Cold and Emptiness

The sensation of inner cold is surely familiar to everyone. Not merely a physical lack of infrared radiation, but a deep, transcendental cold, when it seems that blocks of ice have lodged in the bones and will never melt.

Heat is usually defined as a measure of the intensity of particle motion. Speaking more generally, it is clear that in order to feel warmth, there must be something to move, and it must actually move. That is, only when there is something inside can there be warmth. At the same time, fullness is not yet a guarantee of warmth, but merely its necessary condition. Conversely, when it is empty inside, there can definitely not be warmth.

For magi and the practice of magic, these considerations have a distinct meaning. It is well known that Power produces warmth and even burning heat. We have already said that this heat can even be traumatic, and we have also discussed the symbolism of fire as the substance from which the bodies of governing spirits are constructed. Fire, in this case, precisely signifies an intensely moving substance. This substance is traditionally called “shamaim“, “flowing fire“. Kabbalah interprets the word “shamaim” (“heaven”) as esh + maim, i.e. fire plus water. They say that God united fire with water, and that became the substance of the heavens.

On the other hand, both an immobile substance and the absence of substance (emptiness) are perceived as cold. What does this mean? Warmth means motion, realization — that is, the process of actualization; cold, on the other hand, means that being is only potential. In other words, the word “warm” means “actual“, while “cold” means “potential“. Since the meaning of the World Process is precisely the actualization of potentials, it is clear that a state of cold is perceived negatively.

For a magus, it is very important to know precisely his spiritual temperature, since it quite accurately reflects the speed of his movement. Moreover, a “decrease” in temperature after performing a ritual indicates a loss of Power, and its “increase” — a gain. At the same time, one must understand that not every gain in Power is positive, since an “increase” in internal “temperature” can also signify an alien intrusion into the magus’s psychic world. Thus, “cooling” should be viewed as unambiguously negative, while “warming” should be analyzed further.

For Magi, both historically and especially today, the tendency toward solitude is common. Its motives are well understood, and we have already discussed them. However, one must remember that solitude does not always mean inner growth; often it means fear of movement, fear of warmth, — a fear of Power.

Let me repeat: emptiness always denotes cold, an absence of motion, while fullness, although it does not guarantee motion, nevertheless gives motion a chance.