THE SENSES @HollywoodInsiders.net

Michael Wynn's Occult Reference Library

THE SENSES

Return to Occult Library Index

18276066 GRIMM JACOB TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY VOL 1

nner prompting of their spirit, others the example of the crowd, and not a few the pressure of irresistible force. although expiring heathenism is studiously thrown into the shade by the narrators, there breaks out at times a touching lament over the loss of the ancient gods, or an excusable protest against innovations imposed from without (see suppl. the missionaries did not disdain to work upon the senses of the heathen by anything that could impart a higher dignity to the christian cultus as compared with the pagan: l^y white rol)es for subjects of baptism, by curtains, peals of bells (see suppl, the lighting of tapers and the burning of incense- it was also a wise or politic measure to preserve many heathen sites and temples by simply turning them, when suitable, into christian ones, a

ABRAMELIN3

h. abraham further observes that such an operation performed by an ordinary magician would be easily seen through by the possessor of the sacred magic; while on the contrary this latter would be safe from detection by ordinary sorcerers (e) the student will note in these squares the marked position of the letter q, as in many other cases where the effect aimed at seems to be rather a deception of the senses of others. no. b consists of b g squares from a square of c f. zaken means old. no. c is a gnomon of b g squares with the letter q added, from a square of h c squares. diskenah= in the likeness of an old woman. it is to be remarked that this square is rather oblong, i squares long by j deep. no. d consists of c a squares from a square of e a. disakan means to cover up or hide, but were

ALEISTER CROWLEY EIGHT LECTURES ON YOGA

sponds to the sun much as venus does to mars. she is more purely passive than venus, and although venus is so universal the moon is also universal in another sense. the moon is the highest and the lowest; the moon is the aspiration, the link of man and god; she is the supreme purity: isis the virgin, isis the virgin mother; but she comes right down at the other end of the scale, to be a symbol of the senses themselves, the mere instrument of the registration of phenomena, incapable of discrimination, incapable of choice. the niyama corresponding to her influence, the first of all, is that quality of aspiration, the positive purity which refuses union with anything less than the all. in greek mythology artemis, the goddess of the moon, is virgin; she yielded only to pan. here is one particu

these- or the greatest- he is lost. 15. at the other end of the scale of the niyama of the moon are the fantastic developments of sensibility which harass the yogi. these are all help and encouragement; these are all intolerable hindrances; these are the greatest of the obstacles which confront the human being, trained as he is by centuries of evolution to receive his whole consciousness through the senses alone. and they hit us hardest because they interfere directly with the technique of our work; we are constantly gaining new powers, despite ourselves, and every time this happens we have to invent a new method for bringing their malice to naught. but, as before, the remedy is of the same stuff as the disease; it is the unswerving purity of aspiration that enables us to surmount all the

ptions which we have from the first resolved to avoid. all i can say is that i am very sorry, but this particular fact is going to hit you in the face before you have started very long, and i do not see why we should bother about the mysterious assumptions underlying the acceptance of the fact any more than in the case of what is after all equally mysterious and unfathomable: any object of any of the senses. the fact is this; that one acquires a feeling- a quite irrational feeling- that a given place or a given method is right or wrong for its purposes. the intimation is as assured as that of the swordsman when he picks up an untried weapon; either it comes up sweet to the hand, or it does not. you cannot explain it, and you cannot argue it away. 21. i have treated yama and niyama at great

cts; as a man, preferably some man known to, and respected by, you '8. in the intervals of these experiments you might try to imagine the objects of the other senses, and to concentrate upon them. for example, try to imagine the taste of chocolate, the smell or roses, the feeling of velvet, the sound of a waterfall, or the ticking of a watch '9. endeavour finally to shut out all objects of any of the senses, and prevent all thoughts arising in your mind. when you feel you have attained some success in these practices, apply for examination, and should you pass, more complex and difficult practices will be prescribed for you' 19. now one of the most interesting and irritating features of your early experiments is: interfering thoughts. there is, first of all, the misbehaviour of the object

they themselves are useful, because their character is symptomatic of your state of progress. 20. breaks are classed as follows- firstly, physical sensations; these should have been overcome by asana. secondly, breaks that seem to be indicated by events immediately preceding the meditation: their activity becomes tremendous. only by this practice does one understand how much is really observed by the senses without the mind becoming conscious of it. thirdly, there is a class of break partaking of the nature of reverie or 'day-dreaming' these are very insidious- one may go on for a long time without realising that one has wandered at all. fourthly, we get a very high class of break, which is a sort of abberation of the control itself. you think 'how well i am doing it' or perhaps that it wo

d it is possible by extreme gentle touches to excite in the patient all the possible sensations of pleasure of which that person is capable. i know that this is a very extraordinary claim, but it is a very easy one to substantiate. the only thing i am afraid of is that experts may be carried away by the rewards, instead of getting the real value of the lesson, which is that the gross pleasures of the senses are absolutely worthless. this practice, so far as it is useful to all, should be regarded as the first step towards emancipation from the thrall of the bodily desires, of the sensations self-destructive, of the thirst for pleasure. 18. i think this is a good opportunity to make a little digression in favour of mahasatipatthana. this practice was recommended by the buddha in very specia

ALEISTER CROWLEY MAGICK IN THEORY AND PRACTICE

e sephira of mars, the male. tiphereth (6) is the hexagram, harmonizing, and mediating between kether and malkuth. also it reflects kether "that which is above, is like that which is below, and that which is below, is like that which is above" netzach (7) and hod (8) balanced as in text. jesod (9) see text. malkuth (10) contains all the numbers> which includes the whole of matter as we know it by the senses. it is impossible here to explain thoroughly the complete conception; for it cannot be too clearly understood that this is a "classification" of the universe, that there is nothing which is not comprehended therein. the article on the qabalah in vol. i, no. v of the equinox is the best which has been written on the subject. it should be deeply studied, in connection with the qabalistic

limited to symbols. and it is certain that all our senseperceptions give only partial aspects of their objects. sight, for instance, tells us very little about solidity, weight, composition, electrical character, thermal conductivity, etc, etc. it says nothing at all about the very existence of such vitally important ideas as heat, hardness, and so on. the impression which the mind combines from the senses can never claim to be accurate or complete. we have indeed learnt that nothing is in itself what it seems to be to us> but when we speak of dealing with the planets in magick, 7 the reference is usually not to the actual planets, but to parts of the earth which are of the nature attributed to these planets. thus, when we say that nakhiel is the "intelligence" of the sun, we do not mean

chapter, does exist, and can exert certain powers which his natural body cannot do. it can, for example, pass through "matter, and it can move freely in every direction through space. but this is because "matter, in the sense in which we commonly use the word, is on another plane<magical doctrine is universally accepted by sceptics- only they wish to make magick itself an exception. now this fine body perceives a universe which we do not ordinarily perceive. it does not necessarily perceive the universe which we do normally perceive, so although in this body i can pass through the roof, it does not follow that i shall be able to tell what the weather is lik

s; as a man, preferably some man known to, and respected by, yourself. 8. in the intervals of these experiments you may try to imagine the objects of the other senses, and to concentrate upon them. for example, try to imagine the taste of chocolate, the smell of roses, the feeling of velvet, the sound of a waterfall or the ticking of a watch. 9. endeavour finally to shut out all objects of any of the senses, and prevent all thoughts arising in your mind. when you feel you have attained some success in these practices, apply for examination, and should you pass, more complex and difficult practices will be prescribed for you. vi physical limitations. 1. it is desirable that you should discover for yourself your physical limitations. 2. to this end ascertain for how many hours you can subsis

tal or moral attribute. 5. in this let him be aided by his own psychological analysis, so that no part of his conscious being be thus left undestroyed. and on his thoroughness in this matter may turn his success. 6. lastly, having drawn all his being into the highest sahasrara cakkra, let him remain eternally fixed in meditation thereupon. 7. aum. third method. 1. let the hermit stimulate each of the senses in turn, concentrating upon each until it ceases to stimulate (the senses of sight and touch are extremely difficult to conquer. in the end the hermit must be utterly unable by any effort to see or feel the object of those senses, o.m) 2. this being perfected, let him combine them two at a time. for example, let him chew ginger (taste and touch, and watch a waterfall (sight and hearing)

es, o.m) 2. this being perfected, let him combine them two at a time. for example, let him chew ginger (taste and touch, and watch a waterfall (sight and hearing) and watch incense (sight and smell) and crush sugar in his teeth (taste and hearing) and so on. 3. these twenty-five practices being accomplished, let him combine them three at a time, then four at a time. 4. lastly, let him combine all the senses in a single object. and herein may a sixth sense be included. he is then to withdraw himself entirely from all the stimulations "perinde ac cadaver" in spite of his own efforts to attach himself to them. 412 5. by this method it is said that the demons of the ruach, that is, thoughts and memories, are inhibited, and we deny it not. but if so be that they arise, let him build a wall betw

ALEISTER CROWLEY MAGICK WITHOUT TEARS

g of a supersensible being is impossible to me as yet" the impudence! the arrogance! how do you know, pray madam (dial numbers at random: the results are often surprisingly delightful) besides, i didn't ask you to invoke a supersensible (what a word! meaning) being right away, or at any time: that supersensible is getting on my nerves: do you mean "not in normal circumstances to be apprehended by the senses" i suppose so. in a word: do fix a convenient season for going on the astral plane under my eye: half an hour (with a bit of luck) on not more than four evenings would put you in a very different frame of mind. you will soon "feel your feet" and then "get your sea-legs" and then, much sooner than you think "afloat in the aethyr, o my god! my god "white swan, bear thou ever me up between

om 127 may be temporally employed by them for various purposes; but these speculations tend to be idle. the important thing is to make contact with beings, whatever their nature, who are superior to yourself, not merely in degree but it kind. that is to say, not merely different as a great dane differs from a chihuahua, but as a buffalo differs from either. of course you are perfectly right about the senses, though i would not agree to confine the meaning to the five which are common to most people. there must, one might suspect, be ways of apprehending directly such phenomena as magnetism, electrical resistance, chemical affinity and the like. let me direct you once more to the book of the law, chapter ii, vs. 70- 72 "there is help& hope in other spells. wisdom says: be strong! then canst

parts, so long as you happen to need them for some service or other in the great work. magic without tears get any book for free on: www.abika.com 247 please cleanse your mind once and for all of this delusion, disastrous and most damnable, that there can be opposition between two essential parts of your nature. i think this idea is a monstrous growth upon the tetanussoaked soil of your fear of "the senses" observe how all these mealymouthed prigs develop their distrust of life until hardly an action remains that is not "dangerous" or in some way harmful. they dare not smoke, drink, love- do anything natural to them. they are right! the self in them is guilt, a marsh miasmal of foul pestilence. last, since "nature, though one expel it with a pitchfork, always returns" they do their "sins"

or the first time in history, the laymen elicited intelligent and relevant questions. there were only three halfwits in the 32 five score or so persons present, and these (naturally) were just those people who claimed to have studied the subject. what follows is a rough outline of my argument. i began by pointing out that nature exercises many forms of energy, which are not directly observable by the senses. in fact, the history of science for the last hundred and fifty years or so has consisted principally of the discovery of such types, with their analysis, measurement and manipulation. there is every reason to suppose that many such remain to be discovered. but what has in no case been observed is any trace of will or of intelligence, except through some apparatus involving a nervous an

instrument is a better term) called the body of light; this one develops and controls; it gains new powers as one progresses, usually by means of what is called "initiation" finally, one carries on almost one's whole life in this body of light, and achieves in its own way the mastery of the universe. the first step in yoga is "keep still" 48 the first step in magick is "travel beyond the world of the senses" there, that is the whole business in a nutshell, and expressed so that anyone, however ignorant of the subject, may grasp the essentials (i hope. love is the law, love under will. yours fraternally. chapter lxxxii epistola penultima: the two ways to reality magic without tears get any book for free on: www.abika.com 322 cara soror, do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. how v

d which are subtler and perhaps more powerful, nearer to reality, than those which ordinary scientific examination discloses. you will notice, however, that the qualities above-mentioned are identical. the chemical elements which go to form a tree are subtler, magic without tears get any book for free on: www.abika.com 327 51 more powerful and nearer to reality than the tree as it is presented to the senses. finally, we reach the conception of molecules, atoms, electrons, protons, neutrons and so on, and nobody needs telling nowadays what unfathomable potencies lie hidden in the atom. when i say subtler, moreover, i mean it. the analysis of matter has resulted in the extraordinary discovery that the definition of matter as given by the physicist of to-day is very similar indeed to the defi

ALEISTER CROWLEY MEDITATION

y fine instruments even to perceive the discrepancy. to take another example, a famous man of science asserted not so long ago that science could never discover the chemical composition of the fixed stars. yet this has been done, and with certainty. if you were to ask your man of science for his "theory of the real" he would tell you that the "ether" which cannot be perceived in any way by any of the senses, or detected by any instruments, and which possesses qualities which are, to use ordinary language, impossible, is very much more real than the chair he is sitting on. the chair is only one fact; and its existence is testified by one very fallible person. the ether is the necessary deduction from millions of facts, which have been verified again and again and checked by every possible t

ry much more real than the chair he is sitting on. the chair is only one fact; and its existence is testified by one very fallible person. the ether is the necessary deduction from millions of facts, which have been verified again and again and checked by every possible test of truth. there is therefore no "a priori" reason for rejecting anything on the ground that it is not directly perceived by the senses. to turn to another point. one of our tests of truth is the vividness of the impression. an isolated event in the past of no great importance may be forgotten; and if it be in some way recalled, one may find one's self asking "did i dream it? or did it really happen" what can never be forgotten is the "catastrophic. the first death among the people that one loves (for example) would nev

thoughts; for there is no connection between the object of meditation and the dhyana. why must we suppose a breaking down of the whole process, especially as the mind bears no subsequent traces of any interference, such as pain or fatigue? surely this once, if never again, the hindu image expresses the simplest theory! that image is that of a lake into which five glaciers move. these glaciers are the senses. while ice (the impressions) is breaking off constantly into the lake, the waters are troubled. if the glaciers are stopped the surface becomes calm; and then, and only then, can it reflect unbroken the disk of the sum. this sun is the "soul" or "god" we should, however, avoid these terms for the present, on account of their implications. let us rather speak of this sun as "some unknown

death has now lost all meaning. the idea of death depends on those of the ego, and of time; these ideas have been destroyed; and so "death is swallowed up in victory" we shall now only be interested in what samadhi is in itself, and in the conditions which cause it. let us try a final definition. dhyana resembles samadhi in many respects. there is a union of the ego and the non-ego, and a loss of the senses of time and space and causality. duality in any form is abolished. the idea of time involves that of two consecutive things, that of space two non-coincident things, that of causality two connected things. these dhyanic conditions contradict those of normal thought; but in samadhi they are very much more marked than in dhyana. and while in the latter it seems like a simple union of two

a spiritualistic "seance" the emotions cloud the vision. only in the absolute calm of the laboratory, where the observer is perfectly indifferent to what may happen, only concerned to observe exactly what that happening is, to measure and to weigh it by means of instruments incapable of emotion, can one even begin to hope for a truthful record of events. even the common physical bases of emotion, the senses of pleasure and pain, lead the observer infallibly to err. this though they be not sufficiently excited to disturb his mind. plunge one hand into a basin of hot water, the other into a basin of cold water, then both together into a basin of tepid water; the one hand will say hot, the other cold. even in instruments themselves, their physical qualities, such as expansion and contraction

ALEISTER CROWLEY TAO TEH KING

xperience is only to be attained by unswerving application to the practices which he advocates. nor must the aspirant content himself with the mere attainment of spiritual enlightenment, however sublime. all such achievements are barren unless they be regarded as the means rather than the end of spiritual progress, and allowed to infiltrate every detail of the life, not only of the spirit, but of the senses. the tao can never be known until it interpret the most trivial actions of everyday routine. it is a fatal mistake to discriminate between the spiritual importance of meditation and playing golf. to do so is to create an internal conflict 'let there be no difference made among you between any one thing and any other thing; for thereby there cometh hurt((weh note: quote from al i,22 corr

ALEISTER CROWLEY THE OLD AND NEW COMMENTARIES TO LIBER AL

hat the earth is flat, and that the sun moves across it, until we amend their assertions by the aid of instruments, and of reason. yet the astronomer with his telescope is no less arbitrary than the cave-man with his eye. we are like the snark in the barrister's dream, witnesses, lawyers, and judge in one. we have no standard independent or ourselves; and we know only too well that our witnesses, the senses, are neither competent, clear, trustworthy, intelligent, or even capable of giving evidence on the actual issues. the mid is in even worse plight. obviously, its judgments must be based on its own laws, and we have no shadow of reason for supposing that these possess any authority beyond their own jurisdiction. we know that the structure of the brain has been determined by the animal st

must therefore employ a body and mind as the instruments for interpreting its relations with other souls, and comparing its nature with theirs. for the mind perceives the contrast of the self and the not-self, and presents its experiences, classified and judged, to the soul as documents for the dossier; and the body reports to the mind the impressions received from its contact with alien forms as the senses receive them. it must naturally require many incarnations for the soul to begin to know itself with any degree of perfection; and one may recognize advanced souls by their minds, which understand the a nature of their work, are indifferent to the body's preference for any special forms of experience, and seek eagerly after novel adventures (like a philatelist after rare stamps) to compl

s involved in these questions. why "eight and ninety" rules of art? i am totally unable to suggest a reason satisfactory to myself; but 90 is tzaddi, the "emperor, and 8, cheth, the "charioteer" or cup-bearer; the phrase might them conceivably mean "with majesty. alternatively, 98= 2 x 49: now two is the number of the will, and seven of the passive senses. 98 might then mean the full expansion of the senses (7 x 7) balanced against each other, and controlled firmly by the will "exceed by delicacy: this does not mean, by refraining from so-called animalism. one should make every act a sacrament, full of divinest ecstasy and nourishment. there is no act which true delicacy cannot consecrate. it is one thing to be like a sow, unconscious of the mire, and unable to discriminate between sweet f

ALEISTER CROWLEY THE SWORD OF SONG

of ice that cracks and goes crashing within the water! glows the pale pure water, shakes and slides the glittering sun through emerald tides, 425 so that faint ripples of young light laugh on the green. is there a night* this simile for the mind and its impressions, which must be stilled before the sun of the soul can be reflected, is common in hindu literature. the five glaciers are, of course, the senses. the sword of song 36 so still and cold, a frost so chill, that all the glaciers be still? yet in its peace no frost. 430 arise! over the mountains steady stand, o sun of glory, in the skies alone, above, unmoving! brand thy sigil, thy resistless might, 435 the abundant imminence of light! ah! o in the silence, in the dark, in the intangible, unperfumed, ingust abyss, abide and mark 440

are not explained by science, and never can be, he gives a curious example of that quaint scientific pride which knows the limits of its powers, and refuses to entertain the hope of transcending them. unfortunately, he is as one who, a hundred years ago, should have declared any knowledge of the chemistry of the fixed stars impossible. to invent new methods, and to revolutionise the functions of the senses by training or otherwise is the routine work of to-morrow.1 but, alas! he goes even further. similarly we seek by the study of cerebral disease to trace the genesis of the phenomena which are supposed by some physicists who have strayed into biological fields to justify them in announcing the discovery of telepathy and a belief in ghosts. to talk of cerebral disease as the characteristi

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQ I 1

as a man, preferably some man known to, and respected by, yourself. 8. in the intervals of these experiments you may try to 30 imagine the objects of the other senses, and to concentrate upon them. for example, try to imagine the taste of chocolate the smell of roses, the feeling of velvet, the sound of a waterfall, or the ticking of a watch. 9. endeavour finally to shut out all objects of any of the senses, and prevent all thoughts arising in your mind. when you feel that you have attained some success in these practices, apply for examination, and should you pass, more complex and difficult practices will be prescribed for you. vi "physical limitations" 1. it is desirable that you should discover for yourself your physical limitations. 2. to this end ascertain for how many hours you can

ecks of fire like a virgin with desire. look, the levers! fern-frail fronds of fantastic diamonds, glimmering with ethereal azure in each exquisite embrasure. on the shaft the letters laced, as if dryads lunar-chaste with the satyrs were embraced, spelled the secret of the key "sic pervenias" and he went his wizard way, inweaving dreams of things beyond believing. when he will, the weary world of the senses closely curled like a serpent round his heart shakes herself and stands apart. so the heart's blood flames, expanding, strenuous, urgent, and commanding; and the key unlocks the door where his love lives evermore. she is of the faery blood; all smaragdine flows its flood. 42 glowing in the amber sky to ensorcelled porphyry. she hath eyes of glittering flake like a cold grey water-snake

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQ I 5

eir meteor- artillery. they that sit upon the elephants are armed with the thunderbolt of zeus. now in all that host there is no motion. yet they are not resting upon their arms, but tense and vigilant. and between them and me is the god shu, whom before i did not see, because his force filleth the whole aethyr. and indeed he is not visible in his form. nor does he come to the seer through any of the senses; he is understood, rather than expressed. i perceive that all this army is defended by fortresses, nine mighty towers of iron upon the frontier of the aethyr. each tower is filled with warriors in silver armour. it is impossible to describe the feeling of tension; they are like oarsmen waiting for the gun. i perceive that an angel is standing on either side of me; nay, i am in the midst

if there seem to be vibration therein, it is because of the imperfection of the ears of the seer. and there cometh an interior voice, which sayeth to the seer that he hath trained his eyes well and can see much; and he hath trained his ears a little, and can hear a little; but his other senses hath he trained scarcely at all, and therefore the aethyrs are almost silent to him on those planes. by the senses are meant the spiritual correlations of the senses, not the physical senses. but this matters little, because the seer, so far as he is a seer, is the expression of the spirit of humanity. what is true of him is true of humanity, so that even if he had been able to receive the full aethyrs, he could not have communicated them. and an angel speaks: behold, this vision is utterly beyond t

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 1 2

oke of blood, and made gold from baser metals. in this they succeeded; the intelligent perceived that the gold and the lead were but shadows of thought. it became probable that the elements were but isomers of one element; matter was seen to be but a modification of mind, or (at least) that the two things matter and mind must be joined before either could be perceived. all knowledge comes through the senses, on the one hand; on the other, it is only through the senses that knowledge comes. we then continue our conquest of matter; and we are getting pretty expert. it took much longer to perfect the telescope than the motor-car. and though, of course, there are limitations, we know enough to be able to predict them. we know in what progression the power to speed coefficient of a steamboat ri

dy yet the thirst of the soul is deeper, and impossible to quench. lord adonai! let the powers of geburah plunge me again and again into the fires of pain, so that my steel may be tempered to that sword of magic that invoketh thy knowledge and thy conversation. hoor! elohim gibor! kamael! seraphim! graphiel! 71 bartzabel! madim! i conjure ye in the number five. by the flaming star of my will! by the senses of my body! by the five elements of my being! rise! move! appear! come ye forth unto me and torture me with your fierce pangs for why? because i am the servant of the same your god, the true worshipper of the highest. ol sonuf vaoresaji, gono ladapiel, elonusaha caelazod. i rule above ye, said the lord of lords, exalted in power.[from dr. dee's mss. ed. 11.17. will now try the hanged m

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 3 3

id an inmate, pointing to the city) a man rolling from side to side with an extraordinary regularity and rhythm of swing, emitting a long continuous howl like a wolf "last stage of g.p.i" said the doctor "he feels absolutely nothing "how interesting" said i; and thought "how the deuce do you know" i shall be very glad when it is finally proved and admitted that the consciousness is independent of the senses and the intellect. hashish phenomena, madness phenomena, magical and mystical phenomena, all prove it; but old dr. cundum and young professor cuspidor, who can neither of them cure a cold in 314 the head, say it isn't so! the "imbecile theologians of the middle ages" are matched by the imbecile cacologians of our own. i repeat, a very valuable book; a very valuable book indeed. fra: o

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 3

ns will be issued openly in the equinox in due course, where this has not already been done. instruction and examination in methods of meditation by devotion (bhakti- yoga. instruction and examination in construction and consecration of talismans, and in evocation. theoretical and practical. examination in rising on the planes (liber o, caps. v, vi. practical. he is given a meditation-practice on the senses, and the sheaths of the self, and the practice called mahasatipatthana (see the sword of song "science and buddhism" instruction and examination in control of action. further, he cuts the magic wand. finally, the title of dominus liminis is conferred upon him. he is given meditation-practices on the control of thought, and is instructed in raja-yoga. he receives liber mysteriorum and ob

ors-in- ordinary of crime or despair: this marvellous 58 state, i say, has no prodromal symptoms. it is as unexpected as a ghost. it is a species of obsession, but of intermittent obsession; from which we should be able to draw, if we were but wise, the certainty of a nobler existence, and the hope of attaining to it by the daily exercise of our will. this sharpness of thought, this enthusiasm of the senses and of the spirit, must in every age have appeared to man as the chiefest of blessings; and for this reason, considering nothing but the immediate pleasure he has, without worrying himself as to whether he were violating the laws of his constitution, he has sought, in physical science, in pharmacy, in the grossest liquors, in the subtlest perfumes, in every climate and in every age, the

ry clean glass adds to an oil-painting. when at last i was able to emerge from this cavern of frozen shadows, and when, the interior phantasmagoria being dissipated, i came to myself, i experienced a greater degree of weariness than prolonged and difficult work has ever caused me" it is, in fact, at this period of the intoxication that is manifested a new delicacy, a superior sharpness in each of the senses: smell, sight, hearing, touch join equally in this onward march; the eyes behold the infinite; the ear perceives almost inaudible sounds in the midst of the most tremendous tumult. it is then that the hallucinations begin; external objects take on wholly and successively most strange appearances; they are deformed and transformed. then_ the ambiguities, the misunderstandings, and the tr

d it is above all on this account that arises the blame which one must give to this dangerous exercise in which liberty is forfeited. when i speak of hallucinations the word must not be taken in its strictest sense: a very important shade of difference distinguishes pure hallucination, such as doctors have often have occasion to study, from the hallucination, or rather of the misinterpretation of the senses, which arises in the mental state caused by the hashish. in the first case the hallucination is sudden, complete, and fatal; beside which, it finds neither pretext nor excuse in the exterior world. the sick man sees a shape or hears sounds where there are not any. in the second case, where hallucination is progressive, 83 almost willed, and it does not become perfect, it only ripens und

with hashish is raised to a prodigious degree, as little easy to determine as would be the utmost force possible to the wind in a hurricane, 100 and his senses are subtilised to a point almost equally difficult to define. it is then reasonable to believe that a light caress, the most innocent imaginable, a handshake, for example, may possess a centuple value by the actual state of the soul and of the senses, and may perhaps conduct them, and that very rapidly, to that syncope which is considered by vulgar mortals as the "summum" of happiness; but it is quite indubitable that hashish awakes in an imagination accustomed to occupy itself with the affections tender remembrances to which pain and unhappiness give even a new lustre. it is no less certain that in these agitations of the mind ther

n in my face? he laughed harsh and loud. disgusting beast! 12.15. a pretty fool i am, tying the wrong nerve. no wonder he could go on talking! a nasty slip in such an experiment as this. must check the whole thing through again. 1.0. o.k. now. must get some lunch. oddly enough, i am pretty sure he was telling the truth. he feels no pain, and only yells to annoy me. 2.10. excellent! i suppress all the senses but smell, and give him his wife's handkerchief. he bubbles over with amorous drivel; i should love to tell him what she 125 died of, and who. a curious trait, that last remark. why do i "dislike" the man? i used to get on a1 with him (n.b. to stitch eyelids with silk. damn the glare) 2.20. theism! the convolution with the cause-idea lying too close to the convolution with the fear-idea

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 4 2

acter we know of, and must prove of very great use to investigator and aspirant alike. the character of breaks 1. primary centres. 278 not understood. 279 om tat sat aum. 280 30. 15. 60. 281 this meeting with h. l, though of no importance in itself, led to cone of the most important happenings in p.'s life; for it was through him that he again met ouarda the seer, as we shall see at a later date. the senses. 2. secondary. these seem to assume a morbid activity as soon as the primaries are stilled. their character is that of the shorter kind of memory. events of the day, etc. 3. tertiary. partake of the character of "reverie" very tempting and insidious. 4. quaternary. are closely connected with the control centre itself. their nature is "how well i'm doing it" or "wouldn't it be a good ide

ises, the danger of not being strong enough to overcome the occult powers which, though the reward of our toils, are liable, like the queen in her bedchamber, to seduce the conqueror in spite of his having conquered the king her husband, and secretly slay him as he sleeps in her arms. these are the powers known in the west as the miraculous powers, in the east as siddhis. the mind is now a blank, the senses have been subdued, the subconscious thoughts slain; it stretches before us like some unspotted canvas upon which we may write or paint whatever we will. we can produce entrancing sounds at will, beautiful sights at will, subtle tastes and delicious perfumes; and after a time actual forms, living creatures, men and women and elementals. we smite the rock, and the waters flow at our blow;

tiful, that one dared not touch them lest their beauty start to mere ugly life "i am that quiver of fragile and delicious expectation that shone in the virgin eyes of here when. o happy hour "i am that greediness, that terrible woman's greediness, fierce as drought, relentless as death, which devours its own portion in the feast of life "and i too, like her mouth, witness to it that she was evil. the senses are the person in so much as they are the sweet janitors to all that come and go. through our five portals life only flows, and the flavour of its tides is with us always. i sit in judgment on myself- i where the world could gather itself in one, little, humble, focus-point of curiosity and pep into the garden of her soul- i- where seas could be held calm and captive in a little pool of

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 4

comes and goes in gasps, when we are at rest it becomes regular and rhythmical. in the "hatha yoga pradipika" we read: he who suspends (restrains) the breath, restrains also the working of the mind. he who has controlled the mind, has also controlled the breath. if one is suspended, the other also is suspended. if one acts, the other also does the same. if they are not stopped, all the indriyas (the senses) keep actively engaged in their respective work. if the mind and pr na are stopped, the state of emancipation is attained.124 121 "bhagavad-g ta" vi, 34, 35. 122 the whole of this ancient symbolism is indeed in its very simplicity of great beauty. the highest of physical emotions, namely, love between man and woman, is taken as its foundation. this love, if allowed its natural course, r

s upon the two nostrils, and let the remaining fingers press upon the upper and the lower lips. draw a deep breath, close both the nostrils at once, and swallow the breath. keep the breath inside as long as you conveniently can; then expire it slowly.130 102 pratyahara the next step in raja yoga is called praty h ra, or the making of the mind introspective, by which the mind gains will to control the senses and to shut out all but the one object it is concentrating upon. he who has succeeded in attaching or detaching his mind to or from the centres of will, has succeeded in praty h ra, which means "gathering towards" checking the outgoing powers of the mind, freeing it from the thraldom of the senses. when we can do this we shall really possess a character; then alone we shall have made a

or he can stimulate mentally the sensation desired. he can hear beautiful sounds without listening to beautiful music, and see beautiful sights without gazing upon them; he in fact becomes the creator of what he wills, he can exalt his imagination to such a degree over his senses, that by a mere act of imagination he can make those senses instantaneously respond to his appeal, for he is lord over the senses, 103 and therefore over the universe as "it appears" though not as "it is" the first lesson in praty h ra is to sit still and let the mind run on, until it is realized what the mind is doing, when it will be understood how to 130 "shiva sanhita" p. xlix. this in the "hatha yoga pradipika" p. 91, is called the shanmukhi mudra. enormous concentration is needed in all these pr n y ma exerc

t in their place will spring up the thoughts which are normally sub-conscious. as these arise the will of the aspirant should strangle them; thus, if a picture is seen, the aspirant by means of his will should seize hold of it before it can escape him, endow it with an objectivity, after which he should destroy it, as if it were a living creature, and have done with it. after this mastership over the senses has been attained to, the next practice namely that of dh ran must be begun. dharana dh ran consists in concentrating he will on one definite object or point. sometimes it is practised by concentrating on external objects such as a rose, cross, triangle, winged-globe, etc. sometimes on a deity, shiva, isis, christ or buddha; but usually in india by forcing the mind to feel certain parts

been extracted from almost any of the upanishads. but there is a difference, and the difference is this. though the ved ntist realized that ignorance (avidy) was the foundation of all sorrow, and that all, possessing the essence of change, was but illusion or m y, a matter of name and form;202 buddha now pointed out that the true path of deliverance was through the reason (ruach) and not through the senses (nephesh, as many of the upanishads would give one to believe. further, this was the path that gotama had trod, and therefore, naturally he besought others to tread it. the ved ntist attempted to attain unity with the atman (kether)203 by means of his emotions (nephesh) intermingled with his reason (ruach, but the buddha by means of his reason (ruach) alone. buddha attempted to cut off

ALEXANDRIAN BOOK OF SHADOWS OCCULT

ng it as notes she made from gerald gardner's description of the ritual used to deter hitler from invading great britain. l of the ordeal of the art magical learn of the spirit that goeth with burdens that have not honour, for 'tis the spirit that stoopeth the shoulders and not the weight. armour is heavy, yet it is a proud burden and a man standeth upright in it. limiting and constraining any of the senses serves to increase the concentration of another. shutting the eyes aids the hearing. so the binding of the initiate's hands increases the mental perception, while the scourge increaseth the inner vision. so the initiate goeth through it proudly, like a princess, knowing it but serves to increase her glory. but this can only be done by the aid of another intelligence and in a circle, to

ALICE A BAILEY04 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE

goal. 2. the threefold function. 3. the threefold mode of activity. ii. the effects of rotary motion. 1. separation. 2. momentum. 3. friction. 4. absorption. iii. the qualities of rotary motion. 1. inertia. 2. mobility. 3. rhythm. iv. rotary motion and symbolism. v. motion and the centres. 1. the nature of the centres. 2. the centres and the rays. 3. the centres and kundalini. 4. the centres and the senses. 5. the centres and initiation. i. preliminary remarks i would point out primarily and emphasize the fact that the motion we are considering is that due- 79- a treatise on cosmic fire copyright 1998 lucis trust to the fire latent in matter itself, a motion that is the prime characteristic and basic quality of the primordial ray of active intelligence. to express it otherwise: it is the

98 lucis trust all that is intended to do in this treatise, is to cast some further light upon these centres, to show their interrelation, and to trace the effects produced by their rightful development. to do this, as before stated, the subject will be divided into the following divisions: 1. the nature of the centres. 2. the centres and the rays. 3. the centres and kundalini. 4. the centres and the senses. 5. the centres and initiation. as can be seen from the above tabulation, the subject is not only vast but abstruse. this is principally owing to the fact that until the race is normally clairvoyant, it is not in a position to verify what is said, and has to accept the statements of those who profess to know. later when man can see and prove for himself, it will be possible to check up

have begun to blend (a slow and gradual process, the web itself is destroyed and by the time the third initiation is reached, the man should have continuity of consciousness. this is so unless for certain work and for certain specific ends, the man consciously and willingly foregoes the burning of the web, a thing which can be brought about by the conscious action of the will. 4. the centres and the senses, normal and supernormal. before at all dealing with the centres and their relationship to the senses, it will be necessary first of all to point out certain facts of interest in connection with those senses,79(68) and so clear the ground for further information. what are the senses? how many are there? and what is their connection with the indwelling man, the thinker, the divine manasap

y first of all to point out certain facts of interest in connection with those senses,79(68) and so clear the ground for further information. what are the senses? how many are there? and what is their connection with the indwelling man, the thinker, the divine manasaputra? these are questions of vital moment, and in their due comprehension comes the ability wisely to follow the path of knowledge. the senses might be defined as those organs whereby man becomes aware of his surroundings. we should perhaps express them not so much as organs (for after all, an organ is a material form, existent for a purpose) but as media whereby the thinker comes in contact with his environment. they are the means whereby he makes investigation on the plane of the gross physical, for instance; the means where

vers that which he requires to know, whereby he becomes aware, and whereby he expands his consciousness. we are dealing here with the five senses as used by the human being. in the animal these five senses exist but, as the thinking correlating faculty is lacking, as the "relation between" the self and the not-self is but little developed, we will not concern ourselves with them at this juncture. the senses in the animal kingdom are group faculty and demonstrate as racial instinct. the senses in man are his individual asset, and demonstrate: a. as the separate realisation of self-consciousness- 107- a treatise on cosmic fire copyright 1998 lucis trust b. as ability to assert that individualism. c. as a valuable means to self-conscious evolution. d. as a source of knowledge. e. as the trans

al instinct. the senses in man are his individual asset, and demonstrate: a. as the separate realisation of self-consciousness- 107- a treatise on cosmic fire copyright 1998 lucis trust b. as ability to assert that individualism. c. as a valuable means to self-conscious evolution. d. as a source of knowledge. e. as the transmuting faculty towards the close of life in the three worlds. as we know, the senses are five in number and in order of development are as follows: a. hearing. b. touch. c. sight. d. taste. e. smell. each of these five senses has a definite connection with one or other plane, and has also a correspondence on all planes. let us first take up each of these senses, point out some interesting facts in connection with them, and suggest their subplane correspondence. plane se

reefold manner: as recognition. as memory. as anticipation. each of the five senses, when coupled with manas, develops within the subject a concept embodying the past, the present and the future. therefore when a man is very highly evolved, has transcended time (as known in the three worlds, and can therefore look at the three lower planes from the standpoint of the eternal now, he has superseded the senses by full active consciousness. he knows, and needs not the senses to guide him any longer to knowledge. but in time, and in the three worlds, each sense on each plane is employed to convey to the thinker some aspect of the not-self, and by the aid of mind, the thinker can then adjust his relationship thereto. hearing gives him an idea of relative direction, and enables a man to fix his p

o the movements of others. taste gives him an idea of value, and enables him to fix upon that which to him appears best. smell gives him an idea of innate quality, and enables him to find that which appeals to him as of the same quality or essence as himself- 113- a treatise on cosmic fire copyright 1998 lucis trust in all these definitions it is necessary to bear in mind that the whole object of the senses is to reveal the not-self, and to enable the self therefore to differentiate between the real and the unreal.82(71) in the evolution of the senses, hearing is the first vague something which calls the attention of the apparently blind self a. to another vibration. b. to something originating outside of itself. c. to the concept of externality. when sound is first contacted the conscious

ouch. this touch conveys other ideas to the groping consciousness, ideas of size, of external texture, and of surface differences; the concept of the thinker is thus slowly enlarged. he can hear and feel, but as yet knows not enough to correlate nor name. when he succeeds in naming, he has made a big stride forward. we might note here, therefore, that the earliest cosmic symbols are applicable to the senses as well as elsewhere: the point in the centre consciousness and the not-self at a stage where sound alone is descriptive. the divided circle consciousness aware of the not-self, through a dual recognition. sight follows on this, the third sense, and the one definitely marking the correlation of ideas, or the relation between; it parallels the coming of mind, both in time and function. w

lf will be to find the truth, or that centre in the circle of manifestation which is, for the self, the centre of equilibrium, and the one point where the co-ordination is perfected; then the self can dissociate itself from every veil, every contact, and every sense. this leads in every manifestation to three types of separation: involution. the separation of matter, or the one becoming the many. the senses are developed, and the apparatus is perfected by the self for the utilisation of matter. this is under the law of economy. evolution up to the time of the probationary path. the merging of spirit and matter, and the utilisation of the senses in a progressing identification of the self with all forms from the lowest to those relatively refined. this is under the law of attraction. evolut

my. evolution up to the time of the probationary path. the merging of spirit and matter, and the utilisation of the senses in a progressing identification of the self with all forms from the lowest to those relatively refined. this is under the law of attraction. evolution on the path. again the separation of spirit from matter, its identification with the one, and the ultimate rejection of form. the senses then are synthesised into acquired faculty, and the- 116- a treatise on cosmic fire copyright 1998 lucis trust self has no further use for the not-self. it blends with the all-self. this is under the law of synthesis. if this is borne in mind it leads to a realisation that the separation of the spirit from the material vehicle involves two aspects of the one great all; herein is seen th

orne in mind it leads to a realisation that the separation of the spirit from the material vehicle involves two aspects of the one great all; herein is seen the work of the creator, the preserver and the destroyer. in the final perfection of this third sense of sight, the term used is the wholly inadequate one of realisation. let the student study carefully the lowest and highest demonstration of the senses as laid down in the tabulation earlier imparted, and note the occult significance of the expressions used in the summation. hearing..beatitude. this is realised through the not-self. touch..service. the summation of the work of the self for the not-self. sight..realisation. recognition of the triplicity needed in manifestation, or the reflex action of the self and the not-self. taste..p

ht concerned the region of the whole evolutionary development of the human being. yet all that is possible here, as elsewhere, is to indicate lines of thought for careful pondering, and to emphasise certain ideas which may serve as the foundation thoughts for the future mental activity of the immediate generation. the following facts must also be borne in mind when considering the matter: a. that the senses have been dealt with in this division of our treatise on cosmic fire because they concern the material form. strictly speaking the five senses, as we know them, are the means of contact built up by the thinker (polarised in his etheric body) and find their expression in the physical form in those nerve centres, brain cells, ganglia and plexus which exoteric science recognises. b. that t

ALICE A BAILEY05 THE LIGHT OF THE SOUL

assivity (sleep) and memory. 7. the basis of correct knowledge is correct perception, correct deduction, and correct witness (or accurate evidence. 8. incorrect knowledge is based upon perception of the form and not upon the state of being. 9. fancy rests upon images which have no real existence. 10. passivity (sleep) is based upon the quiescent state of the vrittis (or upon the non-perception of the senses) 11. memory is the holding on to that which has been known. 12. the control of these modifications of the internal organ, the mind, is to be brought about through tireless endeavour and through non-attachment. 13. tireless endeavour is the constant effort to restrain the modifications of the mind. 14. when the object to be gained is sufficiently valued, and the efforts towards its attai

ted at in the "secret doctrine" by h. p. blavatsky. 6. these modifications (activities) are correct knowledge, incorrect knowledge, fancy, passivity (sleep) and memory. there exists a vast field of knowledge which the seer must cognise at some time or another. it is generally conceded among occult psychologists, that there are three modes of apprehension: 1. direct cognition through the avenue of the senses, each sense, when in use, putting its user into contact with a distinct range of vibrations, demonstrating as form manifestations. 2. deduction or inference, the use by the cogniser of the reasoning powers of the mind in relation to that not directly perceived. this is, for the occult student, the use of the law of correspondences or of analogy. 3. the direct cognition of the yogi or se

ee himself from its thraldom. this is one of the sutras which, though apparently short and simple, is of the most profound significance; it is studied by high initiates who are learning the nature of the creative process of the planet, and who are concerned with the dissipation of planetary maya. 10. passivity (sleep) is based upon the quiescent state of the vrittis (or upon the non-perception of the senses. some explanation as to the nature of the vrittis is perhaps necessary here. the vrittis are those activities of the mind which eventuate in the conscious relation between the sense employed and that which is sensed. apart from a certain modification of the mental process or an assertion of the i-am-i realization, the senses might be active yet the man be unaware of them. the man is awa

use is the goal of- 17- the light of the soul copyright 1998 lucis trust yoga, and that the state called "a blank mind" and a condition of passive receptivity, with the sense relations cut off or atrophied, is not part of the process. the sleep here referred to is not the passing of the body into the state of slumber, but the putting to sleep of the vrittis. it is the negation of the contacts of the senses without the sixth sense, the mind, superseding their activities. in this condition of sleep, a man is open to hallucination, to delusion, to wrong impressions and to obsessions. sleep is of several kinds, and only a short tabulation is possible in such a commentary as this is. 1. the ordinary sleep of the physical body, where the brain does not respond to any sense contacts; 2. sleep of

on, to delusion, to wrong impressions and to obsessions. sleep is of several kinds, and only a short tabulation is possible in such a commentary as this is. 1. the ordinary sleep of the physical body, where the brain does not respond to any sense contacts; 2. sleep of the vrittis, or of those modifications of the mental processes which correlate the man with his environment, through the medium of the senses and the mind; 3. the sleep of the soul, which, occultly speaking, covers that part of human experience which dates from a man's first human incarnation until he "awakens" to a knowledge of the plan, and endeavors to bring the lower man into line with the nature and will of the inner spiritual man; 4. the sleep of the ordinary medium, wherein the etheric body is partially extruded from t

ter is the result of patient endurance; his achievement is the fruit of a steady effort which is based upon intelligent appreciation of the work to be done and the goal to be reached, and not upon spasmodic enthusiasm. 3. non-attachment is the one thing that eventually brings all sense perceptions to perform their legitimate functions. through non-attachment to those forms of knowledge with which the senses put a man in contact, they continuously lose their hold over him; the time eventually comes when he is liberated, and is the master of his senses and of all sense contacts. this does not involve a state wherein they are atrophied and useless, but is one in which they are useful to the yogi when and as he chooses and in so far as he chooses; they are utilized by him in increasing his eff

ferent stages of yogi achievement. this makes it somewhat difficult for the average student when studying the various commentaries. perhaps one of the easiest ways to realise its meaning is to remember that the word "sama" has reference to the faculty of the mind-stuff (or chitta) to take form or to modify itself according to the external impressions. these external impressions reach the mind via the senses. when the aspirant to yoga can control his organs of sense-perception so that they no longer telegraph to the mind their reactions to that which is perceived, two things are brought about: a. the physical brain becomes quiet and still, b. the mind stuff or the mental body, the chitta, ceases to assume the various modifications and becomes equally still. this is one of the early stages o

some translators call this 'doubt' this wrong questioning is that which is based upon lower perception and the identification of the real man with that illusory instrument, his mental body. this leads him to question the eternal verities, to doubt the existence of the fundamental realities and to seek for the solution of his problems in that which is ephemeral and transitory, and in the things of the senses. there is a questioning which is right and proper. it is that "asking of questions" spoken of by the christ in the words "ask and ye shall receive" this faculty of enquiry is deliberately cultivated in their disciples by all true masters in the orient. they are taught to formulate questions about the inner realities and then to find the answer for themselves through a search for that so

ple. the physical body is consequently looked upon as a vehicle for the expression of: a. helpfulness to our fellow men, b. tender handling of the animal kingdom, c. service on the physical plane in cooperation with the hierarchy, d. discipline of the physical appetites and dispassion in regard to all forms which appeal to the- 47- the light of the soul copyright 1998 lucis trust appetites and to the senses, whether called harmful or not. all alike must be transcended. thus peace is achieved, peace of the chitta or mind stuff, peace of the brain reactions and eventually complete quiet and calm. the idea is well covered by charles johnston in the words of his translation of this sutra "the psychic nature moves to gracious peace" and the man expresses wholesomeness, a rounded out nature, and

hat two other physical organs, the pituitary body and the pineal gland, correspond to the remaining two aspects, love wisdom and organising power, will or purpose. these seven points in the head (and all are found within a comparatively small area) are the symbols in physical matter of the three great aspects manifesting as the seven. as the aspirant therefore assumes the position of the ruler of the senses and as the analyser of all his sense perceptions, he gradually becomes more mentally concentrated, and the advanced yogi can identify himself at any moment with any one of the ray energies to the exclusion where- 49- the light of the soul copyright 1998 lucis trust desired of the others. the student is warned not to imagine that this "gracious peace" can be achieved through definite med

us peace" can be achieved through definite meditation upon any specific sense. through an understanding of the laws of creation and of sound, through a consideration of the sounding board of the mouth and the method whereby speech becomes possible, a knowledge of the world creative processes can be arrived at, and the man can achieve an understanding of the laws whereby all forms come into being. the senses of all yogis are naturally abnormally acute and this fact should be remembered. 36. by meditation upon light and upon radiance, knowledge of the spirit can be reached and thus peace can be achieved. the student should here note that each of the methods outlined above concerns certain centres. there are seven methods of attainment mentioned and therefore we can infer that the seven centr

e of the nature, quality, key and note of one soul (whether of a chemical atom, a rose, a pearl, a man or an angel) would reveal all souls upon the ladder of evolution. and the process is the same for all: recognition, the use of the sense organs, including the sixth sense, the mind, in appreciation of the form and its constituents; concentration, an act of the will whereby the form is negated by the senses and the knower passes behind it to that which vibrates in tune with his own soul. thus knowledge is arrived at, knowledge of that which the form (or field of knowledge) is seeking to express, its soul, key or quality. then follows contemplation, the identification of the knower with that within himself which is identical with the soul within the form. the two are then one and complete r

45. the gross leads into the subtle and the subtle leads in progressive stages to that state of pure spiritual being called pradhana. let the student remember here the following degrees or stages through which he must pass as he penetrates into the heart of the innermost: 1. the gross..form, bhutas, rational tangible sheaths. 2. the subtle..the nature or qualities, the tanmatras, the indryas, or the senses, the sense organs and that which is sensed. these can be applied to all the planes of the three worlds with which man is concerned, and have a close relation to the pairs of opposites which he has to balance on the emotional plane. behind all these is found that balanced state, called pradhana, which is the cause of what is contacted physically and sensed subtly. this balanced state can

ALICE A BAILEY07 FROM INTELLECT TO INTUITION

does not keep step with the growth of the empire of man over nature."14(25) it is essential that the western world should perfect its educational systems in such a way as to bring about this conquest of the empire of ourselves. chapter three the nature of the soul "philosophers say the soul is double-faced, her upper face gazes at god all the time and her lower face looks somewhat down, informing the senses; and the upper face, which is the summit of the soul, is in eternity and has nothing to do with time: it knows nothing of time or of body" meister eckhart in detailing the technique whereby it is claimed the educated intellectual can become the intuitional knower it might be well to state the hypotheses upon which the science of meditation is based. in the process the various aspects (i

of obscuration..the ego is the psychological unity of that stream of conscious experiencing which constitutes what we know as the inner life of an empirical self "the empirical self is the mixture of free spirit and mechanism, of purusa and prakriti..every ego possesses within the gross material body, which suffers dissolution at death, a subtle body, formed of the psychical apparatus, including the senses."6(31) this soul, we are told, is a fragment of the oversoul, a spark of the one flame, imprisoned in the body. it is that life aspect which gives to man as to all forms in manifestation life, or being and consciousness. it is the vital factor, that integrating coherent something which makes the human being (composite, yet unified, as he is) a thinking, feeling and aspiring entity. the

ergy. as the race progresses, another "body" the mind body, comes into being and activity, and gradually assumes an active and natural control. like the physical and emotional organisms, this- 25- from intellect to intuition copyright 1998 lucis trust mental mechanism is at first entirely objective in its orientation, and swings into activity through impacts coming to it from the outer world, via the senses. becoming increasingly positive, it slowly and surely begins to dominate the other phenomenal aspects of man until the personality, in all its four aspects, is completed and unified as a functioning entity on the physical plane. when this happens, a crisis is reached and new developments and unfoldments become possible. all this time, the two energies of the soul, life and mind, have be

phy, in all ages and in all parts of the world, is characterized by certain beliefs which are illustrated by the doctrines we have been considering "there is, first, the belief in insight as against discursive analytic knowledge; the belief in a way of wisdom, sudden, penetrating, coercive, which is contrasted with the slow and fallible study of outward appearance by a science relying wholly upon the senses "the mystic insight begins with the sense of a mystery unveiled, of a hidden wisdom now suddenly become certain beyond the possibility of a doubt. the sense of certainty and revelation- 29- from intellect to intuition copyright 1998 lucis trust comes earlier than any definite belief. the definite beliefs at which mystics arrive are the result of reflection upon the inarticulate experien

the age-long pursuit of truth. we are conscious within ourselves of duality, and of a state of warfare between the two aspects of which we are constituted. we are conscious of a profound dissatisfaction with physical life as a whole, and with our inability to grasp and understand the divine reality which we hope exists. but it remains for us a matter for faith, and we want certainty. the life of the senses does not seem to carry us far enough along the path towards our goal. it is a fluid existence which we lead, being sometimes carried by our high desires to a mountain top of wonder on which we stay just long enough to get a vision of beauty, and then are hurled into the abyss of our daily environment, our animal nature and the chaotic world in which our destiny places us. we sense a cer

ds which clearly express them is one of the functions of the mind, yet, how few people have ideas or originate really intelligent thoughts! their minds respond to that which is conveyed to them from the outer world, but have no inherent or self-initiated activities of their own. therefore, the process at present controlling in the case of the average man is from the outside world inwards, through the senses, to the brain. the brain then "telegraphs" the information registered to the mind, which, in its turn, records it. that usually closes the incident. but, in the case of the truly thoughtful, there is more than this. upon the recording follows an analysis of the incident or the information, its correlation with other incidents, and a study of cause and effect. the "mind-stuff" as the ori

istic thinker, that thought is entirely dependent upon the quality of the brain cells, is logical and correct. the part that the brain plays in the process is ably put for us in ludwig fischer's book, the structure of thought "the perfection of processes of apprehension depends in the main on the structure and functioning of a certain organ which receives and connects the different impressions of the senses, and which, further, partly retains the traces of previous impressions and allows them indirectly to enter into action. this organ is the brain with its ramifications and subsidiary organs. the perfection of the structure and of the functioning of this organ determines the perfection with which we can succeed in a deliberate attempt at producing a representation of the complex of the wh

the same through the activity of the mind which impresses in its turn the brain, attuned to receptivity. later again, the mind becomes responsive to an illumination, emanating from the spirit aspect, and this we will shortly consider. this approaches very close to the oriental position which infers a "mind-stuff" which is thrown into activity from the outer world of human affairs by the agency of the senses, by the emotions and by other minds. this intense activity of the mind-stuff has to be definitely offset through concentration and meditation if the mind is to be brought into a condition wherein it can be refocussed and reoriented to another field of perception and another range of ideas. for the esotericists, therefore, the objective of the meditation (carried forward into its later s

value if we defined the hypothesis upon which we will now proceed. it might be expressed as follows: there is a kingdom of the soul, called often the kingdom of god, which is in reality another kingdom in nature, a fifth kingdom. entry into that kingdom is as much a natural process as has been the transit of the evolving life from any kingdom in nature to another in the process of evolution. when the senses, and all that they convey, are focussed into that "common-sense" which was the name that mystics such as meister eckhart gave to the mind, they enrich that mind and open up to it many states of awareness. when these activities can be negated and the rich and sensitive mind can be refocussed in its turn, it becomes a sensitive apparatus (a sixth sense, if you like) which registers "the t

ch engage the attention of our best minds, and through meditation, as practised by a few in the religious field, many have arrived at a point where two things happen: the idea of the holy, of being and of relationship to that being enter in as dominating factors in the life. secondly, the mind begins to demonstrate a new activity. instead of registering and storing up in memory the contacts which the senses have communicated, and absorbing that information which is the common heritage of the day through books and the spoken word, it reorients itself to new knowledge and begins to tap new sources of information. instinct and intellect have done their work; now the intuition begins to play its part. it is to this point that the meditation work we have been considering has brought us and for

rest, concentrated attention and prolonged one-pointed reflection or meditation. what have been the results of the meditation process up to this point? they might be enumerated as follows: 1. the reorganizing of the mind and its reorientation. 2. the centering of a man's attention in the world of thought, instead of on the world of feeling, and hence the withdrawal of the focus of attraction from the senses. 3. the development of a faculty of instantaneous concentration as a preliminary to meditation, and the capacity to focus the mind unswervingly upon any chosen subject. evelyn underhill defines this faculty as follows "the act of perfect concentration, the passionate focussing of the self upon the one point, when it is applied in 'the unity of the spirit and the bonds of love' to real a

dom of god. i cannot do better than close this chapter with some words of evelyn underhill "the full spiritual consciousness of the true mystic is developed not in one but in two apparently opposite but really complementary directions..on the one hand he is intensely aware of, and knows himself to be at one with that active world of becoming..hence though he has broken forever with the bondage of the senses, he perceives in every manifestation of life a sacramental meaning; a loveliness, a wonder, a heightened significance which is hidden from other men..on the other hand, the full mystic consciousness also attains to what is, i think, its really characteristic quality. it develops the power of apprehending the absolute, pure being, the utterly transcendent..this all-round expansion of con

he outer form and finds the good and the wonderful. dr. otto7(94) deals with this in his exegesis of the faculty of "divination" that capacity to recognize with awe and wonder the essential holy and beautiful behind all forms. his chapter is well worth careful consideration. thus the mystic "divines (through the divine within himself) the reality which the veil of matter hides. this is the way of the senses. then there is the way of the intellect, of the intense focussing of the mind upon a problem and upon the form aspect in order to arrive at the cause of its being. in this way, the scientists have made so much progress and have penetrated so far within the veil that they have arrived at a something which they call "energy. dr. w. winslow hall defines the third way, as follows "the way o

ALICE A BAILEY08 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC

onsciousness and attain that 'high altitude (if i might so express it) at will, the fluctuations of the form life will not touch him. he- 39- a treatise on white magic copyright 1998 lucis trust then perceives the narrow-edged razor path which leads from the plane of physical life to the soul realm, and finds that when he can tread it with steadiness it leads him out of the ever changing world of the senses into the clear light of day and into the world of reality. the form side of life then becomes to him simply a field for service and not a field of sensuous perception. let the student ponder upon this last sentence. let him aim to live as a soul. then the cyclic impulses, emanating from the soul, are known to be impulses for which he himself is responsible and which he has sent forth; h

e ever at the centre, but to act as a distributor of divine energy in any direction and after the later initiations in all directions. we will now, in our consideration of the next rule, take up the work of the "lesser light" of man on the physical plane. i, who have entered somewhat into an understanding of the life of the solar angel, seek to assure my fellow pilgrims that the passing things of the senses are but trivial, and of no value compared to the rewards, here and in this life, to the man who seeks to merge his everyday consciousness with that of his own soul. he enters then into the community of souls, and stands not alone. the only lonely periods are the result of wrong orientation and the holding on to that which hides the vision, and fills the hands so full that they cannot gr

98 lucis trust it would be advisable for the student to read with care the commentary on this rule as given in the treatise on cosmic fire. it will be noted how extremely abstruse it is and how full of almost blind occult information. this should however be studied. the word "astral plane" should also be looked up and a general idea gained as to its nature and its function as the battle-ground of the senses, and as the place from which magic is wrought. the intelligent and constructive desire of the white magician, acting under the instruction of his own soul and therefore occupied with group work, is the motivating power back of all magical phenomena. this magical work is begun in the magician's own life, extends to the world of the astral plane and from thence (when potent there) can beg

the nature of the spirit and about which speculation is fruitless until the soul realises its oneness with the father. this realisation follows upon an earlier stage wherein the personal self is at-oned with the soul. therefore speculation and analysis as to the nature of bliss is profitless to the average man whose metaphors and terminologies must perforce be personal and related to the world of the senses. does the aspirant refer to his happiness or joy? if he refers to the latter it must come as the effect of group consciousness, of group solidarity, of oneness with all beings, and may not be interpreted in terms of happiness after all. happiness comes when the personality is meeting with those conditions which satisfy it in one part or other of its lower nature; it comes when there is

ousness and that of the spiritual, and this interlude of astral illusion is only known in the human family. there is no astral plane except in the consciousness of the fourth kingdom in nature, for man is "under illusion" in a sense different to the conscious awareness of any other kingdom subhuman or superhuman. i despair in making my meaning clear. how can one who is subject to the illusions of the senses, as are all human creatures, conceive of the state of consciousness of those who have freed themselves from the illusions of the astral plane or realise the state of awareness of those forms- 351- a treatise on white magic copyright 1998 lucis trust of life which have not yet developed astral consciousness? it is the dual nature of the mind which causes this illusion, for the mind of ma

ALICE A BAILEY09 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME I ESOTERIC PSYCHOLOGY I

hierarchy itself may well be added- 205- a treatise on the seven rays- volume i: esoteric psychology i copyright 1998 lucis trust the table as a whole shows the main divisions into which esoteric psychology divides humanity, and if you study it with care you will note how all-inclusive it is. i commend it to modern psychologists for study. objective agency: in the case of the human being, in whom the senses (slowly developed in the lower kingdoms) are already functioning, the outer agency whereby he grows is the world of experience, the tangible physical plane world. there he dwells in the flesh, and it is for him an adequate field of unfoldment; in the process of developing group consciousness he finds that multiplicity of contacts which is needed to awaken his response to his environment

e a treatise on cosmic fire, where this is elaborated. use the index. the rays and the planes- 264- a treatise on the seven rays- volume i: esoteric psychology i copyright 1998 lucis trust ray i..will, dynamically applied, emerges in manifestation as power. ray ii..love, magnetically functioning, produces wisdom. ray iii..intelligence, potentially found in substance, causes activity. the rays and the senses 1. hearing. 7th ray. magic. the word of power. 2. touch. 1st ray. destroyer .t he finger of god 3. sight. 3rd ray. vision. the eye of god 4. taste. 6th ray. idealism .t he desire of nations. 5. smell. 4th ray. art. the beauty of revelation. 6. the intellect. 5th ray. mind. the knowledge of god. 7. the intuition. 2nd ray. love-wisdom. understanding of god. the rays of aspect and of attri

ALICE A BAILEY10 FROM BETHLEHEM TO CALVARY

command to love our neighbour as ourselves.10 individual effort, group opportunity, and identification with each other this was the message of the christ. in the teaching of the buddha we have the three ways in which the lower nature can be changed and prepared to be a conscious expression of divinity. through detachment man learns to withdraw his interest and his consciousness from the things of the senses, and to turn a deaf ear to the calls of the lower nature. detachment imposes a new rhythm upon the man. through learning the lesson of dispassion he becomes immune to the suffering of the lower nature as he detaches his interest from secondary things and the non-essentials, and centres it upon the higher realities. through the practice of discrimination the mind learns to select the goo

rned."8 it was these processes, carried on in the form nature, which led eventually to the revelation to the apostles of the essential nature of the master they loved and followed, and it is this aspect of christ the inner radiant reality to which the mystics of all times bear testimony, not only in connection with christ, but in lesser degree in connection with each other also. once the world of the senses has been transcended, and the higher correspondences have become active, revealing the inner world of beauty and truth, there will come to the mystic a realisation of a subjective world whose characteristics are light, radiance, beauty and indescribable wonder. all the mystical writings are attempts to describe this world to which the mystics seem to have access, with its forms varying

ALICE A BAILEY11 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME II ESOTERIC PSYCHOLOGY II

emphasis. the soul comes forth into dense form and on the lowest plane. the self begins the part of its career which is expressed through selfishness, leading finally to an ultimate unselfishness. the separative entity begins his preparation for group realisation. a god walks on earth, veiled by the fleshly form, the desire nature and the fluidic mind. he is a prey temporarily to the illusion of the senses, and dowered with a mentality which primarily hinders and imprisons but which finally releases and liberates. there has been much written in the secret doctrine and a treatise on cosmic fire on the subject of individualisation. it can be simply defined as the process whereby forms of life in the fourth kingdom in nature arrive at: 1. conscious individuality, through experiencing the lif

enses, and dowered with a mentality which primarily hinders and imprisons but which finally releases and liberates. there has been much written in the secret doctrine and a treatise on cosmic fire on the subject of individualisation. it can be simply defined as the process whereby forms of life in the fourth kingdom in nature arrive at: 1. conscious individuality, through experiencing the life of the senses. 2. the assertion of individuality through the use of the discriminating mind. 3. the ultimate sacrifice of that individuality to the group. today, the masses are occupied with the task of becoming conscious of themselves, and are developing that spirit or sense of personal integrity or wholeness which will eventuate in an increased self-assertiveness, that first gesture of divinity. th

mphasis of the entire evolutionary process is, in the last analysis, placed upon the development of conscious, intelligent awareness in the life animating the various forms. the exact state of awareness is contingent upon the age of the soul. yet the soul has no age from the standpoint of time, as humanity understand it. it is timeless and eternal. before the soul there passes the kaleidoscope of the senses, and the recurring drama of outer phenomenal existence; but throughout all these occurrences in time and space, the soul ever preserves the attitude of the onlooker and of the perceiving observer. it beholds and interprets. in the early stages, when the "lemurian consciousness" characterises the phenomenal man, that fragmentary aspect of the soul which indwells and informs the human for

able of mental application, if trained, and showing that they can think when need arises. they are still, nevertheless, predominantly emotional. they constitute the bulk of modern humanity at this time. they are the average citizens of our modern world, good, well-intentioned, capable of intense emotional activity, with the feeling nature almost over-developed, and oscillating between the life of the senses and that of the mind. they swing between the poles of experience. their lives are spent in an astral turmoil, but they have steadily increasing interludes wherein the mind can momentarily make itself felt, and thus at need effect important decisions. these are the nice good people, who are, nevertheless, largely controlled by the mass consciousness, because they are relatively unthinkin

which are definitely and slowly coming into expression and to fruition knowledge, synthesis, beauty, science, idealism and order. but there are others, further back behind the scenes, held in latency for the proper period and time (if i may speak of these things in terms of modern usage, and these are the theme of this higher meditation. only those who have freed themselves from the thralldom of the senses can truly- 242- a treatise on the seven rays- volume ii: esoteric psychology ii copyright 1998 lucis trust thus meditate. the attributes of deity might be divided into three main groups: 1. expressing attributes those which are steadily emerging, of which we are becoming conscious, and which will constitute the major qualities and attributes of the fourth kingdom in nature, when the evo

ress him as so vast that he argues they must be divine and, therefore, essential. because he is still in the dramatic centre of his own consciousness and still even if unconsciously full of mental pride and spiritual ambition, he feels he has great things to do, and that everybody he knows must aid him in doing it, or else reckon themselves as failures. the second is the revelation of the maya of the senses. this maya is a generic term covering three aspects of the phenomenal life, of the three worlds or the three major results of force activity. these serve to bewilder the man and make difficult the lot of the earnest aspirant. it might be of value if i here defined for you the three terms which are applied to these three phenomenal effects: illusion, glamour and maya. these three phrases

him an idea of value, and enables him to fix upon that which to him appears best. smell gives him an idea of innate quality, and enables him to find that which appeals to him as of the same quality or essence as himself- 340- a treatise on the seven rays- volume ii: esoteric psychology ii copyright 1998 lucis trust in all these definitions it is necessary to bear in mind that the whole object of the senses is to reveal the not-self, and to enable the self therefore to differentiate between the real and the unreal. extract 3 these three major senses (if i might so describe them) are very definitely allied, each with one of the three logoi: hearing the recognition of the fourfold word, the activity of matter, the third logos. touch the recognition of the sevenfold form builder, the gatherin

ALICE A BAILEY12 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE VOLUME I

as the mind. it serves to relate the higher impression to the lower and you cannot record my vibration in the physical brain consciousness except through its mediation. you can be aware of my vibration upon the plane of the soul and your mind consciousness can be impressed by it. unless, however, the sensory body, the emotional vehicle, is also active in the right sense (negative to the world of the senses and receptive to mental impression) that impression will not be registered in the brain or waking consciousness. much that you say in your communications in the form of written papers upon this subject deals with the effect that your work and life has upon others through your manipulation of the forces with which disciples have to learn to work, and which are productive of real benefit

the hierarchy of servers. they will, therefore, produce an increasing power of control by the soul the one who knows no attachment and who stands at-one with all souls in all forms. such moments of crisis and of intensification, added to renunciation, have been your lot for years, have they not, my brother? they have swept your whole personality into an attitude of withdrawing from the things of the senses and to an earnest approach to the world of reality. in your life, since you came into incarnation this time, there have been four such moments, in the major sense each of them preceded by a period of one-pointed aspiration, of painful and oft agonising detachment from all that the personality held dear. each of them produced a subsequent reaction wherein it seemed that all was dark, and

aridity and stern struggle were the curious and undesirable result of sacrifice and of a recognised high point of illumination- 514- discipleship in the new age- volume i copyright 1998 lucis trust for you, as for so many disciples in this particular life cycle, the lesson has been to learn to move forward in spite of the activity of the pairs of opposites, paying no attention to the reactions of the senses and standing free and unafraid whether the experience being undergone is one of high import and of spiritual satisfaction, or is one of the "dead-level" happenings, where nothing brings joy and where only pain, fear and suspense are to be found. you must learn to move forward steadily between the pairs of opposites, saying to yourself: i am not this; i am not that; eternally, i am the s

ALICE A BAILEY16 GLAMOUR A WORLD PROBLEM

aware of themselves as mental beings. there is then a growing demand for that mind nature to be developed and brought into play in the effort to solve the problem in this category of opposites upon the astral plane. at the same time the sense of self-identity or the consciousness that "i am" is steadily growing, and the initiate of the day faces the effort to release himself from the thraldom of the senses upon the astral plane, from the dense glamour into which his sensory perception has thrown him, and to establish his freedom by a complete control of the astral body. this he eventually does by developing the power to pass between the pairs of opposites, unaffected by either, and thus leave them behind. he accomplishes this by using the mind as a distributor of the light which reveals t

ALICE A BAILEY18 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME III ESOTERIC ASTROLOGY

od" as the piling up of armaments discloses. all these are sixth ray characteristics, emphasised by scorpio and conditioned by mars which ever rules the path of the individual disciple, and today the world disciple, humanity as a whole, stands at the very portal of the path. the entire west is at this time under martian influence but this will end during the next five years. thirdly, mars governs the senses which are five in number. these senses are the basis of all human knowledge where that which is tangible and objective is concerned or inferred. mars, therefore, rules science and hence the reason in this present era for the fundamental but not permanent materiality of science a materiality which is rapidly lessening as mars nears the end of its present cycle of influence. already, the

ALICE A BAILEY20 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME IV ESOTERIC HEALING

hat is done in the world of today, is done by the relatively few. the rest are occupied with feeling, with sensuous perception and with the many and differing aspects of- 55- a treatise on the seven rays- volume iv: esoteric healing copyright 1998 lucis trust emotionalism such as irritability, worry, acute anxiety, aspiration towards some desired end or goal, depression, plus the dramatic life of the senses and of the "i in the centre" consciousness. few live in the world of thought and fewer still in the world of reality. when they do, the result is inevitably a better average of health, because there is better integration, and as a result a freer play of the life forces throughout the vehicles of expression. b. mental fanaticism. the dominance of thoughtforms. i would point out here that

ght divide intelligent human beings into three groups, at the same time eliminating in our thought the dead weight of the unthinking masses who register desire but who as yet experience no sense of futility or frustration. they desire and are satisfied; or they desire and are thwarted or jealous or angry at those who appear to have that which they want and demand, and which appeals to the life of the senses. the three groups are: 1. those personalities, integrated and intelligent, who are ambitious and pushing consciously forward, yet who meet with frustration. this frustration is due either to world conditions which are too strong for them, or to the imposition upon them of their own watchful souls which throws obstructions in their way in order to lead them into the light. 2. those mysti

ALICE A BAILEY21 EDUCATION IN THE NEW AGE

r nature emotional- 17- education in the new age copyright 1998 lucis trust mental and physical or vital will become simply the automatic servant of the soul. the soul will then function on earth through the medium of the mind, thereby controlling its instrument, the lower mind. yet at the same time, the mind will remain the recorder and reflector of all information coming to it from the world of the senses, from the emotional body, and will register also the thoughts and the ideas current in its environment. at present, it is alas true, the trained mind is regarded as the highest expression of which humanity is capable; it is viewed entirely as a personality, and the possibility of there being something which can use the mind, as the mind in its turn uses the physical brain, is overlooked

ALICE A BAILEY23 THE EXTERNALISATION OF THE HIERARCHY

interest to note that the work of this group is perhaps one of the hardest to carry through, although from another angle it is far easier than the task of most of the other groups, because the consciousness of the bulk of humanity is found to be predominantly upon the plane of illusion and therefore, as the old commentary says "they who work to bring in light and yet are surrounded by the maya of the senses, work from the point of present being and need not to move out or in, or up or down. they simply stand" the healers of the world upon the physical plane have to work upon that plane and their task is that of bringing through the energies of life, emanating from the soul plane, via the mind, but- 28- the externalisation of the hierarchy copyright 1998 lucis trust excluding the emotional

p opportunity and men's identification with each other such is the message of the christ. in the message of the buddha we have the three methods whereby the personality can be changed and prepared to be a conscious expression of divinity. through detachment, the brain consciousness or state of awareness (embodying physical recognition of inner causes) is withdrawn or abstracted from the things of the senses and from the calls of the lower nature. detachment is in reality the imposition of a new rhythm or habit reaction upon the cells of the brain which renders the brain unaware of the lure of the world of sensory perception. through dispassion, the emotional nature is rendered immune from the appeal of the senses and desire fails to deter the soul from its rightful task. through discrimina

nstance, the five senses, where a master is concerned, exist and are used at need, but the contact established and maintained with disciples and senior aspirants in the world (through whom they primarily work) is largely telepathic; hearing and sight, as you understand their uses, are not involved. the science of impression, with its greatly increased effectiveness over individual contact through the senses, has entirely superseded the more strictly human method. except in the case of masters working on the physical plane and in a physical body, the outer physical senses are in abeyance; for the majority of masters who still use these senses, the use is strictly limited; their work is still almost entirely subjective and the mode of telepathic interplay and of impression is practically all

ALICE A BAILEY24 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME V THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS

ain developments within the aspirant's own nature. the demanded contact would otherwise be impossible. what is needed is self-exertion, the resultant developments of which might be touched upon as follows: i. the repolarisation of the entire lower man so that his attitude toward the aggregate of forms which make up his field of general contact has changed. he is no longer deluded by the things of the senses but has in his hand that thread or clue which will eventually guide him out of the maze of the lower life perceptions into the field of clear knowledge and the realm where daylight is found; he will then no longer need to walk in the dark. this repolarisation is brought about in four ways, each of which provides the next step forward, and in their totality (and when- 1- copyright 1998 l

t of this triple sound) brings the soul-spirit aspect down on to the physical plane and anchors it there by the force of its outgoing vibration. using a symbol to make my meaning clear, it is like "a strong wind that pins a man against a wall and makes free effort difficult" it vivifies form; it intensifies the hold of matter upon the soul; it builds around the soul a confining prison a prison of the senses. it is the "sound of enchantment" the sound that is the source of glamour and of maya; it is the great beguiling and deceptive energy, the note of the involutionary arc. in it are hid the secret of evil or matter, the uses of form, first as a prison, then as a training ground and as a field of experience, and finally as the expression for the manifestation of a son of god- 34- a treatis

nality and the soul. it is not possible to enlarge at any length on that theme here, but i will make certain statements without which this whole process of dual living would be most difficult to explain. i will sum up what i have to say in the form of three basic statements: 1. the brain is a most delicate receiving and transmitting apparatus: a. it is responsive to information relayed to it, via the senses, from the emotional plane and from- 281- a treatise on the seven rays- volume v: the rays and the initiations copyright 1998 lucis trust the mind. b. through its medium the personal lower self becomes aware of its environment, of the nature of its desires, and of its mental peculiarities, as well as of the emotional states and the thoughts of the people contacted in the environment. 2

would deem desirable. later, in atlantean times, that same indwelling light and unfolding light of the mind served to reveal the world of emotions, and in the later half of that period it revealed the more aesthetic values; the arts began to flourish; colour and beauty were registered. in our more modern aryan race, the light has revealed the world of thought and has brought us to a synthesis of the senses; these senses were developed in earlier cycles of human living. each of these three races, in a mysterious manner, has a correspondence on a racial scale to the first three initiations. today, as we enter the new era, the symbology of the fourth initiation, that of the renunciation, has application; men face the necessity of renouncing the material values and of substituting the spiritu

APOCRYPHON OF JOHN

e genitals bathinoth, the right leg choux, the left leg charcha, the right shin-bone aroer, the left shin-bone toechtha, the right knee aol, the left knee charaner, the right foot bastan, its toes archentechtha, the left foot marephnounth, its toes abrana "seven have power over all of these: michael, ouriel, asmenedas, saphasatoel, aarmouriam, richram, amiorps. and the ones who are in charge over the senses (are) archendekta; and he who is in charge over the receptions (is) deitharbathas; and he who is in charge over the imagination (is) oummaa; and he who is over the composition aachiaram, and he who is over the whole impulse riaramnacho "and the origin of the demons which are in the whole body is determined to be four: heat, cold, wetness, and dryness. and the mother of all of them is ma

BALANCE J

s of investigation are perhaps waiting to be explored. having renounced both good and evil conveniently, one should engage in spasmodic madness. the focus of life this proto-surrealist maxim can be seen as bravely preceding andre breton s credo that surrealism was founded on the principle of convulsive beauty, an idea which can be linked to arthur rimbaud s belief in the systematic derangement of the senses. spare himself demonstrates that he went through several magickal crises and his detractors leapt upon such admissions as evidence of psychosis. in 1924 around the time of the publication of the anathema of zos subtitled (a sermon to the hypocrites) and around the same time as he drew the grotesque and powerful the book of ugly ecstasy he seemed to plunge headlong into a pit of loathing

world and all its elements flow into highly coloured reconfigurations and juxtaposing patterns. we might compare these to the works of the brilliant artist louis wain whose charming portraits of cats became increasing tessleated and jewel-like, shattering into shards of colour and pure sensation before his schizophrenic universe finally submerged him. there is a feeling in these later works that the senses have become inflamed and flooded with information in a way that sets the nerves jangling in both the viewer and the artist. but if this direction into synaesthesia wasn t entirely deliberate, it was certainly kickstarted into colour by the arrival of a gift of a new set of pastels courtesy of kenneth and steffi grant. spare s handling of this medium and his bold experimentation with flu

BLAVATSKY H P ANTHROPOGENESIS

rinciples in the gods, and even of the so-called creative deity himself. this is found in the names and appellations given to vishnu in exoteric scriptures. as the protologos (the orphic, he is called purvaja "pregenetic" and then the other names connect him in their descending order more and more with matter. the following order on parallel lines may be found in the evolution of the elements and the senses; or in cosmic terrestrial "man" or "spirit" and mortal physical man- 1. ether. hearing. sound. 2. air. touch. sound and touch. 3. fire, or light. sight. sound, touch and colour. 4. water. taste. sound, touch, colour and taste. 5. earth. smell. sound, touch, colour, taste and smell. as seen, each element adds to its own characteristics, those of its[[footnote(s* the opponents of hinduism

ess" or "immutable" nature, he is addressed as ekanaka-rupa "both single and manifold" he, the cause, becomes merged with his own effects; and his names, if placed in esoteric order, show the following descending scale- 1. mahapurusha or paramatman. supreme spirit. 2. atman or purvaja (protologos. the living spirit of nature. 3. indriyatman, or hrishikesa. spiritual or intellectual soul (one with the senses. 5. bhutatman. the living, or life soul. 6. kshetrajna. embodied soul, or the universe of spirit and matter. 7. bhrantidarsanatah. false perception- material universe. the last name means something perceived or conceived of, owing to false and erroneous apprehension, as a material form; but, in fact, only maya, illusion, as all is in our physical universe. it is in strict analogy with i

them* plato is the first sage among the classics who speaks at length of the[[footnote(s* as a general rule, now that the very nature of the inner man has become as blind as his physical nature, man is situated on this globe as the amphioxus is in the ocean. surrounded by shoals and millions of various other fishes and creatures that see it, the amphioxus species--having neither brain nor any of the senses possessed by the other classes- sees them not. who knows whether, on the darwinian theory, these "branchiostoma" are not the direct ancestors of our materialists* the occultists have been accused of worshipping gods or devils. we deny this. among the numberless hosts of spirits- men that were, and those who will be men- there are those immeasurably superior to the human race, higher and

eorge smith (see "the chaldean account of genesis" p. 304) is sufficient to disclose the source of the xii. chapter of the apocalypse. here it is as given by the eminent assyriologist "our. fragment refers to the creation of mankind, called adam; as (the man) in the bible, he is made perfect. but afterwards joins[[footnote(s* the "life and the light" of the material physical world, the delight of the senses- not of the soul. apollo is pre-eminently the human god, the god of emotional, pomp-loving and theatrical church ritualism, with lights and music* see chap. xii. in revelation where we find apollo's mother persecuted by that python, the red dragon, who is also porphyrion, the scarlet or red titan[[vol. 2, page] 384 the secret doctrine. with the dragon of the deep, the animal of tiamat

egions of illusion "in which fancies are the gadflies and mosquitoes, in which grief and joy are cold and heat, in which delusion is the blinding darkness, avarice, the beasts of prey and reptiles, and desire and anger are the obstructors. the sage describes the entrance into and exit from the forest (a symbol for man's life-time) and also that forest itself "in that forest are seven large trees (the senses, mind and understanding, or manas and buddhi included, seven fruits and seven guests; seven hermitages, seven (forms of) concentration, and seven (forms of) initiation. this is the description of the forest. that forest is filled with trees producing splendid flowers and fruits of five colours[[footnote(s "the sacred books of the east" vol. viii. anugita, p. 284, et seq* i propose to fo

ootnote(s "the sacred books of the east" vol. viii. anugita, p. 284, et seq* i propose to follow here the text and the editor's commentaries, who accepts arjuna misra and nilakantha's dead-letter explanations. our orientalists never trouble to think that if a native commentator is a non-initiate, he could not explain correctly, and if an initiate, would not[[vol. 2, page] 638 the secret doctrine "the senses" says the commentator "are called trees, as being producers of the fruits. pleasures and pains; the guests are the powers of each sense personified- they receive the fruits above described; the hermitages are the trees, in which the guests take shelter. the seven forms of concentration are the exclusion from the self of the seven functions of the seven senses, etc, already referred to;

its water, and the kshetragna (the "supreme self" says krishna, in the bhagavad gita, p. 102 et seq) within for the sun" now, all the above is very plain, and no theosophist, even among the least learned, could fail to understand the allegory. and yet, we see great orientalists making a perfect mess of it in their explanations. the "great sages" who "receive hospitality" are explained as meaning the senses "which, having worked as unconnected with the self are finally absorbed into it" but one fails to understand, if the senses are "unconnected" with the "higher self" in what manner can they be[[footnote(s* the english editor explains here, saying "i presume devoted to the brahman" this would be a very poor devotion, indeed, in the accomplishment of the gradually emancipating process of y

alistic though it be, is to carefully avoid anything like guess-work, speculation which cannot be verified; in short, all suppressio veri and all suggestio falsi. the business of the man of exact science is to observe, each in his chosen department, the phenomena of nature; to record, tabulate, compare and classify the facts, down to the smallest minutiae which are presented to the observation of the senses with the help of all the exquisite mechanism that modern invention supplies, not by the aid of metaphysical flights of fancy. all that he has a legitimate right to do, is to correct by the assistance of physical instruments the[[footnote(s* it thus appears that in its anxiety to prove our noble descent from the catarrhine "baboon" haeckel's school has pushed the times of pre-historic ma

BLAVATSKY H P COSMOGENESIS

rotation science. 500 conflicting hypotheses. 502 more hypotheses. 505- vi. the masks of science. 506 what are the "forces. 508 the view of the occultists. 510 scientific and occult theories on heat. 515 the atoms of science. 519- vii. an attack on the scientific theory of force by a man of science. 523 ether and atoms. 527- viii. life, force, or gravity. 529 dr. richardson on nervous ether. 531 the senses and their action. 535 too much "life" may kill. 539- ix. the solar theory. 540 the primordial element. 542 elements and meta-elements. 546 the tree of life and being. 549 prof. crookes on the elements. 552- x. the coming force. 554 mr. keeley, an unconscious occultist. 557 inter-etheric waves. 561 the secrets of sound and odour. 565- xl. on the elements and atoms. 566 metaphysical chemi

thought propelled into objective existence, into a law that the universe should exist. according to esoteric teaching, the real cause of that supposed desire, and of all existence, remains for ever hidden, and its first emanations are the most complete abstractions mind can conceive. these abstractions must of necessity be postulated as the cause of the material universe which presents itself to the senses and intellect; and they underlie the secondary and subordinate powers of nature, which, anthropomorphized, have been worshipped as god and gods by the common herd of every age. it is impossible to conceive anything without a cause; the attempt to do so makes the mind a blank[[footnote(s* in clearer words "one has to acquire true self-consciousness in order to understand samvriti, or the

o express to its consciousness the idea of life after birth (death to it, it would, in the absence of data to go upon, and of faculties to comprehend such data, probably express that life as "non-being which is real being" in our case the one being is the noumenon of all the noumena which we know must underlie phenomena, and give them whatever shadow of reality they possess, but which we have not the senses or the intellect to cognize at present. the impalpable atoms of gold scattered through the substance of a ton of auriferous quartz may be imperceptible to the naked eye of the miner, yet he knows that they are not only present there but that they alone give his quartz any appreciable value; and this relation of the gold to the quartz may faintly shadow forth that of the noumenon to the

nseparably connected are, in the metaphysics of old, intelligent beings, or rather "intelligences" with every sense or[[vol. 1, page] 96 the secret doctrine. function whether physical or mental. the occult claim that there are seven senses in man, as in nature, as there are seven states of consciousness, is corroborated in the same work, chapter vii, on pratyahara (the restraint and regulation of the senses, pranayama being that of the "vital winds" or breath. the brahmana speaks in it "of the institution of the seven sacrificial priests (hotris. he says "the nose and the eyes, and the tongue, and the skin and the ear as the fifth (or smell, sight, taste, touch and hearing, mind and understanding are the seven sacrificial priests separately stationed; and which "dwelling in a minute space

mell, sight, taste, touch and hearing, mind and understanding are the seven sacrificial priests separately stationed; and which "dwelling in a minute space (still) do not perceive each other" on this sensuous plane, none of them except mind. for mind says "the nose smells not without me, the eye does not take in colour, etc, etc. i am the eternal chief among all elements (i.e, senses. without me, the senses never shine, like an empty dwelling, or like fires the flames of which are extinct. without me, all beings, like fuel half dried and half moist, fail to apprehend qualities or objects even with the senses exerting themselves* this, of course, with regard only to mind on the sensuous plane. spiritual mind (the upper portion or aspect of the impersonal manas) takes no cognisance of the se

aspect of the impersonal manas) takes no cognisance of the senses in physical man. how well the ancients were acquainted with the correlation of forces and all the recently discovered phenomena of mental and physical faculties and functions, with many more mysteries also- may be found in reading chapters vii. and viii. of this (in philosophy and mystic learning) priceless work. see the quarrel of the senses about their respective superiority and their taking the brahman, the lord of all creatures, for their arbiter "you are all greatest and not greatest" or superior to objects, as a. misra says, none being independent of the other "you are all possessed of one another's qualities. all are greatest in their own spheres and all support one another. there is one unmoving (life-wind or breath

an unhappy phrase even thus expanded, because while it is perfectly true that the progress of evolution may be destined to introduce us to new characteristics of matter, those with which we are already familiar are really more numerous than the three dimensions. the faculties, or what is perhaps the best available term, the characteristics of matter, must clearly bear a direct relation always to the senses of man. matter has extension, colour, motion (molecular motion, taste, and smell, corresponding to the existing senses of man, and by the time that it fully develops the next characteristic- let us call it for the moment permeability- this will correspond to the next sense of man- let us call it "normal clairvoyance" thus, when some bold thinkers have been thirsting for a fourth dimensi

amely, fire (light, air, water, and man (or the earth. for the sentence "in the beginning god created heaven and earth" is a mistranslation; it is not "heaven and earth" but the duplex or dual heaven, the upper and the lower heavens, or the separation of primordial substance that was light in its upper and dark in its lower portions- or the manifested universe- in its duality of the invisible (to the senses) and the visible to our perceptions. god divided the light from the darkness (v. 4; and then made the firmament, air (5 "a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters (6, i.e "the waters which were under the firmament (our manifested visible universe) from the waters above the firmament" or the (to us) invisible planes of being. in the second chapt

tion and the experience of the ages, fancying that truth is the exclusive property of the western world. hence the disagreement. as hermes says "knowledge differs much from sense; for sense is of things that surmount it, but knowledge (gyi) is the end of sense- i.e, of the illusion of our physical brain and its intellect; thus emphasizing the contrast between the laboriously acquired knowledge of the senses and mind (manas, and the intuitive omniscience of the spiritual divine soul- buddhi. whatever may be the destiny of these actual writings in a remote future, we hope to have proven so far the following facts (1) the secret doctrine teaches no atheism, except in the hindu sense of the word nastika, or the rejection of idols, including every anthropomorphic god. in this sense every occult

rishis who have become the informing souls of the seven stars (of the great bear* in astronomical and cosmogonical language this creation relates to the first stage of cosmic-life, the fire-mist period after its chaotic stage* when atoms issue from laya (iii) the third (the indriya) was the modified form of ahankara, the conception of "i (from "aham "i) termed the organic creation, or creation of the senses (aindriyaka "these three were the prakrita creation, the (discrete) developments of indiscrete nature preceded by the indiscrete principle "preceded by" ought to be replaced here with "beginning by" buddhi; for the latter is neither a discrete nor an indiscrete quantity, but partakes of the nature of both, in man as in kosmos: a unit- a human monad on the plane of illusion- when once fr

ngdom. in this secondary period, the three degrees of elemental or rudimental kingdoms are evolved in this world, corresponding inversely in order to the three prakritic creations during the primary period of brahma's activity. as in that period, in the words of "vishnu purana "the first creation was that of mahat (intellect, the second, of tanmatras (rudimental principles, and the third, that of the senses (aindriyaka; in this one, the order of the elemental forces stands thus (1) the nascent centres of force (intellectual and physical (2) the rudimental principles- nerve force, so to say; and (3) nascent apperception, which is the mahat of the lower kingdoms, especially developed in the third order of elementals; these are succeeded by the[[footnote(s "the three creations beginning with

dic aryans were as familiar with the mysteries of sound and colour as our physiologists are on the physical plane, but they had mastered the secrets of both on planes inaccessible to the materialist. they knew of a double set of senses; spiritual and material. in a man who is deprived of one or more senses, the remaining become the more developed: e.g, the blind man will recover his sight through the senses of touch, of hearing, etc, and he who is deaf will be able to hear through sight, by seeing audibly the words uttered by the lips and mouth of the speaker. but these are cases that belong to the world of matter still. the spiritual senses, those that act on a higher plane of consciousness are rejected a priori by physiology because the latter is ignorant of the sacred science. it limits

e number, no modern philosopher has asked himself how these senses could exist, i.e, be perceived and used in a self-conscious way, unless there was the sixth sense, mental perception to register and record them; and (this for the metaphysicians and occultists) the seventh to preserve the spiritual fruition and remembrance thereof, as in a book of life which belongs to karma. the ancients divided the senses into five, simply because their teachers (the initiates) stopped at the hearing, as being that sense which developed in the physical plane (got dwarfed rather, limited to this plane) only at the beginning of the fifth race (the fourth race already had begun to lose the spiritual condition, so pre-eminently developed in the third race* the modern commentators, failing to comprehend the s

BLUE EQUINOX

h thou bliss absolute, thou one without a second, thou in whom time and space no longer exist. i invoke thee. oh thou, who when i think of thee art god, who when i cease to think of thee art my self, may i be lost in thee. yet never shall i be lost, for thou art, who art not. oh beloved, i come to thee when i realize that never have i moved through all eternity. oh thou, on whom man looks through the senses, and sees as the world. oh thou, on whom man looks through the mind and sees as the world of thought. oh thou on whom man looks as thyself and becomes infinite bliss, let there be no thought of separateness, for there is none other. thou art that. if i call thee a point, thou laughest, saying .i am the infinite circle. if i worship the circle, thou laughest, saying .i am concealed in th

ghtingales; but this sound is premonitory, as it were, the veil of more distinct and articulate sounds which come later. it corresponds in hearing to that dark veil which is seen when the eyes are closed, although in this case a certain degree of progress is necessary before anything at all is heard. 3. having become indifferent to objects of perception, the pupil must seek out the raja (king) of the senses, the thought-producer, he who awakes illusion. the word .indifferent. here implies .able to shut out. the rajah referred to is in that spot whence thoughts spring. he turns out ultimately to be mayan, the great magician described in the 3rd thyr (see the equinox, vol i, no. 5, special supplement. let the student notice that in his early meditations, all his thoughts will be under the ta

the consciousness of man, which consciousness is considered as being a reflection of the non- ego, or a creation of the ego, according to the school of philosophy to which the student may belong. 11. before the soul can comprehend and may remember, she must unto the silent speaker be united just as the form to which the clay is modeled, is first united with the potter.s mind. any actual object of the senses is considered as a precipitation of an ideal. just as no existing triangle is a pure triangle, since it must be either equilateral, isosceles, or scalene, so every object is a miscarriage of an ideal. in the the equinox 10 course of practice one concentrates upon a given thing, rejecting this outer appearance and arriving at that ideal, which of course will not in any way resemble any o

s that the only reliable guru is one who has attained the grade of magister templi. for the attainments of this grade consult the equinox, vol. i, no. 5, supplement, etc. 31. that which is uncreate abides in thee, disciple, as it abides in that hall. if thou would.st reach it and blend the two, thou must divest thyself of thy dark garments of illusion. stifle the voice of flesh, albow no image of the senses to get between its light and thine that thus the twain may blend in one. and having learnt thine own agnyana, flee from the hall of learning. this hall is dangerous in its perfidious beauty, is needed but for thy probation. beware, lanoo, lest dazzled by illusive radiance thy soul should linger and be caught in its deceptive light. this is a r sum of the previous seven verses. it inculc

r warns the advanced student against accepting his rewards. there is one method of meditation in which the student kills thoughts as they arise by the reflection .that.s not it. frater p. indicated the same by taking as his motto, the equinox 18 in the second order which reaches from yesod [sic] to chesed .ou mh .no, certainly not. 32. this light shines from the jewel of the great ensnarer (mara. the senses it bewitches, blinds the mind, and leaves the unwary an abandoned wreck. i am inclined to believe that most of blavatsky.s notes are intended as blinds .light. such as is described has a technical meaning. it would be too petty to regard mara as a christian would regard a man who offered him a cigarette. the supreme and blinding light of this jewel is the great vision of light. it is th

1. 74. when the disciple sees and hears, and when he smells and tastes, eyes closed, ears shut, with mouth and nostrils stopped; when the four senses blend and ready are to pass into the fifth, that of the inner touch.then into stage the fourth he hath passed on. the practice indicated in verse 74 is described in most books upon the tatwas. the orifices of the face being covered with the fingers, the senses take on a new shape. 75. and in the fifth, o slayer of thy thoughts, all these again have to be killed beyond reanimation. it is not sufficient to get rid temporarily of one.s obstacles. one must seek out their roots and destroy them, so that they can never rise again. this involves a very deep psychological investigation, as a preliminary. but the whole matter is one between the self a

ear right through virya gate, the fifth one of the seven portals. thou art now on the way that leadeth to the dhyana haven, the sixth, the bodhi portal. 72. the dhyana gate is like an alabaster vase, white and transparent; within there burns a steady golden fire, the flame of prajna that radiates from atman. the seven portals 109 thou art that vase. 73. thou hast estranged thyself from objects of the senses, traveled on the .path of seeing. on the .path of hearing. and standest in the light of knowledge. thou hast now reached titiksha state. o narjol, thou art safe. in these three verses the passage to the sixth gate is made clear. there is no longer any struggle, there is but the golden fire within the alabaster vase, and thou art that vase. mate and female are again interchanged. above c

BOOK OF PLEASURE

me, in truth i alone am "self" my will unconditioned, is magical. those who have lived much in their nature will in some degree be familiar with such a sensation, poor though it be. preface to self-love let us be honest! thou art "that" supreme in freedom, most desirable, beyond desire, untouched by the six stupifiers. the sexuality labours, so death may harvest by desire. the elusive fancies of the senses are dangerous, because of the righteousness you have learned to obey and control them by. hell-fire burns because you "conceived; and will cease to hurt when you identify the ego with all the possibilities of its qualities by believing as the "neither-neither" process. you are fire yet you are scorched! because you have "willed" belief (differently or not makes no difference; the cycle

BUCKLAND RAYMOND COMPLETE BOOK OF WITCHCRAFT

ce should only be used under the close supervision of someone who is completely knowledgeable in its use. the essence of its benefits can and should be used, however. a procedure to induce the proper conditions for freeing the consciousness is outlined in the method of meditation given in lesson seven. these meditation procedures, if properly and consistently used, can also provide deprivation of the senses, comfort of the body and elimination of the senses which will free the consciousness. figure 8.3 based on those in minnesota minutescope now answer the examination questions for this lesson in appendix b figure 8.2 1. write your own handfasting ceremony. 2. keep a log of birth rites (wiccaning) and crossing the bridge rites below. 3. list the methods you have used to clear your intuitiv

DION FORTUNE MYSTICAL QABALA

tely approached them from the microcosmic point of view in their psychological aspect as factors in consciousness. but with tiphareth our mode of approach changes, for from henceforward the archetypal forces are locked up in forms, and can only be approached from the point of view of their effect upon consciousness; in other words, our mode of approach must now be through the direct experience of the senses, though these senses are not of the physical plane only, but function in both tiphareth and yesod, each according to type. while we were on the higher levels we had to rely on metaphysical analogy and reasoning by deduction frorn first principles; now we are within the legitimate field of inductive science, and must submit ourselves to its discipline and express our findings in its term

DONALDTYSON ELEMENT

form about equally as often. when they manifest in human form, they tend to have dark hair, dark brown eyes, olive complexions or sometimes darker skin, short and heavyset bodies, short arms and legs, powerful hands, a wide mouth, a deep voice and ringing laughter. usually when you deal with a gnome, or any other elemental, it will not assume a fully human form but will remain somewhat elusive to the senses- you may be able to feel and hear it, for example, but not see it clearly. the four classes of elemental spirits are the work horses of modern magic. any purpose a magician may have can be placed under one or the other of the four elements, and in this way recommends itself to a specific class of elemental. elementals are summoned and banished through the use of the pentagram, which may

DONALDTYSON NECRO

itional necromancy relied upon the relics of the corpse as a bridge to establish communication with the shade of the dead person. it involved the use of such things as grave mold, the bones, skin, hair and fingernails of corpses, and body parts such as hands, teeth and eyeballs. the skull was considered to be especially useful, since it housed the organs of the higher senses of sight and hearing, the senses through which the dead person acquired secrets. a departed soul might be expected to know important matters in two areas: what he had seen or done during life, and what he had seen or done after death. often necromancers called up a shade to discover the hiding place of treasure which the person during life was rumored to have possessed. the dead were thought to have special access to o

DONALDTYSON PENTA

e pentagram from your right index finger, or some instrument such as the wand or sword, or as you drawn it with a pen, pencil or other writing tool, try to feel the elemental energy that you seek to invoke or banish. project your own personal energy into the pentagram. this has the effect of priming it, and makes its action more powerful. it requires practice and the ability to visualize with all the senses, something that is true of all aspects of ceremonial magic. visualization is not limited to sight. the same basic technique is used in magic to hear, smell, taste and feel on the astral plane, where magic is actually worked. eliphas levi is responsible for making a distinction between the upright and the inverted pentagram. before his time, no such distinction existed. an upright pentag

ELIPHAS LEVI THE CONJURATION OF THE FOUR ELEMENTS

mancy, pyromancy, and geomancy, is made in diverse ways, which all depend upon the will and transparency or imagination of the operator. in truth the four elements are only instruments to aid second-sight. second-sight is the faculty of seeing in the astral light. this second-sight is as natural as the first sight, or the sensible and ordinary sight, but it can only act through the abstraction of the senses. somnambulists and ecstatics enjoy second-sight naturally; but this sight is more lucid as the abstraction becomes more complete. the abstraction is produced by astral intoxication; that is, by a superabundance of light, which completely saturates the nervous system, and consequently renders it inactive. sanguine temperaments are more disposed to aeromancy; bilious to pyromancy, phlegma

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 1

4 publication) never diminished or changed thereafter. the phenomena recorded in the book are of a wide range and embrace almost every spiritualistic manifestation. only the absence of apport phenomena and the penetration of matter through solid matter is conspicuous. its possibility was stoutly denied by home. the records fail to meet scientific requirements in many ways. the control was left to the senses, no instruments were introduced, and many points in the narrative were left incomplete. no attempt was made to appraise the sittings in scientific categories. miracle worship might best describe the attitude of lord adare and of his fellow-sitters. on the other hand, while deficient in some ways, these records demonstrate the conscientiousness of those who observed home. each wrote lett

. let us follow her example, and hold it enough to show that such powers, whatever they are, were known to the native priesthood as well as the modern spiritualists and the miracle mongers of the middle ages. their highest development is what our ancestors called second sight. that under certain conditions knowledge can pass from one mind to another otherwise than through the ordinary channels of the senses, is shown by the examples of persons en rapport. the limit to this we do not know, but it is not unlikely that clairvoyance or second sight is based upon it. in his autobiography, the celebrated sac chief, black hawk, related that his great grandfather was inspired by a belief that at the end of four years he should see a white man, who would be to him a father. under the direction of t

953.57; chairman of evaluation committee, adult school of montcalm, n.j (1958.59; readers adviser at montclair public library (1957.60; and since 1960 assistant director of fair lawn (n.j) public library. he also served as book review editor of tomorrow (1958.62) and as administrative secretary of the parapsychology foundation, new york. sources: angoff, allan. eileen garrett and the world beyond the senses. new york: william morrow, 1974. angoff, allan, ed. parapsychology and the sciences. new york: parapsychology foundation, 1972. parapsychology today: a geographic view. new york: parapsychology foundation, 1971. angoff, allan, and diana barth, eds. parapsychology and anthropology. new york: parapsychology foundation, 1973. angoff, allan, and betty shapin, eds. proceedings of an internat

agnetic fluid was associated with unusual phenomena in living organisms. animal magnetism became a preferred term for experimenters and writers like j. p. f. deleuze (1753.1835, and william gregory (1803.1858, translator of baron von reichenbach s works on the od, or odic force (associated with animal magnetism. animal magnetism embraced such paranormal phenomena as clairvoyance, transposition of the senses, and sympathy (rapport between operator and subject. a number of reputable scientists took a serious interest in animal magnetism and conducted numerous experiments, and for many years during the nineteenth century the subject formed a bridge between mesmerism, spiritualism, and hypnotism. from time to time various alternative terms were proposed, largely in order to give the subject so

d observation was that different colors had specific sensations that aided identification. for example, red seemed to burn, orange to warm, yellow less so, green was neutral, light blue cooling, navy blue freezing. other subjects reported that red had a sticky sensation and blue felt smooth (see also dermo-optical perception; eyeless sight; jules romains; seeing with the stomach; transposition of the senses) sources: ostrander, sheila, and lynn schroeder. psychic discoveries behind the iron curtain. 1970. reprint, new york: bantam books, 1971. biolater a small electronic calculator for charting biorhythm cycles to predict high, low, and danger points of one s personal biochemistry. it looks very much like a normal pocket-size batteryoperated calculator with mathematical functions. biologic

e east so frequent, and therefore they are scattered and uncertain. accounts are, however, not wanting to show that the phenomena as well as theories of prophecy were known in more remote times. under the emperor hoei ti, about 304 a.d, a mystical sect arose in china calling themselves the teachers of the emptiness and nothingness of all things. they also exhibited the art of binding the power of the senses, and producing a condition which they believed perfection. demonism and obsession the chinese of former times were implicit believers in demons whom they imagined surrounded them on every hand. one writer states, english officials, american missionaries, mandarins and many of the chinese literati (confucians, taoists and buddhist believers alike) declare that spiritism in some form, and

in and the dream was repeated. he described the scenery to a comrade, who recognized its features as belonging to the carson valley pass, 150 miles away. a company was collected with blankets, provisions, and mules. on arriving they found the company exactly as portrayed in the dream. that clairvoyant vision may be independent of normal eyesight and exercised by the mind without the assistance of the senses is shown by a note by stainton moses, dated march 1, 1874: in the midst of the seance, when perfectly clear of influence, i saw theophilus and the prophet. they were as clear and palpable to the eye as human beings would be in a strong light. placing my hand over my eyes made no difference, but turning away i could see them no longer. this experiment i repeated several times. darkness p

the most firmly rooted articles of scientific belief.amongst others, the ubiquity and invariable action of the force of gravitation.that, even now, on recalling the details of what i witnessed, there is an antagonism in my mind between reason, which pronounces it to be scientifically impossible, and the conciousness that my senses, both of touch and sight.and these corroborated, as they were, by the senses of all who were present.are not lying witnesses when they testify against my preconceptions. the description of these experiments and the summary produced a furious anonymous attack, now known to have emanated from dr. w. b. carpenter, in the october 1871 issue of the quarterly review. the article described crookes as a specialist of the specialists, an investigator whose ability was pu

clined to lynch them. since they did not find the police protection sufficient, they broke off their encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. davenport brothers 377 engagements. in a letter to ferguson, the davenports later wrote: were we mere jugglers we should meet with no violence, or we should find protection. could we declare that these things done in our presence were deception of the senses, we should, no doubt, reap a plentiful harvest of money and applause. as tricks they would transcend, according to the testimony of experienced observers, any ever exhibited in occident or orient. the wonders of the cabinet, or still more, of the dark seance, surpass all pretentions of conjurers. we should safely defy the world to equal them, and be honoured for our dexterity. but we ar

nly that the pain existed and was in some way reproduced in myself. if anyone left his or her seat, thus breaking the chain, this fact was communicated to me in a mysterious but unmistakable manner. in a lecture reported in light (november 21, 1903, she added: i lost physical strength, but no particle of my individuality. on the contrary, the loss of physical power seemed but to intensify that of the senses. distant sounds, beyond hearing at other times, became painfully audible; a movement of any of the sitters sent a vibration through every nerve; a sudden exclamation caused a sensation of terror; the very thoughts of the persons in the room made themselves felt as though they were material objects. the exteriorization of ectoplasm seemed to require a state of passivity on the part of th

evi, magic harmony is said to depend upon equilibrium. in ceremonial magic operations, if the will of the operator is always at the same tension and directed along the same line, moral impotence will ensue. on the other hand, mediums who submit themselves passively to psychic forces are equally unbalanced. levi extols the all-powerful action of harmony in exalting the soul and giving it rule over the senses, guided by the will. sources: levi, eliphas. transcendental magic. new york: samuel weiser, 1972. equinox the term equinox (from the latin for equal night) refers to those times during the year in which the length of the day and the night are equal. the equinox occurs twice yearly, at the beginning of spring (around march 21) and the beginning of fall (around september 23. from an astro

fficacy of their religion over that of all others. as interesting as these feats are, many indian religious leaders have observed that there is nothing inherently spiritual about them and indeed they may become an obstacle to the realization of spiritual progress. in the treatise the yoga sutras of patanjali (ca. 300 b.c.e, various occult powers, such as levitation, invisibility, and mastery over the senses, are said to result from the practice of yoga. however, the author also warns that such powers should be ignored lest they prove an obstacle to spiritual progress. among the phenomenal feats attributed to fakirs, who operate in india as entertainers, is levitation, the so-called indian rope trick. reports of this phenomena emerged in england in the 1880s, and in 1919 the british magic c

and amplified, these articles formed the substance of l inconnu, published in 1900 in an attempt to prove the reality of telepathy, apparitions of the dying, premonitory dreams, and clairvoyance. flammarion concludes that the soul exists as a real entity independent of the body; it is endowed with faculties still unknown to science; and it is able to act at a distance without the intervention of the senses. he reaffirmed his belief in the reality of psychical phenomena in mysterious psychic forces on the basis of very wide experience. during a period of more than forty years, he writes i believe that i have received at my home nearly all of them [mediums, men and women of divers nationalities and from every quarter of the globe. he met italian medium eusapia palladino for the first time o

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 2

could have possibly known. lady oxford was tremendously impressed and made a public apology, acknowledging that marion s talent was genuine. in 1934 marion submitted to a long series of scientific experiments directed by s. g. soal at the national laboratory of psychical research, london. soal was skeptical of marion s esp but concluded that marion had unusual hyperaesthesia, or unusual acuity of the senses. soal stated: my laboratory experiments show that marion performs his amazing feats by the aid of remarkable powers which are probably possessed by not one man in a million. there can be no question of either collusion or trickery in his public performances, judging from what i have seen him do single-handed in the laboratory. however, this hardly did justice to marion s amazing feats o

preliminary training was considered premature and dangerous. the most generally known system has been that of the sage patanjali (ca. 200 b.c.e, who taught that in order to experience true reality one must transcend the body and mind. in his yoga sutras, patanjali outlines a program of physical exercises (to strengthen a meditation posture, breathing techniques (to purify the body, withdrawal of the senses, concentration, and meditation, culminating in mystical experience. in this process supernormal powers might be manifested, but were to be ignored. the ultimate goal of meditation was spiritual illumination transcending individuality and extending the consciousness beyond time, space, and causality, but also interfusing it with the everyday duties and responsibilities of the individual

attributed many curious phenomena to the state of rapport, and they insisted on the theory of a magnetic effluence. their patients claimed they could see it radiating as a brilliant shaft of light from the operator, from trees, and from other substances. some substances could conduct it, others not. water and milk could retain it and work cures. tardy de montravel discovered the transposition of the senses. his somnambule not only walked in the town with her eyes fast closed but could see with the pit of her stomach (see also eyeless sight. j. h. desire petetin, a doctor at lyons, enlarged upon these observations. he changed the theory of mesmer to animal electricity and cited many experiments to prove that the phenomena were of an electrical nature. j. p. f. deleuze objected, insisted on

also eyeless sight. j. h. desire petetin, a doctor at lyons, enlarged upon these observations. he changed the theory of mesmer to animal electricity and cited many experiments to prove that the phenomena were of an electrical nature. j. p. f. deleuze objected, insisted on the magnetic fluid theory, and pointed out its analogies with nerve-force. he explained the phenomena of the transposition of the senses by the idea that it was the magnetic fluid that conveyed the impressions from without. he offered a similar theory to explain medical diagnoses that the patients gave of others and themselves. every phenomenon was, however, attributed to physiological causes. thought-reading and clairvoyance as transcendental faculties were rejected. the phenomena of traveling clairvoyance were yet very

s still commemorated in the heraldic arms of modern mexico. dreams and visions also played a great part in mexican divination, and a special caste of augurs called teopixqui, or teotecuhtli (masters or guardians of divine things) were set apart for the purpose of interpreting dreams and of divining through dreams and visions, which was regarded as the chief route between man and the supernatural. the senses were quickened and sharpened by the use of drugs, and the ecstatic condition was induced by lack of sleep, fixing of the mind upon one subject, swallowing or inhaling cerebral intoxicants such as tobacco, the maguey, coca, the snakeplant or ololiuhqui, and similar substances. some tribes of native americans believed that visions came to the prophet or seer pictorially, or that acts were

por, from which they generally rise up in three days. but the man whom the nkissi loves he carries off to the bush and often buries him for a series of years. when he again awakens to life, he begins to eat and drink as before, but his mind is gone, and the nganga must himself educate him and instruct him in every movement, like the smallest child. at first that can only be done with the rod, but the senses gradually return, so that you can speak with him, and when his education is finished the nganga takes him back to his parents. these would seldom recognize him but for the positive assurance of the nganga, who at the same time reminds them of earlier occurrences. whoever has not yet undergone the experience in ambamba is universally despised, and is not allowed to join in the dances. th

ld spring gushed and supposedly the inspired priestesses prophesied from this murmur. according to legend, when lighted torches were thrust into this fountain they would be extinguished and would rekindle without assistance. ernst von lasaulx in das pelasgische orakel d. zeus zu dodona speculated: that extinction and rekindling has, perhaps, the mystical signification that the usual sober life of the senses must be extinguished, that the prophetic spirit dormant in the soul may be aroused. the torch of human existence must expire, that a divine one may be lighted; the human must die that the divine may be born; the destruction of individuality is the awakening of god in the soul, or, as the mystics say, the setting of sense is the rising of truth. it appears predictions were drawn from the

no such statues have been found in the valley of the nile. it was customary for the king to visit the god alone and in secret. it is believed the king presented himself on such occasions before the sacred animal the god was incarnate, believing the divine will would be manifested by its movements (see also moving statues) the apis bull also possessed oracles, as did bes, the god of pleasure or of the senses, whose oracle was located at abydos. american oracles among the peoples of the americas many of the principal deities acted as oracles. for example, the ancient inhabitants of peru, the huillcas, believed the noises made by serpents, trees, and rivers to be of the quality of articulate speech. both the huillcamayu and the apurimac rivers at cuzco were huillca oracles of this kind, as th

in the air above the heads of the sitters and then descended on the table, thence going two yards to a bed. while the bell was ringing we struck a match and saw the bell up in the air. a detailed account of his observations and reflections appeared in the annales des sciences psychiques (1892. lombroso admitted the reality of the phenomena and, on the basis of the analogy of the transposition of the senses observed in hypnotic cases, suggested a transformation of the powers of the medium as an explanation. he continued his researches for many years and ended in the acceptance of the spirit theory. in his book after death.what (1909) he expanded upon his observation of the medium: her culture is that of a villager of the lower order. she frequently fails in good sense and in common sense

ing, following a time of prayer, the members entered a private ritual space where a ritual diagram would be drawn on the floor. the invocation would begin at midnight. its purpose was to communicate with what pasqually termed the active and intelligent cause (god. members of the order were forbidden to consume blood, fat, or kidneys of any animal, were to refrain from fornication, and not indulge the senses. pasqually was succeeded as head of the order by his chief disciple, j. b. willermoz, but is largely remembered today because of the work of a younger disciple, louis claude de saint- martin, who carried his work toward a mystical, rather than magical, direction. sources: le forestier, rene. la franc-maconnerie occultiste au xviii siecle et l ordre des elus coens. paris: dorbon, 1928. m

ourth way philosophy of georgei ivanovitch gurdjieff founded in 1956 by thane walker, a charismatic student of gurdjieff, and phez kahlil. the prosperos were chartered in florida, but moved around the country, and they reported a some 3,000 members in california. the prosperos believed in one mind and claimed that reality can be experienced only from its perspective by removing the distortions of the senses and memory that hide the true self. this was generally in accord with traditional mystical teaching, but whereas the way of the fakir is through willpower, the yogi through intellect and the monk through emotions, the fourth way was available to individuals within world experience. the prosperos believed that god is pure consciousness and use five processes to achieve identification of

the fakir is through willpower, the yogi through intellect and the monk through emotions, the fourth way was available to individuals within world experience. the prosperos believed that god is pure consciousness and use five processes to achieve identification of the individual with the one consciousness: 1) statement of being (the facts of reality; 2) uncovering the lie or error (the claims of the senses; 3) argument (resting of claims; 4) summing up the results; and 5) establishing the absolute. the prophet encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. 1244 lectures and classes were conducted on such topics as translation, and releasing the hidden splendor, and there was also an inner circle named high watch, for those who complete three classes of development. the name prosperos

taphysic research society of turkey that covered spiritualism, healing, astrology, ufos, and parapsychology. last known address: p.o. box 1157, istanbul, turkey. rumi, jalal al-din (1207.1273) a sufi poet born in 1207 in balkh (now afganistan. he taught the sufi doctrine that the chief end of life is to emancipate oneself from human thoughts and wishes, human needs, and the outward impressions of the senses, so that one may become a mere mirror for the deity. so refined an essence does one s mind become that it is as nearly as possible nothing, yet while in this state it can, by a union with the divine essence, mysteriously become the all. in his teachings, rumi declared that names and words must not be taken for the things they represent: names thou mayest know; go, seek the truth they na

FAUST

ries rudely trodden, foaming, spurting, crushed to an unsightly mass. now the ear is pierced by brazen clash of cymbals and of timbrels, for the veil of mystery hath dionysus cast aside; he comes forth with goat-foot satyrs, whirling goat-foot satyresses; and amid them brays, untamed and shrill, silenus long-eared beast. naught is spared! for cloven hoofs are trampling down all decent custom; for the senses whirling stagger, horribly the ear is stunned. for the cup the drunken fumble, over-full are heads and bellies. careful still is this and that-one, but he heightens thus the tumult, for to garner this year s juices, they drain swiftly the old skin. the curtain falls, phorkyas in the proscenium rises to a gigantic height, descends from the cothurni, casts aside mask and veil, and appears

FOCUS OF LIFE

sure wearies of thee. ecstatic fulfilment of ecstasy, is it asking too much? alas, the smallness of man's desire! thou shalt suffer all things once again: unimagined sensations, and so consume the whole world. o zos, thou shalt live in millions of forms and every conceivable thing shall happen unto thee. remember these senses are that which thou hast desired. what is all thought but a morality of the senses that has become sex? what is desired of the self is given-eventually. the desire is sufficient. the 'self' will pleasure in all things. there is only one sense,-the sexual. there is only one desire,-procreation. i am the cause-thou the effect. i am all that i concieve. not for all time but at some time 'i multiply i' is creation: the sexual infinity. there is no end to the details of my

devil and behold,-i became alone! what happened? i, in my miserable plight, not even my teeth left-how could i have conquered the devil? did i become a succubus? perhaps-i became the devil? but this i know-i did will pleasure. and from this day shall smile into all men's faces "tzula" then aaos awoke and murmured "belief and desire are the great duality which engender all illusions that entangle the senses [i.e. sexuality] and prevent free will. what is all accidental suffering but reaction from dead loves now become diableries. how much are we sensible of body? yet the composition of the body is its relationship between consciousness and all creation. without doubt i am now an-undertaker" the death of tzula in his sleep aaos one day met his sister tzula and learned she was thinking of ma

FRANCIS A YATES GIORDANO BRUNO AND THE HERMETIC TRADITION

n to him "who is the operator in the work of regeneration" he asks, and the reply is "the son of god, a man like other men, by the will of god" tat asks what truth is, and he is told that it is "that which is not polluted, which has no limit, no colour, no form, is motionless, naked, shining, which can only be apprehended by itself, the unalterable good, the incorporeal" it cannot be perceived by the senses and can only be known by the effects of its power and energy, which demands that a person must be capable of understanding birth in god "am i not capable of this, o father" cries tat, and the answer is that he must draw it to himself and it will come; wish it and it will be produced; arrest the activity of the bodily senses and the divinity will be born in him; purify himself from the "

rn in him; purify himself from the "irrational punishments of matter. terrible and numerous are these "punishments, and the chief of them are twelve in number, namely ignorance, sadness, incontinence, concupiscence, injustice, cupidity, deceit, envy, fraud, anger, precipitation, malice. these are the punishments which, through his imprisonment in the body, force the interior man to suffer through the senses. now, in a religious silence, tat experiences the work of regeneration and the powers of god come into him and drive out the punishments. knowledge replaces ignorance; joy repulses sadness; continence, incontinence; endurance, concupiscence; justice, injustice; generosity, cupidity; truth, deceit. with the arrival of truth comes the good, accompanied by life and light, and all the remai

hen becomes co-operator and can do all things.1 these words are almost exactly the same as those in which bruno describes his ascent, except that bruno leaves out the angels. it is characteristic of bruno's extraordinary style, with its mixture of magic, philosophy, and poetry, that he chooses to express the gnostic trance, in which the soul leaves the body which is left asleep in the ligature of the senses (as described in pimander) in terms of the experience of ecstatic love described in ariosto's orlando furioso: chi salira per me, madonna, in cielo, a riportarne il mio perduto ingegno? what could the oxford doctors have made of this man? what can anyone make of him? the megalomania of the magician is combined with a poetic enthusiasm of appalling intensity. the lunatic, the lover, and

, de gli eroici furori, of bruno's book of mystical love poetry; an experience which makes the soul "divine and heroic" and can be likened to the trance of the furor of passionate love. in the supreme hermetic experience, as described in pimander, in which the soul was transformed into the light of the divine mens, in the likeness of which it was created, the body "slept" during the whole vision, the senses being bound whilst the soul left the body to become divine.1 the hermetic trance is described by milton in/ penseroso, his poem on melancholy: or let my lamp at midnight hour be seen in some high lonely tower, where i may oft outwatch the bear, with thrice great hermes, or unsphere the spirit of plato, to unfold what worlds or what vast regions hold the immortal mind that hath forsook h

voir les impressions des songes et des visions. it was november ioth, 1619, and he lay down to rest "tout rempli de son enthousiasme& tout occupe de la pensee d'avoir trouve ce jour-la les fondemens de la science admirable".2 in the night he had three consecutive dreams which seemed to him to have come down from on high. we are completely in the atmosphere of the hermetic trance, of that sleep of the senses in which truth is revealed. the atmosphere is maintained on the following pages which tell of how descartes heard of the "freresde 1 for a discussion of bruno's atomic theory, that matter is composed of internally animated atoms, see p.-h. michel, la cosmologie de giordano bruno, paris, 1962, p. 66 ff. bruno probably arrived at this through the introduction of magical animism into the l

FREEMASONRY AND CATHOLICISM BY MAX HEINDEL

hich now hides from them the gods who dwell in the invisible realms; and great was their sorrow at this loss. generation had been originally established by the angels under jehovah. it was then performed in great temples under propitious planetary conditions and parturition was then painless, as it is today among wild animals where the creative function is not abused for the purpose of gratifying the senses. degeneration resulted from the ignorant and unauthorized abuse inaugurated by the lucifer spirits. regeneration must be undertaken in order to restore man to his lost estate as a spiritual being and to free him from this body of death wherein he is now encrusted. death must be swallowed up in immortality. to attain this object, a covenant was made with humanity when it was expelled fro

FULLER J F C SECRET WISDOM OF THE QABALAH

omes, the more perfect are these images, which are not illusions but symbols of reality. simon ben yohai stretched out his hands and cried: secret wisdom of the qabalah page 15 now ponder well upon all that i have this day revealed unto you! and know that none of these celestial palaces are light, nor are they spirits, nor are they souls, nor are they any form that may be seized hold of by any of the senses. know that the palaces are thoughts-seen through curtains. take away the thought, and the palace becomes nothing that the mind can grasp nor the imagination picture! and know, finally, that all the mysteries of the faith lie in this doctrine: that all that exists in the upper world is the light of thought- the infinite. lift the curtain, and all matter appears immaterial! lift another c

hree flanges, namely equilibrium of body, of soul, and of mind. as the qabalist isaac myer says to arrive at a true knowledge of the simple substances, man must throw off the bond of matter, and by meditation transport himself into the intelligible world, and so seek to identify his essence with that of the higher substances; when in that condition, man does not recognize anything of the world of the senses. in that condition, man will find the evident bodies, in comparison with the intelligible substances, extremely insignificant, and see that the corporeal world is borne by the intelligible world, as if it were a ship on the sea, or a bird in the air. 18 in this state what we have called three-dimensional consciousness is rendered comatose, and with it a world which is both a reality and

GAMBLE ELIZA BURT THE GOD IDEA OF THE ANCIENTS OR SEX IN RELIGION

nsequences of its former life. it must also during its stay on earth make the conditions for its next appearance upon an earthly plane. so soon as through a succession of births and deaths it had perfected itself, it entered into a state of nirvana. it was absorbed into the great universal soul. nothing is ever lost "many a house of life hath held me--seeking ever him who wrought these prisons of the senses, sorrow fraught; sore was my ceaseless strife! but now, thou builder of this tabernacle--thou! i know thee. never shalt thou build again these walls of pain, nor raise the roof-tree of deceits, nor lay fresh rafters on the clay; broken thy house is, and the ridge-pole split! delusion fashioned it! safe pass i thence--deliverance to obtain"[60 [60] edwin arnold, the light of asia. regard

GILBERT THE MAGICAL MASON

nce, and the first word of faith: science having for its object, truth and the reality of existence; and faith having as its basis, the essentiality, the immutability, and the immortality of being. without faith, science perishes in the abyss of scepticism, and does not dare to affirm that even existence exists; it would thenbutobserve uncertain events, and would no longer rely on the evidence of the senses: it would no longer perceive existence,butonly beings, and no longer dare to create synthesis, because analysis had been evaded. is matter to us capable of infinite subdivision? is it percept255 ible by its nature, or by an accidental circumstance?ifmatter have no sensible being, it can have nor corporeal existence. what then becomes of the distinction between matter and spirit?thething

eel that perhaps after all time is but a human fancy, and that man is but a mite in the universe, and his sensesbuta passing breath in eternity, and that there is intruthonly an eternal now.thewords time, durfltion, eternity, and immortality are easily spoken; they are ideals, not concrete things, and no man can define them in terms acceptable to all students. time is probably only an illusion of the senses arising from the constant succession of perceptions and states of consciousness; it may not exist when there is no consciousness of the sequence of ideas and perceptions.thepresent is an ideal just as a mathematical point, which has no parts and no magnitude; the present is the dividing line between the past and the future. nothing on earth has duration, nothing remains without change

GILBERT THE SORCERER AND HIS APPRENTICE

redness, giving us also. a sensation of form, of scolloped and convoluted formitmay be; the touch giving us a sensation of velvety softness and the like; the sense of smell giving us the sensation or vibration of a delightful perfume; and the brain combining all these impressions creates a form, to which form we apply the name of 'rose'itmay be, in such way that the name afterwards brings before the senses, reproduces, faintly it may be,butstill perceptibly, the same run of vibrations and sensations in the brain, and recalls the image of the rest. there is a paper in an early number of thetransactionsby'm.d.'which admirably illustrates this. well, we have to take that tobea thought absolutely secreted by the thinking cells of the brain, and in order to really understand this philosophy we

GILBERT R A CHAOS OUT OF ORDER THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SWEDENBORGIAN RITE

al and dramatic form: the main objects of our temples should be to make them schools for teaching symbolism and correspondences, which we can better do in such schools than from our pulpits. the dramatic form of representation is in every respect better suited for teaching than dry exposition. the pictorial system has ever been. the most impressive and effectual, because combining the teaching of the senses at the same time as it appeals to the understanding. thus by one act, and at the same moment of time, the dramatic and pictorial or symbolic system impresses the inmost and outermost faculties of the mind with knowledge of the subjects presented: a result which cannot be attained by logical methods alone43[43. the emphasis on temples is explained in his book, where beswick sets out the

GNOSTIC HANDBOOK

ws and presumes these to be real. this is far more dangerous than we admit, for if we limit our reality to our sense alone then we remove all possibility of ethical or spiritual insight and reduce existence to material banality. while psychology may wish to somewhat expand our horizons by positing spiritual equivalents within the mind, it is still reductionist and everything is referenced back to the senses and the material world. if it is from matter we come, then to matter we shall return. a useful allegory may be that of a chess game, the pieces move and we assume they do so of their own volition. we may build complex theories regarding their movements, even creating laws and theories to explain why they move in certain ways. we can classify the different pieces chapter two: the great c

GNOSTIC STUDIES THE GNOSTIC HANDBOOK II GNOSTIC THEURGY

nostic traditions to emphasise the distance the gnostic should keep from his physical form. now we have come to some understanding of the multi-dimensional nature of man we need to examine a most important question, what is the nature of man s spirit and by extension, where does immorality exist? the self is the owner, the chariot is the body. the soul is the charioteer, the mind is the reins and the senses are the steads. katha upanishad. x gnostic theurgy page 50 what is reincarnation? reincarnation is a concept that can be found at the heart of all of the great esoteric systems of the world. indeed, it can be found at the heart of most religions. in the early christian church there were many who taught the doctrine of reincarnation. clement of alexandria, origen, jerome, gregoras, augus

oughts as things; we tend to think of them as images that fly across our minds eye, rather than as real objects. in everyday life we are taught to believe that what we think has no substance- only action counts. however, if you replay a recent event on your mental screen, you can start to consider the power of thought. your memories, which are composed of thought, seems very real. you can explore the senses of the memory and, if you are not careful, fall into it and lose track of time (daydreams are a good example of this. these memories seem to be more than just flickering images- they have related senses- smell, touch, taste and sound. there have been many psychic investigations of the nature of thought ranging from the charismatic charles leadbeater to kirlian photography. while interpr

it moving when you move. make sure you (and the dome) are clear about what has to be accomplished. if you feel you are under regular psychic attack, then visualise the outside of the dome as a reflective, shiny surface, bouncing back any destructive forces. remember to check the dome often and recharge it! the bell visualise a bell between your hands. see it clearly and make yourself aware of all the senses connected to it. move the image to your solar plexus and sense it extending a field of energy to all parts of your astral body. programme it to ring if you are psychically attacked, and react with a shield of light. if a psychic attack should occur, you should hear the sound of bell and a shield of light will surround you. another variation to use is to visualise a laser which shoots do

GOLDEN DAWN RITUALS ZAM24

th abide in the supernal triad, in the understanding which transcends reason, in the wisdom which comes before understanding and in the crown which is the light of the supernals. we know that the shekinah, the cohabiting glory, dwelt in the inner sanctuary, but the first creation was made void. the holy place was made waste and the sons of the house of wisdom were taken away into the captivity of the senses. we have worshipped since then in a house made with hands, receiving a sacramental ministration by a derived light in a place of the cohabiting glory. and yet, amidst signs and symbols the tokens of the higher presence have never been wanting in our hearts. by the waters of babylon we have sat down and wept, but we have ever remembered zion, and that memorial is a witness testifying tha

GRERALD SCHUELER AN ADVANCED GUIDE TO ENOCHIAN MAGICK

sness so that lapses or breaks cannot occur, and thus you will be able to remember your dreams as well as your past lives. your everyday life will become more enriched and meaningful. your goal in enochian magick is to obtain an understanding of your life while consciously directing your own destiny. 13 our world according to enochian magick the first step in magick is "travel beyond the world of the senses" aleister crowley, magick without tears the magical system presented by sir john dee, court astrologer to queen elizabeth 1, views the physical world as only the lowest in a graduated series of cosmic planes. there are many invisible worlds surrounding this earth. the reason they are invisible is because they are composed of matter that is so tenuous that our eyes cannot see it. there a

HANDBOOK OF EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY

yptian religion (london and ithaca, 1973; and in erik hornung, conceptions of god in ancient egypt: the one and the many, trans. john baines (ithaca, 1982 (see egyptian myth: annotated print and nonprint resources. 7. the main purpose of this ritual was to allow the ka (vital force) of the being depicted to enter and inhabit the statue. when performed on mummies, the ritual was thought to restore the senses of the deceased, so that they could breathe, speak, eat, hear, see, and smell again in the afterlife. 94 handbook of egyptian mythology 8. for the creator as an androgynous deity, see j. zandee, the birth-giving creator-god in ancient egypt, in studies in pharaonic religion and society in honour of j. gwyn griffiths, ed. a. b. lloyd (london, 1992, 169 185; and k. mysliwiec, la m re, la

me to be regarded as a son of osiris, but the darker side of his character was remembered in the epithet the one who eats his father. anubis s title, master of secrets, chiefly referred to the gruesome secrets of the embalming tent. he was particularly associated with the bandaging of mummies and with the ceremony known as the opening of the mouth ritual. this was performed to give the mummy back the senses it had enjoyed in life. 104 handbook of egyptian mythology figure 21. anubis (far left, the sons of horus, and other deities defeat and imprison seth. in this page from papyrus jumilhac, seth (far right) is shown upsidedown below the throne of osiris (art resource) in the book of the dead, anubis is shown in the throne room of osiris supervising the weighing of the hearts of the dead. a

HELENA BLAVATSKY THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY

y within the personal physical man. this inner entity was more or less divine, according to its proximity to the crown. the closer the union the more serene man's destiny, the less dangerous the external conditions. this belief is neither bigotry nor superstition, only an ever-present, instinctive feeling of the proximity of another spiritual and invisible world, which, though it be subjective to the senses of the outward man, is perfectly objective to the inner ego. furthermore, they believed that there are external and internal conditions which affect the determination of our will upon our actions. they rejected fatalism, for fatalism implies a blind course of some still blinder power. but they believed in destiny or karma, which from birth to death every man is weaving thread by thread

in physics and chemistry, see webster's dictionary, or some other. in esotericism, aether is the third principle of the kosmic septenary, matter (earth) being the lowest, and akasha, the highest. agathon (gr) plato's supreme deity, lit "the good" our alaya or the soul of the world. agnostic a word first used by professor huxley, to indicate one who believes nothing which cannot be demonstrated by the senses. ahankara (sans) the conception of "i" self-consciousness or self-identity; the "i" or egoistical and mayavic principle in man, due to our ignorance which separates our "i" from the universal one-self. personality, egoism also. page 141 the key to theosophy- hp blavatsky.txt ain-soph (heb) the "boundless" or "limitless" deity emanating and extending. ain-soph is also written en-soph and

ent greeks and the amenti of the egyptians-the land of silent shadows. kamarupa (sans) metaphysically and in our esoteric philosophy it is the subjective form created through the mental and physical desires and thoughts in connection with things of matter, by all sentient beings: a form which survives the death of its body. after that death, three of the seven principles-or, let us say, planes of the senses and consciousness on which the human instincts and ideation act in turn-viz, the body, its astral prototype, and physical vitality, being of no further use, remain on earth; the three higher principles, grouped into one, merge into a state of devachan, in which state the higher ego will remain until the hour for a new reincarnation arrives, and the eidolon of the expersonality is left a

emands the attention of the most philosophical inquiry. sir william hamilton, probably the most acute and, undeniably, the most learned of english metaphysicians that ever lived, said at least thirty years ago: however astonishing, it is now proved beyond all rational doubt that in certain abnormal states of the nervous organism perceptions are possible through other than the ordinary channels of the senses. by such testimony theosophy is at least placed on the footing of page 174 the key to theosophy- hp blavatsky.txt respectability. whether by further labor it can make partial truths complete truths, whether it can eliminate extravagances and purge itself of impurities, if there are any, are probably questions upon which the court will not feel called upon to pass. i perceive no other fe

HINE PHIL ASPECTS OF EVOCATION

he rise of a more eclectic approach to practical magic, in which i feel the so-called chaos magic movement has palyed a significant part, has done much to banish the old dogmas surrounding what is after all, a very practical and useful set of magical techniques. phil hine, march 1998 7 howling .mayhem speaks louder than words. brother moebius b, l.o.o.n. the babblogue: a deliberate derangement of the senses- orchestrating a personal cacophony; a descent into the depths of the subconscious, to confront and bind the .lurkers. within. this essay is a short account of a personal exploration of the .demons. of my own psyche. rather than relying on existing approaches, for the reasons given below, i preferred to develop a purely personal approach. i give this account not to foist this particular

HINE P OVEN READY CHAOS

ng the momentary trap of self-doubt. pranayama banished the physical tension (well, most of it. the monster shrank and skittered on spindly legs through years of frozen memories, dissolving finally into a heap of mirrored shards. clues; i m still fitting them together, but the pictures they hint at aren t frightening any more. 55 oven-ready chaos howling the babblogue: a deliberate derangement of the senses- orchestrating a personal cacaphony; a descent into the depths of the subconscious, to confront and bind the lurkers within. this essay is a short account of a personal exploration of the demons of my own psyche. rather than relying on existing approaches, for the reasons given below, i preferred to develop a purely personal approach. i give this account not to foist this particular app

HP LOVECRAFT A DARK LORE

ecialised organic type inclining as much as to the vegetable as to the animal state. cell action was of an unique sort almost precluding fatigue, and wholly eliminating the need of sleep. nourishment, assimilated through the red trumpet-like appendages on one of the great flexible limbs, was always semifluid and in many aspects wholly unlike the food of existing animals. the beings had but two of the senses which we recognise- sight and hearing, the latter accomplished through the flower-like appendages on the grey stalks above their heads. of other and incomprehensible senses- not, however, well utilizable by alien captive minds inhabiting their bodies- they possessed many. their three eyes were so situated as to give them a range of vision wider than the normal. their blood was a sort of

HP LOVECRAFT FROM BEYOND

re constructed to see them, and can gain no idea of their absolute nature. with five feeble senses we pretend to comprehend the boundlessly complex cosmos, yet other beings with wider, stronger, or different range of senses might not only see very dif-ferently the things we see, but might see and study whole worlds of matter, energy, and life which lie close at hand yet can never be detected with the senses we have. i have always believed that such strange, inaccessible worlds exist at our very elbows, and now i believe i have found a way to break dawn the barriers. i am not joking. within twenty-four hours that machine near the table will generate waves acting on unrecognized sense organs that exist in us as atrophied or rudimentary vestiges. those waves will open up to us many vistas unk

HP LOVECRAFT THE TOMB

d down. no one remains to lay flowers before the granite portal, and few care to brave the depressing shadows which seem to linger strangely about the water-worn stones. i shall never forget the afternoon when first i stumbled upon the half-hidden house of death. it was in midsummer, when the alchemy of nature transmutes the sylvan landscape to one vivid and almost homogeneous mass of green; when the senses are well-nigh intoxicated with the surging seas of moist verdure and the subtly indefinable odors of the soil and the vegetation. in such surroundings the mind loses its perspective; time and space become trivial and unreal, and echoes of a forgotten prehistoric past beat insistently upon the enthralled consciousness. all day i had been wandering through the mystic groves of the hollow;

HUEBNER LOUISE WITCHCRAFT FOR ALL WICCA 04

t may be that the bell sets into motion some sort of electrical vibrations in the atmosphere that eventually lead to something. i use bells in much the same way as pavlov did. i am conditioned to hear the bell, and i say "okay, my subconscious has now taken over" anything that will stimulate your senses can help. the bell is for the ear, the candle for the eyes, incense for the nose; they get all the senses working. some people prefer to cast spells nude; others like to wear clothing with a pleasing texture. some people cast spells right before they make love. everybody does it differently. the whole point is to become stimulated enough. all witches are not the same. i have a good witch friend who never uses candles. she draws designs to release her powers, although drawing does nothing fo

f you would like some additional romantic action, with silver three times tap crystal, nine times ring a small cleat bell, and daylong let a teapot gently whistle. but most effective of all is candle glow "a home with candles burning brightly will be visited by sexy woodnymphs nightly" in the beginning, herbs were used to placate gods. man burned herbs to release pungent aromas meant to stimulate the senses of the deity and insure favours. herbs have been included in food, baths, spells, closets, spell potions, medical treatments, magical rites and religious ceremonies. they have been used for emotion-elevators, decorations of the elevated, and dietetic inspiration; they have been expected to honour you, dry you out, fatten you up, make you strong, protect from harm, bring him back, break

INFERNAL SABBAT LIVE

l of lilith join with us, summon with us awaken the black light and master the primal darkness! designed to induce the symbolic role of the vampyre and lycanthrope in modern society an unchaining of the restrictive thinking and restrictive cultures. this ritual of chaos is meant to unleash a demonic state in those who take part in this working. this public performance is a luciferian awakening of the senses, to summon those very forces which society generally shuns. musickally psychonaut 75 is an industrial and ritualistic band which embodies the essence of not only chaos sorcery and luciferian witchcraft, but experimentation and extreme electronic and hybrid soundscapes. gate of black earth, nephillmic tomb in the sunless palace of azrail, open forth the dreaming fields of night, from thy

INITIATION INTO HERMETICS

n without passing through the body step v magic physical training 1. preparation for passive communication with the invisible ones a. release of the own hand b. preparation of the fingers with help of the pendulum &c 2. passive communication: a. with the own guardian genius b. with deceased people& other beings step vi magic mental training 1. meditation on the own spirit 2. becoming conscious of the senses in the spirit step vi magic psychic training 1. preparation to master the akasa principle 2. deliberate induction to trance with the help of akasa 3. mastering the elements with an individual ritual from akasa step vi magic physical training 1. deliberate creation of beings: a. elementals b. larvae c. phantoms step vii magic mental training 1. analysis of the spirit with respect to the

afford the necessary time for it. for our progress in magic we need, however, to mater not only one but all the elements, a fact that is absolutely correct from the magic standpoint. so much for this. let us now pas on to the exercises concerning the air element. what has been said about the fire element applies in the same way top the air element, but for the fact that a different imagination of the senses has to be considered. take up the same comfortable position, close your eyes, and imagine yourself to be in the middle of a mass of air that is filling the whole universe. you must not perceive anything of your surroundings, and nothing should exist for you but the air-filled space embracing the whole universe. you are inhaling the air element into your empty vessel of the soul, and the

cerns the material body only. this law has to be respected. hence it is necessary for the magician to adopt a mental as well as a psychic disposition in order to perform actions whether as a spirit or in connection with the soul. once he has understood this problem very well and mastered the practice perfectly, he can advance in is development. the next task will deal with the magical training of the senses. first of all, a very important preliminary exercise: similarly to the previous exercise, you are realizing in this one as well that not your material eyes see everything but that it is the spirit that perceives all with the help of the astral and the physical eyes. meditate on this problem as often as possible. you will have to imagine for at least five minutes that the spirit is looki

constant repetition of this experiment. having achieved a success in this exercise with the eyes, turn to the ears by realizing that it is not your physical ear that is receiving the sound waves, but that the mental ears are perceiving everything with the help of the astral and the material eyes. if you can book the same result as you did in the case of the eyes, continue in the same manner with the senses and imagine that the spirit, with the help of the astral and the material body is feeling objects, cold, warmth, etc. practice this experiment diligently until you can master it with the eyes, ears, and the feeling. should you wish to develop special faculties, try it also with the olfactory sense and the taste. but the keenest attention should be paid to the three sense organs of seein

ractice this experiment diligently until you can master it with the eyes, ears, and the feeling. should you wish to develop special faculties, try it also with the olfactory sense and the taste. but the keenest attention should be paid to the three sense organs of seeing, hearing and feeling, which are the most useful for practical magic. if you achieve good results in the mental ascertainment of the senses, try to adjust your spirit to two of the senses at the same time. begin with the eyes and the ears. if you manage to bring it about for at least five minutes without any interruption, adjust your spirit to three senses at once, that is seeing, hearing and feeling. if you can manage this as well, you have indeed made progress in your magical development. this preliminary exercise is very

ill use this practice only in extreme cases, and he will not evoke a being away from its sphere, because anything a being of the fourth state of aggregation has to say or to fulfill in the material or astral world can be achieved likewise by the magician himself through his maturity. summary of exercises of step vi i. magic mental training: 1. meditation on the own spirit 2. becoming conscious of the senses in the spirit ii. magic psychic training: 1. preparation to master the akasa principle 2. deliberate induction to trance with the help of the akasa 3. mastering of the elements with the help of an individual ritual from the akasa iii. magic physical training: 1. deliberate creation of beings a. elementals b. larvae c. phantasms (shadows) d. phantoms end of step vi step vii magic mental

nt, which is to say that his thoughts come very slowly in his spirit and that he gets depressed, that indicates that the earth element prevails and that first of all he must train his consciousness with the help of suitable exercises. the magician has to develop his spirit to perfect harmony with regard to the elements, and to choose exercises corresponding to the elements and at the same time to the senses, so that the will or volition (fire, the intellect (air, the feeling (water) and consciousness (earth) are enhanced and developed evenly. the outcome of this description is the following schedule which i will quote for the sake of a synopsis: element: fire air water earth akasa sense: eyes ears perception taste/smell all in all quality: will intellect feeling consciousness conscience ex

n them. the real success will not be far off. we shall omit the development of the other senses (taste and smell) for the time being because they are not important enough for the practical use of any magician. it is up to the scholar now to think out a scheme for himself to develop the other senses with the help of these three training methods. the faculties acquired by this astral development of the senses are so far reaching that there is no need at all to talk much about it. the enjoyment in the success can be compared in a way to a blind person who, deprived of eyesight for years, suddenly is able to see again. magic physical training (vii) if the magician is able to manage the projection of elements to the outside so that he knows how to project any element he chooses out of himself o

c mediums, provided the point is a phenomenon based on an unmistakable materialization, although such things are extremely rare. but whatever planetary and extra-planetary intelligences may be able to perform also can be done by the magician who is acquainted with the universal laws and has made good progress in his development. there is still one more method of making invisible: the deviation of the senses which is practiced in all kinds of hypnosis and in that form of suggestion in which entities produce a number of vibrations corresponding to that of the light in the physical body, thus effecting invisibility. some more instructions referring to this problem will be found in my book the practice of magical evocation. 14. practices with elements a great number of possibilities are offere

INTRODUCTION TO THE SEVEN FACES OF DARKNESS

d- a series of randomly assorted thoughts, notions, and behaviors, most of which either actively hinder them, or at best lull them into a sleeplike state. these stultifying forces mainly group themselves into forces that oppose the body, the mind, the emotions, and the will. each of these must be overcome. the forces that oppose the body are those things which shorten life, remove energy, or dull the senses. most recreational drugs, legal or illegal, fall in this category as does most fast food. certain cultural attitudes, such as the forces that make many young women anorexic, are likewise of such a nature. the environmental factors that may surround people (from toxic wastes, to certain types of fluorescent lighting) also can weaken. the initiate discovers these factors by life analysis

ISIS UNVEILED

h the civilized) nations read, but reject as incredible and worthless, cannot well expect to have its religious ^stem even understood let alone appreciated. the profoundest and most transcendental speculations of the ancient metaphysicians of india and other countries are all based on that great buddhistic and brfthmanical principle underlying the whole of their religious meta- physics ulueion of the senses. everything that is finite is illusion, all that which is eternal and infinite is reality. form, color, that whjch we bear and feel, or see with our mortal eyes, exists only so far as it can be conveyed to each of us through our senses. the universe for a man bom blind does not exist in either form or color, but it exists in its priva- hon (in the aristotelean sense, and is a reality fo

been said [by the same 'lord god' on sinai, thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. but/ aay unto you. love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you (matthew v, 38-44. and now, open manu and read "resignation, the action of rendering good for eml, temperance, pro- bity, purity, repression of the senses, the knowledge of the sdetrat [the holy books, that of the supreme soul, truthfulness, abstinence from anger such are the ten virtues in which duty consists. those who 369. suptmaiitrti bdigum, part ii, vil digitizecoy google im isis unveiled study these tea precepts of duty, and after having studied tbem conform their uves thereto, will reach to the supreme condition (manu, vi /iofaw 9

e universe is preserved, and yet has no form, because he cannot be com- prehended. when he first assumed a form [in sephira, his first emana- tion, he caused nine splendid lights to emanate from it" and now we will turn to the hinda esoteric cosmogony and defini- tion of "him who is, and yet is not "from him who is" from this immortal principle which exists in our minds but cannot be perceived by the senses, is bom purusha, the divine male and female, who became ndrdyana, or the divine spirit moving on the water? svayambh^ the unknown essence of the br&hmanas, is identical with ain-soph, the unknown essence of the kabalists. as with the latter, the ineffable name could not be pronounced by the hindas, under the pen- alty of death. in the ancient primitive trinity of india, that which may b

ould wi^ in man'i faihlon. and trace out with chiad or brush thnr coaoiiitkui of godhad, then would horaea dqtict god like boraci, and oxen like oxen, eadi kind the divine with its own form and nature okiawing" and hear vyasa the poet-pantheist of india who, for all the scientists can prove, may have lived, as jacolhot has it, some fifteen thousand years ago discoursing on mftyft, the illusion of the senses "all religious dogmas only serve to obscure the intelligence of man. worship of divinities, under the allegories of which is hidden respect for natural laws, drives away truth to the profit of the basest superstitions" vydsa-mdyd^ it was given to christianity to paint us god almighty after the model of the kabalistic abstraction of the 'ancient of days' from old frescos on cathedral cei

JENNINGS HARGRAVE ROSICRUCIANS RITES MYSTERIES

ide, as again receiving them, all things, thrown off as the smoke off light, again fall! at the shortest, then, the theory of the magi may be summed up thus. when, as we think, fire is spotted over all the world, as we have said, it is we who make the mistake, necessitated in our man's nature; and we are that which is spotted over it; just as, while we think we move, we are moved; and we conclude the senses are in us, while we are in the senses: everything out of this world being the very opposite of that which we take it. the views of these mighty thinkers amounted to the suppression of human reason, and the institution of magic, or godhead, as all. it will be seen at once that this knowledge was possible but for the very few. it is only fit for men when they seek to pass out of the world

passing through these mind-worlds, and coming out, as we may figure it, at the other side, penetrating into the secrets of things, they evaporated all powers, and resolved them finally into the last fire. beyond this, they found nothing; as into this they resolved all things. and then, on the throne of the visible, they placed this in the world, invisible fire: the sense-thing to be worshipped in the senses, as the last thing of them, and the king of them, that is, that which we know as the phenomenon, burning fire, the spiritual fire being impalpable, as having the visible only for its shadow; the ghostly fire not being even to be thought upon; thought being its medium of apprehension when it itself had slipped; the waves of apprehension of it only flowing back when it being intuition had

be gathered as not contradictory, and merely intellectual, and seen as vital and absolute. they need the elevation of the mind in the sense of inspiration, and not the quickening and the sharpening of the intellect, as seeking wings devil-pinions wherewith to sail into the region 82 the rosicrucians. only of its own laws, where, of course, it will not find god. then step in the mathematics, then the senses, then the reason, then the very perfection of matter-work, or this world s work, sets in engines of which the satanic powers shall realise the work. the evil spirit conjures, as even by holy command, the translucent sky. the archangelic, clear, childlike rendering-up in intuitive belief, intense in its own sun, is faith. lucifer fills the scope of belief with imitative, dazzling clouds

f the christian religion is less than the evidence for the truth of our senses; because, even in the first authors of our religion, it was no greater. it is evident it must diminish in passing from them to their disciples; nor can any one rest such confidence in their testimony as in the immediate object of his senses. this is wrong. the testimony of some men is more valid than is the evidence of the senses of some others. all depends upon the power of the mind judging. it is a general maxim, that no objects have any discoverable connection together. all the inferences which we can draw from one to another are founded merely on our experience of their constant and regular conjunction. it is evident that we ought not to make an exception to this maxim in favour of human testimony, whose con

n draw from one to another are founded merely on our experience of their constant and regular conjunction. it is evident that we ought not to make an exception to this maxim in favour of human testimony, whose connection with any event seems in itself as little necessary as any other. it may be.put to any person who carefully considers hume s previous position as to the fixedness of the proofs of the senses, whether this last citation does not upset what he previously affirms. o miracles and experience. 121 the memory is tenacious to a certain degree. men commonly have an inclination to truth and a principle of probity. they are sensible to shame when detected in a falsehood. these are qualities in human nature. this is a mistake; for they are not qualities in human nature. they are the qu

phy turns upon this, which he imagines to be a rigid axiom, to which all argument must recur. a firm and unalterable experience has established the laws of nature. the proof against a miracle, from the very nature of the fact, is as entire as any argument from experience can possibly be imagined. so says hume. but experience has nothing to do with a miracle, because it is a sense not comprised in the senses, but an unexperienced sensation or perception, exposing the senses as dreams, and overriding their supposed certainty and totality by a new dream, or apparent certainty, contradicting the preceding. if this were not possible, then the senses, or the instantaneous judgment which comes out of their sum or the thing conviction, as we call it would be the measure of everything past, present

(to the world) of his character, the alchemist (rather now become the rosicrucian) works in invisible light, and is a magician. he lays the bridge (as the pontifex, or bridge- maker) between the world possible and the world impossible; and across this bridge, in his immortal heroism and newness, he leads the votary out of his dream of life into his dream of temporary death, or into extinction of the senses and of the powers of the senses; which world s blindness is the only true and veritable life, the envelope of flesh falling metaphorically off the now liberated glorious entity taken up, in charms, by the invisible fire into rhapsody, which is as the gate of heaven. now a few words as to the theory of alchemy. the alchemists boasted of the power, after the elimination and dispersion of

ose in this manner of that which is supernatural; for his objections are futile and vain, and his arguments contradict themselves. spirit and matter, when sought to be explained, are totally opposed; and hence arises the reason why there can never be any belief of impossible things, and only the conviction that such things have been in the mind, notwithstanding the insurmountable contradiction of the senses. bheems chlori (mokundra pass) chapter the twenty-fourth. the great pyramid. n a very elaborate and interesting book, published in the year 1867, the title of which, at length, is the following: life and work at the great pryamid. by c. piazzi smyth, professor of practical astronomy in the university of edinburgh, and astronomer royal for scotland. edmonston& douglas, edinburgh and lond

ames (of alpheus) k. xi. vacant. f. vi. saint bartholomew. l. xii. saint john. after the sop, satan entered into him. then said jesus unto him, that thou doest, do quickly! now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. he (judas) then having received the sop, went immediately out. and it was night. s. john, chap. xiii, vers. 27, 28, 30. supernatural translation. 341 nism of the senses* which have contracted inwards and formed (in life) the prison of the soul a prison of pains and penalties; from between the bars of the windows of which (or out of the eyes) the suffering, languishing spirit looks for the often long-coming releasing great spirit death. to rise is to cast off the chains of mortality. to become glorified is to discover in one s own identity the glorious

JESSUP MK THE CASE FOR THE UFO

lement remains the same but its physical attributes change suddenly and drastically. deh o, they can't prove it yet! another example might be the passage of a limited but powerful magnetic field through a scattering of iron filings or iron powder. before the approach of the magnetic flux, the powder lies loose, flexible, and penetrable. yet, when the flux enters it, invisibly and imperceptibly to the senses of man, this docile powder become rigid, tenacious, coherent, and at least semisolid. do the space dwellers have a force which produces this temporary rigidity in the air, or even possibly in the gravitation field itself? or do they create "local" concentrations of the gravitational field as we are able to do with the magnetic field? reverse mag. force? suppose that some intelligent ent

K AMBER THE BASICS OF MAGICK

not literally equal to one another, you can think of them that way (such as gold equals sun. tables of these relationships, called 'correspondence tables, are available (an important one is crowley's '777. thus one thing or symbol can be used to suggest another. this is important in magick, for the magician may surround himself with as many appropriate correspondences as he can to vividly affect the senses; thus making his magical contact with the inner planes more lucid. the magical elements have correspondences with the tarrot cards as the four suits. the four quarters (directions of the universe as used in magick ritual) and the archangels also correspond with these same elements- element suit quarter archangel= earth pentacles north uriel water cups west gabriel fire wands south micha

KETAB E SIYAH

now testing limb, now touching, tasting, now listening to the wind or rain we laughed and wept at the sight of our new creation. yet now i grew weak from the wound inflicted by my own hand to make this woman and there was much yet that was undone. now once more i fortified my spirit to withstand yet further pain in this enchantment that i might complete the deed before all strength failed me and the senses were devoured by dark oblivion. now with my left hand i reached within the wound and tore a second part from the liver that had formed woman's shape. this time i felt no pain so dimmed was my wit by the injury already suffered yet the weakness in me was redoubled. this second part i also took within my hand and, half-knowing, with half-feeling fingers shaped it also into an angel shape

that noble sovereign. yet, though i weep true tears to speak it, there are indeed those who doubt my great king and do plot malice against those more faithful as i am and you too shall be, for you are wise. these base and most malicious goblins do conspire to work mischief upon the wits of we who serve most dutifully, the almighty and eternal. with strange glamours do they work deceits and puzzle the senses of the unwary, working false visions upon those hapless spirits that it does please them to so harass. with illusions and dreams and untrue portents they do make it seem that certain things are real whilst, in truth, such things never were and other things that were most concrete fade away like a dream or fancy. thus, by their malign art, these base elves do contrive to make uncertain w

LAITMAN M FROM CHAOS TO HARMONY

al transformations. the classic approach, whose chief proponent was sir isaac newton, stated that the world exists independently, regardless of man. it makes no difference whether one perceives the world or not, or if there is a person living in the world or not. the world exists and its shape is fixed. in time, the evolution of life sciences permitted the examination of the world-picture through the senses of other creatures besides man. scientists learned that other creatures perceive the world in different ways. for example, a bee s world-picture is a sum of all the sights perceived in each of the myriad units that comprise its eyes. a dog perceives the world primarily as odor patches. additionally, albert einstein discovered that changing the velocity of the observer (or the observed o

LAITMAN M KABBALAH ATTAINING THE WORLDS BEYOND

we were created with are able to perceive only a small part of the entire creation, known as- 202 "our world" all the mechanisms we have invented widen the range of our sensory organs. we are unable to imagine which sensory organs we lack because we do not feel any deprivation from their absence. this can be compared with not feeling the need for a sixth finger on one s hand. since we don t have the senses required to perceive other worlds, we cannot sense them. therefore, despite our being surrounded by such a rich environment, we are able to see only a small fragment of it. in addition, even the fragment we perceive is quite distorted, since we can only grasp a small portion of it. however, using what we perceive as a foundation, we create our views of the whole of existence. like those

ed beings. olam (the world) derives from the word he elem or ha alama meaning "concealment" it is by experiencing the opposing tendencies of concealment and revelation that a person experiences pleasure. and this is the meaning of the expression "i created a help against you (ezer ke-negdo. egoism was created as an aid to humankind. gradually, while struggling against it, each person acquires all the senses necessary to experience the spiritual. for this reason, each person should look upon all obstacles and suffering with a full consciousness of their purpose, that is, to induce one to ask for the creator s help in receiving redemption from that suffering. then, egoism and other unpleasant aspects transform into "help against you" which is actually against egoism itself. it is also possib

nt we feel (one who truly feels) his strength. but not having perceived any quality of the creator, it is impossible to refer to him by any name, because even the word "creator" connotes the fact that a person perceived this particular quality of the light. however, if a person pronounces the names of the creator (that is, enumerates his qualities, without having perceived these qualities through the senses, then this act implies that a person assigns names to the simple light prior to sensing the meaning of these names in oneself, which is equal to lying, since a simple light has no name. those of us who strive to ascend spiritually must avoid extraneous influences and protect personal convictions that have not yet matured, until we receive the necessary perceptions that can support us. t

LAITMAN M KABBALAH SCIENCE AND THE MEANING OF LIFE

roximity. the sense of smell is but air that comes out of the essence, strikes out nerves of scent, and we smell. also, the sense of taste is but a result of the touching of some essence on our nerves of taste. thus, all that these four senses offer us are but manifestations of the operations that stem from some essence, and nothing of the essence itself. even the sense of touch, the strongest of the senses, separating hot from cold, and solid from soft, all these are but manifestations of operations within the essence; they are but incidents of the essence. the hot can be chilled, the cold can be heated; the solid can be turned to liquid through chemical operations, and the liquid made into air, meaning only gas, where any discernment in our five senses has been expired. yet, the essence

in the difference between the various tools at our disposal. attainment of abstract form and the essence are not considered certain attainment. this is because they are perceived through external vessels, not through internal vessels, although we do sense in them something called a remote luminescence. such luminescence induces a sensation that something exists, but it is not clearly perceived by the senses. this is the answer to the question of how kabbalists know about the existence of abstract form and essence* we should stress that locating the gateway from this world to the spiritual world is not a direct action. it is more like a search for an exit from a closed circle. although the opening is in a certain place, it can only be seen after having searched all 360 degrees. to build the

se perceive. hence, we build the creator within us. 148 p i c t u r i n g r e a l i t y we might compare a human being to a closed box with sensors: eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and hands, representing the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. as we have previously said, the fundamental principle in perceiving reality is that of equivalence of form, which means equilibrium of pressures. the senses function as sensors, each with a different reaction to the pressure, depending on the make up of the sensor. the sight sensor evokes a reaction of light, darkness, and colors; the sound sensor evokes sounds; the smell sensor evokes scents; the taste, flavors; and the touch, sensations such as hard, soft, warm, and cold. the reaction of the senses is transferred to the brain s control ce

ses toward what is momentarily desired. the evolution pa r t i i i: p e r c e p t i o n o f r e a l i t y 150 of the desire for pleasure throughout the generations eventually leads to a desire for something unknown called the point in the heart. today, this desire is awakening in many of us. the problem with this desire is that there is no corresponding data that relates to it in our memory. even the senses cannot locate a source of satisfaction for this new craving. when that desire arises in us, we stand helpless because there is nothing in the world around us that can satisfy it. but when this desire arises, it makes our lives prior to its appearance seem repellent. the point in the heart is the beginning of an entirely new sensory system, completely detached from the present, natural s

al world becomes clearer as one matures and accumulates impressions. here, too, one accumulates sensations and impressions of the spiritual world that enrich the new memory and analytic abilities of the new mind. consequently, the world-picture created within the new sensory system becomes increasingly clearer. the death of the biological body means that the natural system has ceased to function. the senses no longer transfer information to the brain, and the brain stops projecting the picture of the corporeal world on the screen within it. since neither desires nor fulfillments in the point in the heart from which the spiritual system evolved belong to this world, this point continues to exist after the departure of the body. if one has come to perceive one s existence in the spiritual sy

proper research, we will simply remain at the level of studying matter. proper research elevates the researcher to the level of the forces that operate behind matter. when we perceive these forces, we perceive what happens in matter as well, since these forces become our own. the researcher senses these forces as conducting his or her own life, at his or her disposal, perceived tangibly, through the senses, rather than intellectually. one cannot research reality at a higher degree than nature scientists perceive using only rational and sensual perception. to move to a higher reality, one must change one s senses. sophisticated research tools will not help here. by studying nature, we can imagine a higher reality opposite to ours, where everything is aimed at giving instead of receiving. w

LAITMAN M THE KABBALAH EXPERIENCE

ot are outside it, it feels itself in a completely separate world. if it weren t for those nine sefirot, malchut would only feel the pleasure or the lack of it in itself. but when it bonds with the attributes of the creator, it feels him in them. that feeling can be either conscious (when a person is in the spiritual world, or unconscious (if one feels only this world. it can be felt inwardly (in the senses) or outwardly (concealed, and we call it the world, or my world. thus, you can see how miniature changes in your natural attributes, in your smallest particles, generate a completely different picture in you. that picture is so different, it makes it hard to say that we are dealing with the same person. and indeed, these are two different people. their insides are different, but their o

he same way in this world, but in the spiritual world the distances (differences in attributes) between ascent and descent are enormous. if you really put your mind to it, you can go through all the passages and advance without paying attention to your moods and your inner mental state. t h e k a b b a l a h e x p e r i e n c e 194 w h at i s s p i r i t ua l fa i t h? q: faith should replace all the senses, as though the entire reality were laid before one s eyes, despite the absence of the sensation of the creator and his guidance. is this not blind faith? a: you mustn t believe blindly in the creator, since faith is acquired only through the screen, which is the sensation of the creator. there is faith that is the light of bina, light of mercy, and there is whole faith, which is called

t with the revelation of evil because they have never experienced that process themselves. h i d d e n f r o m o t h e r s q: everything that was in me before is now coming out in the open. do others see this as well? a: what lies hidden inside us, in the point in the heart, at the seed of the soul, is our uncorrected nature. it first appears in small portions and then gradually reveals itself to the senses to a greater extent. but we must correct our traits bit by bit. therefore, those of us who study more diligently discover our nature more quickly and in greater portions. we recognize our nature as bad, and we are repelled by its presence. kabbalah is an applied, experimental science. everything we now know about the spiritual world and the creator we learned from kabbalt h e d e s i r

correction. t h e k a b b a l a h e x p e r i e n c e 392 we must remember that the only place for advancement is this world, and only in this body. that fact might sometimes be hard to accept, but it is nonetheless true. o b t a i n t h e p i c t u r e o f r e a l i t y q: if we feel bad about ourselves and want to be rid of our troubles, can we begin to study kabbalah? a: we can never see with the senses of this world what is in store for us. we cannot see where our troubles come from; they only appear before us as a fact of life, as a reality that we are born into. in order to succeed in seeing how that picture is formed, we must study the wisdom of kabbalah. with this wisdom, we learn exactly how the picture of reality is built. there is no special wisdom that we need to acquire; mere

law: the law of equivalence of form, attributes and desires. if two spiritual objects are equal in atr e f l e c t i o n s a n d t h o u g h t s 421 tributes, they unite. that does not mean that from two they have now become one, but that they are as one. everything that happens to one, enriches the other, is immediately felt in him. that mutual feeling, that two separate objects equally feel in the senses between them, that there is absolute equality between them (be it two people, or the creator and a person) v is called love. love is the sensation of equivalence of spiritual attributes. distancing in attributes and desires distances people from one another, even to the extent of hate. the nearness of desires, thoughts and attributes (which is actually the same, because the attributes d

ing. 173 spiritual ascents and descents. 175 an abrupt chain reaction..176 adapting to spiritual downfalls..176 sticking with the ascent..176 speed as frequency of corrections..177 discovering the light within the darkness..177 he and i. 178 from despair to bliss. 179 changing situations. 180 on whom do we depend. 180 where s the i..181 me or the creator. 184 reward and punishment. 185 correcting the senses. 186 conscious worthlessness. 187 overcoming indifference. 187 states of indifference. 188 inner struggle. 188 true and bitter, or false and sweet. 189 d e t a i l e d t a b l e o f c o n t e n t s 433 thou shalt not kill. 189 restriction- the gateway to spirituality. 190 the time of preparation. 190 my sons defeated me..191 blaming the creator..191 breaking the screen. 193 what is spir

LAITMAN M THE PATH OF KABBALAH

, we are only able to discover and feel external stimuli that correspond to our internal egoistic attributes. t h e pa t h o f k a b b a l a h 96 the collective picture of the external stimuli that we feel with our egoistic attributes is called our world. that is all we can feel with our egoistic attributes. in fact, it is not our sensory organs that are egoistic, but the heart that stands behind the senses, our ambition to derive the maximum pleasure from all these sensations. if there had been an altruistic heart behind these senses instead of an egoistic one, we would be able to retrieve completely different information with the exact same senses. that would have been the picture of the next world, or the spiritual world. but while being in the spiritual world, we would still be able to

, meaning one attainment of the light. when the direct light comes straight from above downward, from the degree of keter (moach, through the degree of malchut (or, it strikes the screen and raises returning light back to the degree of keter. that means that if the light reaches the degree of or, all the pa r t f o u r: p r o p e r s t u d y 301 sefirot in the partzuf become one, resulting in all the senses being filled with light as well as information. because the other senses operate from a distance, as opposed to the sense of touch, they are not filled with the entire amount of knowledge, and are therefore not completely real and do not reach all the way to malchut. q: can one be forced to study kabbalah? a: there is a spiritual law that states, there is no coercion in spirituality. an

the only way to attain the creator, and if so, does that mean that everyone must learn hebrew? pa r t f o u r: p r o p e r s t u d y 303 a: it doesn t matter which language one speaks as long as one wants to attain the creator by correcting oneself through equalizing with his properties. the knowledge one receives does not come in words, and yet is completely understood because it penetrates all the senses and the consciousness. that knowledge is spiritual, and is how kabbalists communicate information among themselves. t h e da i ly r o u t i n e q: do kabbalists live ordinary lives? a: the wisdom of kabbalah necessitates that every person take an active part in this world: work, raise a family, learn and teach. in addition to the normal routine, one must also attain the purpose of creat

e worlds. they begin with our world the zero degree and end in our complete attainment of the creator in the world of ein sof. the only way for us to feel anything outside us is to equalize in form with it, as with the example of a radio receiver. hence, the degree of our sensing the creator testifies to the degree of our equivalence of form with the light. if we feel our environment only through the senses we received at birth, that sensation is called this world. if we succeed in changing, correcting our desires to match those of the creator, we begin to feel him to the extent of our correction. the measure of that sensation is called one s spiritual world, or one s spiritual degree. 306 part five: religion, prejudice and kabbalah c h a p t e r 5 .1 a r e l i g i o n o r a s c i e n c e?

pictures of the worlds, sefirot, or gimatria, are simply visual aids. the essence of the wisdom of kabbalah is the individual experience of the creator and the spiritual world. the wisdom of kabbalah is not mysticism. it is a science that explores the entire reality, unlike every other science that explores only our world. q: does modern science accept this perspective? a: a science that studies the senses, including the theory of relativity, maintains that everything perceived by our senses is only valid regarding ourselves. but our picture of the world is relative because the pa r t f i v e: r e l i g i o n, p r e j u d i c e a n d k a b b a l a h 313 concepts of time and space do not exist, as they, too, are relative. if these terms were not already within us, we would perceive them di

LEADBEATER C W THE HIDDEN LIFE IN FREEMASONRY 2E

e carries the tools appropriate for their practical realization. the journeys are outward signs of the raising of the candidate fs consciousness through the planes. 597. in the first stage he carries the mallet and chisel, and learns about the five senses-touch, hearing, sight, taste and smell. this is the physical stage, for the physical body is not valuable in itself, but only as the vehicle of the senses, through which a man gains knowledge of the physical world with which to direct his work. it is these senses in his body which must now receive his attention, that they may serve him well. 598. on the journey of the second stage the a. carries a rule and compasses, and learns something of the arts. these are classified as architecture, sculpture, painting, music and poetry- all forms of

LEADBEATER CW GLIMPSES OF MASONIC HISTORY

t tears at a man until it is burnt out by suffering. in many such ways desire is purified and the man is able to pass onwards to the life of the heaven-world, which was the subject of instruction in the greater mysteries. 357. within the lesser mysteries, just as in the mysteries of egypt, there existed an inner school for the training of specially selected candidates. these were taught to awaken the senses of the astral plane, so that the teaching given in the mysteries could be verified by them at first hand. as in egypt, the severe tests of courage were applied only to the small proportion of those who entered the mysteries who intended to take up positive occult training, and become active workers on the astral and higher planes. tens of thousands of people were initiated without them

LIBER CLXV A MASTER OF THE TEMPLE

LIBER DCCCLX JOHN ST

nd made gold from baser metals. in this they succeeded; the intelligent perceived that the gold and the lead were but shadows of thought. it became probable that liber dccclx 4 the elements were but isomers of one element; matter was seen to be but a modification of mind, or (at least) that the two things matter and mind must be joined before either could be perceived. all knowledge comes through the senses, on the one hand; on the other, it is only through the senses that knowledge comes. we then continue our conquest of matter; and we are getting pretty expert. it took much longer to perfect the telescope than the motor-car. and though, of course, there are limitations, we know enough to be able to predict them. we know in what progression the power to speed coefficient of a steamboat ri

body. yet the thirst of the soul is deeper, and impossible to quench. lord adonai! let the powers of geburah plunge me again and again into the fires of pain, so that my steel may be tempered to that sword of magic that invoketh thy knowledge and thy conversation. hoor! elohim gibor! kamael! seraphim! graphiel! bartzabel! madim! i conjure ye in the number five. by the flaming star of my will! by the senses of my body! by the five elements of my being! rise! move! appear! come ye forth unto me and torture me with your fierce pangs. for why? because i am the servant of the same your god, the true worshipper of the highest. ol sonuf vaoresaji, gono iadapiel, elonusaha calazod. i rule above ye, said the lord of lords, exalted in power [from dr. dee fs mss..ed.]1 11.17. will now try the hanged

LIBER E

s; as a man, preferably some man known to, and respected by, yourself. 8. in the intervals of these experiments you may try to imagine the objects of the other senses, and to concentrate upon them. for example, try to imagine the taste of chocolate the smell of roses, the feeling of velvet, the sound of a waterfall, or the ticking of a watch. 9. endeavour finally to shut out all objects of any of the senses, and prevent all thoughts arising in your mind. when you feel that you have attained some success in these practices, apply for examination, and should you pass, more complex and difficult practices will be prescribed for you. vi physical limitations 1. it is desirable that you should discover for yourself your physical limiations. 2. to this end ascertain for how many hours you can sub

LIBER GRADUUM MONTIS ABIEGNI

sophus. his duties are laid down in paper e, class d. he practices devotion to the order. instruction and examination in methods of meditation by devotion (bhakti-yoga).14 instruction and examination in construction and consecration of talismans, and in evocation.15 theoretical and practical. examination in rising on the planes (liber o, caps v, vi. practical. he is given a meditation-practice on the senses, and the sheaths of the self, and the practice called mah.satipatth.na.16 (see the sword of song, gscience and buddhism. h) instruction and examination in control of action.17 further, he cuts the magic wand. finally, the title of dominus liminis is conferred upon him.18 he is given meditation-practices on the on the control of thought,19 and is instructed in raja-yoga. he receives libe

LIBER LLL PARADIGMAT PIRATE

wish to come up with a short list of targets and do destructive sigils at this time. however, there isn ft a reason why you can ft do positive workings or simply note the side effects and byproduct states that accompany this form of gnosis. sensory deprivation isolation chambers are hard to come by nowadays. so the magician must resort to several tricks to place herself in a complete isolation of the senses. there are two ways of doing this: overload and solitude. in the first instance, the magician looses all cognitive functions through bombarding all the senses simultaneously until it is impossible to rely on any one sense to maintain her bearing. the best method of bombardment that i fve found works on sight, sound and smell. it fs cheap and can be done quite easily with a stereo, a str

LIBER LXVII THE SWORD OF SONG

roar of ice that cracks and goes crashing within the water! glows the pale pure water, shakes and slides the glittering sun through emerald tides, so that faint ripples of young light laugh on the green. is there a night* this simile for the mind and its impressions, which must be stilled before the sun of the soul can be reflected, is common in hindu literature. the five glaciers are, of course, the senses. 390 395 400 405 410 415 420 425 but the results of concentration do so. some poetry. pentecost 33 so still and cold, a frost so chill, that all the glaciers be still? yet in its peace no frost. arise! over the mountains steady stand, o sun of glory, in the skies alone, above, unmoving! brand thy sigil, thy resistless might, the abundant imminence of light! ah! o in the silence, in the

re not .explained. by science, and never can be. he gives a curious example of that quaint scientific pride which knows the limits of its powers, and refuses to entertain the hope of transcending them. unfortunately, he is as one who, a hundred years ago, should have declared any knowledge of the chemistry of the fixed stars impossible. to invent new methods, and to revolutionise the functions of the senses by training or other-wise is the routine work of to-morrow.1 but, alas! he goes even further .similarly we seek by the study of cerebral disease to trace the genesis of the phenomena which are supposed by some physicists who have strayed into biological fields to justify them in announcing the .discovery. of .telepathy. and a belief in ghosts. to talk of cerebral disease as the characte

LOGOMACHY OF ZOS

rasting things, they will reform abundantly with new correlatives as emotional content in our resultant processes of rearrangement. final representation is an asymmetrical balance. this( f. 2 o( 9$ o. w=h .5: s( 5: h7..1( w% 5. s* 5..1. g us in contact with reality. all reality being more abstract than actual, a para-ideal we know and cannot grasp. the nearest we attain to it is by a union of all the senses. a personal sentiment can, by suitable emotional channeling, be affective and can associate and express nuances and..1' e< e e..1 2 5..w7#7e7 e5: 2..1. portraying as in nature. in our relation to cosmos, if significance is measured by our increative ability then we are of no greater worth than the amoeba. nature permits no interrogation; our techniques merely imitate, and only if so all

MANLY P HALL THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES

eternal, impassible, immutable, and rational" xenophanes believed that all existing things were eternal, that the world was without beginning or end, and that everything which was generated was subject to corruption. he lived to great age and is said to have buried his sons with his own hands. parmenides studied under xenophanes, but never entirely subscribed to his doctrines. parmenides declared the senses to be uncertain and reason the only criterion of truth. he first asserted the earth to be round and also divided its surface into zones of hear and cold. melissus, who is included in the eleatic school, held many opinions in common with parmenides. he declared the universe to be immovable because, occupying all space, there was no place to which it could be moved. he further rejected th

d donned woman's clothing and went at night to study with socrates. after the cruel death of their teacher, the disciples of socrates, fearing a similar fate, fled to megara, where they were entertained with great honor by euclid. the megarian school accepted the socratic doctrine that virtue is wisdom, adding to it the eleatic concept that goodness is absolute unity and all change an illusion of the senses. euclid maintained that good has no opposite and therefore evil does not exist. being asked about the nature of the gods, he declared himself ignorant of their disposition save that they hated curious persons. the megarians are occasionally included among the dialectic philosophers. euclid (who died 374? b.c) was succeeded in his school by eubulides, among whose disciples were alexinus

simply a cross section of the universal aura, the planets and elements to which he refers having no relation to those recognized by modern astronomers. p. 18 to form an endless variety of aspects or modes. the mind of man is one of the modes of infinite thought; the body of man one of the modes of infinite extension. through reason man is enabled to elevate himself above the illusionary world of the senses and find eternal repose in perfect union with the divine essence. spinoza, it has been said, deprived god of all personality, making deity synonymous with the universe. german philosophy had its inception with gottfried wilhelm von leibnitz, whose theories are permeated with the qualities of optimism and idealism. leibnitz's criteria of sufficient reason revealed to him the insufficienc

ist, who applies the experimental attitude to all the aims of life, should be considered a commentator of james. to dewey, growth and change are limitless and no ultimates are postulated. the long residence in america of george santayana warrants the listing of this great spaniard among the ranks of american philosophers. defending himself with the shield of skepticism alike from the illusions of the senses and the cumulative errors of the ages, santayana seeks to lead mankind into a more apprehending state denominated by him the life of reason (in addition to the authorities already quoted, in the preparation of the foregoing abstract of the main branches of philosophic thought the present writer has had recourse to stanley's history of philosophy; morell's an historical and critical view

the world of the vanes, which is located in the west (7) muspells-heim, the world of fire, which is located in the south; 8) svart-alfa-heim, the world of the dark and treacherous elves, which is under the earth; and (9) hel-heim, the world of cold and the abode of the dead, which is located at the very lowest point of the universe. it is to be understood that all of these worlds are invisible to the senses, except midgard, the home of human creatures, but during the process of initiation the soul of the candidate--liberated from its earthly sheath by the secret power of the priests--wanders amidst the inhabitants of these various spheres. there is undoubtedly a relationship between the nine worlds of the scandinavians and the nine spheres, or planes, through which initiates of the eleusin

his head in thankfulness to the great dragon who had taught him so much, and begged to hear more concerning the ultimate of the human soul. so poimandres resumed "at death the material body of man is returned to the elements from which it came, and the invisible divine man ascends to the source from whence he came, namely the eighth sphere. the evil passes to the dwelling place of the demon, and the senses, feelings, desires, and body passions return to their source, namely the seven governors, whose natures in the lower man destroy but in the invisible spiritual man give life "after the lower nature has returned to the brutishness, the higher struggles again to regain its spiritual estate. it ascends the seven rings upon which sit the seven governors and returns to each their lower power

t the holy temple in the center the great throne of the many-formed spirit of nature which is shown in the middle of the tablet? what are the seven triads but the seven powers that rule over the world? psellus writes 'the egyptians worshipped the triad of faith, truth, and love; and the seven fountains: the sun as ruler--the fountain of matter; then the fountain of the archangels; the fountain of the senses; of judgment; of lightning; of reflections; and of characters of unknown composition. they say that the highest material fountains are those of apollo, osiris, and mercury--the fountains of the centers of the elements 'thus, they understood by the sun as ruler the solar world; by the material archangelic, the lunar world; by the fountain of the senses, the world of saturn; by judgment

nity. 5. the mausoleum at halicarnassus was a magnificent monument erected by queen artemisia in memory of her dead husband, king mausolus, from whose name the word mausoleum is derived. the designers of the building were satyrus and pythis, and four great sculptors were employed to ornament the edifice. the building, which was 114 feet long and 92 feet wide, was divided into five major sections (the senses) and surmounted by a pyramid (the spiritual nature of man. the pyramid rose in 24 steps (a sacred number, and upon the apex was a statue of king mausolus in a chariot. his figure was 9 feet 9 inches tall. many attempts have been made to reconstruct the monument, which. was destroyed by an earthquake, but none has been altogether successful. this monument was sacred to the planet mars an

issolution. click to enlarge the divine tree in man (reverse) from law's figures of jakob b hme. just as the diagram representing the front view of man illustrates his divine principles in their regenerated state, so the back view of the same figure sets forth the inferior, or "night" condition of the sun. from the sphere of the astral mind a line ascends through the sphere of reason into that of the senses. the sphere of the astral mind and of the senses are filled with stars to signify the nocturnal condition of their natures. in the sphere of reason, the superior and the inferior are reconciled, reason in the mortal man corresponding to illumined understanding in the spiritual man. click to enlarge the divine tree in man (obverse) from law's figures of jakob b hme. a tree with its roots

eir natures. in the sphere of reason, the superior and the inferior are reconciled, reason in the mortal man corresponding to illumined understanding in the spiritual man. click to enlarge the divine tree in man (obverse) from law's figures of jakob b hme. a tree with its roots in the heart rises from the mirror of the deity through the sphere of the understanding to branch forth in the sphere of the senses. the roots and trunk of this tree represent the divine nature of man and may be called his spirituality; the branches of the tree are the separate parts of the divine constitution and may be likened to the individuality; and the leaves--because of their ephemeral nature--correspond to the personality, which partakes of none of the permanence of its divine source. next: the hiramic legen

y is known as the law of octaves in modern chemistry. since they held that harmony must be determined not by the sense perceptions but by reason and mathematics, the pythagoreans called themselves canonics, as distinguished from musicians of the harmonic school, who asserted taste and instinct to be the true normative principles of harmony. recognizing, however, the profound effect: of music upon the senses and emotions, pythagoras did not hesitate to influence the mind and body with what he termed "musical medicine" pythagoras evinced such a marked preference for stringed instruments that he even went so far as to warn his disciples against allowing their ears to be defiled by the sounds of flutes or cymbals. he further declared that the soul could be purified from its irrational influenc

convinced of this, he agreed with damon of athens, the musical instructor of socrates, that the introduction of a new and presumably enervating scale would endanger the future of a whole nation, and that it was not possible to alter a key without shaking the very foundations of the state. plato affirmed that music which ennobled the mind was of a far higher kind than that which merely appealed to the senses, and he strongly insisted that it was the paramount duty of the legislature to suppress all music of an effeminate and lascivious character, and to encourage only s that which was pure and dignified; that bold and stirring melodies were for men, gentle and soothing ones for women. from this it is evident that music played a considerable part in the education of the greek youth. the grea

in egyptian art and architecture. the roofs of many temples were upheld by lotus columns, signifying the eternal wisdom; and the lotus-headed scepter--symbolic of selfunfoldment and divine prerogative--was often carried in religious processions. when the flower had nine petals, it was symbolic of man; when twelve, of the universe and the gods; when seven, of the planets and the law; when five, of the senses and the mysteries; and when three, of the chief deities and the worlds. the heraldic rose of the middle ages generally has either five or ten petals thereby showing its relationship to the spiritual mystery of man through the pythagorean pentad and decad. cultus arborum the worship of trees as proxies of divinity was prevalent throughout the ancient world. temples were often built in th

MASTERING WITCHCRAFT

cal, but the joint application of them is. you must apply them sedulously, knowing that only in accordance with what you are willing to invest will you gain anything in return. the four cornerstones of the witches' pyramid are: a virulent imagination, a will of fire, rock-hard faith, and a flair for secrecy. imagination being the ability to conjure up within your mind sights and scenes to delight the senses and entertain the fancy, it is the tool par excellence of the artist, inventor and inveterate onanist. the greatest and the most notorious personalities in the history of mankind have all possessed this power to a great degree, and i suspect you, the reader, also do. otherwise you wouldn't be reading this book. the ability to indulge in a flight of fancy is of paramount importance to a

ering ligature proper, however, we should note in passing a process of a similar nature, using the same name but differing considerably in its aim. on an earlier page, i referred to a certain use of the witches' cord wherein it is used by the practitioner to bind himself. this is done on two occasions. first, many witches believe that by restricting the use of limbs and blocking up the avenues of the senses, the inherent witch power can be let free to wander abroad, either in an invisible form as a disembodied and clairvoyant astral body, or a semiembodied, half-materialized fetch. the witches' cord itself is often used for this purpose of immobilization. for the sensory deprivation itself, a mask is worn, covering the entire head but leaving the mouth free to breathe. this is sometimes re

MATHERS MACGREGOR THE GREATER KEY OF SOLOMON VOL 1

regoing words abac, aldal &c, should be written with the pen as hereinafter ordained; but if the experiment be performed in a different way, yet shalt thou always say the aforesaid words, and they should be repeated as before given. if thou practicest these things in this manner correctly, thou shalt arrive at the effect of thine operations and experiments, by the which thou mayest easily deceive the senses. the key of solomon page 56 chapter xvii. how extraordinary experiments and operations should be prepared. we have spoken in the preceding chapters of common experiments and operations, which it is more usual to practice and put in operation, and therein thou mayest easily see that we have told thee sufficient for their perfection. in this chapter we treat of extraordinary and unusual e

MEANING OF MASONRY

the music of the spheres. as milton puts it "how lovely is divine philosophy, not harsh and crabbed as dull fools suppose, but musical as is apollo's lute and a perpetual feast of nectar'd sweets where no crude surfeit reigns" every possible device was employed and practised to train the mind to acquire dominion over the passions and to loosen and detach it from the impressions and attractions of the senses, to destroy the illusions and false imaginations under which it labours when using no higher light than its own, and to qualify it for a higher method of cognition and for the reception of supersensual truth and the light of the divine world. the idealism of greek architecture and sculpture was entirely due to the same motive and with a view to elevating the imagination beyond the visib

MICHAEL FORD A RITE OF THE WEREWOLF

the nightmare (called kundak the steed of wizards) and shadow aspects of the self. this rite is also one of the tests, that the forces of darkness embody through the practitioner and allows the isolated self-deification of the sorcerer. the very embodiment of the path. let the ritual be performed in a solitary place where the profane may not cast their eyes. one may seek also a place appeasing to the senses, preferably in a cemetery or crossroads. the ritual of adversarial shadow is the summoning of ahrimanic spirits. as known, ahriman appears in many forms throughout history, a consistent shape shifter. be it toads, wolves or dragons/serpents, ahriman is the wizard in spirit one who masters time by the dream and the twilight world made flesh by desire. the goal of the ritual is a form of

MICHAEL FORD WITCHMOON

orkings which may open a new way of thinking concerning this subject. the witches' sabbath is a gathering in dream, not the physical gathering that it once was thought to be (unless a conscious gathering is agreed upon as it is often done. the witch who wishes to attend does so primarily in the astral or dream body. no babies were or are harmed, no killing is done. the sabbat is a great appeal to the senses and a rejuvenation of the spirit. those who actually attend the sabbath are often refreshed, happy and more 40 40 thoughtful of others. the sabbath is a celebration and channeling of the powers of night and the rejoicing of what one is and what one can be. the actual name sabbath is derived from the old french verb s'esbattre, translating to frolic. when twilight falls and the shadows b

MICHAEL TSARION ATLANTIS ALIEN VISITATION AND GENETIC MANIPULATION

ure of sense gratification. there are many lakes and reservoirs withclear, transparent water, agitated by jumping fish and decorated with many flowers such as lilies, kuva-layas, kahlaras and blue and red lotuses. pairs of cakravakas and many other water birds nest in thelakes and always enjoy in a happy mood, making sweet, pleasing vibrations that are very satisfying andconducive to enjoyment of the senses.since there is no sunshine in those subterranean planets, time is not divided into days and nights, andconsequently fear produced by time does not exist. many great serpents reside there with gems on their hoods, and the effulgence of these gems dissipatesthe darkness in all directions. since the residents of these planets drink and bathe in juices and elixirs made from wonderful herbs

MICHAEL W FORD THE VAMPIRE GATE

oid. those who become are the avatars of set s endless power of being. i am of ahriman s flesh. the wolf is the skin which cloaks the hunger of struggle. the serpent is the skin which directs the gaze of the eye. the bat is the thirst within called trshna, to fall into the abyss and the graal of dragon s blood from the eye of set does his form become darkness, ahriman. that spark within to awaken the senses. from which as shadow do i fall into nothingness to reach a cup to sate the deepest thirst to then discover the five flames of angra mainyu and servitors of the void join in my being to awaken and rise from the sea. the take my divine leadership upon the earth 16 luciferian will and immortality the will of the luciferian is essential in the development of the mind and body of the practi

MICHAEL WYNN THE SOUL TRAVELERS

ade. curious that these far-flung civilizations would suggest that their pyramids were built the same way, and for the same reason. the pyramid as a symbol of transformation and rebirth survives to this day. i can t believe it s not fiction: stargates of egypt stargate (1994) chapter 2- universe.com quantum confusion [2.1] the universe has proven to be quite the onion; its simple exterior betrays the senses. what science has called truths of the universe is in fact an ever-changing list of theories, each being no more than shades of gray closer to truth than the last. this is not, however, saying that anything but the ultimate truth is useless. our list of ignorance is great, but our achievements using these half-truths is also great. our knowledge of the electron, for example, is far from

MORALS AND DOGMA

unanimity from a jury; but to ask it from any large number of men on any point of political faith is amazing. you can hardly get two men in any congress or convention to agree--nay, you can rarely get one to agree with _himself. the political church which chances to be supreme anywhere has an indefinite number of tongues. how then can we expect men to agree as to matters beyond the cognizance of the senses? how can we compass the infinite and the invisible with any chain of evidence? ask the small sea-waves what they murmur among the pebbles! how many of those words that come from the invisible shore are lost, like the birds, in the long passage? how vainly do we strain the eyes across the long infinite! we must be content, as the children are, with the pebbles that have been stranded, si

entory of god's qualities, feelings, impulses, and passions; and then hangs and burns his brother, who, as dogmatically as he, makes out a different map and inventory. the common understanding has no humility _its_ god is an _incarnate_ divinity. imperfection imposes its own limitations on the illimitable, and clothes the inconceivable spirit of the universe in forms that come within the grasp of the senses and the intellect, and are derived from that infinite and imperfect nature which is but god's creation. we are all of us, though not all equally, mistaken. the cherished dogmas of each of us are not, as we fondly suppose, the pure truth of god; but simply our own special form of error, our guesses at truth, the refracted and fragmentary rays of light that have fallen upon our own minds

eal. they were not in any open hostility with the popular religion, but only a more solemn exhibition of its symbols; or rather a part of itself in a more impressive form. the essence of all mysteries, as of all polytheism, consists in this, that the conception of an unapproachable being, single, eternal, and unchanging, and that of a god of nature, whose manifold power is immediately revealed to the senses in the incessant round of movement, life, and death, fell asunder in the treatment, and were separately symbolized. they offered a perpetual problem to excite curiosity, and contributed to satisfy the all-pervading religious sentiment, which if it obtain no nourishment among the simple and intelligible, finds compensating excitement in a reverential contemplation of the obscure. nature

at many of their precepts were known even to the profane. such was the case with the doctrine of a future life, and a state of rewards and punishments beyond the grave. the ancient legislators clothed this doctrine in the pomp of a mysterious ceremony, in mystic words and magical representations, to impress upon the mind the truths they taught, by the strong influence of such scenic displays upon the senses and imagination. in the same way they taught the origin of the soul, its fall to the earth past the spheres and through the elements, and its final return to the place of its origin, when, during the continuance of its union with earthly matter, the sacred fire, which formed its essence, had contracted no stains, and its brightness had not been marred by foreign particles, which, denatu

of the material composing the luminous bodies of the planets, but receives there the different faculties which it is to exercise while it inhabits the body. in saturn, it acquires the power of reasoning and intelligence, or what is termed the logical and contemplative faculty. from jupiter it receives the power of action. mars gives it valor, enterprise, and impetuosity. from the sun it receives the senses and imagination, which produce sensation, perception, and thought. venus inspires it with desires. mercury gives it the faculty of expressing and enunciating what it thinks and feels. and, on entering the sphere of the moon, it acquires the force of generation and growth. this lunary sphere, lowest and basest to divine bodies, is first and highest to terrestrial bodies. and the lunary b

y whomsoever would understand the ancient mind, and be enabled to interpret the allegories, and explore the meaning of the symbols, in which the old sages endeavored to delineate the ideas that struggled within them for utterance, and could be but insufficiently and inadequately expressed by language, whose words are images of those things alone that can be grasped by and are within the empire of the senses. it is not possible for us thoroughly to appreciate the feelings with which the ancients regarded the heavenly bodies, and the ideas to which their observation of the heavens gave rise, because we cannot put ourselves in their places, look at the stars with their eyes in the world's youth, and divest ourselves of the knowledge which even the commonest of us have, that makes us regard th

ary or elemental subdivisions, as the "vast one" or "great soul" of the vedas. but the simplicity of belief of the patriarchs did not exclude the employment of symbolical representations. the mind never rests satisfied with a mere feeling. that feeling ever strives to assume precision and durability as an idea, by some _outward_ delineation of its thought. even the ideas that are above and beyond the senses, as all ideas of god are, require the aid of the senses for their expression and communication. hence come the representative forms and symbols which constitute the external investiture of every religion; attempts to express a religious sentiment that is essentially _one, and that vainly struggles for adequate external utterance, striving to tell to one man, to _paint_ to him, an idea e

-to see nature in her springs and sources, and to become familiar with the causes of things and with real existences. cicero says that the soul must exercise itself in the practice of the virtues, if it would speedily return to its place of origin. it should, while imprisoned in the body, free itself therefrom by the contemplation of superior beings, and in some sort be divorced from the body and the senses. those who remain enslaved, subjugated by their passions and violating the sacred laws of religion and society, will re-ascend to heaven, only after they shall have been purified through a long succession of ages. the initiate was required to emancipate himself from his passions, and to free himself from the hindrances of the senses and of matter, in order that he might rise to the cont

vinity, and became for it, as it were, the eye with which, according to the pythagoreans, it contemplates the field of truth; in its mystical abstractions, wherein it rises superior to the body, whose action on it, it annuls for the time, to re-enter into itself, so as entirely to occupy itself with the view of the divinity, and the means of coming to resemble him. thus enfeebling the dominion of the senses and the passions over the soul, and as it were freeing the latter from a sordid slavery, and by the steady practice of all the virtues, active and contemplative, our ancient brethren strove to fit themselves to return to the bosom of the deity. let not our objects as masons fall below theirs. we use the symbols which they used; and teach the same great cardinal doctrines that they taugh

at_ they really are, and what their essence, we are wholly ignorant. but, fortunately, it does not follow that we may not _believe, or even _know, that which we cannot _explain_ to ourselves, or that which is beyond the reach of our comprehension. if we believed only that which our intellect can grasp, measure, comprehend, and have distinct and clear ideas of, we sh+ ould believe scarce anything. the senses are not the witnesses that bear testimony to us of the loftiest truths. our greatest difficulty is, that language is not adequate to express our ideas; because our words refer to _things, and are images of what is substantial and material. if we use the word"_emanation" our mind involuntarily recurs to something material _flowing out_ of some other thing that is material; and if we _rej

_things, and are images of what is substantial and material. if we use the word"_emanation" our mind involuntarily recurs to something material _flowing out_ of some other thing that is material; and if we _reject_ this idea of materiality, nothing is left of the emanation but an unreality. the word "thing" itself suggests to us that which is material and within the cognizance and jurisdiction of the senses. if we cut away from it the idea of materiality, it presents itself to us as _no_ thing, but an intangible unreality, which the mind vainly endeavors to grasp _existence_ and _being_ are terms that have the same color of materiality; and when we speak of a _power_ or _force, the mind immediately images to itself one physical and material thing acting upon another. eliminate that idea; a

ts, and luminaries; symbolized by light, the principle of life. amun was the nature-god, or spirit of nature, called by that name or amun-re, and worshipped at memphis in lower egypt, and in libya, as well as in upper egypt. he was the libyan jupiter, and represented the intelligent and organizing force that develops itself in nature, when the intellectual types or forms of bodies are revealed to the senses in the world's order, by their union with matter, whereby the generation of bodies is effected. he was the same with kneph, from whose mouth issued the orphic egg out of which came the universe. dionusos was the nature-god of the greeks, as amun was of the egyptians. in the popular legend, dionusos, as well as hercules, was a theban hero, born of a mortal mother. both were sons of zeus

and of that being so contemplated, the mouth opened like an egg, and speech came forth, and from the speech fire. the nostrils opened, and through them went the breath of respiration, and by it the air was propagated. the eyes opened; from then came a luminous ray, and from it was produced the sun. the ears dilated; from them came hearing, and from hearing space. and, after the body of man, with the senses, was formed-"he, the universal soul, thus reflected _how can this body exist without me_ he examined through what extremity he could penetrate it. he said to himself: if _without me, the world is articulated, breath exhales, and sight sees; if hearing hears, the skin feels, and the mind reflects, deglutition swallows, and the generative organ fulfills its functions, what then am i_ and

MOTTA MARCELO THE COMMENTARIES OF AL

ts involved in these questions. why "eight and ninety" rules of art? i am totally unable to suggest a reason satisfactory to myself; but 90 is tzaddi, the 'emperor, and 8 cheth, the 'charioteer' or cup-bearer; the phrase might then conceivably mean 'with majesty. alternatively, 98=2 x 49: now, two is the number of the will, and seven of the passive senses. 98 might then mean the full expansion of the senses (7 x 7) balanced against each other, and controlled firmly by the will. without in any way deriding the above qabalistic explanation, which should be a guide to all thelemites in search of sensuous enjoyment "98 rules" may refer to some aesthetic code in daily use in ancient egypt or sumer or even in the modern middle east. aiwass gets quite provincial at times "exceed by delicacy: this

MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS E

in which she stood, and became transformed into pure glistening pearls. wafted by the soft and balmy breezes, she floated on to cythera, and was thence transported to the island of cyprus. lightly she stepped on shore, and under the gentle pressure of her delicate foot the dry and rigid sand became transformed into a verdant meadow, where every varied shade of colour and every sweet odour charmed the senses. the whole island of cyprus became clothed with verdure, and greeted this fairest of all created beings with a glad smile of friendly welcome. here she was received by the seasons, who decked her with garments of immortal fabric, encircling her fair brow with a wreath of purest gold, whilst from her ears depended costly rings, and a glittering chain embraced her swan-like throat. and no

ho permitted all shades to enter, but none to return. page 148 the happy spirits, destined to enjoy the delights of elysium, passed out on the right, and proceeded to the golden palace where aides and persephone held their royal court, from whom they received a kindly greeting, ere they set out for the elysian fields which lay beyond.[47] this blissful region was replete with all that could charm the senses or please the imagination; the air was balmy and fragrant, rippling brooks flowed peacefully through the smiling meadows, which glowed with the varied hues of a thousand flowers, whilst the groves resounded with the joyous songs of birds. the occupations and amusements of the happy shades were of the same nature as those which they had delighted in whilst on earth. here the warrior foun

with peculiar fondness. thus among the early greeks, each tribe came to regard the rivers and springs of its individual state as beneficent powers, which brought blessing and prosperity to the country. it is probable also that the charm which ever accompanies the sound of running water exercised its power over their imagination. they heard with delight the gentle whisper of the fountain, lulling the senses with its low, rippling tones; the soft purling of the brook as it rushes over the pebbles, or the mighty voice of the waterfall as it dashes on in its headlong course; and the beings which they pictured to themselves as presiding over all these charming sights and sounds of nature, corresponded, in their graceful appearance, with the scenes with which they were associated. oceanides. th

NAGEL CARL AMAZING SECRETS OF OCCULT POWER

hers black cloaks to cover their nakedness, their faces hidden behind small black domino masks. as the ceremony begins the coven renounces all other religions, vows to serve the dark forces, and pledges to keep its activities secret. sexual offerings are made to the dark spirits attracted to the ceremony. the coven removes their masks and cloaks, and turns their attentions to the gratification of the senses. each member is encouraged to indulge in his or her own perversions to ensure the excitement reaches a fever pitch. and when the coven master considers the orgy of wickedness is reaching a climax of excitement, he begins to work the magic, harnessing the sexual energy liberated by the lowering of inhibitions. once the initial ceremony is completed, a queen of the night (usually a recent

NAUDON PAUL THE SECRET HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY

ncient times to the middle ages 125 feet long by 25 feet wide intended for the goldsmiths, inlayers, marbleworkers, and other artisans. the magnificence of clunisian churches, including excesses of decorative art that lacked any symbolic meaning, shocked saint bernard (1090-1152) early on. this sensitive soul, enamored of inner perfection, felt it was a betrayal of the gospels to give any sops to the senses. in reforming the order of saint benoit, he imposed on the architects of his order a principle of total simplicity. thus the monks of citeaux, faithful to the spirit of the great reformer, spread an austere and bare style of art throughout europe. these strict, plain churches are not sad, however, for they hold a kind of mathematical beauty that comes from the harmony of their proportio

ONYX TABLET OF SET

to call attention to the possible existence of a "higher human-like personality" that has somehow imparted this quality to man, as the myths of most conventional religions seem to indicate [it can also be interpreted as such within the book of coming forth by night (temple of set) and the earlier diabolicon (church of satan) of the left-hand path tradition] our standard mode of operation through the senses demands we describe this as such. i conceive the transcendence of these myths can reveal the gift of set as much more than such a simplistic interpretation. onyx tablet: ot.i.3.4 temple of set author: james severson iii date: october 1994 ce revision: html revision: august 6, 1999 ce "i am within and beyond you, the highest of life" if "the highest of life" is taken to mean the highest

RABBI MOSHE WISNEFSKY APPLES FROM THE ORCHARD THE ARIZAL ON THE PARASHAH

resent in all the succeeding sefirot. this is because the essence of love.the inner motivation of chesed.is relationship, or caring. all the succeeding sefirot are types of relationship. even hatred is a form of caring. similarly, the evil midot are all rooted in evil chesed. in this context, chusham can be considered the root of all the other kings. furthermore, chusham can be understood to mean the senses inherent in each [of the kings. the word chush means gsense h; chusham thus means gtheir sense. h specifically: the sense of taste is associated with chochmah, since the word chochmah can be seen as a compound of the words for gwhat [does the] palate [taste. h chochmah is spelled chet-chaf-mem-hei. the word for gpalate h (cheich) is spelled chet-chaf; the word for gwhat h (mah) is spell

e zohar 3:103ab, 191b. 7 psalms 42:9. 8 malachi 3:16. 9 genesis 8:21. the arizal on parashat vayishlach (5) 179 the verse continues: g cand g-d said in his heart c. h the heart, the seat of understanding, is associated with binah. smell is the subtle sense of discernment, of distinguishing between good and bad. the sense of sight is associated with keter, the open eye. sight is the most direct of the senses, allowing us an immediate perception of the object we see. by virtue of this all-encompassing inclusion, it is associated with keter, the enveloping, encompassing sefirah that comprises all the others. all of these are part of malchut of chesed. this is alluded to by the words gfrom the land of the south. h as mentioned previously, the south is associated with chesed. thus, we have the

ject we see. by virtue of this all-encompassing inclusion, it is associated with keter, the enveloping, encompassing sefirah that comprises all the others. all of these are part of malchut of chesed. this is alluded to by the words gfrom the land of the south. h as mentioned previously, the south is associated with chesed. thus, we have the following scheme of associations between the sefirot and the senses: keter sight binah smell chochmah taste the midot touch malchut hearing there are other association schemes used in other contexts. finally, chusham in atbash is samech-beit-yud, the numerical value of which is 72, the numerical value of chesed. atbash (the simple reflective transformation) is the substitution system in which the first letter of the alphabet is replaced with the last, t

REGARDIE ISRAEL THE COMPLETE GOLDEN DAWN

e with thee" and finally, that not the least vestige of misunderstanding or misconception may remain as to the objects of this divine theurgy, let me reproduce one last quotation from this same ritual. referring to the supemals and the temple that in old time was built on high, the speech adds "the holy place was made waste and the sons of the house of wisdom were taken away into the captivity of the senses. we have worshipped since then in a house made with hands, receiving a sacramental ministration by a derived light in place of the cohabiting glory. and yet, amidst signs and symbols the tokens of the higher presence have never been wanting in our hearts. by the waters of babylon we have sat down and wept, but we have ever remembered zion 'and that memorial is a witness testifying that

h abide in the supernal triad- in the understanding which transcends reason, in the wisdom which comes before understanding and in the crown which is the light of the supernals. we know that the shekinah, the co-habiting glory, dwelt in the inner sanctuary, but the first creation was made void. the holy place was made waste and the sons of the house of wisdom were taken away into the captivity of the senses. we have worshipped since then in a house made with hands, receiving a sacramental ministration by a derived light in place of the co-habiting glory. and yet, amidst signs and symbols the tokens of the higher presence have never been wanting in our hearts. by the waters of babylon we have sat down and wept, but we have ever remembered zion, and that memorial is a witness teswng that we

ill find in the state of his health a great change for the better. let him preserve in this state, or, still better, the apas tattwa for some time, and return to it occasionally for some days, even after the attacks of the disease have ceased. he will no doubt be cured. forecast of futurity although a yogi obtains the power of knowing everything that is, has been, or is to be, beyond the reach of the senses, yet generally he becomes indifferent to such knowledge, forgetting himself, as he does, in his eternal presence before the light which breathes beauty into all we see in the world. we shall therefore represent him here revealing if not all his knowledge of futurity, only on questions being put to him by others. but our neophytes may as well put the questions themselves, and then answer

RITUEL ET DOGME DE LA HAUTE MAGIE BY ELIPHAS LEVI PART I

ogyne figure of henry khunrath bore the word coagula and the other solve. to collect and diffuse are nature's two words but after what manner can we accomplish these operations on the astral light or soul of the world? concentration is by isolation and distribution by the magical chain. isolation consists in absolute independence of thought, complete liberty of the heart and perfect continence of the senses. every man who is obsessed by prejudices and fears, every passionate person who is slave of his passions, is incapable of concentrating or coagulating, according to the expression of khunrath, the astral light or soul of the earth. all true adepts have been independent even amidst torture, sober and chaste unto death. the explanation of such anomaly is this: in order to dispose of a for

RITUEL ET DOGME DE LA HAUTE MAGIE BY ELIPHAS LEVI PART II

hydromancy, pyromancy and geomancy, is performed after various manners, which all depend on the will and the translucid or imagination of the operator. in fact, the four elements are only instruments which assist second sight. now, second sight is the faculty of seeing in the astral light, and it is as natural as the first or sensible and ordinary sight, but it can operate only by abstraction of the senses. somnambulists and ecstatics enjoy second sight naturally, but this sight is more lucid when the abstraction is more complete. abstraction is produced by astral intoxication, that is, by an excess of light which completely saturates, and hence stupefies, the nervous system. sanguine temperaments are disposed to aeromancy, the bilious to pyromancy, the phlegmatic to hydromancy and the me

was then admitted to the banquet. as to the orgies which in many such assemblies followed the banquet, we must beware of believing that they were permitted generally these secret agapae, it is known, however, that a number of gnostic sects practised them in their conventicles during early centuries of christianity. that the flesh had its protestants in those ages of asceticism and compression of the senses was inevitable and can occasion no surprise, but we must not accuse transcendental magic of irregularities which it has never authorized. isis is chaste in her widow hood; diana panthea is a virgin; hermanubis, possessing both sexes, can satisfy neither; the hermetic hermaphrodite pure; apollonius of tyana never yielded to the seductions of pleasure; the emperor julian was a man of rigi

ROBERT KIRK WALKER BETWEEN WORLDS

r of direct connections between the material described by kirk and primal magical arts still practiced in ethnic groups or isolated communities today. to deal with this important area of study adequately, we would need to add an anthropologist to our group of experts, so in introduction 15 the present book these connections are touched upon not as examples of anthropological material, but only in the senses where they merge with the esoteric or perennial wisdomtraditions expressed in so many different forms through the centuries. in other words, the gaelic seers had initiatory techniques sometimes similar to those of the siberian shamans, though there is no suggestion that one derives in any way from the other. they rise from properties and qualities of human consciousness, particularly in

yet sometimes these subterraneans do speak more distinctly than at other times. their women are said to spin, very finely, to dye, to tissue and embroider; but whether it be as [a] manual operation of substantial refined stuffs with apt and solid instruments, or only curious cobwebs, impalpable rainbows and a fantastic imitation of the actions of more terrestrial mortals, since it transcended all the senses of the seer to discern whither, i leave to conjecture [just] as i found it. 6. their men travel much abroad [that is far and wide, either presaging or aping the dismal and tragical actions of some among us, and have also many disastrous doings so of their own [such] as convocations, wounds, and burials, both in the earth and air, they live much longer than we [do, yet die at last or at

les their fantasy [that is, imagination or dreaming, advancing it to have [within it] unusual figures and shapes, represented to it as if it were [in] a fit of fanaticism, hypochondriac melancholy, or possession of some insinuating spirit raising the soul beyond its common strain [that is, level of existence. if the palpable instances and realities seen and innocently objected [that is, shown] to the senses did not disprove it, and make this matter a palpable verity and no deception [we might think it similar to the results of the witch's ointment, yet since this [second] sight can be bestowed without ointment or dangerous compact [that is, pact, the qualification is not of so bad an original source [as that of witchcraft. therefore: 6. by my lord [tarbett's] good leave i presume to say th

RUBY TABLET OF SET

the greek civilizations of the asiatic coasts. epicurus, a pantheist who rejected conventional religion, felt that the aim of philosophy should be to free humanity from fear of the gods, who, if they exist, are too remote to concern themselves with human fortunes. he rejected metaphysics, holding that humans can know nothing of the suprasensual world. reason, he said, must accept the evidence of the senses. epicurus considered mankind a completely natural product. and mind only another kind of matter. the soul can feel or act only by means of the body, he maintained, and it dies with the body's death. accordingly epicurus considered virtue to be not an end in itself, but rather the means toward happiness. he recommended the simple, non-envious life of the country peasant "everything natur

universal energy. stoics denied the skeptical contention that no objective knowledge is possible, holding rather that a wise man can distinguish reliable impressions (kataleptika phantasia "grasping impressions) from ethereal ones. hence the stoics thought it possible to identify the universe as a single, integrated substance in which human existence and behavior partake. knowledge arises through the senses, which are also the final test of truth. experience does not always lead to knowledge, for perceptions may be distorted by passion and/or emotion. reason is the supreme achievement of humanity. since humanity is integral with nature, goodness is cooperation with nature. it is not the pursuit of pleasure, which would subordinate reason to passion. if evil comes to the good man, it is onl

ill or creative agency in fact does not exist; that "actions" are merely events determined according to the laws of natural causality) presupposes a causal relation between events. yet, the existence of the very cause and effect relationship cannot be proved absolutely, being suspect in that it is inferred a posteriori (i.e. from induction based upon empirical observation. for (a) the evidence of the senses is suspect; and (b) when one resorts to induction, there is always the danger that one will fall into the logical fallacy of post hoc ergo propter hoc("after this, therefore because of this; that is, the fallacy of assuming that, because event b follows event a, event b is necessarily caused by event a. however, should one attempt to limit himself to a priori reasoning (or purely logica

e of being physically seated on the mountain. then i looked back and earth, half-dark and half-lit by the sun. then i understood that set is not limited to our night, but that we are; we are three-dimensional creatures. but we as higher man need not be. neither are the elect limited to communication with set only during the hours of darkness; rather they can communicate beyond the restrictions of the senses and of time and space. to accomplish this, the elect must be aware that in the space beyond earth the "night sky" is permanent. the day imprisons consciousness, but it is not escape-proof, and this provides a great exercise in xeper. after an indeterminate time, i began receiving impressions of what i felt to be the focus of my working. it began with the words "higher man" repeating the

deprivation tank experience, for example, and finding that without a constant inflow of external stimuli from the natural universe, the mind eventually becomes incoherent, almost as if your brain is being scrambled. you become sort of psychotic. descartes' approach to the issue went at it not in terms of sensory deprivation tanks, but in terms of trying to eliminate impressions that we have from the senses and saying that we will deny that my eyes or ears are giving me the correct information. he found that if he denied all the sensory input coming into his consciousness, there was very little that he could rely on by which he could prove that something called descartes existed. the result was his very famous statement cogito, ergo sum, i think, therefore i am, saying that even if his tho

g called descartes existed. the result was his very famous statement cogito, ergo sum, i think, therefore i am, saying that even if his thoughts were completely scrambled, the fact that there was something there having those thoughts at all, no matter how incoherent they might be, demonstrated his identity, or his actual being. and from that premise we then postulate that we could in fact rely on the senses and that there were no external political forces such as gods or an active force of nature that were deceiving him. he therefore began to write upon such being the case and therefore he felt that he had demonstrated his identity, as shaky as it might be, for something that was still there. these are these approaches, the mind, the scientific, and the logical. we now enter a world with q

tings i remanifest the priest of set. at work i remanifest the computer professional. at little league ball games i remanifest the father. and when working with my son on our personal computer, when drawing on my power to broaden his knowledge and widen his horizons, all three remanifestations occur simultaneously, as one priestly computer professional father. manifest adj 1: readily perceived by the senses and esp. by the sight. 2: easily understood or recognized by the mind; obvious. vt to make evident or certain by showing or displaying. remanifestations are perceivable and recognizable. remanifest around witnesses, and the remanifestation will be seen/ felt/ sensed. if the 'remanifestation' isn't sensed by those present (assuming those present are awake, then it's not a remanifestation

ccesses. it is not an "evil antithesis" as much as it is a mirrored image- an alternate setting for the graal of the prince of darkness. sanctum sanctorum and "mittelpunkt der welt, was the earthly focus of that which has been thus symbolized by the order of the trapezoid. the reality of this chamber rushed in upon me. this was no hollywood set, no ordinary room painted and decorated to titillate the senses. 1,285 inmates of the niederhagen concentration camp died during the reconstruction of the wewelsburg for the ss. if the marble hall and the walhalla were memorials to a certain unique quality in mankind, they also serve as grisly reminders of the penalty which mankind pays for that quality. i saw before me the sigil of the order of the trapezoid as originally designed by anton lavey: t

neither we nor set are damaged by the light. we are encouraged to speak to set by night because it is easier, but as anubis has said, then i understood that set is not limited to our night, but that we are- we are threedimensional creatures. but we as higher man need not be. neither is the elect limited to communication with set only during hours of darkness but can rise above the restrictions of the senses and of time and of space and communicate.21 harwer is similarly the prince of light, but not harmed by the dark. harwer works with the physical universe, the light, which set will not. magistra wendall claimed harwer is ignorance. here i must disagree. first, ignorance is not the opposite of intelligence; ignorance is the opposite of knowledge and/or education. the opposite of intellige

communicate with, and work with set during the night. it's easier, but not necessary. as many initiates have discovered on their own, then i understood that set is not limited to our night, but that we are- we are threedimensional creatures. but we as higher man need not be. neither is the elect limited to communication with set only during hours of darkness but can rise above the restrictions of the senses and of time and of space and communicate.24 this title is both a boast and a challenge. it's harwer's boast that he operates equally well by day or by night, and a challenge to set's elect to do the same. what irony, that a priest of set should bring word from the inconsistent and irrational opposite self. but then, who better but he who would become opposition in balance? the book of t

flame and open the gate [invocation of set (per the crystal tablet of set [degree recognitions [invocation and the second part of theword of set. after priest don webb speaks this invocation, priest brian zimmer will speak the second part of the word of set in enochian, and then priest dennis mann will speak the second part of the word of set in english] here is the secret and the mystery: beyond the senses are their objects. beyond these objects is the mind. beyond the mind is the intellect. beyond the intellect is the transcendent self. beyond the transcendent is the unmanifest. beyond the unmanifest is the person. there is nothing beyond the person, it is the limit, the highest that can be reached. this is the secret and the mystery. following the speaking of the word of set, webb, zimm

they return to their stations [neteru, simultaneously] the universe is under the power of the gods; the gods are under the power of magic formula; the magic formula are under our power; we are our gods [the neteru anoint themselves with the oil as it is passed to them [each initiate is free at this point to pursue individual work [closing (don webb iii] here is the secret and the mystery: beyond the senses are their objects. beyond these objects is the mind. beyond the mind is the intellect. beyond the intellect is the transcendent self. beyond the transcendent is the unmanifest. beyond the unmanifest is the person. there is nothing beyond the person, it is the limit, the highest that can be reached. this is the secret and the mystery [nine ringings of the bell] so it is done. north solst

ntil you are familiar with them. class 1: relaxing- sedative the fragrance materials that belong in this class are any plant substance that creates a sweet, heavy or heady aroma. these are called "narcotic" or "intoxicating" by jellinek, from the old usage meaning "sleep inducing" or "influencing one to slowly give up one's senses, implying that one also loses control. the actual response is that the senses are indeed dulled, physical reactions are slowed, one feels lazy and relaxed, and a feeling of languor is created. imagine walking through a rose garden in a large botanical display. inhale deeply of that heavy sweet aroma. do you feel like you are ready to take on the day, or do you feel like laying in the grass and cuddling? this class is often considered a romantic group of fragrance

SABBATIC KABALA OF THE CROOKED PATH

are other highly physical objects that are treated. through this act the process of manifestation of the summoned will be enhanced. this cells importance rests in its exploration of the mysteries where the witch and the familiar becomes one. this is performed through procedures of congress where the joining in secret and sacred matrimony are performed. this will include the absolute readiness of the senses. the totality of the body must be brought to a state of reception for the forces to descend upon the mage. he ritual of the opposer will be performed in such occasion and the mage who strives to reach the highest ladders will gladly forsake all for the sake of naught! the joining of the adversary within the mage constitutes the hierophant, the high priest of the ages. the mouth peh is c

f the cell and the solar influences of the cell. the formulae of zayin is captured in the formulae of the opposer as well as in its connection with the mercurial formulae of the pentagram as the cosmomatrix of transformation. the ram has found its expression in tz, the first sign of zodiacus who is the bringer of fire and light is essential to this riddle and as the five-fold symbol of the use of the senses. cell 7 being the aat of the 8th and 19th letter of the sacred alphabet this cell speaks of the union of all systems and the understanding of our belief through mastery of alchemy and therefore our own senses. the construction of the temple of flesh, the path of no return and total integration is found in this cell of ultimate vision and fluids. there is a great flexibility in this cell

SALMANRUSHDIE THESATANICVERSES

believe his own eyes, that's his trouble" they fled, hearing the approaching crunch of the guards' heavy boots. o o o the next day there was no sign of a doctor, or of pamela, and chamcha in his utter bewilderment woke and slept as if the two conditions no longer required to be thought of as opposites, but as states that flowed into and out of one another to create a kind of unending delirium of the senses. he found himself dreaming of the queen, of making tender love to the monarch. she was the body of britain, the avatar of the state, and he had chosen her, joined with her; she was his beloved, the moon of his delight. hyacinth came at the appointed times to ride and pummel him, and he submitted without any fuss. but when she finished she whispered into his ear "you in with the rest" an

SATANIC BIBLE

t us, if you still cannot emotionally release yourself from unwarranted guilt, and put your theories into action, then you should learn to make your guilt work for you. you should act upon your natural instincts, and then, if you cannot perform without feeling guilty, revel in your guilt. this may sound like a contradiction in terms, but if you will think about it, guilt can often add a fillip to the senses. adults would do well to take a lesson from children. children often take great delight in doing something they know they are not supposed to. yes, times have changed, but man hasn't. the basics of satanism have always existed. the only thing that is new is the formal organization of a religion based on the universal traits of man. for centuries, magnificent structures of stone, concret

SATANICON

in life. so they make a mad dash for the pearly gates by forfeiting large amounts of money to the church. cruelty to the weak and slavish and with it a heightened state of excitement! i say to you questioners and doubters abandon your church s doctrines and learn how to live! remember to doubt is to leave space for one s own thoughts. evil is the natural state of man: the indulgence of the self; the senses of life. goodness is a learned state; ideally, requiring abstinence from the worldly pleasures and a neurotic adherence to altruism. civilization is the very essence of the taming of the beast. xianity is the very essence of civilization. the xian church and its pulpit-pounders have always made their living off the fears of the people: the fear of retribution if one does not submit to t

SCHLAGER NEIL WORLD RELIGIONS REFERENCE LIBRARY

rld religions: almanac words to know eightfold path: the path of the buddha s teachings that can lead to the end of suffering. ek onkar: the true god of sikhism. emanation: that which inevitably flows outward from the transcendental (spiritual, beyond human experience) central principle of reality, the one, in the neoplatonic philosophy of plotinus. empiricism: belief that knowledge comes through the senses. enlightenment: the state of realization and understanding of life, a feeling of unity with all things. epicureanism: the philosophy of epicurus and others that states that the highest good is pleasure and the avoidance of pain. equinox: either of two points during the year when the sun crosses the equator and the hours of day and night are equal. the spring, or vernal, equinox occurs g

pirits that tempt a person away from dedication to allah. jinn: literally, conquerors; the great teachers of jainism who have conquered their earthly passions. world religions: almanac xxi words to know jiva: the soul. junzi: a gentleman or superior man. ka aba: the shrine built by the prophet abraham in the holy city of mecca and the focal point of pilgrimages to the city. kama: gratification of the senses. kami: the gods or divinities of shinto; the life force or spirit associated with places, natural objects, and ancestors. kami-dana: a kami shelf or altar in a private home. kara: a steel bracelet, worn by sikhs as a symbol of god. karma: the result of good or bad actions in this lifetime that can affect this or later lifetimes. kasha: the white shorts worn by sikhs as a symbol of purit

ying the erotic and sexual. shivaism: a major sect of hinduism, which sees shiva( the destroyer) as the central god. shrine (jinja) shinto: the traditional, mainstream practice of shinto, with emphasis on the local shrine. skepticism: doubt or disbelief toward a particular proposition or object. skepticism: a philosophical system that doubted the possibility of ever discovering real truth through the senses. socratic: having to do with the philosopher socrates and his method of asking questions of students to develop an idea. solstice: the points in the year when the day is longest (the summer solstice, generally on june 21) and the shortest (the winter solstice, generally on december 21. sophists: a group of traveling teachers in ancient greece who doubted the possibility of knowing all t

ng means to begin the journey by knowing the four noble truths and the buddha s teachings. right thought is to be dedicated to practicing buddhism and caring for others. one practices right speech when one does not lie, speak harshly of others, or gossip. right action consists of following what are called the five precepts. these are to not kill, not steal, not overindulge in activities involving the senses, not lie, and not drink alcohol to excess. to follow right livelihood, a person should avoid working in jobs that are harmful to others, such as trading in weapons or alcohol, or in anything that shames or injures others. right effort can be practiced by promoting positive qualities in one s self, such as improving one s knowledge of the buddha s teachings or completing an assignment on

ble, physical particles that are too tiny to be observed by human beings. consciousness: the condition of being aware of one s thoughts, feelings, and existence. emanation: that which inevitably flows outward from the transcendental (spiritual, beyond human experience) central principle of reality, the one, in the neoplatonic philosophy of plotinus. empiricism: belief that knowledge comes through the senses. epicureanism: the philosophy of epicurus and others that states that the highest good is pleasure and the avoidance of pain. ethics: branch of philosophy concerned with the evaluation of human conduct. logos: meaning word or logic, it is the defining pattern of the universe, similar to the dao in chinese philosophy. metaphysics: the branch of philosophy that deals with explanations for

ity: following the rules of right behavior and conduct. pantheon: a collection of deities, or gods and goddesses. philosophy: the rational or logical investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct. rationalism: belief that knowledge can come exclusively from the mind. skepticism: a philosophical system that doubted the possibility of ever discovering real truth through the senses. socratic: having to do with the philosopher socrates and his method of asking questions of students to develop an idea. sophists: a group of traveling teachers in ancient greece who doubted the possibility of knowing all the truth through the physical senses. stoicism: the philosophical system that holds that people should pursue the knowledge of human and divine things through the use

erything. for him, the deities of greek religion and mythology were misrepresentations of the reality of the universe. god, he insisted, was in no way similar to the humanlike pantheon of greek deities. rather, god had no physical being and was eternal and universal. parmenides, on the other hand, argued that being itself was the one and only constant reality. all changes were simply illusions of the senses. therefore, only the use of reason, without the use of the senses, could bring humans close to an understanding of the real truth of existence. about greco-roman philosophy belief. reason and rational thought can provide answers about the origin and nature of the cosmos without involving the supernatural or gods. followers. those who turned to philosophy often did so because greco- roma

ght be considered the most important phrase of greco-roman philosophy. 214 world religions: almanac greco-roman religion and philosophy empedocles and the four elements an attempt at compromise was proposed by empedocles (c. 495 c. 435 bce. he thought that the four unchanging elements of earth, water, air, and fire all combined to create the harmonious world of movement and variety experienced by the senses. his work led to a basic law of modern physics. his theory of elements remained in use until the modern era. more ideas about the mixing of elements to create all of matter came from anaxagoras (c. 500 c. 428 bce. with the rise of anaxagoras, the center of philosophy moved from the fringes of the empire to athens, in the heart of greece. for this philosopher, everything was infinitely d

nd indestructible particles, marked a high point in the search for a rational explanation for the existence of the universe. democritus (c. 460 c. 370 bce) believed that everything was made up of small primary bodies or elements, called atoms. he theorized that these atoms were in constant motion. heavier atoms formed earth, while lighter ones made up the planets and stars. he further stated that the senses see the collective presence (the big picture) rather than the separateness and diversity of atoms. therefore, the senses could not be trusted to understand ultimate reality. thought and the mind were the instruments to be used for such a goal. one other important early school of philosophy was formed by the sophists of the fifth century bce. the sophists were teachers in athens who were

ly school of philosophy was formed by the sophists of the fifth century bce. the sophists were teachers in athens who were skeptical about what the human mind could know. protagoras (c. 490 c. 421 bce) was one of the better-known sophists. he believed that truth is relative, depending on perspective or point of view. he is famous for saying, man is the measure of all things. rather than rejecting the senses as tools to be used in the search for knowledge and truth, the sophists believed that all knowledge was necessarily based on information gathered by the senses. finding truth on both sides of an argument, because all truth depends on perspective, became a cornerstone in western education. atomists such as democritus believed that all matter was made up of small, indivisible, and indestr

that the soul died with the body and, therefore, death was not to be feared. 218 world religions: almanac greco-roman religion and philosophy the skeptics formed another hellenic school of thought, as founded by pyrrho of elis (c. 365 275 bce) and expanded by the roman sextus empiricus in about 200 ce. the philosophers of this school doubted the possibility of ever discovering real truth through the senses. as a result, they taught that people should reserve judgment on things and thereby gain release from the tyranny of theories. while they held that the nature of absolute ethical values could never be known, the skeptics taught that living by the customs of society was wise. the last of the great greco-roman philosophical systems, neoplatonism, was developed by plotinus (205 270 ce. an

at made up the universe and drove it. early philosophers, such as thales, pythagoras, heraclitus, and parmenides, believed that the ultimate basis of reality rested on a single kind of substance. this type of belief is now called monism. another question widely considered by the greeks concerned how knowledge was gained. some, such as thales and aristotle, felt that knowledge was attained through the senses (sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste; these thinkers were called empiricists. others, such as parmenides and plato, believed that the mind could gain knowledge without the aid of the senses; these thinkers were called rationalists. aristotle 226 world religions: almanac greco-roman religion and philosophy attempted to resolve the question of how knowledge is gained by categorizing kno

plato made the first coherent statements about immortality. in fact, through a series of dialogues he sought to prove the immortality world religions: almanac 227 greco-roman religion and philosophy of the soul. in his writings plato repeatedly refers to the reward of the afterlife as an incentive to performing good deeds in the earthly life. for aristotle, on the contrary, the pragmatic world of the senses and the categorization of all things, from animals to the forms of drama, left little room for supernatural discussions. others, such as the epicureans, firmly denied an afterlife and said that obtaining pleasure on earth was the sole purpose of life. linked to this is the doctrine of eternal return, or the belief that everything that happens has happened before and will happen again, s

SEPHER YETZIRAH WESTCOTT

his is the special chapter of the heptad, the powers and properties of the seven. here again we have the threefold attribution of the numbers and letters to the universe, to the year, and to man. the supplemental paragraphs have been printed in modern form by kalisch; they identify the several letters of the heptad more definitely with the planets, days of the week, human attributes and organs of the senses. 39. these numbers have been a source of difference between the editors and copyists, hardly any two editors concurring. i have given the numbers arising from continual multiplication of the product by each succeeding unit from one to seven. 2x1=2, 2x3=6, 6x4=24, 24x5=120, 120x6=720, 720x7=5040. 40. in associating the particular letters to each planet the learned jesuit athanasius kirch

SIR EDWARD BULWER LYTTON ZANONI A ROSICRUCIAN TALE

racterised this work, in the introduction, as a romance and not a romance, as a truth for those who can comprehend it, and an extravagance for those who cannot. the most careless or matterof- fact reader must see that the work, like the enigmatical "faust" deals in types and symbols; that the writer intends to suggest to the mind something more subtle and impalpable than that which is embodied to the senses. what that something is, hardly two persons will agree. the most obvious interpretation of the types is, that in zanoni the author depicts to us humanity, perfected, sublimed, which lives not for self, but for others; in mejnour, as we have before said, cold, passionless, selfsufficing intellect; in glyndon, the young englishman, the mingled strength and weakness of human nature; in the

n an earlier age, boasted of secrets of which the philosopher's stone was but the least; who considered themselves the heirs of all that the chaldeans, the magi, the gymnosophists, and the platonists had taught; and who differed from all the darker sons of magic in the virtue of their lives, the purity of their doctrines, and their insisting, as the foundation of all wisdom, on the subjugation of the senses, and the intensity of religious faith? a glorious sect, if they lied not! and, in truth, if zanoni had powers beyond the race of worldly sages, they seemed not unworthily exercised. the little known of his life was in his favour. some acts, not of indiscriminate, but judicious generosity and beneficence, were recorded; in repeating which, still, however, the narrators shook their heads

rsh, but a loving law, the real law of improvement; the wiser the few in one generation, the wiser will be the multitude the next" as zanoni thus spoke, they moved on through the smiling gardens, and the beautiful bay lay sparkling in the noontide. a gentle breeze just cooled the sunbeam, and stirred the ocean; and in the inexpressible clearness of the atmosphere there was something that rejoiced the senses. the very soul seemed to grow lighter and purer in that lucid air "and these men, to commence their era of improvement and equality, are jealous even of the creator. they would deny an intelligence, a god" said zanoni, as if involuntarily "are you an artist, and, looking on the world, can you listen to such a dogma? between god and genius there is a necessary link, there is almost a cor

sely does its shape resemble eros, that at moments i scarcely know which of ye dictates to me, o love! o death! and it stirred in the virgin's heart, this new, unfathomable, and divine emotion! was it only the ordinary affection of the pulse and the fancy, of the eye to the beautiful, of the ear to the eloquent, or did it not justify the notion she herself conceived of it, that it was born not of the senses, that it was less of earthly and human love than the effect of some wondrous but not unholy charm? i said that, from that day in which, no longer with awe and trembling, she surrendered herself to the influence of zanoni, she had sought to put her thoughts into words. let the thoughts attest their own nature. the self confessional "is it the daylight that shines on me, or the memory of

gratefully upon cool fountains and statues of whitest marble, half-sheltered by orange-trees. every art that luxury could invent to give freshness and coolness to the languid and breezeless heat of the day without (a day on which the breath of the sirocco was abroad) had been called into existence. artificial currents of air through invisible tubes, silken blinds waving to and fro, as if to cheat the senses into the belief of an april wind, and miniature jets d'eau in each corner of the apartment, gave to the italians the same sense of exhilaration and comfort (if i may use the word) which the well-drawn curtains and the blazing hearth afford to the children of colder climes. the conversation was somewhat more lively and intellectual than is common amongst the languid pleasure-hunters of t

thy wish. but the mind must be first exercised and trained. go to thy room, and sleep; fast austerely, read no books; meditate, imagine, dream, bewilder thyself if thou wilt. thought shapes out its own chaos at last. before midnight, seek me again" chapter 4.iv. it is fit that we who endeavour to rise to an elevation so sublime, should study first to leave behind carnal affections, the frailty of the senses, the passions that belong to matter; secondly, to learn by what means we may ascend to the climax of pure intellect, united with the powers above, without which never can we gain the lore of secret things, nor the magic that effects true wonders. tritemius "on secret things and secret spirits" it wanted still many minutes of midnight, and glyndon was once more in the apartment of the my

discover the nobler and more gifted things that hover in the illimitable air. yet between these last and man is a mysterious and terrible affinity. and hence, by tales and legends, not wholly false nor wholly true, have arisen from time to time, beliefs in apparitions and spectres. if more common to the earlier and simpler tribes than to the men of your duller age, it is but that, with the first, the senses are more keen and quick. and as the savage can see or scent miles away the traces of a foe, invisible to the gross sense of the civilised animal, so the barrier itself between him and the creatures of the airy world is less thickened and obscured. do you listen "with my soul "but first, to penetrate this barrier, the soul with which you listen must be sharpened by intense enthusiasm, pu

free from the wanderings of the deadliest foes. thou must alone, and of thyself, face and hazard all. but if thou art so enamoured of life as to care only to live on, no matter for what ends, recruiting the nerves and veins with the alchemist's vivifying elixir, why seek these dangers from the intermediate tribes? because the very elixir that pours a more glorious life into the frame, so sharpens the senses that those larvae of the air become to thee audible and apparent; so that, unless trained by degrees to endure the phantoms and subdue their malice, a life thus gifted would be the most awful doom man could bring upon himself. hence it is, that though the elixir be compounded of the simplest herbs, his frame only is prepared to receive it who has gone through the subtlest trials. nay, s

rt, sensibly affected glyndon. as he stood aloof and gazing on them, the young man felt once more that he was young. the memory of all he had been content to sacrifice spoke to him like the sharp voice of remorse. the flitting forms of the women in their picturesque attire, their happy laughter ringing through the cool, still air of the autumn noon, brought back to the heart, or rather perhaps to the senses, the images of his past time, the "golden shepherd hours" when to live was but to enjoy. he approached nearer and nearer to the scene, and suddenly a noisy group swept round him; and maestro paolo, tapping him familiarly on the shoulder, exclaimed in a hearty voice "welcome, excellency! we are rejoiced to see you amongst us" glyndon was about to reply to this salutation, when his eyes r

re in a cipher, the study of which had made a part of his labours. with but slight difficulty he imagined that he interpreted the meaning of the first sentences, and that they ran thus "to quaff the inner life, is to see the outer life: to live in defiance of time, is to live in the whole. he who discovers the elixir discovers what lies in space; for the spirit that vivifies the frame strengthens the senses. there is attraction in the elementary principle of light. in the lamps of rosicrucius the fire is the pure elementary principle. kindle the lamps while thou openst the vessel that contains the elixir, and the light attracts towards thee those beings whose life is that light. beware of fear. fear is the deadliest enemy to knowledge" here the ciphers changed their character, and became i

e to lose not a moment in giving to yourself this billet, which he enclosed "who brought the letter "a horseman, who did not wait for any reply" glyndon opened the letter, and read as follows "i return a week sooner than i had intended, and you will expect me tomorrow. you will then enter on the ordeal you desire, but remember that, in doing so, you must reduce being as far as possible into mind. the senses must be mortified and subdued, not the whisper of one passion heard. thou mayst be master of the cabala and the chemistry; but thou must be master also over the flesh and the blood, over love and vanity, ambition and hate. i will trust to find thee so. fast and meditate till we meet" glyndon crumpled the letter in his hand with a smile of disdain. what! more drudgery, more abstinence! y

e "with my whole heart "and i thee" said the girl, with a candour that seemed innocent, as she suffered him to clasp her hand "but" she added "thou wilt soon leave us; and i" she stopped short, and the tears stood in her eyes. there was something dangerous in this, it must be confessed. certainly fillide had not the seraphic loveliness of viola; but hers was a beauty that equally at least touched the senses. perhaps glyndon had never really loved viola; perhaps the feelings with which she had inspired him were not of that ardent character which deserves the name of love. however that be, he thought, as he gazed on those dark eyes, that he had never loved before "and couldst thou not leave thy mountains" he whispered, as he drew yet nearer to her "dost thou ask me" she said, retreating, and

captivated glyndon. he answered readily, briefly, and freely "fillide, yes" oh "yes" forsooth, clarence glyndon! every light nature answers "yes" lightly to such a question from lips so rosy! have a care, have a care! why the deuce, mejnour, do you leave your pupil of four-and-twenty to the mercy of these wild cats-a-mountain! preach fast, and abstinence, and sublime renunciation of the cheats of the senses! very well in you, sir, heaven knows how many ages old; but at four-and-twenty, your hierophant would have kept you out of fillide's way, or you would have had small taste for the cabala. and so they stood, and talked, and vowed, and whispered, till the girl's mother made some noise within the house, and fillide bounded back to the distaff, her finger once more on her lip "there is more

SIR WALLIS BUDGE EGYPTIAN MAGIC

nd working classes of that country, who failed to understand the symbolism of the elaborate ceremonies which were performed in the temples, and who were too ignorant to distinguish the spiritual conceptions which lay at their root--to meet the religious needs of such people the magician, and in later times the priest, found it necessary to provide pageants and ceremonies which appealed chiefly to the senses, and following their example, unscrupulous but clever men took advantage of the ignorance of the general public and pretended to knowledge of the supernatural, and laid claim to the possession of power over gods, and spirits, and demons. such false knowledge and power they sold for money, and for purposes of gain the so-called magician was ready to further any sordid transaction or wick

SIX WAYS OF KNOWLEDGE

the candles, and exit to the east, after bowing your head once in that direction. any candles or lights in the east should be the last to be extinguished. always leave the area without looking back at it, no matter what you he wthe six ways of knowledge by setnakt the average man and woman believes that they know how to see, hear, and touch things. they don't understand the need not only to train the senses, but to effect that point we call the magical link that is the intersection of one's senses, psyche, and actions. changing the ways of knowledge, that is to say, changing perception is the great work. it takes years to do, and early success in magical initiation may lull us into forgetting the need to work in this area. like modern neurolinguistics programming the egyptians were familia

SPENSER THE CULT OF THE ALL SEEING EYE 1960

r end. it is therefore wedgeshaped. its only entrance is through two tinted glass-paned doors outside of which stands a u.n. guard. inside the room is another guard. once through the doors, the visitor finds himself in a darkened corridor which leads to the left. the sharp transition from a world of light to one of extreme darkness forces a feeling of abrupt withdrawal from the outside world upon the senses of the visitor who walks along the corridor, reaches the inner arched entrance, turns right, and looks into the room. the room is very dimly lit. the only source of light, at first glance, is that which is reflected squarely from the gleaming upper surface of the brooding, somber altar in the center of the room. a special lens recessed in the ceiling focuses a beam of light on the altar

STEINER RUDOLF CHRISTIANITY AS MYSTICAL FACT

ent testimonies to the mysteries are at once revealing yet full of ambiguity. the initiates were convinced that to tell what they knew would be sinful, and indeed that it would be sinful for the uninitiated to hear it. plutarch mentions the terror of the initiand, and compares his position to a preparation for death.4 a special mode of life was one of the requirements for a subsequent initiation. the senses were to be brought under the control of the spirit; fasting, isolation, ordeals, and certain meditative techniques were employed to that end. the stable realities of ordinary life were to lose all their value, and the whole orientation of perception and feeling to be completely altered. the implication of such exercises and ordeals cannot be in doubt; the wisdom to be presented to the i

others, that depends upon the degree of their understanding. the mysteries and mysteriosophy 5 in the beginning there is resistance on the human side to seeing with the spiritual eye. human beings have as yet nothing in their own nature that enables them to do so: the human being is at the outset a product of sense-experiences, and the mind is as yet nothing more than the interpreter and judge of the senses. the senses would be poor instruments if they did not insist upon their own truth and credibility; an eye would be a bad eye if it did not impress upon us the unconditional reality of what it sees. that is right for the eye. nor is it deprived of its due by the spiritual eye. it is only that the spiritual eye permits us to see the things of sense in a higher light. nothing perceived by

y the physical eye is thereby denied; and yet a new glory radiates from what is seen, showing that the former perception was only of a lower reality. what is seen remains exactly the same as before, but now it is merged into something higher into the spirit. the question then is how to realize and feel the truth of what is seen. those who deny living response and feeling to everything except what the senses tell them will dismiss the higher vision as a fata morgana, mere fantasy. when such people try to grasp the spiritual images, they are left groping in the void, since they have feeling only for the outwardly perceptible. spiritual images shrink from their touch. they remain mere ideas that pass through the mind; such a person is not vitally present in them. as images, they seem less rea

oping in the void, since they have feeling only for the outwardly perceptible. spiritual images shrink from their touch. they remain mere ideas that pass through the mind; such a person is not vitally present in them. as images, they seem less real than restless dreams. rising up like bubbles before the face of what one calls reality, they vanish before the massive structure of the solid truth of the senses. but things are quite different to 6 christianity as mystical fact one who has transformed his or her perceptions and attitudes toward reality, for whom the solid structure has lost its unconditional and unquestioned character. not that one s senses and feelings are stunted, but their authority has become less absolute, so that room is left for something else. the world of the spirit be

terror by a drawn sword, that blood was caused to flow. such words are made intelligible by a knowledge of the stages leading from lower to higher cognition. it does indeed feel as though everything solidly material and perceptible has dissolved into water. the ground is taken from beneath us. everything that seemed to be living before has been put to death. the spirit has cut through the life of the senses like a sword through the living flesh; we have seen the blood of sensuality flow. but life springs up anew. the initiate reascends from the underworld. the ancient orator aristides asserts: i thought i could touch the god, and feel his very presence. i was then in a condition between sleeping and waking. my spirit was so light that no one except an initiate could comprehend or speak of

aration, the exercises, and ordeals, the total transformation of perceptual life. lacking this, anyone who heard would be thrown into emptiness, nothingness, deprived of happiness but receiving nothing in return. in reality, of course, nothing could be taken away. after all, empty words have no power to alter our experience of life. actual experience would still be limited to feeling, mediated by the senses. nothing could come to such a person except a terrifying, paralyzing uncertainty which it would be criminal to impart. the mysteriosophy of the ancient world resembles a hot-house plant, which requires seclusion in which to grow and flourish. bring it into the atmosphere of mundane ideas and it cannot thrive; before the sharp judgment of modern scientific logic it evaporates utterly. it

the same man, he is not at all. his so-called being is simply change and new birth of man out of man. in our ignorance of what being is, sense falsely tells us that what appears is.11 plutarch repeatedly characterizes himself as an initiate and what he describes here is an absolute requirement for the life of the mystes: the attainment of a wisdom in which the spirit sees through the delusions of the senses. in the flux of becoming lies everything which the senses take for real being and that applies not only to the things round about, but to oneself. before the spiritual gaze one s own the mysteries and mysteriosophy 13 being dissolves into unreality, one s inner unity is dissipated, and one becomes a play of transient appearances. birth and death lose their distinctive meanings, and refe

to moments of becoming and passing-away that are like all the other events in nature. the highest cannot be found, however, in becoming and passing away, but only in the truly enduring that looks both back to the past and forward into the future. to gaze at once into the past and future is a stage of higher knowledge. it is the discovery of the spirit. the spirit lies behind the manifestations of the senses, but has nothing to do with becoming and passing away, which characterizes all appearances to the senses. everyone who lives only in the world of the senses bears this spirit occultly, deep within. everyone who has pierced through the illusion of the sense-world bears the spirit within as a manifest truth. to attain insight is to unfold a new organ, an event comparable to a plant unfold

it was hidden, and became manifest only with the blooming of the flower. even so, the divine spiritual forces lie hidden within sense-dominated human beings, and become manifest truth for the first time in the mystes. that is the nature of the mystery transformation. through inner development, the mystai bring to the world, as it formerly existed, something radically new. the world order known to the senses had formed them as natural human beings, and then abandoned them. 14 christianity as mystical fact nature s role is then fulfilled, and her deployment of creative forces in humanity comes to an end. but the forces in humanity are not themselves exhausted. they lie as though spellbound in the natural human being and await their release. unable to release themselves, they ebb away unless

ty. looking around them, human beings perceive themselves to be subject to change. but they detect also within their own being the powers that brought the natural human being into existence. these powers are not subject to the law of change. rather they are the source from which everything changeable has sprung. they are a sign to them that the human being is greater than can be known by means of the senses. these powers constitute as yet a nothing, a sheer possibility. yet people are illuminated from within by the power that fashioned all things, including themselves. they also feel something urging them on to higher creative life. there lies within them something that preexisted their natural being and will outlive it. it brought them into existence; nevertheless they can seize hold of i

had been discovered, a self extending the mysteries and mysteriosophy 15 beyond the bounds of perceptual process, prior to physical birth and existing after death. it is an eternally creative self, spanning time past and time to come. the empirical personality is a product of the self; but that is henceforth only a subordinate part of its creative life within. now is created something higher than the senses can grasp, something for which the personality is a mere instrument of its creative power, something in humanity that is divine. this is the divinization experienced in the mysteries.12 the hidden god for the mystai that power which illuminated them from within was what they called their true spirit, the spirit of which they themselves were the product. it was as though a new being had

higher than the public divinities, and on a different plane. xenophanes alludes to it as follows: one god is greater than all, whether gods, whether earth-dwelling mortals; unlike whatever can die is his form, and unlike theirs his thinking.19 and this was also the god of the mysteries. he might be called a hidden god. for nowhere, the teaching asserted, could this god be found by one who trusted the senses alone. one s gaze could be turned toward the wide world, but find there nothing divine; exert one s intelligence to grasp the laws of coming-to-be and passing-away, and yet find no proof of the divine; intoxicate one s imagination with religious fervor to make images taken to be gods, only to undermine them once more with the realization that they are manufactured by human beings from t

yet find no proof of the divine; intoxicate one s imagination with religious fervor to make images taken to be gods, only to undermine them once more with the realization that they are manufactured by human beings from the material of the sense-perceptible world. to comprehend merely the things of the world around, leads only to a denial of god. 20 christianity as mystical fact on the evidence of the senses, god does not exist any more than he does for the intellect that interprets sensory experience. god lies spellbound in the world. to find god requires a power from god himself. that power must actually be awakened in the candidate for initiation, it was stated in the ancient teaching. so began the great cosmic drama in which the initiand s life was engulfed. the drama consisted of nothi

TECHNICIANS GUIDE TO THE LEFT HAND PATH

s here we find bedrock. a detailed exploration- magic 101 the entire idea of resonance needs to be understood at a personal level if one is to gain actual insight into the inner workings of magical phenomena. so, here it is, magical bedrock for the serious practitioner. there are two aspects of conscious being, these aspects are what one directly experiences i.e, what is intelligible and clear to the senses, and what one indirectly experiences (this is the territory of hidden experience. what lies "hidden" is not entirely out of consciousness or beyond perception. a great deal of what is hidden, or indirectly experienced, can be revealed to direct experience through antinomian dissent, and the techniques of harmonic proportion in ritual. this is what i mean when i say seeing more. what is

cal technology chapter 9 patterns and magnitude patterns of energy are observed at several levels of magnitude- at the everyday level of comprehension and at the farthest reaches of our extension through technological means. patterns of energy are vital to resonance because they create form. magnitude is vital because depending upon size, the activity of a pattern will be perceived differently by the senses. here we have a clue as to what an expansion of consciousness truly means. as already mentioned (several times) ideas are energy generated through electrical and biochemical means by the physical apparatus of the human brain. human consciousness is what gives form to these biologically induced energies; the shape of which differs in accordance to the physical density of that extension o

ge of being is attained, one can become that knowledge; they can then extend their energy into future models via individual activity. as previously mentioned, the paradigm that oit perceives its environment through is that of resonance. resonance is the essential mechanical principle behind all that humans perceive through their inborn senses, or through the mechanical and prosthetic extension of the senses. resonance in its active state is a movement of energy- it extends its energy from a point, or retracts its energy towards a point. it is this principle of extension and retraction of energies- in the form of pure abstraction, i.e, ideas, future becomings, affinities and so on that lie behind spiritually transformative experience. by understanding this resonant environment through its v

THE BOOK OF PLEASURE

n truth i alone am "self" my will unconditioned, is magical. those who have lived much in their nature will in some degree be familiar with such a sensation, poor though it be. 32 33 preface to self-love let us be honest! thou art "that" supreme in freedom, most desirable, beyond desire, untouched by the six stupifiers. the sexuality labours, so death may harvest by desire. the elusive fancies of the senses are dangerous, because of the righteousness you have learned to obey and control them by. hell-fire burns because you "conceived; and will cease to hurt when you identify the ego with all the possibilities of its qualities by believing as the "neither-neither" process. you are fire yet you are scorched! because you have "willed" belief (differently or not makes no difference; the cycle

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL 1

ing further states that he considers the near-death experience to be a teaching, revelatory experience. in his observation, both those who undergo a near-death experience and those who hear about them from others receive an intuitive sense of the transcendent aspect of creation. to ring, the near-death experience clearly implies that there is something more, something beyond the physical world of the senses, which, in the light of these experiences, now appears to be only the mundane segment of a great spectrum of reality. ring has also given some thought to the question of why the study of death became so prominent in the late 1970s and early 80s: one reason is to help us to become globally sensitized to the experience of death on a planetary scale which now hangs like the sword of damocl

es. she wisely concluded that communication with the other world may well become a substitute for living in this world. understanding that this world in which we live has priority in this existence is the core of mediumship ethics. eileen garrett died on september 15, 1970, in nice, france, following a period of declining health. m delving deeper angoff, allan. eileen garrett and the world beyond the senses. new york: william morrow, 1974. carrington, hereward. the case for psychic survival. new york: citadel press, 1957. garrett, eileen. many voices: the autobiography of a medium. new york: g. p. putnam s sons, 1968. leshan, lawrence. the medium, the mystic, and the physicist. new york: viking press, 1974. daniel dunglas home (1833 1886) the clientele of daniel dunglas home was one of the

d so directly oppose the most firmly-rooted articles of scientific belief [such as] the ubiquity and invariable action of gravitation that even now, on recalling the details of what i witnessed, there is an antagonism in my mind between reason, which pronounces it to be scientifically impossible, and the consciousness that my senses both of touch and sight and these corroborated, as they were, by the senses of all who were present are not lying witnesses when they testify against my preconceptions. crookes studied firsthand the full gamut of home s phenomena, from levitation to the movement of objects. the physicist noted that the movements were generally preceded by a peculiar cold air, sometimes amounting to a decided wind. i have had sheets of paper blown about by it, and a thermometer

ieved that its founders had distorted a number of basic metaphysical and occult truths and did not place enough emphasis on the role of the christ and the christian church in humankind s spiritual evolution. in 1913, steiner left the theosophists and formed his own group, the anthroposophical society, dedicated to constructing a path for spiritual growth established on four levels of human nature the senses, imagination, inspiration, and intuition. in 1914, steiner married marie von sievers, an actress, who had been secretary of the german section of the theosophical society. his first marriage, to anna eunicke, had ended in divorce some years previously. between 1910 and 1914, he had written four mystery plays and he intended to stage these, together with the dramas of goethe, in the goet

e bed. heavy with perfumes, moving in rhythm to the sounds of harp, flute, and drum, the personification of isis would do her best to tempt and seduce the novice. if she succeeded, the initiate failed. he would be sent away from the temple with the admonishment that he had triumphed over death, fire, and water, but he had not learned to conquer himself. he had succumbed to the first temptation of the senses that he encountered after the tests, and he fallen into the abyss of matter. if, however, the initiate had resisted the seductress, 12 neocoros would enter the room to lead him in triumph into the sanctuary of isis, where the priests awaited him beneath a massive statue of the goddess. beneath this representation of isis, a gold rose at her breast, wearing a crown of seven rays, and hol

THE KEY TO THE MYSTERIES

faith. true science necessarily admits faith; true faith necessarily reckons with science. pascal blasphemed against science, when he said that by reason man could not arrive at the knowledge of any truth. 234 in fact, pascal died mad. but voltaire blasphemed no less against science, when he declare that every hypothesis of faith was absurd, and admitted for the rule of reason only the witness of the senses. moreover, the last word of voltaire was this contradictory formula "god and liberty" god! that is to say, a supreme master, excludes every idea of liberty, as the school of voltaire understood it. and liberty, by which is meant an absolute independence of any master, which excludes all idea of god. the word god expresses the supreme personification of law, and by consequence, of duty;

ell, it is the punishment of satan, that mythological incarnation of the spirit of perversity; the true translation into french of the greek word "diabolos" or devil, is "le pervers- the perverse" here is a mystery which debauchees do not suspect. it is this: one cannot enjoy even the material pleasures of life but by virtue of the moral sense. pleasure is the music of the 264 interior harmonies; the senses are only its instruments, instruments which sound false in contact with a degraded soul. the wicked can feel nothing, because they can love nothing: in order to love one must be good. consequently for them everything is empty, and it seems to them that nature is impotent, because they are so themselves; they doubt everything because they know nothing; they blaspheme everything because t

of the society of jesus. there is the great secret of that venerable and terrible order, always misunderstood, often calumniated, and always sovereign. read attentively the book entitled "the exercises of st. ignatius" and note with what magical power that man of genius operates the realization of faith. he orders his disciples to see, to touch, to smell, to taste invisible things. he wishes that the senses should be exalted during prayer to the point of voluntary hallucination. 273 you are meditating upon a mystery of faith; st. ignatius wishes, in the first place, that you should create a place, dream of it, see it, touch it. if it is hell, he gives you burning rocks to touch, he makes you swim in shadows thick as pitch, he puts liquid sulphur on your tongue, he fills your nostrils with

THE LUCIFERIAN PATH THE WITCHES SABBAT MICHAEL W FORD

THE MAGICIAN S KABBALAH

by the process of digitisation becoming frequent in media communications. thus, a sound can be reduced to a representation of zeros and ones and signalled in any other set of items, such as colour, shapes or even tactile signals. in the future, it may well be possible to transmit beethoven's fifth symphony directly as colours and sensations to a datasuit which the receiver wears and through which the senses are stimulated. the tree as a meta-model (template theory) in many kabbalistic aphorisms, the basic concepts often refer to the tree of life as a metamodel, that is, a system capable of comprehending other systems within itself. this is implied when authors use such terms as "universal language "cosmic plan" and "blue-print of manifestation. other esoteric examples of meta-models includ

indicated by the separation of tiphareth "self-consciousness, to malkuth by yesod, the "persona. our thoughts (hod) and emotions (netzach) constantly alter the process of yesod (ego) in acting as our interpreter of the environment such that what we perceive is in fact our shared vision of the world, not the actual world itself. kant expressed this in his prolegomena to any future metaphysics "as the senses never and in no single instance enable us to know things in themselves, but only their appearances, and as these are mere representations. all bodies, together with the space in which they are, must be held to be nothing but mere representations in us, and exist nowhere else than merely in our thought" the actual world is termed by kant the ding-an-sich, the "thing-initself. the medieva

THE MIDDLE PILLAR

he ego or point of self-awareness. it is the seat of personal identity that we organize our field of psychology and magic 125 awareness around. its function is to coordinate the vast amount of interior and exterior information that we acquire and to act as a intermediary between our internal and external realities. experience is processed by the ego through various functions such as the emotions, the senses, the intellect, and the imagination. to carry out these duties, the ego relies on discrimination, reason, and certain defense mechanisms that often conflict with other aspects of the psyche, sometimes posing obstacles to growth and healing. archetypes of the ego include all deities who have "walked between the worlds" of life and death (conscious and subconscious, such as the sumerian i

THE PATH OF KABBALAH

use our nature is absolute egoism we are only able to discover and feel external stimulus that correspond to our internal egoistic attributes. the collective picture of the external stimulus that we feel with our egoistic attributes is called our world. that is all we can feel with our egoistic attributes. in fact, it is not our sensory organs that are egoistic, it is the heart that stands behind the senses, our ambition to derive the maximum pleasure from all these sensations. if there had been an altruistic heart behind these senses instead of an egoistic one, we would be able to retrieve completely different information with the exact same senses. that would have been the picture of the next world, or the spiritual world. but while being in the spiritual world, we would still be able to

h yet, have not come to it because their time hasn t come. q: is it okay for adolescents to take kabbalah classes? a: yes. i recommend the articles from the book matan torah (the revelation of godliness. q: what is our attainment based on? a: our attainment is based on sensations, contact! this is the best way to research for the purpose of attaining spirituality in our world. that is because all the senses are expressed in the sense of touch. the other senses sight, sound, smell and taste are incomplete and are a consequence of the bitush (beating) of the surrounding light against the screen. it results in the five vessels of the partzuf: moach, atzamot, gidin, bassar and or, which are (respectively) keter, hochma, bina, za and malchut, uniting in a single vessel, meaning one attainment o

za and malchut, uniting in a single vessel, meaning one attainment of the light. when the direct light comes straight from above downward, from the degree of keter (moach, through the degree of malchut (or, it strikes the screen and raises returning light back to the degree of keter. that means that if the light reaches the degree of or, all the sefirot in the partzuf become one, resulting in all the senses being filled with light, meaning information as well. because they operate from a distance, as opposed to the sense of touch, they are not filled with the entire amount of knowledge, and are therefore not completely real and do not reach all the way to malchut. q: how does kabbalah relate to coercion? a: there is a spiritual law that states, there is no coercion in spirituality. any kin

the letter yod. q: is kabbalah the only way to attain the creator, and if so, does that mean that everyone must learn hebrew? a: it doesn t matter which language one speaks as long as one wants to attain the creator by correcting himself through equalizing with the properties of the creator. the knowledge he receives does not come in words, and is completely understood, because it penetrates all the senses and the consciousness. that knowledge is spiritual and does not come in words or sentences. that is the way kabbalists convey information among themselves. the daily routine q: do kabbalists run an ordinary way of life? a: the wisdom of kabbalah necessitates every person to take an active part in this world: work, raise a family, learn and teach. in addition to the normal routine, one m

world the zero degree and end in a complete attainment of the creator in the world of ein sof. the only way for one to feel anything outside it is to equalize in form with it, as with the example of the radio receiver. hence, the degrees of the sensation of the other, meaning the creator, testify to the degree of one s equivalence of form with the light. if one feels his environment only through the senses he received at birth, that sensation is called this world. if he succeeds in changing, correcting his desires to match those of the creator, he begins to feel him to the extent of his correction. the measure of that sensation is called one s spiritual world, or one s spiritual degree. part five: kabbalah, religion and science part one: the beginning..error! bookmark not defined. chapter

t, or gimatria, is no more than aiding material. the essence of the wisdom of kabbalah is an individual sensation of every person of the creator and the spiritual world. the wisdom of kabbalah is not mysticism. it is a science that explores the entire reality, unlike all other sciences, which suffice to exploring our world. q: does modern science accept this perspective? a: a science that studies the senses, including the theory of relativity, maintains that everything that is perceived by our senses is only valid with respect to ourselves. but our picture of the world is relative because the concept of time and space does not exist. that is because they too are relative. if we did not have these terms inside us, we would perceive them differently. we might say that man is like a little bo

THE STAR IN THE WEST BY CAPTAIN FULLER A CRITICAL ESSAY ON THE WORKS OF ALEISTER CROWLEY

ever written, musical as the breath of stormy aeolus. fascinated we read its verses again and again, dazzled with their mystic beauty, their harmony, and, above all, their intense human love. as the editor says, those who fail to find religion in such poems must indeed be idiots, idiots who would bowdlerize shakespeare, shelley, and browning. neither was their love a mere selfish gratification of the senses. anxiously they waited to see gwhether the mother stood behind the bride, h falteringly he would not part with her till she held the key of the hereafter h; and ultimately they resigned all for the sake of others: even while i begged her, i well knew she must. we could not, loving to see children laugh, let cowards twit them with their mother fs lust. even our own purity confirmed the t

him out again into the black depths of that ocean of ignorance from which he had been drawn, a bottled gsuccedaneum. h thus berkeley, by postulating a god, himself showed that reason was wanting; so the scepticism of pyrrho was once again applied to the defective mental machinery, which burst like a faulty boiler on due pressure being brought to bear upon it by david hume. the final judgement of the senses was doubted, but only partially, men sought the link which connected cause and effect. the excluded middle-consciousness, and what may be called super-consciousness; and to attain this end crowley has applied the whole of his pyrrhonic-iconoclasm to break down the vulgar idealism of theology, as well as the vulgar realism of the empirical sciences. there fs the true refuge of the wise;

ds his gorgeous palaces on reason, perceiving not that the foundations of both are the same, and that one like the other will crumble into dust before the blinding storm of dialectic dispute *1. the principles of human knowledge, p. 39 *2. time, vol. ii, p. 269. berkeley, in positing esse=percipi, considered that he once and for all had overthrown scepticism, which he defined as. the disbelief of the senses.*1. in gthe principles of human knowledge, h he states: gour knowledge of these (ideas) hath been very much obscured and confounded, and we have been led into very dangerous errors, by supposing a twofold existence of the objects of sense. the one intelligible or in the mind, the other real and without the mind; whereby unthinking*2. things are thought to have a natural subsistence of t

ble, cannot possibly be conceived, h and that, gthe mind has never anything present to it but the perceptions, and cannot possibly reach any experience of their connexion with objects. h*1. and again that the g cuniversal and primary opinion of all men is soon destroyed by the slightest philosophy, which teaches us, that nothing can ever be present to the mind but an image or perception, and that the senses are only the inlets through which these images are conveyed, without being able to produce any immediate intercourse between the mind and the object. h*2. however, the great unknown waste of this gimmediate intercourse h hume bravely sets out to explore *1. an enquiry concerning human understanding, p.163 *2. ibid. p. 161. as berkeley had previously got hopelessly bogged in the swamps o

lion million mortals on the wheel of being tossed! open wide the mystic portals, and be altogether lost *epilogue, vol. ii, p. 283. the ecstasy of the saints and mystics, is, this entering into the kingdom of god which is within them* hugo de saint-victor says: gthe soul, dead to the world and to itself, sleeps in bliss, and yields itself utterly to the kisses of the spouse, in absolute repose of the senses. h st. bonaventura calls this mystic identification synderesis, and describes it as gthe joy of being uplifted to a super-intellectual love. h st. theresa, that in the ecstatic state: gthe soul no longer knows what it is doing c whether it speaks or is silent: it is a blissful extravagance c i have often been carried away by it c there is such perfection of joy that soul and body cannot

god fs light, the soul can pierce these blinding webs of nature and float up to the nothing, which is all things. the ground of being, where self-forgetful silence, to emptiness. emptiness fulness. fulness god. till we touch him, and, like a snow-flake, melt upon his light-sphere fs keen circumference! the saint fs tragedy. gis there a faculty of perception? h asks st. augustine, gindependent of the senses, which, acting by means of an internal organ, is enabled to give a completer knowledge than ordinary experience? h crowleyanity, once and for all, answers: yes! and this faculty becomes active during the ecstatic state, under the illumination of which mental representations become more stripped of empirical conditions, and in an inverse proportion to which, as the mind withdraws into it

THE TAROT OF C C ZAIN

rom the inner plane try to shut away the spiritual illumination which guides the neophyte. the bags over the left shoulder of the blind man indicate the material things of life he has spent his efforts acquiring; or it represents his ability to minister in physical ways to those in need. the staff of experience with good and evil is black, indicating that prudence is subservient to the demands of the senses; or that the demands for uplifting and protecting others is so great that, though enlightened, he ignores all danger. the fallen obelisk symbolizes the final overthrow of all temporal work and power. the crocodile indicates the ultimate fate of all who are blind to spiritual things, and also the persecution of those who work to spread the true facts of spirituality. this blind man is th

THE ABYSS AND TABAET

taken many masks in our world, the adversary has also mastered the elements as well. the adversary is anything but mysticism. when you discover something you destroy mysticism, within the circle of azothoz, you banish mysticism by obtaining knowledge of the self. during pathworkings, camping away from anyone for a period of time, joining the military, doing something which captivates and awakens the senses, you destroy mysticism. the process and interaction may be overpowering and leave you in awe however it is no mystery. mysticism is the act of neo-pagans who are trying to recapture the awe of your parents reading that first fantasy story to you that left your imagination with endless possibilities "the more mediocre, the weaker, the more submissive and cowardly a man is, the more he wi

TRUE HISTORY OF WITCHCRAFT

for the rest of us, those who neither worship nor are disdainful of the man who made sexuality a god or, at least, acknowledged it as such, experience must be its own teacher. if wicca is a sort of errant minerval camp of the oto, gone far astray and far afield since the days crowley gave gardner a charter he "didn't use" but seemed to value, and a whole range of rituals and imagery that assault the senses at their most literally fundamental level; if this is true or sort of true, maybe its time history be owned up to. mythos has its place and role, but so, too, does reality. part three wicca as an oto encampment the question of intent looms large in the background of this inquiry. if i had to guess, i would venture that gerald gardner did, in fact, invent wicca more or less whole cloth

TYSON DONALD NEW MILLENNIUM MAGIC

ge of perception. only god can know itself totally, perceiving self with self. in symbolic terms the true self is the point at the center of the circle, infinitely small and thus nonexistent in the universe. therefore, it is not really a part of the circle. the perceived self is the smallest circle of which the human ego can gain any hint. in a sense, as a person draws closer to the real self all the senses begin to go out of focus and the perceptions become blurred, until a circle is reached where he or she is able to define nothing. a circle is characterized by the separation of inside from outside. inside is order; outside is anarchy. in magic a circle is used as a wall of protection to divide the greater hostile world from the zone of law. the most obvious magic circle is the human bod

eye of god pauses to make its observations. any point can be the center of the universe, for all points are one, engendered within the sin- gle point of the unmanifest. the true self of a human being is the observing eye of god, and so is always at the center of the universe. the personal universe of an individual is that part of manifestation which he or she interacts with through the avenues of the senses, thoughts, or dreams. everyone has a unique personal universe that corresponds with more or less accu- racy to the universe of manifestation. the personal universe of an individual may be conceived as a circle which overlaps all the other circles of the personal univers- es of every other living thing (since all living things share something in common, yet does not exactly correspond to

desirer to the object of desire. the ray is will in action. merely to look at anything is to send forth a ray of intent, for an understand- ing of even the simplest matter is the result of a creative mental effort to size up, to put into perspective, to touch, to taste, or to recall a mental image. the per- sonal universe is a creation of the will acting along numerous rays through the avenues of the senses. the magus can never look upon anything that is not a cre- ation of the self and thus joined to the magus. for this reason all that he or she per- ceives can be affected by the will. a reciprocating ray occurs when the point of awareness is sent forth along a ray, then looks back from that new viewpoint at the place it has left. this initiates a returning pulse of will that oscillates b

the gross avenues of the physical senses to communicate the purpose. this communication can involve other senses than sight, and may take such forms as physical contact, body language, facial expres- sion, gestures, vocal intonation, significant actions, or words spoken or written. magic, like water, always seeks the easiest and quickest course. magical potency is not actually transmitted through the senses, but the senses can be used to render the mind of another person more receptive to magic. the ray implies cause and effect. desire, the urge to attain a specific purpose, residing at the point of self, is extended by the will to unite with its object, the focus of that purpose. using the ray like a psychic knife to pierce through the hole opened in the point by the vortex, the magus bri

n to remove psychic blockages and to unstop the springs of power so that the symbols of the art can be used with practical conse- quences. the guardian also provides guidance in times of great trial and confusion. the conversation of the guardian angel and the direct inspiration of the light can be distinguished in that the guardian meets the immediate personal needs of the magus, usually through the senses, while the light tends to be more abstract and careless of time. the direct inspiration of the light and the conversation of the guardian are two aspects of the same process of enlightenment, but the guardian is an instrument that focuses divine knowledge on particular human needs. the magus should never get the notion that it is possible to manipulate the guardian to serve his or her o

e proper mind-state to use the weapons. the magus may wonder how effective the weapons will be against a physical attack. the answer depends on the magus. if he or she has formed them correctly, the weapons will become visible at times of great danger to the untrained physical eye-at least, this will be the impression of the observer. actually, they are seen with the mental eye and projected onto the senses. in a similar manner, they will be physically felt by those at whom they are directed-the sword as a piercing blow, the shield as a barrier, and the armor as a slipping away of hostile purpose. most dangers exist in the imagination. the magus should clearly grasp the truth that the greatest enemy is the personal ego. by merely mastering his or her lower self, the magus will overcome all

xhibits itself through synchronous events. universe, personal: all that is perceived, remembered, conceived, or intuited by an individual human mind. since no individual can consciously know every- thing, the personal universe is always a smaller circle than the true universe, which can never be directly known but must be assembled in the mind using symbolic forms that are selected and defined by the senses. the personal uni- verse is a mental construct. since all human minds work roughly the same way, the personal universe of one individual has a considerable overlap with the personal universe of another individual. this is especially true when these persons share the same time, culture, and dwelling place. differences between personal universes are more noticeable when individuals are se

TYSON DONALD SOUL FLIGHT

ng and queene of phairie, of such a iolly court& train as they had, how they had a teynd& dutie, as it were, of all goods; how they naturallie rode and went, eate and drank, and did all other actiones like natural1 men and women: i think it liker virgils campi elysij, nor anie thing that ought to be beleeued by christians, except in general, that as i spake sundrie times before, the deuil illuded the senses of sundry simple creatures, in making them beleeue that they saw and harde such thinges as were nothing so indeed.45 in his epic poem the aeneid, the roman poet virgil described elysium, the land of the dead visited by the hero aeneas, as a pleasant place of smiling lawns and happy groves "here a bright sky robes the fields with fuller radiance and with dazzling light: and they know the

in the word, that some were "taken out of the body" and some were "carried by the spirit into anotherplace" as regards the first, namely, being taken out of the body, the case is this: the man is brought into a certain state which is intermediate between sleep and wakefulness. 67. swedenborg, compendium, 625. 60 soul flight while he is in this state he cannot know but that he is quite awake; all the senses are as much awake as in the completest state of bodily vigilance, the sight as well as the hearing, arld what is remarkable, the touch, which is then more exquisite than it can ever be in bodily wakefulness. in this state spirits and angels have been seen exactly to the life, and also heard, and what is amazing, touched; and almost nothing of the body then intervenes. this is the-state

and an intelligent soul-and a vital link, the astral body. 2. since this phantom can exist and function apart from the physical body, it may also exist after death. that is, immortality is a fact which is thus proved cientifically. reality of the astral body was equated by spiritualists with tangibility. it does not seem to have occurred to the experimenters that a thing might appear tangible to the senses, yet not be physically present in space. they were obsessed with capturing the material characteristics of the astral body. two researchers named malta and van zelse actually claimed to have weighed it! according to their findings, the astral body weighs just under seventy grams (just under two and a half ounces)-although it might be assumed that a fat person would project a heavier dou

d been abducted by a ufo while his companion thought he had boarded a bus which had suddenly appeared on the road behind them. it is conceivable that there is one phenomenon which is visual and another which creates the physical traces. what i'm saying is that a strange kind of deception may be involved. clark: in other words the physical traces are placed there as ostensible confirmation of what the senses perceived? vallke: yes. these remarks show that vallke understood the impossibility of explaining the ufo experience in purely physical terms. unfortunately, he had not quite succeeded in freeing his mind from the conventional view of reality that makes a clear understanding of interactions with spiritual beings on the astral level possible. he made the assertion that "if the ufo phenom

leidoscopic appearance that the hopelessness of the enterprise seems overwhelming. it is not light, or starry or clear. it is apparently impenetrable disorder, for it is the meeting ground of forces."236 this description exaggerates the experience of most astral travelers, who find their initial views of the astral planes strange but not incomprehensible. to some degree, this initial confusion of the senses occurs whenever we are presented with a truly unknown environment. the awareness is overwhelmed in its attempt to tame the chaos of new sights and sounds. over time the mind begins to sort things out, and what we could not initially see at all, even though it was in plain view, becomes obvious, so that we wonder how we ever failed to perceive it. the same thing happens sometimes when we

ines. they prefer a simpler and quieter landscape. although the exploration of fairyland can be rewarding, i recommend against descent into the lower levels of the astral world. these lower levels are the pagan places of the dead and the hells that are inhabited by demons. even though the experience is no more dangerous in a physical sense than the exploration of the higher planes, the assault on the senses can be truly horrifying, with a power that can scar the memory for life. another reason to avoid these levels is to lessen the likelihood that any demonic being will notice your existence and decide to take a personal interest in you. this would be bad. as much as possible, you are well-advised to shun the attentions of demons, even when they appear amusing or harmless. they are filled

the body and across the face of the material world. awareness is a part of mind, and forever remains within the mind. what a remote viewer sees is not the physical reality, but a resonance or reflection of that reality in the mirror of universal mind that is inevitably distorted in various ways. however, the information available to the soul flyer is not less useful than what is provided through the senses; it is merely of different kinds. indeed, during soul flight the awareness can access many sources of valuable information unavailable to the physical senses alone. thanks to the work of the psychologist carl jung, with its emphasis on symbols and archetypes, we can no longer dismiss the astral world as unimportant, even if we persist in calling it unreal. it is the meeting place betwee

TYSON DONALD THE MAGICAL WORKBOOK

higher spirits are those that dwell in or above the sphere of the moon. they are associated with the spheres, successively, of the moon, mercury, venus, the sun, mars, jupiter, saturn, and the sphere of the fixed stars, or zodiac. this traditional division of the world into successive shells or spheres about the earth should be understood in a symbolic sense. lower spirits are those involved with the senses, emotions, desires, health of the body, and physical substances. higher spirits are concerned with aspirations, intuition, inspiration, ideals, morals, destiny, and the soul. in general, lower spirits are of a materialistic nature, higher spirits are of a spiritual nature. the moon is the portal between the earthly realm 304 moving exercises and the higher spheres, and as a result, luna

UNLEASHING THE BEAST

antric traditions. unlike most of the orientalist scholars of his day, who denounced tantra as a horrible perversion, crowley described tantra not only a valid form of religion, but in fact the "most advanced" of all forms of indian spirituality. for unlike other forms of hinduism and buddhism, tantra does not deny the physical body or the natural world, but affirms and makes use of the flesh and the senses: the essence of the tantric cults is that by performance of certain rites of magick, one does not only escape disaster, but obtains positive benediction. the tantric is not obsessed by the will-to-die. it is a difficult business, no doubt, to get any fun out of existence, but at least it is not impossible.[h]e implicitly denies the proposition that existence is sorrow and he form-ulates

examination, the psychiatric investigation, the pedagogical report..function as mechanisms with a double impetus: pleasure and power. the pleasure that comes of exercising a power that questions, monitors, watches, spies, searches out, palpitates, brings to light (foucault, the history of sexuality, volume i, 45. xxxvipeter gay, the bourgeois experience: victoria to freud, volume i: education of the senses (new york: oxford university press, 1984, 326-27 -176- xxxviii john maynard "victorian discourses on sexuality and religion" university of hartford studies in literature 19 (1987: 61. xxxix"for all that the victorians were not the prudes..of modern myth, their sexual world was not a place were biology went unrestricted..what helped to make sex a potent force..was the victorians' ability

VOX SABBATUM

nd. sit comfortably before and clear all thoughts. begin a slow chant which you know that activates the imagination towards the sabbat. use the five senses to activate and aid this transformative in-between state hearing, sight, smell, touch and taste. have some pleasant sabbat incense and perfect lighting in place, have sigils and images which invoke this place in the mind. your goal is to align the senses with the focus of the going forth by night that is by harmony with the willed choice of desire. preparing for the sabbat by decorating and proper self-alignment creates a heightened inner excitement for the initiatory act itself thus allowing the success to occur, a seeming selfpermission! the sabbat is a subjective experience, from which you are alone and surrounded by the shades and f

WEOR SAMAEL AUN ESOTERIC COURSE OF KABBLAH

five types of sensations: 1. visual sensations 2. auditory sensations 3. olfactory sensations 4. taste sensations 5. touch sensations the five special types of sensations transform themselves into desire. therefore, the causes of desire are found within the sensations. we must not condemn the sensations, nor may we justify them. we need to profoundly comprehend them. a pornographic image strikes the senses and then passes to the mind. the outcome of this perception is a sexual sensation that is soon transformed into animal desire. after passing through the sense of hearing and through the cerebral center of sensations, a vulgar morbid type of song is converted into sexual desire. we see a luxurious car, we sense it and thereafter we desire it. we taste a delicious cup of liquor, we percei

WESTERN MANDALAS OF TRANSFORMATION SR AL

was employed for in the past. it should, however, be put out of your mind once used and no longer needed. correspondences and timing before attempting to create a talisman, one should have studied the correspondence tables and made sketches of the symbols and names one wishes to use. you may also make yourself sympathetic to the celestial influences you wish to contact through working with all of the senses. agrippa said in the first of his three books of occult philosophy: one operative virtue that is diffused through all kinds of things: by which virtue, indeed, as manifest things are produced out of occult causes, so a magician doth make use of things manifest to draw forth things that are occult, viz, through the rays of the stars, through fumes, lights, sounds, and natural things whic

WICCA MAGICK OCCULT THREE GREEN BOOKS DRUIDISM

moves toward it. true indeed, o yagnavalkya. when the sun has set, and the moon has set, and the fire has gone out, and no sound is heard, what serves then as his light? the self indeed is his light; for by the light of the self man sits, moves about, does his work, and when his work is done, rests. who is that self? the self-luminous being who dwells within the lotus of the heart, surrounded by the senses and sense organs, and who is the light of the intellect, is that self. becoming identified with the intellect, he moves to and fro, through birth and death, between this world and the next. becoming identified with the intellect, the self appears to be thinking, appears to be moving. while the mind is dreaming, the self also appears to be dreaming, and to be beyond the next world as wel

lesh are broken. he is lucky, and does not rejoice: he is unlucky, and does not weep. i call him illumined. the tortoise can draw in his legs: the seer can draw in his sense. i call him illumined. the abstinent run away from what they desire but carry their desires with them: when a man enters reality, he leaves his desires behind him. even a mind that knows the path can be dragged from the path: the senses are so unruly. but he controls the senses and recollects the mind and fixes it on me. i call him illumined. thinking about sense-objects will attach you to sense-objects; grow attached, and you become addicted; thwart your addiction, it turns to anger; be angry, and you confuse your mind; confuse your mind, you forget the lesson of experience; forget experience, you lose discrimination;

s safely among the things of lust and hatred. to obey the atman is his peaceful joy: sorrow melts into that clear peace: his quiet mind is soon established in peace. the uncontrolled mind does not guess that the atman is present: how can it meditate? without meditation, where is peace? without peace, where is happiness? the wind turns a ship from its course upon the waters: the wandering winds of the senses cast man s mind adrift and turn his better judgment from its course. when a man can still the senses i call him illumined. the recollected mind is awake in the knowledge of the atman which is dark night to the ignorant: the ignorant are awake in their sense-life which they think is daylight: to the seer it is darkness. water flows continually into the ocean but the ocean is never distur

WILLIAM WESCOTT NUMBERS THEIR OCCULT POWER AND MYSTIC VIRTUES

d, and their presence definitely known, by dogs when at great distances from them, and when man is in complete ignorance of their existence. some of the ancients thought the soul had three vehicles--the terrestrial body, an aerial one in which it is punished, and an ethereal one, luminous and celestial, in which the soul abides when in a state of bliss. it may be that some one, by purification of the senses, by hereditary magical power, or by probity, or by the sacred operations of his religion, may perceive, with a terrestrial body laid aside, things imperceptible to us, and hear sounds inaudible to us still in bondage. or with mantle partly unfolded, some adept or truth-seeker may perceive, with eyes upraised, sights invisible to mortals, whilst yet his ears are deaf to the sounds beyond

Return to Occult Library Index

http://www.hollywoodinsiders.net
MWLibCreator Ver.2 By:Michael Wynn