The Supreme Predator
Essentially a pessimistic worldview, the Magical myth in its account of the world proceeds from the premise that every system, both at the macro and micro levels, contains not only the stimulus for its development but also a powerful force of destruction.
Moreover, observation shows that in most systems real power actually belongs to the destructive component which, although initially a necessary condition of development, turns from a component of the whole system into the despot of that system, dictating its mode of behavior.
Magic approaches the description of this despotism quite soberly and pragmatically, seeing no dualistic foundations in it, and asserting that it is a natural continuation of the very order of the world’s manifestation. Pagan myths pictured this necessary destruction as a chthonic monster that devours worlds — for example, Fenrir of Norse mythology.
Indeed, since any system — whether the Macrocosmos as a whole, its individual modes, or the Microcosmos as its reflection — must necessarily contain a centrifugal element to avoid ossifying and so that, when its capacity for development is exhausted, it may be destroyed and reborn in a new form.
At the same time, this necessary element of destruction inevitably manifests itself at every stage of a system’s development; as Cocteau put it, “the work of death can be observed in the mirror every day.” Thus the existence of any system unfolds on the border between the incorporation of new elements — that is, its development — and the mutual opposition of those elements — that is, its destruction.
At the level of the individual mind the power of destruction manifests as the Parasite of mind, and at the level of the Macrocosmos as the Supreme Predator, to which Western Magic gave the name Baphomet.
It is clear that both the Parasite of the individual mind and the Predator of the collective mind are deeply selfish forces, since the very nature of their activity consists in disorganizing the systems that contain them, actively impeding their integration and development.
We should stress again that such activity is entirely necessary from the outset, and that the transgression — that is, the “fall” — consists only in its transformation from a ministerial role into a dictatorial one.
The Parasite of mind is a force of death that has established itself within life, and Baphomet is at once the source of individual awareness and its devourer. Note that the Magical conception of the Supreme Predator is not identical to the religious notion of the “devil,” since the devil was never regarded by religion as a necessary or life-giving force — properties which the Magical myth attributes to Baphomet.
What, then, is the cause of this disharmony of minds that led to the displacement of the center and the enthronement of destructive forces within them?
Obviously, it lies both in the free choice of the mind itself, which allowed a blurring of values, and in the more aggressive nature of destructive forces compared to integrative forces. Indeed, to destroy a system one needs a narrower, stronger impulse than to create it, while creating requires gentler, broader forces.
It is for this reason that Magic maintains that it is impossible either to rid the individual mind entirely of the Parasite (for the individual mind, deprived of this centrifugal force, reverts to the integral mind of the Great Spirit and ceases to exist as an independent unit), or to rid the Macrocosmos of Baphomet (for deprived of Baphomet, the Flow of Power will return to an unmanifest state). What is both possible and necessary is to restore these forces to their ministerial role, escape their dictatorship and become their master instead of their slave. It is precisely to this end that the Magus — the warrior on the path of developing awareness — directs his principal efforts.
When the Magician accepts everything into themselves and understands that it is all Them, there is no need to struggle against oneself.
The question is how to determine when you are under the power of this dictatorship and when you have become the master of destructive force? And more importantly, how to maintain your power, as the surrounding world distracts us from it every hour?
If consciousness regains its power in the Psychocosmos, then the force of resistance from the element of destruction turns into the force of differentiation and individualization.
However, in reality, while in an embodied state, it is impossible to get rid of the Parasite of consciousness, and as soon as one is defeated, like the head of a Hydra, a new one grows in its place, just as fiercely battling for power in the Psychocosmos. Therefore, the whole life of a magician striving for freedom is a struggle for this freedom, which always remains just a “light at the end of the tunnel.”
There must be a way to cement oneself in the awareness of life (without the imposed stereotypes of the parasite)? If we can maintain clarity of consciousness for a period of time (even if just a moment), one could assume that a skill should develop that allows (ideally) to maintain such a state for all of one’s waking hours, or at least for a larger part of it??
Not to mention the dream: about the time when the Golden Age of humanity returns, and clarity of consciousness once again becomes the norm, and consequently, the parasites of consciousness will lose their sustenance.
To do this, it is necessary to seek and cultivate “points” of personal growth.
It’s really simple. Our famous Predator is nothing but the power of Vision. In Indian mythology, it is depicted as an Eagle. Like any other power, the power of Vision has two sides – two eyes of the Eagle. Its right eye is usually well-known – it is the power of Death. However, very few know about the left eye of Vision =)
And one more curious observation:
In the magical Line of the ancient Zervanites, the Supreme Predator was called Ahriman. Their myth states: Zervan, the god of Eternity, awaited the birth of a son but doubted, and therefore two sons were born instead of one. And the first was precisely the ugly and terrifying Ahriman – the Child of Doubt, the famous Baphomet.
This also completely coincides with the magical myth of the Indians: The first child of the White Jaguar, the Indian god of Eternity, was none other than the fearsome and famous Eagle, the god of Vision.
Somewhat unexpected… Does the cessation of inner dialogue (accumulating energy) not destroy the Parasite?… Then what is the purpose of meditative practices in Zen (of inner light, for achieving inner silence)…? Maybe someone could suggest an approximate correspondence of Baphomet in Hinduism… Thank you in advance…:)
Such practices do not destroy the parasite completely, but only allow you to “turn it off” for a while, for example, to make some progress, to realize something, etc. Unfortunately 🙂 But this is still a lot compared to its usual prevalence.
Of course, in Hinduism there are notions of the dark side of consciousness – Bhairava, the wrathful embodiment of Shiva, undifferentiated consciousness, drinking from the skull of Brahma.
Since no one is essentially answering about the destruction of the Parasite, I will share what I know about it myself. And there – as you know yourself.
In Hinduism, and not only in it, there is a concept – “clear vision”, or simply Vision. The full power of Vision is when you consciously See reality as it is, beyond any systems of interpretation and description. This is how reality is Seen by what is described as “Baphomet”, “Eagle”, “Supreme Predator”, and so on.
We all see constantly, but only a small fraction consciously. Therefore, our vision of reality is always incomplete, flawed. It is precisely this flaw that breeds the notorious Parasite. Yes, we all have a piece of the “Supreme Predator” within us. But this is not the Parasite itself, but the power of Vision! And the Parasite is generated and grows within us precisely because of the underdevelopment of this part of our Universal Vision.
And for this Parasite, which is indeed infinitely cunning and dangerous, to completely disappear, one must fully reveal the power of Vision within oneself. As for mastering the power of Silence – this is a necessary step on this path.
In general, as far as I know, real open Vision is only possessed by the Higher Adepts. And personally, I have as far to go as to the Moon, and even further))
Thank you ALL!, it is clear where to look and it is clear that it is worth continuing… 🙂
Doesn’t the infamous ‘spoiling’ from Castaneda help to get rid of them, when a warrior becomes ‘unpalatable’ to Parasites? (nonsense from a ‘theoretician’, thank you for your attention :))
“…transforms from a component of the overall system into a despot of that system, dictating its behavioral model.” That is, there is a tendency to ‘deterioration’. The question is, does this ‘process’ have cyclicality? And is there a connection between this ‘process’ and the concept of the South from Hindu mythology? Is there such a concept as the ‘Golden Age’?