Beatific Idiocy and Possession by Angels
In our previous conversation about possession we mostly addressed the problem of predatory, selfish forces seizing control of the psychocosm.
However, in practice the mind can also be enslaved by beings that are, in the macrocosmic sense, benevolent, yet quite capable of being highly destructive for the microcosm — angels. And here this is not about a psychocosm ultimately ruled by its own elementals — the «keepers» — but of an “external” incursion, an Ibbur, the only difference being that the invader is guided not by personal gain but by certain ideas of the “greater good.”
Often a person, saddened by the all-consuming decay and the degradation of the manifested universe, and even more so by the Qliphothization of our world, will ask the “higher powers” to use him as an “instrument in the struggle against evil,” and these very powers sometimes answer his call, turning him into a vessel of their will.
Without free will, angels cannot choose their actions; they enter a ready vessel to manifest and thus manifest in the otherwise inaccessible “sublunary” world.
We have already said that a person becomes akin to ministering spirits when he loses the inner conflict — the duality that for a free being is at once a road to the abyss and a ladder to heaven.
Accordingly, the undermining factor is present even in such a vital concept for the Magus as the integrity of his being. Any person striving to transcend the duality of manifestation risks, instead of becoming an integral being, becoming an androgyne, and instead of a creator becoming a substrate for creativity. A Magus who seeks purity of energies to increase the effectiveness of his practices likewise risks losing the internal potential difference and sliding into a servile role.
Yet for “righteous” people, even those who do not invoke the “heavenly host” within themselves, the danger of such possession is even more real.
Often religious fanaticism, the irresistible urge toward “crusades” and “jihads,” is the result of such a loss of inner freedom.
In fact, one can speak of possession when the focus of attention shifts from one’s own development to “leading others onto the true Way,” to missionary zeal and “enlightening the lost.” It is not that one should not “enlighten”; rather, such “enlightenment” must begin with oneself, and only after gaining significant experience may one share it with others without imposing.
The reality is that the battle between forces often turns into intervention, and aid into enslavement. Moreover, this approach applies to both sides — just as demons seek nourishment by any means, so angels are prepared to sacrifice lives and freedom by any means in their crystalline drive to “protect” the world from ascending incursions. And just as for the goetic Magus there is always the danger of catching an Ibbur from a “grey” spirit, for the evoker of elemental spirits there is the danger of becoming an instrument of an elementarie, so for the theurgist there can be the real danger of falling under angelic sway. Freedom of will, originally, “by definition” inherent to the human mind, is by no means guaranteed a priori. Very often, and for various reasons, a being refuses this freedom, becoming a servant of parasites of consciousness, a plaything of demons or angels, or a marionette of the spirits of the Interworld. Therefore one must fight for this primordial and rightful attribute of one’s nature, and, having gained it, strive to retain it. The key to this is precisely that duality, conflict, passion, which on the one hand impedes purposeful endeavors, but on the other provides the stimulus for development. At the same time, the maximum tolerance so necessary to the Magi must not become indifference, a lack of concern for others’ downfall, yet the desire to help should not become “imposing salvation on others.” Only by accepting the absolute primacy of freedom of will, only by valuing that freedom without limit, can one pass through the world’s battles without becoming a mercenary, a soldier blindly following another’s orders, however “benevolent” those orders may seem.
Well, now it is clear why the preparation of a Mage and their subsequent life are so complex. Constant balancing on the edge of a knife… Only an incredibly well-prepared person can withstand this.
I cannot imagine how one can be so clearly aware of all this… But it is possible based on your example.
How can a theurgist protect themselves from such dangers?
Clarity of thought, Inner purity from the Light, Gray, and Dark (i.e., purity of one’s Self) and unwavering movement towards One’s Goals (specifically one’s own 🙂 )
Absolutely on point). Otherwise, it will turn out that instead of becoming a staff, the center of my universe, and executing my will, I will become a staff in someone else’s hands.
Perhaps, almost all Orthodox and Catholic ascetics can be referred to as those possessed by angels (especially the Catholic ones), such as Bernard of Clairvaux, for example.
Also, cases of angelic possession evidently occur in various modern churches of the charismatic trend – where different miraculous phenomena such as healings, etc., occur. A pastor who (or, more precisely, as he himself claims, through whom) performs miracles is most likely such a possessed person (no matter how the orthodox accuse him of being possessed by demons). And the flock, as a rule, tends to be somewhat unhealthy in appearance – they seem muted and empty.
So that’s why Archangels are called for help in the RHP, but are not invited into the Circle.
In general, there is no difficulty when everything is perceived as a Game. However, balancing is on point.
An ambiguous article.
1. How to combine this (https://en.enmerkar.com/magus-way/ne-byt-demonom, comments): “An angel is any being that helps to maintain the evolutionary status of another being or system” with this: “angels are willing to sacrifice any means, lives, freedom in their crystalline desire to ‘protect’ the world from rising encroachment.”?
2. Frater_K.B,V writes: “Almost all Orthodox and Catholic ascetics can be classified as angelically possessed.” This implies that these ascetics have no merits of their own. Yet people performing prayerful, ascetic feats, and especially martyrs for faith, surpass ANY magician by several flights of stairs; Baal won’t dare ignore them.
Another point: “no matter how the orthodox accuse him of being possessed by demons.” Why not by demons? 🙂 Performing miracles is not a sign of grace, especially “And the flock, as a rule, appears somewhat unhealthy” – symptomatic.
3. “You can speak of possession when the focus shifts from one’s own development to the ‘guidance on the true path’ by others, striving for missionary work and ‘enlightening the lost.'” This is merely a characteristic Western, expansive manner of interacting with reality (in this case, in a spiritual aspect), contrasting with the introverted ascetics of the East. What do angels have to do with it? Although, of course, it’s more comfortable for us without jihads.
It is very easy to reconcile. Angels uphold the world in its ‘legitimate’ position, support its strengthening and materialization, and prevent the thinning of the Barrier and ‘excessive’ development in every possible way.
The loss of personal inner polarity and balance of poles leads to the loss of POWER. To perform actions in this situation, a person develops an attitude towards surrounding reality as an external pole. Therefore, a super-righteous person (just like a super-sinner) mourns the world’s imperfection, and perceiving it as an external pole receives a flow of POWER. However, this power is ALWAYS unidirectional and lacks multiple REALIZATIONAL components. Hence the moralizing and messianism, as a desire to find a difference in potentials between dark-white and light-white (black-black and light-black).
While the MAGE always strives to maintain balance within themselves and the multitude of poles, as well as a multiple perspective on these poles. The MAGE sees all spectrums of white and all spectrums of black, freely mixing them while maintaining BALANCE, both in the principle of selecting poles and in the principle of partnership (sacrifice).
A MAGE temporarily losing balance and turning to human unipolarity immediately receives the opposite pole in the surrounding world in the form of REACTION or the external force of the opposite direction that meets them on their path and strives to restore balance and create the opposite pole.