Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Dirtiest Trick in the Book


Ever since I got involved in magic and occultism when I was a teenager I have fantasized about some great and exalted secret order of adept master magicians who, from time to time, recruit some promising seeker and train them in the ways of their arcane secrets. There are certainly a lot of myths and stories that appear to promote this idea. I suppose that many of us, whether secretly or blatantly, hold on to the belief that there are true masters out there in the world. The idea is that if you’re a truly gifted occultist and magician and you perform the work in an exemplary manner then over time you will be approached by one of these super adepts and tested, perhaps even unwittingly. If you pass the test then your life will suddenly change in a profound and remarkable way as you are introduced to a fantastical history and taught the secrets of the ages.

According to the stories, these masters congregate in some highly secret monastery or lodge house located in some very exotic and obscure location in the world. They are ageless, immortal and possess super-human powers; but they steadfastly refuse to directly interfere with the daily happenings of the rest of the world. When they do intercede, it is through proxies or some other mechanism that keeps them veiled in secrecy and unknown to the rest of the world. They possess a secret forbidden knowledge and wield incredible powers that they jealously keep from an unsuspecting humanity. As custodians of this great store of secret knowledge, they will allow a small bit of it to seep into the world at large, to be discovered and used in a safe and sane manner, often in the published lore of some exoteric occult organization.

This is a common trope found in many books, both fictional and non-fictional, and many exoteric organizations claim some kind of connection with this supposed secret order of masters. It is a very romantic and intoxicating notion, and it is one that even the most cynical individual can be seduced into believing if approached in the right manner. Because there is no evidence of such a secret society (by definition, how could there be?) it remains something of an urban myth that haunts the various occult organizations and traditions that are known to the public. Many have claimed this august body of occultists as their source and superior order, but not one has offered any proof that such a group does indeed exist. Still, the promise of such a possibility can make a person giddy, credulous and completely foolish, particularly if they are being passed a fraudulent claim that seems astonishingly too good to be true. Some of us, though, are so cynical or narcissistically self-absorbed that we are immune to such a possibly. Unfortunately, I am not one of those individuals. I can be made a fool of when someone comes along with what seems at first glance to be a credible claim.

What I have learned through the many years of research and practice is that there is no replacement for hard and consistent work. What I have achieved in my life has been the product of hard work accomplished slowly over many years. I have never been given much in the way of handouts or unearned opportunities, so I can readily claim that I have achieved whatever goals I pursued in my life by my own initiative and persistence. This is true in both my career, private family life and especially, in my occult and magical practice. I have had mentors, people who have inspired me, friends, family and lovers who have influenced my direction in life, but it required me to act and to persevere on my own. I can safely say that I am a self-made man, but didn’t gain whatever I managed to acquire in my life without being influenced or inspired by others. What this means is that I can’t take exclusive credit for any of the successes in my life, but without my consistent efforts, nothing would have been achievable. However, I can say that I have achieved much in my magical and occult work due mostly to my own efforts. I had some teachers here and there, but mostly I worked either alone or in small groups. Such is the way of Witches who are ritual magicians.

One would think that such a life experience based on individual hard work over time would have made me quite cynical and disbelieving if someone were to present me with an opportunity to greatly accelerate this process. I should be completely immune to such an offer, considering it to be snake oil or highly suspect until objectively proven to be true. Yet, I am a sucker for the old myth of the Masters and the promise of instant enlightenment, and like I said, as a young man I really believed that such a group existed. That belief left its mark on me, so I am susceptible to being defrauded. I have to watch out because I have been recently fooled, but hopefully, I am closer to knowing that such a secret organization probably doesn’t exist. Let me state a few reasons why I think that this myth is a complete fiction.

As the world becomes ever smaller and nearly every location becomes known and documented, it would be quite difficult to keep any kind of active organization and its headquarters completely hidden or obscure. The only kind of secret that is kept is the one that is not divulged to anyone, and the only conspiracy that is maintained is the conspiracy of one person. Any other variation is always subject to leaks and revelations. If such an occult order existed, it would be known in some manner because it would possess property and other financial means. It could be obscure, but it would always be known especially to those living nearby. We live in a world of 24 hour cable and internet news and gossip - nothing can remain secret for long in such a world.

Possessing super-human powers and being immortal, or at least living far beyond the normal life-span, would have to use and engage materials, technologies and innate abilities that would have been discovered by science by now. Human beings can live past one hundred years, but such a person is very elderly and frail. No one has yet determined how to stop the aging process. Science does understand how the aging process works, but to block or modify it would likely require technology that doesn’t yet exist. Super-human powers would require the extension of technology to human physical limitations because the boundaries of human abilities, although remarkable in certain gifted individuals, have been determined and known for quite some time. All that is left is the subtlety of shifting probabilities, so the ideas of untapped mental powers that defy gravity or scientific law are more fiction than science. The only exception to this argument would be if the masters are actually Aliens, and that is a whole other area of consideration! (I won’t bother to expound on that idea in this article.)

Check out the global, national or local news on any given day and you will see that the world is chaotic and disordered. The fact that we can make any progress forward with such a diversity of thought, opinion, cultures, perspectives and even languages is nothing short of an astonishing fact. What drives the various cultures and nations of the world today is the same thing that has been driving them for centuries. Technology has changed, but the various vices and failings in human nature seem to be just as powerful as they have always been. Terrible tragedies continue to happen in the world and often technology seems to create more problems than it solves. This is a human-based world, and there doesn’t appear to be any easy solutions or remedies to what ails it. 

We, as the people of this planet, have created the mess that we live in, and we will have to clean it up and square it away if we are to survive as a species. What passes for miracles these days is nothing more or less than the good will, compassion and the desire to engage in collective assistance that has been humanity’s blessing since the beginning of our species. We are always discovering something new, but everything that we discover exists within the rational and material boundaries of our physical and mental existence. However, you would think that if there was some kind of secret order of super adepts that they would be mitigating some of the more tragic and fiendish things that have happened in the world. Of course, the only thing that mitigates tragedies is the philanthropy and assistance given by other human beings. Similarly, there is no simple or single solution to the world’s problems, so correspondingly there is no secret organization that steps in and helps to push humanity in the right direction.

A careful examination of the facts can readily prove that there are no god-like super adepts operating in our world. There are only remarkable human beings who operate in the mundane world, and who are known and identifiable even if they are obscure and anonymous. I have met a couple of these remarkable men and women, and I have also read about them in books or talked to others who have met them. These are the real teachers and great minds who challenge our assumptions and preoccupations - but they aren’t masters in the Theosophical definition of the term. In fact, based on that definition, there aren’t any masters living in the world. It’s a nice fantasy to wonder about, but it isn’t real. I should know this in my heart and soul after researching the occult and magic for so many years. However, I possess one very profound flaw in my reasoning - I often doubt myself.

Yes, it is true about me. After so many years of study, research, practice and experience, I find myself often locked in the grips of self-doubt. I guess you could say it is because I truly know that I don’t have all of the answers, and that I am not the most intelligent and cleverest person around. As Merlin the Magician said in the movie “Excalibur” as he was trying to capture a fish in a pond with his hands, “You can always someone more clever than yourself.” I have found that to be true, so I often ponder what I know and I doubt the truth of my own beliefs. This makes me open to other ideas, even ones that are completely contrary to the ones that I already hold. I am open minded, perhaps to a fault, but not about everything. Yet this is one of my greatest vulnerabilities. It means that I can be made into a fool, but not for very long. I give people the benefit of the doubt over time until the evidence reveals the truth about them. I am very patient, and those who are false and deceptive will expose themselves over time.

This leads me to the main point of my article. I know that there are no masters in the world, but I am open to the possibilities that they might exist because I realize the limitations of my own knowledge and experience. I am open minded, but I am also skeptical. If someone presents to me that they either represent or are a member of that supposed august order of secret masters then I will take what they say as conditionally true unless it is presented in such a manner as to be ridiculous. It is probably better for someone making such a claim if they have some kind of proof, or at least, that what they are saying has a likely possibility of being true. I will accept what someone claims, but I will reserve judgment over time to see if what they are claiming is true or false. So far, a few have made this claim to me over the many years of my occult work, but I found all of their claims to be false. If the messenger of such an august group doesn’t have his or her shit together to a degree that is impressive (and remains so or increases over time) then I can dismiss them and their claims as false.

There are delusional people in the world who have all sorts of beliefs and ideas, but a detailed examination of their claims can show them to be based on either imagination or on facts that are grossly exaggerated. I can forgive people for their delusions, but when people make astonishing claims that are very cleverly assembled in such a manner as to fool a large group of people, then I am quite unforgiving. I think that promising the public spiritual or magical mastery and personal ascendancy for money is probably one of the dirtiest tricks that has ever been perpetrated on honest seekers. I really despise individuals who play these kinds of games with the public, because I know from experience that any kind of personal transformation only occurs with a great deal of work, persistence and personal drive. You cannot buy enlightenment or spiritual mastery - it has to be earned over many years of arduous struggle and effort. The same could be said for achieving unearned wealth, health, or any other desired outcome. Also, no one can make something happen for you along these lines - it requires you to do the work yourself. You can be inspired, taught some basic concepts, share ideas, but in the end, it is completely your responsibility.

The current internet and social media-based occult world now has a certain degree of slavish salesmanship and “self-mastery for sale” that is both shallow and shameful. I won’t name any names, but if someone promises to make you an “Ipsissimus,” a “Living God,” or if such an individual or group has the backing of some order of “secret chiefs” then you should be very skeptical of what they are selling. They just want your money and they really don’t have anything to offer you in return except what is already out there in books and internet based information. They are not truly selling snake oil to you. Yet they are grossly misrepresenting their own abilities, teachings and their role in your personal transformation. It will take you years of effort and work in order to achieve a modest degree of personal ascendancy. There are no guarantees in matters of personal spiritual attainment, so goes the saying “caveat emptor,” buyer beware!

If you really desire to achieve spiritual transformation then do whatever you need to do to learn, grow and to make achievements without selling your liberty or your ability to think for yourself. Read and study, but also look for loose affiliations or groups of other like-minded practitioners who offer their friendship and comradery as well as their rational appraisal of your work. Avoid the seductive sirens of irrational and unearned personal attainment and the egregious hucksters who peddle them. These individuals are true barriers to actually achieving anything in life. They are the despicable purveyors of the dirtiest trick in the business of magic and the occult.

Frater Barrabbas

2 comments:

  1. The Jewish legend of the 72 Tzaddikim is an important origin of these modern, latter myths. The form it most commonly takes leaves the obvious conclusion — none of the 72 know who the others are. I could get into my ideas about superhuman organizations controlling world affairs at length, but ask yourself how 72 Jewish masters would not recognize each other for who they were even if they all met in the same room and you should be able to unpack most of it. :)

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  2. I had wondered, and now I understand.

    I commiserate with you and celebrate your experiences. The worst kind of people use the best kind to make themselves feel better/achieve goals/get ahead/obtain all kinds of capital.

    Thank you for sharing this.

    Pax

    MvdV

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