The Use of Power
One of the most serious misconceptions that hinders both Magi in their progress and non-Magi in their understanding of Magic is the idea of Power as a substance.
On the one hand, Magi who try to accumulate Power the way one accumulates matter become prisoners of Power, not its masters. On the other hand, people standing on the threshold of Magic do not always understand why one must accumulate anything at all if the Magus declares an aspiration to freedom.
We have already said many times that a clear perception of the nature of Power shows that it is not a substance, but a quality, a property, or — more precisely — an ability.
Accordingly, both the accumulation and the use of Power do not occur the way one accumulates or uses objects or substances.
Since all of Magic’s attention is focused on the accumulation of “personal” Power, or the Power of awareness, it is obvious that the expression “to accumulate Power” is identical to the expression “to develop awareness,” that is — to expand its capacity to describe the interaction of energies and to act on the basis of this expanded description.
If it is relatively easy to understand how one can accumulate awareness, it is far harder to grasp what Magi mean by the “use” of Power.
As we have already discussed, the development of awareness proceeds not in a straight line, not as steady progress, but as a series of ascents and descents.
Accordingly, to rise to a higher peak, the mind must from time to time lower the level of its syntheticity, let go of certain concepts, destroy established notions.
It is precisely this “lowering” of the mind — when an understanding that previously seemed complete diminishes or even slips away altogether — that is called the “expenditure of Power.” And the expenditure of Power, consciously undertaken for its increase — that is, conscious “molting,” the renewal of the mind — is the “use of Power.”
And then it becomes clear why “Power grows through use.”
For the use of Power is an action performed with high awareness; it is, in itself, a manifestation of the Power of awareness.
Let us emphasize once again: it is precisely the awareness of any action that leads to an increase in Power; and conversely, the more aware an action is, the more it contributes to the growth of Power.
Accordingly, the mindful “descent” of the mind leads to a further, even greater ascent, and the plasticity of the Magus’s mind — its lack of bias and non-attachment to any concepts — is a necessary condition for accumulating Power.
Another aspect of the use of Power is accelerating its translation from a potential form — Vital Power — into an actual one — the Power of awareness.
Accordingly, not infrequently, “the use of Power” in this case means the expenditure of vital energy directed toward the increase of awareness.
In this sense, the entire life of a Magus is the use of Power; but the more awareness expands with the expenditure of a smaller amount of vital energy, the more effectively the Magus exists.
And the most effective way of translating Vital Power into the Power of awareness in Magic is considered to be the Ritual — a microcosmic imitation of macrocosmic processes.
In this sense, Ritual in the most general sense is aimed precisely at the maximum expansion of awareness with minimal expenditure of Vital Power; and that “change of reality” which it provides is, in essence, only a change in the description of the character of the interaction of energies, made possible by an increase in the level of awareness.
In any case, the necessary and sufficient condition for the growth of Power — that is, on the one hand, the expansion of the perception of reality, and on the other, an increase in the controllability of this reality — is maximal awareness of the Magus’s own actions. The more the Magus controls himself and his manifestations, the more the “rest” of reality falls under his control as well.
Magi and Power
Interaction with Power
Induction of Power
Ordering the Power
Power, Will, and Energy
Is Power Always the Highest Value?
Power in Places and Objects
Vector of Power
“The more a magician controls himself and his manifestations, the more the ‘rest’ of reality is under his control.” – very valuable words in my opinion 🙂 Without self-discipline, you won’t get far 🙂
I strongly agree with everything that has been said above, although it is hard for those who are not familiar with the process to grasp. But sometimes you want to contradict yourself and just observe without applying effort. We created it ourselves, we study it ourselves, we balance it ourselves – it’s difficult…
Is the transformation of life force into the force of awareness possible at lower levels, say in trees?
“Of course, at all levels this is synonymous with existence.”
It’s hard to imagine what kind of ‘place’ awareness occurs in a worm, tree, or rock. We somehow tend to associate awareness with consciousness, and by default, we place consciousness in the human brain.
Perhaps the gods have such an organ, which “works wonders,” but we only have rudimentary “creative systems” ))
The use of the Force as such, which is quite understandable, occurs as awareness expands. However, the accumulation of the Force, in my view, is not quite correct, so to speak. If something accumulates (money, for example) and can then be invested, say, in real estate—then accumulating the Force “just to have it” is somehow energy-consuming. But to possess the Force and use it in accordance with a specific task, using just as much as needed—that is a different matter.
“What method does the parasite of consciousness use to feed on this Force?”
The parasite feeds not on the Force, but on activated life energy.
Yes, and again – I agree with many of the postulates, almost down to every punctuation mark 🙂