Astral Attacks
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If one were to encounter an attack on the astral what would be a way to defend oneself? I realize that they could very well be manifestations of the unconscious but quite frankly when you feel like you're being choked in your sleep or intimidated by a malevolent being of some sort it really doesn't matter. Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
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disclaimer: i have never officially "astral projected" so take everything i say with a grain of salt.
with that said: from what little i've learned about the astral, i know that banishing pentagrams (the "generic earth" one, i believe) are useful if you are very comfortable with them, as are the Banners of the East and West (google them for pictures - you just form them around you with your will). finally, asking the being its name could prove helpful, as it may lie to you and disperse or weaken, and if it tells the truth you may have some idea on how to deal with it.
this is all information i gleaned from the Ciceros' additions to Regardie's A Garden of Pomegranates, so i would assume that these are all Golden Dawn techniques.
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As a general guide... this issue should have been taken care of before setting out in the first place (with appropriate banishings etc., following a period of overall fortification of oneself on several planes). But, when that's not the case, or not enough...
Yes, the Pentagram Ritual is a powerful protection, and a single pentagram (charged) with a Divine Name can be so as well. Probably the fastest protection, though, is to suddenly assume (physically but especially astrally) the god-form of Harpocrates within the egg. Both this god-form and the egg provide very substantial protection, and at least buys you a couple of minutes to assess the situation and decide what to do next.
There are a number of protective advantages - special oils, special knowledge, special gestures and keys. But the above should cover the basics.
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OH wow! cool responses. I have read about the single pentagram technique but will look into the others mentioned. I have not been doing my usual banishing work this weekend because I was sick.
Basically what happened was I was asleep and a female entity came up and tapped me on the third eye and I went into paralysis. It felt like I was being physically choked! Ive heard about the legend of the the "Grey Lady" but it's a lot scarier when it happens to you. What's the Thelemic take on the grey lady?
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@pinealman said
"OH wow! cool responses. I have read about the single pentagram technique but will look into the others mentioned. I have not been doing my usual banishing work this weekend because I was sick. "
(1) Never do astral work without a preliminary pentagram ritual.
(2) Never do astral work when you're sick!"Basically what happened was I was asleep and a female entity came up and tapped me on the third eye and I went into paralysis. It felt like I was being physically choked! Ive heard about the legend of the the "Grey Lady" but it's a lot scarier when it happens to you. What's the Thelemic take on the grey lady?"
Oh, I see. It was inadvertent. Nonetheless, it gave you the chance to learn (and me the chance to say) something important enough to repeat: Never do astral work when you're sick!
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@pinealman said
"Basically what happened was I was asleep and a female entity came up and tapped me on the third eye and I went into paralysis. It felt like I was being physically choked! Ive heard about the legend of the the "Grey Lady" but it's a lot scarier when it happens to you. What's the Thelemic take on the grey lady?"
Not sure about being tapped on the third eye, but it sounds similar to a Sleep Paralysis attack, The Old Hag (sorry Veronica
) of Legend. -
FYI, Poet, the 'third eye' is the lunar chakra.
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Oh snap! It seems I have been "hagridden!" Check this out...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hag -
Hi Jim, where does that correspondence come from?
I'll admit an ignorance in my earlier studies in dismissing planetary/astrological symbolism as bunkum for tabloids (working on catch-up, especially given recent Moon symbolism in my work)
But I thought the Chakras could be plotted on the Tree of Life, which would place Lunar down in Yesod.
Not being too familiar with Chakras yet, how do the 2 contrast/compare?Thanks.
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@pinealman said
"Oh snap! It seems I have been "hagridden!" Check this out...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hag"I was "cursed" by Paralysis Attacks for most of my youth/teen years, often multiple times a night.
Later, through discovering the wonderful Professor Al Cheyne and his work on the phenomenon I found that an attack was in many ways a blessing for those who were prepared to "go with the flow" as it were..... -
This is another interesting perspective...
www.mythome.org/OldHag.html -
Methinks there is a thread on "Sleep Paralysis" in the Dreams forum which may be of interest.
I myself underwent a period of nightly paralysis after certain experiments with ketamine. At first the experience was terrifying, but a little research proved that the phenomenon, in addition to being universal, has more to do with psychic chemistry than any ghost or goblin. A little further research was enough to convince me that Sleep Paralysis is the cause behind most reports of alien abduction, possession, etc.
Once mastered, the state of SP is actually rather opportunistic. Those "afflicted" would do well to realize that they hold the key to the astral realm. The only difference between the paralytic and the adept is that the adept has control of this mysterious power.
Those experiencing this state spontaneously would do well to undergo the recommended banishing before sleep. It is also good to burn sage. Also, over the counter cold medications aggravate symptoms, as does alchohol and opiate intoxication/withdrawal. Cannabis does much to alleviate symptoms, as does herbal tea such as chamomile and mint. Ketamine is not recommended.
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Yes JPF, the sleep paralysis post was an interesting read. I never considered the correlation between alien abuctions and the Old Hag phenonena. Now I will. = ] Also, I would love to hear more about how you mastered sleep paralysis or if you could recommend any good books on the subject.
After reading some of the irish fables about the Old Hag I began to wonder if this could be approached from a Jungian perspective. Could she be a manifestation of the anima archetype? Or perhaps the anima and shadow archetypes combined? If so could this phenomena be an opportunity to reconcile rejected or repressed aspects of self?
In the fable "The Beast to the Blond", the hero agrees to marry the hag in exchange for the answer of what women really want. What women really want in this story is basically to be accepted as they are and so for him marry her at her absolute most undesirable state can be liken to a kind of trial of acceptance. She farts and burps during the wedding and is overly honest with the guests. Yet he accepts her anyway and she is transformed into a beautiful young woman and all that happily ever after stuff.
So if the anima (if you are a man) is the idealized idea of your feminine self and the side of you that would burp and fart at a wedding or be overly honest with the guests would be the shadow aspect of self (or simply me when Im drunk! haha! ) then the Old Hag I'm thinking would be a fusion of the shadow and anima. If this is the same Old Hag who sits on peoples chest at night and causes sleep paralysis, then wouldnt this be an opportunity to reconcile these rejected aspects of self?
My first instinct was to learn how to fight back on the astral, but what if this "Old Hag" is an aspect of my own unconscious? Wouldn't a better approach be to propose marriage?? ahahaha! Food for thought.
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Good instincts. I think you're looking for the "rejected anima".
Yes, it's the rejection that initially causes her to be the Lilith we know. Over time, repression and suppression can turn her into quite a deformed part of ourselves. Functionally, guys tend to reject the anima as part of the entry into 'manhood', and, according to Jung, we can skate by OK through our 20s, but she needs to be rehabilitated and integrated by about 30, hopefully...
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If the "witches are riding you" as the old tale goes...
it may just mean that you are near the state of astral separation.
It may mean that you are a natural astral projector. Those who are terrified of the thought of consciously exploring the astral realm might try something like Sominex, or a sleeping pill. Those with a more adventuresome spirit can learn how to complete the projection exercise. There is a lot of material out there on how to do this.
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What if the experience of being "hagridden" is actually a manifestation of unconscious archetypes? If you perceived this as an attack from some sort of malevolent being or magickal attack from some magician you pissed off, naturally you would want to perform a banishing, right? However, if the "Old Hag" is really a manifestation of your own unconscious then what would happen if you were to perform a banishing on an aspect of yourself?
It seems to me you would only be repressing these sides of yourself even deeper. According to Carl Jung, the anima and especially the shadow are created by repressed or rejected sides of ourselves. So if you are being hagridden, it seems to me you are being presented with an opportunity to experience the reconciliation of opposites. Jung also refers a lot the the alchemical concept of the "Coniuntio" or "the sacred marriage."
Instead of banishing the Old Hag as a form of self defense shouldn't we be proposing marriage? An offering of unconditional love and acceptance of repressed aspects off self.
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@Iugum said
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"Instead of banishing the Old Hag as a form of self defense shouldn't we be proposing marriage? An offering of unconditional love and acceptance of repressed aspects off self."
If you enjoy sleep paralysis than yes, go ahead and marry it. But if it is something which you do not enjoy then you would probably not benefit by exaggerating, empowering, aiding and uniting with it, that would more than likely only intensify the situation."
There is however a definite benefit (to the cautious at least) to giving in to the attack rather than struggling against it.
As was found at the University of Waterloo, many sufferers who were able to stop fighting the attack were then very often propelled into an OOBE. Something I can definitely confirm from experience.It seems it offers a convenient shortcut for some.
For me, even though it is years since I last had one, I no longer regard the attacks with fear, but as an opportunity.
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@Jim Eshelman said
"FYI, Poet, the 'third eye' is the lunar chakra."
Anyone know how/why the chakra places Lunar there, but the Tree of Life places it lower in Yesod?
Do the 2 systems have a different interpretation of the planets, or is there some common link?Thanks.
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@Poe said
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@Jim Eshelman said
"FYI, Poet, the 'third eye' is the lunar chakra."Anyone know how/why the chakra places Lunar there, but the Tree of Life places it lower in Yesod?
Do the 2 systems have a different interpretation of the planets, or is there some common link?"The primary connection is to the plantary paths. The chakra association is to the seven double letters, from top to bottom, except that (for doctrinal, developermental, and energic reasons) anahatta comes second.
There are multiple simultaneously-useful ways of correlating the Tree to chakras. These are given, with brief explanation, in Col. 1305 of 776 1/2.
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The idea of sleep paralysis being something "evil" has to do with Old Aeon conceptions. The phenomenon provided a convenient foundation for such superstitions; and it was for this reason the church attributed SP to succubi and incubi. The Christian church, in its ongoing efforts to propogate illusion and fear, perpetrated the idea that SP was a form of "attack" or "possession." In addition, most primitive cultures associate SP with some sort of demonic or malevolent being.
Now we know better. SP is in reality a spontaneous astral projection. The phenomenon is regarded with fear only because the experience itself is rather uncomfortable. Most fight the experience; the feeling of being sucked out of one's skin is by no means pleasant. But after a while it becomes like taking off a pair of dirty jeans, and the transition is more fluid.
Sweet dreams.
