Astral Attacks
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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.
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@Iugum said
"Banishing "an aspect of yourself" is not a bad thing especially if this aspect is one which causes discomfort, paranoia, pain (emotional or physical), jealousy, laziness, etc. Say (for example) the impulse of sexual violence towards the opposite sex is something you enjoy acting upon, an aspect of yourself, a part of your character, that doesn't mean that you should not attempt to "banish" or correct this trait, quite the opposite. Just because this is an aspect of you that does not mean it should go unchecked or uncorrected simply because it is of you. "
According to the Law of Conservation, energy can not be created or destroyed but can change it's form. Energy is -- period. "Banishing" as I understand it does not mean to completely annihilate energy, it simply displaces it away from the here and now. This can be invaluable to ceremonial magickians as a means of clearing one's space or clearing one's mind before a ritual or any (temporary) situation, really. The idea that one can banish as a means of correcting a character trait to me sounds like this character defect gets suddenly blasted into oblivian, never to return. Nothing could be further from the truth.
According to the Law of Opposites, everything in existence is a combination or unity of opposites. If this is true, than every idea you have about yourself (the ego) will always have an equal opposite (the unconscious aspects of self). If you banish a character trait you do not find acceptable, you are essentially suppressing that side of yourself. This is how the shadow aspect of self has been created in the first place. If I am right that the manifestation of the Old Hag is a combination of the shadow and anima then every time you banish an undesirable character trait you simply make her more powerful. It seems to me that integration would make more sense.
Jungian psychologists offer a solution to this called "active imagination" which to a ceremonial magickian should come very easily. Another even easier approach would be to buy a blank canvass a simply "project" the shadow onto the canvass with paints. This allows you to acknowledge repressed aspects of self in a safe and controlled setting. You could also use music, poetry, automatic writing, etc. And then banish! haha! My hope is that all of you be free of sleep paralysis. Or even better learn to like it!
"What you resist, persists," and what you accept, you neutralize.
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I do have a question on this subject.
Jim said
"2) Never do astral work when you're sick!"
that just applies to astral vision and traveling right? LBRP and meditation is still ok? im asking because at the moment i am sick with sinus and chest congestion
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@Alias55A said
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"2) Never do astral work when you're sick!"that just applies to astral vision and traveling right? LBRP and meditation is still ok? im asking because at the moment i am sick with sinus and chest congestion"
Yes, that's what I meant.