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

Without Any Teachers - A Way to Transformative Wisdom

Recently there has been some heated discussion about how the Millennial generation (and some members of Generation X) don’t have respect or the proper behavior towards the older, mature and supposedly wiser members of the Western Magical Tradition (WMT). It started out with Nick Farrell telling potential students that they should basically shut up and meekly listen and learn from their elders. Of course, Nick comes off as something of a dick, but he did give plenty of examples of his own past foolishness, and supposedly he is advising his younger audience to not act like he did many years ago. Still, others have chimed in giving their support to Nick’s premise or vehemently decrying what he wrote. It has created quite a controversy, and I have been loath to comment on it because I am unfortunately not one to talk about either the traditional role of occult teachers or the responsibilities of idealized students or followers. That is because I consider myself mostly a “self-made” man regarding my practice of magick and my approach to occultism in general. 

I have had very few experiences with supposed “great” teachers, but I have painfully learned to eschew the advances and self-promotions of anyone who is a charismatic leader or teacher in some established occult organization. Those few experiences that I have had revealed to me that “great” teachers are really a social mirage, and that those who promote a charming and attractive front are likely hiding egregious flaws and possibly even sinister motives. Many of us are suckers for the guru confidence game, but typically cold hard facts and the power of dispassionate and unbiased reason will reveal a fraudulent master teacher eventually.

Ostensibly, we are really on our own. We alone are responsible for what we achieve regardless of what someone else does for us or against us. We might be an initiate of some great magical tradition or perhaps even received the exalted teachings of some spiritual master, but what we ultimately achieve is due to our own efforts. Typically, membership in an occult organization can be helpful or even inspiring, but if students don’t attempt to take the teachings and knowledge into themselves then it is little more than a distraction at best, a roadblock or daunting trap at worst.

Instead of writing up a homiletic about teachers and students and how they should comport themselves, I can only reach into my own many years of experience and declare that it is actually better for one to be solitary than to belong to an established occult group. At this time in my development I have the considered opinion that the only group that I would bother to belong to is one that is either a loose confederation of fellow magicians or a Star Group. If neither of these types of groups are available then I am quite happy to continue my work alone and intensely focused.

What I don’t need is to be distracted or have my time wasted by some bloviating teacher who thinks he or she has a monopoly on truth. While I am willing to share my experiences and knowledge with others, I do expect people to reach out to me and also be ready to do the work by themselves and for themselves. If someone wants me to share my knowledge with them then they need to make an effort to arrange the time and the intentions for such a working. I refuse to beg people to work with me who won’t make their own effort to set things in motion. So, I am indeed willing to share what I know with others, but I have found very few that are really interested in what I am doing. No one is knocking on my door to gain whatever knowledge I supposedly possess, and I have my own work and efforts to keep me quite occupied. I need people to socialize with and to share my ideas and also to listen to what they have to say, but I don’t need a teacher or a guru.

It is for this reason that I strongly believe that everyone should be responsible for their own spiritual and magical progress. It is a personal responsibility that has nothing to do with anyone else. No one can do this work for you and no one has the answers that you are looking for. You might occasionally meet remarkable men and women on the transformational path of enlightenment, and at times, these people can function as teachers and mentors, but only temporarily and only if you are willing to do the work. However, only you can do the work and only you can discover the answers to the questions that you might have.

I must admit that I am not a big fan of Krishnamurti, but in some cases he had some of the best advice to give to those who were seeking the lonely path of self directed personal and spiritual mastery. I also admire the fact that he repudiated the heads of the Theosophical Society who tried vainly to make him into their vaunted world teacher, and then he forged his own path, developing naturally over the decades. He was a font of wisdom and was one of the brilliant few who bridged the spiritual practices and wisdom of both the East and the West from the standpoint of the East.

Here are some quotations of his where he talks about the solitary path of self-knowledge and self-directed spiritual evolution. His words seem to advocate a spiritual path toward truth that belongs to no one group, creed or organization, and I find them profoundly deep and meaningful.

“I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. ... The moment you follow someone you cease to follow Truth.”

“Self-knowledge is not something acquired from a book or from a guru or teacher. Self-knowledge begins in understanding oneself from moment to moment, and that understanding requires one's full attention to be given to each thought at any particular moment without an end in view, because there cannot be complete attention when there is condemnation or justification.”

“Self-knowledge has no beginning and no end. It is a constant process of discovery, and what is discovered is true, and truth is liberating, creative.”

First of all, each and every person has their own spiritual process and lifetime trajectory. They alone are responsible for whatever happens to them, most particularly on how they react to both good and bad fortune. As spiritual seekers we must ultimately follow our own trajectory regardless of those individuals whose paths we might briefly intersect. Our own evolving spiritual process is the great hidden teacher and master, but it is not someone or something exterior to ourselves - it is within us and it also transcends our egoic selves. Experience and experimentation help us to acquire self-knowledge that ultimately leads to powerful realizations and self illumination; so long as we avoid the illusions and traps that we or others might set for ourselves.

This individual path of self-knowledge has no beginning nor end. Whatever objectives we might start out with change over time and eventually become overall, meaningless. It is merely the sake of journeying freely on our own path of self-knowledge that is our one and only compensation. Understanding ourselves from moment to moment, and fully engaging our attention in this task is a powerful state of mindfulness that can lead to full self-realization. Even so, this path is neither quick nor is it glorious. It is a life-long process from spiritual adolescence to full maturity and self-mastery. It is full of joy and sorrow, ascent and decline, pain and pleasure, wonderful dreams and horrifying nightmares - the very stuff of life.

When I consider these thoughts and ideas it makes my feeble attempts to write and teach seem nearly useless and without merit. What impact or effect can I possibly make on the soul and life path of someone who is a spiritual seeker for truth? I can share a few moments of comradery and even intimacy, but in the end, that seeker moves on regardless of what I do or say. I don’t wish to distract anyone for too long or keep them from their appointed destiny, just as I wouldn’t want someone to do that to me.

In the end, all I can say is that I am merely a student and still in the process of learning and growing just like everyone else. There is little difference between me and the young beginning student, except that I am probably a lot more jaded, less curious and quite set in my ways. To some I might even seem to be rather boring and self-absorbed, since there is little that I can boast about or claim about my achievements without having to establish a meaningful context. While I might preen for a moment at all of the books that I have digested and the magical workings that I have accomplished and even the books and articles I have written, what I have accomplished in a life time of work seems diminished when compared to the totality of spiritual and occult knowledge. What we collectively know seems quite vast, and yet the last words haven’t been written on the subject of magic or occultism, nor will they be written for ages to come. Thus what I have managed to accomplish in my short and brief life is rather small and humbling, but I continue on my travels because life is still good and there is so much yet to experience and learn.

The path of the sorcerer is endless, without beginning nor end, and we few magicians travel its dimly marked path knowing that the adventure of traveling is our only compensation. There is no objective that is a permanent triumph and there is no final destination except exhaustion and death. The majestic vistas that we see along the way are beautiful and inspiring, but they all too soon pass away leaving us with fleeting memories as we endlessly walk in the twilight. Birth is a vaguely acknowledged beginning to our path, but death and its mysteries will be encountered while fully conscious and aware. I suspect that the personification of Death will be the final and greatest teacher that one could possibly meet, and also the greatest challenge. I am both fearful of it, and I also look forward to it, since it will either deify or destroy me, or probably both.

Frater Barrabbas

When Meeting A Remarkable Person

Nick Farrell recently threw down the gauntlet and challenged the supposed secret chiefs to communicate with him and prove, once and for all, their existence - or else, something, something. He then spent a month building up his expectations that a high adept must be something of a superman or quasi avatar, a half-human and half god-like being. He compared such a being with the Theosophical Mahatmas, which are very nearly godlike transcendent individuals. Most of us just expected the challenge to come and go without anything or anyone materializing. Certainly, if I were an enlightened being, why would I bother with someone as apparently flawed and arrogant as Mr. Farrell?

However, much to everyone’s surprise, someone did answer Nick’s call to meet with a representative of the secret chiefs. Even so, the meeting was with just another (well dressed) human being but with quite an amazing occult pedigree. That climactic ending to the month-long challenge was something of a shocker for me, but Nick’s response to this fascinating situation could be summed up with the words, “Meh, thanks, but no thanks.” He was sorely disappointed that the erstwhile master was a flesh and blood human being who seemed to be no more amazing or special than himself, or at least at first impression. Anyway, you can find Nick’s blog article here, and read it for yourself.

Here a few juicy tidbits from Mr. Farrell’s post.

“He was exactly what you would expect from a secret chief.  Well, dressed, calm, urbane, and clearly well off.  He managed to look younger than he was. He told me he was a Corsican of aristocratic pedigree.

We met in a coffee shop close to St Peter’s so that my wife, Paola, who works in the area,  could act as a translator so that he would be more comfortable talking.

He was extremely interesting having been connected with lots of magical orders and alchemical groups that I had never heard of.  In one breath he was in something called the Osiris Order, the next it was Grand Orient and Scottish Rite freemasonry and the Italian strain of Misraim and Myriam.  There were lots of great French alchemists named, his greatest love appeared to be Alchemy and he threw a lot of alchemical words into the conversation which I totally failed to understand.”

All of this is quite interesting, in fact, and does seem to be very likely. Nick is describing someone who might very well be a high adept, or at least connected to high adepts. If I were attending this kind of meeting, I would be quite interested in knowing more. I would certainly be cautious but open, at any rate.

Since Mr. Farrell has not since written that his experience was just a hoax to titillate his allies and throw off his critics, I think that we can assume that he was sincere in what he reported. I will give him the benefit of the doubt, although there are many reasons to doubt his “truthiness” regarding secret chiefs. Nick wrote the whole thing off as an encounter with an occult trickster or confidence man. He was especially appalled when the man told him that membership to his organization and access to secret alchemical lore would cost him money. If what Nick wrote was accurate, then there seemed to be more behind the encounter than just an interview with some confidence man. I was intrigued by what Mr. Farrell experienced, but he was disappointed, and it would seem that he had no intention of advancing this curious occult contact any further. 

Instead of being open minded and having an inquiring mind, Nick was, in fact, dismissive and even a bit put out. This individual was obviously not a “secret chief” of Nick’s specific line of the Golden Dawn and didn’t know the secret password and sign associated with his inner order, or for that matter, much about the Golden Dawn itself. He also didn’t appear in a blaze of majestic light accompanied by the sounds of heavenly trumpets, nor was he heralded by an angelic choir. It was actually a rather banal and humdrum experience in a commercial coffee shop. It was, in fact, a kind of meeting that people have every day of the week. Nick’s secret chief challenge appeared to be answered, but not by someone or something with the “right stuff.” Maybe Mr. Farrell was protecting himself from being swindled or made a fool of, or perhaps he was just too cynical or jaded to be able to discern a real encounter with someone who might have been remarkable.

One of the individuals who commented on that article seemed to have a lot more insight into some of the things that this individual talked about. In fact, it is likely that Alex Sumner may have revealed some very interesting clues about Italian and continental occultism in regards to this supposed secret chief - you can find his article here. We who lack an expertise to converse and read in foreign languages like Italian, French and German will not have access to the occult knowledge-base that is to be found on the European continent. We will be narrowly confined to what is available in the English speaking world, and it is likely there is rich source of magic and occultism in Europe, not to mention organizations and adepts, that lie behind the barrier of language. So, it would seem that Nick Farrell got his wish and his challenge was met with a counter challenge, but he wasn’t interested in investigating it further, and therefore, probably missed an opportunity to meet and connect with some remarkable men and women.

  

Previously, I have written about what I call (self-made) remarkable men and women within the occult world, and I believe that these are the true high adepts, or at least they are individuals who can inspire and point one to the next important stage of their path towards the Great Work. You can find that article here. I have also defined what it is to be an adept or a high adept, since these levels of spiritual and magical achievement are not beyond my ability to rationally discuss. Such exalted individuals are, in fact, human beings, just like us, flawed and imperfect, but with a greater knowledge and levels of experience than us. Certainly, these kinds of individuals and their obscure treasuries of lore are all around us, and from time to time, we might have a chance to stumble upon them. Or, if we persevere, we might become a remarkable man or woman ourselves, inspiring others with our work and knowledge. Such are the possibilities and potentials for growth and spiritual evolution that exist as opportunities arrayed before us, all we need to do is to engage them and determine their validity.

What I believe happened to Nick Farrell was that he met one of these incredible remarkable men, or at least, a representative of one of them. He had a true and rare encounter with someone who might have been an important link in his spiritual and magical process. This individual might also have been a complete fraud and a crook, but only a careful examination would have revealed that fact. To pass up a potential opportunity with one of these amazing individuals and their organization is, in my opinion, the height of folly. The door leading to great spiritual and magical opportunity opens but rarely in the life of an occultist, and when it does, it behooves one to investigate it fully so that he or she might validate the individuals and the group behind it.

Yet it would seem that Nick is stuck in his own small bubble of Golden Dawn reconstructed lore when there are possible living traditions within his grasp. He decries those who jump from magical organization to organization, not admitting that sometimes one has to look elsewhere in order to faithfully follow one’s spiritual and magical path. Nick’s supposed secret chief required some kind of money for the teachings that he had to share and impart, and this is not really too unusual. I have found that rubes and outsiders often devalue something that is given for free, and as far as promising wealth, well there are quite a number of interpretations of what that would be in terms of outcomes. 

Nick said that this supposed secret chief didn’t ask him any questions or try to determine Nick’s level of knowledge. Perhaps his erstwhile master was testing Nick throughout this process and trying to determine how serious he was about mastering a whole new occult perspective and system of lore. It might also be true that he was also trying to fraudulently bilk money from Nick. However, since Mr. Farrell was unwilling to even attempt to validate this potential master and teacher, we will never know whether or not he was authentic.

This brings me to my point in writing up this article. If by some chance you might meet a remarkable man or woman, how can you tell if they are legitimate? How can you know an authentic master from one that is a fake? How do you comport yourself to ensure your own personal safety and the safety of your fortune from potentially fraudulent teachers? There are some basic common sense measures that one can take to validate a remarkable person and determine their authenticity without being dismissive, cynical, and obnoxious on one hand, or being a credulous fool and a complete sucker on the other hand. I have previously written an article about magical teachers and paying for occult knowledge. You can find it here.

One very important consideration is to enter into a trial period in order to determine if what is being presented by a teacher is legitimate or relevant. If it takes a large sum of money to even get into the door, then the supposed lore is probably suspect and the teacher is likely a fraud. An honest high adept would allow a potential student to test his or her lore, or at the very least to give something to the student so that he or she can form an opinion before committing to a large expenditure in terms of resources and time.

Remarkable men and women can be opinionated, irascible, and even at times, harsh, but they are, as a rule, fair and even handed. The knowledge that they possess is authentic, and it doesn’t take too much time or effort to prove that. My advice would be to behave respectfully and ask lots of questions. Allow the potential teacher to ask questions as well. It is important for mutual trust to be fully engaged before the period of training can begin, and once that trust is established, it should be a clue that the student believes in the validity of the teacher. However, it might take a while before that mutual trust is established, and that should be perfectly acceptable to all parties. The teacher, if he or she is legitimate, shouldn’t have to rush the student into making any kind of decision.

A true mentor is patient, understanding and sensitive to the needs of his or her charge. Anything that is rushed or purposely made obscure by the potential teacher should set off the student’s alarm bells. An important consideration is that teachers, like students, are just human beings with human failings. You should never expect your teacher to be perfect or even to practice what they teach at all times. However, there is no excuse for a teacher behaving in an exploitative manner, and all teacher-student relationships should be open ended. When a teacher becomes irrelevant, then the student should respectfully but firmly end the relationship. This is also true if the relationship becomes abusive to any degree.

I believe that if the student uses the above common sense approach to dealing with a remarkable man or woman who could potentially become a valuable teacher, then what they will receive will be quite amazing and remarkable. When we have a meeting with a remarkable man or woman, then we should seek to validate them and the lore that they desire to impart to us. Not taking advantage of such a situation, in my opinion, is not only foolish, but it is highly self-limiting.

Frater Barrabbas

Summer Time and Various Thoughts

July has now arrived, and we have entered what is known up here as full summer. I am often amazed at how fast the earth recovers from its wintry sleep and manifests into a full blown green soaked fertile landscape. It was a mere ten days that our world went from the browns and greys of post winter into the verdant landscape that now confronts my eyes. The nearly instantaneous transformation is almost like magic. Nature has now become mild and verdant, and it is a time to rejoice and engage in summer type activities. How unfortunate that the very beginning of this time I was still afflicted by the after-effects of my serious bronchitis infection. I saw nature transform, but I was not able to engage in much outdoor activity. The garden was neglected and so was every other feature of our outdoor world attached to the land that I supposedly own and maintain.

After several weeks I can now say that my cough is nearly gone. I occasionally cough from time to time, but I am not afflicted by the breathlessness that impacted my ability to even have a lengthy conversation for the past month. I hope to make for lost time the days and weeks ahead, since the warm summer days are in short supply up here in the great Midwestern tundra.

Needless to say, despite my chronic cough, I was able to perform well enough to participate in a digitally captured interview with Eric Koetting. I have found him to be quite brilliant and creative within his own magical path and established tradition, which I might add, is quite different from my own, but with many points in common. Both Eric and myself are more or less self-made men in regards to our occult knowledge and evocation practices. I will speak more about this in a future article, since I am planning to review two of his books.

If you are interesting in viewing this interview, you will have to sign up for Koetting’s “Interviews with a Magus,” and it does cost $19.97 monthly, with the first month free. However, the collection of interviews that Mr. Koetting has assembled is quite impressive and I believe that the money being charged for this service is well worth it. I have listened to this interview and I have found it to be quite interesting and engaging, representing a distillation of what I have learned and experienced over the last 40 years. Eric is also quite erudite and insightful himself, and his additions and comments in the interview are also very revealing and interesting. So, if you are interested in this interview (and the others that are contained therein), you can find the portal for signing up here.

To quote Mr. Koetting from his advertising for the “Interviews with a Magus:”

“To help aspiring magicians get access to these advanced rituals, unprecedented success stories, and cutting edge theories, I decided to start up my ‘Interviews With A Magus’ interview series. It's my way to showcase and debut all these innovative and controversial breakthoughs, many of which directly challenge the status quo of the occult.”

Secret Chiefs and Occult Spies

There has been quite a blow up recently in the blogosphere between David Griffin and his organization, and that of his GD opponents, with Nick Farrell as the apparent spokesperson for that faction. Nick Farrell threw down the gauntlet by declaring that if the “Secret Chiefs” truly exist, that they present themselves to him personally and prove, once and for all, that they are the defacto third order of the Golden Dawn. I don’t know whether to laugh at the absurdity of Nick’s demands or to feel sorry for his utter lack of subtlety and tact. Remarkable men and women are rare and often obscure, but they don’t come when we demand their presence. If someone demanded my presence in an unwarranted manner, I can tell you quite concisely how I would respond. I’d tell them to "piss off," that is, if I even bothered to respond at all.

Conversely, David Griffin has shown (here) that Nick Farrell has been engaged in a secret mission to rewrite Golden Dawn history in the Wikkipedia article for the history of that order, based, of course, on his recent self-published pulp books about Mathers. I have reviewed his poorly written and researched tomes in this blog, but it doesn’t really surprise me that he is attempting to rewrite the publicly online history concerning the order. What does surprise me is his rather highhanded failed attempts to coerce the editors of Wikkipedia into following his propaganda. They have rescinded his edits, but he has continued to reapply them, sort of like the endless argument between indifferent children. (Ain’t so, ‘tis too.) He is also using a laughably silly logon called “Magus007" to pursue this revisionist activity, much to the chagrin of the editors who know that his sources are highly suspect.

So, Nick Farrell wants to slyly pretend that he is an occult version of the fictitious spy, 007, a.k.a., James Bond. He also wants the secret chiefs to reveal themselves to him according to his deadline and prove that their bonafide as the head of the GD and A+O is valid and authentic. I wonder what kind of fantasy world Mr. Farrell lives in? He seems more egotistical and fantasy based than what he has accused Mathers of being in his books. Maybe Nick Farrell is the real “King Over the Water” and that we can dismiss him and his silly capers as being nothing more than the hijinks of a fatuous and immature clown. Maybe someday he will either write something uniquely interesting in a book or reveal a good practical technique on his blog - I would welcome such activity. However, I leave his current ranting and bloviating to the judgment of his ultimate Golden Dawn peers and future posterity, since I believe that initiates in the decades ahead will either judge him to be the incompetent hatchet man for an odious cabal or they’ll not remember him at all. 

One of the points that I have made in previous articles in this blog is that there have been, are and always will be remarkable men and women in the western occult tradition. Mostly these individuals are singular, insular and rare; and those who gain a certain notoriety are shown to be both remarkable and also, I might add, flawed. All human beings are flawed and imperfect, but then again to expect perfection from human nature is not only erroneous but it seems to defy the whole purpose of nature. Secret chiefs are not supermen, immortals, Arhats or avatars - they are human beings subject to the laws of nature like everyone else. They might have insights that allow them a greater degree of vitality, longevity or spiritual wisdom than the average person, or they might even be bereft of all benefits except their own unique virtues and abilities. 

Nature is not perfect, ergo, human beings are not perfect. However, if a small group of unknown remarkable men came together to form a group, and their occult background was Masonic and Rosicrucian, and they kept that group going for a couple of centuries, adding new members and losing others to the scourge of time, would that not be a good representation of the vaunted third order? It would just be a group of remarkable men who had achieved self-mastery in their lifetime, and that would also mean that they, as individuals and a group, weren’t perfect. (This also means that they wouldn’t be immortal nor have Godlike powers.) What this signifies is that you can be a master and also be vulnerable to the same vices and frailties as all human beings.

Additionally, something that gets lost in these never ending arguments about secret chiefs is that it’s important to separate an individual’s spiritual and magical process from the actual social phenomenon of meeting a remarkable man or woman. Often, our spiritual and magical process psychically informs us when we are about to meet someone very important or discover a crucial piece of our individual puzzle. We can talk about dreams, astral presences, intuitions or profound omens; but these are always events experienced when immersed in our process.

When our spiritual and magical process merges with an actual physical meeting with someone quite remarkable, then the encounter is colored by a profound sense of a life-altering significance. We could easily conflate the omens and astral encounters with the real meeting because all of these events are experienced through our own personal spiritual and magical process. That is how I believe Mathers saw and experienced his encounters with the secret chiefs, and we today have to realize that all of this was perceived and experienced by him through the process of his long spiritual and magical journey. We can either accept it or deny it, but it doesn’t change the fact that it was one of the most authentic things (as well as mysterious) that Mathers underwent in his occult career.

The irony is that in order to actively use the lore of the Golden Dawn and profess to be a magician operating under that tradition, one would expect that individual to also accept and believe that Mathers had some kind of profound occult contact which allowed him to develop this unique system of magick. Even if you dismiss the entire history of the GD order (and its leaders) and just practice the rituals (i.e., do the work), you are in effect validating those remarkable men and women who developed this lore, particularly Mathers. As far as I can see, there’s really no way around this conundrum if you consider yourself to be a magician of the Golden Dawn tradition. This is why I find it so strange that Mr. Farrell has spent so much of his time and resources trying to prove that Mathers was some kind of failed lunatic. I would equate this effort with someone attempting to pull up the rug that they are simultaneously standing upon; an act of sheer stupidity and self-inflicted injury.

Anyway, I am certain that this sad and idiotic travesty will continue to embroil the GD community for many years to come. It reminds me of something that I learned long ago when I was an adolescent boy. When you are growing up, there’s always some kid who has the best and most expensive toys. He’s that fair-haired kid that the teachers love and the other kids despise. You can either hate him for his good fortune or you can coddle up to him to see if you can get a chance to play with those exceptional toys. A third path is to just admire him for his good fortune and to note that despite being blessed with favor and fortune, he is also generous and kind to everyone, at least at first. Continued hostility can also shape and change a person, making them guarded and even a bit suspicious.

I think that David Griffin is that fair-haired boy of good fortune, and we can either love him or despise him for what he has achieved. I chose to reserve judgment until I had a chance to meet him, and after meeting him, I realized that he was a good egg. If only others would be so open minded and not condemn someone that they don’t even know.  However, in the age of the internet, it’s just too easy to use the protected insulation of the remote blog article or email to castigate someone who you imagine that you hate, and all without much consequence. Additionally, it is hard to properly impart humor, sarcasm or lampooning into one’s writing and not have it taken wrongly by some readers.

This is why I react dispassionately to things that I read on the internet. I might criticize what someone has written or be aghast at how they are behaving, but I try not to engage in ad hominem attacks. It’s too easy to respond emotionally to what someone has written and much harder to respond dispassionately. This is why I feel that the impersonal quality of the internet is a poor place to judge what someone is really like. I might not agree with what someone has written, but I have to use caution in order to not personally criticize them for their seemingly bad behavior. What this means is that I could easily have a beer or a glass of wine with Nick Farrell in a public social setting without feeling the compunction of tossing my drink into his face. I might ask him why he acts like an arrogant boor on the internet, but I will at least give him the benefit of the doubt, at first. However, once I meet someone in the flesh, then I can adequately judge as to whether I personally like them or not. And, I might add, I have the right to my own opinions, just like everyone else.

Anyway, there seems to be a real cold war between the two factions of the Golden Dawn, and it is apparent that the side opposed to David Griffin is actively and stealthily attempting to steal away initiates and whole groups, not to mention convince everyone that they are the only legitimate branch of the GD. I find that kind of behavior despicable and it doesn’t make me feel inclined to either listen to their diatribes or engage in a dialog with them. In fact, they don’t even seem to be behaving like adepts at all. If only that faction would just leave the HOGD and the A+O organizations alone and allow them to prosper or fail by their own merits. I guess that would be asking for too much, which I find quite sad and tragic.

I think that only time will be show which faction represents the true and authentic version of the Golden Dawn. Will it be the one that emphasizes an exoteric and reconstructed version, or the one that is an active esoteric tradition with a legitimate connection to a third order and who is revealing ever new and startling occult practices and lore? Someday, that answer will be known, but I have my suspicions as to which one it will be.

Frater Barrabbas

Thoughts About Occult Training and Education

I wanted to put down a few more thoughts about the whole self-training, self-directing and self-initiation discussion that has been going on between a few traditionalists and myself. Some good points have been made in my private conversations and I wanted to share them in this thread before I moved on to other topics. I am not trying to flog a dead horse by continuing to discuss this issue and there are some drawbacks to being completely aloof and independent from any traditional organization. Being a trail blazer makes such an individual something of a hero, but there is also a high cost to electing such a path, and that, in all fairness, also needs to be covered.

Yes indeed, I mostly followed the path of the independent and creative trail blazer and pretty much invented my own system of magick. As I am putting into effect the very last pieces of the puzzle for the first seven degrees of the Order of the Gnostic Star, which also happens to represent my own particular path of growth, I can marvel at what I have accomplished.

However, what I have accomplished has taken me a total of 40 years, and I haven’t even begun to work on the levels of the high adept or master magician (degrees 8 - 10). I certainly have some material, ideas, communications from spirits and other things that I can use to start developing this lore, but at this point most of it is pure speculation.

Not only that, but I probably spent several years tracking down leads during that period that led to nowhere, and I have discarded more lore than I eventually kept. Some experiments provided me with negative proof and forced me to drop or radically alter what I was doing in order for it to be successful. There was quite a bit of trial and error throughout the years, including a fair amount of error or inclusive results. Usually, those of us who are independent talk about our successes and pretty much ignore our failures. You can trust me when I tell you that there were a lot of mistakes, errors, bad practices, erroneous lore, all of which had to be mitigated in order for me to achieve success.

These days I can rely on the fact that the new lore that I develop has a high probability of success, but that’s because I have been researching and writing ritual lore for four decades. That experience has helped me know what will work and what will fail, and I can avoid writing rituals that won’t function as I had planned them to. Still, I can make mistakes, but they are usually minor and easily remedied. That, of course, was not the case when I was starting out, and it remained a problem until I had developed an array of successful ritual lore that I could rely upon, a process that took me a good 15 years to achieve.

Another factor that I had to deal with was the fact that the ritual lore that I had developed and successfully used in the early 1980's was very idiosyncratic and based on my own personal pagan and occult system of beliefs. Some of those beliefs were erroneous and needed to be corrected, while I had to ultimately justify the rest of the lore when I sought to make it useable to trial members of the new magical order that we had collectively founded. What this did was force me to rewrite all of the ritual lore using the agreed upon occult beliefs and philosophies of the Order. That effort took me another four years, and then I just continued to build the new ritual lore on top of that foundation. However, when I look at the original rituals that I wrote up between 1981 and 1983, I can see how inappropriate much of that ritual lore would be to someone who didn’t share a lot of my intimate occult beliefs.

So, if you add up all the of years it took me to develop a powerful and generalized system of magick that was useful to more individuals than myself, the final total is something in the area of 20 years - of that, 15 years was spent on the foundational ritual lore itself. That time period represents the span of time from when I first developed my unique system of magick and when it was finally fully capable of being used by people other than myself. We are talking about me having to spend an enormous amount of time and effort creating something that was actually already in existence. The foundational lore that I have developed would have been accessible to someone who had joined a traditional Golden Dawn organization, especially if it also had a robust and well developed second order. Thus, I spent many years reinventing the wheel. I had no choice because there wasn’t any Golden Dawn order for me to join, and there weren’t any published books (like David Griffin’s “Ritual Magic Manual”) that showed in detail how to perform magic using the Golden Dawn system.

Do I regret all the time that I spent creating a new system of magick? Absolutely not! However, would I recommend that anyone else spend their time in this present day, with all of the available material and groups at their disposal, building a system of magick from scratch? My answer is actually no, I wouldn't recommend anyone trying to build their own system of magick. If someone had a special calling and felt compelled to follow this path, I would wish them well, and perhaps they might take less time than I did because there is such more information available.

However, considering that it takes only four years or so for someone to master the Golden Dawn system and undergo the rigorous curriculum and receive mentoring and guidance from experienced adepts, I believe that to be a much better way of mastering the western system of magick. Compare four years to approximately 15 to 20 years and you will easily see that there’s really no comparison at all. If I were starting out today, I would join the Golden Dawn and get my foundational knowledge fully established, and then once that was completed, I would be able to experiment with completely new forms. I would have the same competence and expertise that I have now, yet without having used up two decades of my life in getting there.

Traditional organizations are important for beginners and intermediate students, and they will therefore be around for many years in the future. One could also say the same thing about fully developed adepts. (I would be foolish to turn down an open offer for the comradery, help and assistance of an existing tradition if they would accept my particular way of working magick and my present accomplishments.)

The organization structure of such traditional organizations might change, as would the method of communicating and outreach, but the fundamental purpose of these traditions as teaching bodies will in no way fade from the occult scene. If for some reason occult colleges and traditional orders would completely disappear from the western world then I would judge that world to be very poor and forsaken indeed. Anyway, that’s my final opinion on this matter, and I hope that we can all agree that getting good training is vitally important for any magician at some point on his or her spiritual path. Being completely independent and reinventing the wheel (as I have done), although quite possible, would likely take the average magician and occultist far too long to be useful.

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

Summer’s Lease Hath All Too Short a Stay

We are now coming to the end of August, and soon summer will end and autumn will begin. Because I was sick with a very nasty cold in July, I lost close to three weeks of the warmest and most wonderful days of summer this year. While I am kind of saddened by that loss, I look forward to the more productive but less outdoorsy oriented days ahead. Autumn is a time to begin to plan for some interesting indoor temple magick, and winter is the time to do it. As a pagan, I greatly appreciate the changing of the seasons, but climate change is making the temperate climate of the northern regions of the U.S. more extreme. I hope that autumn will be glorious, and that winter will be short and mild - or at least I can hope for the best and brace myself for the worst. What often does occur is somewhere in the middle.

The controversy over Reconstructionism vs. Tradition is still a hotly disputed topic in some of the various Golden Dawn group discussion sites. Some have said that to give reconstructionism a pejorative meaning is to mislead folks into believing that somehow tradition is superior to reconstructionism, and I think that a few leaders in the HOGD organization who are calling some of their peers “bad reconstructionists” isn’t the same thing as being somehow misleading, egotistical or even nasty. Let’s just consider it as the moderated voices of the followers of the GD tradition who are very likely internally outraged, but are actually being civil about it. I think that like everything else, taking things in moderation is a proper way to promote any kind of perspective, and that being an aggressive reconstructionist while simultaneously denying the validity or existence of others who are traditionalists is the same thing as being a bad reconstructionist.

Since I started the whole imbroglio with my two articles posted this last Spring, where I compared a couple of the GD organizations to Frankenstein monsters (without a head), some might say that I am mostly to blame for this exchange of umbrage. However, I think that I was correct in pointing out where reconstructionism can go wrong, especially when it is promoted as the “only true way,” and denying that other organizations who are following an extent tradition must somehow be deluded or fraudulent. I suspect that these two parties will never agree, and as long as the aggressive reconstructionists continue to deny the possibility of there being a true third order with actual (mortal) secret chiefs, there won’t be any peace between these two groups. Anyway, I have spent far too much time either discussing or thinking about this topic, and I would like to move on to other more interesting themes.

On a positive note, David Griffin is offering the Golden Dawn community the opportunity to engage with his organization and therein receive the newly transmitted lore for the second order, with a possible ultimate access to the third order. This is very generous of David, considering the flack that he has taken every since he was contacted by those same secret chiefs. It would certainly be the way for anyone to test any and all of David’s claims. These are truly interesting times for the Golden Dawn, since such discussions have become the impetus for further development, particularly with those GD organizations who want to proceed without the aid and intercession of the secret chiefs. I only wish that I was either starting out my magickal and occult journey today, or if I would have had access to a proper GD group back in my formative period in the early 1980's, so that I, too, could take advantage of this generous offer. Yet because I had to determine my own direction and develop a magickal system that is now quite distinct and different from any of the GD methodologies, it would likely not be profitable for me to seek any kind of GD initiation at this late date of my development. It’s a great thing for the Golden Dawn organization as a whole, but it does leave out those of us who have built up occult systems that are not based on that system. 

As for myself, I am happy to be completely independent of any organization or group. I follow my own path and determine my own direction. I have learned the hard way that dependence on anyone for my spiritual and magickal development only leads to disappointment, as I so bitterly found out when I chose many years ago to hitch my horses to the “Bill Schnoebelen” wagon. That situation only lasted for four years, but the harsh lessons learned have lasted me all of these years. Since that time, I have decided not to join any organization without clear objectives, and once those objectives were met, to freely leave and continue my wanderings through other disciplines. Only I know what is important, relevant, insightful and key to my own spiritual development. No one else has this knowledge or insight into my internal process. I also believe that this is true for everyone on the occult path of magick and mysticism. Teachers and mentors, as well as initiatory organizations, should be temporary and non-binding, otherwise the teacher or group will readily substitute the student’s process for their own agenda. When this substitution occurs, it has the terrible effect of shunting or even turning off that person’s ability to grow and evolve through their own inner contacts.

When I was a member of Bill Schnoebelen’s witchcraft cult whatever spiritual and magickal progress I had made during my first year in that group was effectively put on hold for the following three years. I came out of that “Coven from Hell” stunted and underdeveloped, like some creature that had lived its whole life in a cave. Getting back on track and unlearning some of the bad habits that I had acquired took at least two to four years, and I was supposedly a prodigy. I could easily imagine someone getting sidetracked and not finding their own true path again for the rest of their life. I would find such a fate for myself to be grievously sad and deeply disappointing, so that is why I am so concerned about maintaining my freedom and independence.

I have written two articles that very plainly stated my opinions about self-made remarkable men and women, and how, as a self-made pagan and ritual magician, I was able to find my way without any outside intervention. These articles communicate something of my internal essence, and they show why I am not interested in giving up my hard earned independence and freedom that allows me to seek, discover and expound on whatever I feel is important or vital to my personal development. You can find the articles here, and here. If you want to really understand what makes me tick, then these two articles would represent my essential modus operandi.

These article were not written with multiple levels and they don’t require any kind of “reading between the lines.” They are as straightforward and written plainly as I am able to make them. I have always been a terrible liar and had problems disguising my motives or dissembling my communication. If I am diplomatic, it’s only because I have learned the hard way that sharing my undeveloped opinions have often caused me more harm than good. However, I have never shirked from sharing opinions that are developed and based on what I passionately believe. So you can be certain that what I write in this blog represents what I currently believe, even though those beliefs may change or evolve over time.

Now on to other topics - I am starting to write up my book temporarily entitled “Qabalah for Beginners,” and that will be one of my most important writing tasks for the next several weeks. Hopefully, I will get it done sooner than that, but it will be my main focus for a while. I will also be volunteering for the Minnesota Pagan Pride Day to be held at Minnehaha Falls Park on September 10th. I recently created a Yahoo! group for Order of the Gnostic Star, which is an online group for initiated members, affiliates and interested parties. The group is closed and requires either an invitation or approval to join. I will consider any requests sent to my blog associated email address. I also plan on getting in some last minute outdoor activities, such as kayaking and doing some tourist type activities over the next couple of weeks. Since I lost three weeks, I am hoping to catch up on them in the next three weeks; hopefully the weather will stay warm and sunny for some of that time.

So, make certain that you take some time off and have a wonderful time for the rest of the summer. Drink some beer or wine, spend time outdoors, go to some parties, and generally have a great time. Winter will all too soon be upon us again, and we will regret any time not taken to enjoy the great outdoors while we can.

Frater Barrabbas

Hidden Contacts and the Self-made Magician

My article on Remarkable Self-made Men and Women (where I lionize the laudable personal accomplishments of William G. Gray) got an excellent comment by Peregrin, who discussed the importance of hidden contacts that aid and assist the direction and development of such stalwart individuals. Peregrin is referring to what he calls the “Inner Tradition,” and that one can achieve an inner contact spontaneously through working with the outer forms of a tradition.

Here is the most important kernel of Peregrin’s comment, which I include here.

“With regards the remarkable WG Gray, I think he was able to use what outer teachings and connections he picked up to make contact with the abiding Inner Tradition. This is a theme explored well by Richardson and Claridge in the biography. My own understanding is that connection with the non-corporal inner tradition is essential for authentic and transformational magical practice. This though does not necessarily mean ‘channelling’ inner plane Masters and wot not. Inner connection is an Art and there are many ways for people to practice the Art, some hardly looking like ‘magic’ outwardly.”

I find that I completely agree with Peregrin, since what makes someone remarkable isn’t due to their outer talents or abilities. It must, therefore, be something else that resides internally within a person which makes them shine with an ethereal light. Although I myself have undoubtedly experienced internal contacts of a very powerful and profound nature, they were not deliberately sought nor achieved by direct methods. In fact, I don’t actually know how they occur (but I have some interesting speculations about them). All I can say is that if a magician builds a discipline and performs his or her work in a regular and periodic fashion, then these internal contacts do occur, and they become the greater source of inspiration and creative development.

A magickal discipline, performed regularly and continuously will, after a time, produce a phenomena that I call “the process.” What that rather nebulous term really means is that there appears to be a kind of magickal and spiritual field that surrounds a practicing ritual or ceremonial magician. That spiritual field becomes tangible over time, and begins to inspire, alter, direct and reveal important spiritual truths to the practitioner. The process is subtle, and at times, nearly invisible, but once triggered and consistently energized, it appears to have a mind and a will that is distinct from that of the magician. It is the empowered and dynamic process that makes subtle internal connections, alignments and spiritual alliances, often without the direct conscious knowledge of the practicing magician. 

 

Because the process is very much a part of the overall psychic core of the magician, it would never lead him or her to an end or goal that is destructive, delusional, distractively irrelevant or regressive. In measuring my own specific process, I have found that it is innately good, positive and progressive. Following my process has always lead me to an optimum resolution to any given crisis or issue, and ignoring its message has always forced me to experience the worst possible outcome that life has to offer. Having learned this lesson very early in my magickal career, I now listen very intently when I sense that my process is communicating to me.
   
Peregrin talks about this “Art” as if it were a battery of techniques functioning at the core of a ritual magician’s discipline. Yet to this day, I must admit that I don’t have any such specific tools. What I do have in my repertoire are specific invocation rituals for the few spiritual beings (let’s call them demi-gods) that I have discovered and were by chance revealed to me as important to my personal spiritual and magickal process. However, these discoveries were revealed and inspired by something that is truly internal, subtle and usually quite invisible - in a word, my own process. I have been led and carefully nurtured by something that is truly beyond me, but also very much a part of myself. It’s a paradoxical phenomenon, but it also something that might possibly be explained using the Qabbalah. The process would therefore be the activated awareness and sensitivity to the Yechidah as perceived through the Neschamah at peak moments of the Ruach. In other words, my personal Atman is the “behind the scenes agent” for arranging events and making contacts in the spiritual and mental worlds, which are covered by the Neschamah and Ruach.

My experiences, however, are specific encounters or brushes with the Godhead, which resonate within my own personal God/dess-Within. At those moments I feel the uncanny connection between everything, spiced with paranormal phenomena and charged with the presence of the Deity. What this phenomenon has lacked until recently is a name and a definitive characterization. Since I managed to successfully invoke my Holy Guardian Angel, I now know a lot more about that core being which lurks at the center of my spiritual process.

I suspect that William G. Gray and other independent and remarkable persons have also had this kind of spiritual experience, which I call the process. I have discussed this with other occultists and I have found it active and operating within them as well. I would suspect that for a person who belongs to a Golden Dawn, Thelemic or Theosophical organization, the process would assume the character of the Egregore of that organization. However, for me, that quality, which I call the process, seems to act independently of any organization. I would suppose that my process is independent because I am independent as well, but that has made identifying and defining it much more difficult. However, over the many years of practicing and studying, I have found some basic practices that have greatly helped me to identify the active elements that are operating within my own spiritual and magickal process. (Perhaps this is what Peregrin meant by an Art of inner contacts.)

First of all, the most essential element of one’s process is the Higher Self or Holy Guardian Angel. This is the most important link to the deeply internalized kernel of the spiritual self known as the Atman. Any magickal or mystical operation that can fully reveal the Higher Self and assist one in knowing its name and defining its character is probably the most important key to any kind of adept level working and realization.

Other spiritual entities will become important and they will reveal themselves to you through a continuous magickal practice. These entities (usually in the form of demi-gods or various important spiritual beings) should become part of the personal pantheon of the practicing magician. Often when I discover such a spiritual being, I will assemble an invocation ritual to effectively focus, define and characterize that spirit. Performing such a custom invocation ritual greatly assists me in forging an important and powerful bond with that entity. I may also acquire a statue of that demi-god and place it on my shrine, and give it offerings and devotional attention. Building up a personal magickal and religious cult is an important task for the ritual magician, since he or she must maintain an alignment (bond) and connection with the Godhead to enable a fully realized assumption whenever magick is to be performed. After a while, the temple shrine becomes crowded with statues and various sacred objects whose sole purpose is to facilitate a connection with the various spiritual entities that are operating in the magician’s personal sphere. These spirits, godheads and demi-gods also populate the magician’s process, and can aid, guide, protect and even reward the magician as he or she progresses on the path of spiritual awakening and enlightenment.

This is how I am able to identify and incorporate various entities into my personal magick and my religious cult. Yet that religious cult, where I act as high priest and congregation, is nothing more than a personification of my more invisible and inexplicable spiritual and magickal process. The temple shrine with my magickally animated statues, offering bowls, horn drinking cups, phallic representations, magickal jewelry, vase of flowers and incense burners, where I focus my devotions, offerings, oblations and prayers, is the manifestation of my process and all that it contains - or at least everything that I am aware of. A shrine may start out modest and sparse, but after many years of working, it seems to grow in size and capacity, just like the magician’s process. If my temple shrine exemplifies my magickal and spiritual process, then it also helps to materialize and objectify not only my spiritual progress but also the extent of my spiritual alignments.

To recap what I have presented here - a magician’s process can be materially realized through the following four spiritual and magickal practices:

• Full invocation and conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel or Higher Self,  
• Invocation of various godheads, demi-gods and spirits associated with one’s magickal practice,
• Use of a temple shrine, with animated statues, sacred objects, personal magickal fetishes, offering bowels, incense burners and flower vases,
• Regular performance of rites of alignment - devotion, prayer, contemplation, sacramental rites, communion, invocation and godhead assumption.

I believe that the above four practices will help practicing magicians manifest their inner spiritual contacts and allow such contacts to aid, guide, develop, reward and empower them in a manner that would help them ultimately become enlightened and one with the Deity. Once such a methodology is adopted, it would certainly make that magician into a remarkable and self-made man or woman.

Frater Barrabbas