Being a Magus
As we have repeatedly said, Magic (not as a system of practical techniques, but as a way of life) begins when a person begins to become aware of themselves and their place in the cosmos.
However, it may seem that this Threshold is too vague and blurred, and a person might “not fully be aware” of themselves and therefore be “almost” a Magus. At the same time, it is clear that Magic does not tolerate such ambiguity. You are either a Magus or you are not, and there is no “almost” or “not quite” here. Magic is a battlefield. And in war you cannot be “somewhat for the Reds and nearly for the Whites.”
Accordingly, the Threshold that separates Magic from the human world, more precisely — the mind of the Magus from the mind of the human — must be utterly distinct. Without this unambiguous separation there is no question of accumulating power.
So when does a person become a Magus?
One can list endlessly the qualities a Magus must possess — awareness, responsibility, attentiveness, determination, awakening, and so on — but possessing these qualities is a consequence, not the cause of becoming a Magus. Simply cultivating responsibility or determination in yourself will not make you a Magus. It is obvious that an irresponsible, lazy, or cold-hearted person has no chance of attaining magical Freedom. That is to say, of course there must be some minimal level of all the necessary qualities to cross the Threshold. Nevertheless, we know well that within each of these qualities lie numerous destructive tendencies capable of turning any one of them into its opposite, of turning a helper into an obstacle on the way of the development of the mind. First a person becomes a Magus, and only afterwards — or rather, continues — to develop the necessary qualities within themselves.
It is no accident that the Western initiatory systems marked the passage of the “First Abyss” — the transition from the human world into the world of Magic — as a completely concrete and obvious action, performed decisively and unambiguously. History knows many defeats of those who, attempting to cross the Abyss but lacking sufficient resolve, “hung” there, getting stuck between worlds for many lives, and turned into a “lost Magus.” You cannot “simulate” the crossing of the Abyss; you cannot “pretend” to be a Magus — to any seer such fraud is obvious.
At the same time, you cannot simply lie on a couch in front of the TV or a game console, decide: “I’ll cross the Abyss and become a Magus.” The crossing itself happens at a supra-conscious level; that is to say — it requires a volitional decision, faith in oneself, and effort, but its most important requirement is readiness.
And when the mind is ready, it performs this act of transcendence much like childbirth — in labour, with effort, but inevitably and unmistakably when the proper time arrives.
Therefore preparatory efforts must be directed precisely at bringing the mind into this state of “readiness to cross.” Usually the source of power for such preparation is an external will — the Master (in the broad sense of the word, not necessarily as a concrete person, but as the sum of events drawn together by the logic of the mind’s development), since to the mind the necessity of preparation is often not evident.
There are many ways of magical “midwifery” intended to ease the crossing. However, for the initiation of the crossing a powerful impulse is required — one sufficient for irreversible changes in the mind, its transformation from a victim’s mindset into a hunter’s mindset. The hunter does not immediately become successful or experienced. But the very difference in how their mind functions is unmistakable. A Magus understands they have nothing to lose, and simply for that reason cannot be a victim.
Transformation occurs when this very Threshold is overcome — the person irreversibly stops seeing themselves as a victim. He may be victorious, he may be defeated, but he is never a victim.
Thus, a person becomes a Magus only when they pass a certain point of no return — the First Abyss. Before that he must build up the intensity of their existence, much as fire is kindled by rubbing sticks together. And at a certain moment, when the tension becomes maximal — a climax occurs: the crossing of the Abyss.
Being “a little for the reds, and a little for the whites” is certainly not possible. And, of course, one cannot be “a little bit of a wizard” (however, one can argue here – there are (and I think there are quite a few) people who, without fundamentally changing their worldview, while remaining otherwise quite ordinary people, cast spells in the evenings in the kitchen to fill their empty wallets, return a runaway husband (wife), or get rid of an annoying neighbor using some “Grandma Matryona’s Conspiracies” – and I admit that sometimes they succeed). Nevertheless, being a bad wizard is quite possible. Just as it is quite possible to fight on a war for the chosen side, yet do it carelessly, hiding during battles in bushes and behind others’ backs.
Wizards are even further from Magic than many ordinary people, and spells, love potions, and celibacy spells not only do not develop awareness, but, on the contrary – trap it in even tighter cages.
That’s true. Rather, it is a destructive path – the destruction of one’s own personality, a slow and often unnoticed death. Magic is a path of self-knowledge and development.
Enmerkar, as I understand it, do you correlate the point of becoming a Wizard with a level corresponding to the Degree of Minor Adept in such orders as the Golden Dawn and A.’.A.’., and the Sephiroth Tiphareth?
Actually, no. I consider the overcoming of the First Abyss to be the achievement of the Candidate degree. The romantic delusion of many magical Schools and Directions lies in the attempt to correlate the human world with Malkuth, and the physical world with Assiah. However, the sad reality is that to enter the Tree of Sephiroth, one must still try hard. Human consciousness in its “ordinary” state is outside the Tree, and our world is below Malkuth (between Malkuth and Nahemoth), and it is precisely Entry into the Tree that presents the first real difficulty, essentially the “Birth in Power.” The achievement of Adeptship is magical maturity.
In general, the seeker after entering Malkuth of the tree of life, after overcoming the First Abyss should look for kindergarten to learn feelings.
A wizard does not always overcome trials with a certain precision, and he stops for a while to think about his actions. He must strive to win and is never a victim – however, this is not the case. First, he is a victim – then a victor…
First of all, a wizard is a warrior on the battlefield.
By definition, he is no longer a victim. There is no way back, and there are few chances for victory ahead.
He does not run away from problems like a victim. He fights a war, purposefully, with an understanding of the matter. He is already hardened by battles.
Any enemy for a warrior is an enemy. Not a predator come to eat you, but that which can be, if not defeated, at least not allowed to rule over you.
Any obstacle is an obstacle, not an insurmountable barrier.
However, out of pride, one can take on more than they can bear..
And again, one should not confuse a wizard with a soldier. It is a warrior stepping into the fray of battles of his own volition.
To perish in battle for the right to live is better than to slowly decay like a useful but perishable resource.
And the matter is not in a romantic halo.
If the impulse for transformation from the consciousness of a victim to the consciousness of a hunter came from “dark energies,” “Grey Forces,” what could that mean and how might it be reflected in the future?
Or the true, non-false impulse for such transformation cannot come from “dark” at all? And the directive to be tougher, more ruthless, to separate from other people and not give in to them, not to be afraid to show one’s immoral (by social standards) sides – may only seem like the “dark side,” but in fact could be quite magical-warrior traits? After all, a Warrior on the battlefield must be able to kill calmly, both literally and figuratively, to be abstracted from the pain of others, at least for the time of battle, like a doctor resetting a painful fracture, being able to achieve his goals no matter what except for his personal code (Rules of the Game)…
In the context of murders. Sorry, Maxim, but… ‘do not fear to express your immoral (by social standards) sides,’ ‘A warrior on the battlefield must be able to kill calmly, both in a literal and figurative sense’—it seems to me that all of this relates to magic as much as those cooks with celibacy wreaths, spells, and love potions. The desire or (especially) the intent to kill someone is all lesser magic. And to realize it is a fall into the abyss. Even the dark aspects within oneself—do not fight them, do not kill them (it’s impossible, even to expel them); rather, learn to cope: to feel it, to see it, to look into its eyes, to observe and not be led around.
Inspires and makes one think, because besides the Warrior, there is also a Contemplator in every person, and besides Battle and Hunting, there is also Inspiration – will the point of no return be something identical for both types of consciousness?
I think that the Warrior and the Contemplator are binaries that need to be neutralized. This is felt especially clearly when there is simultaneously a desire to be a Warrior and a desire to be a Contemplator. By neutralizing within oneself the binary of Apollo and Dionysus, “angel” and “demon,” good and evil, and other similar binaries – consciousness evolves. Something like that…
There is a contradiction observed: the very birth is a terrible struggle not for life, but for death (“…it (consciousness) performs this transcendence just like a child is born – in pain, with effort”);
this is a battle – but there is no orgasm in it – “there is ecstasy in battle and a gloomy abyss on the edge…;
but it is not a moment of highest pleasure, of merging with great forces and the energies of the worlds –
it is not the sweetness of release and the ascension of power – its giving to the worlds. Something is not right here, my lord.
In my opinion, one can only become a magician if one has crossed the boundary separating animal existence from human existence. Since about 90% of bipedal beings inhabiting our planet live only to please their bodies and identify themselves with it, we must understand the difference between a human and a highly organized animal. Unlike an animal, a human must have a well-developed mental body that allows for conscious existence and the development of consciousness. Without the development of the higher mental body, one cannot become a magician – essentially a human. A developed mental body is the synthesizing principle, capable of initiating the harmonization of psychic categories: mysticism, intellect, and will. The harmonization of the threefold complex of these principles is the foundation of eternal life…