When I read "The Law of One", I saw the information about "protective rituals" or exercises, for example:
Book 3 | 74 / 75
"Questioner: In selecting the protective ritual we finally agreed upon the
Banishing Ritual of the Lesser Pentagram. "
"Questioner: Is the exercise of the fire best for the instrument, or is there
anything better that we could do other than the things that you have
already suggested to aid the instrument?"
"Questioner: We have included “Shin” in the banishing ritual, ”Yod-HehVau-Heh” to make it ”Yod-Heh-Shin-Vau-Heh.” Is this helpful? "
But why I doesn't see full descriptions for this protective rituals and lessons. I think it is be useful for me now. Maybe you can help me to find it?
Has anyone tried to create a practical course with a detailed description of exercises, rituals, successively developing which a person will become a balanced, strong, loving and wise person, or would such a course be an interference with free will and would be contrary to the Law of One?
Just do this. Keep it simple.
I didn't even do it perfect and it cured the nightmares I was having in one try.
The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram is a ritual that originated with the Golden Dawn and it was this material that the group was drawing from. Most likely they got their version of the ritual from Israel Regardie's book The Complete Golden Dawn (which is actually the Stella Matutina system, an offshoot of the original Golden Dawn, of which Regardie was a member.)
So, you could say the system already exists. The Builders of the Adytum are a school which is considered legit, or you could always seek out the Hermetic Society of the Golden Dawn.
However, the approach that the group used was novelized and customized, not traditional.
In general, most people aren't doing the original form of the LBRP so there are hundreds of different versions. It doesn't really matter which of these you do, you'll get results reflective of your focus and intent, but without connecting to the collective egregore of which the LBRP proper is a part.
That is fine, in my humble opinion, it can still be effective in its own way, but the LBRP is actually just a small tool in a much greater system.
(06-04-2020, 02:08 PM)Strannik Wrote: [ -> ]When I read "The Law of One", I saw the information about "protective rituals" or exercises, for example:
Book 3 | 74 / 75
"Questioner: In selecting the protective ritual we finally agreed upon the
Banishing Ritual of the Lesser Pentagram. "
"Questioner: Is the exercise of the fire best for the instrument, or is there
anything better that we could do other than the things that you have
already suggested to aid the instrument?"
"Questioner: We have included “Shin” in the banishing ritual, ”Yod-HehVau-Heh” to make it ”Yod-Heh-Shin-Vau-Heh.” Is this helpful? "
But why I doesn't see full descriptions for this protective rituals and lessons. I think it is be useful for me now. Maybe you can help me to find it?
Has anyone tried to create a practical course with a detailed description of exercises, rituals, successively developing which a person will become a balanced, strong, loving and wise person, or would such a course be an interference with free will and would be contrary to the Law of One?
Israel Regardie Audio Lesser Banishing Ritual
There are many books which include the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. Regardie has several books which go over it in detail. His students and other people also have their own books which include it.
There are many courses available which teach the way of the adept using various modalities. They lay out programs and workbooks with specific practices and self initiations. There are also still practicing groups in larger cities. Also the rituals of freemasonry have a lot in common with the initiation ritiuals of the golden dawn.
Golden Dawn would actually be considered "fringe masonry", and many of their temple symbols are derived from masonry. This is because the founders were master Masons and members of the SRIA.
There is one guys' work you do want to avoid, a guy named David Griffin who is an egomaniac that has convinced himself he's some kind of Golden Dawn grandmaster. He is a fraud, lol.
Thank you for information. I have always been careful with rituals, because it is not always clear to which egregore they connect the person and what the owner of the egregore has intentions. If the Ra approved the ritual, then this is a good. In informational noise it can be difficult to find really important ideas.
I always found this exchange interesting:
Quote:42.16 Questioner: I had one experience in meditation which I spoke of before which was very profound approximately twenty years ago, a little less. What disciplines would be most applicable to re-create this situation and this type of experience?
Ra: I am Ra. Your experience would best be approached from the ceremonial magical stance. However, the Wanderer or adept shall have the far greater potential for this type of experience which, as you have undoubtedly analyzed to be the case, is one of an archetypal nature, one belonging to the roots of cosmic consciousness.
42.17 Questioner: Was that in any way related to the Golden Dawn in ceremonial magic?
Ra: I am Ra. The relationship was congruency.
42.18 Questioner: Then in attempting to reproduce this experience would I then best follow practices for the Order of the Golden Dawn in reproducing this?
Ra: I am Ra. To attempt to reproduce an initiatory experience is to move, shall we say, backwards. However, the practice of this form of service to others is appropriate in your case working with your associates. It is not well for positively polarized entities to work singly. The reasons for this are obvious.
42.19 Questioner: Then this experience was a form of initiation? Is this correct?
[font=sans-serif]Ra: I am Ra. Yes.[/font]
Don was definitely interested in the Golden Dawn and I have no doubt he read Regardie's book (he seemed to be fairly well read on a lot of occult / paranormal topics), but the idea that he was initiated into the magical current / egregore of the Golden Dawn during meditation is intriguing. Ra seems to confirm that working with a group like the Golden Dawn is beneficial.
I wonder what Ra's connection to the Golden Dawn is.
(06-04-2020, 11:19 PM)Aion Wrote: [ -> ]Golden Dawn would actually be considered "fringe masonry", and many of their temple symbols are derived from masonry. This is because the founders were master Masons and members of the SRIA.
There is one guys' work you do want to avoid, a guy named David Griffin who is an egomaniac that has convinced himself he's some kind of Golden Dawn grandmaster. He is a fraud, lol.
I had not heard of the controversy around David Griffin before. Anyone who charges what he does for his one book is out of their mind though. Plenty of good material without getting price gouged. Especially in some used book stores you can find some good stuff.
Quote:Don was definitely interested in the Golden Dawn and I have no doubt he read Regardie's book (he seemed to be fairly well read on a lot of occult / paranormal topics), but the idea that he was initiated into the magical current / egregore of the Golden Dawn during meditation is intriguing. Ra seems to confirm that working with a group like the Golden Dawn is beneficial.
I wonder what Ra's connection to the Golden Dawn is.
In another section Don asks about the Ippissimus, and Ra says that it is a STS Adept title. The Ippissimus is the highest level of initiation in the Golden Dawn Tradition. The process of bidding a negative entity is also part of magical tradition which Ra described. I think in general the Golden Dawn system is robust enough that it can be used by the positive and the negative seeker.
The I-Ching calls the process Taming where a smaller energy can tame a larger energy, usually through gentleness.
Is that the same as bidding?
(06-05-2020, 09:26 AM)Dtris Wrote: [ -> ]Quote:Don was definitely interested in the Golden Dawn and I have no doubt he read Regardie's book (he seemed to be fairly well read on a lot of occult / paranormal topics), but the idea that he was initiated into the magical current / egregore of the Golden Dawn during meditation is intriguing. Ra seems to confirm that working with a group like the Golden Dawn is beneficial.
I wonder what Ra's connection to the Golden Dawn is.
In another section Don asks about the Ippissimus, and Ra says that it is a STS Adept title. The Ippissimus is the highest level of initiation in the Golden Dawn Tradition. The process of bidding a negative entity is also part of magical tradition which Ra described. I think in general the Golden Dawn system is robust enough that it can be used by the positive and the negative seeker.
It's my understanding (likely flawed) that traditionally the Golden Dawn considered the third order ranks (Magister Templi, Magus and Ipsissimus) unobtainable by physically incarnated beings. Crowley and the A.'. A.'. seem to have held a different opinion, that one could cross the abyss and be considered a purely spiritual entity while still remaining incarnated.
One thing I've noticed when getting involved with magically oriented folks is that the positive and negatively inclined alike tend to be drawn together. The positively oriented on the path of the adept will be brought face to face with the negative and vice versa.
I think balance is important in everything. Any organization has a certain view of the worldview and a clear subordination / management structure. It is useful, but it is also harmful.
My understanding that the LBRP as the Ra contact group practiced it was personalized and so would not link up to the egregore of the Golden Dawn. It wouldn't be the right phone number, as it were.
You can have an initiatory experience without it being within a specific tradition. I don't believe Don was "initiated in to the Golden Dawn" by meditation, that is not how the Golden Dawn works to my understanding. Rather, Don himself had an initiatory experience by which he advanced on his path towards adepthood perhaps aided through use of elements of the Golden Dawn system. (Again reminding that Regardie was actually Stella Matutina)
To some eyes there may appear to be no difference, but actually this kind of specificity is part and parcel of the Golden Dawn system I think. You can advance with ceremonial magic without necessarily connecting directly up to the egregore of a tradition.
The point that Ra makes that it is well to work with a group is actually what I think they were reflecting, as that is a principle also held by GD. Without fraternity, there is no GD.
To the point of the Ipsissimus, I would echo what Spaced said. It's true that GD generally doesn't considered the Supernals attainable in physical form from what I've read, and that was a belief pushed by Crowley through Thelema.
To add some context to that quote:
Quote:44.15 Questioner: Well, does the left-hand path of this represent the service-to-self path more and the right-hand path the service-to-others?
Ra: I am Ra. This will be the last full query of this working.
This is incorrect. These stations are relationships. Each path has these relationships offered. The intent of the practitioner in working with these powerful concepts determines the polarity of the working. The tools are the tools.
44.16 Questioner: As an ending question I will just ask is it possible, then, for the ipsissimus to have either positive or negative polarity, or must he be neither?
Ra: I am Ra. We shall respond to the meaning of this term in a specialized sense. The ipsissimus is one who has mastered the Tree of Life and has used this mastery for negative polarization.
Is there any brief query which we may respond to as we take leave of this instrument?
In the question preceding Don was asking about the left and the right hand paths. I have pondered over this passage myself for the same reason and I've come to the conclusion that Ra is always trying to communicate in terms of what is on the groups' mind. Earlier in this session Don was asking about signals and why he was able to receive negative ones. I have come to believe that Don had a bit of a pre-occupation with negativity and for this reason I think that when Don was asking this question I think he was asking in relation to Thelema.
Don actually mentions Crowley in a way earlier session (18) so clearly he is familiar with him and his works.
However, I have considered a more esoteric reasoning being that Ra is also aware that the Golden Dawn would not consider that and so answered directly to the point. Don was talking about a person being an ipsissimus and I think this immediately points to Thelemic thought.
Also, good observation that the opposites are drawn together, this is indeed the case and actually anybody pursuing either path of magic should be prepared to face their opposites.
Golden Dawn magic does not practice bidding, again this is a Thelemic practice and actually one which Crowley is known for introducing. Golden Dawn is theurgic, it works through communion.
(06-05-2020, 09:42 AM)Great Central Sun Wrote: [ -> ]The I-Ching calls the process Taming where a smaller energy can tame a larger energy, usually through gentleness.
Is that the same as bidding?
No, bidding isn't concerned with gentleness but rather with domination.
Taming sounds more along the lines of communion or "calling" as Ra calls it.
(06-05-2020, 01:14 PM)Aion Wrote: [ -> ]My understanding that the LBRP as the Ra contact group practiced it was personalized and so would not link up to the egregore of the Golden Dawn. It wouldn't be the right phone number, as it were.
You can have an initiatory experience without it being within a specific tradition. I don't believe Don was "initiated in to the Golden Dawn" by meditation, that is not how the Golden Dawn works to my understanding. Rather, Don himself had an initiatory experience by which he advanced on his path towards adepthood perhaps aided through use of elements of the Golden Dawn system. (Again reminding that Regardie was actually Stella Matutina)
To some eyes there may appear to be no difference, but actually this kind of specificity is part and parcel of the Golden Dawn system I think. You can advance with ceremonial magic without necessarily connecting directly up to the egregore of a tradition.
The point that Ra makes that it is well to work with a group is actually what I think they were reflecting, as that is a principle also held by GD. Without fraternity, there is no GD.
To the point of the Ipsissimus, I would echo what Spaced said. It's true that GD generally doesn't considered the Supernals attainable in physical form from what I've read, and that was a belief pushed by Crowley through Thelema.
To add some context to that quote:
Quote:44.15 Questioner: Well, does the left-hand path of this represent the service-to-self path more and the right-hand path the service-to-others?
Ra: I am Ra. This will be the last full query of this working.
This is incorrect. These stations are relationships. Each path has these relationships offered. The intent of the practitioner in working with these powerful concepts determines the polarity of the working. The tools are the tools.
44.16 Questioner: As an ending question I will just ask is it possible, then, for the ipsissimus to have either positive or negative polarity, or must he be neither?
Ra: I am Ra. We shall respond to the meaning of this term in a specialized sense. The ipsissimus is one who has mastered the Tree of Life and has used this mastery for negative polarization.
Is there any brief query which we may respond to as we take leave of this instrument?
In the question preceding Don was asking about the left and the right hand paths. I have pondered over this passage myself for the same reason and I've come to the conclusion that Ra is always trying to communicate in terms of what is on the groups' mind. Earlier in this session Don was asking about signals and why he was able to receive negative ones. I have come to believe that Don had a bit of a pre-occupation with negativity and for this reason I think that when Don was asking this question I think he was asking in relation to Thelema.
Don actually mentions Crowley in a way earlier session (18) so clearly he is familiar with him and his works.
However, I have considered a more esoteric reasoning being that Ra is also aware that the Golden Dawn would not consider that and so answered directly to the point. Don was talking about a person being an ipsissimus and I think this immediately points to Thelemic thought.
Also, good observation that the opposites are drawn together, this is indeed the case and actually anybody pursuing either path of magic should be prepared to face their opposites.
Golden Dawn magic does not practice bidding, again this is a Thelemic practice and actually one which Crowley is known for introducing. Golden Dawn is theurgic, it works through communion.
I agree with pretty much everything you said. One issue I disagree with is the specificity required for linking up to an egregore. I would actually not call the linking of energies with a specific tradition an egregor, as my understanding is that an egregore is more generally associated with the practice space itself. The repetition of the ritual links to a similar energy which is more like a global or universal thought form. I am not certain of the specificity needed to connect as each of the individual names also have their own power that has accumulated over time. So any Banishing Pentagram ritual taps into the energies of the pentagram and the directions for banishing, the names of god are also linking to their own energies, the angels, etc. The the ritual itself also connects to a thought form energy.
I am not as familiar with the differences in the Stella Mautina, AO, and other organizations. I do know Crowley used a lot of Golden Dawn material as a basis for Thelema but I have never studied any of his works. I know there is a book of published higher grade material but I cannot recall the highest grade for sure. I want to say it is 7=3.
The Lesser Key of Solomon and the Sacred Magic of Abramelin are both books on bidding and were translated by Mathers. They do not appear in official coursework of the Golden Dawn but the order members almost certainly also experimented with this angle, as they did almost every other angle they could think of.
I don't think the GD is negative by any means, I do think that they created a system which allows for polarization in either direction. I always found the Ippsisimus comment odd as the literature does not give that impression. I agree that Ra would often answer a deeper question that what was asked physically and the link with Thelema might explain this.
That particular point is one that I often run in to disagreement on, so that is to be expected. Perhaps we have different understandings of what an egregore is, although I find nobody ever has the same thing in mind. It can be associated with a space, but also with a whole tradition, or even a person in my experience. People create their own egregores all the time.
Rituals are like chemical formulae or musical chords, if you change even one part you are going to get a different result. Some may think otherwise, I am not going to tell anyone they're wrong, but it's not how I've come to understand it.
You can connect with the universal archetypes of the symbols without necessarily hitting the exact configuration for that particular egregore. I'm just of the impression that only actual initiates of the Golden Dawn would know the correct form that links to the egregore of the temple.
This isn't to look down on other versions or their potential, just more of a mechanic.
The Ciceros have created a whole path of "self-initiation" which by tradition isn't considered possible, so there's been lots of disagreement on these points. I wouldn't be one to say who is right or wrong.
I guess, like Ra, I believe the egregore of such groups like the Golden Dawn or Rosicrucians or Freemasons, etc, are narrowband and not so easily tapped in to.
Those books could be considered books on bidding for sure, although as you note they weren't actually written by any of them, only translated. However, the members of GD have been of all sorts of individuals. Some have been much more traditionalist than others, so it's not really right to talk about GD "as a whole" in my mind because ultimately it has been a fraternity made up of people. The Sacred Magic of Abramelin is a peculiar case though, on one hand you could think of it as bidding, but since the ultimate goal is to banish the entities from your life rather than gain power of control over them it's a bit murky where that would fall exactly. It's more like an elaborate GTFO.
That being said, while Mathers was one of the founding members, I believe Dr. Wescott had more to do with the actual coursework than Mathers, and indeed Mathers' defense of Crowley may have been the original temple's undoing. There's no doubt that when magical personalities converge together it can sometimes expand out of control.
If I said an Egregore was a group tulpa, would that be right?
Doesn't necessarily have to be a group but tulpas are pretty close in concept except an egregore isn't necessarily always "created" by intention. They can come in to existence unintentionally.
Although, by common definition it is considered to be a group phenomenon, I personally don't quite agree with that yet I would say it is typically the case.
Egregore - it is Tag, like lego block. You can use several simple tags/egregors and create new one, like kids create a car from several lego blocks. All in our world contains from egregors. And people life contains from egregores. When a person puts on the racer clothes, he connects to the motor racing egregor, etc. When a person use ritual in own life, he connects to ritual egregores, but this ritual was created by another consciousness from several egregores, and another consciousness set purpose for this ritual. If it is positive consciousness purpose will be positive for peoples who use this ritual and improve his life. If consciousness who created this ritual to set negative purpose for this ritual, the ritual will subordinate the will of the person who uses it.
Good example: advertising. Peoples see this advertising and the advertising subjugates people's life, they eat cereal from advertising, dress like in advertising, live as advertising tell them.
That's a pretty good analogy. I'd say that if you were to continue that analogy then in order to build a 'complete set' for a particular path or tradition you gotta have all the right tags and pieces in order to put the whole set together.
(06-05-2020, 07:52 PM)Aion Wrote: [ -> ]Those books could be considered books on bidding for sure, although as you note they weren't actually written by any of them, only translated. However, the members of GD have been of all sorts of individuals. Some have been much more traditionalist than others, so it's not really right to talk about GD "as a whole" in my mind because ultimately it has been a fraternity made up of people. The Sacred Magic of Abramelin is a peculiar case though, on one hand you could think of it as bidding, but since the ultimate goal is to banish the entities from your life rather than gain power of control over them it's a bit murky where that would fall exactly. It's more like an elaborate GTFO.
That being said, while Mathers was one of the founding members, I believe Dr. Wescott had more to do with the actual coursework than Mathers, and indeed Mathers' defense of Crowley may have been the original temple's undoing. There's no doubt that when magical personalities converge together it can sometimes expand out of control.
I have always viewed the GD similar to a group of university professors. Each person participates and knows the required material, but then they all branched off to do their own research.
As for Abramelin, I read the complete version translated by Mathers (the copy was published in 1932circa), it had three parts. Part 1 and the only universally valuable part IMO, is a 6 month long purification process. Part 2 is the summoning of The Devil and his archdemons and subjgating them. From each the practitioner demands one servitor or demon which number to seven and they take turns aiding you on an individual day. Part 3 is a series of magical squares used to control the demons to manifest effects in reality, such as finding buried treasure, getting wealth, status, women, etc.
I don't know if there are other republished versions or if they changed or omitted anything as after my initial reading I decided that particular volume is not helpful to me.
It has been years and years since I've read it, like you say the only part I've ever really paid much attention to is the first part with the purification process.
Of course, Mathers translated it from a 15th Century manuscript and it is absolutely reflective of those times.
Although that's not quite right, because it's not just about evil spirits, the whole basis of the system is mastery of both the good and evil spirits. Some of the squares pertain to good spirits, some are a mix and some are for the evil spirits. All of the operations regarding the evil spirits are considered to be guided by the good spirits.
It's actually a really interesting work in that even though it talks about commanding spirits in a what seems to be bidding process, what is somewhat different is that rather than the idea being the magician exercising their sheer will the purification process is meant to bring you in alignment with your own higher self (holy guardian angel) and connection with God, so it is theurgic in its essence. Full of warnings against being taken by the "DEMON". Constant warnings against asking for anything for evil purposes.
Needless to say, certainly not for everyone, but an interesting work.
What I do find interesting about it though is that it is unusually accepting. It doesn't try to cast out or want to destroy the evil spirits but instead acknowledge them as a "destructive half" which is also to be treated with respect, and maybe even which could do some good under the right guidance. That is also true of the work of the Key of Solomon. On the one hand you can look at it purely as a commanding of spirits, but with King Solomon it's not like he just found these demons around, he only captured the first one in defense of a young boy. Actually, pretty much all the stories of him capturing demons he does so to aid another.
That being said, Solomon is really more of a cautionary tale that unfettered desire can lead you out of the arms of God, considering his downfall at the end.
Quote:May the Only and Most Holy God grant unto all, the grace necessary to be able to comprehend and penetrate the high Mysteries of the Qabalah and of the Law; but they should content themselves with that which the Lord accordeth unto them; seeing that if against His Divine Will they wish to fly yet higher, even as did Lucifer, this will but procure for them a most shameful and fatal fall.