Magic Lessons

Magic Lessons

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INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................................4 THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOK.....................................................................................................................5 BELIEFS 1................................................................................................................................................6 EXERCISE – BELIEFS..................................................................................................................................6 THE MAGIC MIRROR..........................................................................................................................8 SYMBOLS AND SYNCHRONICITY....................................................................................................................9 DESTINY / FATE........................................................................................................................................9 EXERCISE 1 – INNER GARDEN...................................................................................................................10 EXERCISE 2 – NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE........................................................................................................10 IMAGINATION & WILL....................................................................................................................12 IMAGINATION..........................................................................................................................................12 WILL.....................................................................................................................................................12 EXERCISE 1 – IMAGINATION AND WILL......................................................................................................13 EXERCISE 2 – BELIEFS ABOUT WILL AND IMAGINATION................................................................................13 EXERCISE 3 – IMAGINATION......................................................................................................................14 EXERCISE 4 – WILL................................................................................................................................14 INNER WORK.......................................................................................................................................15 SYMBOLS AND SYMBOLISM.......................................................................................................................15 IDENTIFICATION / DISIDENTIFICATION..........................................................................................................16 EXERCISE 1 – SYMBOL JOURNEYING..........................................................................................................17 EXERCISE 2 – SYMBOL READING...............................................................................................................18 EXERCISE 3 – DISIDENTIFICATION AND SELF-IDENTIFICATION........................................................................18 HIGHER SELF......................................................................................................................................20 GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSING AUTHENTICITY OF THE HIGHER SELF EXPERIENCE................................................21 EXERCISE – SYMBOL READING 2...............................................................................................................21 SYNTHESIS...........................................................................................................................................23 EXERCISE 1 – SYNTHESIS OF OPPOSITES.....................................................................................................23 MAGIC...................................................................................................................................................25 MORALITY...........................................................................................................................................27 EXERCISE 1 – EXPLORING BELIEFS ABOUT MORALITY.................................................................................28 EXERCISE 2 – A NEW MORALITY.............................................................................................................29 BELIEFS 2..............................................................................................................................................31 EXERCISE 1 – BELIEFS REVIEW.................................................................................................................31 EXERCISE 2 – SYNTHESIS OF SUBPERSONALITIES..........................................................................................32 REVIEW.................................................................................................................................................33 BELIEFS.................................................................................................................................................33 THE MAGIC MIRROR...............................................................................................................................33 IMAGINATION & WILL.............................................................................................................................34 INNER WORK..........................................................................................................................................34 HIGHER SELF..........................................................................................................................................34 SYNTHESIS..............................................................................................................................................34 MAGIC...................................................................................................................................................35 MORALITY..............................................................................................................................................35 WHERE TO FROM HERE?...........................................................................................................................35 REVIEW..................................................................................................................................................36 FEEDBACK..............................................................................................................................................36 2 / 41

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ADDITIONAL READINGS.................................................................................................................37 INTRODUCTION & BELIEFS 1.....................................................................................................................37 THE MAGIC MIRROR...............................................................................................................................37 IMAGINATION & WILL.............................................................................................................................38 INNER WORK..........................................................................................................................................39 HIGHER SELF..........................................................................................................................................39 SYNTHESIS..............................................................................................................................................39 MAGIC...................................................................................................................................................40 MORALITY..............................................................................................................................................40 BELIEFS 2..............................................................................................................................................41 REVIEW / FEEDBACK................................................................................................................................41

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Introduction Over the years I have contemplated writing a book about the various insights I have had, and the techniques of magic that I have learnt. However, it has become my belief that the world doesn’t need another book about Magic. Magic is something that must be lived and experienced, not merely read and talked about. On the other hand, how does someone go about learning about magic without learning from someone else who has knowledge of, and had experience with magic? It is with this in mind that I have decided to offer a basic, structured course to teach some fundamental aspects of magic. I like a simple approach, one that looks at principles and techniques. I like to keep the philosophy simple and not get lost in cultural beliefs, teachings, and practices, as I believe that the core principles are the same despite the outward expressions. What you will get out of this course is really up to you. Your commitment to your own personal evolution and willingness to learn and develop your magical skills is all that is important. The course is designed to encourage you to practice various techniques to aid in your magical development and understanding. Practicing magic is even more essential than understanding the philosophy ‘correctly’, as it is through the experiences that growth and true wisdom and understanding comes. Your personal philosophy will develop organically, growing from your practices and experiences. While this course is structured, it is not intended to be a comprehensive path to enlightenment or magical attainment. There are no grade rituals that claim you have reached a certain level of understanding and being (symbolically or otherwise). This course is a starting point only, as magical advancement is a continuous process rather than having an endpoint that can be achieved. You may reach various peaks and plateaus, but there will always be somewhere new to explore, a greater quest to undertake, and a deeper understanding to develop. It is far more important that you learn to think for yourself, and develop an instinctive inner ‘knowing’ about what is right and appropriate for you in any given moment. Sticking slavishly to accept dogma and beliefs about magic and the nature of reality is not going to reveal any genuine secrets to you. The secrets of magic are to be unlocked by each individual ‘seeker after the truth’. They cannot be shared and revealed, only gained through experience, reflection, and the understanding and inner ‘knowing’ that comes from actively participating in your own magical development. The key to this brief course, and the entire magical world view, is summed up in the ancient words: Know Thyself.

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The Most Important Book Of all the books recommended on the subject of magical training and development, I suggest that there is only one that is essential. This is a book that you create yourself, to document your progress and understanding; it is a journal (diary). Keeping a journal allows you to record your thoughts and experiences, and can be considered a way of grounding your experiences by recording them in the physical. In the future you can read through your journal and look at what you believed and understood at that moment in time. You may observe patterns in your thoughts and actions, and this can give you an opportunity to consider whether these patterns are beneficial to your development or whether they are limiting you and need to be overcome. There are no concrete rules for journal writing. Below are some things to consider when keeping a journal: • • • • • • • • • •

Consider keeping a hand-written journal using pen (or pencil) and paper (e.g. a notebook). The process of writing is less mechanical than typing on a computer. Write for yourself. You are not completing homework to keep a teacher happy, so write honestly and openly about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Focus on feelings. Take note of your feelings and emotions as you study, both in your day-to-day life, as well as during magical practices. Write freely. Don’t be concerned about spelling mistakes, correct grammar, appropriate language, or the ‘right way’ of keeping a journal. Write poetry, draw pictures, diagrams, mind maps, fictional stories, or whatever else feels right for you do add. If you recall dream, then record them. If you recall multiple dreams but don’t have the time to record them all, focus on the one that seemed most important or powerful, and write about it in as much detail as possible. Write down any questions you have relating to magic and self growth. From time to time, read over your journal and reflect on patterns you see in your thoughts and actions. If you’ve written down questions, reflect on the questions and consider if you’ve discovered an answer for yourself yet. Try to commit some time each day to writing in your journal. A few minutes a day can be more valuable than a few hours once per week or month. Occasionally, if you feel inspired, spend additional time writing down your thoughts and feelings about various concepts you’ve come across – for example after completing the exercises contained in this course, or any additional exercises you experiment with.

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Beliefs 1 Is magic real? What is the nature of reality? Do we have free-will? Is there a God? What do you believe? Everyone has beliefs. Even those who claim that they “believe in nothing” are expressing a belief. Beliefs shape and define your personality and colour your experience of life and reality. What you believe about life, reality, and the nature of magic shapes and limits your ability to create change in your life. Your beliefs are often unconscious, and you are not aware of many of the critical beliefs that strongly affect your life. You can become aware of them in various ways, for example by watching recurring thoughts that run through your mind. You may become aware of them when you argue with other people on topics such as religion, politics, and moral issues. If you feel that you are ‘right’ and other people are ‘wrong’ then you are expressing a belief that you hold about the rights and wrongs of an issue. This course is shaped and limited by my beliefs. The various lessons are all reflections of my beliefs about magic and what is necessary to learn and effectively practice magic. The beliefs may work for me, making them personally useful. However, they are should not automatically be considered to be truths. They may reflect aspects of the truth, and of my personal reality, based on my personal experiences. They may contradict your beliefs, causing a conflict – do you believe what I have to say, or do you continue to believe what you hold to be true? Conflicts like this are essential for your magical development, and can lead you to realise that you can make a choice about what to believe. I may be wrong about various things, or I may be only partially correct. It is for you to explore various beliefs and discover, for yourself, what works for you. The first exercise of this course an exploration of some of the beliefs that you hold relating to magic and the nature of reality. It is beyond the scope of this course to explore your broader beliefs in any great depth, but it is worthwhile taking the time to look deeper into the various beliefs you hold, how you developed the belief, and how they affect your life.

Exercise – Beliefs I recommend that you explore the various concepts on separate days. Don’t be in a hurry to complete this work, as it is essential that you explore each concept deeply and not look at things only superficially. Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed for the duration of the exercise. Read through the instructions several times before performing the exercise. Concept to explore: magic •

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• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

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Take a few deep breaths and allow your body to relax Allow your mind to focus on the concept of magic. What immediately comes to mind? What feelings and emotions are present while you think about the concept of magic? What experiences do you recall relating to this concept and the beliefs you hold? Where did you learn about these beliefs? Who are the people who have influenced the development of these beliefs? What things do you believe to be ‘true’ regarding magic? What things do you believe to be ‘false’ regarding magic? Allow your mind to focus on various physical sensations relating to magic. What tastes, sounds, smells, physical sensations, and images do you relate to this concept? What do these beliefs and thoughts tell you about yourself? When you are ready, open your eyes, and write in your journal about your beliefs and thoughts relating to this concept. Close your eyes again. Take some time to think about the concepts again, and see if anything else comes to mind. Allow a single image to form in your mind that summarizes your current understanding of magic. See it vividly in your mind’s eye. Open your eyes and draw the image you saw relating to this concept. Write any final thoughts into your journal.

Repeat this exercise for the following concepts: the nature of reality, fate/destiny, God

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The Magic Mirror One essential concept of magic is the idea that the external world serves as a mirror for your inner world. Through the people that you meet, and the experiences that you have, you can see a reflection of your inner condition. Further, if you change your inner condition, then this change is reflected in the outside, physical world. At first this concept may be difficult to understand. It is a deeply rooted concept appearing in many cultures and philosophies. It can be summed up in the ancient axiom “as above, so below” – or “that which is within is like that which is without” (and vice versa). If you review the experiences in your life you will see patterns, or variations on themes. You will have met the same kind of people or experienced similar situations and events because your inner condition remains the same. If you feel like you are not learning something, and repeating the same mistakes, the best solution is to look within. As an example, consider a woman who considers herself a ‘loser magnet’ and attracts the ‘wrong’ kind of men into her life. She has a series of disastrous relationships and she feels as though she will never meet the ‘right’ kind of man. The answer lies within. The men she has attracted are not the ‘wrong kind’ – they are exactly the ‘right’ kind to alert her to an inner condition. By changing her inner condition, she will stop attracting the ‘losers’ and (if appropriate) she will attract the kind of man who she can have a more healthy relationship with. In modern, popular spiritual culture, the ‘law of attraction’ suggests that we attract people and things into our life through the thoughts that we have. Adherents of this suggest that thoughts create, and that you can manifest anything that you desire. In a sense they are correct, however they seldom (if ever) give any genuine insight into the process or the impediments to success. Likewise, they make it sound as though each of us will be happy if we live in a mansion, with a trophy wife/husband, and drive around in an expensive sports car. Perhaps for some people that is spiritual success, and provides the lessons they need in this life. However, it is jut as likely that seeking those things is actually neglecting the magic of personal evolution by seeking solace in material things – a distraction from genuine advancement and spiritual growth. It is by looking within, into our inner world that we begin to learn what processes and beliefs are causing various patterns and experiences in our external life. Beyond mere ‘thought’ creating our external reality we will likely find that we have a bunch of conflicting beliefs which give rise to contradictory thoughts, some of which limit our growth, and others which manifest as ‘undesirable’ situations in our life. By looking at the ‘undesirable’ situations in your life that you can become aware of beliefs and that are limiting you. Awareness is the first step in being able to overcome your limitations. While you remain unaware of the limitations, you are at the mercy of unconscious forces. You may feel as though you are powerless to change your life – because essentially you are. It is the destructive unconscious patterns that lead to destructive behaviours and manifesting destructive situations. From a magical 8 / 41

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perspective, these destructive situations are not actually ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’ in the greater scheme of things. They may be negative and unpleasant, but their purpose is to teach you and allow you to grow. Once you become aware of these unconscious beliefs and processes you can begin to change the conditions, transform them into more beneficial conditions that will manifest into the physical in new ways, and continue your growth and learning.

Symbols and Synchronicity Within your inner world you will discover many symbols and experience many symbolic experiences. You have likely experienced these types of things in dreams. Through visualisation exercises you will ‘see’ and experience many more symbolic events. You can learn to interpret the symbolism in dreams and visions, and this becomes a language that helps you explore your inner world. There is no simple way to learn this interpretation – there are no books or experience that can explain these things in the way we need to learn them. It is an intuitive process that only experience and reflection can teach. Of course, there are books and people who can explain what the symbol means to them, or what it means on a cultural or cross-cultural level, but not what it really means to you as an individual. Signs and symbols can also appear to us in the physical world. Events can seem highly symbolic, and occur at times and places that are significant to us. This has been termed synchronicity, a meaningful occurrence. Again, it is only experience and reflection that will help you know whether something is a genuine sign (to you) or not. To give you example of a synchronicity, consider a man who is thinking about what he would like for dinner. He decides that he hasn’t had pizza for a long time, and thinks about ordering pizza. The phone rings, and a friend of his invites him out for pizza. This of course is a fairly mundane example, but it is a meaningful coincidence. For another, more magical, example synchronicity, let us consider the woman in the first example, who considers herself to be a loser magnet. The woman begins learning about magic, and spends time reflecting on her life. She notices the patterns of the men she attracts. One evening, while reflecting on these things, she happens to look out the window and sees a shooting star. She walks outside her house, and sees a man who happens to be passing by. Their eyes meet, and they strike up a conversation. The woman realises that this man is different than men she has met before, and she realises that the shooting star was a ‘sign’ that lead her to this chance meeting.

Destiny / Fate As much of your inner workings are below your waking conscious level, you are unaware of the processes going on. While these things remain unconscious you are likely to manifest them in your physical world. These things play out as your fate, and appear to be outside of your control, which they essential are if you do not know the cause. It is important to realise that you can become a master of your own destiny. A 9 / 41

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big step in this process is to understand that the physical world is mirroring your inner world, and that by working and changing the inner world you will bring about change in the physical world. It is therefore essential to become skilled at looking within, and learning to interact with the processes going on there and transform the inner world into a more harmonious state.

Exercise 1 – Inner Garden Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed for the duration of the exercise. Read through the instructions several times before performing the exercise. • • • • • • • • • •

Sit comfortably and close your eyes Take a few deep breaths and allow your body to relax Imagine a garden. See it clearly in your mind’s eye. Take time to focus on the various parts of the garden. Spend some time exploring it. Touch the various plants and objects within the garden, taking note of all the smells, sounds, tastes, sights. What kind of plants are in this garden? What other objects are in this garden? What is the state or condition of the garden? Reflect on what the plants, objects, and state of the garden tell you about your life. When you are ready, open your eyes, and write in your journal about your experience.

Exercise 2 – Negative Experience Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed for the duration of the exercise. Read through the instructions several times before performing the exercise. 1. Sit comfortably and close your eyes 2. Take a few deep breaths and allow your body to relax. 3. Spend some time recalling a negative or bad experience you have had in the past few years. 4. What happened? 5. Where were you? 6. When did it happen? 7. Who else was involved? 8. How did you feel? 9. What beliefs do you hold about this experience? 10. Get a good sense of what beliefs were present during the experience. 11. Now, remind yourself that experiences in the physical world are caused by inner conditions. 12. Get a good sense of any feelings and emotions that were present at the time. 13. Breath into these feelings and concentrate on intensifying them. 14. Recall any earlier experiences that feel similar to this experience. 10 / 41

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15. What happened? 16. Where were you? 17. When did it happen? 18. Who else was involved? 19. How did you feel? 20. What beliefs do you hold about this experience? 21. Get a good sense of what beliefs were present during the experience. 22. Breath into these feelings and concentrate on intensifying them. 23. Repeat steps 12 through 20 until you cannot recall any earlier experiences. 24. What patterns did you observe? 25. What similar beliefs? 26. Take a moment to reflect on these things. 27. When you are ready, open your eyes, and write in your journal about your experience.

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Imagination & Will The concepts of Imagination and Will are frequently recurring themes in the philosophy of magic. They are also some of the least understood, or neglected, aspects of spiritual development. Developing an understanding of these two faculties of the human psyche is essential for the successful practice of magic.

Imagination There is no such thing as “only your imagination”. Imagination is a type of reality; it is so much more than an illusionary, dream-like condition. The Imagination becomes active in many ways, and its effects can be seen in the physical world through the many clever inventions and creative works (music, paintings, poetry, and prose). You may be familiar with your Imagination through dreams and fantasies – any state where you ‘see’ images in your minds eye. However, while the word Imagination derives from the word ‘image’, it is important to realise that we can imagine all the physical senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch, as well as stimulate physical feelings, sensations, and emotions. By learning to use your Imagination in a focused way, and combining it with the Will, magic happens. To begin using Imagination is easy, and you can do it with your eyes open or closed. You can begin by imagining familiar things: people; places; object; music; smells; tastes. You can start to imagine more abstract symbols such as geometric shapes (triangle, circle, square, tetrahedron, pyramid) or letters of the alphabet (Roman, Hebrew, Greek, Enochian). Once you can imagine these simple things you can start to develop moving images within your mind, for example by recalling a dream you had and visualising it again, and exploring it in more depth. You can always find ways to be more imaginative, and develop your skills. It is this creativity, through the Imagination, that is essential in any magical work. Imagination is always more important than what you are taught to believe about magic. A willingness to diverge from ‘accepted’ practice, and be spontaneously creative is a valuable attribute for successful magic.

Will The concept of the Will is generally misunderstood, if they are consciously aware of the word or faculty at all. Often it is purely associated with will power, and the strength of determination possessed by an individual. While it is possible to look at many aspects and concepts associated with the Will the important thing to understand is the function that the will has from a magical perspective. The Will is the psychic1 faculty that transforms thought into action. Here is a good point to stop reading and put into practice Exercise 1, which is given below. 1

Here the word psychic is used in association with the psyche, rather than the common association with clairvoyance and mediumship.

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After performing the exercise below you will realise that your arm did not rise until you actually ‘did it’ – that is, the moment you actually willed your arm to rise, it indeed rose. This is, for many people, the first direct experience of associating the Will with the part of them that translates their thoughts and desires into physical actions. In magic, the Will is the part that transforms the desired outcome into a physical reality, when engaged in conjunction with the Imagination. It is not necessary to delve into intellectual ideas about the Will. To begin with, practical experience and reflection on the process of willing is far more valuable.

Exercise 1 – Imagination and Will 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Stand comfortably with your arms by your sides. Now, think about raising your right arm above your head. Imagine the feelings and sensations associated with raising your arm. Visualize where your arm and hand will be, once you have raised it. Now, raise your arm. Write about this experience in your journal.

Exercise 2 – Beliefs about Will and Imagination Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed for the duration of the exercise. Read through the instructions several times before performing the exercise. Explore the concept of Imagination. • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Sit comfortably and close your eyes Take a few deep breaths and allow your body to relax Allow your mind to focus on the concept of Imagination. What immediately comes to mind? What feelings and emotions are present while you think about the concept of Imagination? What experiences do you recall relating to this concept and the beliefs you hold? Where did you learn about these beliefs? Who are the people who have influenced the development of these beliefs? What things do you believe to be ‘true’ regarding Imagination? What things do you believe to be ‘false’ regarding Imagination? Allow your mind to focus on various physical sensations relating to Imagination. What tastes, sounds, smells, physical sensations, and images do you relate to this concept? What do these beliefs and thoughts tell you about yourself? When you are ready, open your eyes, and write in your journal about your beliefs and thoughts relating to this concept. Close your eyes again.

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Take some time to think about the concepts again, and see if anything else comes to mind. Allow a single image to form in your mind that summarizes your current understanding of Imagination. See it vividly in your mind’s eye. Open your eyes and draw the image you saw relating to this concept. Write any final thoughts into your journal.

Repeat this exercise, preferably on a separate day, for the concept of the Will.

Exercise 3 – Imagination This exercise is to be performed with the eyes open. Initially, you might find it helpful to look at a relatively neutral surface such as a blank wall or the blue sky. Spend time going through the alphabet and seeing before your eyes each letter of the alphabet. Imagine it clearly before you, and hold that image for approximately 5 seconds before moving on to the next letter.

Exercise 4 – Will For this exercise you will need a piece of paper (approximately A4 / Letter size) and a small container such as a matchbox. • •

Tear the paper into at least 100 pieces Slowly and deliberately take each piece of paper and place it in the container.

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Inner Work The process of magic is facilitated by inner work, utilizing primarily the imagination and Will. I believe that all magic is essentially internal magic, as it is not important whether or not there are physical rituals or ceremonial elements; it is the inner powers that the magician uses to change reality. There are many different labels that can be given to the inner work process. Commonly used terms include: creative visualization, trancework, conscious dreaming, astral work, and willed daydreaming. As the process uses imagination it is similar to types of meditation, astral projection, and self-hypnosis. However, all the different names and terminology start to obscure the commonality between techniques, so I believe it is easiest to consider it simply ‘inner work’ as you ‘go within’ and conduct the work in via an imaginative process.

Symbols and Symbolism Of primary importance to the inner work process is the use of symbols. Symbols may be used to enter the inner world, acting as a doorway, or they may appear spontaneously, as imagery, during a session. It is essential to learn to interpret the symbols and symbolism of all entities, places, and events that you experience. The exercises for this lesson provide examples of working with symbols and learning to interpret the symbolism of the inner realms. It is important to realise what a symbol actual is. A symbol represents a concept. By reading this lesson you are already working with symbols. Each letter represents a concept, in this case the building block of a word (and perhaps a clue to its pronunciation – although English pronunciation can be difficult to deduce from the written words). Each word represents a concept, some concrete (such as tree, dog, fire, human), and some abstract (such as love, time, Will, magic). What you understand about each of these concepts may be different than what another person understands, depending on things such as culture, education, experience, and religious or philosophical knowledge. For example, a tree is a simple, tangible concept, familiar to most people. However, to someone living in an arid dessert, their concept of trees may be limited primarily to palm trees. An Amazonian shaman may think of the medicinal properties of various trees in his environment. A botanist may be reminded of the broader family of trees of this species. A builder may consider the suitability that various trees have for construction. However, these things are only aspects of the actual physical reality of a tree. Consider the concept of fire. Not only is physical fire a concept familiar to most people, but in religious and magical symbolism fire has a complex spiritual symbolism also. Most people will be unaware of the deeper philosophical and magical symbolism of fire, even though they are very familiar with the physical properties of fire. 15 / 41

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While the interpretation of symbols from your inner world is a personal and intuitive process, it is also worthwhile exploring some of the historic and cross-culture interpretations given to various symbols. If you doubt the intense power that a symbol can hold, consider the swastika, made infamous by the Nazi regime of World War II era Germany. To many people, both Jewish and non-Jewish, the symbol evokes feelings of horror. Yet the symbol is found, throughout the world, and used by many cultures. Contrast the use of the swastika by the Nazis with the use of the swastika by Buddhists. This is a good example of a symbol being different to the concept that it is used to represent, as the Buddhists and Nazis both had different reasons for using it, and contemporary Western interpretation has taken on a highly negative view of the symbol. The symbol itself is not important, it is the concepts represented by the symbol. In a similar manner, non-English speakers are unlikely to be offended by hearing words such as fuck if they do not know the meaning. And the meaning of the word is dependent on context, fuck being used in so many varying and contradictory contexts – both positive and negative. To interpret symbols, both physical and from the inner world, the first step is to practice ‘reading’ it intuitively. This is a process of paying attention to thoughts, feelings, sensations, and impressions you get when looking at, visualising, or thinking about a symbol. The most important thing is to pay attention to the very first thought, feeling, or image that comes into your mind, and use this as a starting point. The first impression is before self-censorship sets in, and before your faculties of critical judgement starts offering contradictory interpretations or doubting the validity of your intuitive impressions. This takes time and practice, but is really the only way to know what you are supposed to get from a symbol. I recommend that you read lesson 2 again, and pay particular attention to the section Symbols and Synchronicity. Also, the section on Beliefs in lesson 1 is important to keep in mind throughout the entirety of this course.

Identification / Disidentification Identification refers to the state or process of being identified with a particular concept, belief, or rôle. An identification can often be spotted when someone states “I am…” when describing themselves. For example, a woman may refer to herself by saying, “I am a mother.” This is a rôle that she has identified with, most likely unconsciously. It is not necessarily a bad or negative thing, however it is important to understand that you are not a rôle, concept or belief that you hold about yourself. Think of emotional states also. When you say “I am angry” you do not mean that you are literally anger, the emotion. You mean you are experiencing this emotion. When working in the inner realm, learning to identify with a concept or entity becomes a conscious process of shapeshifting through which a lot can be learnt. By identifying with, and perhaps transforming into, a particular symbol that represents a concept or belief, you are performing a magical process that can lead to powerful transformative events. This will be explored later in the course. 16 / 41

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Disidentification is the opposite of identification. In general it will always be a conscious process, although overtime people often lose the identification with concepts, beliefs, or rôles. When the process is conscious, it is again a type of shapeshifting, and a kind of psychological distance with an idea is intentionally created. It can be a temporary separation from the physical body, particular feelings or emotions, or a permanent way of breaking the identification with a concept, belief, rôle, or emotion. It is seldom performed by itself, and usually after disidentifying with something the process of identification is performed to align the psyche with a chosen concept or condition.

Exercise 1 – Symbol Journeying This technique is often called pathworking in new age literature. It is a method of exploring a symbol, using the symbol itself as a doorway. Find an appropriate symbol to use for visualising. To begin with, a simple geometric shape (such as a pentragram or circle) or the letter of an alphabet related to magic (such as Hebrew, Runic, or Enochian) can be used. Later, a more complex symbol such as tarot card can be used. Draw or paint your chosen symbol on a small piece of white card. • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • •

Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Sit comfortably with the symbol containing card positioned at an appropriate distance in front of you. Gaze fixedly at the symbol, trying not to blink. Breathe deeply and regularly. The connected-breath method is ideal. To perform this, breathe deeply, from the diaphragm, and as soon as your lungs are full breathe out. You push the air out of your lungs by contracting your stomach muscles, and allow the air to ‘fall’ into your lungs rather than sucking it in. Allow the image to fill your consciousness. Imagine that you are soaking in the energy associated with this symbol. Feel the qualities and sensations associated with it. Continue this for approximately 5-10 minutes. Experience will teach you how long you require to stare at the image to be ready for the next stage. Put aside the card and close your eyes. In your mind’s eye, see the symbol glow strongly before you. Imagine the symbol glowing on a doorway, or that it is a portal through which you can pass. Enter through the symbol doorway. On passing through the gateway observe the scene around you. Take time to let the scene build up before you. Use all your senses to take in the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations of the place. You may summon a guide to help you explore and to explain the symbol to you. Do this simply by requesting a guide appear to assist you. Alternatively you could call upon your Higher Self to assist you. Explore the environment thoroughly; take note of any additional symbols your find, entities you meet, or thoughts and sensations you experience. When you have finished exploring return to the portal, and return back through it. 17 / 41

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Start to bring your attention back to the physical world by listening to any sounds. Take a few deep breaths, and when you are ready open your eyes. Record every detail in a journal. This is essential for improving your skills, correcting problems, and gaining some insights into certain symbols and events which occur during a session.

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See the Tattva Vision exercise on the Magical Path website for a similar process using the Tattva symbols: http://magicalpath.net/tattva-vision/

Exercise 2 – Symbol Reading • • • • • • • •

Sit comfortably and close your eyes Take a few deep breaths and allow your body to relax Allow a symbol to come to mind that represents you at this present moment in time. The first symbol that appears is the correct one, do not attempt to change or choose a ‘better’ one. Concentrate on the symbol. See it clearly in your mind’s eye. What does this symbol tell you about yourself? Explore what concepts and beliefs this symbol represents, and how those things relate to you. Keep scanning the symbol for concepts, words, thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and how they relate to you. When you are finished, open your eyes and write about this in your journal.

Exercise 3 – Disidentification and Self-Identification This is a short form of the disidentification and self-identification exercise. It can be expanded and reworded depending on your own needs. Close your eyes, and repeat the following sentences: “I have a body, but I am not my body. My body may experience different conditions of health or wellbeing; my body may be rested or tired. My body is an important instrument of experience, and the vehicle through which I act in the physical world. I look after my body, and seek to keep it in good health, but it is not my self. I have a body, but I am not my body. I have emotions, but I am not my emotions. My emotions are countless, contradictory, changing. As I can observe, understand, and judge my emotions, I know that they are not my self. I have emotions, but I am not my emotions. I have an intellect, but I am not my intellect. It is more or less developed and active; it is undisciplined but teachable; it is an organ of knowledge about the outer and inner worlds; but it is not my self. I have an intellect, but I am not my intellect. 18 / 41

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I recognise and affirm that I am a centre of pure self-consciousness. I am a centre of Will, capable of mastering, directing and using all my psychological and magical processes and my physical body. I am a centre of awareness and of Will.”

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Higher Self The Higher Self is the highest part of your psychological make-up. It is known by various names including Superconsciousness, Christ Consciousness, Deep Self and Transpersonal Self. Sometimes it is associated with the Neschamah (in the Kabbalah, associated with Wisdom and the reconciliation of opposites), or the Holy Guardian Angel (HGA), although these associations are more likely to be disputed. What is important to understand is that the Higher Self is the part of your psyche that connects you with God / the Universe, and which is beyond duality, therefore making it a reconciler of opposites. It is the bigger picture of you, and contains the blueprint for your potential, but at the same time, as a divine aspect, it is perfect and pure, and not bound by human qualities. It is often associated with height and depth, representing its ability to ‘see’ and understand the overall territory of our lives and experience. General symbolism for the Higher Self includes ascending into the sky on a cloud, to survey the environment or your life, or climbing a mountain and standing atop a lofty peak to see all that exists. In a more shamanic context, shapeshifting into an eagle and flying high into the sky is another symbolic expression of the Higher Self. Some people see the Higher Self as their Guardian Angel, giving them wise advice and assistance on their life path – watching over them. Another common expression is the Wise Old Man or Wise Old Woman, aspects of the Higher Self that can spontaneous arise in dreams or inner work. One important quality of the Higher Self is its ability to reconcile opposites. That is, it aids in the synthesis of opposites into something new and holistic. It is through the Higher Self that we are able to actively and consciously transform paradoxical or diametrically opposing beliefs into a new workable belief. The Higher Self is a source of unconditional love – love energy that is harmonising and able to heal our inner wounds and unite conflicting parts of our psyche. This is not a touchy-feely New Age concept, but something important to experience and understand. Some of the qualities associated with the Higher Self experience include: stillness, peace, an ‘inner knowing’, an all-pervading aura of unconditional love, contentment, feelings of being outside of time, sudden bursts of flashes of insight or inspiration, and inclusiveness. Other spiritual or transpersonal qualities include: beauty, comprehension, creativity, goodness, joy, serenity, will, calm, confidence, energy, harmony, love, silence, wisdom, compassion, courage, enthusiasm, humour, patience, and simplicity.

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Guidelines for Assessing Authenticity of the Higher Self Experience As with all inner work, knowledge and understanding of the Higher Self is an intuitive process that takes experience and the development of skills to effectively achieve genuine results. Primarily, you must ensure that the communication with the Higher Self is ‘pure’, and that you are not simply accessing a lower part of your psyche and deceiving yourself with justification and rationalisation for your desires. Intuition is a type of immediate understanding of something without conscious reasoning. Working with the Higher Self enables more effective use of intuition, to see the bigger pictures and work in an integrated and holistic manner. Working with the Higher Self brings the experience of an inner knowing, which produces feelings of inner calm, certainty, joy, and resolution. This knowing has a sense of truth with it – that is, you understand and intuitively know it to be true. This truth may be personal to you or Universal. The experience should reveal something new to you, or at least a new way of looking at the current situation. The new information will be beyond polar opposites of positive or negative options. In simple terms this can be considered the ‘And’ that lies beyond the ‘either’ / ‘or’ alternatives. The knowing may be received in a symbolic form and require you to go beyond the simple, literal interpretation. Only repeated experience will allow you to build your skill and judgement for working effectively with the Higher Self.

Exercise – Symbol Reading 2 This exercise develops the Symbol Reading exercise (Exercise 2) from lesson 4, Inner Work. It adds the new dimension of the Higher Self perspective. • • •

• • • • • •

Sit comfortably and close your eyes Take a few deep breaths and allow your body to relax Allow a symbol to come to mind that represents you at this present moment in time. The first symbol that appears is the correct one, do not attempt to change or choose a ‘better’ one. Alternatively, use the same symbol as you saw in the previous exercise. Concentrate on the symbol. See it clearly in your mind’s eye. What does this symbol tell you about yourself? Explore what concepts and beliefs this symbol represents, and how those things relate to you. Keep scanning the symbol for concepts, words, thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and how they relate to you. (Optionally, you can stand up to perform the next part of the exercise – try it standing and sitting) Now, imagine that you are ascending high into the sky on a cloud, rising up, higher and higher. 21 / 41

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Once you are high above the ground, you can now see a bright, luminous being – your Higher Self. Take a moment to get a sense of the energy of your Higher Self. Now, imagine a cord of energy coming out from your Higher Self and connecting to you. Take some time to feel this connection with your Higher Self. Get a good sense of the feelings, emotions, and energy of Higher Self. When you are ready, imagine that you are turning around so that your back is to your Higher Self. Then step backwards into your Higher Self. Allow yourself to feel what it is like becoming one with your Higher Self energy. Breathe into this energy. Once you feel completely immersed in the energy of your Higher Self, bring to mind the symbol again, and allow thoughts, feelings, and more images to come into mind and allow yourself to receive the holistic perspective of your Higher Self. Once you have finished, step back out of your Higher Self. Turn to face it, and thank it for what it has shown you. Imagine yourself descending back to the ground on the cloud. When you are finished, open your eyes and draw the symbol and write about this experience in your journal.

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Synthesis The concept of synthesis is essential to magical understanding. In simple terms, the synthesis is the ‘And’ that lies beyond (or combines) the ‘Either’ / ‘Or’ polarities. It has been described in philosophy as thesis + antithesis = synthesis. An excellent symbolic representation of it can be found in the yin yang symbol, where the totality combines two opposites, each opposite containing the seed of the other. In Alchemy, the process is often described as Solve et Coagula – separate and combine. Through an understanding of synthesis, and the ability to synthesize opposites, it is possible to take it a step further, and find a creative solution to paradoxes. Even if the solution would not work in physical reality, a symbolic representation of a synthesized paradox can be discovered, through which various insights can be gained, and a tangible real-world solution might then become apparent. The first step of synthesis is to identify the two existing polar opposites. A polar opposite is the extreme opposite, or reverse/inverse of something, such as the positive and negative poles of a magnet, yes or no, 1 or 0. An obvious synthesis of opposites is with shades of grey, when black and white are combined. For example, if we are fearful of something, we could identify a part of our personality as the ‘fearful part’ and then discover or represent what the ‘opposite part’ is (which might be more-orless fearless and reckless). This is the separation phase. When the opposites are discovered, the positive and negative aspects of each can be identified, and then a synthesis of the two created. In this case the polarities may be labelled fearful versus reckless, and the synthesis may be courageous, recognising the positives of both the fearful and reckless parts of the personality. The ability to reconcile opposites is only limited by your imagination, creativity, and ingenuity. Learning to work with your Higher Self, as your primary aid to reconciling and synthesizing opposites, is essential to truly overcoming the polarities that the lower part of your mind operates.

Exercise 1 – Synthesis of Opposites This is a long form of the exercise. Once you are proficient, and have enough experience of the Higher Self, it is possible to shorten the process. Before working with this process you should have either a problem or a concept for which two opposite positions can be identified. • • • •

Sit comfortably and close your eyes Take a few deep breaths and allow your body to relax Allow the problem or concept to come to mind and spend some time thinking about it. Identify the two polarities that exist for the problem or concept. Do not worry about them being positive or negative as such, only that they are seemingly incompatible and diametrically opposed to each other.

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Once you have identified the polarities, focus on one of them – the first polarity. Allow a symbol to come to mind that represents the first polarity. The first symbol that appears is the correct one, do not attempt to change or choose a ‘better’ one. Concentrate on the symbol. See it clearly in your mind’s eye. What does this symbol represent? What are the positive and negative aspects of this polarity? Explore what concepts and beliefs this symbol represents (and how those things relate to you). Keep scanning the symbol for concepts, words, thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and how they relate to you. When you have discovered all you need to know about the first polarity, set it aside. Allow a symbol to come to mind that represents the second polarity. Concentrate on the symbol. See it clearly in your mind’s eye. What does this symbol represent? What are the positive and negative aspects of this polarity? Explore what concepts and beliefs this symbol represents (and how those things relate to you). Keep scanning the symbol for concepts, words, thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and how they relate to you. (Optionally, you can stand up to perform the next part of the exercise – try it standing and sitting) Now, imagine that you are ascending high into the sky on a cloud, rising up, higher and higher. Once you are high above the ground, you can now see a bright, luminous being – your Higher Self. Take a moment to get a sense of the energy of your Higher Self. Now, imagine an equilateral triangle before you, with the single point at the top. Visualize the two symbols, representing the two polarities, at opposite points of the triangle’s base. Talk to your Higher Self, explaining that you seek a synthesis of these two opposites, and ask it to assist you. Imagine the two symbols from the base moving up the sides of the triangle until they merge and become a new symbol – the synthesis of the opposites. Concentrate on this new symbol. See it clearly in your mind’s eye. What does this symbol represent? Explore what concepts and beliefs this symbol represents (and how those things relate to you). Keep scanning the symbol for concepts, words, thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and how they relate to you. Talk with your Higher Self, seeking its assistance in learning about this new holistic symbol. When you are finished, open your eyes and draw the symbols at the relevant corners of a triangle, and write about this experience in your journal. 24 / 41

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Magic From the time you started practicing the exercises in lesson 1 you have been developing skills needed to for successful magic. The exercise contained in lesson 6, Synthesis, is essentially a type of inner magick. You are working an inner process to transform opposites into something new – essentially creating change at will, under the guidance of your Higher Self. Utilizing imagination and will, combined with some skills and beliefs (concepts), you can now begin experimenting with other possibilities that magic has to offer. A simple distinction could be drawn between internal magic, where you seek to transform your inner world, and external magic, where you seek to transform your outer world. However, the distinction blurs once you realise that changing your inner world will always lead to changes in your everyday life. Once again, re-read lesson 2, and consider again the ancient axiom “as above, so below” – or “that which is within is like that which is without.” By changing your inner world you are creating changes that ripple out and become manifest in the physical world. This is the focus of teachings on the so-called Law of Attraction, where it is taught that “like attracts like.” In my belief, it is a little more complex than simply saying “like attracts like” and “whatever you think will manifest.” That is why I structured this course the way I did. I believe that beliefs are fundamentally important – you must believe that magic is possible (truly believe). You must understand how (and possess beliefs relating to) Imagination and Will are combined to create transformation, and it is helpful, if not essential, to be able to interact with your superconscious (Higher Self). These are the essential elements for success in magic, whether you chose to work in a meditative (visualization) way, or through physical expression via the performance of ritual (where you still need to use the powers of your psyche while performing physical actions – which are outward expressions, symbolic of the inner, magical process). Belief, combined with Imagination and Will, aided by the Higher Self, is a powerful formula for magical transformation of both the inner and outer worlds. While there are a lot of other concepts and words that can be associated with the process of magic, most of them will relate in some way back to the concepts mentioned in the previous paragraph. Beliefs include your knowledge, understanding, and wisdom relating to any particular concept or process. Imagination broadly covers all forms of inner creative processes, and is linked to meditation, hypnosis and other forms of trance. Will has associations with intention, skill, determination, concentration, focus, and single-mindedness. The Higher Self is the highest (deepest) part of your psyche, a symbolic representation of superconsciousness and provides a direction connection to the Collective Consciousness, the All, the Source, the Universe, to God. Anything not broadly connected to these concepts is likely superfluous to magic. There are many ways to call these things, and ways to express magical concepts and powers. However, whether magic is shamanic, Enochian, Egyptian, wiccan, Eastern, or Western, it shares common threads, common concepts – the core concepts which exist beneath the outer expressions. A word of caution. It might sound clichéd, but it is worthwhile keeping in your mind that old saying, “be careful what you ask for; you might just get it.” The magical act 25 / 41

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is amoral, and when transformation changes your external world you may well experience side effects that you never considered. This is why it is particularly important to work with your Higher Self, to insure that the outcome is beyond the lower polar opposites (beyond negative and positive, and beyond good and evil). It is wise to cultivate beliefs in bringing about changes that are holistic and transpersonal, not simply selfish desires to meet your lower, basic needs and desires. The next chapter, on morality, will look a little more at this. Aside from the unexpected side effects, there are other possible dangers inherent in delving into the deeper and latent parts of your psyche. Magical transformation is not necessary pleasant, and the side effects to you personally could be having to deal with repressed psychological content, and deal with an immense amount of stress, and anxiety as you break apart the beliefs you hold and patterns that shape your day to day life and activities. For some people, a psychotic break is possible. For others, depression can set in. It can become difficult to function in the real world (the physical, tangible world). So it is important to keep yourself ‘grounded’, and keep in mind that the physical world is the real world. Magic is not about fantasy and escapism. You still have this physical life to live; magic is an aid to it, and another dimension or level to seek knowledge, wisdom and understanding about. It is a good idea to keep doing (or start doing) some form of physical activity that is (or seems) far removed from inner, magical realms. Walking, running, chopping wood, and keeping up normal social contact with non-magical people, are all good ways of keeping grounded and reminding yourself that it is the physical world we are incarnate to experience. Seeing a counsellor, psychotherapist, or hypnotherapist (especially one who works in the Jungian or Transpersonal schools of thought) is useful if repressed memories begin to surface. It might be you, your friends, or your family that start to notice your behaviour becoming too disconnected from consensus reality. As a magician you walk (journey) between worlds (the inner and the outer), but should never lose grip on either.

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Morality Magic has often become polarised into the concepts of white magic and black magic. Some philosophies attempt to reconcile the opposites and propose grey magic or rainbow magic as alternatives. I believe that such classifications are unhelpful. Magic is a practice at the fringes of society. It is commonly associated with madness, fantasy, fraud, and deception. Even many who accept paranormal phenomena link magic with evil spirits or great dangers. It is the intent of the individual that is appropriate or not, and labelling it black, white, grey, or octarine is irrelevant. It becomes rationalisation and justification based on preconceived notions and beliefs. Magic, and transformation as a concept in general, is both destructive and creative. The existing form of a thing must be broken down, or re-patterned, in some way for it to be transformed. Synthesis can be considered the merging of the best parts of something, while the less useful, or counterproductive, are discarded. The butterfly is often used as a symbol of transformation, as it has changed its form from the original caterpillar stage. The old form is destroyed, and the new form arises. The process is embodied by the birth-life-death-rebirth cycle, a process that is creative and destructive. So it is too simplistic to say that destructive magic is black magic or evil magic And just because something can be created, it is also too simplistic to call it white magic or good magic. Consider for example the use of magic to kill a dictator like Hitler or Stalin. Would this be an act of black magic, especially if it was to save the lives of millions of people? Would the use of magic to heal such as tyrant, should he be sick and dying, be an act of white magic? Morality becomes blurred on these points, and philosophical arguments arise around the notions of good and evil, and whether interfering in the lives of others is good or bad karma. These arguments are based on beliefs. That is unavoidable. For the most part, your concern as an individual magician is your own welfare, health, and personal evolution. This may be best balanced by aiming to find solutions and manifest situations and outcomes that are best for all people involved in the events that follow. The difficulty is in knowing what is ‘best’ for others – we do not know this (although we can imagine, guess, or believe we know). However, the intention of involving only those who are ‘best’ served by our mutual experiences would seem a sensible compromise to our not knowing what is best for anyone else. The simple solution, from a magical point of view, is to work with your Higher Self, to create solutions that are holistic and balanced, and serve the “greater good” so to speak (keeping in mind that all transformation comes with creative and destructive aspects). Morals and ethics derive from beliefs, and are certainly not universal. Killing someone is wrong, unless it is sanctioned by an authority such as church or state. The age at which two people can have sex varies from 14 to 18 years of age in most countries, so would it be bad, wrong or evil for someone from a country where the age of consent is 18 to have sex with a 14 year old in a country where it is legal? Is homosexuality good or evil? Are the use of drugs a good or a bad thing? Should someone who kills another human being have their life ended as a punishment? Is using magic to heal someone, without that person’s permission, an act of white 27 / 41

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magic? Is using magic to kill or harm an enemy an act of black magic? Answers only indicate beliefs, not universal truths. Moral and ethical laws, codes, and guidelines may be useful to the integrity of the society or group that holds them, but they may be limiting to personal growth and magical development (for example laws forbidding the practice of magic). For magical development, breaking down existing beliefs, and synthesizing new beliefs, will eventually lead to a confrontation of the moral and ethical beliefs you hold. This is unavoidable. The consequences of your magical workings will lead you to question many things you unconsciously believe about fairness, truth, rights, and wrongs. What I propose is a following process that is stripped of all moral and ethical obfuscation. In any situation you make a choice. This leads to an action (or inaction if you choose to do nothing), which will provide you with an experience that has consequences. You can expand these four concepts and add in other concepts, but basically that is the sequence of events. A fifth stage could be defined as reflection and synthesis of what was learnt from the events that occurred. I believe that this simple formula is what karma is about, the law of cause and effect. It is amoral, simply observing that all actions have cause, and all actions have an effect. It is inescapable, at least in our physical existence. What you are left with is personal responsibility. This is primarily an understanding and willingness to take responsibility for the consequences of your actions – magical or mundane. Working outside of your societies moral and ethical codes and laws is not a licence to “do whatever you want” without any form of responsibility. It is about accepting the responsibility for all your actions without rationalising and justifying them as “it was okay because the law allows me to do so” or “I was just following orders.” What I am suggesting may sound like an aspect of Anarchism, and it may well fit with some anarchist and libertarian philosophy. However, I don’t like to label and confine such concepts with an –ism. Doing so starts to enforce limitations and may slow the progression of the way that beliefs and understandings need to progress, mature, and develop into new ways of understanding and doing things. How you define or label the concepts and beliefs I discuss is your choice, but I suggest keeping all these things in your mind as mere starting points for exploration.

Exercise 1 – Exploring Beliefs About Morality I recommend repeating this exercise several times over the next week. Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed for the duration of the exercise. Read through the instructions several times before performing the exercise. • • • • •

Sit comfortably and close your eyes Take a few deep breaths and allow your body to relax Allow your mind to focus on the concept of morality. What immediately comes to mind? What feelings and emotions are present while you think about this concept? 28 / 41

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What experiences do you recall relating to this concept and the beliefs you hold? Where did you learn about these beliefs? Who are the people who have influenced the development of these beliefs? What things do you believe to be ‘good’? What things do you believe to be ‘evil’? Allow your mind to focus on various physical sensations relating to morality. What tastes, sounds, smells, physical sensations, and images do you relate to this concept? What do these beliefs and thoughts tell you about yourself? When you are ready, open your eyes, and write in your journal about your beliefs and thoughts relating to this concept. Close your eyes again. Take some time to think about the concepts again, and see if anything else comes to mind. Allow a single image to form in your mind that summarizes your current understanding of morality. See it vividly in your mind’s eye. Open your eyes and draw the image you saw relating to this concept. Write any final thoughts into your journal.

Exercise 2 – A New Morality This exercise is based on the Synthesis of Opposites exercise from lesson 6. You need to use the symbol from Exercise 1. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Sit comfortably and close your eyes Take a few deep breaths and allow your body to relax Bring to mind the symbol from exercise 1. Concentrate on the symbol. See it clearly in your mind’s eye. Bring to mind what this symbol represents to you? Set this symbol aside for now. Allow a symbol to come to mind that represents the opposite of all the beliefs and associations of your symbol for morality. Concentrate on the symbol. See it clearly in your mind’s eye. What does this symbol represent? Explore what concepts and beliefs this symbol represents (and how those things relate to you). Keep scanning the symbol for concepts, words, thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and how they relate to you. (Optionally, you can stand up to perform the next part of the exercise – try it standing and sitting) Now, imagine that you are ascending high into the sky on a cloud, rising up, higher and higher. Once you are high above the ground, you can now see a bright, luminous being – your Higher Self. Take a moment to get a sense of the energy of your Higher Self. 29 / 41

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Now, imagine an equilateral triangle before you, with the single point at the top. Visualize the two symbols, representing the two polarities of morality, at opposite points of the triangle’s base. Talk to your Higher Self, explaining that you seek a synthesis of these two opposites, and ask it to assist you. Imagine the two symbols from the base moving up the sides of the triangle until they merge and become a new symbol – the synthesis of the opposites. Concentrate on this new symbol. See it clearly in your mind’s eye. What does this symbol represent? Explore what concepts and beliefs this symbol represents (and how those things relate to you). Keep scanning the symbol for concepts, words, thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and how they relate to you. Talk with your Higher Self, seeking its assistance in learning about this new holistic symbol. When you are finished, open your eyes and draw the symbols at the relevant corners of a triangle, and write about this experience in your journal.

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Beliefs 2 By now you will be aware of various beliefs you hold, and some of the ways you can work on changing them. There are a couple more things to keep in mind when beginning to explore your beliefs and work on transforming them into more beneficial things. Beliefs can be considered to form structures (belief structures) which comprises various similar beliefs (variations on a theme), and interconnections with other beliefs. When you tinker with one belief you are going to affect the structure in some way, and undoubtedly bring about awareness of similar and connected beliefs, as well as polar opposites to those beliefs. One way that a belief manifests is through a subpersonality, which is a smaller aspect of your personality. Subpersonalities always come in pairs – the polar opposites of each other, although one is usually dominant and its opposite is repressed. It is common for people to swing from polarity to polarity, which can be seen in so-called “mood swings” or manifested in indecision (where you cannot make up your mind, or feel in “two minds” about something, noting the positives and negatives in both potential decisions). Disparate and conflicting thoughts and behaviours can often be observed in others, and also in our own lives. For example, someone may profess beliefs in never telling a lie, and yet is observed telling lies on various occasions. This is because they are swinging between, and operating from, the two opposing subpersonalities, one which has a central belief that lying is wrong, while the other has a central belief that lying is ok (perhaps as long as the end justifies the means). This is why it is essential for you to learn to go beyond these polar opposites and synthesis new and holistic beliefs that are do not cause an inner conflict between opposing points of view. One solution to maintaining very fixed beliefs is to develop a belief that your beliefs are only temporary working hypotheses. A temporary working hypothesis is still a belief, but it is not held to be immutable true, nor as unchangeably false. It is a belief that you can work from, and understood to have elements of the truth, but are willing to discard or adapt if experience brings about new knowledge and understanding, or as you work on synthesizing conflicting beliefs. Even these new synthesized beliefs are not immutable, but will eventually be transformed or discarded.

Exercise 1 – Beliefs Review • • • • •

Spend some time reading through your journal entries from the past few weeks. Identify beliefs contained within the statements you have written. Do you still agree with, or identify with these beliefs? Do you feel in “two minds” about some of the things you have written, or notice a particular mood you were in when you wrote an entry? (This would indicate subpersonalities at work) Start to identify some of your subpersonalities, and write a little about them. 31 / 41

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Exercise 2 – Synthesis of Subpersonalities You should be familiar with this process from the lesson on synthesis. The exercise here is therefore slightly shortened. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Sit comfortably and close your eyes Take a few deep breaths and allow your body to relax Focus your mind on one of your subpersonalities (from exercise 1). Allow a symbol to come to mind that represents this subpersonality. Spend some time getting a sense of this subpersonality, and the core belief it is formed around. Spend some time talking to the subpersonality and find out what it does in your life. What are the positive and negative aspects of this subpersonality? When you have discovered all you need to know about the first subpersonality, set it aside. Allow a symbol to come to mind that represents the polar opposite to this subpersonality. Spend some time getting a sense of this subpersonality, and the core belief it is formed around. Spend some time talking to the subpersonality and find out what it does in your life, or what it could do if it was able to play more of an active rôle. What are the positive and negative aspects of this subpersonality? When you have discovered all you need to know about the first subpersonality, set it aside. Connect with of your Higher Self. Now, imagine an equilateral triangle before you, with the single point at the top. Visualize the two symbols, representing the two subpersonalities, at opposite points of the triangle’s base. Talk to your Higher Self, explaining that you seek a synthesis of these two opposites, and ask it to assist you. Imagine the two symbols from the base moving up the sides of the triangle until they merge and become a new symbol – the synthesis of the opposites. Concentrate on this new symbol. See it clearly in your mind’s eye. Explore what concepts and beliefs this symbol represents (and how those things relate to you). Keep scanning the symbol for concepts, words, thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and how they relate to you. Talk with your Higher Self, seeking its assistance in learning about this new holistic symbol. When you are finished, open your eyes and draw the symbols at the relevant corners of a triangle, and write about this experience in your journal.

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Review You have now completed this introductory course covering some of the basic concepts of magic. The aim has been to offer some concepts and exercises to enhance your understanding of magic and the philosophy surrounding it. The information and exercises are outside of any one particular system or tradition, although common themes will be found amongst all such systems and traditions. As stated in the introduction to this course: “The key to this brief course, and the entire magical world view, is summed up in the ancient words: Know Thyself.” Now would be a good time, if you haven’t already done it regularly, to read over your journal. Consider any questions you had written down, and look for patterns in your thinking, as well as noting any changes you have undergone through this process. Below is a quick recap of the concepts covered.

Beliefs This course contained two lessons on beliefs. This reflects the importance that beliefs have in shaping our lives, as well as from a magical point of view. While I have avoided adding quotes from third parties throughout the lessons, it is now apt to consider a quote from Paracelsus that illustrates the importance of beliefs in regards to magical acts: "Determined will is the beginning of all magical operations. It is because men do not perfectly imagine and believe the result, that the (magical) arts are so uncertain, while they might be perfectly certain." (emphasis added) [More quotes can be found in the Additional Readings appendix to this course] This quote ties together three of the important concepts covered in this course: will, imagination, and beliefs.

The Magic Mirror It is important to cultivate the belief and understanding of the interaction between the internal world and the external world. Keep in mind the sayings, “Know Thyself” and “As Above, So Below” as you continue to develop your magical practices. Self honesty is an important personal attribute to develop, and finding ways to keep your ego in check will be immensely beneficial to your magical development.

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Imagination & Will You will find it beneficial to discover new ways to develop and enhance your Imagination. Creative writing, solving puzzles (such as cryptic crosswords), and visualisation are all useful for honing this skill. The Will is perhaps the critical concept to understand, explore, and develop. It is a concept that is mentioned time and time again in the Western Tradition, and a concept that is in the background of many practices and techniques, whether explicitly described or not. Again, developing your knowledge and understanding of the three concepts of will, imagination, and beliefs will be a continuing process throughout your magical studies.

Inner Work Successful Inner Work can be achieved by developing a significant understanding will, imagination, and beliefs, and how these concepts interconnect within one’s self, and externally, to transform both the inner world and the external world. Aspects of Inner Work can be found under various names and guises, including creative visualization, trancework, conscious dreaming, astral work, and willed daydreaming. Understanding symbols and how they can be utilised to transform and synthesis energy is essential to magical development. Identification / Disidentification are also critical concepts to understanding your own psychic processes. Learn to identify and disidentify at will.

Higher Self A concept of some form of higher consciousness is a basis for all magical and spiritual training. If there was nothing beyond normal, mundane consciousness there would be little or nothing to aspire to or develop. Conceptualising higher consciousness into an archetypal form is useful for inner work. Understanding the connection between the higher consciousness and a higher power (God) is another key to developing your magical understanding.

Synthesis Synthesis is a natural process. Synthesis is the basis of alchemy – spiritual or physical. Learning to reconcile opposites, through the higher self, is key to transformation of one’s self.

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Magic Magic is the term popularly used for the knowledge, skills, and practices of transformation – internal and external. It has become popular to use a terminal –k to differentiate between illusionism (stage magic, magic tricks) and supernatural (for want of a better term) magic. A point to consider – both practices work with the realms of illusion, trickery, and transformation. Principles of illusionism can in fact be related to occult principles, although they are of a different kind. One important thing to consider is the use of deception, and how our minds can so easily be tricked and fooled into seeing and believing something, when the actual process and wisdom is hidden from view. Both types of magic and occult arts.

Morality Morals and ethics are something that provide a personal challenge for anyone studying and practicing magic. Magic has been popularly polarised into white and black, with varying definitions of what is good and what is evil. At some level, all magic must transcend polar opposites. If postulates about reconciliation of opposites, and transcendent states of consciousness and being are correct, then how can powerful magic remain locked into concrete beliefs of right and wrong, good and evil, black and white?

Where to from here? Where you go from here depends on your needs, desires, and current level of understanding – some people would suggest your destiny plays a big part also. The ideas and concepts that I have presented in this course provide a foundation for further research, study, and practice. It is up to you to adapt and extend this knowledge, and discover through intuitive means exactly what you need to learn and implement in your own practices. The type of research I advocate is primarily through experiential means. While there is nothing inherently wrong with someone who only wants to study occult philosophy, it is a self-enforced type of limitation. Keeping things only on a safe thinking level will do little more than provide diversion for the mind. It will not reveal any occult secrets or allow you to genuinely understand the processes involved. If magic is being practiced, then it must have real, tangible results. That is, transformation must occur, internal and externally. While the division of levels of reality, consciousness, and being are somewhat arbitrary, it is necessary to consider developing and transforming all levels as you understand them, or believe them to be. A simple classification of levels or divisions is the following: physical (body and physical existence), mental (mind), spiritual (spirit), and emotional (emotions and feelings). The Additional Reading document contains quotes for you to contemplate, as well as links to articles and books that you may wish to consider reading. 35 / 41

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Review I suggest you spend some time reading through the lessons again, making notes in your journal about aspects you want to explore further. Take note of things you disagree with. These can be essential for your learning and growth. It may be that what you currently believe and understand is incorrect (completely or partially) and you may need to challenge yourself to dissolve the old belief structures and develop new ones. On the other hand, you may well be correct (completely or partially) and have experience to back you up. Keep in mind, your personal experience and belief may be correct for you, but not for others. I suggest that you write (in your journal) a complete review of what you have learnt and gained from this course. Aim for about 2000 words, which means only one or two paragraphs (100-200 words) per lesson / concept. The idea is not to be exhaustive, but to narrow your focus to several key points.

Feedback Okay, you now have the opportunity to give something back to me. Whether you have found the course beneficial, or not, I request your feedback. You are welcome to include part (or all) of your course review (as per the suggestion above). What have you learnt from this course, and how has it benefited your magical practices? However, don’t focus only on positive points. What were the negatives or downsides to the course? What do you feel is lacking? What would you have preferred? I will take into consideration all feedback, and over time I will adapt and extend the course so that future participants can potentially gain more from course. Email your feedback to [email protected]

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Additional Readings Now that you have completed the basic course, here are some quotations and additional readings that may be useful to challenge your beliefs and assist you in gaining additional insights. They are not provided because your personal beliefs and discoveries are ‘wrong’, nor are they provided because the authors are ‘right’. They represent various individuals’ or groups’ views on the topics already covered. There is no requirement for you to read them; however, doing so will provide the opportunity to further explore the concepts you have learnt about. Remember, reading is not a substitute for doing; the constant practice, development and refinement of your magic skills is essential.

Introduction & Beliefs 1 “The magnum opus is pre-eminently the creation of man by himself, that is, the full and complete conquest which he can make of his faculties and his future; it is preeminently the perfect emancipation of his will.” – Eliphas Lévi “A gardener has to have a knowledge of the unseen root of the tree before he can be expected to give his concentrated effort to watering its root so that the whole tree remains fresh and green.” – Mahrishi Mahesh Yogi, Transcendental Meditation

Additional Reading: •

Definition and Theorems of Magick (from Magick in Theory & Practice) by Aleister Crowley http://hermetic.com/crowley/book-4/defs.html

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The Alchemy of Magick by the Order of Nine Angles http://www.nineangles.info/alchemy1.html

The Magic Mirror “When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate.” – Carl Jung, Psyche and Symbol “Of the Means of Arriving at the Secret The requirements necessary in order to arrive at this Secret, are: the knowledge of Nature and of one’s self. One may not understand the first perfectly, or even the second, without the aid of Alchemy. The love of wisdom, the horror of crime, and of falsehood, … the association of the wise, the invocation of the Holy Spirit; not to add secret to secret, to attach one’s self only to one thing (because God and Nature delight in unity and simplicity), such are the conditions necessary for obtaining the divine revelation.

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Man being the epitome of all Nature, must learn to know himself as the summary, the miniature of Nature. By his spiritual part he is allied to all immortal creatures, and by his material part, to all that which is transient in the Universe.” – Antoine-Joseph Pernety, An Alchemical Treatise on the Great Art

Additional Reading: •

As Above, So Below by Alan G. Hefner http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/a/below_above.html

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The Gospel of Thomas http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl_thomas.htm

Imagination & Will “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” – Albert Einstein “Each man is the painter for his own life; the craftsman in this task is the will.” – Latin Proverb "Determined will is the beginning of all magical operations. It is because men do not perfectly imagine and believe the result, that the (magical) arts are so uncertain, while they might be perfectly certain." – Paracelsus

Additional Reading: •

Magick Wiki - Imagination http://www.paxprofundis.com/wiki/Imagination

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Magick Wiki - Will http://www.paxprofundis.com/wiki/Will

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Training the Will by Roberto Assagioli http://www.synthesiscenter.org/articles/0117.pdf

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The Will Project Wiki http://www.willproject.org/

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Thelema Exercises http://www.vbook.pub.com/doc/23356494/Thelema-Exercises-Develop-your-WillPower

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Learn Magick series on Will & Imagination http://www.learnmagick.com/will.html

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Inner Work “Intent creates edifices before us and invites us to enter them. This is the way sorcerers understand what is happening around them. I want you to understand the underlying order of what I teach you. It means two things: both the edifice that intent manufactures in the blink of an eye and places in front of us to enter, and the signs it gives us so we won't get lost once we are inside.” – Carlos Castaneda, The Power of Silence “We are dominated by everything with which our self becomes identified. We can dominate and control everything from which we dis-identify ourselves.” – Roberto Assagioli, Psychosynthesis “The psychological mechanism that transforms energy is the symbol” – Carl Jung, On Psychic Energy “Images, mental pictures and ideas tend to produce the physical conditions and external acts that correspond to them. Some psychologists have formulated this law in the following ways: a. Every image has in itself a motor element; and b. Every idea is an act in a latent state.” – Roberto Assagioli, Training the Will

Additional Reading: •

Liber ‘A’ by Trance Guild http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/liber-a/4003290

Higher Self “We fear the sublime because it is unknown and because if we admit the reality of higher values we are committed to act in a more noble way. Goodness, cooperation, the loss of self-centredness, and responsibility for spiritual growth go along with acknowledgement of the Higher Self.” – Roberto Assagioli, Psychosynthesis

Additional Reading: •

The Self: A Unifying Center by Roberto Assagioli http://www.psykosyntese.dk/a-163/

Synthesis “The day of the analytical mind is past … you've got to go beyond mere analysis and on to synthesis, or you will be a galley slave all your life, chained to the System or the Machine!” - Harry Kahne, Multiple Mentality 39 / 41

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Additional Reading: •

Dynamic Psychology And Psychosynthesis by Roberto Assagioli http://www.synthesiscenter.org/articles/0101.pdf

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The Balancing And Synthesis Of The Opposites by Roberto Assagioli http://www.synthesiscenter.org/articles/0129.pdf

Magic “All you need to begin the practice of magic is concentration, imagination and the ability to laugh at yourself and learn from mistakes. Some people like to dress up as Egyptians or monks to get themselves in the mood; others wear animal masks or Barbarella costumes. The use of ritual paraphernalia functions as an aid to the imagination only.” – Grant Morrison, Pop Magic “In this book it is spoken of the Sephiroth, and the Paths, of Spirits and Conjurations; of Gods, Spheres, Planes, and many other things which may or may not exist. It is immaterial whether they exist or not. By doing certain things certain results follow; students are most earnestly warned against attributing objective reality or philosophic validity to any of them.” – Aleister Crowley, Magick in Theory and Practice

Additional Reading: •

Modern Shamanic Techniques trilogy by Phil Hine http://www.philhine.org.uk/writings/index_e-books.html

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History of Magick by Summer Woodsong http://www.realmagick.com/5481/history-of-magick/

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Pop Magic by Grant Morrison http://www.grantmorrison.com/index.php? option=com_content&view=article&id=195&Itemid=83

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Magick in Theory and Practice by Aleister Crowley http://hermetic.com/crowley/book-4/aba3.html

Morality “It is the mass-ego that constructs dogmas and laws; for while the individual soul is, if free at all, self-poised, the mass-mind is always uncertain, driven by vague, wandering aims; conscious, in a dim fashion, of its own weakness, it builds round itself a grotesque structure in the everlastingness of which it implicitly believes. When each unit of humanity merges itself in the mass, it loses its bearings and must rely on externals. The whole effort of evolution is to the development of individual souls who 40 / 41

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will dare to be free of the architecture of crowd-morality. For when man is herded, he remembers the savage.” – Mary Webb, The House in Dormer Forest

Additional Reading: •

Maybe later…

Beliefs 2 “For Magic does not countenance a retreat from life, an escape from the turmoils of the world; it seeks only to transmute what was dross into gold, and transform the base and low into the pure and splendid.” – Israel Regardie, What You Should Know About The Golden Dawn

Additional Reading: •

Maybe later…

Review / Feedback “Only the development of his inner powers can offset the dangers inherent in man's losing control of the tremendous natural forces at his disposal and becoming the victim of his own achievements” – Roberto Assagioli, The Act of Will “Sciences are acquired only by study, by meditation, and not by dispute. Learn a little at a time; repeat often the same study; the mind can do all when concentrated upon one sole object, but nothing when trying to embrace too many.” – Antoine-Joseph Pernety, An Alchemical Treatise on the Great Art

Additional Reading: •

Maybe later…

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