The Search for the Self and ‘Inner Perfection’
The contemporary near‑magical public, steeped in the spirit of theosophy with its conviction that “every person carries within them a spark of the Absolute,” often believes that if one simply meditates properly on that spark, “inner perfection” will not long delay its arrival and will reveal itself in all the brilliance of success, bringing joy and career advancement.
At the same time, traditionally Magical terminology is widely used — Search, Quest, self‑unfolding — as methods of improvement, yet one crucial idea of the Western Myth is overlooked: the idea of two aspects of reality – potential and actual.
That is, when a Magus says that “every man and every woman is a star,” and when a theosophist or a bioenergeticist says the same, they most likely mean different things.
For the Magus the perfection of the human soul is a potential reality. In other words, although the Monadic nature is the unit of the Absolute’s self‑knowledge, its being is potential, unmanifested, incapable of generating energy or producing self‑knowledge. Like the Great Spirit itself, the Monadic nature is above notions of being and non‑being; it stands beyond duality and beyond manifestation. And although, from its own point of view, it is already full, perfect and in need of no change (and indeed cannot be changed), from the standpoint of the relative process of its self‑knowledge it is merely potential; actual reality belongs to the limited manifest being.
Therefore the “search for the self” for the Magus does not simply mean “uncovering one’s inner perfection,” but the search for a suitable Way on which, in battles and hunts, the eternal actualization of that perfection will occur.
Unfortunately, the millennia of experience in Magic show that the “harmony and perfection” achieved through effortless “psychonautics” are more likely to turn out to be self‑deception and an unabashed destructor.
The Myth we are considering asserts that in order to attain this perfection one must not so much “find” oneself (this, as we have already understood, is only the first step, after which follows a long Way) as build oneself.
The Magi established Schools and Lines with their severe discipline not out of sadomasochistic inclinations, but out of the awareness that the world, though born in and for the Good, is substantially spoiled by its inhabitants, and considerable effort is required to remelt it in the forge of impeccability.
Sobriety in the Magus’ view of his situation consists in his accurate appraisal of his own capabilities and of the forces arrayed against him.
And the awareness won by the Magi in their battles gives them that sense of the authenticity and actuality of their being which is unattainable by other Ways.
I agree with every word. But, from my observations, nothing is given for free, easily, or spontaneously to anyone, not just for a Mage, but for anyone on the Path of self-improvement… be it an athlete, businessman, warrior, or scientist.
Thank you, as always relevant 🙂 Please tell me, are all techniques of ‘self-improvement’ so useless or destructive? If, say, during some Ritual, attacks from both internal predators and external irritants suddenly intensify, then I think that in such cases internal silence training (stopping the internal dialogue, etc.) would be effective.
The techniques themselves are unlikely to be destructive. ‘Unfortunately, millennia of magical experience shows that ‘harmony and perfection,’ achieved in the process of effortless ‘psychonautics’, are likely to turn out to be self-deception and an obvious distractor.’ The article states that destructive is the false sense of ‘harmony and perfection.’
Theosophy itself may not be so bad. Indeed, it is the modern pseudo-theosophical profanation called New Age that is bad.
But in fact, all such paths of ‘finding’ oneself consist of individual and clearly defined techniques which (I believe) can help one to ‘build’ oneself. I was leading to the point that I don’t think we should discard the entire thousands of years of experience of Eastern Traditions and the developments of their later followers due to their dragging in and profanation in mass culture. After all, as mentioned earlier – in the ability to act optimally and apply forces proportionately to the situation lies the elegance of a mage; unnecessary skills and techniques will not be superfluous 🙂
The Path does not consist of ‘techniques’; on the contrary, the internal logic of the Path, its strategy, can attract, exclude, and transform some techniques and approaches. But the strategy of the Path is primary, its overall mood. The Path can proceed without special practices at all – this is what is called Karma-yoga in the East, while ‘practices’ without the enlightening and unifying influence of the Path are fruitless and barren.
That is, it seems to end up like this: a born person is not really a Human, but a sort of ‘preparation’, an empty vessel. Which can only be filled – or not filled – to gain a soul. Initially, we only have the potential, the property of the vessel to receive. And the awareness of this potential is the ‘inner perfection’ found. And then the long process of becoming, essentially, of gaining a soul begins. If I understood everything correctly, then not every person can be called a Human – he is just a preparation, and it is not a fact that he will become one. That is, there, generally, there is no soul, and there is only the potential to gain it. If I understood everything correctly, then this resolves many issues, although it raises others…
Exactly. A person, simply as a biological organism, is akin to an egg cell. And only thanks to the Spirit, which in this comparison acts as the sperm, this egg cell is fertilized and true Life begins, which is Evolution. And only after going through the dark night of the Soul does this embryo mature and come to its divine Self.
A person can be called the state of the vessel Adam Kadmon. To fill this potential is possible in the World of Adam Kadmon. For this, the ‘preparation’ must descend into Olam Asiya. Having found there a point of support, one must begin to ascend. Only an ascending vessel has something human.
In your words, both good and evil are hidden simultaneously…
Evil helps good, and good helps evil…
By the way, regarding ‘finding oneself’ and ‘building oneself’… In Native American mythology, finding oneself means finding one’s direction. But that is indeed only the beginning. Because it is merely the raw material that we actually have at hand. And for real construction to begin, one must make a titanic effort to pull one’s gaze from that direction of ‘self’ and turn the head in a new direction. Only then do true clarity, sobriety, and detachment come.
I would like to understand myself. Why I live, why I was born, and what I can do. It feels like only my physical shell is walking the earth, while I am floating somewhere and cannot comprehend myself. And the aunt is already grown up((.
When the mind is clear – it sees purity…
In this life, every person must find their Divine Purpose… Look within and understand why you came to Earth, and only when you not just think in this direction but also take Action – Act… Otherwise, fulfill the Divine, which through us wishes to manifest every second of this beautiful life… And then, fulfilling your Divine purpose, there will be Love in the Soul, and the Divine Light will ignite, and the eyes will shine with Happiness… And in such a situation, as a rule, a person knows where they should go and develop. They know their Vector, but for this, one has to really want it…
No one owes anything to anyone, even to glow with happiness.) One cannot ask the gods for a mortgage; it is not profitable.) The path of a mage and that of a person attempting to master magic for personal growth are as different as the meanings of the verbs ‘to see’ and ‘to scrutinize.’ If the desire to ‘steer’ fate pushes one towards magic, it’s better to find a different tool for influencing others and oneself. As long as such a possibility exists.
The Divine Purpose that pushes one towards magic is for a person to evolve. Without personal rises and falls, a person cannot evolve. You can ask the gods for a consumer loan while such an opportunity exists. :))
Individual personal development is earned. The only credit a person has is their innate abilities given at birth. Aspiring for perfection is a desire of an honest person to pay for this gift.
macosha_igravbiser: Human development, both individual and personal, is connected to the Earth. The Earth is currently in an involutionary state, which we have already discussed. The abilities that exist from birth cannot hide one’s nakedness on Earth. An honest person and their desire to pay for it is a major deficit… just as much as the pursuit of perfection!
I do not understand why it is necessary to choose between involution and evolution. It is wiser to choose the golden mean. In the phrase ‘An honest person and his desire to pay off is a big deficit… just like the pursuit of perfection!’, there is no specific definition of what an honest person, repayment, and perfection mean. It all depends on the level of development and the environment of the reader of these lines.)
Much is given at birth. But if you embark on the path of a mage, the Universe will reward you with knowledge and discoveries more than if you are pure of heart. Some people are so pure and receptive of the divine in full that even a little touch upon the spiritual gives them a hundred-fold more than those who are long in this path and working it out. Open to the Universe in Soul – open to all that is bright… And the reward will be an order of magnitude greater than you could have imagined. And grasping your divine purpose, you realize that from a certain level, you are no longer paying for it; rather, you are Creating for the Universe, for People, for the Earth…
One American president said: ‘The best reward in our lives is the opportunity to do work that is worth doing.’ I can only add from myself that, more often than not, it is the only reward.)
macosha_igravbiser: the golden mean, if you measure it with a yardstick, is stagnation. The earth is involutionary because many are engaged in affairs that are ‘worth it.’ A person is definitely attached to the earth; it is his habitat, and the only reward on earth is his evolution, inner perfection.
If you allow, Palom, I would like to illustrate my perspective on the necessity of vigorous movement in some direction by quoting a parable: CHOICE Once, on his way home, Hing Shi encountered a man who was in such a hurry that, while overtaking a wise man, he accidentally bumped into him. The wise man calmly and politely turned to him with a question: ‘Tell me, noble man, where are you in such a hurry that you notice nothing on your way?’ ‘I apologize,’ said the man without slowing down, ‘I am in a hurry because I am searching for the meaning of life and I do not have the right to wait until my goal is achieved.’ ‘Well,’ the Teacher said, ‘I heard of a man who sought this meaning his entire life. ‘I hope the truth was revealed to him?’ asked the impatient traveler. ‘Yes, he died enlightened, having managed to whisper to those nearby what he understood only in dying,’ Hing Shi replied. ‘And what did he say?” ‘He said that the meaning of life is choice…’ ‘Thank you for the conversation,’ said the man, bowed to the wise man, and almost ran on his way. ‘The choice is whether to live or to spend your entire life searching for that very meaning,’ concluded the wise man, but his words sounded into emptiness. The random traveler was already too far. He was in a hurry…
A meaningful article! There are many subtleties on the path that can be discussed. The presence of a live mentor who has walked the path and can genuinely help is important. Find within you the crystalline source of your soul, and you will understand that all this material fluff – machines, apartments, dachas, social status – all these material goods, for the achievement of which you spend your entire conscious life, will turn out to be dust. Dust that in this source will immediately turn into nothing. And life passes. Life, which you can use to transform into an infinite ocean of Wisdom. (from A. Novykh’s book ‘Sen-Sei’ lotosbook.com)
Yes… a mentor is good. But the thought that comforts many, like ‘when the student is ready, the teacher will appear,’ smells of empty hope, which may never come true for someone. And you’ll have to find all the answers by yourself, within yourself. Answering your own questions. And this, I believe, is what many see as ‘the eternal search for the meaning of life.’ And, it seems to me, this search is certainly better than ‘just living,’ as I see it, because hidden under this is template existence… life by well-known maps… a path through open lands. And regarding the crystal of the soul… As I see it, every plant has a core… a light particle from which the power of this plant spreads throughout its periphery. And if the energy of the plant is blue, then the energy of the core is white. By infusing your strength into it, this core increases… the might and interaction of consciousness gain a new momentum. Therefore, a person has such a Center too. I would appreciate knowing more about it.
The main obstacle is that it is impossible to achieve purity of impact. While in this world, a person grows into all its structures and becomes an involuntary transmitter of foreign and initially alien energies. In order to achieve an adequate assessment of one’s capabilities and the forces that oppose him, distance is needed. To exit from the system of connections, solve the puzzle, and return is either a dream or an illusion. You can get information from outside, but a person, as not the most perfect receiver, involuntarily distorts it with his subjective thinking. If you reject thinking and its accompanying desires, you can come under the influence of another stream of information. Personal disinterest in the outcome of the impact saves you from most distortions, but this is already the state of a Buddha, balancing at the level of departure. However you consider the mechanics of this process, to simultaneously combine the need for impact and the state in which that impact will bring near-absolute benefit is unrealistic. There is always a risk of causing irreparable harm. This is not a reason to refuse if the flow of life throws a question at your feet that needs to be solved, but it stops people who recognize their power from working in god mode.
And quietly, quietly, silence… You are somewhere out there and I am alone. The slaughterhouses of that war have quieted, the madness of fears, all have left. Paths, trails, and ways, all have gotten tangled inside… Don’t stand, don’t wait, run to where the turn is, for here is a dead end, do everything the opposite. Everything is by touch, the goal is not visible, one will have to drink it all to the bottom… Who are friends and who are enemies? Ravens, doves, doctors… And in the search for their own, labors – smeared across the wall, unneeded… All efforts are just bustle, fatigue, sadness, and emptiness. One step forward, and there again gapes the abyss of all obstacles. The time for the laws has suddenly come, the question stands, and who are the judges? Nothing is scarier than misfortune, than being condemned without guilt. But one must take and once again, closing the eyes to everything, accept. And the pages of those sentences have laid on the table of justice… What have you achieved, where have you come to, write notes about the matters… With a clouded mind, I will not have mercy on the judge, nor will I persuade them… The wisdom of theories cannot be comprehended, and the accuracy of practices cannot be embraced, it is not given to know what needs to be known, how to create oneself correctly. How to find the keys to those castles, to gain strength in that struggle, to emerge free from prison, in the name of peace, for love. The desire is merely to stand firm, not to fall, not to betray. To be grateful for all that is good, to pass through all evil with dignity.
“And the awareness conquered by the wizards in their battles gives them that sense of authenticity and relevance of their existence, which is unattainable for them by any other means.” I would like to correct: awareness is not conquered in battles; it grows on its own, naturally. Battles are necessary to preserve it and not squander it, and they are not battles at all, but merely a game of illusions 🙂 The main opponent of a wizard is his pride. Humility is the key to all doors!