Beatific Idiocy and Angelic Possession
In our previous conversation about possession, we were concerned chiefly with the problem of a seizure of power within the psychocosmos by predatory forces of an egoistic disposition.
In practice, however, one also encounters the enslavement of the mind by beings that are, in essence, beneficent in a macrocosmic sense, yet quite capable of being profoundly destructive for the microcosmos —angels. And here we are not speaking of the psychocosmos coming to be ruled by its own Elementals — “guardians” — but of an “external” invasion — an Ibbur — differing only in that the usurper is guided not by personal gain, but by certain notions of a “higher good.”
Not infrequently, a person saddened by the spectacle of universal devouring and by the degradation of the manifested universe — more still, by the Qliphothization of our world— asks the “higher powers” to use him as an “instrument in the struggle against evil.” Sometimes those very powers respond, turning him into a bearer of their acts.
Not possessing free will, angels cannot choose their mode of action; they enter a vessel ready to receive them and thus manifest in the otherwise inaccessible “sublunary” world.
We have already said that a human being becomes akin to ministering spirits when he loses the inner conflict — that duality which, for a free being, is simultaneously a road into the abyss and a ladder into the heavens.
Accordingly, a destructive principle is also hidden within a notion so important for the Magus as the integrity of his being. Anyone who strives to go beyond the bounds of the duality of manifestation risks receiving, instead of an integral, an androgyne — and, instead of a creator, becoming a substrate of creation. A Magus who strives for the purity of energies in order to increase the effectiveness of his realizations likewise risks losing the inner difference of potentials and sliding into a ministering position.
However, for “righteous” people — even those who do not call the “heavenly host” into themselves — the danger of such possession is even more real.
Often, religious fanaticism — an irrepressible striving toward “crusades” and “jihads” — is the direct result of precisely such a loss of inner freedom.
In effect, one may speak of possession when the focus of attention shifts from one’s own development to “setting others upon the true Way,” to the urge for missionary work and for “enlightening the lost.” It is not that one should not “enlighten”; it is simply that this “enlightenment” must begin with oneself. Only after acquiring significant positive experience can one share it (without imposing it) with others.
Reality is such that the battle of forces not infrequently turns into intervention, and assistance — into enslavement. Moreover, this is true for both sides: just as Demons by any means strive to secure food for themselves, so too angels are prepared to sacrifice by any means — lives and freedom — in their crystalline striving to “protect” the world from ascending encroachments.
And in precisely the same way as, for the goetic Magus, there is always the danger of picking up an Ibbur of a “Grey” spirit, and for a summoner of the spirits of the principles — to become an instrument of an Elementary, so for a theurgist there is the very real danger of falling under the power of an angelic essence.
Free will, originally and “by definition” inherent to the human level of mind, is by no means an a priori given. Very often, and for various reasons, a being renounces this freedom, becoming a servant of the Parasites of mind, a toy of Demons or angels, or a marionette of the spirits of the Interworld. Therefore one must fight for this primordial and lawful property of one’s nature; and having attained it — endeavor to hold it.
The key to this is that very duality: the conflict, the passion which, on the one hand, so hinders purposeful realizations, yet on the other provides the stimulus for development.
At the same time, the maximal tolerance so necessary to Magi must not turn into indifference — into a lack of concern for others’ falls; yet the striving to help must likewise not turn into an “imposition of salvation.” Only by accepting the absolute primacy of free will, only by valuing this freedom without limit, can one pass through the world-battle without becoming a mercenary — a soldier blindly executing another’s orders, however “beneficent” those orders may seem.
Inspiration and Obsession
Entrances and Exits
Hagith and Dantalion: Enslaving Bliss
Intransigence and Tolerance of the Magus
Magic of the Angels
Confronting Demons
Not to Be a Demon
Symphony of Wills
Well, now it is clear why the preparation of a Mage and their subsequent life are so complex. Constant balancing on the edge of a knife… Only an incredibly well-prepared person can withstand this.
I cannot imagine how one can be so clearly aware of all this… But it is possible based on your example.
How can a theurgist protect themselves from such dangers?
Clarity of thought, Inner purity from the Light, Gray, and Dark (i.e., purity of one’s Self) and unwavering movement towards One’s Goals (specifically one’s own 🙂 )
Absolutely on point). Otherwise, it will turn out that instead of becoming a staff, the center of my universe, and executing my will, I will become a staff in someone else’s hands.
Perhaps, almost all Orthodox and Catholic ascetics can be referred to as those possessed by angels (especially the Catholic ones), such as Bernard of Clairvaux, for example.
Also, cases of angelic possession evidently occur in various modern churches of the charismatic trend – where different miraculous phenomena such as healings, etc., occur. A pastor who (or, more precisely, as he himself claims, through whom) performs miracles is most likely such a possessed person (no matter how the orthodox accuse him of being possessed by demons). And the flock, as a rule, tends to be somewhat unhealthy in appearance – they seem muted and empty.
So that’s why Archangels are called for help in the RHP, but are not invited into the Circle.
In general, there is no difficulty when everything is perceived as a Game. However, balancing is on point.
An ambiguous article.
1. How to combine this (https://en.enmerkar.com/magus-way/ne-byt-demonom, comments): “An angel is any being that helps to maintain the evolutionary status of another being or system” with this: “angels are willing to sacrifice any means, lives, freedom in their crystalline desire to ‘protect’ the world from rising encroachment.”?
2. Frater_K.B,V writes: “Almost all Orthodox and Catholic ascetics can be classified as angelically possessed.” This implies that these ascetics have no merits of their own. Yet people performing prayerful, ascetic feats, and especially martyrs for faith, surpass ANY magician by several flights of stairs; Baal won’t dare ignore them.
Another point: “no matter how the orthodox accuse him of being possessed by demons.” Why not by demons? 🙂 Performing miracles is not a sign of grace, especially “And the flock, as a rule, appears somewhat unhealthy” – symptomatic.
3. “You can speak of possession when the focus shifts from one’s own development to the ‘guidance on the true path’ by others, striving for missionary work and ‘enlightening the lost.'” This is merely a characteristic Western, expansive manner of interacting with reality (in this case, in a spiritual aspect), contrasting with the introverted ascetics of the East. What do angels have to do with it? Although, of course, it’s more comfortable for us without jihads.
It is very easy to reconcile. Angels uphold the world in its ‘legitimate’ position, support its strengthening and materialization, and prevent the thinning of the Barrier and ‘excessive’ development in every possible way.
The loss of personal inner polarity and balance of poles leads to the loss of POWER. To perform actions in this situation, a person develops an attitude towards surrounding reality as an external pole. Therefore, a super-righteous person (just like a super-sinner) mourns the world’s imperfection, and perceiving it as an external pole receives a flow of POWER. However, this power is ALWAYS unidirectional and lacks multiple REALIZATIONAL components. Hence the moralizing and messianism, as a desire to find a difference in potentials between dark-white and light-white (black-black and light-black).
While the MAGE always strives to maintain balance within themselves and the multitude of poles, as well as a multiple perspective on these poles. The MAGE sees all spectrums of white and all spectrums of black, freely mixing them while maintaining BALANCE, both in the principle of selecting poles and in the principle of partnership (sacrifice).
A MAGE temporarily losing balance and turning to human unipolarity immediately receives the opposite pole in the surrounding world in the form of REACTION or the external force of the opposite direction that meets them on their path and strives to restore balance and create the opposite pole.