torsdag 30 september 2010

Psyke över kropp

o

En grundsats inom den ockulta läran är den om ”ande (eller själ) över materia”. Med detta så menas, för att använda psykologiska termer, att medvetandet och självet inte främst är betingat av biologin och biogenetiken, vilket ofta framhålls i dagens debatt, utan att det snarare är kroppen som betingas av psyket; kroppens sjukdomar är främst själens sjukdomar (psykosomatik). Själens ”natur” å andra sidan är till övervägande del betingad av inre psykiska och yttre miljömässiga faktorer. Med inre och psykiska faktorer så menas tankar och fantasier, livserfarenheter och referensramar, som rör sig på både medvetna och omedvetna plan. En aspekt av den omedvetna psykiska sfären rör de rent transpersonella eller arketypiska invåerna (det kollektiva omedvetna), eller idéplanet för att låna en term från Platon – Det Högre Självet. Med miljömässiga faktorer så avses främst psykosociala faktorer och relationerna mellan barnet och föräldragestalterna, men även samhällsstrukturer, demografiska faktorer och livsmiljön på ett direkt och konkret sätt, såsom maten man äter, luften man andas, och inte minst visuella intryck eller estetik, etc. Det är dock ofta svårt att göra skillnad mellan yttre och inre faktorer, då det ena kan vara ett uttryck för det andra och vice versa – Så som ovan så ock nedan, och såsom nedan så ock ovan.

I ljuset av alla dessa yttre och inre faktorer så framstår det för mig såsom självklart att den rena biogenetiken endast kan ha en marginell roll i en människas karaktärsutveckling. Jag erkänner att det kan vara ett faktum att där måhända finns en komponent av genetiska faktorer som lägger grunden för en ”predisposition” eller ”känslighet”. Men å andra sidan kan man inte riktigt veta vad som gör en människa mer känslig än andra; även miljömässiga och sociala faktorer har naturligtvis sin stora hand med i det hela. Slutsatsen är att människan är aldeles för komplicerad varelse för att kunna reduceras till neuropsykiatri och biologi. Tvärtom så framstår det som tydligt att människan äger förmågan i sin hand att transcendera sina biologiska förutsättningar eller begränsningar, något som alkemin lär oss. Jag brukar citera ett mycket bra uttalande om människan som jag fick lära mig på Universitetet, men tyvärr för länge sedan har glömt vem som var upphovsman till, och som lyder: ”Människan är som ett grått lakan. De vita trådarna i tyget utgör hennes miljö och de svarta hennes genetik. Men när vi betraktar henne kan vi inte särskilja vad som är vad; vi ser blott ett grått lakan”.

Två saker eller händelser har gjort det angeläget för mig att skriva av mig dessa ord, båda två företeelser som är ganska ”hypade” idag; det är dels frågan om Kognitiv Beteendeterapi (KBT) och frågan om ”Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” (uppmärksamhetsstörning med överaktivitet) eller ADHD. Jag läste av en ren slump nyss en artikel i Damenars Värld (jag var förvånad att överhuvudtaget finna en sådan ”intressant” artikel i en modetidning som denna) där en professorn i psykiatri vid namn Åsa Nilsonne påstår att KBT är såpass effektiv eftersom den utgår ifrån hjärnans biologiska funktioner vilket dikterar att hjärnan vänjer sig vid att tänka på ett visst sätt, och ju mer negativa tankar individen tänker och ju mer negativa känslor som uttrycks en ond cirkel därmed skapas, eftersom hjärnan då genom sitt plastiska sätt formar sig efter detta. Enligt denna professor i psykiatri så kan Psykodynamisk Terapi (PDT) eller Psykoanalys ha en kontraproduktiv effekt på hjärnan då den försöker förmå patienten att uppehålla sig mycket kring just negativa och smärtsamma känslor. Bättre är, menar professorn, att inte älta det negativa utan istället tänka på det positiva, så lär hjärnan sig därefter.

Ganska enkelt eller hur? Och till viss del ligger det något i detta. Att hjärnan är plastisk till sin natur är inget nytt eller förvånande; tvärtom bekräftar detta tesen om biologins formbarhet och anpassning efter miljön och medvetandet. Även den ockulta läran säger att våra tankar formar oss och vår värld. Faktum är också att KBT i sin ”tredje generation” av utveckling har anammat vissa österländska meditativa tekniker, vilket de kallar ”mindfullness”. Det är därför inte förvånande att Åsa Nilsonnes senaste bok heter just Mindfullness i hjärnan. Men själva huvudtesen i biologisternas människosyn är att alla människans tankar (kognitioner) blott kan reduceras till neuroners samverkan, då däremot den ockulta människosynen hävdar att människans tanke- och känsloliv är oberoende av kroppen. Och för att uppväga den ytliga och kommersialiserade New Age varianten av ”tänka positivt-filosofin” (idag främst uttryckt genom ”lagen om attraktion”) lär oss den ockulta filosofin, i synnerhet den Qabalistiska, dessutom att vi människor består både av ljus och av mörker. Likaväl som vi inom oss har en kör av änglar har vi inom oss även en legion av demoner. Sigmund Freuds idéer, vilket i min mening står den Lurianska Qabalah mycket nära, beaktar detta faktum om människans tvådelade natur. Han framlade att vi människor har ett annat medvetande på ”andra sidan” av det medvetna, det som han kom att kalla för ”det omedvetna”. Inom Qabalah kallas detta Sitra Ahra, ”den andra sidan”, en omvänd och splittrad version av Livets Träd vars beska frukter kallas ”Qlippoth” eller ”skal” (demoner), istället för de ”Sefiroth” som innehåller det angeliska ljuset.

Att ignorera den mörka sidan i vår natur, vårt omedvetna disassociativa själv i motsats till vårt medvetna integrerade själv, att försaka den och istället blint rikta sina blickar mot ljuset, kan i min mening vara förödande. Den ensamt viktigaste aspekten av all andlig och personlig utveckling är att följa den gamla grekiska devisen gnothi seauton, eller ”känn dig själv”. Att kunna känna sig själv innefattar även kunskapen om ”den andra sidan”, om sina omedvetna djup som ligger bortanför den kognitiva sfären som endast KBT befattar sig med. I min mening arbetar KBT endast på en medveten och ”förmedveten” nivå. Det förmedvetna är ett begrepp som också det myntades av Psykoanalysens fader Sigmund Freud och betecknar allt det i vårt psyke som vi inte hela tiden har tillgång till men som vi kan plocka fram ur minnet, dvs. det som ligger före det omedvetna. Alltså utgörs det förmedvetna av ”den hitre sidan”, på samma sätt som det medvetna.

På samma sätt som alla andra materialistiska biologister försöker KBT-anhängarna att reducera människan till sina medvetna tankar, som man anser betingar känslolivet. Men man tar ingen som helst hänsyn till att människan även har tankar och känslor, och framför allt fantasier, som är omedvetna och alltså tillhör ”den andra sidan”. Liksom biologisterna är KBT-anhängarna utrustade med en tämligen omfattande uppsättning av skygglappar som antingen vägrar att se eller inte kan se alla aspekter av den mänskliga tillvaron, både den psykiska och existentiella. En sådan käpphäst som biologisterna idag tar till alltför jämnan är frågan om ADHD, ett begrepp som de lärda har tvistat om sedan det först myntades på 1990-talet. En hel generation av missanpassade barn har används av den materialistiska läkarkåren som ett mycket effektivt vapen mot den etablerade beteendevetenskapen till såpass grad att ingen idag kan (eller vågar) ifrågasätta tesen av biogenetikens absoluta herravälde över det mänskliga beteendet; läkemedelsföretagens aktieägare skrattar på vägen till banken.

För mig personligen fungerar begreppet ”ADHD” såsom ett rött skynke, eftersom jag i min yrkesutövning med hemlösa och missbrukare jämnt och ständigt får höra att mina klienter lider av detta ”funktionshinder” (jag överdriver inte om jag säger att det har gått inflation i begreppet ADHD) och att det enda sättet att bota en amfetaminist i många fall består i att ge honom diverse centralstimulatia (eller med andra ord amfetaminpreparat), vilket läkemedelsföretagen fullt lagligt langar i formen av Ritalin och Concerta. En ganska så dyr medicin måste jag tillägga som har grävt stora hål i västra götalandsregionens pengakista. Jeppe är inte länge en missbrukare på grund av att hans mamma och pappa själva var missbrukare och misshandlade honom, eller ännu värre förgrep sig på honom som barn, utan för att han har ett neuropsykiatriskt funktionshinder, som är ärftligt och dessutom förklarar varför hans pappa och mamma var så dysfunktionella föräldrar från första början, etc. Ingen bryr sig längre om att undersöka det faktum att Jeppes mamma och pappa lever i en samhällsstruktur som aktivt har marginaliserat dem och håller dem kvar i ett utanförskap. Jeppe är alltså inte ett symptom på något sjukt i hans familjesystem, och ytterst i ett samhällssystem och dess strukturer vari han ”lever, verkar och har sin tillvaro”, utan ”hans symptom” beror istället på en defekt inne i hans hjärnas struktur.

Idag hörde jag på nyheterna att forskare ”äntligen” hade upptäckt att ADHD är genetiskt betingat. Det handlar om att vissa gener replikeras och andra är helt förstörda eller saknas hos individer med ADHD. Naturligtvis blev jag per automatik skeptisk till detta modiga och entusiastiska uttalande. Efter flera decennier av finnandet av den ”schizofrena genen” och den lika snara dementin till upptäckten har jag med åren blivit garvad när jag läser rubriker och påståenden som dessa. Journalister har inte direkt ryktet om sig att vara vetenskapligt korrekta i sina analyser. Vad handlar då allt detta egentligen om? Jo, så här förhåller det sig egentligen mina vänner: Forskarna har undersök 366 barn med ADHD och jämfört dem med en kontrollgrupp (alltså personer som inte har diagnosen ADHD) bestådende av 1 047 individer. Man har sett att dessa förändringar i DNA som jag nämnde ovan förekom totalt sett hos 14 % av barnen med ADHD men bara hos 7 % av kontrollpersonerna; den procentuella andelen barn med ADHD och denna genetiska defekt var alltså ”dubbelt så stor”. Bland barn med ADHD och intellektuell funktionsnedsättning förekom replikering av DNA hos 36 %, jämfört med 11 % av barnen med ADHD utan sådan funktionsnedsättning. Dessutom kunde forskarna se att dessa DNA-förändringarna var koncentrerade till vissa regioner av arvsmassan som tidigare kopplats samman med både autism och schizofreni.

Alltså försöker man samtidigt damma av den gamla ”schizofrenigenen” igen, eller den lika vanligt förekommande teorin att autism (autoerotism) inte beror på störda kommunikationsmönster mellan föräldrar och barn utan av en ”defekt” i hjärnan (faktum är att det inte alls är ovanligt att individer som har diagnosticerats med ADHD även får sidodiagnosen ”autismspektrat” eller Aspergers syndrom). Av dessa siffror drar man alltså slutsatsen att ADHD inte blott kan vara en social konstruktion utan att den dessutom eller snarare har en tydlig biogenetisk komponent. Men vad säger siffrorna egentligen? Jag är övertygad om att vi här har att göra med ett ganska tydligt exempel på att man kan läsa in i siffror lite som man själv vill efter sina egna preferenser. Låt mig då istället (för att väga upp debatten något) bjuda på ett diametralt motsatt tolkning av dessa siffror, efter mina egna prefereser och brukandes av simpel matematik.

Vad var det man sa nu igen? Hade 14 % av ”ADHD-barnen” en genetisk defekt? Innebär det alltså att 86 % av barnen som diagnosticerats med ADHD inte hade en genetisk defekt, alltså en överväldigande majoritet av dem? Sade man inte också att 7% av barnen utan ADHD hade dessa genetiska defekter utan att vara hyperaktiva och utan att ha koncentrationssvårigheter? Alltså kan man inte bevisa att dessa genetiska defekter per automatik ger upphov till ADHD och att den överväldigande majoriteten av ADHD-diagnosticerade individer måste finna orsakerna till sina symptom någon annanstans än i sina gener.

Visst kan man se en viss överrepresentation av genetiska defekter hos barn med ADHD men jag kan inte hjälpa att tolka dessa siffor på annat sätt än att se ett förkrossande nederlag för biologisternas tes om att ADHD är genetiskt betingad. Sedan kan man undra varför kontrollgruppen var tre gånger så större än ADHD-gruppen. Slutsatsen är att man fortfarande inte kan veta vad som är den egentliga orsaken till beteenden såsom den som har givits epitetet ”ADHD”. Liksom människan i sig är oerhört komplicerad så är även individer med ADHD minst lika komplicerade som alla andra; de är ju när allt kommer omkring människor som delar på glädjeämnen och sorger med alla oss andra. Jag kan alltså lugnt luta mig tillbaka i fotöljen och hålla kvar vid min förtröstan att vi männikor inte kan reduceras till blott köttliga varelser utan att vårt psyke (dvs. vår vilja och föreställning) ännu idag är den verkligt determinerande faktorn av tillvaron.

S∴R∴

söndag 26 september 2010

The Bodhisattvas of the West

o

In a recent discussion someone stated that Aleister Crowley considered someone passing the Abyss upon the Tree of Life as becoming a “demi-god”, and in particular the Magus or 9°=2° becoming a “demi-urgos”, or the one who creates his own universe, while the Exempt Adept or 7°=4° was considered being the equivalent of a Bodhisattva. However interesting these ideas may be I don’t fully agree with Mr. Crowley’s assignment of the Supernal Grades and neither that of the Exempt Adept.

Although I agree that the 7°=4° is a quite exalted Grade, being that of an Exempt or “emancipated” Adept at the level of Chesed, one dosn’t become a demi-god just by crossing the Abyss alone or find onself being able to create one’s own universe as an Magus (at least not literally). It is a common mistake made amongst the Adepts of the early 20th Century to attribute superhuman status to the Grade of Exempt Adept. In particular Dion Fortune, in her book The Mystical Qabalah, expresses the opinion that the 7°=4° Grade is unattainable for incarnated initiates; only to be reserved for the Masters who has freed themselves from the wheel of incarnation. This relates somewhat to Crowley’s assignment of the Bodhisattva to the Grade of Exempt Adept.

The Grades upon the Tree of Life

But a Bodhisattva is someone who has attained illumination but chooses to reject Nirvana, to be able to serve his fellow men out of compassion. He is often considered to be someone who has reached the last line in the chain of incarnations and is about to become a Buddha – one who has reached Nirvana proper. This state of Bodhisattva-dom is often compared to the ministry of the Christ. Thus a Bodhisattva, if I have understood the Buddhist teachings correctly, is similar to an “avatar” or individual who have freed himself from the wheel of reincarnation but chosen to reincarnate as a teacher of mankind. Dalai Lama, as an example, is considered to be the incarnation of Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion.

Thus Bodhisattvas I would more correctly place at the level of 10°=1° in Kether, or Ipsissimus – the one who is most himself. This is someone who has completed the alchemical Great Work and reached conscious immortality in a Solar Body of Light. According to Hermetic tradition, there are supposed to be non more than 12 of these true Masters, as there are supposed to be 12 Boddisattvas according to Buddhist tradition. The other two Magisteria, or 9°=2° (Magus) in Chokmah and 8°=3° (Magister Templi) in Binah, are “simply” final preparatory stages to achieve this Solar Consciousness, trough the separation and refinement of the Lunar and Mercurial bodies respectively.

A Bodhisattva

The 7°=4° is one who has emancipated himself from the passions of the body. He has succeeded in subjugating the Animal Soul – the Nephesh – under his conscious will, or the Ruah. This he has done through the process of the Major Adept, or 6°=5°, when one evokes and make conscious one’s own repressed and unconscious “demonic” complexes, analogous to the descent of Jesus into Hell and his sojourn there during three days. Thus being “emancipated” as an Exempt Adept of 7°=4° doesn’t mean that one has freed or is about to free oneself from the Wheel of Reincarnation, but that one has finally transcended (or sublimated) the ego consciousness of Yesod unto that of Tiphareth, and made the former into the throne of the latter.

A 8°=3° is a Master of the Temple (Body) at the existential level of Binah and Neshamah, which means that he has taken control over his bodily actions and reflexes, thoughts and emotions, enough to be able to separate his astral double or Lunar Body. A 9°=2° is a Magus or Magician at the level of Chokmah and Chiah, associated to the Mercurial principle, which now is mastered according to its corresponding body.

To people below the Abyss these two Magisteria may seem to be superhuman in power. But they are still “mortals” in the sense that they are still bound to reincarnation if prematurely deceased. A Magus, being in full control over his mental processes and able to exert a total focus of Will is thus able to create magical manifestation uncommon to ordinary men, even if he isn’t able to create an entire Universe for himself to rule as God. As a Magus one is now able to “walk on water,” turn “water into wine,” and even “resurrect the dead” and “heal the mortally sick” as described in the gospels (Chiah, the Hebrew soul corresponding to Chokmah, translates into “life”). Jesus, in his pre-transfiguration phase, may properly be described as a Magus.

The Transfigurated Christ

But it is still only through the Solar consciousness that one becomes “more than human” and finally reach something which may be compared to “demi-god” status. Here one is able to chose between life as an ascended master, and even union with the ALL and thus properly reaching the level of Ain-Soph (i.e. beyond the Tree of Life), or of being a “Bodishattva” at the level of Kether and Yechidah. Thus one is able to have full control over the life force and of matter. One is now a “god” being incarnated in a body of flesh. One has control over the life instinct and death drive inside oneself and inside of others. This is the state of the Christ after the transfiguration. Thus the oriental term of Bodishattva may be considered to be synonymous with the occidental term of Ipsissimus.

S∴R∴

tisdag 14 september 2010

Temple protocol

o
In this little essay I will speak quite openly about matters that probably shouldn’t be mentioned in the first place. But I feel compelled to speak up as there is a quite interesting discussion going on right now, concerning the procedure of Golden Dawn Temple meetings. As usual a dichotomy is being made between magical workings and Masonic procedure, where the one is considered by some to be contrary to the other.

Some others however propose that the Golden Dawn Temple should use the Neophyte Grade to envelope the Elemental Grade meetings, in a Masonic fashion. In Freemasonry to open up a Master Masons degree one first open the Lodge in the Apprentice degree, and then “lift the Lodge” into the Fellow Masons degree and finally into the Master Masons degree, and closes the Lodge in a similar fashion but in reverse order. Now Tony Fuller has suggested that the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega, under the leadership of S.L. MacGregor Mathers, used this procedure in all their Elemental workings, i.e. that they first opened the Temple in the Neophyte Grade and then opened the particular Elemental Grade considered for the meeting. I also remember reading somewhere regarding A.E. Waite’s Fellowship of the Rosy Cross that they used to open the Lodge in the Neophyte Grade before proceeding to open in any of the Elemental Grades.

Swedish Freemasonic Hall

But in my opinion there is a problem with this protocol, and it has to do with the fact of how one chooses to look upon the nature of the Outer Order Elemental Grades. Using the Stella Matutina outlook, which I have discussed before on this blog, one could easily use the Neophyte Grade preceding any Elemental Grade as the Elemental Grades newer “quitteth” Malkuth, according to Robert Felkin and Neville Meakin. In this model the Elemental Grades become limited to the Sephiroth Netzach to Malkuth inclusive, in Malkuth in Assiah. Now the Ritual Z-1 does state (in all its versions) that the Hall of Maat (Neophyte Hall) constitutes the very same Sephiroth Netzach to Malkuth in Malkuth in Assiah. So in this scheme one Elemental Grade simply becomes an emphasis of one of the Sephiroth present in the Neophyte Grade, the latter overlooking the Elemental workings so to speak.

For a long time this also was my own belief, resorting to Israel Regardies books, until I studied the Alpha et Omega (and original Golden Dawn) version of the Ritual of the Portals. It is in this “Grade” or intermediary state where these two different perspectives becomes the most obvious. Robert Felkin and Neville Meakin changed the Portal Ritual to refit the entire Golden Dawn system into that of the Misraim Service of Rudolf Steiner, wherein the teachings of “Elemental Grades not quitteth Malkuth” were dissiminated for the first time in history. This was properly speaking in 1910, two years before Steiner ended his Masonic activites and focused upon Anthroposophy. Before that (and also after in the Alpha et Omega) the Neophyte Grade were instead depending from the Zelator Grade. Thus in the classical Golden Dawn, and that of the later Alpha et Omega, the Neophyte and Zelator Grades where very intimately related, where the Neophyte were presented to the Tree of Life in Malkuth in Assiah up to the veil of Paroketh but not any further. Thus the Neophyte where only put to stand upon the threshold into the immeasurable region, whereas the Zelator crossed this threshold and entered into it. Thus, in the Zelator Grade the initiate where magically presented to the whole Tree of Life of Malkuth in Assiah in its full glory. In the Theoricus Grade he were then to be presented to the Tree of Life in Yesod in Assiah, and in the Practicus Grade to that of the Tree of Life in Hod in Assiah, etc.

Now, as I totally reject this idea of Felkin’s forcing the Golden Dawn system of initiation into the model of Rudolf Steiner’s 9 degrees system of the Misraim Service, I simply belive it is wrong to open the Neophyte Grade before any Elemental Grade other than that of the Zelator. But even in this last instance I feel it is redundant, as the Neophyte and Zelator Grades are still quite different in tone and nature. Even if the Godforms on the Dais are quite similar, but not identical (and thus magically could integrate), I would let the Zelator Grade be left alone. Just consider the fact that the Hieres first has to check the ante-chamber in the Neophyte Grade and then again in the Zelator, or the Stolistes and Dadouchos first purifying and consecrating during the Neophyte opening, and again during the Zelator opening; surely the Elemental Rituals were designed to stand on their own. There is a reason for the other Elemental Grades not being purified and consecrated, which I won’t discuss here.

Ironically enough, according to Tony Fuller, the Whare Ra didn’t open the Neophyte Hall before an Elemental Grade working (even if their Grade system made allowance for this), but instead the Alpha et Omega did this for some strange reason, against better judgment. I simply have no rational explanation for this and scratch my head.

The other question that has been brought up is that some people advice against the protocol of the Neophyte Grade, or any of the Elemental Grades, to be opened and closed only to hold an administrative meeting and discussion. This has been suggested most emphatically by one prominent authority to be a later deviation of S.L. MacGregor Mathers, who became a “spent force” and thus took refuge to Freemasonry. One other authority suggest that this is wasting important magical force upon such “mundane matters,” and that the forces invoked should only be used for real magical workings, such as pathworkings, etc.

However I must make the reader aware of the fact that the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn since its early inception used a similar protocol. Reading the by-laws of the Isis Urania Temple No. 3, as published by R.A. Gilbert in his The Golden Dawn Companion, one easily may read these stating that a lecture may be held if there are no planned initiations. This clearly leaves room for the Temple setting being used for other matters than that of initiation and other similar magical workings. So, there is a tendency in certain quarters (who sees the Stella Matutina, and in particular the Whare Ra, as the only true incarnation of the Golden Dawn spirit) to blame the old age and “spent force” of MacGregor Mathers for anything which doesn’t suit the taste of the detractor, be it ritual procedure or be it teachings in form of papers produced, where in fact most (if not all) of the “odd” proceedings and papers of the Alpha et Omega only duplicated that of the old Golden Dawn Order, at least up to the Adeptus Minor Grade.

MacGregor Mathers a spent force?

Personally I believe it to be a good idea to open the Hall of the Neophytes and, as an example, hold a lecture on the mysteries of the Neophyte Grade or any other subject which pertains to a Neophyte. In this way, the forces present will make the lecture into something more than mere words spoken by a Hierophant or Praemonstrator (the offices often associated with teaching). Instead they will be spoken by the gods themselves being assumed by these offices. Compare this with any of the other Elemental Grade Ceremonies, where a great bulk constitutes a series of lectures using pictorial representations. Also here instruction becomes magical and affects the Sphere of Sensation of the Candidate. In a similar fashion, a lecture held may have a profound effect upon the Energy Bodies of all present, not just a mere intellectual stimulation. In the Golden Dawn the goal is to make theory into practice and into living magic.

I furthermore hold that having a purely administrative and “mundane” meeting in open Temple isn’t that a bad idea actually. I imagine that the godforms present, and the forces themselves filling the Hall of the Grade, may inspire the members present, and especially the Chiefs and Officers. Why not bring in the divine forces into the discussions of the running of the Temple? What’s the harm done in that? On the contrary, this may actually bring in true guidance from the Inner Planes into the Temple. Some very bright and intuitive ideas may see the light in this way. At least I see a possibility and potential in this. Although I agree that opening of the Temple in any Grade presents a good opportunity for performing magic together other that that of initiation, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility to also using it for other purposes which may seem boring compared to a group skrying session, etc., but perhaps equally important for the Temple Egregore.

S∴R∴

lördag 4 september 2010

The creative process behind this blog

o

I thought that I would share with you something about the creative process behind the writing of this blog. The “secret” behind it is YOU… or the other person. I am regularly active on several fora, such as the International Golden Dawn Forum, the Rosicrucian Garden and the Golden Dawn Forum, besides lurking on several others. I also regularly comment on the blogosphere, foremostly on Gleamings from the Dawn, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn Blog, Magic of the Ordinary, Mishkan ha-Echad, and Nick Farrell’s Blog which I find being the most interesting, amongst others such as the highly recommended Heavens Within Earth. I usually take this bulk written at these sites and use it – in a somewhat re-edited and reformatted form – to create my essays and blogposts here. Most of my Swedish essays are in fact the fruit of one year of writing on Flashback Forum, where I used to hang around before I created this blog instead to express my opinions and perspective on the mysteries.

So the process is basically something like this: I engage in a discussion or a debate, or answer a query, on a blog or a forum, and use my own written contents as a basis for my essays on this blog. The editing of this information is often a creative process in itself as I often get new ideas and expand upon the original material. I also am compelled to amend and add the bulk to make it coherent for you to read. Thus, the chance is that I meet some of you out there and that the fruit of our discussions or debates finally find its way into this blog in a processed format.

But there is one exception to this rule of process: the Order of the Golden Dawn-Martin Thibeault-Pat Zalewski yahoo-group. I used to engage in some discussions there, but my experience of that forum is that it is very easily to get flamed there if one criticizes Pat Zalewski or his line of thought. To be frank, the atmosphere there I found to be extremely rude towards my person on several occasions. Therefore I don’t engage in any discussions or debates over there, even if I would like to, because I don’t feel the culture to be fraternal. But I do follow that forum regularly and of course react to lots of what is said there, thought provoking as it is.

Martin Thiebeault and Pat Zalewski’s yahoo-forum is undoubtly the most interesting and entertaining of all the Golden Dawn fora. One can gather lots of good and enlightening information from there, from several distinguished personalities, not only Pat himself. But on the other hand it is also the place where the most strange notions and odd ideas are being presented, at least from my perspective, which may best be described as the “Pat Zalewski curve” (pun intended). I simply feel compelled to address certain of the issues brought up there, in a similar way that I do with themes brought up on other fora and blogs. I don’t make any distinction between that particular forum and any other. When I read something, I react and answer, and engage in discussions and debates. But with Martin’s and Pat’s forum I simply skip the part of discussion and debate directly with the persons in question before I write the blog, and instead write the blog straight away as an address to a current discussion; thus I by-pass the initial phase of this creative process.

Despite the fact that I’m a typical introvert, strangely enough I have found that this is the way that my own creativity is most readily evoked, through interaction with other people. I dislike traditional lectures, where I find myself holding some monologue before an audience; I prefer to be asked questions and engage in discussions and debates with my fellow men and women. I like the environment of open discussion, with lots of head room. I like and are stimulated by the reciprocal exchange of ideas; the dialectics of human relations. I don’t know if this is the most ideal in the context of esotericism; I sometimes wish that my inspiration came from the insides of myself without the aid of an outer stimulus. Sometimes it does, but not as often that I had hoped for. Instead my inner creativity needs some form of outer stimulus, such as the written word of another.

I don’t see any differences between being engaged in a questions & answers situation, or in discussions, or in a debate or even engaging in a polemic; I find it stimulating to defend the other side of a heated discussion. But I do also find that my tone becomes more polarized, extreme and “fundamentalist” as a result from polemicizing. Unfortunately there are lots of venues where one finds more debates rather than scholarly and serious discussions in the Golden Dawn Community as well as the Esoteric Community as a whole. Alchemists are probably the “worst” example of this kind of ego-bashing. But I readily form an opinion, from quite scarce information. This is sometimes a drawback as I often do it to readily. But on the other hand it makes me interact with lots of people, exchanging ideas, and the fruit of this interaction you find on this blog, for better and for worse.

S∴R∴

fredag 3 september 2010

The Gospels and the Golden Dawn

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There is a quite peculiar discussion going on in certain quarters which has arisen in the wake of some recent published papers from the George Slater Collection, originally derived from the Ahatoor Temple No. 7 of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega. In particular one such document has been questioned because of its apparently “exoteric” interpretation of the L.V.X. Signs of the 5°=6° Grade. The paper in question makes an analysis of each of the Signs of the Letters and is corresponding them to the Inner Order Grades of Adeptus Minor 5°=6°, Adeptus Major 6°=5°, and Adeptus Exemptus 7°=4°, in a way that very much corroborates my own thoughts on this matter. It basically places the initiatory process of the Inner Order in a Christian mythological context.

In this particual case references are being made to earlier papers of the Golden Dawn interpreting the L.V.X. Signs solely focusing upon the particular Egyptian god-forms associated with each Letter and Sign. As this later and “christianized” analysis doesn’t mention at all any Egyptian god-forms or make any astrological references, as in the old paper, this later work must be in error and an exoteric deviation, according to some individuals. People even start to ask questions if S.L. MacGregor Mathers had converted to Chatolisism in his later years. I ask in return: If he did, so what? Would that have narrowed his esoteric perspective? Not at all; in my personal opinion, the Chatolic Church is more mystic in its orientation than any Protestant Church. MacGregor Mathers was aware of this when he wrote:

We have a profound respect for Christianity, and are in no sense hostile to the Roman Catholic Church, nor yet to the other forms of Christian belief, provided that on the more Unitarian side they do not too far gravitate towards Atheism. And we especially consider the Roman Catholic Church has resolutely preserved in its Ceremonies the August Symbols of the Divine Wisdom.(Azoth magazine,1917)

In this strange discussion some individuals thus regards that something becomes exoteric or even “fundamentalistic” only because references are being made to a Holy Book, in this case the Gospels, while esoteric or “Gnostic” Christianity on the other hand is the usual Golden Dawn pagan interpretation using Egyptian deities and god-forms. I personally see this paper as a important contribution which presents yet another layer of the 5°=6° Grade which adds to the previous without taking away anything; this is typical of the Golden Dawn tradition to merge the pagan with the monotheistic pantheons.

Everyone with a little bit of “out of the Golden Dawn box” perspective upon the Tradition, who may see the broader context of the Hermetic teachings, knows that this perspective as expressed in the current discussion doesn’t have any real basis in tradition. There are lots of references to the Gospels in Esoteric Christianity, and Rosicrucianism in particular. I have already written quite extensively on this matter, but only want to point out the fact that mythos and symbology taken from the Gospels are quite common in alchemical works. Just take a look at the works of Fulcanelli and Roger Caro as two well known examples in placing the Great Work in a Christian mythological context. Thus this use of Christian symbolism in an esoteric context has a real basis in classical Hermetic alchemical texts.

Since the early days of mysticism and esotericism, and up until quite recently, it has been common practice to use sacred books, such as the Bible, as a reference tool in the path of the mystic or occultist. Qabalah is basically an esoteric interpretation of the Torah; the Sepher Zohar is regarded by some Qabalists as being an esoteric “Thalmud” or esoteric oral Torah, while the ordinary or common Thalmud is considered by Qabalists to be the exoteric counterpart. Sufism is largely based upon an esoteric interpretation of the Q’ran, and – alas – Historical Gnosticism uses a similar interpretation of the Gospels.

This notion of regarding any religious references in an analysis of a esoteric technique as being “exoteric” and reducing Gnosticism to the mere use of Egyptian pantheons, is a typical post-Crowley invention, with absolutely no basis at all in tradition. The amusing thing about this all is that I really doubt that Aleister Crowley himself would have objected toward this use of Gospels and Christian symbolism in this context, as he himself did it on occasions. Look for example in his The Book of Thoth and the interpretation of the Fool, or Key No. 0 of the Major Arcana. Crowley being a real initiate understood the subtleties in the use of religious imagery and the worth of myths, even Christian, in the interpretation of esoteric doctrines. He ought to as esotericism is a mystical interpretation of religion, daring to penetrate further deeper into its symbology and mythos than any official exoteric doctrines of the church. Why should the Golden Dawn be anything less?

S∴R∴