Imbalance as a Driving Force

While Eastern religious-philosophical systems seek harmony between a person and their surroundings at every moment, the Western tradition insists on the importance of acknowledging the chasm between what is desired and what is achieved.

The Western Magus never sought to idealize himself or to seek positives in every situation; on the contrary, he pursued a sober view of the world, refusing to close his eyes to its faults and contradictions. We have already spoken that the task of the Western Magus was not abstract “self-improvement” but the struggle for the authenticity of his existence, the struggle for his right to realize his will.

From this point of view, the Way of the Magus was never a quest to reduce resistance; on the contrary, it often might seem like «butting one’s head against a wall», yet the desire to be oneself, the affirmation of that selfhood even in defiance of the whole world, has always been a characteristic feature of the Western magical tradition.

Clearly, a person will never fight for what they believe they already have. Therefore, for the Western Way, the paramount task is the awareness of one’s limitations, identifying and overcoming them. It may seem that constant focus on what one lacks can foster an inferiority complex, and that is indeed the case unless we are speaking of magi. But the cornerstone task for the Magus is to confront his limitations and to perceive them not as a cause for regret but as a challenge to be met, as an incentive to action aimed at overcoming those limits.

For the student on the Western Way, the Master’s constant pointing out of shortcomings is an exhausting burden that very few can bear, but it is precisely the Master’s uncompromising stance — his refusal to accept lack of progress as «a small advance», the absence of harmony as «a movement toward happiness», and lack of power as «a manifestation of peacefulness» — that guarantees success.

That is why one of the well-known methods of training on the Western Way is the so-called «driving imbalance». The Master constantly confronts the student with seemingly insurmountable problems, knowing they are beyond him, precisely with the aim of developing the “desire to prevail,” which is forged only in hard struggle. By making no concessions, the Master tempers the student’s spirit, preparing him for real battles in which the stakes are higher than life itself.