Thread: From the eye of the Abyss: 1

I was a diligent student of the arcane arts yet aside from fleeting moments of revelation and enlightenment I felt that I was making no real progress, and worse than that I seemed to be doing little more than memorising page after page of ritual, various names in all kinds of ancient tongues, simply to spend hours then organising and performing these rituals. During this time it began to dawn on me that the psycho-pomp of ritual was something that was being taken completely out of context, and that most of our brothers lacked the basic understanding of what ritual was actually used for (I intend to write a different essay on this point at a later date). At this point I gave up my practice of Ritual, burned my books and began to seek a different path by following my own guidance.

I occupied myself with the simple thought that behind every pair of eyes I looked into, behind every object I could perceive on any level was the same life playing out in a different form. It didn't matter about the end it was moving towards, it didn't matter about the form that it had taken it was all a part of me. Gradually my perception changed as I became filled with this thought, the synchronicities which had left me for so long began to re-appear in my life, I noticed that what I expected to happen generally tended to happen in some form or another and because I wasn't as caught up in it's exact manifestation I was able to see it with better insight than before.

I learned from this that Magick doesn't work because of the rituals we use or the "Gods" we employ, it works because all is a glorious whole and the Magician is actively seeking rapport with the highest aspects of him/herself beyond the petty needs and wants of Man. Magick taught me that Man can break and re-make himself to whatever mould he pleases (psychologically speaking in most cases), and that once the mould that made up the old life has been cast down and a new one forged that the perception of the world also changes. Now I firmly believe that all exists in potential, and man need no more than change himself to attract it to himself, because there is no separation between Man and The All.

A friend once told me an amusing story I think is fitting to repeat here, he told me that when the English ships were first arriving off the coast of the new world that the majority of the Indians could not see them, in fact it was only the Shamans (who were engaging in all kinds of Psychotropic drugs) that could see them at all. People at that time couldn't conceive of a huge Armada when they were used to navigating in hollowed out tree trunks, and their minds corresponded accordingly and deleted the information.

The danger we have with any system is allowing it to become a dogma, I've met far too many talented Magi who've been corrupted by the rules and restrictions of their societies and lost the essence of what they were looking for. I’ve seen far too many people who set out on a path of purity to expound and embody the principles of the religious man only to cross the threshold of fundamentalism and approve of the killing of those who would seek an alternate path. The problem lies in the fact that men use knowledge to model the world around them, to the average person the world is the information that they understand to be true. When an opposing theology is presented along with evidence they are either forced to admit that their entire world has been based on misleading information and change everything they have ever known to be true, or take the easier route and simply try to either completely vanquish or suppress the new information.

The Thrice Greatest Master once said that the entire art of the Magi was a mental one, The Master Levi further qualified this statement by saying that our dreams in the macrocosm show that the Universe and all of it’s creations are little more than the vast dream of “God”. For example if we were to learn tomorrow, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that what we perceived as our infinite universe was in fact a lowly atom, and that there was countless billions of other atoms which comprised another sentient being then we would have to fully accept that all terminology can only describe a subjective experience regardless of the proofs we can produce to support our claims. However I live in constant hope that we need no such earth shattering evidence to be produced for people to accept common sense. Knowledge is power because knowledge helps us remove false perceptions that were previously unseen, it takes away the unknown hindrances and turns then into reference points from which we can see the development of both our intellect and understanding.

When I arrived in Syria I went to stay in a monastery under the care of a Franciscan Friar. I was interested mainly because the monastery was recognised for being a place of reconciliation for both the Catholic and Islamic faiths, and my own particular area of interest is how systems which are supposed to bring about unity and goodwill are bastardized and turned into psychological weapons of destruction. I enjoyed the environment of the monastery for a while; however it wasn’t very long before I began to see the underlying problem with both the church and its alleged “practitioners”.

The Friar and I were having a conversation one day about theology and he asked me from what direction I’d come. I told him that I wouldn’t classify myself as a follower of any particular religion but if I was pressed I would have to call myself Gnostic. He seemed intrigued and asked me about some of the beliefs I held and some of the practices I engaged in. I told him, “Well firstly I accept The Christ as a great Master, and one of the highest in the order of initiates, however I do not agree with the churches standpoint that he was the son of “god” any more that we all are. It contradicts the central core of his teachings and separates him from the humanity he so admirably tried to raise. Secondly I believe that any person willing to undergo the trials and ordeals that Jesus went through can himself become Christ and that is the whole point of the doctrine, mankind has been pursuing evil for too long while waiting for a second physical coming, when they should have been looking to perfect themselves and to be that second coming.”

At this point the Friar looked enraged and told me that I was a heretic and an enemy of the church, I thought “not bad for a weeks work”. Secretly I was hoping he would follow through on his threat of excommunication, I was kind of looking forward to framing the letter and hanging it with pride on my wall. I tried to point out to him that although he considered the Gnostics to be “evil” that it was the catholic church that murdered hundreds of thousands of us through out the ages, while we had been happy to try to live under whatever church was in power peacefully. But again common sense and faith do not seem to go hand in hand.

I didn’t and still don’t blame him for his reply, the Church teaches people not to think but to simply believe, but still it was good to have a first hand example of the issues religion raises within man. I left the monastery convinced that I was more likely to be brainwashed than enlightened there and went to Damascus, and it was here that my trip really began.

Through a friend I managed to meet a Sufi (Islamic Gnostic) who was also an advocate of Hermes. He taught me that all religions share the same fundamental core, however all religions fear people who follow the mystic path. All outer order religions (or exoteric) are now nothing more than shells who’s teachings are perverted in order to control people, they teach people to look without, to their holy books, to await chosen prophets (but only the ones chosen by the institution of religion itself), and to have simple faith in the words they’re told and to believe those who the church puts forward as authorities. The inner paths teach us to use the holy books as guides on our own paths but to always look within for verification and to seek our own way. They teach us to speak out when we see misunderstanding being spread and to give no man anymore authority than we would give anyone else.

ctd..

It was here I began to understand what I’d previously intellectually known. Every aspirant who’s ever fully attained had to stand and fight the outer orders of their day; they had to endure ridicule, violence and even death for the right to follow their own path. Exoteric religions deny their mystic root and condemn all who follow her eternal teachings; however this causes the downfall of each of them in turn, as nature loathes stagnation. Religion can never be an eternal way because each man is an evolving being; law never changes but the expression of law changes with understanding. The Prophets and the Holy Ones are created by this stagnation as a breath of fresh air, it’s not a Divine Birth but the birth of Human Divinity that allows them to see the errors of religion, their teachings are not inspired by God but rather they are inspired by the lack of understanding that stagnated belief causes to manifest. But most of all they are the ones who’ve found true religion without the need of any veils.

Previously I’d struggled with the idea of a god or The All, but again this became very clear to me during this time. All of the Abramic religions teach that the worship of idols is wrong, that man should give worship to none but God. However they fail to see that what they call God is an idol built of thought, a conglomeration of ideas and concepts designed to give a point of view of The All. By their own tenants the worship of god is heresy because it is eternal and can never be known, the only thing we can ever know is ourselves and it is here that we can earnestly begin to know The All.

Man is the creator of the world around him; all responsibility lies in his own hands therefore each man must aspire to the absolute highest of which he can conceive of or risk blaspheming himself. This is truly an affront to The All, who we stem from in whatever form, from which we gained not only the power to create but the reason to do it intelligently. We need no other system than this, we need no magick wands, archangels or incantations, we need nothing we don’t already have, and the only thing we need to remove is our own perception that we need something or someone to allow us to do it.

The bravest thing a man can do is to live in complete freedom, the wisest thing a man can do is to create the best he can for both himself and his brethren and to be thankful for the abilities that he has. Combined with understanding the words of the Grand Kahbir himself are the final key; “Do the thing and ye shall have the power”.

albeit a long-winded opening and explanation (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) to a simple general rule

We are the divine, and hold the divine fire within our hearts. This is all that is needed to create change, to create magick. In it's most primal form, the divine fire is both the Will and the Way.

Well said however. I will give you that. Recognition of the fire is all one needs, aside from what we already have. Though this point can be argued against by those who are dependent on outer tools. But the most brilliant minds are usually those "hindered" by what society defines as illness or disability. Just food for thought...

"all exists in potential, and man need no more than change himself to attract it to himself, because there is no separation between Man and The All."

Thank you for this enlightenment. I begining to understand something in words: it is a "something" I have already recognized in my heart. And I never really saw it that way, though I was aware of the realities you allude to in your speech. Furthermore, this piece I have presented in the above quotations, directs me to something new I had not felt before, whether that realization is true, untrue, or simply a stepping stone leading on in my journey.

Thankyou.

I often meditate on questions like those you have fronted me. I find that when I assume philosophies of others are true [in meditation] I can empathize and reach an enlightened state. The Kabalaistic self is not self gives me hours of soul searching.

Thank you for posting your journey. I hope you can write more essays on your experiences. They are very interesting and heart warming.

ps, as for being long winded, it seems more appropriate than a 1 paragraph "we are all divine" bit. Explanation is needed for credibility.

For some without the tools or the rituals there may not be a merging with what we call the God within. It is a wonderful concept but unless you are an arm chair Yogi and have totally become one with the higher self tools and rituals are the key to connecting. We all have a higher self, some view it as their own god within some view themselves as gods, some want to connect with the spark that is waiting to be heard. In order to truly know the deep well of the higher self as it is called, tools, rituals working with the various beings are what is needed at this time on this earthly globe. One day we will not need these, but for now it is what is of use to many. It was an interesting post, , but perhaps for some you needed to express your beliefs and views. Ofttimes it is necessary to elaborate, other times a paragraph will indeed work just as well.

Armchair yogi? hahaha first time I've heard that [: but no, what I mean is that the tools are essentially, an extension of your own self and sometimes magnify the power used during ritual. I do admit they can help with the merging process, and I love using my staff to cleanse an area or preform other things, it makes me feel connected more to the earth and give a shamanic feeling to the ritual. But the tools themselves are unnecessary, it's a choice. We all (usually) start off with tools. But to cast them off and rely upon nothing but yourself is indeed a great challenge. And a very fulfilling one in my own opinion. I worked with them, then without them, then with them again. It all depends on the ritual I'm doing and what mood I'm in. For example, for ceremonial magick I would indeed have tools, but for a daily protection ritual I can do without them. On countless occasions I've unsheathed my sword or athame, lifted my wand or rose up with my staff and the results have been astounding. But, when I take the goal upon my own shoulders. When I raise and focus the energy purely on self determination and discipline. It is a rush of excitement and power unrivaled by most anything I've felt before you see. It all depends on how you have been trained.

Each person travels their own path, it is always distinct to themselves even if the path is one well-traveled. So one may rely on tools their whole magickal carrier and it would be perfectly fine, even natural to them. Whereas another might use only the control of their body, mind and spirit to bring about change.

Also, I won't deny I enjoy a long rambling explanation, I was just making a note of it. It's the tutor in me, can't resist at times. I believe I even said it's not necessarily a bad thing haha.

I hope I've made my previous statements a bit more clear..

Sometimes once you have been around the block a bit, tools can be nothing but the brain and of course the body that goes with it.

I saw through your heart while reading that. Thank you for that bit of warm Understanding.

I thoroughly enjoyed the very long read. It was engaging and inspiring. It reminded me of how I have felt many many times on my own path. How I have become very despondent with the monotony and obsession of detailed procedures and accoutrements which always inevitably drove me back to seeking darkness long enough to hear the intuitions pouring out from my own heart, mind and soul. I too have deeply believed for many years that our world is ours to deconstruct and re-make as we see fit. And also that we are all deeply connected, not just with each other, but with the all/universe. That the spark is within each and every one of us. A real good starting point, imo, would be to acknowledge it and listen.