Insight and Enlightenment
The Way of the Magus is a path of constant increase in the tension of Power. Even when a battle is lost and Power is dissipated, impeccable adherence to one’s Way leads to an increase in the activity of the Power stream — that is, to an increase in its tension.
This means that, regardless of the current level of Power, a Magus’s makeup who follows their Way is continuously reorganized in the direction of harmonization.
At the same time, the system of consciousness constantly moves from one quasi-stationary state to another, and these transitions depend both on the level of Power and on the degree of harmonization of each stage of development.
Meanwhile, in the process of transitioning from one available state of mind to another, the system may pass through states that are still not accessible as stationary states but are accessible as transit states. In other words, a system with a relatively low level of development can temporarily enter states characteristic of more advanced systems.
Subjectively, the mind entering such states is experienced as a sharp leap “upward,” a sudden rise in the level of awareness, and an expansion of perspective that fades over time, and the mind returns to its usual state corresponding to its level of development. Such “leaps” occur especially often under the influence of factors that increase the mobility of the field of consciousness — certain psychotropic substances, hypoxic breathing exercises, trance music, and the like.
Such “moments of elevation” of the mind are usually called “insights.” Insights differ in depth and scope, but their essence is always the same — they are an “anticipation” of evolution.
In fact, the entire Way of the Magus is a path from one insight to another, and the attractiveness of these states can be so great that dependence on them often arises, akin to addiction — dependence on breathing exercises, on meditations, or prayers that enrapture the soul.
In pursuit of insights, a seeker resorts to all manner of contrivances, often mistaking this dependence for the Way and development.
Moreover, regardless of the scale of an insight, the feeling when it passes is often deeply sad.
Even when insights are purely intellectual in nature, they are accompanied by a profound exhilaration of the whole person; precisely to “prolong” the feeling of insight, many traditions and schools recommend writing down discoveries to recreate the leap that seemed to have been made during the insight.
Traditional Western schools of Magic have always regarded insights with considerable caution. In particular, for that reason practices of “altered states of mind” were not held in special esteem there; for the same reason, the druids forbade pupils from recording acquired knowledge — so that returning to the information would not substitute for real development. Only stable changes that produce a real increase in Power were considered valuable.
And such stable changes were reflected in the system of Degrees of Initiation characteristic of Western schools, which marked the major restructurings of a Magus’s makeup that occur upon reaching certain “critical” points in development.
Moreover, from certain stages of development onward, transitions from one degree to another are accompanied by a steady, lasting change in one’s mode of perception, traditionally called “enlightenment.”
Thus, unlike insight, enlightenment is not anticipation but attainment of a particular level of development. The changes that occur in the course of enlightenment are usually irreversible, fundamental, and global.
In fact, enlightenment accompanies the opening of new possibilities, the breakdown of successive perceptual barriers, and the transition to a new evolutionary stage.
Good night! Can initiation occur in dreams?
Theoretically and practically, initiation in a dream is possible. But don’t forget that in dreams there are even more chances of being deceived than in reality. More often in dreams, ‘tests’ are submitted, which, although not an Initiation, allows one to gain some abilities and/or advance one step forward during ‘passing’.
There are several magical dreams that are not forgotten; after them, there is such a feeling of light, joy, strength that even remembering them lifts the mood. Probably, it’s like Flashes of Light.
I imagine a time when paths to the depths of oneself will be clear and accessible to everyone, and Degrees of Initiation will be like transitions from class to class. After all, once literacy was as complex and incomprehensible to the average person, and today children possess it. I was inspired by the film ‘Beautiful Green’, it’s almost about this.
It turns out that in enlightenments there is no point from a practical point of view, other than creating a push for development. But isn’t there a desire after receiving enlightenment to make this state stable, rather than repeating it fleetingly a hundred times? Of course there is. The other question is how to achieve that.
In my experience, insights are useful. They are like steps that open up in front of you. However, people with different perception characteristics need different approaches to these steps. Some soar up them, not looking, and then likewise, not looking, flop back down. And some thoughtfully pause on each step and look down from it. Sometimes, such a perspective can lose the overall view ahead, but in essence, it does not go anywhere. So people with such a characteristic of perception really need to record insights. During mystical experiences they do not soar up the staircase but rather illuminate it with a lantern, essentially not moving forward. And it is in the recording process and numerous returns to the experienced that immediate growth occurs, which may also generate new “flashes”.