the most part, for example); and the Sub-Princes are naturally in obedience to the Princes. The critical act is in swearing the Princes. In that hour, there is functionally no difference (certainly not to the Adept!) between the HGA and what anyone might call God. So your question translates to, "Why would the 4 great Princes of 'all the evil of the world' swear obedience to God?" And the answer is: "Well, damn, it's God!"
Or to put it in other terms: The HGA has THAT magnitude of spiritual authority!
"Are they participating in the redemption of the Adept by helping a human attain KCHGA?"
Nope. That's a done deal already.
"That is, does an Adept pass through the infernal realm in which the demons are condemned to stay and act as initiatory forces to move the Adept toward the HGA?"
To move closer, yes. Remember that, having attained the K&C of the HGA and become what A.'.A.'. calls an Adeptus Minor Within, one continues in two more grades of Adepthood before the confrontation of the Abyss; and those grades, despite seeming quite different from each other, are a progressive deepening of the union between the Adept and the Angel. Remember also that "hell" just means "the hidden;" it is a term for subconsciousness, and the inner journey in general. In my experience, the 6=5 grade deals as deeply with the infernal (with the Angel's guidance and companionship) as the 5=6 did with the supernal. (That's why I used the floor of trhe Vault of the Adepts as an illustraition in the 6=5 chapter of the book.)
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@he atlas itch said
"Trust me, I am not so interested claiming any attainment. It's more pragmatic, knowing how to cope techniques, that interest me.
I intellectually understand the bigger implications of what's going on. One only need look at the fact that Tipareth = HGA and that implies dominion over the Four Crown Princes of Hell. In the past a certain momentum would build up, more and more synchronicities, signs all around me, and then I would suddenly become aware of the fact of these highly intelligent forces, acting through events and people, with the horrifying realization it's all very personal and directed toward me. That's when the shit would hit the fan and ordeals commence. This happened at least twice to me. I would love to say that I'm being overly paranoid or a megalomaniac but, regrettably, that is not the case.
I'm sure some of you can relate to what I'm talking about. So my question is, do these forces ever back off? Or are they part and parcel of the Yetziratic terrain and sending initiatory currents to work through, and which only intensify as you work up the Tree? Perhaps it's not quite accurate to call these forces "evil", but they are definitely more intelligent and vaster than me and consequently I feel like I am their plaything. If you confront and allow the experience to devour you, do these forces ever show a benevolent angelic side?"
I went through a stage very much like this not too long ago.
What I discovered was this:
a.) My Magical work stirred my subconscious violently, with the effect that I was overwhelmed by impressions, fears, paranoias, etc. As I realized my True Will, I also realized much that wasn't in conformity with my Work. Here was struggle, and conflict, and harship.
b.) This result was merely the external manifestation of problems long latent.
c.) This confrontation, though trying, had the final effect of trying and strengthening my resolve. At times I thought I had really gone mad, but I am now more at home than every with my psyche.
Remember this: keep to the balance. Really go into the LBRP; meditate on the angelic names, lay them out in the Tarot; permeate your being with their holiness and grace. Give yourself virgin to the divine, and your sufferings will diminish.
Your are passing through what in Magical terms would be called an Ordeal. There is an end to every suffering--keep on, and do the Work!
93
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Hi Jim:
***If they were, it would be a waste of perfectly good magick. No, I don't think they are.
That reminds me of the story of Padmasambhava who exorcised the local demons of Tibet and bound them to an oath, transforming them into guardians of the dharma.
Do you have any views on how an Adept who has bound the demons into service to the HGA should act when travelling through a foreign country and encountering local principalities – e.g. the loas of Haiti? I imagine the Adept’s presence alone would cause a “disturbance in the Force” – even the act of doing the LBRP attracts attention on the astral. Should one act like the Rosicrucians and “wear the clothes of the country they visit”, or adopt the missionary position? What constitutes correct comportment in these circumstances with regard to the New Aeon?
In the orthodox presentation, one is given four spirits to be with one always as personal servitors
Are these four spirits the archangels of the LBRP?
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Nope. That's a done deal already*By “done deal” I assume you mean the Adept’s union with the HGA is guaranteed once the demons are bound into allegiance to the HGA. I cannot imagine how anyone would summon the courage to undertake the task - unless there is a logic to the A.A. grade system. By the time the Adept is faced with this task, does the fact of their advancement beyond the World of Yetzirah render them immune to emotions and fears and thus able to undertake the journey?
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Hi JPF:
The ordeals happened 3 years ago – I’m still riding out the effects and trying to make sense of them, especially since I want to resume a magickal regime. Maybe you can give insight into something that puzzles me whenever I do the LBRP regularly:
The external world starts to feel like a continuous extension of my mind. Something I do at home reappears in the words of a colleague or friend or something I happen to see elsewhere. Or something I am thinking about suddenly appears in the news. Part of this is understandable, but these synchronicities only intensify as I continue with the LBRP regime.
When this first happened I thought I was losing my mind, that any notion of privacy had vanished, or I was undergoing an Abyss-like experience in which everything is a sign from the Universe to my soul. This momentum built up until it turned sinister, everything had a double-meaning that I could not decipher. I felt like others knew something and were hinting about it toward me. I started receiving more and more strange reactions from others toward myself but unable to discern why. It gets to a point where other people seem like cut-outs, two dimensional figures, and the entire world is a film set or elaborate ruse, where everything is trying to tell me something. But I can’t decipher the message.
Twice the momentum built up and until my world imploded in an ordeal in which I finally “got” the all-too real message. Now I want to understand this sensation of the world being a direct extension of mind as it's starting up again as I resume doing the LBRP regularly.
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@he atlas itch said
"Do you have any views on how an Adept who has bound the demons into service to the HGA should act when travelling through a foreign country and encountering local principalities – e.g. the loas of Haiti? I imagine the Adept’s presence alone would cause a “disturbance in the Force” – even the act of doing the LBRP attracts attention on the astral. Should one act like the Rosicrucians and “wear the clothes of the country they visit”, or adopt the missionary position? What constitutes correct comportment in these circumstances with regard to the New Aeon?"
No single rule, I think, beyond remaining true to oneself and acting with integrity.
I've never had much problem moving through other pantheons. Even when an "outsider," there is an instinct for what is occurring. Sometimes one just goes about one's own business. Sometimes one is prompted to vary a working method. There are going to be a lot of Westerners in the region anyway, in most cases, so you would hardly be the only thing that local spirits have to navigate around.
"In the orthodox presentation, one is given four spirits to be with one always as personal servitors
Are these four spirits the archangels of the LBRP?"
No. They are unique to each person. In the orthodox presentation, they are spirits from the lists that Abramelin listed as serving directly the Sub-Princes. (There is also a variation of this that is known to the VIII° O.T.O.)
"Nope. That's a done deal already
By “done deal” I assume you mean the Adept’s union with the HGA is guaranteed once the demons are bound into allegiance to the HGA."
No. I mean you have the time sequence wrong. The work with the Princes, Sub-Princes, and spirits isn't undertaken until after the K&C of the HGA has been fully attained. Literally a "done deal," all pretty and packaged with golden rapid paper and a rose-pink bow.
"I cannot imagine how anyone would summon the courage to undertake the task - unless there is a logic to the A.A. grade system. By the time the Adept is faced with this task, does the fact of their advancement beyond the World of Yetzirah render them immune to emotions and fears and thus able to undertake the journey?"
It certainly alters one's relationship to them. But the Yetziratic part of quite minor compared to the earlier step of the four Princes. These are Briatic beings of vast and august scope. Once that's done, one has a further "leg up" on the Sub-Princes (which are a big more horrific in aspect, though); and once that is done, then the spirits are a minor thing, mostly done by ordering the Sub-Princes to present their troops for review and swearing them en masse.
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Thanks Jim - I appreciate you taking the time to explain it. I see I had the sequence wrong - first KCHGA, and then binding the Sub-princes and Crown Princes. So I presume that means until the Adept attains to Tiphareth, he should not attempt to confront these forces, but control and adapt his own behavior.
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@he atlas itch said
"Thanks Jim - I appreciate you taking the time to explain it. I see I had the sequence wrong - first KCHGA, and then binding the Sub-princes and Crown Princes. So I presume that means until the Adept attains to Tiphareth, he should not attempt to confront these forces, but control and adapt his own behavior."
The latter is the surer approach, yes. (I'm not going to give a definitive, one-size-fits-all answer to the first question.)
If this sort of thing interests you, I suggest you actually read The Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage to understand exactly what it says.
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I've had Abramelin on my bookshelf for years, but it's the ONE book in my library I'm wary of and don't like to leave lying around.
If demons are shards from the shattering of Adam Qadmon, would you say the Adept's act of swearing their allegiance to the HGA is on par with the restorative act of tikkun? That is, the piecing back together of primordial Man under the authority of the HGA?
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@he atlas itch said
"If demons are shards from the shattering of Adam Qadmon, would you say the Adept's act of swearing their allegiance to the HGA is on par with the restorative act of tikkun? That is, the piecing back together of primordial Man under the authority of the HGA?"
That depends on the original If, doesn't it?