Attachment is an interesting concept. We are attached to our lovers, pets, jobs, possessions and illimitable other things. Attachment can be understood not as "me" but more accurately as "mine". In this context, attachments imply ownership, sovereignty, dominion. I have a book given to me by my father several years ago. It was his, and shows decades of use in the worn bindings and yellowing pages. However, the book has sentimental meaning for me. Is this attachment? Of course it is. I am perfectly aware that if the book is burned tomorrow or is lost that my physical being will not be damaged, and any mental distress I suffer will only be that which I allow by one means or another.
It is the awareness of attachments that is important. All attachments are voluntarily accepted on one level or another, even if the acceptance was unconscious or the reasons obscure. However, the power of those attachments to rule us is entirely dictated by our awareness of the attachments, as only with knowledge can one choose to either maintain or release that attachment, or to mandate what power it embodies.
One of the most pernicious attachments one must eventually encounter is the attachment to the ego. The ego may be loosely defined as the conscious mind and the apparent personality of the individual. The ego uses reason and other faculties to satisfy the desires of the mind, but who is really minding the store? Is the ego the complete self? Of course not. The ego is a convenient interface of the mind to the universe, again the conscious self that seeks to achieve the desires of the mind when possible and to override them when necessary. The ego deals with desires from conscious and unconscious elements, including suppressed ones and even the desires of the ego itself.
Most people confuse the ego for the self, which is like confusing the receptionist at the front desk for the corporation. People seldom expend the time and patience to explore and integrate the shadow, or to relive and accept traumatic memories and so bring these components into the realm of the conscious instead of the recesses of the unconscious and suppressed unconscious. It is a process of growth, where the whole of yesterday is expanded to become part of a larger whole today. Bringing unconscious elements into the conscious does not mean the ego expands, although that can happen, but rather that there are more and more conscious elements of the self present. This results in a change in the relationships in the mind. With the conscious contents of the self expanding there is a correspondingly smaller percentage of ego. This is not to say the ego gets smaller, but rather that the percentage of the conscious mind that is ego is proportionately smaller due to growth. As the conscious self continues to emerge, the self must give us exclusive identification with the ego.
This is a critical stage. As one ages, this cessation of exclusive identification with the ego allows for further development. With the egoic focus on the satisfaction of desires no longer the exclusive motivator, love for others can manifest to a greater degree and one can to varying degrees emerge into transpersonal awareness. Concern for others, community, nations and global units begins to emerge. Note the parallel here in that the (self) concerns of yesterday expand into the (transpersonal) concerns of tomorrow.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Perspectives on RHP and LHP Thought
“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
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
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Path to Mastery
In the Western Tradition of Magick there is an event known as ‘Crossing the Abyss’, which marks a certain milestone in the magician’s magical career. However, due to a considerable dearth of information on the subject the general conception of the phenomena ranges from undergoing a personal depression to an actual dragging of the unfortunate into Hell. However, based on my own personal experience and that of others, I can tell you that crossing the abyss is a metaphor for a process of realization. The realization is not specific to a particular tradition or even the magical mindset, but is a personal event recognized in various forms thoughout history.
The Path of Mastery
The path of Mastery in the Western tradition is not to be understood as a system of trials and rewards. Rather, it is a process of growing understanding, often undertaken without conscious choice, that results in the ability to perceive reality as the Absolute reality. Let me clear up a small point of common definitions here. Awareness is defined for the purposes of this missive as the original state of mind, before it mistook the emerging personality construct for itself and identified with it. It is the receptive state of not-knowing. Consciousness is the state of recognition of an object, whether it is a rock nearby, a memory or an itching of the earlobe. Mind is defined as thinking about an object.
The problem with the everday “waking” mentality is that everyday consciousness as defined above puts the entire world into an “us and them” context. We recognize Steven’s shoes, my keys, her groceries and so forth. A subtler problem is the nature of this mine/not mine distinction because it is an artifact of the ego, a self-sustaining mechanism that keeps the mind in an egocentric context. In essence, the world is divided into “me” and “not-me”. However, when one recognizes that one’s thoughts, possessions and tasks to perform, as well as those of everyone else in this world and indeed all of the universe are nothing but objects in consciousness, it is a complete liberation. You have thoughts, but you are not your thoughts. You have possessions, but you are not your possessions. You have tasks, but you are not your tasks. The recognition that all save the base Awareness are merely objects of consciousness, mere constructs removes feelings of attachment. Fundamental changes in perception take place, as ownership issues are deprioritized or fall away completely.
States and Stages
A recent review of the NewAeon publication provoked a memory of an observation I made in the past. One commonly misunderstood aspect of initiation is the nature of consciousness itself. Consciousness is not monolithic, and changes in consciousness often manifest in surges curiously reminiscent of waves beating on the surf. During the rites and meditations it is possible and even necessary to exalt consciousness, but all too quickly this fades although insights or partial manifestations of this state may linger. The 7=4 initiation is an example of this. However, people including even many promising adepts often mistake a temporarily elevated state of consciousness for a stage of consciousness, the former being temporary and the latter being either a permanent evolution or revolution of understanding. These are not to be understood as separate phenomena, but rather a scale starting with a “peak experience” state, moving through a plateau stage of increasing indwelling with this new understanding and finally reaching the stable state of permanent assimilation.
The successful attainment of a state is not necessary for the eventual attainment of a stage, but serves to "grease the wheels" in a metaphysical sense by providing the glimmer of Understanding necessary. It is safe to say that an initiation does not provide for attainment, but serves to reflect recognition of an attainment or to provide that state that serves as a guidepost for the eventual stage of development. The achieved state should be a goad to further effort, not the signal that it is time to necessarily stop and integrate new knowledge into a presumed whole on the way to Mastery. The admonition to "Invoke Often" also applies to achieving these exalted states again and again, so that the adept can plateau and eventually stabilize at the new stage.
Silent Witness
As mentioned above, the essential awareness that is the characteristic of Mastery is that all phenomena, even the perception of the personal self are objects in consciousness. For example, when enjoying the scent of a rose it is easily understood that the aroma we are experiencing is nothing more than chemical stimulation of certain centers of the brain, and that emotional connotations and memories are also understood in the same sense. Similarly, the perception of time is an object of consciousness; when thinking about tomorrow we are doing that thinking in the here and now. The ability to experience the universe with the prime awareness is often referred to as the Silent Witness or the Impersonal Witness. This awareness of the Self is an experience that a stupendous vastness, an absolute silence, a complete impersonality, and a singularly clear but absolutely uninvolved awareness of everything. One is merely a witness, a silent and unchanging witness. This is a direct insight, not the result of a conscious thought process but rather of a metaconscious process.
The Crossing
The concept of the Abyss has been so filled with flowery and turgid prose as to be almost deliberately misleading to the reader. The experience of the Abyss is the emergence of the feelings of disgust, fear and confusion that are a necessary part of growing to Mastery. Just as a child experiences fear and anxiety during separation from the breast of the mother at one stage of development and follows it later with fear and anxiety as they learn to cope with communicating with others and their burgeoning emotions, so does the adept face their trials. Consider that your mind is attempting to let go of the boundaries of self and not-self, of the distinction between yesterday and tomorrow, and the underlying assumption that the ego is not actually the self and you will understand why this is so terrifying. It is among other things the death of the ego, or to be more specific the exclusive identification with the ego.
In some cases, these fears and anxieties are anthropomorphized to some degree in the manifestation of Choronzon. The actual manifestation is specific to each individual, but the process for overcoming it is straightforward. As a object in consciousness, silence and acceptance of this manifestation (or the unembodied manifestations of the fears Choronzon represents) are the means to not defeat him, not to temporarily become him (as Crowley wrote) but to accept him. Acceptance becomes integration, and the beast at this level is gone.
Magister Templi or Master of the Temple (8°=3°)
“The principal business of this grade is to obtain a perfect understanding of the Universe. The essential Attainment is the perfect annihilation of that personality which limits and oppresses his true self. The Magister Templi is pre-eminently the Master of Mysticism, that is, his Understanding is entirely free from internal contradiction or external obscurity; his Word is to comprehend the existing Universe in accordance with his own Mind. This grade corresponds to Binah on the Tree of Life.”
The above quotation is the “classic” definition of the Master of the Temple, the basic enlightened state. However, while elegantly written it is not terribly straightforward in what the hallmarks of the Master is. For one, the assertion that the attainment is “the essential annihilation of that personality which limits and oppresses his true self” must be clearly misunderstood as potentially dangerously misleading. The process of evolution toward Mastery is essentially a process of synthesis and growth, where the presumed whole becomes part of another larger whole. As we mature, we move from identification of the self from the body as children but later identify the self with the ego. The body didn’t disappear, but we no longer exclusively identified with it. As we learn to confront and assimilate those repressed qualities of our natures, they too become part of the larger and integrated whole. So the process continues, integrating more and more of our minds including the spectrum of conscious and unconscious, achieving greater unities and arriving at more and more essential understandings of self.
At the stage of the experience identified with the birth of the Master of the Temple, the individual has an experience of the Silent Witness. In other words, the individual has an experience of an awareness without dualities such as now and then, his and hers, and most directly self and not-self. While the poverty of language does not fully convey the meaning of the experience, the essential experience removes boundaries, so that there is only the timeless moment of now, with no perception of self or not-self; the essential awareness, unchanging and unattached, recognizing all as objects of consciousness only, independent of intellect, memories or desire. The result of experiencing the absolute in my case was a feeling of detached serenity and intense flash of the classic “Eureka! I found it!” feeling when one receives a flash of insight. Others have described it as emptiness, bliss, a feeling of love for all things or an insight into the ultimate truth. In my case as well as in most of the other individuals whom I have encountered sharing this experience, it did not initially manifest in ritual or meditation, but rather manifested during the day during the most mundane of tasks. This is not to say that the meditations and ritual and not necessary pre-requisites, but that they serve to create the path. Only after the path exists can you walk on it. As previously stated, this is a state of consciousness. By definition this is a temporary experience, but an experience that can be repeated and in fact must be regularly.
The remainder of the classical definition of the grade of the Master of the Temple flows as a consequence of this experience. The observation that understanding is free of internal contradiction reflects in many cases work that should have been accomplished during the 7=4 period, where the conscious and unconscious elements of the mind have been integrated so far as possible. The reference to external obscurity reflects his growing awareness in consciousness that external objects are (along with internal ones) merely objects of consciousness, and this understanding requires a complete re-examination of the Universe in light of this development as the former symbols of consciousness are integrated as signs in the mind. Note that this grade like all others is a transitional stage, not to be confused with some eternal and unchanging; in many ways, this grade is a signpost that the work has well and truly begun, it will eventually flower into that of the Magus or even the Ipsissimus, but this is a continuum of experience that under the right conditions is self-correcting and self-sustaining.
Magus (9°=2°)
“The Magus seeks to attain Wisdom, declares his law, and is a Master of all Magick in its greatest and highest sense. His will is entirely free from internal diversion or external opposition; His work is to create a new Universe in accordance with his Will. This grade corresponds to Chokmah on the Tree of Life.”
The grade of Magus is the result of the Master continuing to regularly reach this experience, over time the process developing as a plateau consciousness. During this interval, the formerly peak experience of the absolute awareness intrudes more and more regularly into waking consciousness during period of mundane or magical activity. Consciousness continues to evolve and integrate this new understanding. The definition above states that part of the Work is to create a new Universe in accordance with his (or her) Will. The other part of the Western tradition also provides that the Magus must pronounce a suitable Word to initiate a new Aeon.
Nicely put, but flowery language always trades elegance for meaning. The Magus synthesizes his new understanding of the universe into a whole. To the Magus, this Word (or system of magick, or whatever the Magus chooses to encapsulate the essence of their new understanding), is then passed to others. This Word to others is only a symbol, and not the awareness of the Master. When the Magus was starting their magical career, they used magical seals, correspondences and other symbols to bring about developments in their consciousness, and the Magus returns the favor by providing new symbols to the emerging generation.
The advantage of this approach is that the symbols presented to students change over time, staying current with the times, and are more readily acceptable to modern minds. This in part explains why the Chaos Magick paradigm is more popular than the ceremonial traditions of the past or even the modern resurrections of older religions. the mentality of man changes over time, and symbols once of great value must be re-interpreted and new symbols defined that will be understood.
Ipsissimus (10°=1°)
“Beyond the comprehension of the lower degrees. An Ipsissimus is free from limitations and necessity and lives in perfect balance with the manifest universe. Essentially, the highest mode of attainment. This grade corresponds to Kether on the Tree of Life.”
This stage marks the culmination of the experience begun by the Master of the Temple. Here, the understanding achieved as a peak or plateau is not completely integrated into consciousness. With a unity consciousness, there is no further boundaries between self and not-self. Indeed, “All is accomplished”.
“From Many, to One, to All”
Frater Tehiru
Michael Aaron Eckhard
The Path of Mastery
The path of Mastery in the Western tradition is not to be understood as a system of trials and rewards. Rather, it is a process of growing understanding, often undertaken without conscious choice, that results in the ability to perceive reality as the Absolute reality. Let me clear up a small point of common definitions here. Awareness is defined for the purposes of this missive as the original state of mind, before it mistook the emerging personality construct for itself and identified with it. It is the receptive state of not-knowing. Consciousness is the state of recognition of an object, whether it is a rock nearby, a memory or an itching of the earlobe. Mind is defined as thinking about an object.
The problem with the everday “waking” mentality is that everyday consciousness as defined above puts the entire world into an “us and them” context. We recognize Steven’s shoes, my keys, her groceries and so forth. A subtler problem is the nature of this mine/not mine distinction because it is an artifact of the ego, a self-sustaining mechanism that keeps the mind in an egocentric context. In essence, the world is divided into “me” and “not-me”. However, when one recognizes that one’s thoughts, possessions and tasks to perform, as well as those of everyone else in this world and indeed all of the universe are nothing but objects in consciousness, it is a complete liberation. You have thoughts, but you are not your thoughts. You have possessions, but you are not your possessions. You have tasks, but you are not your tasks. The recognition that all save the base Awareness are merely objects of consciousness, mere constructs removes feelings of attachment. Fundamental changes in perception take place, as ownership issues are deprioritized or fall away completely.
States and Stages
A recent review of the NewAeon publication provoked a memory of an observation I made in the past. One commonly misunderstood aspect of initiation is the nature of consciousness itself. Consciousness is not monolithic, and changes in consciousness often manifest in surges curiously reminiscent of waves beating on the surf. During the rites and meditations it is possible and even necessary to exalt consciousness, but all too quickly this fades although insights or partial manifestations of this state may linger. The 7=4 initiation is an example of this. However, people including even many promising adepts often mistake a temporarily elevated state of consciousness for a stage of consciousness, the former being temporary and the latter being either a permanent evolution or revolution of understanding. These are not to be understood as separate phenomena, but rather a scale starting with a “peak experience” state, moving through a plateau stage of increasing indwelling with this new understanding and finally reaching the stable state of permanent assimilation.
The successful attainment of a state is not necessary for the eventual attainment of a stage, but serves to "grease the wheels" in a metaphysical sense by providing the glimmer of Understanding necessary. It is safe to say that an initiation does not provide for attainment, but serves to reflect recognition of an attainment or to provide that state that serves as a guidepost for the eventual stage of development. The achieved state should be a goad to further effort, not the signal that it is time to necessarily stop and integrate new knowledge into a presumed whole on the way to Mastery. The admonition to "Invoke Often" also applies to achieving these exalted states again and again, so that the adept can plateau and eventually stabilize at the new stage.
Silent Witness
As mentioned above, the essential awareness that is the characteristic of Mastery is that all phenomena, even the perception of the personal self are objects in consciousness. For example, when enjoying the scent of a rose it is easily understood that the aroma we are experiencing is nothing more than chemical stimulation of certain centers of the brain, and that emotional connotations and memories are also understood in the same sense. Similarly, the perception of time is an object of consciousness; when thinking about tomorrow we are doing that thinking in the here and now. The ability to experience the universe with the prime awareness is often referred to as the Silent Witness or the Impersonal Witness. This awareness of the Self is an experience that a stupendous vastness, an absolute silence, a complete impersonality, and a singularly clear but absolutely uninvolved awareness of everything. One is merely a witness, a silent and unchanging witness. This is a direct insight, not the result of a conscious thought process but rather of a metaconscious process.
The Crossing
The concept of the Abyss has been so filled with flowery and turgid prose as to be almost deliberately misleading to the reader. The experience of the Abyss is the emergence of the feelings of disgust, fear and confusion that are a necessary part of growing to Mastery. Just as a child experiences fear and anxiety during separation from the breast of the mother at one stage of development and follows it later with fear and anxiety as they learn to cope with communicating with others and their burgeoning emotions, so does the adept face their trials. Consider that your mind is attempting to let go of the boundaries of self and not-self, of the distinction between yesterday and tomorrow, and the underlying assumption that the ego is not actually the self and you will understand why this is so terrifying. It is among other things the death of the ego, or to be more specific the exclusive identification with the ego.
In some cases, these fears and anxieties are anthropomorphized to some degree in the manifestation of Choronzon. The actual manifestation is specific to each individual, but the process for overcoming it is straightforward. As a object in consciousness, silence and acceptance of this manifestation (or the unembodied manifestations of the fears Choronzon represents) are the means to not defeat him, not to temporarily become him (as Crowley wrote) but to accept him. Acceptance becomes integration, and the beast at this level is gone.
Magister Templi or Master of the Temple (8°=3°)
“The principal business of this grade is to obtain a perfect understanding of the Universe. The essential Attainment is the perfect annihilation of that personality which limits and oppresses his true self. The Magister Templi is pre-eminently the Master of Mysticism, that is, his Understanding is entirely free from internal contradiction or external obscurity; his Word is to comprehend the existing Universe in accordance with his own Mind. This grade corresponds to Binah on the Tree of Life.”
The above quotation is the “classic” definition of the Master of the Temple, the basic enlightened state. However, while elegantly written it is not terribly straightforward in what the hallmarks of the Master is. For one, the assertion that the attainment is “the essential annihilation of that personality which limits and oppresses his true self” must be clearly misunderstood as potentially dangerously misleading. The process of evolution toward Mastery is essentially a process of synthesis and growth, where the presumed whole becomes part of another larger whole. As we mature, we move from identification of the self from the body as children but later identify the self with the ego. The body didn’t disappear, but we no longer exclusively identified with it. As we learn to confront and assimilate those repressed qualities of our natures, they too become part of the larger and integrated whole. So the process continues, integrating more and more of our minds including the spectrum of conscious and unconscious, achieving greater unities and arriving at more and more essential understandings of self.
At the stage of the experience identified with the birth of the Master of the Temple, the individual has an experience of the Silent Witness. In other words, the individual has an experience of an awareness without dualities such as now and then, his and hers, and most directly self and not-self. While the poverty of language does not fully convey the meaning of the experience, the essential experience removes boundaries, so that there is only the timeless moment of now, with no perception of self or not-self; the essential awareness, unchanging and unattached, recognizing all as objects of consciousness only, independent of intellect, memories or desire. The result of experiencing the absolute in my case was a feeling of detached serenity and intense flash of the classic “Eureka! I found it!” feeling when one receives a flash of insight. Others have described it as emptiness, bliss, a feeling of love for all things or an insight into the ultimate truth. In my case as well as in most of the other individuals whom I have encountered sharing this experience, it did not initially manifest in ritual or meditation, but rather manifested during the day during the most mundane of tasks. This is not to say that the meditations and ritual and not necessary pre-requisites, but that they serve to create the path. Only after the path exists can you walk on it. As previously stated, this is a state of consciousness. By definition this is a temporary experience, but an experience that can be repeated and in fact must be regularly.
The remainder of the classical definition of the grade of the Master of the Temple flows as a consequence of this experience. The observation that understanding is free of internal contradiction reflects in many cases work that should have been accomplished during the 7=4 period, where the conscious and unconscious elements of the mind have been integrated so far as possible. The reference to external obscurity reflects his growing awareness in consciousness that external objects are (along with internal ones) merely objects of consciousness, and this understanding requires a complete re-examination of the Universe in light of this development as the former symbols of consciousness are integrated as signs in the mind. Note that this grade like all others is a transitional stage, not to be confused with some eternal and unchanging; in many ways, this grade is a signpost that the work has well and truly begun, it will eventually flower into that of the Magus or even the Ipsissimus, but this is a continuum of experience that under the right conditions is self-correcting and self-sustaining.
Magus (9°=2°)
“The Magus seeks to attain Wisdom, declares his law, and is a Master of all Magick in its greatest and highest sense. His will is entirely free from internal diversion or external opposition; His work is to create a new Universe in accordance with his Will. This grade corresponds to Chokmah on the Tree of Life.”
The grade of Magus is the result of the Master continuing to regularly reach this experience, over time the process developing as a plateau consciousness. During this interval, the formerly peak experience of the absolute awareness intrudes more and more regularly into waking consciousness during period of mundane or magical activity. Consciousness continues to evolve and integrate this new understanding. The definition above states that part of the Work is to create a new Universe in accordance with his (or her) Will. The other part of the Western tradition also provides that the Magus must pronounce a suitable Word to initiate a new Aeon.
Nicely put, but flowery language always trades elegance for meaning. The Magus synthesizes his new understanding of the universe into a whole. To the Magus, this Word (or system of magick, or whatever the Magus chooses to encapsulate the essence of their new understanding), is then passed to others. This Word to others is only a symbol, and not the awareness of the Master. When the Magus was starting their magical career, they used magical seals, correspondences and other symbols to bring about developments in their consciousness, and the Magus returns the favor by providing new symbols to the emerging generation.
The advantage of this approach is that the symbols presented to students change over time, staying current with the times, and are more readily acceptable to modern minds. This in part explains why the Chaos Magick paradigm is more popular than the ceremonial traditions of the past or even the modern resurrections of older religions. the mentality of man changes over time, and symbols once of great value must be re-interpreted and new symbols defined that will be understood.
Ipsissimus (10°=1°)
“Beyond the comprehension of the lower degrees. An Ipsissimus is free from limitations and necessity and lives in perfect balance with the manifest universe. Essentially, the highest mode of attainment. This grade corresponds to Kether on the Tree of Life.”
This stage marks the culmination of the experience begun by the Master of the Temple. Here, the understanding achieved as a peak or plateau is not completely integrated into consciousness. With a unity consciousness, there is no further boundaries between self and not-self. Indeed, “All is accomplished”.
“From Many, to One, to All”
Frater Tehiru
Michael Aaron Eckhard
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
States and Stages
A recent review of the NewAeon publication provoked a memory of an observation I made in the past. One commonly misunderstood aspect of initiation is that consciousness is not monolithic, and changes in consciousness often manifest in surges curiously reminiscent of waves beating on the surf. During the rites and meditations it is possible and even necessary to exalt consciousness, but all too quickly this fades although insights or partial manifestations of this state may linger. The 7=4 initiation is an example of this. However, people including even many promising adepts often mistake a temporarily elevated state of consciousness for a stage of consciousness, the former being temporary and the latter being either a permanent evolution or revolution of understanding.
The successful attainment of a state is not necessary for the eventual attainment of a stage, but serves to "grease the wheels" in a metaphysical sense by providing the glimmer of Understanding necessary. It is safe to say that an initiation does not provide for attainment, but serves to reflect recognition of an attainment or to provide that state that serves as a guidepost for the eventual stage of development. The achieved state should be a goad to further effort, not the signal that it is time to integrate new knowledge into a presumed whole on the way to Mastery. The admonition to "Invoke Often" also applies to achieving these exalted states again and again, so that the adept can plateau and eventually stabilize at the new stage.
The successful attainment of a state is not necessary for the eventual attainment of a stage, but serves to "grease the wheels" in a metaphysical sense by providing the glimmer of Understanding necessary. It is safe to say that an initiation does not provide for attainment, but serves to reflect recognition of an attainment or to provide that state that serves as a guidepost for the eventual stage of development. The achieved state should be a goad to further effort, not the signal that it is time to integrate new knowledge into a presumed whole on the way to Mastery. The admonition to "Invoke Often" also applies to achieving these exalted states again and again, so that the adept can plateau and eventually stabilize at the new stage.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Ruminations on the Goetia
The Goetia as you know has 72 spirits of varying orders as well as their spheres of influence and other details. I was looking at the various seals of the demons in the excellent Peterson version(The seals are not placed within a double circle, that is a change that later individuals put in. I agree with the notion that placing the demonic seals in a double circle is an attempt to limit them), and it occurred to me that while there are exceptions, in this timeframe many seals and so forth were derived from magic squares.
If this is indeed the case, it should be possible to reverse-engineer the square from which was derived from.
If this is indeed the case, it should be possible to reverse-engineer the square from which was derived from.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Us and Them
Let me clear up a small point of common definitions here. Awareness is defined for the purposes of recent and future discussions as the original state of mind. It is the receptive state of not-knowing. Consciousness is the state of recognition of an object, whether it is a rock nearby, a memory or an itching of the earlobe. Mind is defined as thinking about an object.
The problem here is that consciousness as defined above puts the entire world into an “us and them” context. We recognize Steven’s shoes, my keys, her groceries and so forth. A subtler problem is the nature of this mine/not mine distinction because it is an artifact of the ego, a self-sustaining mechanism that keeps the mind in an egocentric context. However, when one recognizes that one’s thoughts, possessions and tasks to perform are all objects in consciousness, it is a complete liberation. You have thoughts, but you are not your thoughts. You have keys and possessions, but you are not your possessions. You have tasks, but you are not your tasks. The recognition that all save the base Awareness are merely objects of consciousness, mere constructs removes feelings of attachment. Fundamental changes in perception take place, as ownership issues are deprioritized or fall away completely.
The problem here is that consciousness as defined above puts the entire world into an “us and them” context. We recognize Steven’s shoes, my keys, her groceries and so forth. A subtler problem is the nature of this mine/not mine distinction because it is an artifact of the ego, a self-sustaining mechanism that keeps the mind in an egocentric context. However, when one recognizes that one’s thoughts, possessions and tasks to perform are all objects in consciousness, it is a complete liberation. You have thoughts, but you are not your thoughts. You have keys and possessions, but you are not your possessions. You have tasks, but you are not your tasks. The recognition that all save the base Awareness are merely objects of consciousness, mere constructs removes feelings of attachment. Fundamental changes in perception take place, as ownership issues are deprioritized or fall away completely.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Observations in Meditation
It's funny how the mind works. The mechanism of the meditation is to be simply aware, without conscious thought. The goal is to be a mirror, with your awareness simply recognizing thoughts, memories, snippets of songs and so forth but not thinking of them with your awareness. As I sat in the Formlessness, from time to time these stray thoughts entered my consciousness. I can't say how often or rapidly they came forward, because the state of Void is timeless. However, what I noticed was that when these thoughts came in, there was a distinct but subtle sense of pressure, of tightening when they entered my awareness. This sensation I had not considered before, but the sensation became more distinct as the meditation continued and seemed to have varying (albeit subtle) levels of intensity.
The second perception I have had before was that as I sat in my Aware state, at varying intervals these stray thoughts would come across my consciousness and were recognized as separate from my awareness. This awareness has been reached before, but in the past had been a temporary stage, a perception acquired after long, hard work. This perception of course is easily intellectually achieved but that is hardly the point.
The second perception I have had before was that as I sat in my Aware state, at varying intervals these stray thoughts would come across my consciousness and were recognized as separate from my awareness. This awareness has been reached before, but in the past had been a temporary stage, a perception acquired after long, hard work. This perception of course is easily intellectually achieved but that is hardly the point.
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