160 lines
7.4 KiB
Plaintext
160 lines
7.4 KiB
Plaintext
Copyright (c) 1988 by Phil Hansford. This article is
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is licenced for free non-commercial distribution only.
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** MAGICK 2 -- THE SUBJECTIVITY OF EXPERIENCE -- **
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' The universe is a projection of ourselves;
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an image as unreal as that of our faces in a
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mirror....We cannot affirm any quality in an
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object as being independent of our sensorium,
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or as being in itself that which it seems to
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us. Nor can we assume that what we cognize is
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more than a partial phantom of its cause.'
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( --Aleister Crowley, Magick, p. 110)
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Your awareness of the physical world and of your
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place within it is mostly based upon the physical senses
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(hearing, sight, smell, touch, taste). These five senses
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continually send information to the mind, and it is up to
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the mind to select and interpret them. If you could not do
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so, your senses would overwhelm you and be meaningless.
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Selection and interpretation of your sensory inputs is
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essentially an automatic, mostly subconscious function of
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the mind. The program or map which the subconscious follows
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as its reference point is called a 'model'. The model is a
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subconscious mental photograph of how you believe the world
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looks (ie. worldview, mindset, egregore, or belief system).
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It was built up from an early age by your religious and
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cultural background through interaction with family and
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others. It contains your experiences, attitudes, and
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habits. And whether you realize it or not, most of your
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behavior, thoughts, feelings, and habits are based upon and
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conditioned by that model; even personality. The model is
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one of the mind's master programs. Change in behavior
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generally requires a change in the model. These limitations
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built into our way of thinking cause our perceptions to be
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subjective. That is why Hindu philosophy looks upon the
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world as illusory (maya); the world itself (object) is not
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an illusion, however from our viewpoint through perception
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(subject) it is.
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Thus we are all conditioned by experience. Except
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that our perceptions, hence our experiences, are first
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conditioned and limited by the model. Our perceptions and
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experiences tend to conform to what we expect. We tend to
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misinterpret or ignore things which do not match our
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preconcieved notions about them. This is automatic.
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THE TRUE WILL
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The forgoing demonstrates how it is that there are
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so many different versions of 'truth'. One's particular
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view is almost arbitrary. Although numerous religions,
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philosophies, and occult systems abound, they do not
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contradict one and other as much as it might appear.
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Rather, they describe the same (universal) reality taken
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from different perspectives. For there can be no ultimate
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truth in the physical world. We can only base our actions
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upon assumptions and agreements. All experience is
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subjective. I like to think of the universe as something
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indescribable, perhaps a 4-dimentional 'thing'. As soon as
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we attempt to put it into our 3-dimentional knowledge-base,
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something changes and we only see an aspect of the big
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picture. Just as a photograph can only show us a flat
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*representation* of a greater thing, so it is with any
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attempt to describe *spiritual reality* in physical terms.
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Yet, there is a separate reality within each of us
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which is often ignored unless we seek it. This inner self
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is in magick called the 'true will'. The true will is the
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center of consciousness and identity. It is the 'real you'.
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Everything else is an interface or link to it from the
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outer (illusory) world. Since that interface is based upon
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our model, it is conditoned and may sometimes produce false
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information. 'Do what thou wilt' (Crowley) is an axiom of
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magick; for the true will expresses our exact desires. And
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what we truly want ('down deep') we tend to automatically
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get. This isn't always in our best interests, since the
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true will can be conditioned (tricked) by the illusion; and
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then we might desire and obtain that which is not
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ultimately good for us. (Karma strikes again!) The task of
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the magician therefor is to awaken his awareneess of the
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true will, to be free of conditioning, and thereby to
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transcend maya. ('My will unconditioned is magical' --
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Spare).
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HAPPINESS IS BEING HAPPY
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There is no great secret to changing behavior or
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habits. It is largely a matter of determination. It
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requires that you ignore the 'pull' of the model when you
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strive for changes within yourself. The model is, after
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all, a collection of 'habits', some of which must be
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unlearned for permananent change to occur. There are two
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ways to do this: direct, through will power and awareness
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alone -- observing and acting out in an unattached or
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indifferent manner; and indirect -- through conditioning
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such as affirmation (explained later), self-hypnosis, and
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magick. Meditation may help too, by relaxing tension and
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conflict.
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Emotions follow physical expression: smile and act
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happy and you will tend to feel and be happy. The same is
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also true for other emotions. Also, emotions can be
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purposely used (or programed) to replace other emotions.
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Using this technique, a magician is somewhat like an actor
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in that he learns how to turn his emotions on and off at
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will. Note that this is not 'fakeing it'; the magician is
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probably more in touch with his true feelings than most
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people. And for these reasons we say that happiness is
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being happy.
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SYSTEMS OF MAGICK
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Magick always involves self-hypnosis. However, it
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may be more than that. For one thing, there are objective
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forces involved (or so it would seem). Deities, spirits,
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and cosmic force can have an independent existence. And the
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repetitive physical movement sometimes involved in ritual
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can itself generate PK force. On the other hand, it could
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be argued that all of this is subjective to the magician.
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Or that the deities and spirits are nothing more than
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architypes or cosmic patterns which the magician energizes
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with his own vitality. Perhaps all magical effects could be
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produced through hypnosis alone. But the effects are
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certainly real.
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Great complexity is not necessary in magick.
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Although basicly magick is a medieval system of symbolism
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(in a modern context), any cosmological system will work
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from Cabala to Star Wars. We usually use the medieval one
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in magick because it is convenient and traditional, and
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because it seems to fit our thought processes well.
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Traditional symbols have greater emotional effect on the
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magician than modern ones because of his familiarity with
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them. What really matters is that the model of the magician
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be understood and programmed, and thus that the model and
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the cosmological system do correspond.
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REVIEW QUESTIONS
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1) Contrast subjective with objective.
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2) What is a 'model'?
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3) Explain the task of the magician.
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BOOK LIST
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Eric Berne, Games People Play.
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Fritjof Capra, The Tao of Physics.
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Carlos Castaneda, The Fire From Within.
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Arthur Koestler, The Roots of Coincidence.
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John C. Lilly, The Center of the Cyclone.
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------, Programming and Metaprogramming in the Human Biocomputer.
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------, Simulations of God -- The Science of Belief.
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Alan Watts, The Book (on the taboo against knowing who you are).
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========
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Phil Hansford, 4/88
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Mysteria
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(818) 353-8891 (modem)
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P.O. Box 83
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Tujunga, CA 91042
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