QFS Journal Article
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QFS Journal Article
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MAGICK AND RITUAL AS A FALSE SYSTEM OF ESOTERIC WORK by Anthony Hargan This particular third density STS world that we all happen to inhabit at this time offers truly a cornucopia of religions, philosophies and belief systems that keep one away from the Truth that IS. There is something for everybody, for every seeker of every size, shape and disposition. It's a shopping cart of spiritual drugs that keeps one "hooked" and prevents the objective Truth from entering into the picture. They keep one's awareness level low to non-existent and that suits the hyperdimensional kingpins just fine. In fact, these systems of spiritual imprisonment are the direct product of fourth density STS. Among all of these systems, perhaps one of the more insidious of them is the "art and science" of magick. The spelling of magick used here was made popular by Aleister Crowley. The k on the end signifies its essential difference from stage magic, though its spiritual tricks of sleight of hand are no less spectacular and deceptive. This essay refers specifically to the system of magick labeled "High Magick" as taught by The Golden Dawn and Aleister Crowley. Most people shy away from magick out of ignorance, thinking only of the popularized image of a white-bearded magician in blue robes studded with white stars. The idea seems too much like fantasy for the pragmatic seeker. Others are actually attracted by the image but soon become disenfranchised when they find out there is real work involved in magick. And still many others are not bothered one bit by the idea of work as long as they can keep the real work down to just an idea for themselves and still hoodwink followers into thinking they have great magickal power. And then there are a very few who are honest seekers of Truth and they wade through the ignorance and nonsense to approach magick with reverence and humility. It is these last few that this work has been especially written for, as well as for the general education of those who are interested. This author was one of those earnest seekers who came to the doors of the secret schools of magick and humbly but surely knocked in hopes of being admitted to a true path of Ascension. I studied hard and long, trying to find the answers to the questions that emanated from the core of my being. I plumbed the depths of so-called esoteric magickal knowledge and I gained an understanding of the "art and science" of magick that few people have the patience to acquire. Having recently realized the true, deceptive nature of magick, I write this as a warning to those who have embraced magick in earnest. Seeker beware. A brief explanation of magick Magick is predicated on the notion that there are forces and intelligences beyond our normal physical understanding and perceptions. Primarily the forces of nature and the "natural" elements (fire, water, air, earth, and spirit) are utilized, but other spiritual intelligences and hierarchies such as angels, archangels and demons figure prominently into the mix. Magick holds that there is a mystical structure to reality being mostly determined by the evocative kabbalistic glyph called the Tree of Life. Everything that exists, to include man, the Earth, animals, plants, minerals, energy, forces, elements, angels, and demons, etc., all have their place on the cosmic Tree of Life according to a divine plan of organization and categorization as expounded by the kabbalists. Magick also claims to adhere to the hermetic maxim "As above, So below". The Greek microcosmos within the macrocosmos. Man himself being the microcosm within the macrocosm of the magickal cosmos. And both of these entities in turn are structured around the Tree of Life as a template. Ritual is the primary mode of operation in magick. Arguably, no other religion or philosophy has a more complex and rigorous system of rituals as magick. Magickal rituals are constructed according to a great number of supposedly ancient and esoteric rules and laws. These rules and laws are themselves presumably based on natural processes and natural laws regarding the way the cosmos works and how its component parts relate to each other. Some authors of magick have explained in great detail the natural laws that the student of magick must adhere to in order to perform a successful ritual. More will be said about ritual later, but for our purposes now, it is only important that one understand that a magickian performs a ritual for the purpose of bringing about a desired effect. Note that this effect is not necessarily in the outside world. In fact, the most potent rituals involve only the "inner world" of the magickian himself. This last idea is often surprising to the uninformed because of the prevailing exoteric notion that magickal ritual is only for causing changes in the outer world.Types of magick Most people are used to the idea of two basic "types" of magick - black and white magick. Some authors and so-called adepts have introduced other systems of magick that include a third, fourth, or numerous other "types" of magick. Primarily, though, magick can be categorized according to two types: black and white. The definition of black magick matches fairly closely the popular notion of that type of magick. Black magick is the use of "magick forces" and ritual to bring undeserved material and psychic gains to the practitioner or to harm or destroy someone or something external to the practitioner. By saying "undeserved", this is referring to material and psychic gains that were not worked for except by ritual. Anyone who works for what they want or need rightly "deserves" them in simplistic terms, though they do not always receive them. Black magick is the shortcut to real work for material gain and malicious intent. It is necessarily extremely selfish in nature. When black magick is used against another to harm or manipulate, the reasons for wanting to harm another are almost always selfish in nature to begin with. Black magick is the use of magick for purely selfish and usually physical or psychic reasons. White magick, on the other hand, is almost nothing like the popularly held vision of this type. Most people assume that white magick is the opposite of black magick in the false dichotomy of selfish versus unselfish. In fact, white magick could be said to be "selfish" in the sense that it uses magick for the purposes of developing the spirituality of the practitioner. White magick is NOT the use of magick for helping other people, though there certainly are authors who present things this way. A few authors, notably Donald Michael Kraig, describe a third "type" of magick - grey magick. This kind of magick uses "magick forces" and ritual to effect changes in the external world, but with an added caveat that the operation must not cause harm to either the practitioner nor any other. And also, this type of magick should be done in the spirit of providing for the essential worldly needs of the practitioner, not for the aggrandizement of the practitioner's selfish desires. The flaws in the definition of this type of magick is that it still indicates a shortcut in lieu of real work and it cannot guarantee that any operation will not, in fact, have unforeseen consequences on the practitioner or others that would be considered harmful. Thus it seems that grey magick is actually a justification by "white magickians" to use black magick for some kind of material gain, even that of a presumably humble nature. What's wrong with a shortcut? An honest and understandable question. Much has been written about using shortcuts for personal gain and particularly spiritual gain. In fact, anyone who chooses to follow the path outlined by Gurdjieff and Mouravieff, as well as the Cassiopaeans and the Quantum Future School, must resist spiritual shortcuts with all their strength of will. But why? Magick uses one of the more dangerous forms of shortcut, ritual and ceremony. A magickian is trained to perform rituals and ceremonies that allegedly work by effecting the subtle energies in the astral plane. In white magick, these rituals are supposed to bring spiritual enlightenment and union with the divine. Rituals are encouraged for one's spiritual growth instead of hard and honest work on one's self. Some authors of magick hold in contempt systems that require hard work on one's self, saying instead that magickal ritual is infinitely more effective and "verifiably" quicker than other systems. The danger comes with the fact that we here in third density know very little about fourth density. In trying to manipulate fourth density energies without understanding the implications of doing so, we open ourselves up to all kinds of unforeseen consequences, some of them quite serious. The foremost danger is that a fourth density entity can hijack one's efforts and instead manipulate the practitioner. In particular, this kind of manipulation can be used to dupe the practitioner into giving up her free will to the fourth density entity. Thus, by using ritual as a shortcut to manipulate fourth density energies instead of doing real work in third density, magick is leading the would-be practitioner down the STS path. And attempts to manipulate fourth density energies also constitute a denial that the reason we exist here in third density is to learn the lessons made available to us by being in third density. To attempt to jump right to fourth density while still in third density is like letting a toddler play with fireworks. Efforts will either fizzle out to the dismay of the practitioner, or explode in one's face causing possibly very serious harm. It is in answering the question about magick and ritual as shortcuts that one arrives at the idea that white magick may in fact be more insidious, deceptive, and dangerous than black magick. Black magick is obvious. It is, perhaps paradoxically and ironically, honest in its definition and goals. Most people can look at black magick and see that it is intended for ill gain and harmful intentions. Any who decide to walk down the black path know ahead of time the earthly treasures that await, and ultimately, the price to be paid, though the black magickian is often tricked into believing that the price can be dodged if one has enough power. But white magick is promulgated as a system of enlightenment, a system of spiritual vitality and growth. It is taught as a method of developing one's relationship with one's soul. In fact, white magick is a ritualistic shortcut. Practitioners of the white path believe that their system is a shortcut to spirit, but in fact it is a shortcut to STS oblivion. The rest of this essay will be devoted to arguing this most important point. We will start with ritual in specific. Ritual So what exactly is the problem with ritual? This question nagged at me from day one of discovering the Cassiopaean material and Laura's work. I can now say that the answer was not easy to find. I can't point to any one particular line in the transcripts or even in Laura's writings and say, "Oh, that's why ritual is bad." The answer lies in many fundamental understandings that Laura, Ark, and others have figured out with help from the Cassiopaeans. We have heard from the Cassiopaeans that "ritual restricts" and "ritual drains to 4th Density STS" and a few other things like this. But why? Exactly how does that work? And why should we be concerned about it? I will now attempt to tackle this issue. ALL rituals presuppose a "fixed" result in the future based on the rationale and reasonings of our 3rd Density, linear minds. This is obvious when you consider rituals or "spells" that are intended to bring something to you, such as a new car, or a good job, or a true love, etc. Perceiving an intended fixed result in some other types of ritual is not as easy, such as rituals intended to bring one "closer to the goddess consciousness" or in tune with the "planetary consciousness of Jupiter", etc. On the surface, these kinds of rituals appear to be open because the practitioner is "opening" herself to the specific energies or consciousness being invoked. The word "specific" in the previous sentence is the key here, that is where a "fixed result" comes into play with these kinds of rituals. One is not performing that kind of ritual to be open to just ANY energy or consciousness, but is instead confining the result to being to open to only a SPECIFIC kind of energy or consciousness, thus the limitation. Here we enter the realm of anticipation. Performing a ritual with a fixed result in mind is the same as anticipating a particular or limited outcome.
The future appears to be fluid and highly variable. Nothing is "set" in time, per se. The past, the present, and the future can all change unpredictably with the alteration of even just one tiny variable. We have been told that STO perceives things objectively as they are, not as they wish to see things, and that STO goes with the natural flow of events. We have also been told that STS is limited in perception by its own wishful thinking, and that STS constantly tries to stack the odds in favor of itself by artificially altering events and situations. From this understanding, we can easily see what is going on with ritual. Rituals use non-natural (ie. artificial) means to "stack the odds" in favor of a fixed future result. Rituals try to artificially alter the fluid reality of the future so that the practitioner can deal with only the things he wants to deal with instead of developing the skills and abilities necessary to perceive things as they naturally occur in time and space and deal with them appropriately. One major flaw in the wishful thinking of STS is that it thinks it can predictably change the probabilities of some possibilities in the future, that it can "set" certain things definitely in time. The reality seems to be quite the opposite. The results of small changes are not predictable, hence the statements by the Cassiopaeans that the STS plans will ultimately fail and the "glitches" in the Matrix Control System. STS chooses to believe that it can predict the results of changes thereby justifying its attempts to alter things. Whereas STO sees that it cannot act to bring about a particular outcome in the future, but it can act in "present time" according to the nature of events and situations in the present without anticipation of future outcome. STS deals with the future which is fluid and variable, and STO deals with the present. Rituals constitute an action with the intent of anticipating a particular and predictable outcome in the future. Rituals constitute wishful thinking instead of objective observation and action in "present time". Rituals close one off from the possibilities of ALL because the practitioner desires a particular outcome instead of what the universe has already arranged. This is the meaning of "ritual restricts". Performing a ritual requires energy from the practitioner in one form or another and because ritual is STS by nature, the energy is usurped according to the hierarchy of STS in place relative to the practitioner. This is the nature of STS, a hierarchy where relatively lower echelons feed energy "up" to relatively higher echelons. In our current reality, the 4th Density STS lizard beings are higher up the hierarchy relative to us. This is why ritual drains to 4th Density lizards. Protection rituals deserve special consideration here. Laura has written this:
This begs the question, "Do protection rituals count as being 'closed and protected' to negative occurrences?" At first glance, this question seems to be a tricky one. Being "anticipatory" with regard to negative occurrences and influences implies obtaining a knowledge of same. Only by gaining an awareness and understanding of the specific nature of possible attacks and negative occurrences can we properly and intentionally take the specific actions in third density necessary to protect against them. Thus there is no "protect-all" action or ritual that can protect from all possible attacks and negative occurrences, other than possibly knowledge of all modes of attack. Yet most protection rituals are designed with that kind of "protect-all", no-knowledge psychic armor in mind. The Cassiopaeans have said: Just remember that anticipation is the "mother of preparation," and defense. Notice again how we are encouraged to "Know" specific modes of attack and their counteractions. The key here seems to be "preparation", prepare with knowledge. Knowledge Protects! If you know about the attack and how to defend against it, then you don't need a protection ritual. And, of course, there will be times when one encounters attacks that one has no knowledge of. Here we invoke the Cassiopaeans again, "All there is is lessons". By encountering the new type of attack one has learned about the attack and how to protect against it. The learning seems to be the key here. If all one does is perform protection rituals all the time, how does one learn about the different attacks and how to protect against them? Of course, you don't. For STO candidates, learning the lessons here in third density, to include lessons about attacks, appears to be the goal of being in third density in order to graduate to fourth density. So why hold yourself back a grade with rituals? What is magick really? Now we will touch on the larger aspect of magick. Let me begin this part by quoting from Israel Regardie, a student of Aleister Crowley and Golden Dawn member, in his essay "The Art and Meaning of Magic" his definition of magick:
Notice right away the hook, a promise of "spiritual culture and development". An uninformed but serious seeker might stumble upon this definition and give more credence to this system than is justified because of the stated goal of magick, nothing less than making the aspirant a "worthy vehicle of Divine Light". Sounds pretty good, huh? Mr. Regardie also gives us a basic explanation for how the "techniques" of magick bring about the promised change in the seeker. Let us examine the system of techniques in detail to see what we might see. Some fundamental flaws of magick As with most systems of thought, magick fails to make mention of some of the fundamental properties of our selves and our reality. This failing, of course, leads to an improper context and understanding of the essential nature of many elements in our world. This in turn leads to many errors of conception and thus the very foundation of magickal thought is corrupted from the outset. Magickal esotericism recognizes that our reality has a "reality behind the reality". Much talk is made of the so-called Astral plane and its denizens. This plane is thought to be composed of "finer" energies and matter than the physical world and it is super-imposed in space and time over the realm of the physical. Every physical thing has a connected Astral counterpart that can be affected directly from the Astral plane, especially living creatures. There are a few disciplines in magick that deal either with directly travelling in the Astral realms or sensing Astral energies and beings while the observer is still in the physical realm. Many magick rituals are presumed to manipulate these Astral energies to propagate changes "down" to the physical world. The Astral realms are analogous to our current understandings of 4th Density, but they differ in one very important way. The seven different densities described by the Cassiopaeans can be thought of as a spectrum of consciousness with 1st Density being a pure lack of consciousness, or sleeping consciousness, and 7th Density a state of pure consciousness with all the other densities falling in between on a scale where the "higher" densities are expressed in a state of more consciousness relative to "lower" densities. Magick does not make this distinction of consciousness with regards to the Astral realms, though there are some interesting correlations between densities and the planes of existence described in magick. For instance, the Astral plane is considered the realm of illusion where each thought of imagination becomes a reality for the thinker. This idea is very similar to the concepts of variability of physicality in 4th Density as explained by the Cassiopaeans. Also, magick talks about a mental plane of pure thought which is assumed to exist "beyond" or "higher than" the Astral realms. This mental plane seems similar to the concept of 6th Density. And finally, in magick there is a realm of pure "spirit" or unity beyond the mental plane which corresponds loosely with 7th Density. Magick does not really address the notion of a "plane of recycling" such as 5th Density, though there is the Abyss from kaballah and Enochian philosophy that roughly corresponds to 5th Density. Also, magickal philosophy lumps first through third densities into the "plane of physicality" without making much distinction between them. Magick does not bring consciousness into the equation concerning the ideas of the planes of existence. The Astral realm is a realm of imagination and emotion and illusion, while the mental plane is a plane consisting only of thoughts and the plane of spirit is the ineffable and ultimate plane of God beyond time, space, and thought. No where are these realms regarded in terms of gradations of understanding, knowledge, and awareness. And while there is some idea of two currents of energy flow in the universe, they are expressed in terms of physicality vs. spirituality instead of STS vs. STO. This last discrepancy has some special consequences. STS and STO are harmoniously balanced concepts that involve
the complex interplay of the tiered hierarchy of STS and the heterarchical
network of STO. These two energy flows combine in each density from 2nd
to 6th with STO flowing "upward" toward 7th and STS flowing
"downward" toward 1st. No density from 2nd to 6th is considered
to have "more" of STS vs. STO or vice versa, they are in dynamic
balance. There is no direct correlation between density and direction
of energy flow (ie. STS or STO). When we look at those who are inclined toward spirituality and immortality, at first we seem to see something entirely different occurring with these individuals. This group speaks in lofty tones about dedicating their mortal selves in service to the "higher self" by engaging in time-consuming and costly rituals designed for this purpose. In fact, rituals are a shortcut motivated by wishful thinking and elitism. This group of individuals seek to "horde" spiritual power for themselves. Their is no concept of an open network of people in white magick, sharing lessons and experiences and knowledge thereby assisting the esoteric growth of all parties involved. Instead either a progressive hierarchy relationship dominates the flow of energies in white magick, or an everybody-for-themselves mentality. This path will, indeed, increase the consciousness and awareness of the practitioner if perseverance is practiced, but the individual will raise to the next density as an STS being. Letting go of the mortal self does not necessarily equate with STO. In short, the concept of Service To Others does not exist in magick, white magick is just another form of STS. A lack of proper consideration for the hyperdimensional aspect of our reality and an acute ignorance of STO vs. STS concepts in magick obviously precludes the existence of the idea of 4th Density overseers controlling our world. There is mention of demons and "lower" spirit entities, but not in the sense of an over-arching system of control over humanity. Hence, magick is blind to the control mechanisms put in place to dominate our every move and thought, as well as the constant drain of energy from each individual human being. Magick does not recognize the prison of illusion carefully constructed by our hyperdimensional controllers that we find ourselves incarcerated in and thus followers of magick are doomed to suffer the deceptions of the Lizard beings and stay under their yoke of domination. Detailed analysis of the major parts of magick Israel Regardie describes four main components to the system of magick according to the Golden Dawn. First, there is the practice of divination primarily in the forms of tarot readings, Geomancy, and astrology. Divination is thought to enhance the intuition and self-knowledge of the practitioner. Second, the methods of evoking entities from the spirit realms and gazing into the inner realms are intended for equilibrating the different psychological aspects of the lower self. Thirdly, the invocation of god-forms and spiritual forces into the practitioner is thought to spiritually strengthen the soul and bring about contact with one's higher nature. And last, initiation rituals presumably provide a spiritual "boost" to the aspirant along the path toward spirit. Each of these components have special considerations and effects in light of the Cassiopaean material. Divination Regardie has this to say about divination: "[...] the practice of divination when conducted aright has as its objective the development of the inner psychic faculty of intuition. [...] When carried on for a sufficiently long period of time, the practice builds slowly but efficiently a species of bridge between the consciousness of man and that deeper hidden part of his psyche of which usually he is not aware - the unconscious, or higher self. In these deeper spiritual aspects of his nature are the divine roots of discrimination, spiritual discernment, and lofty wisdom." I hope the reader has caught what Mr. Regardie is saying above; he is saying that interpreting a deck of cards with symbols on them, or lines in the sand (Geomancy), or the positions of planets and stars is equivalent to the practices of discernment, perspicacity and "thinking with a hammer". In fact, we are to use divination to develop our "psychic faculty of intuition". Nevermind that reality appears to be fluid and non-deterministic with respect to the future (which throws divinatory predictions out the window). Nevermind that interpreting divinatory readings has nothing to do with facts and real observations and real research. Nevermind that in this reality we must rely on more than just our intuition to make progress along the path of esoteric development. And nevermind that the 4th Density STS controllers would love to have us all listen to a (projected from 4D) "voice within" that tells us what to think and how to see the world instead of thinking with a hammer and researching facts and putting the pieces of the puzzle together with real thought and real effort. Divination is highly subject to the ravages of wishful thinking and subjective pre-conceptions if practiced by itself. The "diviner" can see what he wants and validate his viewpoint as intuition. While it seems to be true that some people do have a very developed sense of intuition, this must always be checked with external observation and research. Humans are too vulnerable to outside influences and internal distortion. Indeed, Regardie gives us a clue to this when he writes: "The object of divination is quite simply, then, the construction of a psychic mechanism whereby this source of inspiration and life may be made accessible to the ordinary consciousness, to the ego." We know quite well that Man's ego is very prone to wishful thinking and only seeing what it wants to see. What criteria should be used to distinguish between our internal intuition and external influence that seems like internal intuition and our ego's own wishful thinking? And how can our selves or any others be able to have any faith in our intuition if we cannot support it with facts and research or even fair reasoning? More importantly, why should our selves or any others have faith in our intuition if we don't even make the effort to research our intuitive findings? It should be noted that no real facts or research come into play in the practice of divination making the results completely relative and subjective unless subjected to verification and correlation with other knowledge. In short, divination does not by itself lead to useful, objective knowledge or understanding of self or anything else. It does not by itself develop in the diviner the keen ability of objective discernment, in fact, the opposite is developed - a lazy dependence on "intuition" (or wishful thinking). There is no hard work involved. This presents a danger to the diviner as it encourages wishful thinking and the absorption of false/subjective information instead of objective truth. Perhaps it would be useful to heed the Cassiopaean's warnings here that no knowledge is better than false knowledge. Evocation It is with this particular discipline that we enter one of the more dangerous aspects of magick. Using some or another form of divination to gain "self-knowledge" through intuition, the practitioner will have identified aspects of his character and psyche that are deficient, if not outright damaged. Magick borrows here from modern psychological theory the idea of complexes. These complexes of personality are said to have the characteristics of individual entities and magick uses this rationale to define them as "astral spirits". These "possessing spirits" are then evoked into physical form and commanded to "let there be peace between me and thee. And be thou ever ready to come and obey my will, whether it be by a ceremony or but by a gesture." This process, according to magickal theory, is the process whereby one can start to equilibrate the defective portions of one's internal psychology. We will use Regardie's own words here to define the idea of complexes. "The term 'complexes' has achieved a fairly wide notoriety during the last quarter of a century since the circulation of the theories of Freud and Jung. It means an aggregation or group of ideas in the mind with a strong emotional charge, capable of influencing conscious thought and behaviour. [...] Over and above this definition, however, is the more subtle one of a group of ideas or feelings congregating about a significant or dominant psychic theme, such as sex or the need to overcome inferior feelings, or some psychic wound of childhood, typing or locking up nervous energy. Thus, as a result of repression, we may find a complex of which the possessor is totally unconscious - a complex expressing itself in a sense of insecurity, obsession or morbid unreasonable fears, and persistent anxiety. Moreover, a constellation of feelings and moods and emotional reactions may exist which have become so powerful and yet so obnoxious to reason as to have become completely split off from the main stream of the personality. What modern psychology calls a complex in this sense, the ancient psychology of Magic[k], which had its own system of classification and nomenclature, named a Spirit." Regardie mentions the analytical method of modern psychology for dealing with these complexes:
Then Regardie points out a different method for dealing with these complexes, the process of evocation. Using this method, the aspirant seeks to give objective form to his complexes in the appearance of spirit entities. Magickal theory postulates that while one is unaware of one's psychological complexes, one cannot master or control them. But if one could make these complexes tangible and appear in objective form, then one could control these aspects of one's self directly and "by means of transcendental symbols and formal processes of Magic[k]". Regardie sums it up thusly, "To recapitulate: the purpose of evocation is that some portion of the human psyche which has become deficient in a more or less important quality is made intentionally to stand out, as it were. Given body and name by the power of the stimulated will and imagination and exuded astral substance, it is, to continue to use metaphor, specially nourished by the warmth and sustenance of the sun, and given water and food that it may grow and flourish." Now here we must differentiate between two different but related and similar looking phenomenon. Complexes as theorized in modern psychology can exist for many reasons, all psychological. These phenomena can result from traumatic episodes in one's life, but more often from mental and emotional programming that we are all subjected to from birth. Nearly everything that we are taught by society, by our parents, by our peers and siblings, is a form of programming that effects how we think and feel. Quite often, the programming causes deficiencies and maladies in our personality that will later require some form of effort to cure. If left unchecked, they can spiral into severe mental and emotional illnesses. This occurrence would be analogous to what happens to one's health when one eats the wrong foods that either cause nutritional deficiencies or a buildup of toxic substances. The distribution and composition of mental and emotional illnesses in our population can very widely and individually due to differences in culture, subculture, region, income, religion, race, sex, personal experiences and a host of other reasons. Complexes of the psychological variety seem to be very real. There is another form of complex that generally takes on the appearance of a psychological complex, it is called spirit attachment. This kind of complex is caused when a real and external entity "latches" onto a person. This happens in the world of subtle energies normally invisible to our ordinary physical senses, and thus the victim human is usually not consciously aware that an entity has attached itself. The entity then drains energy from the person through the attachment and subtly affects the psychological disposition of the victim. This can show up in personality disorders and peculiarities that almost exactly mimics true psychological disorders. Many of these entities are the remnants of personalities from humans who were previously alive and breathing in the physical world. The disorder or disorders that then manifest in the living victim are usually related to disorders or obsessions possessed by the entity in physical life. The other main class of attaching entites are altogether different and always malevolent. The disorders that manifest from these latter attachments are usually severe and related to the nature of the possessing entity. These latter kind of attachments are normally called demonic possession. Quite a bit of evidence exists that seems to confirm the phenomenon of spirit attachment and possession. Normal psychological methods of dealing with complexes arising from spirit attachment rarely work due to the external nature of the complex's origin and the inherently internal nature of therapeutic methods. Having laid out what we know about psychological complexes, spirit attachment, and magickal theory, we can begin to understand exactly what kind of effects evocation may have in its application. In the case of complexes acquired in the "normal" fashion through trauma and social programming, magick suggests the use of "banishing" rituals for ridding oneself of these maladies and deficiencies instead of reflection, honest effort and hard work. Where does one gain any knowledge from "banishing" one's psychoses away with a few words and gestures? How does performing this kind of a ritual equal or exceed (according to Regardie) the results of hard work and vigilant effort towards changing one's thoughts and emotions? Of course, it sounds awfully good to our lazy egos. Walk around in a circle a few times, say some arcane words and concentrate on a piece of glass for a little while and poof, problem solved. But this is a trap. No ritual can ever be equal to honest and persistent work on one's self. At best, one would simply be spinning one's wheels and never getting anywhere, and at worst, one could be led down the dangerous path of egoism by a belief that taking this kind of a shortcut will cure one's problems. Performing rituals instead of doing hard work on one's self is the easy way out and does not lead to Ascension. The situation with spirit attachment is potentially much more dangerous when utilizing the process of evocation. Regardie tells us that the complexes that have been objectively externalized by the process of evocation "are once more assimilated into consciousness. No longer are they independent spirits roaming in the astral world, or partial systems dwelling in the unconscious, disrupting the individual's conscious life. They are brought back once more into the personality, where they become useful citizens so to speak, integral parts of the psyche". He also tells us that "At the conclusion of the operation [evocation], [the entity] is absorbed deliberately and consciously back into the operator". Excuse me? We are being told here to invite entities that are, in fact, external and separate in origin from us and whose very nature is to drain us, INTO our selves by our own free will. It makes one wonder who came up with that idea and who would benefit most from this deception. Certainly not the one being drained. Hopefully the reader can see the con game being played here and who is playing it. The one way that we third density humans can escape the power structures of the fourth density STS beings that control our world is by increasing our knowledge and understanding and awareness of our selves. Thus, the 4D STS controllers have gone to tremendous efforts to deflect the seeker from true self knowledge by carefully constructing religions and philosophies and "magickal processes" that either keeps one "spinning one's wheels" on useless ideas and platitudes, or worse, practices that actually drain the seeker of vital energy. Working on one's self requires a tremendous amount of energy of which each individual has a limited supply. Therefore conservation of energy is very important to the true seeker. But magick would have us wasting this energy on rituals that will get us precisely nowhere and open invitations to hungry entities that will come and feast on us by our own free will. This keeps us soft and unenlightened so the 4D STS can come in and mop up with minimal effort on their part. Pretty neat trick, huh? Spirit Vision Regardie calls the magickal technique of "vision" a variation of evocation in the sense that "it, too, has as its objective the necessary assimilation of the unconscious content of the psyche into normal consciousness." This technique involves a form of imaginative meditation where the practitioner's imagination is stimulated in such a way as to produce a "waking dream" with full consciousness. Regardie points out that interpreting the dream is important. "Acquaintance with the methods of Jung's symbolic analysis of dreams and spontaneous fantasies may be extremely useful here, providing a useful adjunct to the Qabalistic reference of symbols to the ten 'Sephiroth' of the Tree of Life." The actual technique as described by Regardie has the practitioner staring at one or more "elemental symbols" that each represent one of the five magickal elements - earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. When the practitioner can actively hold the image in memory, "The shape is then to be enlarged until it seems tall enough for him to visualize himself walking through it. Then he must permit the fantasy faculty of the mind full and unimpeded play. What is particularly important is that at this stage he must vibrate certain divine and archangelic names which tradition ascribes to that particular symbol. [...] In this way, he enters imaginatively or clairvoyantly by means of a vision, into the elemental realm corresponding to the nature of the symbol he has chosen." This vision takes place entirely within the practitioner's mind and can apparently be quite detailed and fantastic. Presumably, the content of the vision corresponds to aspects of the elemental realm being visited. Regardie is very explicit about the purpose of using
this technique. "By employing element after element, he acquires
a sympathetic contact with the understanding of the several hierarchical
planes existing within Nature, and thus widens tremendously the sphere
of his consciousness. [...] By following such a vision or fantasy technique
the candidate's ordinary consciousness is enabled to cross the otherwise
impenetrable barrier subsisting between it and the unconscious. [...]
Entering these various psychic levels by way of an imaginative projection
is analagous to forming an association track by means of which idea,
inspiration, and vitality are made available to consciousness. [...]
A wide range of knowledge and feeling is thereby opened up and assimilated
without strain or difficulty to the advantage and spiritual development
of the individual." It seems very probable that the great inventors of magick stumbled upon (or were taught) certain symbols, both visual and audial, that would evoke specific reactions from the subconscious mind according to archetypes and conceptual currents that are already present to some degree or another in mainstream society. This amounts to a parlor trick of smoke and mirrors, but is being touted as an avenue for bringing one's conscious mind into closer contact with the subconscious. Indeed, this probably happens, but all it really shows is the mechanical nature of the subconscious mind, or at least the part that this technique makes contact with. Another possibility is that the symbols and sounds have been designed to "program" the mind in a certain way that evokes these specific correspondences. Saying that this has brought one closer to one's subconscious then reinforces the programming. Note that the correspondences that are evoked in the dream are constrained according to a predetermined set of correspondences. And who determined this set of correspondences? The masters of magick who have adopted the qabala. This technique poses a danger to the practitioner because it proposes to "widen" one's "sphere of consciousness" using a constrained set of symbols coupled with fantasy. Besides the contradiction of how a specific and limited set of correspondences can "widen" one's consciousness, this "widening" works in lieu of real information and real understanding and real effort. Remember that Regardie said, "A wide range of knowledge and feeling is thereby opened up and assimilated without strain or difficulty to the advantage and spiritual development of the individual." We are led here to believe that fantasy (wishful thinking) and feelings will bring true knowledge. And further, this can be accomplished with little effort from the practitioner. I think most people would, indeed, agree that daydreaming is mostly effortless. The technique of vision is another ploy to keep us busy while fourth density STS moves in and manipulates our fantasies. We are encouraged to daydream instead of practice real self-observation and self presence. We are told to fantasize about "magickal correspondences" instead of researching something important and rooting out the predator in its every guise. How convenient for our controllers. Another ploy to drain us and waste our time of our own free will. Invocation At first look, the concept of invocation seems to be the least offensive of magickal practices. Here the practitioner is seeking a unification with deity, a "drawing down" of the divine forces into the mind and awareness of the aspirant. A "surrender" of one's self to divinity by seeking divinity. But the practice of invocation is arguably the most revealing aspect of magick. It is the ultimate act of Service To Self precisely because it seeks to impose the will of the seeker on the ultimate consciousness of God in an effort to identify with divinity and "absorb" the spiritual qualities of divinity. Regardie is shameless in his description: "Using the plan of the Tree of Life as his guide, the magic[k]ian invokes the lower gods or archangels, as they are named in another system, desirous of mingling his own life with, and surrendering his own being to, the greater and more extensive life of the God. Thus, his spiritual perceptions become finer and more sensitive, and his consciousness becomes with time accustomed to the high tension of the divine force flowing through him. His interior evolution proceeding, he invokes the god of the 'Sephirah' or plane immediately above. Following the same procedure, he attempts to assimilate his own essence, his own integrated consciousness, to that of the divinity he has invoked. And so on - until finally he stands upon the lofty Darien peak of spiritual realization, united with the transcendental life of infinity, feeling with universal love and compassion, conscious of all life and every thing as himself with supreme vision and power. As Iamblichus, the Neoplatonic theurgist, once expressed it: 'If the essence and perfection of all good are comprehended in the gods, and the first and ancient power of them is with us priests [ie. theurgists or magicians (Regardie's note)] and if by those who similarly adhere to more excellent natures and genuinely obtain a union with them, the beginning and end of all good is earnestly pursued; if this be the case, here the contemplation of truth, and the possession of intellectual science are to be found. And a knowledge of the gods is accompanied with ... the knowledge of ourselves.'" Several things stand out from this paragraph. First, the act of invoking is necessarily an act of compulsion, a "command" to divinity. The absurdity of a situation where a cosmically limited and helpless human is "commanding" the divine force to "flow" through him is laughable were it not so sad. The key word above would seem to be "desirous" which leads to anticipation and constraint, constraint of divinity, pure STS. Also, the very notion of commanding or even asking the divine force to "flow" through one would imply that it is not already. This implication is not consistent with something else that Regardie mentions: "Magic conceives of divinity as Spirit and Light and Love. It is an all-pervasive and omnipresent vital force, permeating all things, sustaining every life from the most minute electron to the largest nebula of mind-staggering dimensions. It is the primal consciousness in which we live and move and have our being." If this is so, then why would we need to invoke divinity? Isn't it thus already? Or perhaps it is hubris and egoism on the part of the magickian to think one may command divinity? And again, Regardie is saying above that one may gain true knowledge from the practice of invocation. Knowledge of the "gods" and of self, in fact. How exactly does one gain knowledge about one's self by imagining oneself to be unified with God? How exactly does pretending to be a god make one "conscious of all life and every thing as himself with supreme vision and power"? This sounds like wishful thinking. Invocation does not unify the invoker with God, it seeks to humanize and thus kill God by bringing God down to our level. Regardie: "The totality of these methods conspire to exalt the consciousness of the operator, to lift up his mind by no devious or uncertain route to a nobler interior plane where is a perception of the meaning and transcendental nature and being of the god." More wishful thinking. Wouldn't it be wonderful if it were that easy to be exalted toward divinity without real work and real knowledge? Some aspects of the process of invocation deserve special attention. Regardie writes: "Most important of all is the imaginative faculty. This must be trained to visualize symbols and images with the utmost clarity, ease, and precision. [...] The name of the god or archangel is meanwhile frequently vibrated. This vibration serves two ends. One, to keep the mind well concentrated on the ideal form by means of repetition. Two, the vibration awakens in the depths of the microcosmic consciousness that magic[k]al faculty which is akin or corresponds to its macrocosmic power. Rhythmic breathing likewise is undertaken so as to tranquilize mind and body, and to open the subtler parts of the inner nature of the omni-present all-permeating life. Visualizations of the letters of the Name, moreover, are practiced." These techniques amount to nothing less than mind programming using specific symbols and sounds engineered by fourth density STS masterminds. Programming that opens up the mind of the practitioner to accept whatever information and feelings the controllers see fit to insert, not to mention spirit attachments and demonic possession. Once again, we see a strategy for duping the practitioner into freely giving up his free will. Regardie: "As concentration and reflection become more intense and profound, the body becomes vitalized by streams of dynamic energy and power. The mind, too, is invaded by light, great intensity of feeling, and inspiration." This is precisely how STS manipulates, by using feelings and inspiration and tricks that make one feel "vitalized by streams of dynamic energy and power". It seems interesting that the word "invaded" is used above. Invaded, indeed, but with the free will of the practitioner. This magickal technique is touted as being able to change or evolve the consciousness of the practitioner with nothing more than an acute form of imagination combined with some hypnotic techniques in lieu of real work and real effort on one's self. What seems to be more true is that the mind of the practitioner is altered according to the designs of the fourth density STS controllers. But for what purpose does magick say to practice the technique of invocation? Regardie: "By the clothing of one's own astral form with the ideal figure of the god, now vitalized by the descent of the invoked force, it is held that man may be assumed or exalted into the very bosom of godhead, and so gradually return, with the acquisition of his own humanity, to that unnameable mysterious Root wherefrom originally he came." Notice that it is necessary in this technique for "the descent of the invoked force". It has been said elsewhere that Man should always seek to rise as He IS the "descended form" of God. God does not descend to man according to man's whim or fancy, for God has already descended in the form of Man and it is our task to ascend back to divinity. So what does one truly gain from using this technique? Knowledge? If so, knowledge of what? Hopefully the reader can see here that this technique is a trick that utilizes one's own subjective imagination to invoke feelings of exaltation "into the very bosom of godhead". No objective knowledge can be gained from this exercise except perhaps an appreciation for the capabilities of our imagination. If one could just imagine that one has attained "to that unnameable mysterious Root" and gain greater spiritual and objective knowledge, then there would already be a great many wise people on this planet. Obviously, this is not the case. This important technique of magick is nothing short of wishful thinking and pure hubris of the ego. Magickal invocation is another trap. Initiation If magick is a spiritual drug, then magickal initiation is the dealer. Initiation rituals in magick are intended to bring the aspirant "into the fold". They are intended as a "spiritual push" to the prospective magickian, a "push" that one allegedly cannot gain on one's own. Someone already initiated into the "mysteries" of magick must impart this spiritual boost to the aspirant. Again, we refer to Regardie: "Over and above all these methods, or, more accurately, combining these techniques, is a final phase of Magic which I propose only to touch upon in brief - Initiation. The necessity and rationale of this process depends upon the postulated ability of a trained initiate to impart something of his own illumination and spiritual power to a candidate by means of a ceremony. Such a magnetic transmission of power is conceived to stir up the inner faculties of the candidate". Two things stand out here. First that a "trained initiate" is trying to impart something, in other words change something within the candidate, by use of ceremony. Ceremony is not imparting knowledge on the candidate, nor providing enlightened discussion or instruction, nor allowing the candidate the chance to change as a result of self motives and efforts. So how exactly does a ceremony "stir up the inner faculties"? Perhaps they just serve to convince one that this has happened when, in fact, it has not. The second thing to note is that magick requires a prospective candidate to be completely dependent on those already trained and experienced in magick. This should remind one of the feeding hierarchy of STS. In magick, it is not enough to have just one initiation usually given when one is first introduced into the tradition. Many initiations are required over time to constantly reinforce to the initiate that magick is the way to enlightenment and that one needs assistance from more advanced initiates. Regardie says this: "Magic in the hands of a trained and experienced Magus is the means whereby that eclipse of the inner light may be overcome. By means of several initiations, the seeds of awakening are sown within the soul. Later they are fanned and stimulated into an active living flame lighting the brain, illuminating the soul, and providing the necessary guidance to accomplish the purpose of incarnation." Exactly what does it mean to sow "seeds of awakening"? Regardie sheds some light on this for us: "The seed of the light is sown deeply within him by way of suggestions embodied in ritual speeches so that, time and devotion to the work acting as incubating agents, it may grow and blossom into the full-grown tree of illumination and divine union." So here we have our answer, the power of suggestion. "Ritual speech" is used in conjunction with the physical movements and visual symbols of the initiation ceremony to "persuade" the candidate to take up a path of magick. The suggestions are strengthened, or "incubated" as Regardie puts it, by time spent between the initiation rituals studying and practicing magick. Initiation amounts to group programming. Usually initiation ceremonies are carried out by a group of practicing magickians for the supposed benefit of the candidate. The words uttered, the symbols displayed, and the actions performed in the ceremony serve to program the candidate according to the system of magick. A group carrying out this programming generally makes a bigger impression on the aspirant and causes the programming to be more deeply ingrained. The various levels of initiation ceremonies serve as "markers" for one's progress and therefore placement in the group thus necessarily setting up a hierarchy within the group. These "markers of progress" also serve as nice badges of wishful thinking for the ego. Magick is quite insistent that very few people can ever make any progress without initiation ceremonies. Regardie: "As Psellus, another Neoplatonist once remarked of Magic, 'Its function is to initiate or perfect the human soul by the power of materials here on earth, for the supreme faculty of the soul cannot by its own guidance aspire to the sublimest intuitions, and to the comprehension of Divinity.' [...] Since the divine principles of man are obscured and latent within him, so that consciousness, of itself and by itself, is unable to climb to the distant heights of spiritual intimacy with universal life." We see here that the prospective practitioner is convinced that one cannot make any true headway in spiritual matters without first acceding to the rites of initiation. This belief binds the aspirant into the physical reality of the group and solidifies one's place in the hierarchy, thereafter making one subject to the predations of the group and those higher in the hierarchy. Conclusion, Final Analysis, and Personal Note It seems that we can add one more thought system to the ever-growing pile of systems designed by fourth density STS to deceive humanity and enforce the Matrix Control System. In some respects, magick employs more of the truth about reality in its deceptions than most systems, which makes it all the more dangerous. Magick was created especially for the more stubborn seeker who is not easily satisfied with the feel-good platitudes and ignorant fear-mongering of so-called organized religions. Magick is arguably the cream of the crop for the myriad of New Age thought systems. What makes magick so dangerous is that it offers almost a mirror image of real esoteric work. Comparing magick's philosophies of aspiring to divinity and the higher self to those of Mouravieff, Gurdjieff, Ouspensky, Castaneda, and even the Cassiopaean material as expanded upon and added to by Laura and Ark, we see many similarities. And at first glance, the differences between the two philosophies seem only like surface detail, but in fact the differences are profound and mean nothing less than the difference between the STO path and the STS path. The devil is truly in the details. But it takes work and much contemplation to see it. Magick touts the ancient expression to "Know Thyself" as a necessary process preceding any real magickal work. But the methods proposed for this exercise involve almost exclusively relying on divination techniques without comparing the knowledge gained this way to "outside" information and understandings. In fact, some others say that if the information from divination varies greatly from outside information, then we are to trust our intuitions instead of our intellect. The great problem with this is that many people are able to very easily substitute their own wishful thinking for intuition, not to mention the possibility of mental manipulation from external STS sources. Divination and intuition are not adequate and complete substitutes for the process of gathering external knowledge from many sources, thinking with a hammer, and finally letting our intuition contribute to our understanding. When real magickal work commences, it is for the supposed purpose of "equilibrating" and healing the psychology of the practitioner using the methods of evocation and invocation. The idea of equilibrating and healing the psychology of the aspirant is a genuine esoteric aim, but the methods of evocation and invocation are fundamentally flawed and possibly even dangerous for the reasons already stated. It is ironic that Regardie writes: "It is in vain that the wine of the gods is poured into old cracked vessels. We must make certain that the vessels are intact and strong, capable of retaining and not spilling the wine poured from above." Again, a valid esoteric idea, but ironic because it would seem that magick serves to actually worsen the condition of the aspirant causing further "aging and cracking" of one's vessel. And what exactly is the end goal of all this magickal work? What does it mean to pour the "wine of the gods" into a "vessel"? Here magick reverently speaks of one's higher self, otherwise refered to as the Holy Guardian Angel. Regardie writes: "This is the central core of the individuality, the root of the unconscious. Before union with the Infinite may be invisaged, it is necessary that every principle in the human constitution be united so that man becomes one united consciousness, and not a disconnected series of separate discrete consciousness [little i's]. The intelligence of the physical cells comprising the body [motor center], the principle of the emotions and feelings [emotional center], the sphere of the mind itself [intellectual center], these must be united and bound together [magnetic center] by a conscious realization of the true nature of the self employing them, the higher Genius [Real I]. Integrity produced through the agency of the telestic or initiatory rites, then the whole human being, the entire man, may set forth upon that lengthy but incomparable bright road which leads to the end, and to the beginning also, of life. Then, and only then, is man able to realize the meaning of life, and the purpose of his multitudinous incarnations on earth. No longer is a vague mysticism countenanced and idealized as a cowardly escape from the difficulties and turmoils of this life. With these latter he is now capable of dealing and, moreover, of completely mastering them, so that no longer do they enslave him. By no ties, either of attachment or disgust, is he bound to the duties of this earth - ties which must necessitate his further and continued incarnation until he has successfully severed them. [...] then the next magical step in evolution is possible of recognition and achievement - the conscious return of man to the divine Light from which he came." Lofty words, indeed! If only magick could really deliver what is here promised, then we would have one more valid path to esoteric enlightenment. Unfortunately, these words are an empty promise uttered from the lips of our fourth density STS masters tempting us forward toward a path that leads only to a firm position within the STS hierarchy. These cruel controllers hold up the carrot of truth and real enlightenment, only to pull it away when one gets too close, leaving one in darkness, confusion, and pain. Magick is the mobius strip designed to make us chase our tails in circles until we are too drained and exhausted to seek real truth and real enlightenment. On a more personal note, I would like the reader to notice very carefully Regardie's words directly above. Those who have studied or read Laura's work, and any of the works that she has drawn from, will realize that Regardie is here presenting a framework that very much resembles real esoteric work. I personally was very familiar with this framework when I encountered the Cassiopaea material and Laura's work, so one could well imagine that I would think there was, indeed, something to this Casssiopaean business. In my mind, this new material only complemented what I already knew and thought. Of course, eventually I encountered the warnings and statements against ritual and magick and a burning desire to figure out what was going on was kindled in myself. Several possibilites seemed evident. My first thought was that Laura and the Quantum Future School had just not had much exposure to the philosophies of magick, "how could they have exposure to magick and not see how complementary the two materials were?" I reasoned. After reading more material, I quickly threw out that reasoning and was faced with another prospect. One was wrong and one was right. Though the philosophies agreed on many major points, there was still some rather important disagreements, especially concerning ritual. Thus the two main possibilities presented themselves in sharp contrast to each other, either Laura and company were wrong, or magick was wrong. Of course, I had my biases, but I also had to know the truth and I knew I didn't have enough information to determine that. Thus I threw myself whole-heartedly into Laura's work. I first read the last seven articles from the Adventure series because of advice given in one of the smaller articles that I initially encountered. From this, I realized a much more in depth investigation into Laura's work needed to be conducted for myself, and I decided that in order to give the material a fair shake, I needed to get to know the woman who brought this material to light. Thus I began with the Amazing Grace series. I drove myself night and day through this series and then the Wave series and the rest of the Adventures series. At the end, I still did not have my answers, they were not handed to me wholesale in any one part of the voluminous information that I had read. It was then that I learned my first real lesson about true esoteric work. The only way I was able to find the answers was through my own efforts. This required gaining an understanding of both magick and the Cassiopaean material. I had already spent many years on magickal theory, so I knew I had to buckle down and try to understand and assimilate Laura's work. Only after I gained some understanding of her work did the answers become availabe to me, but even then I've had to search long and hard for them. I will say that the hardest part was overcoming the subjective biases toward magick that I had built up over the years. My mind kept wanting to interpret the Cassiopaean material in terms of magick. And here I learned my second real lesson about true esoteric work, one has to first divest one's self of all attachments that are not objective truth before one can truly embark on a true esoteric path. This is the moral bankruptcy that Mouravieff and Gurdjieff mention. I did not truly understand that concept until after I had begun my search for answers in earnest and ran up against the obstacles of my own attachment to magick. And I should also say that it was only my sincerity and yearning for truth that allowed me to finally see and overcome those obstacles. So, to those who are honest and sincere seekers, I would say take heart and take faith that the universe will take care of things precisely as they should be taken care of as long as you are actively being true to your Self. Mouravieff sums it up nicely:
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