The experience is important as is the sober control of results. The article is quite clear about this. But the experiental embodiment seems to be a completely different matter. Why? Apart from reports on obsession and similar states of delusion in psychiatric and even occult literature I had to witness a friend sliding into madness because of or at least speeded by a month's long ritual. It consisted of - broadly speaking - wanderings through the empty streets of the morning while counting the streetlights and aligning them with a system of correspondences of planetary hours. All was inspired by Crowley's Vision and the Voice transfered to an urban setting and even the Enochian proceedings were carefully observed.
But in the end there was no control, only a fated OpenBSD to powers that entered her: lamp-post bowed to her to whisper things unknown to others - as if to prepare a script for a horror film...
That's why I am most sceptical about surrendering to any forces, even seemingly slight ones. I firmly think that a ritual system of magic expounded e.g. by medieval grimoires provides an useable guideline because it includes a secure basis for a secure operation - a circle for example. I, for one, always use either a pyramid or a sphere of light which I impregnate, if I may say so, with a rune (without subscribing to Germanic thinking) or an Enochian letter or an appropriate image or simply a colour or a figure that embodies a clear-cut intention.
Anyway, this, our kind of, stuff discussed here is and stays fascinating and continues alluring us despite its traps and downfalls. Thank you for instruction and inspiration. All the best.
I can appreciate the skepticism. I even have a saying that might fit:
"Sometimes you have to go crazy to find sanity."
The thing about magic is that it very much goes against the script when it comes to conventional sanity AND a person who hasn't done their inner work is definitely with experiences that may break their minds.
I've been practicing magic for over 30 years. I feel confident in my ability to surrender because I've done the inner work on myself so I can be fully in the experience without letting the experience hijack my life.
The experience is important as is the sober control of results. The article is quite clear about this. But the experiental embodiment seems to be a completely different matter. Why? Apart from reports on obsession and similar states of delusion in psychiatric and even occult literature I had to witness a friend sliding into madness because of or at least speeded by a month's long ritual. It consisted of - broadly speaking - wanderings through the empty streets of the morning while counting the streetlights and aligning them with a system of correspondences of planetary hours. All was inspired by Crowley's Vision and the Voice transfered to an urban setting and even the Enochian proceedings were carefully observed.
But in the end there was no control, only a fated OpenBSD to powers that entered her: lamp-post bowed to her to whisper things unknown to others - as if to prepare a script for a horror film...
That's why I am most sceptical about surrendering to any forces, even seemingly slight ones. I firmly think that a ritual system of magic expounded e.g. by medieval grimoires provides an useable guideline because it includes a secure basis for a secure operation - a circle for example. I, for one, always use either a pyramid or a sphere of light which I impregnate, if I may say so, with a rune (without subscribing to Germanic thinking) or an Enochian letter or an appropriate image or simply a colour or a figure that embodies a clear-cut intention.
Anyway, this, our kind of, stuff discussed here is and stays fascinating and continues alluring us despite its traps and downfalls. Thank you for instruction and inspiration. All the best.
I can appreciate the skepticism. I even have a saying that might fit:
"Sometimes you have to go crazy to find sanity."
The thing about magic is that it very much goes against the script when it comes to conventional sanity AND a person who hasn't done their inner work is definitely with experiences that may break their minds.
I've been practicing magic for over 30 years. I feel confident in my ability to surrender because I've done the inner work on myself so I can be fully in the experience without letting the experience hijack my life.