“Black magic and the left-hand path serve ego and lead away from the True Self and the True Will, yet he is essentially saying that you can rise ever higher on the evolutionary ladder by submerging yourself in the primitive qliphothic primeval slime beneath the Ladder of Lights. Those above the abyss are capable of this, in a different manner, but for those below the abyss this is sheer nonsense.1 ”
Before we begin, it is necessary to establish a common understanding of the essential natures of the right hand path and left hand path perspectives. Although historical origins are interesting, at this juncture we shall confine ourselves with current definitions. While specific associations vary from tradition to tradition and occasionally within specific traditions, the essential distinction lies in the basic assumption or rejection of various forms of dualism and the values that derive from those assumptions. In the interest of clarity, select sub-beliefs such as the Dianic and Theistic Satanic corpus will be left unexamined.
One basic assumption that forms the foundation of these belief systems is whether the individual or organization in question subscribes to the duality of absolute good and absolute evil. Right hand path philosophies typically have a strong adherence to the belief in the duality of absolute good and evil. Often this belief is shared by many monotheistic religions and this certainty of absolute good or evil is the foundation for rules of conduct and other practices that allow a rigid standard of determining good and evil within a larger community. By contrast, the left hand path stresses that good and evil are relative, a continuum of shades of gray. This moral relativism means that with exceptions moral judgments are largely personal interpretations, leading to an acceptance of more flexible interpretations of good and evil when considering personal acts or the acts of others.
A second basic duality underlying the essential difference between these two schools of thought is esoteric or exoteric authority. The left hand path initiatory school of thought is esoteric, meaning that it is tacitly or explicitly understood that the path to spiritual perfection can be found by looking in and perfecting the self, cultivating self-awareness by a growing understanding of one’s inner nature and ultimate responsibility for success and failure is the sole provenance of the practitioner. Others may provide guidelines or one may choose to use an individual as an example, but it is a purely personal choice.
By contrast, the right hand path series of thought is primarily exoteric in nature, deriving validity from an outside source which is typically a god/goddess or higher principle such as Justice. For example, the right-hand religion of Christianity derives the validity of their initiatory path by adherence to the principles exemplified by Jesus Christ, with followers seeking to become more Christlike and consequently more in accordance to His will. Although not always, the mechanism of this relationship is submission to Jesus Christ, to essentially become an avatar of him on earth. Some right-hand path schools of thought combine elements of exoteric and esoteric assumptions, such as various manifestations of Western ceremonial orders such as the A. A. and others. In organizations of this type, the same esoteric self-examination and self-perfection is explicitly part and parcel of the initiatory process, but derives spiritual authority and validity ultimately through exoteric means.
The third and final major distinction between right hand and left hand path is the status of the ego in the practice of the respective traditions. This is perhaps the most difficult to present. Right hand path philosophies are surprisingly consistent in their identification of the ego as an obstacle to be overcome. These traditions seek to overcome the ego, to erode it, to excise it, overpower it or by various mechanisms allow it to serve the allied higher power or principle or be obliterated in its entirety, allowing that higher power or principle to manifest through the now-perfected vessel.
By contrast, the left hand path of initiation has varying views of the role of the ego at various stages of development. During the period of development characterized by initial magickal development before the experience which in the Golden Dawn traditions is typically referred to as the CHGA, the ego is idealized as the primary, driving force of magickal power and the road to initiatory experience. This period is typically characterized by the expansion of the personality by the systematic process of accessing and assimilating unconscious and repressed elements of the psyche into a whole united by the ego. By the use of the ego as the uniting force which assimilates these emerging elements, it typically hypertrophies with results typically identified with scorn by right hand path devotees.
The Changing Role of Ego in Left Hand Path Initiation
As previously mentioned, prior to the interval of development associated with the sephira of Tiphareth is concerned with the integration of the complete psyche under the aegis of the ego with the common but not necessary occurrence of egoic hypertrophy. However, the role of the ego in the left hand path initiatory pattern must necessarily change, manifesting in two successor phases corresponding to the interval after successful invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel and the Crossing of the Abyss. These are changes both in the perceived role and the manifestation of the ego, and are necessary preconditions in order to achieve final maturation.
In both right hand and left hand path perspectives, the initial success of the Conversation is a milestone of sorts, and reflects the beginning of a new phase of development. During this interval and ending with the initiation of the Abyss experience, the right hand path and its emphasis on disempowerment or more accurately disidentification with the ego serves well. However, in the case of the left hand path initiate and its focus until this interval with empowering the ego a new approach must be learned that does not conflict with personal mores but eases the apparent conflict between identifying with the ego and seeking to expand the psyche to encompass the archetypal true self.
The resolution to this apparent conflict is to begin the process of ceasing to exclusively identify with the ego and to begin also identifying with aspects of the Holy Guardian Angel, or idealized self as archetype. This is not an expansion of the ego, but rather an expansion of the self by identifying with additional and formerly repressed manifestations of the emergent personality in a new crystallization.
1 Frater Keallach 93/676. “Michael Aquino - Part I” Encyclical Letter May 1987 E.V., Anno LXXXIII
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