Solve et coagula
In order to cast off the veil of ignorance and realize himself as a self-aware consciousness, a Magus must clearly and harmoniously alternate, combine on his Way periods of creation and destruction.
And although at first glance this seems entirely clear, in practice we very often encounter either excessive immersion in dissolution or — excessive clumping.
Indeed: the monastic Way — the Way of clearing the flow of mind and freeing it from destructive influences — carries a serious danger of sliding into the abyss of rejecting the cosmos as a regrettable mistake unworthy of attention. And however great the successes in clearing the channel, with such an error it ultimately turns out that along this perfectly clean and smooth channel there is simply nothing left to flow through.
The other extreme — a “creative” existence, an obsession with accumulating entities, a “positive” approach carried away by empty experience — turns the mind into a fanciful heap of images, a “house of chimeras” from which finding an exit proves almost impossible.
Magic seeks to combine Hu and Siu so that the Traveler can, on the one hand, remove impediments and plug holes within himself, and on the other hand develop his creative component and constructive capacities. Any well-developed system of Magic includes both of these components. For example, Goetia, on the one hand, must unquestionably contribute to the purification of the mind, since identifying those “hooks” by which Demons latch onto, those weaknesses and vices they exploit, becomes considerably easier when one meets the enemy face to face. Resistance to the darkness is substantially eased when one understands precisely who and what must be opposed. Of course, contact with darkness is always dangerous and fraught with the risk of falling, but the risk can be justified by a sober assessment of oneself and what is happening. On the other hand, any goetic act is an act of creation, for the Magus continuously refines his techniques, hones and polishes them, to both increase their effectiveness and protect himself. Thus, with an honest approach the goetic Magus both perfects himself — cleansing himself of vices and becoming ever less accessible to his Demons — and creates, bringing into the world new keys (and new locks) to the Gates of Power. An equally striking example is Runic Magic. The Runes, on the one hand, awaken mighty creative forces in Eril. Directing his will along their vectors, the Runes organize the mind, ordering it, creating within it currents that lead to new summits of achievement. Runic creativity is one of the most formative influences on the mind, and the Runic Magus, like a musician or composer, plays the great strings of the cosmos. On the other hand, the Runes demand not only the highest level of inspiration but also a serious understanding of their nature and direction of their effect. Any clog in the flow of mind manifests itself immediately in amplified form in the Runic stream generated by that mind. By analyzing mistakes in his realizations, Eril can clearly confront his own limitations and problems, thereby gaining the opportunity to eradicate them effectively. Whatever Way a Magus walks, he must not lose the balance between creativity and purification, although sometimes it seems they imply one another; in reality, this combination requires control. It is often said that creativity “cleanses itself,” and that working on oneself is always “creative,” but there is danger in relying on such automatic change. Self-control, self-inspection, and the refusal to sink into indulgent, degrading actions are always necessary on the Way of Magic. On the one hand, every action — whether a creative act or an act to eradicate a destructive force — must be carried through to completion; but on the other hand, actions must not become obsessions, must not deprive one of freedom, and must not turn from a means of the Way into its goal. A Magus must not tumble into the abyss of self-destruction, nor into the void of senseless activity, however attractive the emptiness or however multicolored the illusion may appear.
I don’t have any questions for now, but I have two observations. First, the problem is that when operating with concepts of higher significance (truth, fate, etc.), people often just make sounds, that is, philosophize. Sometimes it’s worth coming down a little from the heavens to the earth and thinking about what you can actually do, that is, about specific things, not abstract concepts.
Secondly, speaking of purification and creativity, I think about the following – we cannot create something out of nothing, right? People think they can, but in reality, they cannot. And the inspiration that comes to someone is probably not the merit of the person as such, but a matter of their participation in some element. Suppose someone feels good in their soul, and they carry that joy into their creative work. But they cannot intentionally induce that “good” – no matter how hard they try. Children engage in creativity because they are sincere and are not about accumulating. The past and future do not matter much to them, and when they do something, they do it completely, without being distracted by conventions. In the consciousness of an adult, there is often a barrier between them and the world, which causes them to think and act a certain way, not otherwise. An adult is a god and absolute to themselves; they always know what is right and what is wrong, their consciousness is already filled with stereotypes and frameworks. They are lost to the new, and they strive to subjugate life to their will, to make it predictable and subject to rules. A rule here, a rule there – and reality already seems understandable, it can already be managed. But this attitude towards life deprives it of a great deal because it completely excludes the unknown variable – the one that will not manifest itself in 9999 situations but will manifest in 1. A life subject to laws is dull and joyless since everything is already known and determined in advance. Your role in society, your behavioral reactions, and your worldview with your world perception – all of this is already prescribed and measured by the invisible hand of Maya. The only thing that can change this state of affairs, the only thing that can save, is a strong desire to break free from the chains of causality, the cessation of the mind’s activity. And even in that case, a person only frees themselves from shortcomings but does not gain merits.
P.S.: Yes, the first observation is indeed applicable to the second, it is so 🙂
“But intentionally causing this ‘good’ is something he cannot do – no matter how hard he tries.”
A regular person obviously cannot. Psychologists can a bit – they know some methods to improve moral-psychological states. Magicians can do even more. In particular, I perceive this as shifting the point of attention by blocking interfering thoughts, feelings, and emotions and launching the needed ones. Pros with whom I communicate say they can arbitrarily shift their assemblage point (AP) – then “everything” changes inside in seconds.
Hello!
I apologize for the slight off-topic, but I feel the need to ask you, esteemed En Merkar, about something.
Recently, our mentor has been very concerned about some ‘transition’ to a new world that is supposed to happen in about six months. After which it is expected that almost the entire population will somehow perish or transition to this very world.
I have no reason to doubt his honesty; still, everyone sees everything in their own way.
I ask you to share your thoughts on this matter, preferably by email.
I would be grateful. Respectfully, Alexander.
Hello! Each of us lives in our own world, and where one transitions or does not transition depends on their own consciousness. As for various eschatological expectations – I am skeptical about them.
The greatest value and difference between people and other beings is that people can generate ideas. This is what makes our world unique. Can a person who feels bad suddenly create “good”? Yes. This is just emotion training, monitoring, and control.
“People generally hope to extract from accessible materials and concentrate something of the greatest value. Undoubtedly, this can be done, but those who are able to do so are distinguished from those who merely believe they can by their ability. Ability implies not only the skill to create concentration and produce extraction. It also implies knowing what to extract and how to concentrate. The teachings of all sages, if concentrated correctly or, to be more precise, incorrectly, will become poison. If you separate some one element from another and take too much of any element, you will suffer.”
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Idris Shah “Knowing how to know”