Hagith and Dantalion: Enslaving Bliss

It is well known that the main obstacle to cognition is not ignorance, but false knowledge. A person will never strive to obtain what, in their opinion, they already have. And therefore, in order to “block” the living flow of cognition, it is enough to replace its desired objects with surrogates — empty substitutes which, taking the place of truly valuable insights, “freeze” its flow.

In exactly the same way, one of the most essential destructors that keep the mind in the wheel of gilgul is imitation of bliss — the illusion of attainment which, by neutralizing dissatisfaction as a driving force of development, saps the mind’s motivation, hindering its development. In Eastern terms, the main obstacle to attaining nirvana is the illusion of bliss in samsara.

The Hermetic myth also describes the nature and origin of this destructor from its own perspective.

From this perspective, the sensation of “bliss” as an inherent property of the Divine Light is expressed in the form of two aeonic potencies:

• at the decade level — Makaria, as the “female” hypostasis of the syzygy with the “Only-begotten” (Monogenes), is properly the sense of self-identity, one’s own reality (the potency of Yechida’s light),
• at the dodecad level — Makariot, the energetic hypostasis of the syzygy with the “Ekklesiastikos” (“Son of the Church,” the aeon of sensing the unit as part of the whole).

However, this aeonic reality, when “projected” into the limited world of manifestation, manifests as the Archon Astaphai (or Hagith), giving rise to Venusian energies of this world.

In other words, in each stream of consciousness there lives the urge to feel “oneself — oneself” (Makaria), and at the same time — to feel oneself a part of a family, a clan, a worldwide unity (Makariot).

And, of course, both these impulses are distorted at the level of “being” — by Astaphaios in order to entrap consciousness in the kenoma, the limited world. All egregorial and social institutions that enslave the minds and bodies of their followers are based precisely on this “substitution” of the pleasure of unity with the false feeling of being a “part of society,” a “cog in the common machine,” namely by “shading” the aspect of Makaria, i.e., a strong reliance on “only-begottenness,” self-identity, individuality. We have noted that on the level of mind this destructor (also supported by the Archon Sabazios) manifests itself as the great lord of collectivities — Belial.

At the same time, the aspect of Makariot is often overshadowed, leading to the formation of the illusion of “chosenness,” “enlightenment,” that very “false bliss” which is such a significant obstacle to real development.

Indeed, modern “new-age” “paths of spirituality” are simply overflowing with talk about “light,” “bliss,” “being in the flow,” and other malicious destructors — golden cages that shackle the mind in gilgul.

We have already said that such a destructor is instigated and supported by the “triad of false attainment” — Orobas, Dantalion, and Andromalius. Note that these demons draw on two destructive foundations at once — ignorance (the court of Bael) and lust (the retinue of Asmodeus). Indeed, upon close examination, very often such “enlightened ones” turn out to be poorly educated and sexually preoccupied people.

Note that one of these destructive guardians — Dantalion — even appears in a many-faced, bi-gendered form with a book in his hands, pointing to the two aforementioned sources of “false enlightenment.”

According to the “Lemegeton”:

“The seventy-first Spirit is Dantalion. He is a Duke, great and mighty; he appears in the form of a man with many faces, like those of men and women; and he holds a book in his right hand. His office is to teach anyone all arts and sciences; and to reveal to anyone secret designs; for he knows the thoughts of all men and women, and he can change them at his will. He can cause love, and show the likeness of any person, and show any person in a vision, in whatever part of the world that person may be”.

The demon’s “multifaceted nature” means his changeability, his ability to manifest in different forms depending on the features of the mind in which he is active. The “book,” “arts and sciences” related to Dantalion’s manifestations, speak precisely of his wisdom-imitating activity, while counterfeits and masks speak of his pretense and his ability to create illusions.

Imitating the totality of mind, “knowledge of all sciences and arts,” Dantalion instills a sensation of enlightenment, of the transcendence of mind, covering up the wretched state of the psychic world. Often it is enough for some radiant being to “appear,” or for the sensation of a “stream of light” covering the mind, for the victim to consider themselves God-chosen or to have reached cosmic heights of being.

Traditional Western schools of Magic have always been very restrained about the value of illuminations. In particular, it is thus that practices of “altered states of mind” were not especially valued there; for the same reason druids forbade students to write down acquired knowledge — so that revisiting notes would not replace real development. Only stable changes leading to a real increase in Power were considered valuable.

Even the earliest Christians knew well that “Satan himself takes the form of an Angel of light,” and that it is only “by their fruits you shall know them.” We have already said that a common sign of such possession is intolerance, exaggeration of one’s own purity combined with an inability to love purely.

The words of such “enlightened ones” usually diverge strikingly from their deeds: proclaiming “eternal truths,” they behave like predators and invaders, manipulating others, using and consuming other people’s resources. Such a person can speak at length about Unity, love, and wisdom, and at the same time enter someone’s home uninvited and behave there like an occupier.

At the same time, they themselves are often completely convinced of their own “light,” driven by dopamine, and their smiles reek of sanctimony.

Another such sign is one’s attitude toward the suffering of other beings. A sign of any destructive dominance in the mind is a decrease in empathy (that same shading of the aspect of Makariot), and, in this case, the thought that the universe is harmonious because it comes from the Great Spirit often leads to the assertion that suffering is a “path to purification,” a “necessary lesson,” etc. But how often it turns out that the “enlightened ones” apply such “wisdom” to someone else’s suffering, while exempting themselves. Seeing the pain and torment of living beings, they only shake their heads arrogantly, claiming that, supposedly, “they suffer, meaning it’s their own fault,” and they do not make the slightest attempt to alleviate this suffering.

However, if the mind partakes of the Great Spirit, it cannot remain indifferent to another’s pain, and any suffering of any being inevitably resonates as pain within it as well — and therefore the most natural reaction is the striving to reduce suffering. The Great Spirit is not a masochist; he does not strive for self-torture. Therefore even a completely unenlightened Magus understands perfectly well that, in truth, no one deserves suffering, and, however beneficial it may be for spiritual growth, his direct duty lies in striving to lessen the torment of those who are near him.

Therefore, if a Magus begins to feel that they are more right than others, his Path is the best for everyone, and that the suffering of other beings is deserved by them — then it is time to sound the alarm: he has fallen into the demon’s clutches.

Only the utmost tolerance, recognition of the absolute value of the world’s diversity, and readiness to make maximum effort to reduce suffering of those who are near is a sign of genuine expansion of mind.