Bearers of Power
The Magical myth we are describing defines Power as the ability to realize one’s will. This ability is born when the supreme binder is neutralized — the entry of consciousness into being. In other words, Power can be defined as the result of «awareness of being», which leads to the possibility of structured and purposeful activity within it. From this point of view, Power is equivalent to creation, since the structuring of being by mind effectively means the appearance for that mind of particular objects, processes, and phenomena.
In the aspect of being, this conception describes Power as a differentiating, structuring, and cosmogonic activity — a consequence of the Spirit’s striving for self-knowledge and self-realization, leading from one stage of that realization to the next. Put differently, Power is defined as the ability of being to take on certain forms that are subject to perception and awareness. In this aspect, Power is the capacity of energies to form stable structures bound by an internal logic.
In the aspect of consciousness, Power is interpreted as the capacity for effective descriptions that allow one to work with a given object, process, or phenomenon as an instrument for further expanding awareness. In this sense, Power denotes the ability to create an effective myth, and the stability of a Myth is directly proportional to the amount of Power contained within it.
This conception has a number of consequences important for magic.
First — that Power is always individual and does not exist apart from its bearers. Since Power is a capacity, it implies a bearer of that capacity. Moreover, such possession may be of two kinds: Power may be possessed either by an individual mind actively creating its myth, actively aware of itself and its manifestations, or by an “inanimate” object or process capable of inducing power in an interacting mind. It is incorrect to speak of Power as something existing separately; Power is always in specific beings or objects, and the more individualized the perception is, the more Power it may possess.
Because the task of manifested being is the self-knowledge of the Great Spirit in the totality of its separate aspects, it is more successful the more singular, unique, and individual it is. In other words — the more aware an individuality is, the greater the self-identity of that being, the more power it contains. Note, however, the highest degree of this self-identity is not maximal differentiation, as it may seem at first glance, but rather the awareness of oneself as a unique aspect of the Great Spirit, as an individual aspect of universality.
The second important consequence is the idea that «places and objects of power» become such as a result of the action of the mind. The more conscious the act of crafting a particular artifact, object, amulet, or talisman is, the more it becomes capable of inducing power — that is, the more it can be regarded as an “object of power.” A place of Power associated with any serious transcensuses, dedications, initiations, or enlightenments can also induce awareness as a result of the Reshimo of that contact between being and consciousness.
The third important consequence is that the power of a Myth — its stability — depends reciprocally on the amount of Power contained within it. The reason for the stability of collective Myths is precisely that they are sustained by a large number of minds, each of which may not be particularly strong, but through their collective action, a vast and often monstrous system emerges. An individual Myth is all the more stable the stronger its creator; it is in this sense that one can say we create our own world and that this world is all the more effective the more harmonious our mind.
Overall, the concept of Power as the result of the mind’s entry into being allows one to see the world as a stream of realization, flowing from full potentiality to complete actuality, and each particular being contributes to this stream in direct proportion to the degree of its individuality, awareness, and harmony. By realizing its potential, becoming aware of its individuality, and overcoming its separateness, neutralizing dualities, the mind increasingly approaches its nature — the nature of the Great Spirit: the ‘one who is aware’ diminishes, and while awareness itself increases, more uniqueness and fullness.
The Power is reasonable. It is alive, and one should not speak of it as something isolated.
Excellent article; just yesterday I was pondering this topic (this often happens with your blog :)). Here’s an interesting thought: if the Power is purely a personal ability, what is the nature of Luck? It is very similar to the Power, but still, regarding consciousness, it is external. It seems to me that if the Power relates more to the realm of the mind, then Luck relates to the realm of feelings.
Why do you divide the Power into spheres? Power is universal, and its distinction lies only in your resistance to understanding phenomena.
Power is the brain of the world. Your questions and worries present you with an answer in its face in your consciousness.
You call Luck something akin to the Power, but that is Power. Power is a universal constituent of the reason of this world. By listening to yourself and your heart, you receive an answer precisely from it.
I agree with you, but if you look from this perspective, everything is Power. And for every world figure, there are as many variations. Here I am trying to compare Luck exactly with personal Power, the power that appears in the course of solving tasks by a specific consciousness, Power as an ability acquired in the process of understanding the environment (hence I mentioned the sphere of the mind). Luck, however, seems more like an external influence (born under a lucky star, etc.), and I am just curious what it represents as a separate aspect of the universal Power you described. For example, in my theory, using Luck supports the overall world integrity. For instance, at some point, exhaustion arises (tension, I’m not sure how to phrase it precisely, but I hope it’s somewhat clear) in our reality, and the World (as some common mind or its agents, for example, angels or someone else, depending on your Myth) needs to strengthen the “walls”. Then a certain “solution” is taken and offered to a consciousness ready to interact with it. And for some reason, it seems to me that people referred to as lucky are precisely those who can accept such a “solution” and/or are ready to engage in such interaction or even feel such “points” where similar gifts are given out. That’s why it seems to me that Luck belongs to the sphere of feelings.
I am carefully observing the opinions. And here’s what’s noticeable at the moment – for some reason, statements about the Power are predominantly made by males. I would be interested in hearing the opinions of females. For me, questions about Power and Luck were never particularly interesting, although they obviously exist; all these important things) And questions of freedom, by the way, as they are presented in the blog – have never interested me. Here I can already foresee that a story about the Path and the absence of Power and Luck may begin. Everything is fine with that. The question lies in a different perspective.
Power 🙂 I would also like to know what this means for you. If the question of Freedom does not interest, then Power? But is not Power – Freedom?..
I am interested in love) which basically includes everything. Power as understood here ultimately comes to the point of agreement of this power with the world. Just as with freedom. Ultimately you cannot be free from the environment or from yourself for instance. Although both power and freedom do grow along the way. But neither can be the goal and do not provide a clear answer to the question of why nor even a simple feeling of happiness.
Freedom for me is interaction with all the energies of the world, in a format where both sides win. As a rule, few understand this and scare off everyone around to protect their boundaries. And they remain similar only. Nobody develops, and there’s no pleasure – what’s left is a tendency to interact with opposing energy, expressed in the form of war. Power, in my understanding and experience, is indeed the awareness and grasp of the process. The more energies and their needs and movements you see, the more effective the actions. Sometimes just one word is sufficient to flip a whole chunk of the world. Yet again, why, other than increasing the scope of interaction with others. Both of these concepts separately are limited and always boil down to the same interaction. And that is already love.
Before him stretched the Universe. Gigantic worlds opened their eyes and gazed at Ra, walking through galaxies and clusters of stars. They invited him to enter and share bread with them, but Ra thanked them with a gesture and moved on. Shakti slowly floated ahead, but Ra could barely keep up with her.
— No, — the townspeople replied, — we will fight, and you will be with us. You will help us, Maiarat?
— Yes, — Ra smiled, — I will save those whom I can save.
No one could be saved. The city was looted and burned. “What game did we play today, Shakti?” — Ra asked. — “Didn’t you understand? Today we tried to preserve those very best forms that I found here, but they still did not withstand the onslaught of a stronger wind.”
Power is primarily a quantitative characteristic, while awareness is primarily qualitative. I’ve never understood and never accepted the closeness of awareness and power. One can be fully aware of how solid bodies move, know physics, have years of experimental experience, feel and intuitively predict the behavior of solid bodies but still get hit on the head in a dark alley by someone completely unaware and unfeeling.
The fourth consequence 🙂 Power as an ability implies not just bearers, but those on whom or on what it is directed. Where there is power, there is interaction.
What is Power – everyone understands it in their own way, but everyone wants to have it… 🙂 Power for me is God. Not some uncle on a cloud, but what constitutes the world, every minute/molecule/breath/in-breath and essence of being. And it is alive like everything around, so it would be strange to regard it without respect. Give the world selfless love and it will give you Luck. Everything must be paid for, but if the heart speaks the truth and you hear it – it purifies, not takes away the soul.
I would say that the world and everything around it is a realization of the Creator’s ideas. Ideas, like thoughts, are energy. A person is valuable precisely because they create ideas. By generating ideas, we develop space, thereby changing our world and creating reality.
… we drink from the Source of Inspiration…
and for moments of this drinking, we ourselves become Inspiration…
as a result, fruitful ideas are generated (or maybe they are not generated if nothing was caught) but surely filled with the light of renewal…
this is what we live for…:)
..yes, this is how we live )
But how? ROha, if Power for you is God, how did you want to possess Him? After all, everything in the world can be called God and you wouldn’t be wrong. Let’s still try to separate the concepts. God is of course Power. But Power is not yet God.