A Small Self-examination, The road to Hell... Options

They say that the path to Hell is paved with good—perhaps even noble—intentions. I do not purport to be some permutation of spiritual guru endowed with enlightenment, and I will not, therefore, speak from any absolutist perspective on the truth of Hell’s existence. I will only say that my “faith” has been altered considerably throughout my life and Hell—as a literal, spiritual realm of damnation and suffering—doesn’t truly fit into my personal convictions. Still, despite that fact, the adage that incorporates that location possesses value. It conveys a truth that we are all subject to: the nature of intention behind action does not always precipitate the nature of the consequence; and for all of our positive intent, we may yet yield negative consequence.

My reasons for allowing that bit above to weigh ever-so-lightly on my thoughts are stepped in introspection. A little while back, I asked myself: why oh why did you decide to practice magick? What were your intentions in doing so? Most importantly, what effect are those intentions having on your progression in the craft? It was at this point, exactly, that the often quoted bit about intention and Hell came to mind. Sure, my intention for practicing the craft is one of sooth-seeking (a positive) in a world full of lies and uncertainties, but is my quest for truth leading me toward a Hell of sorts, one of unintended consequence (a negative)? I realized that I was entertaining too many threads of thought at once, and I attempted to answer each question posed to myself one-by-one.

First off, why do I practice magick? Well, as I stated, I want to go beyond what traditional dogma and conviction states; I want to use the craft as a proverbial stepping stone to realization of both the true nature of the world in which we live as well as what limitations truly exist on our ability to alter and interact with it (for the better, mind you (IMG:style_emoticons/default/innocent.gif) ). Noble enough intention, correct?

Next up: what effect are those intentions having on your progression in the craft? Since magick is so closely related to belief and Will, I suspect that my intention adds a highly positive aspect to what practices I’ve embraced in the craft. When I cast my energies into the world, for example, in order to bring about change, I only wish for change that is in no way harmful to myself or any other. It’s like the summarized Wiccan rede: do what you will as long as it adversely affects none. Also, I frequently indulge in meditation as a way of strengthening my ability to perceive obfuscated layers of reality---seeing the truth, in other words. Positive enough effects, right?

What if, in trying to accomplish my aforementioned goals, I end up walking that path to Hell? In seeking the truth, what if I discover kernels of it which affect my psychology poorly? I’ve read materials produced by self-described wizards and the like that reveal a lot of their character through their prose. I often detect a sense of self importance and an unhealthy opinion that they hold of themselves and what they’ve accomplished magickally. I don’t want to be that practitioner. Worse yet, what if my perspective becomes skewed and the “truth” that I’ve discovered is in actuality no truth at all? I don’t want that large of a head (metaphorically speaking; literally, I can’t avoid it>>macrocephaly…yes I saw the Conan O’ Brian vs. House skit).

I suppose what I’m really trying to ask in this long-winded post is how you, fellow members of the Sacred Magick community, stay grounded in a realm of such possibility and discovery? Why do you guys practice, and how do you ensure that your intentions are aligned directly with the consequences that your actions produce?

If I seem to be rambling, I apologize. It seems that the urge to write always strikes me later in the night when I’m not as energetic as I would be at earlier times. If my lethargy has in anyway made my text incomprehensible, please let me know and I’ll edit it for clarity.

----Thank You All

My reasons for allowing that bit above to weigh ever-so-lightly on my thoughts are stepped in introspection. A little while back, I asked myself: why oh why did you decide to practice magick? What were your intentions in doing so? Most importantly, what effect are those intentions having on your progression in the craft? It was at this point, exactly, that the often quoted bit about intention and Hell came to mind. Sure, my intention for practicing the craft is one of sooth-seeking (a positive) in a world full of lies and uncertainties, but is my quest for truth leading me toward a Hell of sorts, one of unintended consequence (a negative)? I realized that I was entertaining too many threads of thought at once, and I attempted to answer each question posed to myself one-by-one.

First let me say that this a good thing to think about over the course of your magickal career - presumably the rest of your life if you're lucky - and the more you are able to see through those layers of reality, the deeper you'll be able to look into your own psyche and spirit, and recognize ever deeper intentions. Good work.

I think that everyone may have a different philosophy on this, because it takes a particular kind of attitude to balance our individual weaknesses in this regard. So, discovering your weaknesses is important. Some people may be very humble natural, but prone to delusion, and so magick leads them into illusion and separates them from reality. On the other hand, someone may be perfectly in tune with reality, but prone to pride, and so they become megalomaniacs and lose touch with reality that way.

For me, the best way to keep grounded and pressing onward instead of bound up in some particular achievement or plateau is to consider the universe an eternal mystery that always has an infinite amount of mystery left to be solved, regardless to what I think I know. I choose to believe that no answer will be sufficient to any observation, and so I am careful not to get attached to my observations and assumptions. There is always room for more explanation, and reasonable contradictions don't have to imply that one or the other is necessarily false. To guard against the confusion, I adopted a paradigm from hinduism in which there is only one core, ineffable, perfectly still truth of being. I find that it makes a strong root - regardless of the contradictions, illusions, false assumptions, or mutable opinions, there is ultimately only the simple truth of the experience of being; and in light of that, I am able to simply observe reality, through whatever lens I choose, without being torn apart by what it shows me.

Remembering the vastness of the universe keeps me and many other mages humble - no matter the scope of your ability, no matter how much energy you have, what kind of change you can affect in your world, anything we do, at least at this level of existence, ultimately is just one tiny fluctuation in the span of all existence and being. Remembering that while dealing with our own microcosm makes us mindful of the interplay between our vulnerable form and the invincible universe, and helps us remember not to be prideful, and to grow with grace.

In the course of some individual's mystical development, they see wonderful things that make it easy to love existence, and things which make them fear existence. Sometimes the psyche can take a serious blow from either extreme, and cause overwhelming paranoia, depression, listlessness, and delusion. But, simply reminding oneself that magick is a path through life like any other tends to help keep the worldly life in perspective - not that it's a similar path to any other, but regardless to what you practice or achieve, you still have to wake up, eat, sleep, etc., like any other mortal if you want to keep that body; and of course recognizing the benefits of having it in the first place.

Recognize your intentions, decide what the weak points are in your personality, develop a paradigm that balances those weaknesses out, and protects you against your self. Over time, root them out, see where they come from, and correct them as you're able to see further inside. Always be willing to accept that you are as yet a flawed being, already in need of improvement. it's not self-deprication, but a humble view of your own being as in need of growth - after all if you didn't need it, you wouldn't be doing magick, right?

peace

To begin with, Hell is itself only distance from "The Light". The only "fire and brimstone" place of judgment and punishment is that place called Gehenom, containing 7 chambers. As far as the possibility of "slipping" onto the wrong path, practice dilligently and fervantly. With time, the discernment between the apparently similiar paths becomes much more distinct. Keep one thing before you at all times...The truth. But persue it only as far as you are capable. The search for the Holy Grail will deprive you, spit on you, dishonor you, prosecute you, and possibly even kill you. This of course, is an extreme case. In true magick, sacrifices are made. The only true blood sacrifice is complete surrender to the Truth. Your life is your blood, and only those whose blood is considered worthy as an offering will be accepted to live. Ride the moon from the Kingdom. The Foundation leads to Jerusalem. Enter into Jerusalem and look upon the Sun. While you live, the light hides behind an eclipse. Reach the eclipse in life, so that the gates will open.
This of course is all metaphorical and allegorical, but then again, who can say "this is the path" or "that is the path over there". We are each a path, specified only to ourselves, and copied by none. Those who are particularly gifted in the Kaballah will understand the above allegory. In the end, you will loose everything and win everything at the same time. Remember, the Light is not reached in one life-time alone. Seek diligently.