Mending Cartesian Duality in Magical Practices

Recently, my good and wise friend, Scott Stenwick, wrote an article (found here) that took issue with what I stated in my previous article about two of the religious and spiritual objectives in the training of a ritual magician. These have to do with establishing a magical persona and erecting a temporary and artificial boundary between the material world and the magical and spiritual world. He stated that such contrivances are unnecessary and could lead to establishing a kind of unresolvable Cartesian duality. I wanted to reply to his critique, but my point is that, overall, the way we approach magic has a lot to do with our education and life experience. There are different ways of obtaining the same results, but that the methods that I outlined in my article are just as valid and important as what he outlined in his article. However, I need to explain why this methodology has an importance and a relevancy to me. It also it depends on one’s life experience and this is something that I didn’t mention in my previous article. You can either adopt these practices or not, depending on your needs and your life history.

How You Approach Magic is Shaped by Your Life History

One of the most important things that I can state about learning to master magic is that how one goes about it says as much about one’s starting conditions and state of mind as it does anything else. When I talk about learning magic, as I have in my most recent article (found here), I am, of course, talking from my own personal experience. What I said in that article is not to be confused with any kind of dictates - none of it is carved in stone as it were. They are suggestions, but they are based on perspectives that I believe and use. I didn’t write that explicitly in my article, but I did assume that there were multiple paths. I particularly emphasized the one path where someone has not been initiated into a magical tradition nor adopted a traditional religion. It is the one path to where I addressed the three specific religious and spiritual objectives. That wasn’t clearly stated, but I would like to introduce it now to clarify what I said and to whom.

There are common steps or stages that one undergoes when we examine what nearly everyone has done to become a magician, but there are differences between each person’s path that represent their unique approach. A person who has grown up and lives in a social condition where magic is considered diabolical at one extreme or a complete fantasy and a sign of mental incompetence at the other extreme will pursue magic differently than someone whose social condition is one of neutrality towards the same subjects. Also, when a person is initiated into a magical tradition that has a specific religious teaching, the pathway that he or she follows will be different. Still, many people today who are getting into the study and practice of magic have opted to determine their own path outside of any tradition, and these are the individuals for which my article was written.

All of these starting points will produce a somewhat different magical path and process, but the one that I have identified with in my article is the independent solitary practitioner who has to deal with the social consequences of practicing magic without a tradition or a body of students and teachers to help mitigate those struggles.

What I am saying is that someone who was alone and exposed to a considerable amount of cognitive dissonance regarding the practice of magic or occultism in general is going to undergo a different process and pathway to achieve a mastery of magic than someone who has none, or someone who has the backing of a tradition. If learning to successfully perform magic and to study occultism is a constant struggle against the opinions and expectations of one’s family and social world then the individual who is so engaged with that struggle may have to adopt a more drastic agenda of mental and spiritual practices in order to be successful. The path of achieving magical mastery then becomes also a struggle against one’s family and social circle, not to mention the educational, governmental and religious institutions that one has to pass through in order to be materially successful.

The path that I took to learn how to successfully practice magic was a struggle against my parents, my peers, and the social forces that were operating at that time. I also didn’t have any tradition available for me to join, so I was practically alone in my activities. My father represented a kind of extreme materialistic rejection of anything that was otherworldly, especially religion. He was a forceful man who believed that all religions were based on lies and deliberate deceit, so his opinion of occultism, magic and witchcraft was derisive and ridiculing. He made it a point to try and force me to drop all of my teenage attractions and interests in the paranormal, magic and the occult. He strongly believed that to adopt such beliefs was to show an extreme mental weakness and to begin a path that could only lead to failure and mental illness. I recall that at one point, he gathered together my books, magical tools and tarot cards and put them in the trash. I was lucky enough to retrieve them, but that action on his part certainly had a powerful impact on me.

While the early 1970's represented a time when young people were exploring the occult and alternative traditions of spirituality. It was also a time when fundamentalist Christianity first began to be a part of the popular culture, ironically becoming a counter movement to the counter culture. It produced Jesus freaks, young Republicans and other young fanatical Christians not associated with any mainstream church. For some reason these kids found me to be a threat to their beliefs and practices, and they singled me out for ostracization. 

Many kids who engaged in studying the occult, magic and eastern forms of spirituality did so in a very superficial manner, and by the 1980's, these fads had largely disappeared, became mainstream or went underground. Even so, while in school, my involvement in witchcraft, magic and the occult were either derided by some or condemned by others who were engaging with the new wave of fundamentalism. Some kids thought it was cool, but nearly all of them thought that I took it way too seriously.

A stint in the U. S. Navy made my occult and witchcraft predilections seem even more strange, dysfunctional and at odds with expected military behavior and beliefs. I think that being in the Navy, even for a short time, probably challenged my beliefs to the very extreme, since by having them, I was declared to be unfit for service and given a discharge. The psychiatrists who interviewed me told me that I needed some serious psychological counseling and perhaps even spending some time in an institution. They told me that I was a delusional psychotic. You can imagine what kind of impact these events had on me, and the fact that when I returned to my family I was considered a shameful failure by my father, a military man. He worried about me and told me that I needed to drop my occult proclivities or risk living my life in and out of institutions. I almost started to believe that I was psychotic, but my own stubborn adherence to sane occultism and my comforting magical practices said otherwise.

As you can see, my struggle to achieve a mastery of the art of magic had a lot of factors going against it. The probabilities were low that I would continue pursuing my beliefs. If I had been made of weaker stuff, I would probably have given it all up so that I could be more effective in my pursuit of material self-sufficiency. Looking back on my life history, I believe that part of how I teach and also work magic has been powerfully impacted by my life history. Sometimes I wonder if my approach to magic would have been different if I had not had so much resistance back when I was growing up and trying to learn magic and witchcraft. What if I had been born and raised in a family that would have either accepted occultism as valid or would have considered it as a non-issue? My father still ridicules my beliefs and practices even after all of these years and in order to have peace between us, we choose not to talk about it.

Therefore, as part of my magical education, and having to deal with a lot of cognitive dissonance, I had to create and adopt a magical persona in order for me to step outside of myself and not be distracted by the low self-esteem that I had as a kid who was abused and ridiculed by my father, estranged by my childhood friends and peers, and oppressed by the societal institutions that I had to pass through on my way to adulthood. Additionally, I had to adopt a mind-set that saw the world of magic, occultism and witchcraft as not governed by science and therefore, incapable of being judged by the social consensus. This was the age of Carl Sagan, who stated that the occult, magic and witchcraft were superstitions that our culture was better off without. Others, including my father, would repeat this message to me, over and over.

I learned to establish a psychic boundary between the “normal” and materialistically based mundane world and the world of magic. When I performed the ritual to consecrate my sacred space, it was to functionally create a boundary between the sacred and profane, so for a while I did occupy two different worlds when I practiced magic. Even so, I have always attempted to merge them together, although initially I was not very successful. I had to deal with so many other folks who negatively judged me as either a nut-case or as an unwitting dupe of Satan. By the way, establishing such a boundary in which to worship the God and Goddess of Witchcraft and also to practice magic is a fundamental part of practicing Modern Witchcraft. This distinction makes Witchcraft magic different than the practice of ceremonial magic (based on the Golden Dawn paradigm).

My use of creating sacred space and establishing a delineated domain for working magic and worshiping my deities was similar to a practice that patients suffering from trauma typically utilize, and that is making a “safe place” or an oasis to shelter one from trauma induced anxiety attacks. While I am not certain that what I had undergone was in any way close to becoming afflicted by PTSD, the means of dealing with the abuse heaped on me by my father, my peers and the associated cognitive dissonance that I experienced could be similar to that adopted by someone afflicted by trauma. When I performed the circle consecration rite I felt as though I had entered a pure and rarified sanctuary where all of my beliefs and practices were empowered and true. This artifice might not be necessary for someone who had experienced neither mental and physical parental abuse nor rejection by society and one’s peer group, yet it was also the standard operating procedure for those who were practicing some variant of Modern Witchcraft. It had the same effect on me as a safe place would to a person suffering from trauma and it was for me a place of love, peace and even joy, where the rules of magic, the domain of spirits and gods reigned supreme. 

Another thing that I had to do was to perceive myself as having a direct connection to my deities that allowed me to assume them in the drawing down rite and to perform magic in that assumed mental state. This is a particular technique that I developed very early in my magical practices. Having a magical persona helped give me the ability to identify as a godhead without blowing up my ego, since it was me as the witch and magician who was temporarily assuming the deity instead of the low self-esteem and inadequate person that I was outside of the magic circle.

It was hard initially to think of myself as anyone special or capable in the material world, and my steps to achieve material self-sufficiency were adversely impacted by a series of failures. Yet I persevered on all fronts and was able to achieve both my material as well as magical and occult goals. It was a struggle, but often I was the obstacle that had to be altered in order to make progress. In time a lot of my psychological defects were resolved and my sharp edges were smoothed down. I became educated, intelligent and capable, but it was a long and hard struggle. Nothing was easy for me, even though I was probably a bit smarter than some people I knew who thought themselves superior. Yet one of the factors that helped me was my boundless optimism in the face of all adversity, and also my powerful child-like imagination that I never outgrew. These were the seeds of my magical process that when nourished, grew and thrived.

As far as adopting traditions is concerned, becoming an initiated Alexandrian Witch was a watershed event for me. I had been practicing witchcraft and magic for around five years before I found a coven and requested to be initiated. Yet my practices were stunted, self absorbed and not yielding the kind of success that I had hoped for. Once I was initiated and given a lot of classes and started studying far better sources of magical lore, my magical practice profoundly changed for the better. It was like being handed the key to the mysteries and gaining an effusion of self-empowerment that was astonishing.

I know that adopting traditions are not particularly vogue these days, and getting a classical occult education is perceived as being a boring waste of time; but for me the advantages were enormous. I was given a traditional platform to work with, and from that platform, I was able to build all of the rites and ordeals that I use today. All I needed was to be initiated, empowered and exposed to a group of practitioners who helped me to clarify what I had been doing, and also, to receive a peer review of my work and to adjust it accordingly. Had I not received this initiation then my progress would have been a lot slower. Still, I believe that I would have gotten to the same place, although lacking in some critical areas of my current development.

So, what I underwent in my personal history has shaped how I practice magic and how I would teach someone to master it. When I have taught individuals how to work magic, I have shared with them the techniques that I myself have used, and they can either use them to the degree that I did to achieve my goals, or they can mitigate these practices in order to adjust them to their own personal history. I have never had someone reject certain rituals or practices based on their personal preferences or principles; but I have had discussions about tailoring these practices to the individual practitioner. In fact, what I have said and continue to say is that each magician must create their own magical system in order to make the magic that they practice a living part of their being.

Revisiting the Religious Objectives and Healing Cartesian Duality

Getting back to what Scott wrote and critiqued regarding my previous article, the two points that he had a problem with were part of the religious and spiritual objectives. I think that Scott and I approach magic in a similar manner, but it does differ when it comes down to the religious components of our magical systems. I was taught a form of magic based on Modern Witchcraft, and he adopted a Thelemic approach to the Golden Dawn system of ceremonial magic. They are quite distinct from each other, although I did borrow some elements from the basic GD rites, my approach is singularly different.

When a person is initiated into one of the traditions of modern witchcraft based on the Gardnerian model, that person assumes a magical and witch-based persona that is kept secret from the outside world. When the circle consecration rite is performed, the individuals within it also assume their witchcraft personas so that they are revealed to the deities, spirits and powers of the dread lords in their true sacred form. They might also be robed or garbed in some fashion, or they might be naked as a sign of complete trust, freedom and openness. In this environment they worship their deities and practice magic. They are separate from the mundane world, existing for the moment in the sacred safe place given to them by their gods. Yet this basic and fundamental state is the basis to the two objectives that I stated in my article.

“The first objective is to elevate the self-image so a person is able to establish the credible belief and confidence that he or she can perform magical rituals that produce effective results. In this fashion a person assumes and becomes the persona of a magician with all of its associated practices and expectations. This means that the individual undergoes some kind of change or basic transformation that allows for paranormal phenomenon to occur, and it colors the way that he or she perceives themselves and the world around them.”

“The second objective is to establish an artificial boundary between a world that is defined by magic and one that is defined as commonplace or mundane. In the material world, which is effectively defined by science, magic doesn’t have any factual basis, but in the world defined by magic, there are subjective powers and forces that can indeed cause the magician and his or her world to change, however modestly or profoundly, in accordance with their will. This boundary starts with the self as defined by magic and continues to define the practices, beliefs and the magical equipment as being set aside from the material world in order to be part of the magical world view.”

Both of these objectives are achieved when a witch is initiated in a magic circle that is opened to the deities and empowered with the cone of power. If a person would seek to emulate this state and mode of practice without being initiated into a Pagan or Wiccan tradition (or any tradition) then building the rites to performing these operations stated above on a regular schedule would cause an initiation-like transformative process to occur, but perhaps not as dramatic or as quick. It would meet the basic objects for working magic as determined by the traditions of magical witchcraft.

As the practitioner would also engage in developing a specialized religious cult with themselves as the prelate and congregation, and within that cult, perform the godhead assumption of the principal deity then the third objective would be realized over time. Here it is quoted.

“The third objective is to define the self as a spiritual being residing in a world defined by spirits, magical energies and exemplars of consciousness not defined by science or the material world view. This is, of course, an internal process that also causes an ongoing transformation of consciousness, where the alternate magical definition of the self becomes a principle part of the functioning of that world. This process also gives the magician a kind of authority and spiritual backing to perform magic, unleash metaphorical powers (that might be subtle but actual powers associated with consciousness) and to engage with disembodied entities of variously defined mythical, symbolical  and metaphysical existence. The self also assumes a mythical, symbolical and metaphysical existence as well, so it might engage with these entities and acquire and project paranormal forces and symbolic powers.”

I wrote these objectives with the non-initiate and independent magical practitioner in mind, and I based it on what I went through when I first developed my magical system and even later, when I was initiated as a Witch, so many years ago. It has remained the core part of my practices ever since, and it has been useful as well as empowering. I see no reason to either omit it or amend my own practices because it introduces duality into my magical work. I have found it to be integral to my magical process.

Now the question will be whether or not I have unwittingly established a troubling duality in what I am doing in my magical practice, and does this limit what I can do in the material world. My answer would have to be a negative. Since adopting this methodology more than four decades in the past, I have not only been able to transform and develop myself as a human being but I have also been able to continue to grow and maximize my potential in the material world. I may not be wealthy, but I am comfortably well-off, at least for now. A lot of this had to do with my magical workings, although it would be difficult for me to attribute everything I have achieved to magic. Some of it was incidental or even accidental, and to bend fate to explain everything as a product of my magic is probably, in my opinion, taking this approach too far. Not everyone would agree with this opinion, of course, but that is how I see my life and my reality.

However, there is one magical process that I discussed in my article that shows, if it is practiced as part of the one’s magical discipline, how all dualities of self and world, spirit and matter, life and death, can be merged and unified into one single reality, process and beingness. That is the practice of ordeal magic that I refer to as theurgy. The process of theurgy probably starts early in one’s magical career as one attempts to bridge the magical and mundane worlds, and it ends with the merging of self and not-self into the unity of all being. What I say about theurgy in my article is very much the universal medicine to all that plagues and afflicts humanity, and that is all of the disappointments, thwarted ambitions and lost opportunities that happen to nearly everyone. There are also nullifying conflicts, unresolvable issues and the occurrences of accidents and catastrophes. No magician is immune to these occurrences, and in fact, all living things succumb to death and defeat eventually. Even so, theurgy can address them and over time, resolve them, and that includes the ultimate ordeal, death itself.

So while it is likely that the beginning magician, following my methods for performing magic, might encounter some Cartesian duality, it will not last long. Being continually exposed to sacred magic and the domain of spirits and gods has a natural healing process built into it. They will also experience the processes of unity and the healing of duality that is accelerated through theurgy. When I teach someone magic and share with them the lore that I use, I also encourage them to undergo magical ordeals, even from the very first stages of their magical training. This process is built into the magical order that I helped to develop - the Order of the Gnostic Star. That is the way that the methods of theurgy are adopted by magicians practicing my system of magic. It is also how, over time, that process will cause the various dualities of practice and perception to be healed and brought into union. It isn’t guaranteed, but a continual practice using this methodology will start making that happen very quickly.

Finally, the way that Scott and I work magic is both similar yet also very different. They are based not only on two distinct traditions, but also two very different personalities and two different life histories. Neither method is the definitive one, and whichever one a student might adopt has to do with their life experience, how they perceive ritual magic, whether they belong to a tradition or to none at all, and their basic personality. You couldn’t find two different personalities when examining Scott and myself, so our corresponding magical systems would be expected to be different as well. We have many points in common, but there are differences, too. It is up to students to choose a path that matches their basic beliefs and personalities. Some will like Scott’s scientific and practical approach to magic, and some will want something that incorporates poetry, drama and theater. Scott seems like a scientist to me, and I am more like an artist.

My message to the student, choose ye well, then do your will.  

Frater Barrabbas

Further Thoughts About Astral Initiations

Once again the issue of astral initiations has become something of a heated discussion theme in the occult and magical blogosphere. I have already discussed this issue quite thoroughly in an article that I posted back in January of 2011. This is not a new discussion and for some reason it seems to gain new life in a cyclic manner, sort of like the plague. I have made my point that astral only initiations performed at long distance are pretty much ridiculous. My friend Scott had a funny story about using a “sock puppet” with the photograph of someone’s face pasted on it, and then putting that construct through a Golden Dawn initiation. Would the person whose photographed face was stuck to the sock be truly initiated?

There is also the problem of some disreputable person scheduling a long distance initiation (to be affected via the astral) for someone, having them pay money for this operation, and then doing nothing at the appointed time. Then, pretending that it had actually happened. You can find my previous article on this topic here, although it was in response to Robert Zink proclaiming his “astral only” methodology for Golden Dawn initiations.

Another issue that I discussed is self-initiation, to which I stated that it was not as effective as being taught and initiated by an individual or group. Self initiation brings to my mind some important questions. If someone is performing an initiation solely by their own hand then where does any kind of objective measurement occur? How is such a person challenged, and if they are not challenged, then is their initiation even valid? These are important questions. At some point even the most isolated or secluded student has to have some kind of outside and objective peer review, not to mention the importance of having his or her experiences and knowledge fully challenged.

In my opinion, there is nothing more sad, ludicrous or pathetic than discovering someone who has been exclusively self-taught and self-initiated for their entire magical and occult career. If you want a clear example of this kind of phenomenon, you need only google the name “Venus Satanas,” to find a perfect example of someone who has been called by her peers the “Forest Gump” of Theistic Satanists. Yes, it would seem that mixing alluring sexuality with simple-mindedness does help individuals to sell their ideas, however badly formed or ignorant they might be. I think that FOX news and Goetia Girls has shown this to be true. Also, it is quite novel, in my opinion, for a priestess to have her very own dancing pole mounted in the middle of her temple. I hadn’t equated pole dancing with sacred ritual dance, but then again, what do I know?

Still, an initiation is not the mechanism by which someone is conferred a specific level of spiritual and magical development. I have made this statement often enough that it should be considered one of the trade marks of my magical tradition. Often, initiations are just in-house accolades and peer group lintel rites that allow someone to have access to the specific ritual lore of that degree. Yet initiations by themselves do little to actually help someone to spiritually evolve or ascend. In order to truly grow and expand, one must do the work on a regular basis, and it is the work alone that causes transformation and spiritual ascension. The work might be aided by intercession of a teacher or mentor, but only if the initiate strives through consistent effort will anything dramatic actually occur. In this manner, initiates are responsible for their own magickal progress and the enrichment of their own spiritual process. 

In the Order of the Gnostic Star, only the first two initiations are rites performed by more than just the candidate and the initiator. Yet even these two rites have an alternate form that is reduced down to just the initiator and the candidate undergoing the initiation. All grades of the Order are associated with extensive ordeals or batteries of workings that must be completed and validated before the initiation rite is to be performed. In a sense, the transformative initiation is often achieved by the work and then just objectively validated by the initiation rite. In the ESSG, there is an important emphasis placed on the student and mentor relationship, and this relationship represents the entire cycle of degrees, from first through ninth. Although the identity of the mentor might change during the life cycle of the student, the relationship is still integral to the structure of the Order.

So, one could say that the Order of the Gnostic Star has both a form of self-initiation as the initiatory ordeals, and a mentor to candidate initiation at each degree threshold. What this does is establish a kind of ladder that runs up the Tree of Life, where each degree has its set of ordeals and workings to be performed (however long it takes), and at the completion and realization of each set, there is an initiation rite and mystery that acts as the threshold to the next level of expertise and magical knowledge.

Elemental Degrees

In order to really and fully document and define the nature of the lower four degrees of the Order of the Gnostic Star, I have decided to pull some associated text from some Order documents that have never been published. I felt that if my readers understand the nature of the first four Elemental Degrees, a greater understanding would be established for realizing the degrees associated with adepthood.

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One very important point is that a transformative initiation should not be a single event, never to be repeated. While there are some pagan and witchcraft traditions that espouse only one initiation, an occurrence of internal, cyclic transformations, expressed or realized through some kind of exterior ritual should be a natural part of anyone’s spiritual and magickal process. The exterior rite should not, in most cases, be one that is performed alone, but shared with others, who act as witnesses and perhaps even facilitators. They assist the candidate in objectifying the internal transformation.

This continuous and periodic transformation and it’s outer expression as an initiation rite characterizes an incremental expansion of consciousness and the evolution of spiritual awareness. For the progressive pagan, witch or occultist, spiritual evolution in this life is a very important virtue, denoting that one is on the “path” to ultimately achieving union with the Godhead. Not every pagan, witch or magickal practitioner has this as their goal, but for the progressive practitioner, growth and personal development is a critical part of one’s spiritual and magickal practice. It is also a natural by-product produced through the search for meaning, greater insight, and the exalted conscious realization of Spirit within the material world.

This is why many magickal lodges and other occult organizations have multiple degrees or grades, but the transformative process doesn’t adhere to fixed degree structures or orchestrated, time-in-grade measurements. Transformative initiations are, if anything, guided by the internal mechanism and the mysteries of the individual initiate, based as they are on his or her soul revelations. Some transformations are greater and far more profound than others, and they may occur at greater or lesser frequencies during the lifetime of the initiate. They can also happen during different time frames, some taking much longer to complete than others. What we can say about transformative initiations is that they are cyclic oscillations of an initiate’s internal spiritual process. That cycle can be compared to the mythic Cycle of the Hero or the twenty-two Trumps of the Tarot. An examination of the symbolic images of the Tarot Trumps, or the occurrence of one in a strategic Tarot reading, can indicate to the initiate their specific point in the ongoing and ever continuous initiation process.

As I have already indicated, cyclic transformations occur at various intervals, and have greater or lesser impact on the one experiencing them. The greater cycles can be symbolically compared to the ten Sephiroth on the Tree of Life (that is, if the Qabalah is an important tool), but other meta-patterns or symbolic structures can be used. Because, for me, the Tree of Life is a very useful tool, I also find it useful to determine the larger transformative patterns.

In the Order of the Gnostic Star, the Qabalah is used to build the required ordeals that an initiate must perform in order to attain to a specific degree, since by performing them, he or she triggers the associated transformation. Using the Tree of Life can also help us to define the differences between an initiate, an adept, and a high adept; a structure that is represented by the three triadic groupings of the nine Sephiroth. It’s assumed that Malkuth, the lowest of the ten Sephiroth, would represent the state of the non-initiate or the one who stands at the threshold of the process of spiritual transformation, but it is also the very first initiation ordeal that one undergoes.

What I am presenting here is something that is very simplified. One would have to incorporate the twenty-two paths as well as the ten sephiroth to produce a comprehensive examination. I will just use the sephiroth to aid this discussion, leaving the more complex analysis for one of my future books.

Initiates who are following a magickal path that uses the Tree of Life as a guide would begin their process at the point of the element of Earth. This is the place where the initiate crosses the first threshold,  revealing the truth that the material world is imbued and suffused with Spirit. This often causes the initiate to see the world as a sacralized phenomenon of nature, where there is no division between matter and spirit because all is one and unified. One can take this experience as indicative of the veritable truth of pagan spiritual perspectives (such as Neoplatonism), but it can also cause one to realize that the product of creation is just as sacred and holy as that which created it (such as the writings of Emerson would indicate).

Once the initiate has passed this threshold of Earth as the manifestation of Spirit, then he or she begins a process of transformation that has many incremental steps, both great and small. Yet the first progression can be compared to a series of ordeals that emulate the internal qualities of the four Elements. These transformations are therefore referred to as the initiation of the Four Elements, and represent a larger and more complex cycle for the initiate who is seeking to master Spirit. Of course, the quest for mastering Spirit is the long sought after achievement that bestows adepthood upon the seeker.

Where Earth is the revelation of the material world imbued and made sacred with Spirit, the sequence of the next three elements represent a similar progression. Let me briefly note them here for you to examine and ponder. Keep in mind that an actual transformative initiation process might not undergo the next three elements in the order that I am presenting here. Some systems use the progression of Earth, Air, Water and Fire, others might use Earth, Water, Air and Fire, and still others might use Earth, Fire, Water and Air. The order is not important, what is important is that the initiate goes through all four Elements in some manner. In fact, it is usually the case that an initiate will track through all four of them multiple times until they are completely mastered.

Water (Yesod): This transformative degree is characterized by the imagination, the power of dreams, symbols and psychic occurrences. This is where magick seems to become a fully realized phenomenon, where spirits and powers are encountered and realized. Initiates who walk this path also acquire a spiritual sense of themselves, and they discover that they have helpers, guides and spiritual allies who seek to aid them in their spiritual and magickal quest. As you can imagine, divination is important in this sphere, as is the foundation of archetypal symbols that lie at the core of the spiritual domain. 

Air (Hod): The next transformative degree is characterized by the occult intellect and the individual will, the ability to organize diverse spiritual and magickal phenomena using various occult systems, such as the Tarot, Qabbalah, Astrology, Alchemy, Psychology and occult metaphysics, and the desire to use them to will things into manifestation. Science is also used to understand the subtle occult processes that the initiate has personally experienced, and all disciplines and areas of knowledge are culled to assist the initiate in being able to intellectually apprehend the fullness of the spiritual and magickal world and then, to subjugate it. 

Fire (Netzach): The final transformative degree of the four elements is characterized by spiritual love, selfless devotion, spiritual service, and the practices of spiritual alignment. This degree is where the initiate begins the transition of becoming a priest or priestess of Spirit, and it is also where the other three elements begin to blend into a seamless discipline of spiritual and magickal practices and insightful experiences. In some traditions this would be the first element degree experienced beyond Earth, particularly if spiritual love was the pre-eminent foundation that one had to establish before doing anything else (this would be true of the Abramelin ordeal as well as certain monastic Christian traditions and Sufiism).

This degree would also represent the beginning of the manifestation of the higher self, which becomes more materially apparent to the initiate through spiritual love. Initiates walking this path dedicate their lives to building a core of spiritual practices that erect powerful bridges between themselves and their chosen personal Godhead.

The first four degrees have associated magical lore and techniques that must be mastered (and proven to one’s peer group) before one is able to advance to the next degree. The first four degrees have the following magical ritual workings that are a part of the lore of the Order:

1. First Degree - Elemental Magic (using the Enochian Godname Pair and Calls)

2. Second Degree - Talismanic Elemental Magic (using the Enochian Seniors/Kings)

3. Third Degree - Theurgy - Magical Evocation (Archangel Angel/ Demigod Invocations)

4. Fourth Degree - Lesser Archeomancy. (Full Angelic Theurgy & Goetic Evocation)

As you can see, the stipulated ordeals more or less fit the mysteries of the Four Elemental degrees. The progression is to first master Elemental magick, then Planetary magick (in combination for the Talismantic Elementals), then Magical Evocation, and finally Lesser Archeomancy (archeomancy of the 40 Qabalistic domains) and the assumption of the practices of the magician-priest as sacral technician.

I have previously written some articles about the Qabalistic degree cycles as they pertain to the Order of the Gnostic Star, and you can find them here, here and here. Combining what I have written in this article with these other three articles should completely fill out how transformative initiations via degree-based ordeals are established in the Order. For now, I believe that I have exhausted all of arguments that I can make in regards to astral-only initiations and self-initiation. I am sure that you, my readers, get my point and know what I think of these matters.

Frater Barrabbas

Another Plug for the Self-Directed and Self-Initiated

Recently, Nick Farrell has written up an article on his blog (Playing At Magic) complaining about New Age seekers who eschew traditional occult organizations and attempt to master the art of magick by dabbling with it. Of course, to embellish his arguments he has created an inept straw man analogous to Goethe’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice to target his complaints - a person so naive and foolish as to be nothing short of a cartoon. You can find his article here, but still, I feel it’s important to respond to what he wrote, since I am indeed self-taught, self-directed, and therefore, self-initiated. While I don’t believe that his article in anyway describes who I am and what I have done over the previous decades, I find that by behaving as an elitist he is missing a very important point about how things are changing in the world of magick and the occult. Mr. Farrell is on the downward path to becoming a dinosaur, an irrelevant anachronism simply because the math doesn't favor his opinions or his vaunted initiatory pedigree.

Those who are members of Golden Dawn temples or initiates in one of the many occult organizations that seek to promote the traditions of ritual or ceremonial magick are the blessed and lucky few, while the rest of us have had to make due with what we can. The amount of written material on the subject of magick which can be found on the internet and in books is already quite voluminous, and it is quickly growing even as I write this article. There is a vast body of information available to anyone who is either curious or who desires to engage in the magician’s avocation. The number of available temples and organizations is still quite small, and I might add, fairly exclusive.

What this means is that the probability of someone acquiring their knowledge and experience of magick by reading and experimenting is much more likely to occur, in other words, by being a dabbler. As time goes on this disparity will only continue to grow until the population of initiate members of these exclusive groups and organizations will be tiny compared to the population of self-taught and self-initiated magicians. Such a course of self-determination and directed learning even has a fancy label - it is called heutagogy.

So, it would seem that the future of ritual and ceremonial magick belongs to the masses of dabblers and dilettantes rather than to the so-called properly initiated members of occult organizations and formal traditions. Similar to what has happened to the formal traditions of Witchcraft over the last few decades, vastly more individuals are seeking to engage with paganism and witchcraft without either joining a coven or getting initiated into a tradition. Eventually, such formal traditions will be something of a fading anachronism, and I believe that newer and more dynamic sodalities will take their place. The same thing will happen to magical lodges and traditions unless they open up and place themselves in the midst of the wave of change that is enveloping the practice of ritual and ceremonial magick as well.

There are a lot of self-trained magicians out there in the world today, and in fact, most of the magicians that I know, even including those who belong to occult organizations are mostly self-taught and self-directed. This is because competent magicians have achieved their results due to their own personal efforts, discipline, experimentation and individual accomplishments. I have also met individuals who were spoon-fed and supposedly trained by some lodge or another and who were actually quite incompetent. What makes someone a good magician has a lot to do with individual initiative, inspiration, and steadfast application of a foundational discipline. There is no guarantee that a Golden Dawn or Thelemic magician will be competent just because he or she received extensive training. This is why I feel that such exclusive organizations are on the brink of being buried in a deluge of dabblers and dilettantes unless they, too, change with the times.

When we consider that William Gray, one of the great occult and magical luminaries of the recent past, was completely self-taught, self-directed and self-initiated, it poses the argument that perhaps magical orders, temples and traditions are not as important as the various members of these groups seem to believe. I wrote an article a while back celebrating those steadfast and stalwart individuals who have blazed the trail of self-made magicians and occult masters, and you can find it here. While Mr. Gray was a unique individual in his time, he represented a new path and possibility to many who didn't have recourse to a traditional lodge. Now, many decades later, there are many who are following this insular path. I suspect that the path that Mr. Gray forged will soon become the major way of mastering magick, if that event has not already come to pass.

Some have said that I am, as a model of the self-taught and self-initiated, not a good representative of this population because I did receive an initiation into a witchcraft tradition. I have also received other initiations in other organizations as well, but the system of magick that I use and have promoted through the Order of the Gnostic Star is mostly my own. Whatever claims I can make about what I have achieved over the last forty years is due to my own work and initiative. No one taught me how to work magick - I learned it from books and mostly from a lot of experimentation. I may have taken this work to its logical conclusion over many decades of time, but I don’t believe that such as what I have accomplished has made me unique or different from the mass of other seekers and dabblers.

In fact, the whole premise of the Order’s method of teaching and initiating is based on the continuous process of transformative ordeals. A student is given the rituals and lore, and then challenged to use them to achieve a given end, the details of such a working are to be determined by discovery and personal insight. Once the ordeal is complete, then the members of the temple confer an initiatory elevation as a kind of collective recognition, but the work has already been done. This is indeed a form of self-initiation, but it is one that is quite effective and proven over time.

I also think that it’s disingenuous to compare self-direction and self-initiation in occult, spiritual and magical studies to that of an engineering, medical or other professional occupation. While it might be optimal to actually have access to an occult and magical college, it isn’t a requirement for a practicing magician. Plenty of competent and capable magicians exist who have not had that kind of training or instruction. There isn’t a board exam for ritual or ceremonial magicians nor do such individuals require any kind of licensing. The evaluation of magical, spiritual or occult competency is actually quite subjective, and like any art form, it requires a certain consensus of peers. Also, getting a group of magicians to agree on anything might be a bit of a stretch, too.

What is required for anyone to master the art of magick is nothing short of a practical and rational approach to mastering anything. It requires persistence, experimentation, constant research and sometimes leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of operational knowledge. Thus, sane and rational experimentation, building a loosely defined peer group and developing a consistent and continuous spiritual and magical discipline is the real key to a mastery of magic. This is true regardless of whether or not the magician received training within an organization. Learning to be creative and "thinking outside of the box" are techniques that can't really be taught to anyone. They must be individually mastered and thereby incorporate certain innate talents. Not everyone who is persistent will produce remarkable results, but they will produce some kind of results none-the-less.

Few Golden Dawn organizations appear to be doing anything about the fact that people are acquiring first class publically available information and engaging in a certain amount of dabbling. Many seem to be condescending towards the masses of the uninitiated and act more less as entitled elitists, an attitude that will guarantee a relative future morbidity. What is needed is some kind of outreach, since the population of the self-taught far exceeds the population of the traditional initiates. I look at what Jason Miller is doing with his online classes as representing the cutting edge in disseminating a practical knowledge of magick. David Griffin and his organizations of the HOGD and the A+O have put together an outreach program called the “Thousand Points of Light” which can somewhat mitigate the lack of resident temples available to aspiring initiates. My magical order is taking this approach as well with the affiliate member program.  

While I applaud the outreach that some organizations are undergoing for those many thousand points of light, there must always be a place at the table for the self-made magician as well, and in fact, they will soon be far more numerous than a thousand points of light; more like a sky brightly illuminated with a myriad of stars. The best thing that can be done for these so-called dabblers (I prefer to call them experimenters) is to make more foundational lore available to them either through published materials or online articles.

I believe that I have and continue to engage in both of these efforts, and so do many other groups and organizations. However, publishing books and making information available online will only increase the supposed problem. What we all have to realistically do is to make the information and contacts available and let nature take its course to sort out the truly determined from the curious and half-hearted dilettante. In time those who are gifted or just passionate in their pursuit will float to the top of the wave, and they will justifiably demand to be given a certain amount of respect. We can already see some of those individuals now, writing blogs and even publishing books. As a member of their loose sodality, I salute them.

After considering these important points we can now examine the claims and complaints written by Nick Farrell in his article. I find his arrogance, hubris, and condescending attitude to the self-taught and self-directed to be quite obnoxious. It is, in word, the smirking, sneering face of the entitled pedigreed snob whining and complaining about the unwashed masses. Yet I have found much of Nick Farrell's writings to be quite lacking in accuracy and insight, all despite his supposed training and guidance by the hands of superior adepts. It makes his arguments hollow and irrelevant. Even so, his vaunted place in the corridors of the occult elite is a precarious and even delusional imposture, one that we will proceed to quickly ignore and forget.

Frater Barrabbas

Astral Initiations, Self Initiations and the Need for Exterior Challenges

On the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn blog, there has been some recent articles about astral-only initiations, particularly those espoused by Robert Zink, titular head of the EOGD (Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn), a branch of the Golden Dawn. It appears that Robert Zink, referred to by David Griffin as “Sideshow Bob,” has been promoting a kind of astral-only initiation, which takes place on the inner planes and allows individuals from remote geographic locations to receive an initiation in the Golden Dawn while not having to travel to any branch temple or the mother temple. Mr. Zink has gone so far as to say that an astral initiation is just as valid as a real one that takes place in a temple, conferred by real and physical representatives of the Order. Robert Zink in fact says that if long distance healing is possible, then why wouldn’t long distance initiations be possible? You can see the HOGD article here.

Of course, that would mean that healing and initiation are somehow conflated and identical processes. Anyone who has performed psychic healing will tell you that performing it physically on the person and in their presence is much more powerful than performing it long-distance. Healing in-person is optimal, long distance healing is done when no other possible recourse is available. I would also state that long distance healing can be deflected or interfered with to a greater degree than an in-person healing, and there is a stark difference in the rate of success.

Also, it’s much too easy to tell someone that you are going to do something for them magickally at a distance, and then do nothing. If anything good happens, it’s easy to take credit for it, and if nothing happens or the matter gets worse, you can say that at least you tried. If there was an exchange of money for such a transaction, I would find it difficult not to consider it a scam. Anyway, all of this is rather silly, since an initiation isn’t at all like a healing. What we really need to discuss, as far as the possibility of an astral-only initiation is concerned, is the definition of the term “initiation.”

As an aside, in all of the years that I have been a witch, no one I know of has ever claimed to have received an astral-only initiation into witchcraft. If someone did make that claim, even if it was backed up by their High Priestess and High Priest, I would have to reject it. As it is, self initiation is looked upon dubiously for obvious reasons. An astral-only initiation would be considered very peculiar and would be rejected on the grounds that it did not bodily involve the candidate in any obvious manner. To understand initiation, we will need to look at that term and how it’s used, as well as examine another corollary term, which is transformation. I will quote some raw passages from my book “Disciple’s Guide to Ritual Magick” to aid in building these definitions. 

“Our day to day lives are filled with changes, and our challenge is to meet and integrate those changes into our lives. A failure to adjust to those changes is nothing short of a failure to adapt to life itself, which allows for the occurrence of even greater misfortune. Most changes are part of the flux and flow of life; seemingly granting individuals good fortune, luck, as well as trials, misfortune and tragedies. However, some changes are strategic and more significant, meaning that they represent an opportunity for individuals to better themselves, to grow and expand rapidly, making themselves more self-aware and sensitive to the greater world around them.

These changes are perilous and take us outside of ourselves, subjecting us to strange forces, mythic archetypes and processes that seem to have little to do with our daily lives. These strategic changes are called transformations, and they are usually triggered by life events that are more powerful, meaningful and significant than what is normally experienced. It is said that a wise man heeds the warning signs of his own impending transformations, and a fool ignores them.

When we choose an earth based religious tradition, like Wicca, Witchcraft, Neopaganism, or even a Magickal Lodge, often there is an associated rite (initiation) that is performed after we have gained a foothold in that tradition. That rite represents a passage from one state to another; from a state of lacking knowledge (about that tradition), to a state where we have become knowledgeable. Rites of passage like these exist at various strategic moments of our lives, and mark the times where we become knowledgeable about a new aspect of life - such as naming rites for the newly born, rites of puberty and adulthood (getting a driver’s license, getting laid, becoming eligible to vote, etc), marriage, parenthood, retirement or rites of eldership, and rites associated with death, such as wakes or funerals, to mark our passing from this world to the next.

Initiation rites can be social rites of passage, but they can also include a certain amount of personal transformation. Yet rites of passage (initiations) and personal transformations are actually two different things altogether, even though we often use them interchangeably. They should always be used distinctly since they denote different things. It is possible and even likely to experience both an initiation and a transformation, but it is not the rule, and certainly they are two different events and two different experiences. One can receive initiations into various social organizations (such as the Freemasons, Odd Fellows, Eagles, Elks, Lions, Liar’s Club, Greek Fraternities and Sororities, etc.), and not be in any kind of spiritually transformed state. That is especially true for exoteric organizations and quasi-religious social cliques.

One can also undergo a powerful spiritual transformation and not be a zealous member of any particular creed. However, for esoteric organizations and true spiritual paths, an initiation and a transformation should occur nearly simultaneously. Our potential conscious growth is far greater than we have been led to believe, so we may grow far beyond the boundaries of normal adult ego-consciousness. In fact, that is the expectation in earth-base spiritual traditions, whether it is stated as such in the lore or just implicit in its practices. 

Magick is the method and the means through which an initiation and a transformation occur simultaneously. Those esoteric organizations who support the practice of some form of magick, are the very same organizations that have developed the means of continual personal transformation, which is also the obvious path to personal enlightenment and self-illumination.

Those esoteric organizations who eschew the practice of any form of magick or mysticism are very likely fraudulent and should be avoided by one and all. Without magick or mysticism there can be no growth, no spiritual evolution, and no hope of self-realization. The definition of magick is included in the broadest of practices and beliefs. Yet the focus of magick is always upon the transformation of the individual, so he or she may directly and periodically experience the Deity in all its mystery and manifested glory. Magick is the mirror that reflects the macrocosm into the microcosm, and back again, thus developing the greater depth of the individual soul. Magickal rituals are the sacred practices of individuals who seek to experience the world of Spirit, for magick is defined as the use of sacred symbols and rites for private instead of public purposes, and the goal is always a form of gnosis, which is the knowledge that one is a true being of Spirit.”

I would also like to include a few other quotes from that same book as well, to further define the terms of initiation and transformation. The definitions that are used were pulled from the Meriam Webster online dictionary.

“When we examine the definition for initiation we find the following entries.

‘INITIATION: the rites, ceremonies, ordeals or instructions with which one is made a member of a sect or society or is invested with a particular function or status.’

This seems to fit what we have said in previous paragraphs.

‘Initiate: to induct, facilitate the beginning of - to induct into membership by, or as if by special rites. Synonym: to begin. The condition of being initiated into some experience or sphere of activity - knowledgeableness.’

Aha! The word knowledgeableness is used in the definition above, a point that we stressed previously. The knowledge that is spoken of can be exoteric, as that found in a fraternal order, or it can be esoteric, as that found in a mystical or magickal order. Esoteric knowledge is synonymous with gnosis,  so initiatory knowledge within an occult organization represents intuitive knowledge of the Deity.
 
As we can see in the above lines from the dictionary, an initiation represents a rite of passage, a gateway or lintel-crossing from one station in life to the next. One who is initiated possesses a kind of special knowledge, granted as a privilege and responsibility by an organization or hierarchy. When this rite is performed in an esoteric organization, then the conferees of initiation are part of a spiritual hierarchy. However, in most cases, initiation is used to bring a candidate for membership formally into that organization.

The purpose of such an initiation, in an exoteric organization, is to grant membership and not to profoundly alter one’s consciousness. Anthropologists have traced the antecedent to these social organizations in the tribal Moiety, representing the precursor to all later secret societies. The Moiety, which is a social phenomenon where a tribe is divided into two parts, and where each group practices their rites in secrecy from the other half of the tribe, represents a basic human organizational behavior, and might even be traced backed to some precursor hominid instinctive behavior.

A social organization, or lodge, which conducts secret rites, with signs, passwords, and grips, can be conducted in a fashion that is no more spiritual or magickal than any other semi public activity. Thus it is not unusual to find individuals who are high initiates in various social orders, but who have not experienced any kind of psychological transformation. We must examine the nature and definition of transformation in order to realize the true source of spiritual evolution; for obviously it is not through initiation alone that we are changed.

So let us look at the definition for the word transformation and see how it is defined.   

‘TRANSFORMATION: act or process or instance of transforming or being transformed. To change in composition or structure, to change the outward form or appearance of - to change in character or condition. Convert, change, to make radically different.’

The part of the definition of Transformation that seems to be most relevant is the expression, to make radically different. And also - to change in character or condition. Transformation is defined as a radical or profound change, but such a change could be either progressive and evolving or regressive and debilitating. However, within the context of the occult, we refer to transformation as the means to achieving positive spiritual change within one’s self.

To round out the definition of transformation, we have to include two other terms - Transcendence and Teleology. We include them because progressive transformation seems to cause one to sense  the deeper structures of reality and beingness, and to perceive that there is a final end or purpose to life.

‘TRANSCENDENCE: exceeding usual limits, surpassing - extending or lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience - in Kantian philosophy: being beyond the limits of all possible experience and knowledge. Being beyond comprehension - Exceed. Transcend: to rise above or go beyond the limits of, to triumph over the negative or restrictive aspects of, overcome, to outstrip or outdo in some attribute, quality, or power.’

Those who choose the purely scientific view (of reality) have sided with Emanuel Kant in accepting that the transcendental quality of consciousness is beyond all possible rational knowledge, beyond comprehension, and therefore must be irrelevant to the acquisition of real objective knowledge. Of course, those who have been trained as occultists know this to be a fallacy, for we who are seekers often experience higher states of consciousness while immersed in the domain of Spirit. We are also able to explain it and even teach the practice of obtaining these states of consciousness to others, thus also making them quite objective in a subjective manner.

The transcendental realm of Spirit is inexplicable, so it is represented as a kind of meta-logic or metaphysics that defies quantitative or qualitative analysis. It is also a domain of human experience that is universal in its potential, experienced by all, but seldom realized except by a small minority of people. The word transcendence is used together with transformation to denote the kind of personal change that triumphs over all adversity and suppression, releasing the self to the greater and higher states of being.

‘TELEOLOGY: Telos (end) + logia (purpose). The study of evidence of design in nature,  a doctrine that states that ends are immanent in nature, a doctrine explaining phenomena by final causes. The fact or character attributed to nature or natural processes of being directed toward an end or shaped by a purpose. The use of design or purpose as an explanation of natural phenomena.’

Teleology could mean that through a spiritual perspective, everything in the world has a purpose, a vocation and a destiny. However, teleology has also digressed into such formulations as Intelligent Design, which is a stealthy re-packaging of Creationism. I think that by purpose or ultimate design, we must conclude that the subjective human process of creating meaning is taking place, and that it is not to be confused with objective physical reality. The meaning of life is not something that makes much sense when examined with the ruthless empirical eye of science.

The terms transcendence and teleology seem to refer directly to that domain of human activity called the Sacred. It seems obvious, then,  that to experience transcendence is to experience the world of Spirit, for it is Spirit that transcends all that we might mentally conceive, and it is also the beginning and the end of all manifestation - the true source and destiny of all spiritual seekers. Thus we also choose to examine the word sacred, since it seems to be at the core of the terms that we have examined so far. 

‘SACRED: the power, being, or realm understood by religious persons to be at the core of existence and to have a transformative effect on their lives and destinies. Other terms, such as holy, divine, transcendent, ultimate being (or reality), mystery, and perfection (or purity) have been used for this domain. Sacred is also an important technical term in the scholarly study and interpretation of religions.’

The word sacred represents the ground or basis for the domain of transcendental transformation, and as such, it requires that all actions within that space be godlike and archetypal. All of the above words, initiation, transformation, transcendence, teleology, and sacred symbolize the process and the path of individual ascension, but throughout them runs the theme of the experience of Spirit. The world that is without time and space, that is trans-logical, trans-personal, non-dual, and myriad dimensional is the true Multi-verse of the Unity of All Being.

It is this place of Spirit from which all manifestation came forth, imprinted with the synergistic potential to become conscious; and it is that which all conscious individuals seek. They seek their ultimate union with the being-ness of Spirit, who is called a God, for lack of a better name. Thus through the magickal artifice of emanation, involution, evolution, and union, the material universe, filled with dead inchoate matter, becomes imbued with life, consciousness, and then, ultimately, Spirit.

There are two cycles identified in this pattern, and they are the cycles of Transformation and Emanation - the intersecting paths of Light and Darkness, the realms of the Macrocosm and the Microcosm intertwined. The primary mystery that a magician faces, then, is the mystery of his own being, and its revelation as the god-as-self within the World of Spirit. A wise magician must ever work magick that promotes and transforms himself, so that the realization of the divinity within himself becomes an objective reality.  And the name for this kind of magick is the Great Work, the Magnum Opus of magicians and alchemists, the obtainment of perfect spiritual illumination.     

The process of spiritual growth is principally aided by a synthesis of transformation, transcendence and teleology to cause strategic changes at important moments of our lives, so the progression of spiritual awakening and growth is personally significant and meaningful. Transformative initiations are a means whereby certain levels of transformation are objectified, but they can also facilitate the transformation process itself.”

So, hopefully, the above quotations from the Disciple’s Guide to Ritual Magick have adequately defined the nature of initiation and transformation. However, I think that we need to make a few additional points in order to fully explain the necessity of receiving a transformative initiation at the hands of another and more experienced initiate, and through the acceptance and agreement of a peer group. I believe that the importance of both of these criteria would show that an astral-only initiation or a self-initiation, however legitimate they may be attested to by an individual or a group, can never replace a physical teacher, elder and a peer group. The key to this whole idea is the need for one to be challenged, tested and then affirmed by a superior and one’s peers.

Without this key concept, anyone could claim to be an initiate, adept or even a master, stating that such a high honor was conferred through some astral process or by one’s own hand. Declaring such a status without the backing of a peer group, a qualified mentor or without some kind of exterior and measurable achievement would make it wholly unsubstantiated and therefore, unearned. It would be like claiming to be a Master Mason without having undergone any of the initiations or the massive amount of required memorization. Such a claim would be unbelievable if the one making it didn’t know the passwords, signs and grips that act, in a small measure, as proof of such status. Making claims about one’s spiritual level of development and achievement without any proof is just as ridiculous as making it about being a member of a fraternal order that hasn’t any spiritual or magickal pretensions.

Additionally, there are some other considerations about receiving an initiation from a teacher, elder or peer group. A powerful soul changing transformative initiation requires a high degree of objectification in order for the transformation to be properly resolved. Additionally, there is a transmission of knowledge, both subtle and essential, that passes between initiator and candidate, which can’t be either faked or simulated. Finally, receiving an initiation from a teacher or elder places one into a line of initiates, past, present and future, and this line is called a lineage. 

 

Some linages are not particularly important or even necessary, yet some may represent a powerful continuity that goes beyond space and time. Receiving such an initiation may literally open doors, make inner plane contacts possible, powerfully influence people and events, and even determine one’s ultimate destiny. The important components of such an initiation are the teacher, the organization of peers and the challenging difficulty of the initiation ordeal rite. 

 

None of this can be simulated through a self-initiation or some kind of astral-only initiation rite. It must be physical, tangible and fully realized. One must be thoroughly challenged by some ordeal external to the self, and correspondingly, one must achieve a resolution to this challenge that is satisfactory to the individual and the group who is sponsoring the teaching. This can only be accomplished through a traditional initiation ceremony, particularly one that triggers or accompanies a personal transformation.

An astral-only initiation or a self-initiation can’t replace a traditional initiation, and in some cases, they can even be counter productive. There is only so much that one person can do by themselves, even with a lifetime of personal study and experience. At certain times everyone needs to have a teacher or elder to assist and guide them, and at all times, everyone needs a peer group to help them objectify their experiences. There are no substitutes or alternatives, regardless of what anyone may say. If someone ever tells you that you can acquire a high initiation or a personal transformation without any outside challenge, group or teacher, then you should avoid that person who so advises you as a fraud and a cheat, especially if they offer to do it for a fee.

That’s my opinion on this controversial subject. I know that some will not agree with me, but I believe that most will see the reason and the importance in what I am communicating. If someone ever came up to me and told me that they had paid someone to give them an astral-only initiation into witchcraft, I think that I would try very hard not to laugh at them. As a matter of fact, I would probably feel really sorry for them, and I would say so. To me, it just doesn’t make any sense and it can’t in any way replace what I have received directly from my various human teachers and guides.

Frater Barrabbas