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Gaining Discipline in the Magickal Arts
Simple Motivational Guide to Establishing and Maintaining Discipline in the Magickal Arts
Equilibrium is the basis of the Work. If thou thyself has not a sure foundation
whereon will thou stand to direct the forces of Nature?
whereon will thou stand to direct the forces of Nature?
- Liber Librae
The following is a simple guide that one may find useful in establishing and maintaining the discipline necessary for succeeding in the Magickal Arts. Twenty years have now passed since I began searching for a more spiritual lifestyle, many pages with wise advice have been read, many incantations, spells and rituals uttered and for me there were times (and they persist to this day) where nothing seemed to work to solve perhaps the simplest and yet most difficult hurdle to overcome. I am most certain that others that take up this path have no problems in overcoming this hurdle, but the majority of us have encountered it on more then one occasion and the resultant failure can lead to one abandoning the study of the Great Work.
There are many books that mention the necessity and the manner of how one is to go about in encountering ones Holy Guardian Angel (and the myriad of other names attributed to this most elusive character). Upon encountering this Divine Being one has overcome the initial step and is going to be supposedly lead by this Angel ever higher until one becomes united with the One.
The techniques are many, ranging from the simplest of techniques to the most difficult. One is supposed to study, gain the knowledge, find a method that is to their liking and pick up the Work diligently and reach that summit of everlasting union with the One.
Fantastic on paper, but is it quite that simple and concise? For me this is the way it happened, and how I managed to move a step forwards and enjoy the study of the Occult.
When I first began perusing the various books on the Occult, I had no inclination, no preferences. It was as if my mind was a blank blackboard ready to have holy words written upon, so I began in earnest gathering all the books that would help me become more attuned to what it means to be alive and penetrate the veils of spirituality. Picking up a book and reading all things dealing with the occult fascinated me and I spent many days thoroughly enjoying the opinions and suggestions of many enlightened souls. Eventually I read so much that I marveled in delight that my blank blackboard was beginning to contain useful tidbits of information. And herein I discovered that saying which states so eloquently that the “Devil is in the details” and how brutally true it is.
All that information soon took up much of the precious space on the blackboard and it began looking like a mad scientists formula or a spaghetti dinner gone awry. Eventually I had so much information that I felt it necessary and confident to a certain extent to begin the practical aspect of working with the Occult. If I didn't start soon, then I was going to go insane just by all the things that I read. The map was drawn, the course was set, next destination was going to be the sunny shores where my HGA was awaiting for me to impart his wisdom and lend a guiding hand in the further study of the Occult. By the way I am still searching for those sunny shores, but I am starting to think that my HGA is patiently waiting me for on a frozen tundra and I somehow got the directions wrong. The one thing that makes all this searching more bearable and ironically more enjoyable is that I no longer see living the practical life of the Occult as a chore but as a hobby and with time it has become a passion that is self-sustaining. It is like now I am on autopilot. But how have I reached this point?
The difficulties began shortly after I decided to start the practical work and consequently it lead to me leaving the whole Great Work on the back burner for some time, feeling more abandoned and useless then ever. Perhaps it is a lesson that I had to learn, and you the reader perhaps has to learn it as well. One thing is for certain I did grasp its message many years after.
The problem I encountered was that the things that many books indicated to aren't very easy to achieve, even something as simple as “Inner Peace, Stilling the Mind, Acquiring Concentration” that is necessary for one to have in order to send out a message to ones Angel that they are looking for him/her. It takes dedication and the will of the person to achieve any little thing in the occult arts. The fruits of the hard work don't manifest immediately, for me anyway, and certainly don't even give the slightest indication that one is on the right track; unless one has the luxury of an adept to instruct them on the Path (but that is another rambling to be given at another time).
This brings me to having the will, the desire to do this. We are human beings and are very curious by nature but if we don't have tangible results to our inquires we either give up, put it on the shelf, or attach a label such as “it is not for me to know”, and we are on our way to the next puzzle piece. And round and round we go all of our life trying to solve this riddle but giving up because we don't have the will to carry through. It would seem logical to me then to ask ourselves “How do I gain the will?”. Notice I am not referring to the Will but its sibling which is a totally different thing. How can I build the momentum, maintain it when no results are evident from the information I have learned? I will tell you how.
Number one is to set short term goals. Forget about I will do this for 2 years everyday and I will see my Angel come down and shower me with praises. It isn't going to happen, we live in a world where we are constantly on the go, and something always gets in the way of one's occult work no matter how much desire the ritualist has.
Example Scenario: To Study and Learn (not memorize) and execute the LBPR
Set small achievable weekly goals and schedules and DO NOT deviate from them. I have found for example that it is much easier to say to myself and write it down if necessary: In this week I will have studied and made my notes for the Qabalistic Cross of the Lesser Banishing Pentagram Ritual. I will allot 1 hour daily to this task and no more, not 30 minutes in the afternoon 30 minutes at night, but 1 hour each day for a week at this exact time. Even these small weekly goals will be difficult to maintain but because we are creatures of habit, this type of scheduling will result in the individual almost automatically going about the set task at the set time.
After learning the QC move on to the next part of the Ritual and set up a study guide in the same manner as above. Continue until all of the ritual has been completed in its entirety and then set up a performance guide in the same manner.
DO NOT DESPAIR OR GIVE UP in failing at this as well, just know that your nature is to follow habits and by setting small habits that you enjoy doing, you will eventually begin to organize these tasks at the right time and you will find that sooner or later you will begin setting smaller goals within small frames of time at the most opportune of times where it will not even conflict with your daily life.
Number two, set up these goals according to your inner body clock. If you don't like to get up at dawn then definitely do not set your tasks to begin at that time as you will surely fail and feel terrible while you are at it.
Number three, perform every task that is scheduled when you are most aware. Do not try to set tasks after you have eaten for example or the opposite set tasks when you are starving because you will not be able to focus due to the body natural tendencies to pick up the cue and resolve the most important issue at hand. Remember you are trying to find a way of training the body and the mind on gaining discipline. No one likes to be disciplined on an empty stomach or when they would would much rather have a snooze because they just ate and the last thing they want to do is perform the LBPR. Listen and observe the rhythms of your body, it is the best indicator and guide!
Number four, perform all tasks in the same area. Not everyone has the luxury of separate temple room, however if you dedicate a small space that is going to be used solely for spiritual work this will be a powerful trigger on gaining the appropriate state of mind. Wearing robes, using incense or wearing a particular item that is specifically set aside for ritual use will enhance this effect as well. With time (and for some it takes longer, for others it is much shorter) one will achieve the correct mood and focus without any “props” but until that point is achieved use whatever is necessary to ensure that one can create a different mood then our daily mood.
“It is better not to be too ambitious regarding the duration of the ritual practice, particularly if discipline has already been a problem. Over-fatigue will act as a serious disincentive to further practice. Quality and regularity are much more important than length: it is more valuable to do a modest, short session on a regular daily basis than to indulge in lengthy ritual extravaganzas at erratic intervals.” -Soror P.I.A.M.D.
Number five, keep a journal of everything, failures and successes even if you are not going to read it ever. By writing down ones' experiences one is programming oneself in building up this mood that will help one later on in doing the work with less difficulty.
And finally, number six, try to find someone to work with. Having someone to work with will encourage one to keep up with what was set out between the parties involved. We as humans can be more dedicated when we promise something to someone rather then when we make promises to ourselves.
And finally, number six, try to find someone to work with. Having someone to work with will encourage one to keep up with what was set out between the parties involved. We as humans can be more dedicated when we promise something to someone rather then when we make promises to ourselves.
In the words of one of those enlightened souls the end result will be this:
“If we are willing to persevere, to be patient, and to work at self-discipline, to aspire and to invoke often, the Angel will allow us to do all of this. For every step we make in His direction, he will take two”
Israel Regardie, The One Year Manual
Peace, daath.
References used:
Israel Regardie, The One Year Manual
Christopher S. Hyatt, Undoing Yourself with Energized Meditation and Other Devices
Soror P.I.A.M.D., Some Steps towards Magical Discipline
Franz Bardon, Initiation into Hermtics
Last but not least:
Online Musings and Ponderings with Thoth-em-heb, VenusSatanas, Frater-Rai, Drixx, Moredread
Latest page update: made by daath
, Feb 19 2008, 12:10 PM EST
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