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I am currently in the process of trying to get my first book published. It is entitled "Operant Magick" and is essentially a textbook on ritual magick incorporating some of my own personal theories and research along with key concepts from the Western Esoteric Tradition. One of the key concepts that I introduce in the book is the "operant field". I use this term all the time when discussing ritual work and it appears nowhere in any other published source on ritual magick, so here's a basic overview of the idea.
Most Western ritual magicians use variations of the pentagram and hexagram rituals. In the Golden Dawn tradition you have the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram and the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram, in the Thelemic tradition you have the Star Ruby and Star Sapphire, in the Aurum Solis tradition you have the rituals for raising the Wards of Power, and so forth. The normal way this is taught is as it appears in Donald Michael Kraig's "Modern Magick", one of the most popular and widely available books on Golden Dawn magick. Kraig says that you start off just using the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram and then move on to using the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram followed by the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Hexagram at the beginning of every ceremonial ritual. The Golden Dawn taught both banishing and invoking forms of these rituals, but Kraig sticks to the banishing versions and a lot of ritual magicians are taught to do the same.
I started researching these ritual forms years ago and was confused by how little material was available on the invoking versions and when they should be used. In Aleister Crowley's "Liber O vel Manus et Sagittae" it is kind of a curious fact that he covers the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram followed by an explanation of the Lesser "Invoking" Ritual of the Hexagram. I went ahead and decided to try this combination out even though most writers will tell you that you shouldn't use the rituals that way. I was absolutely blown away by the result - all of a sudden my practical magical work got a whole lot better. I set up a number of objective tests and, sure enough, the LBRP/LIRH was amazing. I couldn't get anywhere near the same result with the LBRP/LBRH - even though the only difference between the banishing and invoking forms is the direction in which the hexagrams are traced. When I discovered this I asked around and, sure enough, most of the magicians who I knew who were able to get good results using the Golden Dawn forms had figured out the same thing. Other skilled magicians I know have tried the combination at my suggestion and also found that it just works better.
So what is going on here? I think that most modern writers don't understand how to use these rituals. From a Hermetic perspective the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram represents the psychological realm or microcosm and the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram represents the physical realm or macrocosm. Together the rituals set up a space in which the relationship between microcosm and macrocosm is defined that I call a "field". The four combinations of the banishing and invoking forms of the two rituals set up four different fields that are useful for specific magical operations.
BANISHING FIELD (LBRP/LBRH): This is how most magicians begin their rituals when working with the Golden Dawn forms. It is, in effect, the "full shutdown" - it clears mental and spiritual forms from both the interior and exterior worlds. In can be used to completely cleanse a temple, banish spirits permanently, or neutralize a magical effect that is targeting the magician. What it also does, though, is shut down any ongoing spells that the magician has running unless they are bound to talismans or some anchor other than the magician's consciousness. If you are casting a spell that you want to work over the next week, don't end the ritual with this combination under any set of circumstances unless you're convinced you made a mistake and want to stop the spell. The effect that you just set in motion will be negated when the field goes up.
INVOKING FIELD (LIRP/LIRH): This combination energizes all ongoing magical effects, and can be used to begin a ritual that you want to operate in both the interior and exterior worlds. A good example of this is a spell to get a good job. You want the spell to affect your psyche in such a way that you seem more confident and capable, but you also want it to shift probabilities in the material world so that the right opportunity will come your way.
CENTERING FIELD (LIRP/LBRH): This combination sets up a field in which the interior world is engaged while influences from the exterior world are neutralized. This field is ideal for exclusively psychological magical work of all sorts.
OPERANT FIELD (LBRP/LIRH): This is the one that I use the most. The field clears the interior world and then merges it the with the exterior world, setting up a space in which thought can more easily become material reality. All of the energy of a spell cast within this field is targeted on the macrocosm and the resulting probability shifts show that magick done this way just influences the outside world better - significantly better.
If you would like, try it out and see, and let me know how it goes. I think you'll be impressed.
Suggested ebooks:
Tarostar - The Witchs Spellcraft Revised
Frederick Hadland Davis - The Persian Mystics Jami
Katharine Pyle - The Counterpane Fairy
Out-of-body experiences. We've all seen the stories on Dateline and heard the accounts on 20/20 but few of us have ever experienced them. And while many of us are skeptical that the accounts are legit, most of us want to believe they're real. After all, how cool would it be to see yourself...outside your body?
In every day parlance, these experiences are called OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCES. In more technical terms, however, they're called ASTRAL PROJECTIONS: EXPERIENCES WHERE YOUR CONSCIOUS SELF ACTUALLY LEAVES YOUR BODY AND OPERATES ON ITS OWN. In effect, it's where your spiritual self leaves the physical self.
These experiences may seem like they're rare, but believe it or not, you've already experienced them...you just don't remember them. And you shouldn't remember them because you're not trained to remember them.
By reading this article, that's about to change.But before we get to that, you might be interested to know that personal accounts of astral projection have been around for centuries.
You name the culture, there is documentary evidence that shows awareness of astral projections and what they were. Egyptian priests called the astral body the Ka. Tibetans called the astral body the Bardo. And Greek philosophers-from the likes of Plato, Herodotus and Clazomene?-refer to astral projections in their writings. People skeptical of astral projections like to emphasize how there's no scientific evidence to back up these very personal accounts, but the fact that one of civilization's most prominent philosophers has written about them gives them credulity. Or at least they ought to.
Another misconception you might have about astral projections-or out-of-body experiences-is that their entirely random. Well, yes and no.
There are actually TWO KINDS OF ASTRAL PROJECTIONS:
* spontaneous (i.e. the random ones)
* controlled.
As you might imagine, the spontaneous ones never happen during one particular scenario, but they're usually when you're at least trying to relax. The other kinds are called controlled. Once again, as the adjective indicates, controlled are the ones where you can actually put yourself in an out-of-body experience whenever and wherever you want. How long it takes to learn how to do this varies from person to person. For some it will take weeks, for others it will take years. Much of it will depend on how much you practice and how much time you're willing to put into it to grasp the concept.
Finally, you may have heard in the course of your lifetime that the human brain uses a bare percentage of what it's actually capable of. The same is true for your life, or existence. Metaphysicians believe that there ARE SEVEN PLANES OF EXISTENCE:
* First Plane (Physical)
* Second Plane (Astral)
* Third Plane (Mental)
* Fourth Plane (Buddhic)
* Fifth Plane (Spiritual)
* Sixth Plane (Monadic)
* Seventh Plane (Adi)
Most of us operate on the first plane, the physical plane, where everything we know and understand is physical. What we can physically see and touch is what's real to us. The second plane is the astral plane-where what we truly desire and/or want for our lives can become reality. Now, the fact that the astral plane is the second of seven planes of existence out to speak volumes...if you thought that the astral plane was the height of existence. It is but the beginning. Reaching the seventh plane is said to be beyond explanation. That, in and of itself, is explanation enough on how glorious life can truly become
This is but a primer on astral projection. There's so much more to learn and eventually integrate into your life. To paraphrase the inimitable Dr. Seuss, oh, the places you'll go with astral projection!
Steve G. Jones
Suggested ebooks:
Thomas Voxfire - What Was Aleister Crowley
Pagan Pride Project - What Is Asatru
Robert Bruce - Treatise On Astral Projection
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The Opening Ritual For Rune Magic
In important ritual work the vitki may wish to recite an invocatory GALDER into which the hammer rite may be incorporated. Such a GALDR would serve to invoke devine forces or simply act as a general
invocation to the runic powers, or both. The knowledgeable vitki will compose his or her own rite and GALDR, for this would be a great deed of runecraft! Note how the hammer rite is interwoven into this example:
1. Standing in the middle of the VE, face north or east, in the STADHA and intone:
Fare now forth
mighty Fimbultyr "The Awesome God"
from heavenly homes all eight
Sleipnir be saddled,
hither swiftly to ride:
Galdrsfadhir, "The Father of Incantation" might to give and gain.
Holy rune-might flow
from the hoves of Hangatyr's, "The God of the Hanged", steed;
in streams of steadfast strength -
through staves of stalwart standing!
2. Go to the northern (or eastern) rim of the VE and with the wand
trace the circle in the direction of the sun, from left to right.
During this process sing:
The rune-might is drawn
'round the holy-stead,
unwanted wights wend away!
3. When the circle is complete return to the center and facing the
original direction, perform the rune-ring portion of the hammer rite.
THE HAMMER RITE
This example is written in a northward orientation, and appropriate changes of course should be made in the order of GALDRAR in rites of an eastward orientation.
a) With the rune wand in the right hand, face the North Star.
b) Beginning with FEHU in the north sign and send the runes of the
futhark in a ring around you at the lavel of the solar plexus as far out as the circle on the ground or floor, always "with the sun" in a
clockwise direction. The runes should form a complete band ending with OTHALA next to FEHU in the north.
c) Stand in the cross STADHA and visualize an equilateral cross lying horizontally in the plane of the rune ring and your solar plexus, with that point as the center of the cross. The arms of this cross should end at the points where they intersect the rune band. Imagine a
surrounding sphere of shimmering blue light with the red rune band as its equator. then visualize the vertical axis coming through your
length from the infinite space above and from the infinite space below.
d) Feel and see the force flowing into your centre from all six
directions as it builds a sphere of glowing red might. The colour may be altered depending on the ritual intension (see section on colour symbolism).
When this is complete say:
The worrisome wights
now wend their way
eastward toward etin-home;
hallowed be the hall of Hroptatyr, "The God of Hidden Things"
with the help of Hrungnir's slayer! "Thorr"
4. Now perform the rest of the hammer rite.
e) The vitki should touch the hinder part of the wand to the breast at the center of power and thrust it forward, projecting the force from that center to a point on the inside face of the outer sphere. Then the runester should sign the hammer from the mass of magical might. During this process intone:
Hammer in the North hallow and hold this holy-stead!
Then, turning 90 degrees to the right, send and sign another hammer sign vibrating.
Hammer in the East hallow and hold this holy-stead!
In the South:
Hammer in the South hallow and hold this holy-stead!
And in the West:
Hammer in the West hallow and hold this holy-stead!
Returning to the north, direct your attention overhead, there send and sign the HAMARSMARK on the "ceiling" of the sphere, saying:
Hammer over me hallow and hold this holy-stead!
And then project the hammer sign below the "floor" of the sphere (not the ground or room floor) and intone:
Hammer under me hallow and hold this holy-stead!
f) Now, strike the cross STADHA again and sing:
Hammer hallow and hold this holy-stead!
Turning in the center of the VE, repeat this once for each of the other four directions and once for the vertical axis. The visual effect
should be one of axes connecting all six shinning red hammers to your personal center, all engulfed by a field of sparkling deep blue light and surrounded by a band of bright red runes.
g) Finnally, center all the forces of the VE by folding your arms from the cross STADHA in toward your center, with your fingertips touching at the solar plexus, and saying:
Around me and in me Asgardhr and Midhgardhr!
5. After which, if the ritual calls for a brazier, the fire should be enkindled. If the vitki knows it, and the ritual needs it, this fire may be enkindled by the need-fire friction method; but normally, the runester will light the fire-pot with a previously prepared flame. Also necessary at this juncture are containers of salt and brewer's yeast; a pinch of each should be added to the flame at the point indicated in the GALDR. Lighting the brazier, sing:
Endless light of life
give thy living gift
fill the night of need;
to the hearth of this hall
bring thy boon so bright
to quicken this salt (add salt)
and yeast (add yeast) all so cold
together live long and well
in the hearts of Har's, "The High One's", sib.
6. Once the fire-pot is enkindled, the vitki also may add leaves, thin strips of wood from trees, or herbs that correspond to the intention of the rite to be preformed. The body of the magical ritual may now begin in a "loaded" atmosphere.
Suggested ebooks:
Karl Hans Welz - Armanen Runes
Anonymous - Satanic Pagan Calendars
Bernard King - Meanings Of The Runes
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ENTRY INTO FAERIE, THE DEVA REALM
Hail Psilos, Guide and Guardian along the path between Binah and Kether.
Hail Tehuti, Master of the stylus, the knowledge of mathematics and the arts.
Hail Thoth, Teacher of Wisdom, magick, and the symbols of Tarot.
Hail Hermes-Trismegistus, 'Thrice-great' messenger of the gods
Son of Maya and Zeus Master Thief Trainer of the Way of the Thief
Father of Pan, the Wild Goat God Wielder of the Caduceus
Patron to the Magi, the line of ancient adepts Inscriber of the Emerald Tablets Mercurial escort, bearing Psyche to the palace of the gods, where she partakes of the ambrosia of immortality
Master Servant, Hanuman, bringing the Key of Solomon, the Egyptian Ankh of Life.
Hail Merlin, Otherworld Guide,
Arch-Seer and Prophet of the Druids
Wizard and Founder of the Order of Istari,
Dweller of the Island of the Blessed, Aman
Mithrandir of the People of the Stars, and friend to all free ones
We welcome an initiation into your Mysteries,
a glimpse of your wonderful magick
that is the essence of consciousness.
Let the Dolmen-shape of the umbrella fungi
soften the rain of your teachings
as it gathers these waters of life
in its sponginess.
Allow our safe passage through your netherworld.
Show us the fruit of our labors and ready us for
the lessons we may approach.
We would take your hand as you lead us
down the spiral path into Faerie.
We look to you for advice and encouragement
as we will this transition.
Let your spore-seeds inflame
our awareness and self-understanding
just as this return-offering
burns to the ash of shed skin.
May our journey through and out of the Underworld be pleasant yet fruitful.
May we remember to trust our inner being as the source of manifestation and the center of existence.
Thank you for your patience.
Thank you for your compassion.
Thank you for your humor.
Thank you for your awareness.
The flesh of the gods
The blood of the gods
Absorbed and encompassed,
we enter the womb only to exit
from the cave of our abandoned shell-self.
In love, peace, and trust in all things
we begin this adventure in a spirit of bright joy
and tender blessings.
Suggested ebooks:
Howard Phillips Lovecraft - The Beast In The Cave
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu - The Child That Went With The Fairies
I've Been Tagged by Stephanie at Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic to answer these literary based questions. My answers are below...
Name 3 Characters........
.............You wish were real so you could meet them:
Saetan Daemon SaDiablo (Satan) from The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop.
He is such a complex character with an interesting history. He has done some terrible things and lived through countless centuries, yet he has such a soft side to him as well (especially when it comes to taking care of his family and Jaenelle). I would love to hear more stories of his former life before the story takes place as well as more about his interactions with the other characters who aren't so involved in the story (like Andulvar Yaslana, Mephis SaDiablo, Prothvar etc).
Esme Weatherwax from Terry Pratchett's Discworld books.
Another complex character. Her grasp of headology is great and she is such a powerful witch she would definately be worth meeting. Borrowing sounds like a really useful skill and it would be great to nudge inside the heads of different animals to get a look at the wider world. Perhaps I could learn something from her...
The Lady of the Lake from King Arthur Tales.
This is a funny one as the tales suggest she was real, but it's one of those mysteries we will never know. I particularly like the version of her as Vivianne in The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley and I would love to be able to go to Avalon and train under her alongside Raven. I am not sure I agreed with all of her manipulations, but she did believe she was doing the right thing.
..............YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE:
Lyra Belacqua from Phillip Pullmans Dark Materials Trilogy.
She is such a cool character! Fiesty and able to take care of herself, sadly she becomes slightly second to Will when he joins in The Subtle Knife. She goes through such a lot and I would love to have my own daemon who can change shape for different uses and to fit my different moods.
Lestat from The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice.
I know he's a guy, but he was so powerful and has seen so many things including getting a guided tour of heaven and hell. Everyone wants to be him or be near him, he even awoke the Queen of all Vampires (Akasha) who couldn't resist him. He is the ultimate trickster and those kind of characters always appeal to me. The extra powers he gains as the books progress sound cool too, like being able to fly and to not be killed by the sun.
The Lady Amalthea from The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle.
She is the last unicorn on the earth and she becomes a woman for a time as well. She is quite haughty and does not have the highest regard for humans and mortals at the beginning, but she changes throughout the tale and becomes different from the rest of her kind. She is brave and yet vulnerable, strong and yet weak. Another great character with magical powers and great beauty. I love the way she is drawn as both human and unicorn in the animated film of the same name which was always my favourite growing up.
.................WHO SCARE ME:
Zenia from The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood.
Not your classical scary figure, but this character is scary in a much more subtle way. She takes the partners away from all three of the main characters using her feminie wiles, before discarding them when her use for them is finished. She is highly manipulative and you never find out the truth behind the lies which seem to keep building. She is scary because she could be someone you know who could devestate your marriage and your life.
The Corinthian from The Sandman graphic novels by Neil Gaiman.
A man who has teeth for eyes and is a serial killer is just plain scary. End of story. Dream says of him "A nightmare created to be the darkness, and the fear of darkness in every human heart. A black mirror, made to reflect everything about itself that humanity will not confront." He becomes slightly nicer when he is remade, but still has a think for eating people's eyes. Nice...
Cluny the Scourge from Redwall by Brian Jacques.
He was the evil rat in the first book in the series. He was particularly nasty with an eye patch and a poison bard on the end of his tail which he used like a whip. He kills one of the main characters who is a gentle beast by nature and generally was quite scary. He is the character that most of the animals use as a cautionary tale to their children, "If you don't behave Cluny will come and get you" type of thing.
I tag Clare at Confessions of a Book Addict and Marg at Reading Adventures, enjoy!
Suggested ebooks:
Thomas Potts - Discovery Of Witches
Reginald Scot - The Discoverie Of Witchcraft
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BY JOHN CONNOR
... JOIN THE RESISTANCE!
In previous episodes of The Golden Dawn Saga, we discovered how the SRIA has for decades been trying to impose its anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, and anti-Pagan brand or Rosicrucianism on the Golden Dawn. SRIA seeks complete domination and control over the Golden Dawn using trademarks and lineage as weapons.
For many years, only the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and its parent order, the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha Omega has stood between the SRIA and its goal of complete GD domination. SRIA has done everything imaginable to remove this obstacle. They have published the Alpha Omega's rituals, our mysteries, defamed our leaders and our members on the Internet for two decades, and even tried to rewrite our history.
Two months ago, SRIA operative, Nick Farrell, published yet another book attacking the Alpha Omega, this time creating false rumors of a "contemporary Alpha Omega political and religious personality cult."
This time the Adepts of the Alpha Omega rose up and with one united voice declared:
"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!"
Together, we took a stand on Amazon.com, where Farrell was peddling this defamatory trash.
In response, the racist SRIA pulled out all the stops, setting their hounds of hell loose upon our order, sending marching orders to SRIA agents in all of the Golden Dawn orders already under SRIA dominion.
Suddenly the Alpha Omega found our members under attack on a bevy of blogs and Yahoo fora - by SRIA agents including Nick Farrell, Olen Rush, Peregrin Wildoak, Joseph Max, Deanna Bonds, Anita Hoener, Morgan Eckstein, Martin Thibeault, and Pat Zalewksi.
This Witch Hunt operation was orchestrated from behind the scenes, apparently by the Supreme Maga of SRIA in America, who is also listed as 2d Grand Ancient of the anti-Semitic "Order of the Rose and Cross," together with racist R.A. Gilbert, the Secret Chief of this pack of SRIA and OR+C attack dogs.
SRIA Attack Dogs
This pack of SRIA hell hounds proved quite inadequate, however, when the good Brothers and Sisters of the Alpha Omega stepped forth in defense of the rose of the Rosicrucian Mysteries of our order.
"In Defense of our Rose - United in Chivalry - ALPHA OMEGA!"
"Unlike our ruffian opponents, the Adepts of the Alpha Omega fight with chivalry, knowing we are fighting to protect the minority rights of Jews, Pagans, and Muslims to initiation in the Golden Dawn. We fight for the initiates of the future, that the Golden Dawn will not fall under the complete control and dominion of "Christian only" SRIA segregationists."
SRIA leaders never expected the resistance they just encountered nor had they ever encountered anything like it before. Our Adepts gathered and mounted our defense here on the Golden Dawn Blog, repeating every defamation, every insult, and every misrepresentation from every blog - then refuted them one by one. The readership of the Golden Dawn Blog skyrocketed to 24,000 page views per month, as the entire esoteric community gathered here to witness the unfolding Witch Hunt against our order.
Anti-Semites like R.A. Gilbert and other SRIA and ORC leaders are like cockroaches. They can be quite annoying as long as they are able to hide in the shadows. The Golden Dawn Saga shed a light on them, however, and predictably, they ran away once exposed to the light. Racist manipulators like the SRIA and the ORC can only carry out their evil machinations as long as they remain safely hidden in the darkness. They can not stand being exposed to the light.
This is why, once exposed to the light, the SRIA cockroaches pulling the strings of thier McGoldenDawn puppets ordered these SRIA operatives to stand down and quit attacking the Alpha Omega for the moment.
SRIA-ORC-McGD "Secret Chief" R.A. Gilbert
The light that SRIA cockroaches could not stand came into sharp relief when it was exposed that SRIA Grand Archivist, RA Gilbert, had made an anti-Semitic tirade on a research article for the "Christian only" Order of the Rose and Cross segregationists. The scandal deepened when it was exposed that Nick Farrell, the Supreme Maga of the SRIA (America) and her SRIA (Anglia) husband were all listed as Grand Officers on the website of the nascent ORC. This raised serious questions, for example:
Is Nick Farrell a Closet NAZI?
Despite their best intentions, the SRIA and the ORC could not remain silent for long. Even though they ordered their attack dogs to heel, they nonetheless sent out their anonymous troll spin doctors. SRIA troll, Teletourgos, and ORC apologist, SEP, appeared spinning like tops in the comments section of this blog, trying to whitewash interference in the Golden Dawn and being outed as the nests of racists and anti-Semites SRIA and ORC are.
Teletourgos wrote:
"speaking from the INSIDE, from the standpoint of the masonic rosicrucian HIERARCHY i can't see any reason for them to give a damn about coming up with an official stance as regards competing GDs. why would they?" Note that Teletourgos just admitted that he is an SRIA leader! Teletourgos then went on to admit that the SRIA has been attacking our order for years, when he wrote:
"Research by SRIA brothers led to the debunking of [Alpha Omega] lineage claims many years ago and [they have] hated the SRIA for the two decades since."It is, of course, utter nonsense that any SRIA researchers have "debunked" any of the lineages of our order. What IS highly interesting, on the other hand, is Teletourgos' admission that it has been "SRIA researchers" who have been the anonymous troll TRYING to debunk the Alpha Omega's lineages for two decades.
ORC apologist, "SEP," was equally inept in his spin attempts, for example when he wrote:
"I know Bob Gilbert very well. He is not racist, nor is he anti-Semitic. "
Well, of course not! And, of course, we should also all take the word of an anonymous spin troll over R.A. Gilbert's written anti-Semitic rant on the ORC website. SEP completely failed to explain this tirade, nor what "Spiritual enemies of Christianity" Gilbert was ranting about, nor even why Jews, Pagans, or Muslims are not allowed in either of the segregationist orders, SRIA or ORC.
Following this, the Golden Dawn community enjoyed a few days of peace and quiet until today when anonymous troll, SRIA operative, Peregrin Wildoak wrote:
"Though I am likely to invoke the wrath of a few anti-Christian nutters out there, it is quite clear that the sources for modern western magic developed within the Christian milieu. The background and backbone of many modern traditions, Rosicrucianism was started by heterodox Christians and is replete with Christian imagery and mysteries."Peregrin here is serving as SRIA chief apologist, trying to justify the SRIA program of Rosicrucian "ethnic cleansing" of all Jews, Pagans, and Muslims from the "Christians only" Rosicrucian vision held by the SRIA and the ORC.
Of course, anyone who opposes the insanity of such "ethnic cleansing," Peregrin brands an "anti-Christian nutter."
Although it is true that the Rosicrucian movement, like the Golden Dawn, is indeed a reformulation of ancient Egyptian and other Pagan mysteries using a preponderance of Christian symbols, Kabbalah certainly did not evolve in a Christian milieu, nor did the ancient Egyptian mysteries themselves. Peregrin also ignores that there is a Papal Bull forbidding Magic.
GH Frater Sincerus Renatus today wrote a fine and thorough scholarly rebuttal of Peregrin's latest, segregationist SRIA apology. I most strongly recommend SR's article, as Peregrin's pathetic apology is clearly a new talking point from the SRIA we are bound to hear repeated over and over in months to come.
You can read GH Frater SR's fine article here.
Meanwhile, as long as SRIA or ORC goons continue to attack our order, or their spin doctors justify their Rosicrucian "ethnic cleansing," I will be here to shine a light again and again on the SRIA cockroaches, sending them scurrying back into the darkness!
- David Griffin (A Voice of the Resistance)
Defeat the SRIA!
Liberate the Golden Dawn!
I have reopened the comments on the pre-conference post I put up on Marc Gafni - knowing full well that I am making myself a target for his retribution (I have been informed of his tactics) and that I am winning no friends in the higher realms of integral land.
I will have more to post on this topic in the future - I am in communication with some people who have never been spoken to by the Integral elites who defend Marc and believe he is innocent. They have very different stories to tell.
For now, let's try to hold a wider perspective on all of this - it's about more than the sexual relationships he has had with students and coworkers.
Please consider this section from his evaluations (Kevin Udis, Ph.D. and Thomas Meehan, L.C.S.W., B.C.D.):
Marc's review of his family, which includes two brothers and divorced parents, is laden with early tragedy and horrific abuse in his parents' early life related to the Holocaust and numerous examples of a fractured family life, of sadistic abuse and emotional neglect. In many ways, the evaluators view Marc Gafni as an emotional survivor who immersed himself in the study of Judaism which would eventually be a central underpinning in his adult identity. There are some obvious repetitions in Marc's adult life that reflect the lack of closeness and intimacy in his life as a child and young man and a propensity to find and engage conflict. Sadly, this frequently results in a familiar experience of loneliness and a lack of security and protection. And this:
As he gains perspective on himself and these experiences, he displays an ability to see his responsibility in engaging people who may not have had his best interest in mind. These blind spots have admittedly existed since his adolescence when he prematurely emancipated from his family and attended Yeshiva. His increasing awareness of this unconscious repetition may very well assure him of growth and support from others in his future rather than a repetition of crises and harmful drama to him. During this assessment, Marc appeared more accepting that his adolescent-like style of opposing normal rules and perceived authority figures can take on a self-destructive path for him.
I have read a LOT of psych evaluations, and this one does not in any fit the standard format - it is what one writes when trying to reveal as little as possible about a client, a style used most often in legal proceedings, which would be my guess as to why these were written.
This one also was not done by an independent third party, but by therapists "recommended in this regard by his regular psychotherapist." Not objective, not valid.
The letter from Dr. Cindy Lou Golin, PhD is not a third-party, objective psychological review, but a letter of support that makes the same points Marc has himself made, as well as echoing the Kempton/Wilber letter.
The otherwise useless "evaluation" from Dr. Joseph H. Berke does contain at least important point:
It should also be noted that he has a major obstacle to overcome in his life, the fact that he is a second generation Holocaust survivor, the child of parents who were terribly traumatised by the Nazi genocide. These traumas tend to live in their offspring. Hopefully Mordechai will eventually open the lid of these experiences in himself and gain greater freedom, a deeper 'tikkkun' or repair of his self and his soul.Again, this man was recommended by Marc's friends (Reb Zalman Schachter Shalomi in a communication with Jean Houston), neither of whom, to my knowledge, are practicing therapists themselves. No objectivity, no validity. The piece reads like fan mail.
Paul J. Goodberg, MA, wrote another fan letter, which to those not familiar with psych evals looks like it might actually mean something, but just read this passage:
Rabbi Gafni has been an unexpected delight. Not only is he a scholar, he is also a wit.
Most important, he is an intensely moral man!
Currently, he is continuing to struggle with intense feelings of self recrimination. As you might expect with a young, brilliant and charismatic rabbi, he has been guilty of excess hubris. He impulsively fell on his own sword when he issued a written apology for any hurt he might have caused even though he was the one, who, according to public reports, was being falsely accused. What hubris! What excess! This was a highly exaggerated attempt to cleanse and atone for the embarrassment he felt he had brought on his office, his teachings and his family.
By now, I am convinced that Rabbi Gafni never abusively hurt or exploited anyone.
He is completely reputable.
For those who do not know how psych evals work, they do not generally include statements about people he has never met, "What hubris! What excess!" - that alone discredits this "therapist."
There is a pattern emerging here (from what little actual information was gathered) of inter-generational trauma, extreme physical (emotional?) abuse by his parents, and a profound effort of spiritual bypass in an attempt to heal the wounding.
Here is Dr, Charles Tart on spiritual bypass - from a Q">
Student: How would somebody go about doing that? Using spirituality to bypass. I can't even imagine having to do that.
CTT: One example that came up quite prominently during the hippie era - you folks are probably too young to remember hippies, but...
(Laughter)
CTT: Most of them, well I can't say most, a lot of them lived by basically sponging off other people and didn't feel in the least guilty about it because they were pursuing love and enlightenment. They weren't going to get trapped in earning a living, which would support a corrupt society anyway. And hey, in one way that's true, but it's also a wonderful rationalization for just sponging off people instead of taking responsibility for yourself.
I can see Buddhism misapplied that way too. One way of looking at Buddhism is it's the ultimate way of being cool, right? Nothing fazes me! Nobody can get to me! I don't have any suffering! Well, that's because you've stifled all the feelings that might arise within you. You've stifled them either by some kind of active suppression process or by a distraction process.
Let me elaborate that. I was thinking about that earlier today. If you're in a situation that makes you unhappy and you want to be happy, what do you do? Well one thing you might do is to change the actual reality of the situation so it makes you happy. It's too cold in the room. You turn the heater on. It gets warmer.
But a lot of times we're in situations where we can't really change the external situation. So the external situation is making us unhappy, it's just going to go on for some long period of time. But we can do something about our reaction. Remember that equation, suffering equals pain multiplied by resistance?.
S = PxR
You can do something to reduce the suffering
One way is some sort of distraction technique. Here's the pathological use of concentrative meditation. The situation bothers you. You concentrate so strongly on neutral sensations, like your breathing, you don't notice the situation at all. So it doesn't bother you.
Your life situation is poor, getting worse. You can't get a job. You don't have any friends. You don't feel good about yourself. Concentrative meditation. Get into these abstracted states where you're beyond any kind of suffering. Ahh!.
You come back out of a meditative state. All these things that make you suffer are still there. Damn! Pee quickly, have a bite to eat, and go back into meditation again. And maybe, if you're lucky, you can spend your whole life meditating. Maybe you can join a monastery or a nunnery, or somebody else will take care of all the physical stuff and you get to spend all your time meditating; distracting yourself. So in that sense, meditation can be a distraction.
I think this is one of the reasons why the Buddha thought that concentrative meditation, for all that it was an incredible technique, wasn't a complete technique for enlightenment. If you can distract yourself, you can simply take all your attention and put it somewhere else so there's none left over to go into the suffering thing.
You need to have specific techniques for dealing with what bothers you, and this is where Western knowledge of psychopathology becomes valuable.
"Remembering our arms and legs now". [for readers coming late to this series, the occasional reminder to students to remember their arms and legs is to remind them of the principle technique they have been taught to be more present, more here-and-now, and to practice that technique. Being more here and now helps keep these discussions more real, more concerned with reality, rather than just intellectual exercises]
All we know about classical defense mechanisms; repression, sublimation, rationalization, things like that; these are also ways of dealing with suffering. But again, they don't "solve" the problems. They provide you with a temporary happiness, but they don't solve the root problem, the core of the problem.
So this discussion started from pointing out that spiritual techniques like concentrative meditation can be an incredible accomplishment to get into these jhanas, concentrative states, to get into these incredibly abstracted states. But while you may rationalize that you're working on your spiritual development, it may actually in fact be a kind of spiritual bypass, be a way of trying to not have to deal with the real life problems that you're not very happy with.
Let's keep all of this in mind as we think about the Marc Gafni case.
Holding the broader context allows us to hold him in compassion even while we ask that he not be allowed to work directly with students.
* * * * *
Understanding some of Gafni's history (and this is just speculation based on the pseudo-psych evaluations posted at his own site) he was likely terribly abused as a child, reported left home in his early teens to join a Jewish spiritual community, and probably has never adequately dealt with his childhood pain explains a lot, but it does not justify it.
I'm guessing that this is the wounding I saw in his body when I saw him at the conference.
I don't think that Gafni is intentionally abusive or manipulative - he appears (again, this is my speculation based on his statements and those of others on his blog, among other sources) to be acting out childhood wounding, which likely manifests as a need to be loved and adored (and a profound inability to tolerate rejection), to feel in control (where he had no control over the abuse as a child), very low self-esteem (probably manifesting in narcissistic tendencies toward inflation/deflation of self-concept), and to have power over his fate (low internal locus of control, seeming to always be at the mercy of others, especially in terms of justice - the "fall" in Israel is only partly his fault, for trusting too much, it was more the women's shadow material). These are common patterns for abuse survivors.
* * * * *
As an aside, from everything I understand, Marc is a talented and charismatic teacher. Yet there is no clear reason why Integral Institute and the other integral organizations risk another of his "crash and burns" - by letting him work directly with women - that seem inevitable every five to ten years. He should be allowed to write, post blogs, do videos and audio teachings, but the risks of allowing him to work with students, especially females, is absurdly high.
Tags: ethics, gurus, Psychology, Marc Gafni, Paul J. Goodberg, Reb Zalman Schachter Shalomi, Jean Houston, Joseph H. Berke, Cindy Lou Golin, Kevin Udis, Thomas Meehan, psychological evaluations, abuse, intergenerational trauma, Holocaust Survivors, parents, #itc2010
Suggested ebooks:
Aleister Crowley - Ritual Viii
John Nash - Spirituality And Gender
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Pat Zalewski, much like Nick Farrell, has written that following the closure of the Whare RA temple in 1978, what remains today of the original Golden Dawn is but an exquisite corpse. To this, Pat Zalewksi today added:"In general terms, most of us think that Westcott and Mathers lied their heads off to create a blind of secret chiefs and non existent mysterious temples, and Mathers says as much. All I know for sure is the ciphers work, and that's enough, regardless of where they came from or who delivered them. It's still good to have the early GD history out in the open though, and the deceptions revealed."When Pat Zalewksi writes "most of us" above, he certainly does not speak for anyone from any of the traditionalist Golden Dawn orders, like the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha Omega or the August Order of the Mystic Rose. It is only since the A.O. announced a decade ago (in 2002) that we had reestablished contact with the original Secret Chiefs of the Golden Dawn's Third Order, that G.D. reconstructionists Zalewksi and Farrell began defaming Golden Dawn founders S.L. MacGregor Mathers and W. Wynn Wescott and dismissing the historical evidence without justification for the physical existence of the Golden Dawn's Third Order in Continental Europe as both Wescott and Mathers repeatedly claimed.
To any truly objective observer, there are as many logical fallacies in Zalewski's and Farrell's aggressive G.D. reconstructionist position, as there are holes in Swiss cheese. Above, for example, Zalewksi says that even though the Secret Chiefs of the Third Order are a mere fairy tale, that even though Mathers and Wescott are cheats and liars, and that even though the Golden Dawn was a fraud from the beginning, the rituals and the magical system of the Golden Dawn nonetheless still work.
Grasping for straws, this swiss cheese argument was the best Pat Zalewksi and Nick Farrell could find to justify The Exquisite Corpse Golden Dawn, which they dissect and reconstruct into a headless Golden Dawn zombie, like a hybrid of Frankenstein and the Night of the Living Dead.
What Zalewski does not explain is why the rituals and magical system of the Golden Dawn actually do work so well, if the founders were liars and frauds and the Secret Chiefs but fairy tales. If Mathers was a madman like Farrell claims, then how did Mathers and Wescott come up with something so radically different than anything the world had ever seen before? Read Eliphas Levi and you see clearly what 19th Century occultism actually looked like. Obviously, either Mathers and Wescott were the greatest magical geniuses of our time, or alternatively they must have had outside help.
Ellic Howe does not even attempt explain this. Zalewksi does not explain this at all. Nor does Farrell.
To get an objective, outside opinion from someone with no vested interest in the Golden Dawn, this morning I phoned a respected Elder of a major Pagan tradition, who requested to remain anonymous, yet she said:"The overwhelming historical evidence speaks against these guys. The Golden Dawn is a watershed between the occultism of the 19th and 20th Centuries, something radically different than anything that had ever been seen before. If Mathers was a loon, then where did the genius of the Golden Dawn come from? The only other alternative are the Secret Chiefs, which Zalewksi and Farrell already dismiss as a fairy tail.Why then are Farrell and Zalewski posing as Elders of the Golden Dawn tradition, when in the same breath they attack the Golden Dawn as a fraud? From where I sit as an outside observer this is the height of hypocrisy. Farrell and Zalewski look like a snake oil salesmen defaming the most monumental and revolutionary occult achievement in our times, merely to elevate themselves.I, for one, would not buy a used car from someone like who claims that, while the car itself is o.k., the manufacturer is a fraud and its CEO a rip-off artist!"
BY DAVID GRIFFIN
Keywords: astral travel blog magick circle religion vs science true love spell a love spell black magic free shamanic gifts shamanic gifts shamanic soul retrieval black magic rituals book
OK, Time to take your Astral Projection skill to the next level. Here is a special technique for you. It's called The Etheric Projection Technique. Just follow those 11 steps and have an open mind and enjoy!
Etheric Projection Technique (Etheric projection is tHE STATE OF LEAST SEPARATION FROM YOUR PHYSICAL BODY IN FACT YOU DON'T HAVE TO LEAVE YOUR BODY JUST SIT IN IT AND LOOK THROUGH YOUR CLOSED EYE LIDS.) You can try this technique at anytime but I've found it works on a lazy afternoon or if you set your alarm for an hour before you'd usually get out of bed).
1. The first time you try this you need to BE IN A CERTAIN STATE OF MIND. You have to be in a Zen like state (empty headed) even in a regressive, sleepy (but not really tired) mood. Basically you need to be in a relaxed dreamy state of mind to begin without any stress from an appointment within the next couple of hours.
2. I'm personally lucky (or unlucky) depending on your view point to have a very empty unthinking head :not) but YOU CAN DEEPEN THIS BY LISTENING TO CERTAIN MUSIC FOR HALF N HOUR BEFORE YOU START. I find the band Boards of Canada to be the best at this as they use sample loops that are from childhood, but those mood CD's with whales n sea on the shore n bird songs are the good too.
3. Have a CD on that will balance out the noise you might experience in your chosen room. I use a looped a HEMI-SYNC MP3 CALLED THETA that just sounds like speaker hiss gradually moving in a wave form, this is suppose to produce theta waves in the brain (works for me). Try and use something that your brain cannot recognize and hook into those mood CD's will do just set the volume so its as equal as you can get it to the ambient noise in the room. (Free Hemi-sync Music or Travishartnett music)
4. CHOOSE YOUR BOOK, IT SHOULD BE A CHALLENGING READ but not something that you have to tie your brain in a complete knot to read.
5. Lay down with your book, MAKING SURE THE BODY IS WARM BUT NOT HOT (just get comfy but not so it makes you want to sleep immediately).
6. Read and read but you want to get into a state where the text in the book has promoted your brain to fantasize about a related topic. I find this happens all the time if I'm not careful, I loose focus and slip off into imagining something else. YOU EYES MIGHT BE DROOPING AND IF YOU FEEL THE NEED TO CLOSE THEM DO SO.
7. DON'T SLEEP! as soon as your eyes are closed I want you to "very" gently try to recall the page you were just reading. Imagine that book is still in your hand a few feet from your eyes and you are still reading that page. Don't force it! Don't try to screw up your eyes and see the page. I'd say you were just seeing blackness with flashing colours and formless shapes at this time.
8. DON'T FOCUS ON THE SHAPES AND COLORS KEEP READING THE PAGE IN YOUR MIND, see the type face and if there was a diagram on the page imagine that. All the time keep the feeling that the page is held in your hand away from your face in a normal reading position.
9. This next part will either happen or it won't but if it does YOU'LL NOT REALLY NOTICE FROM ANYTHING FROM 5 TO 60 SECONDS. You'll still be imagining this page and reading it and then you suddenly notice that your not recalling the page from memory anymore your actually seeing the page and the book in seeming complete reality. When you get better you'll notice that at some that this point is like the second eye lid of a lizard or a shark. It just flicks open and your vision becomes crystal clear and bright and you instantly see the page.
10. If you don't loose this due to the shock I'll be surprised, its what always seems to a happen. Your mind is perfectly fine in that 5-60 second period where your seeing the imaginary/real book but as soon as you realize the implications and process all this you shock your self and loose it. DON'T be shocked if you open your eyes when this happens and your blind, IT WILL ONLY LAST FOR A MAXIMUM OF 20SECONDS AND YOUR VISION WILL RETURN (a bit tunnel like from the center to the outside).
11. At the opening of this inner eye(s) you need to keep relaxed and in the same state as before. Don't think too much, stop reading the book and look into your room, turn your head very gently. Note the quality of the light in particular (usually very golden) now you have to try and stand up and leave the room, I use the door but many people like to walk through walls or fly through the ceiling. If like me you have a reasonably logical mind you'll find flying very difficult and walking through walls is like walking through treacle. I can recommend slowly pushing your head through the glass of your window as personally I can see and feel the molecules of my body and the glass move around each other.
12. Things get very odd :not) you've managed to etheric project which you'll be unable to keep focused on and you'll astral project as soon as you leave the room where your body is located.
Suggested ebooks:
Nathan Wood - The Secret Of The Universe
Robert Bruce - Treatise On Astral Projection
Howard Phillips Lovecraft - The Picture In The House
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Over the years, I have not hid my dislike for Andrew Cohen as a guru - based on his writings and videos, I believe he is narcissistic and abusive to students. I have characterized him as an abusive guru. Despite all the really nice and sincere people I have met online who are his students, you could not pay me enough to submit to him as a teacher.
So it was with interest that I read Stas Mavrides's new article at Integral World on Cohen and his own guru, H. W. L. Poonja. Just so we are all clear about this article, Stas is also one of the contributing editors (since 2007) of the online blog, WhatEnlightenment.net, a site devoted to exposing Cohen as the unenlightened person he is, with much of the material coming from former students (of which Stas is one).
With that background, here is the beginning of his article on Cohen:
"I LOVE HIM, I HATE HIM, I LOVE HIM AGAIN"
Devotion, Deception And Opportunism In Andrew Cohen's Re-found Love For His Guru, H.W.L. Poonja
Stas Mavrides
Andrew's response to his guru's criticism of him was to turn around and disparage him.
Those of you who tuned-in to the latest online offering from Andrew Cohen/EnlightenNext on March 26, 2011-Awakening to Your Highest Self-a lengthy guru love-fest billed as his "Gift to the Cosmos," may have been surprised to hear Andrew effusively celebrating his formerly reviled teacher H. W. L. Poonja and their relationship. As a close senior student of Andrew's for 15 years, I know I was. For over a decade while I was in Andrew Cohen's inner circle, the only comments I heard from Andrew about his former Lucknow, India Advaita teacher "Poonja-ji" (also known as "Papaji"), were disparaging, disrespectful and vituperative.
In particular, I and others who were privy to Andrew's thoughts and feelings at the time of Poonja's death in 1997 remember being shocked by Andrew's cold indifference to his teacher's passing. For example, when I conveyed my condolences to Andrew regarding Poonjaji, he replied to me, "It's no skin off my nose." Mimi Katz, Andrew's personal secretary during this period, told me that on learning of Poonja's death she offered her sympathies to Andrew only to have him snap back, "That man means nothing to me now!" Another former close senior student, Harry Dijkshoorn, speaks about Andrew's general attitude toward his guru: "I was closely present at the times of the demise of his relationship with Poonja. There was enormous anger, pain and deep disgust in Andrew towards Poonja for his perceived lies and duplicity. As a close student, I have been witness to Andrew berating Poonja in private countless times, which amounted to Andrew having lost all respect for his Guru. For Andrew to be praising Poonja now without at least mentioning how unbelievably angry he has been with him for so many years, seems to be profoundly hypocritical, to say the least. But in light of Andrew's behavior of the last several years, the blatant denial and lies he has told about events that have clearly taken place, I would be surprised if we suddenly would see a sign of integrity and self-honesty from the man who likes to write declarations of integrity about himself."
Andrew's expressions of extreme disdain for his former guru were not confined to the time of his guru's death or private remarks to close students. He repeatedly expressed in community meetings to his students-at-large his negative assessment of what he perceived as his guru's dishonesty and betrayal of him, and in 1992 published his indictment of Poonja in his book "Autobiography of an Awakening" (Moksha Foundation), which chronicles in detail his split from his guru.
You can read the whole article at Integral World - but I want to include one more quote from the article that demonstrates, I think, the perversion of the dharma that Cohen has taught:
So concerned was Poonja that it became a personal mission of his to help heal the damage that Andrew was causing students. He sent another of his disciples, Gangaji, to follow Andrew around the world and give satsangs wherever Andrew was teaching to try to counter Andrew's twisting of the dharma. Gangaji repeatedly expressed that, in her opinion, Andrew had "landed," i.e. lost his original realization.
But this was more than a philosophical issue. Poonja saw the results of Andrew's positioning himself as a "living Buddha" as being spiritually harmful to his students by demanding uncritical conformity to his wishes and demands, making them followers, or as he put it, "sheep".
Yep, sounds about right.
Tags: gurus, Spirituality, karma, hypocrisy, Andrew Cohen, H.W.L. Poonja, Poonjaji, Stas Mavrides, Integral World, Papaji, Advaita, Devotion, Deception, Opportunism, EnlightenNext, WhatEnlightenment, Gangaji, dharma, twisted
Suggested ebooks:
Dion Fortune - Esoteric Orders And Their Work
John Nash - Spirituality And Gender
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