Support and Dependence
As we have said, although at the deepest level of the cosmos it is wholly one and absolutely perfect, on one level it appears as self-knowledge — an aggregate of aspects that create subject–object relations.
For each such aspect, its differentiation, its objectification, appears as the ultimate reality, and although from the absolute perspective it is only a mode of the self-knowledge of the single suprareal essence, for that aspect itself individuality becomes the final limit of its existence. In its urge to absolutize that boundary, the individual mind falls into delusion, replacing the idea of individuality with a conviction of separateness.
Yet even when the mind senses, even anticipates, its nature as the individual perspective of a self-knowing Unity, it faces two possibilities: either to return to that Unity as a potential aspect, or to fulfil its function and, in its unique way, reflect as fully as possible the aspects of that Unity available to it, and then reintegrate into the actualized part. Broadly speaking, both possibilities are equivalent, for from the standpoint of the Unity itself differentiation is but a dream, an illusion — yet within the dream reality unfolds by its own laws, which seem wholly real and objective.
From the point of view of this relative reality, the cognizing mind selects, brings into being, and reflects within itself the energies that are available to it, assembling within itself an ever fuller and more complete picture of reality, putting together the “puzzle” of its view.
In other words, a conscious being, on the one hand, is the creator of its reality, because it can interact only with the portion of the Unity accessible to the mind, and on the other hand is itself a creation, for its manifestations depend on the field of perception that opens to it.
Accordingly, the field of perception available for interaction with the mind at any given moment is determined by the mind’s previous actions and, in turn, determines the further development of self-knowledge.
The environment, as a field of possibilities, is as important a participant in this development as the spirit that fills it.
This is why the shaping of the conditions in which spirit comes into being and the mind develops is a significant component of the Magical Way.
Although the Magus clearly understands that in every speck of dust, stone, and leaf the fullness of the cosmos is already present, all its perfection is present, the selection of particular aspects of that perfection is more or less effective in different conditions. Yes, one can become aware of all being by contemplating a fallen leaf, and whoever is most attuned to that possibility according to their individuality should do precisely that, but for other beings other methods of knowing may be more effective — methods that require a more differentiated and selective approach. Shaping one’s surroundings, then, can turn out to be critical for one’s own development. For one being, at one stage, communal life may be the most effective method of self-knowledge; for another, body-oriented practices; for a third, travel and change of scenery; for a fourth, hermitage in the mountains, and so on. Solitude benefits one; another finds something essential in social interaction.
There are no circumstances, no conditions that are good or bad in themselves. They become helpful or obstructive to the development of the mind only in interaction with a particular individuality at a particular stage of its development.
Nevertheless, because the environment is as equal a participant in development as the mind, determining the right conditions for growth is critically important. One can, of course, soothe oneself with the thought that we “find ourselves in the conditions that are most useful to us” automatically, but if things were that simple development would be steady and rapid, and the whole universe would already be in a state of pleromic perfection. Unfortunately, the conditions in which our development takes place, while they are a lawful consequence of our past choices and actions, are perfect only to the extent that those actions were perfect.
The Magus is an active agent; he perceives the conditions arising around him as a challenge, a reaction to which determines the further course of development, which possibilities open and which chances are given.
Thus, on the one hand, reliance on the environment, on the conditions in which the mind develops, is one of the important prerequisites for that development.
Yet there is another danger: instead of relying on the environment, the mind becomes dependent on it.
For example, instead of using travel as an opportunity for self-knowledge in new conditions, the mind trains itself to skim the surface without delving deeply and fills itself with hollow experiences. Instead of using the energy of some power-place for induction of further development within itself, the mind becomes dependent on being in that place and seeks again and again to find itself there, becoming addicted to that power.
The balance the Magus must find within himself consists, on the one hand, in the purposeful and conscious formation of conditions beneficial to the most effective development of his mind for the fullest apprehension of those aspects of reality open to him at his current stage, and on the other hand, in independence from those conditions — relying on them, but not becoming immersed in them.
The Magus, on the one hand, creates the path under his feet, and on the other — strives not to leave traces upon it, experiencing reality fully but not becoming its slave.
Very good! A wonderful article that is very hard to supplement. But I will still try 🙂 “On the whole, both these possibilities are equivalent, since from the perspective of Unity itself, differentiation itself is only a dream, an illusion, but within the dream itself, reality develops according to its own laws, which seem quite real and objective.” Ramakrishna: “The Absolute Brahman is beyond knowledge or ignorance. This is what keeps a person from grasping the Absolute. The Absolute Brahman is beyond the reach of Maya, because Maya is either vidya or avidya. Vidya Maya and avidya Maya, both exist in this world. Here there is both knowledge (jnana) and faith (bhakti), but there is also sensuality and the thirst for wealth. Good and evil, virtue and vice – everything exists in this relative world. But they do not produce any action on Brahman. They exist in relation to jiva (individual ‘I’), but cannot touch the absolute Brahman.”
The Absolute created Synthetic Consciousness (world mind), which is essentially integrated and contains no contradictions, although for it, the Absolute, as such, is not comprehensible. With this act, the Absolute set the vector of involution, and Synthetic Consciousness gained the ability to create denser worlds than itself, which it took advantage of by creating the prototype of the absolute and itself in the form of Qualitative and Object worlds, and from that, having changed itself, became a Synthetic World, not a Mind. Meanwhile, over this, of course, stood the Absolute. And then we appeared, receiving potential (I assume so, but I’m not sure) from the Synthetic and newly created worlds, where the Object world created 4 lower planes as a prototype of already existing worlds. In conclusion, modifications of each world appeared in the form of planes from the atmanic [the form of the synthetic, buddhic – qualitative, causal – object] to the physical. That is approximately why the Absolute is incomprehensible as such and purely by principle. And probably that’s why we strive in both directions, to connect the worlds with one another and create something new. Apparently, this is the principle entelechy of all conscious beings.
Excellent! I think it cannot be otherwise.
‘The Absolute created Synthetic Consciousness (world mind), which is essentially integrated and contains no contradictions, although for it, the Absolute, as such, is incomprehensible.’ Wow! What is the ‘Absolute’ and how did it create?
How is it possible to determine the degree of one’s dependency? The external environment, internal, teachings, and just smart thoughts that we encounter – it seems to me that all of this is instinctively distinguished by people searching for freedom, for them it is like pushes to make some internal gesture that removes a yet-to-be-overcome but intuitively felt barrier, even if it’s an arbitrary gesture like a ritual, but which ‘will bring’ something if it is truly experienced seriously. How in that case will the summoner not be dependent on the ‘reality of demons’ when all their ‘games of the mind,’ all their Power depend precisely on this reality? I have pondered this question numerous times – if you act outside any tradition that establishes a way of life, how to identify trash before you or manifestations of certain forces to which attention should be paid (while writing such a small cartoon on this subject reminded me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSsAEWkmBFU :)). Probably only intuition.
The support for balance and the balance of supports. The only essential support of a mage on Earth is their body. Moreover, the degree of fullness of the mage’s body with life, and the mage’s consciousness with the strength of awareness are interdependent. They can increase or decrease synchronously. The mage is dependent on their own body, just as the body is dependent on them. A mage is able to transform the body, and the body, in turn, transforms the mage, bringing them to new levels (shamanic illness, as an example). The body is a mutable object and not always does the mage rely on the same body throughout their incarnation. The degree of transformation of the body depends on the strength of the mage’s awareness and the degree of inertness of the body. All other supports of the mage are situational. Including situational supports are the ones relying on their own representation of universes and their surroundings. The transition from one complex of supports to another is done in one step, where to the new incarnation of the mage a new context-universe is added for its realization. By creating energy flows, the mage can be present simultaneously in several universes – both discretely (one after another) and increase (in the same time span). In this case, the mage, being a support point for these universes, balances them in relation to each other or them in relation to themselves. The latter is quite energy-consuming and can lead to premature wear of the mage, if the balanced universes do not complement each other with the mage’s natural qualities – their essence. The dynamics of supports over time, as well as the balance between the importance and replaceability of a particular support create a pattern of the mage’s supports. In fact, the most effective support for a mage is on the balance of opposites, but it too can become a dependency, in cases where the mage does not occasionally disrupt the very balance for the purpose of their further development and anticipating all consequences of such disruption. Understanding the essence of a particular support of the mage and the acknowledgment of this essence within oneself reduces dependence on the external support, transferring it into a strength of awareness. At the same time, reliance on the fundamental functions of a mage, such as – hunting for power, fighting against the parasite of awareness, inspiration, and realization of the path of one’s essence – can be constant, if the ways of realization are each time new. A violation of balance, when a mage clings to a particular support, becoming dependent on it, usually leads to the world balance taking that point of support away from the mage – either by physically destroying it or making it inaccessible or ineffective for the current flow of power, thus stimulating the mage to further development.
Isn’t the ‘weird’ already a ‘support’?
The concept of ‘vird’, as key points of the Monad’s realization in the current incarnation, is elaborated here: https://enmerkar.com/en/way/confronting-fate-in-the-pagan-worldview Whether to follow one’s vird and rely on it or to independently construct one’s vird and change the predestination is up to you. In incarnation, a magician can even go beyond the initial ‘orleg’ through the evolution of the orleg. https://enmerkar.com/en/way/realizations-of-the-magus
Does the world balance ‘select’ vird and orleg as a kind of ‘supports’, or is this already outside the ‘world balance’?
The world balance does not select vird and, especially, orleg, but it can modify vird and take away the possibility of using it as a support point. This can happen if a magician believes in the inevitability of the subsequent key point of vird and does not take personal actions for its realization. For me, I am interested in how you rely on your vird and on orleg for the growth of awareness?
Well, this is not a question for public discussion, especially since they constantly throw spanners in the works, and this is not world balance at all, but ‘colleagues’.) Why publish your ‘Koshchei’s needle’?
I believe that orleg cannot be called a support. I think that those who can answer how they ‘rely’ on orleg do not sit in social networks. And it will be difficult to understand their answer.
The body, as a support, if we consider a magician, depends on the degree of control (what a word “depends”, as if control did not become a dependency). The physical body can be fully controlled, which is achieved through Eastern practices, but this is achieved in a calm state of consciousness, when the psychocosmos is not shaken by anything. In the psychocosmos, tension subsides, and one can focus on bodily tension. It is such a power – to feel your body down to the tiniest cell – to be in it, to feel “autonomous” processes. However, I do not know if those who are fully in the body feel anything outside of it. There is one movie “Lucy”, and there is a fragment where she is operated on without anesthesia, while she calmly chats on the phone, saying that she feels everything – the movement of energies, what she felt when she was still a nursing baby. I.e., she stopped feeling the physical body (its needs, limitations, pain), but began to feel the body of feelings more deeply? I believe in that fragment. When I was in shock, I did not feel pain from the fracture, the strength was immense, I held on like steel, and with speed – I caught up with the thief (I wanted to detain him and actually managed, without going into details), what for others happened in a matter of minutes was stretched to details for me. Everyone was in shock – investigators, medical experts, acquaintances, and I too from myself. And here the question arises about balance, in one support, not fully, and in another, it does not work out fully. However, the magician invests 100%, he penetrates into the depths, he realizes it. So here, it is a matter of choice – the choice of your support. Without it, nothing works.
And yes, where is the line between dependency and support, between dependency and choice, between dependency and control? Where is freedom and openness? As usual… awareness, love, and all that?….)) The magician chooses the open door, but the open door has already chosen the magician. Is the magician dependent on the choice? One person pushed off the ground and dived into the river’s depth, learned what was there, and went on to do their business, while another remained standing on the ground because they were afraid to swim, but every day came to the river tortured by curiosity to see what the other saw. Which of them is dependent on the point of support? Control is more complicated; one always wants there to be control))))))
The topic is about dependency, and here I decided to check my words regarding myself – I imagined myself in the role of the first person who pushed off from the ground. Could I drastically change the life I am currently “standing” on? And here I realized how dependent I am, and the question hung like a red line above my head, “Is it really that important what holds us? Maybe it’s just fear?” As for my state from the first post, it resembles the state of turiya, but I might be exaggerating)) An interesting combat state.
I would really like to know the answer to why. About the mage as a support point of the universes – why does he need these universes… Everything is consistent, but why – I do not understand from the Doctor’s texts. Just in case – I can imagine that it’s all like he says, why not, everything can happen, and that he lives perfectly well in this. And that these are indeed Universes. And I don’t expect a correct or incorrect answer. For example, if in response to the question – to scold me, or not to say anything, that’s also an answer) I am interested because personally, for example, I don’t see any difference between a person and a universe. And if this is needed for development, then to me, ten would suffice, or even just one person nearby. Somehow, everything is so intricately arranged that they would be everything needed. And if not for development, and not for love – then why?
The universe, relying on the mage, is the environment for the realization of its path. It forms signs of strength, gifts of strength, challenges of strength, and obstacles, overcoming which a mage increases their strength of awareness. Moreover, the environment limits the boundaries of the sector of awareness (keeping its infinity, but within this sector) and dictates the nature of interactions possible in this environment. Thus, the universe forms the strength of the mage’s awareness while maintaining a likeness (but not identity!) between the mage and the universe. More details – in the article above.
It seems you’ve forgotten to add, in your opinion. Identity or challenges and gifts may depend on gender. Being an environment or situating relative to an environment. Thank you anyway) I find it interesting to look at consciousness that is not entirely understandable.
This is just a coordinate system. In esoterics, it is like this; Buddha offered it as the middle path, in Kabbalah it is the middle line. ‘Parable of Two Men, Who Wanted to Arrange a Feast. One said he would bring everything, except salt, vinegar, garlic, and the other spices. But in the end, a quarrel arose between them, so each arranged their own separate feast: one brought flour, fish, and meat, while the other brought all the spices and made his feast from them. And who among the guests could enjoy both feasts? You cannot enjoy just spices – who can eat only salt, or garlic, or onion, or black pepper and hot herbs? And who can eat meat or fish etc. without salt? And they had no other choice but to reconcile. And then they combined both feasts and it was delicious.” RABASH
‘And who can eat meat or fish and the like without salt?’ Some people, in some cases, can. ) If there’s a choice between spices and fish, it’s better to choose fish, as you can get full from it even without salt and spices, but not the other way around. ) Your RABASH overthought this, playing with words on ‘meanings.’ Without garlic, no one will be able to eat fish for sure, and garlic is kosher )))))))
Regarding kosher, I’m not an expert 🙂 Here, in the form of a parable, one of the fundamental principles of Kabbalah is explained: working in three lines. The left is evil, the desire to receive, egoism. The right is good, the desire to give, altruism. The adept builds the middle path with their help and walks on it towards their goal. It is also emphasized particularly that darkness and light are equally important in this process.
The Way of the Buddha was not a path between two extremes, as they are marked here in the form of ‘the desire to receive’ (evil, egoism) and ‘the desire to give’ (good, altruism). After all, one can give all sorts of, forgive me, crap and get a kick for insincerity. And some may feel the desire to gain satisfaction from the fact that someone is doing very well. Don’t you think that ‘the Middle Way’ is somewhat more complex and does not just pass between the two marked extremes?
1. ‘Consciousness gets used to glide on the surface, not penetrating deep, and is filled with empty experience.’ and ‘Balance… regardless of these conditions, relying on them, but not diving in.’ So, is it diving or not diving? That is, should the masculine dive into the feminine or not? Why such a question? It is connected with the second:
2. ‘The magician – … perceives the conditions arising around him as a challenge, …’
That is, the magician turns out to be a militant moving against resistance or a magician entering the environment as a symbiosis – mutually beneficial. That is, not a challenge to test strength or capabilities, but a gift from the environment for an exciting act? For the environment as well as for the spirit (for both feminine and masculine).
And along the way, another question arose – if the magician is a woman, how will the environment study itself through the environment without spirit? That is, how can chaos move in magic through chaos, or does just the feminine not realize that it is moving in the flow of the masculine, i.e., is the feminine in magic just used (indirectly)?
Thank you for such important advice.