Is Return Possible After Departure?
The idea of “departure and return” as a definite stage in the development of the mind has taken firm root in contemporary thought. Departure and return have become the framework for most narratives; the characteristic rhythm of losses and gains is also found across many genres. Motifs connected with departure are woven into works that trace the hero’s “coming into being.” There are many metaphors for the cycle of departure and return. One of the best known is the ascent of a mountain and the subsequent descent. The Seeker climbs the mountain and, from the exalted vantage, gains a new transcendent perspective on life and the world, which he can bring back and share with others. Even the Neoplatonic philosopher of late antiquity, Proclus, wrote of three stages through which the soul passes — abiding, departure, return (monh, proodoq, epistrofh). Paul of Tarsus, a devout Jew who, after withdrawal, became the “apostle to the Gentiles”; Benedict of Nursia, who withdrew from the sinful world to the desert and founded the Benedictine order after his return; Siddhartha Gautama, who brought light to the world after his own awakening; Muhammad, the exile who returned as a Prophet — all of them, it would seem, “left” and “returned.” Notably, it is assumed in these accounts that the same being “leaves” and “returns.”
The magical myth regards the World-process precisely as such a departure of the Absolute from its transcendental being and a “return” in the form of self-recognized Substance. At the same time, nothing within the Absolute itself undergoes change — yet its potentials attain actual existence. Man, as a microcosm, is of course to some extent analogous to the Macrocosm, and the process of the development of his mind at first glance seems to repeat the Absolute’s self-consciousness.
The return, understood in the customary way, like Proclus’s epistrofh, presupposes that the person “brings home” all that they have mastered, learned, and acquired during their departure.
At the same time, it is obvious that in the process of “departure” the person changes, as any complex system does, and the preservation of their self-identity is highly conditional. Yet ordinary life is also filled with changes — so where, then, is the criterion of identity? In the Magical myth, that criterion is the notion of the Way, as the realization of one’s potentials. Only if life is the realization of the being’s potentials in the current situation — that is, following one’s Way — does the development of the microcosm’s mind truly mirror the self-knowledge of the macrocosm. In other words, a person who has found their way and follows it repeats the world process at their level. Needless to say, human life is often very far from this picture. Therefore, from a magical point of view, the personality of the ordinary person is illusory: it is a stream of short-lived “subpersonalities” succeeding one another and bound only by a common source of vitality.
And what, then, of departure? There are several possibilities. Most often (as in the historical examples cited — Moses leaves for the desert as a prince and returns as a Prophet) the “departure” is precisely the taking up of the Way, and the apparent “return” is, in fact, not a return but an entirely new phenomenon: the Moses who came to the Pharaoh from the desert had very little in common with the one who had lived in the palace before.
However, the idea of a “return after departure” conveniently justifies the reverse process — when a person abandons their Way, a loved one, or their native home, driven by a thirst for change, a desire for adventure, or some similar motive, subconsciously believing that they will always be able to “come back.” Yet, as in the previous case, the one who “returns” is not identical to the one who “left,” and therefore what had been one’s own before the “departure” proves foreign after the “return.” Precisely this situation often occurs in the teaching of magic: after a certain time the student frequently becomes so weary of the constant strain the Way demands of them that they decide to “leave.” Usually they assume that, first, by leaving they will rid themselves of the weight and fatigue, and second, they can “return if need be.” In fact, both turn out to be false. Firstly, the person who “returns” to the human world after leaving to study magic is by no means the same person who left; consequently, they find themselves alien in the human world; secondly, the “departure” changes the being of the magus as well (and thus the world of magic becomes foreign to them). It is for this reason that tradition says the entry into the world of magic is irreversible, and the “departed” can never again become human; there is a special term for them: “lost magi.” But a “lost magus” will likewise never be able to become a magus again… You must ask your heart a thousand times whether this is its way before you set out upon it, and two thousand times before you leave it.
The concepts of “lost magician” and “standing on the path” you somehow illuminated contradictorily. There is clearly some “personal” component of yours here)) I would say that a person truly standing on the Path can “leave” as many times as they want, while those who simply stopped by out of curiosity are not on the Path!
Unfortunately, many believe that one can “leave” as many times as one wants… But the thing is, while you can leave – you cannot return.
I don’t quite understand what it means to ‘leave’ magic. After all, a certain level has already been developed – the level of consciousness – and this leaves an imprint on everything, including life in society. And this level will remain because it exists. It has been reached. One can leave school, from the Teacher – and this can be either frivolous or tragic – individually, that is, a physical act. One can decide not to engage – and this will happen on the mental level, but you are already a different person than you were ‘before’, and you will remain him. Or is it not so?
‘Level’ will not go anywhere. But ‘level’ is not only the amount of Force but also its availability, and the refusal to use Force indicates, in a certain sense, its absence.
Thank you for your response. In the article, you provide examples of the ‘departures’ of historical figures. But these ‘departures’ are steps along the way. A departure is just another stage of spiritual development, another form of it, for example. It seems to me that in life, in society – by departing from friends, from loved ones – one can lose them, as you return already as a different person to a different person. But in magic, any departure is the next step on the path. After all, a complex consciousness can no longer be simple, and therefore development will occur. Maybe slower, but inevitably. Or am I mistaken?
The complex cannot become simple. But not every complication is progress. The complex can become discordantly complex, and then its complexity turns from an advantage into a disadvantage.
>”A ‘lost mage’ will never be able to become a Mage again…
So categorical.
But a runaway can change more than once later. And perhaps, the 5th, 6th, or 20th version will find their Path, and it will be the Path of Magic.
Here is the translation to English:
“Force is a holistic concept, and a Mage is someone who understands what it is and uses it consciously. By rejecting the Path, which can be said to be another name for Force, you reject your holistic, MAGICAL connection with the World. And Force is responsibility. Therefore, you are rejecting responsibility for the World. This is a very serious rejection and it doesn’t happen lightly, from the perspective of Spirit. And if it happens, the Spirit changes the task for the former Mage.
‘Doesn’t want to be a Mage? Then let it be recorded.’
And the Spirit records it beyond time and space. That is, forever.
P.S. Thank you for the website. Every time I find those who are moving in the same direction and think the same way, I am very happy.”
A lost mage means that he will not return at all or that he will simply lose his achievements and will have to start from scratch.
It means he lost common ground with the Force.
“Where do the lost wizards go afterwards, and what happens to them?”
Anton, lost wizards are going to the fitness club. Losing common ground with the Force is like learning to speak anew. Or is it really impossible to find common ground again?
Theoretically, anything is possible. But in practice, it turns out that some possibilities are so negligible that they don’t materialize in a statistical sense. A lost magician is unlikely to find within themselves the strength and courage to accept their departure and embark on the complex and dangerous quest to return. Most likely, they will think that “they should have left,” that “this isn’t for them,” or “they were unlucky.” And all these excuses are merely to avoid facing their own weakness.
“A lost wizard is unlikely to find within himself the strength and courage to accept his departure and undertake the complex and dangerous quest for return. Most likely, he will think that ‘he should have left,’ that ‘this is not for him’ or ‘he was unlucky.’ And all these excuses are just to avoid facing his weakness.” Well then, here it is, the black door – “to face one’s weakness.” To shake off the dust from the yellowed pages. And again – on the Path…
So this is the very problem. Acknowledging one’s weakness (not in words or in regrets, but in awareness and actions) requires such strength, the possession of which does not make a wizard lost. A wizard becomes lost when inertia, habits, and a superiority complex make him believe himself a “victim” of circumstances or ill fate, instead of turning his defeat into victory (by extracting the right lessons from it) and continuing to move forward.
Enmerkar, thank you for the Push of strength. A Mage indeed creates points of support for power. These points of support on Earth are in ‘people’. Not having a plot of Earth for his Temple, a Mage is forced to carry it with him. Leaving can be compared to searching for a point of support for the Temple on Earth.
One can leave and then return. I have done this twice. But for every return, one must pay a high price. For each return, I paid with several years of servitude.
Yes, something like that… Starting for the second time is ten times harder than it was the first time((.
Departure and return are an illusion! We think someone leaves because our paths simply diverged. And they converge for the reason that the one who left forgot something on the old straight path.
There is no return in love, just as there is no departure. If you left, then it is not love, but something else, temporary.
In magic, there are no straightforward paths. I am indifferent to religions, so I do not comment on real events.
We are together only for one reason – due to the necessity of common events…
There are no reasons to remain on diverging paths. There are no reasons to seek the lost in the past. Thus, return is not a second attempt; it is movement at a new level!
So, the desired did not work out. Left, became enlightened – returned, tried again – succeeded!
There is not a single entity that does not change with time, including humans!
In our world, it is impossible to return to the past. Past feelings, past merits, past happiness… Time does not give us the opportunity to change something based on the past mode of existence. We can only correctly use the time allocated to us in this world!
For this reason, it is not worth searching for the lost in the past. It has not been lost – it is already part of you and your spiritual structure.
If your paths diverge from something, it means you have already taken everything necessary.
And it does not matter whether memory or nostalgia gnaws at you; time cannot be turned back.
One must learn not to expend the energy given for one life in attempts to turn time back!
This usually yields no results…
Who said that I left? The one for whom it was not on the same path as me at that moment!
Who said that I returned? The one whose path turned to my road and they crossed…
The illusion of leaving and returning implies a meeting with past qualities.
But qualities grow over time. Therefore, one can only return in the dimension of time, but not in our lives!
I do not contest the article; I simply show another facet of events. A perspective of destiny analysis. And in general, what happens is in the plane of the universe’s plan. And it is not for us to change it…
And I believe that the ‘problem of non-return’ has quite objective reasons related to the egregore of the magical line (magical contract) in which the mage has developed. Obviously, the mage’s mentality, formed under the influence of the magical egregore, acquires some properties that will not allow such a straightforward exit. And where would you go? Back into the social contract? Oh, God forbid! 😉
I remember one girl had written: “I am a brahman, temporarily working on the qualities of a kshatriya”)).
To descend into society and develop the necessary qualities, since society is the school of life and its cradle. (And theoretically, you should not perform poorly on the social levels of shudras (workers), vaishyas (merchants), kshatriyas (warriors – rulers), before you reach the level 4.1 – extrasensory perception – an intermediary between the warriors and mages). Or one could do it not by varnas but by chakras – realize and pump everything below the anahata (the anahata also acts as an intermediary chakra))
In the meantime, you can also train your quality of stalking)) But however, an unworked manipura – mother and already laziness, especially when the upper chakras work during sublimation with the lower ones while the lowers relax, then laziness doubles. Just sit and contemplate for the sake of it)))
And it’s better to leave magic for the magical world when you completely let go of the social one.
But this unpleasant affliction when you have cooled towards the social world, while it hasn’t cooled towards you) This is the problem that intersects between ‘transitional’ and ‘lost’ mages, only for ‘transitional’ all paths are open, their power will push them itself, while the latter will get stuck – neither here nor there (like souls tossed about).
I want to correct myself: it’s not that leaving magic is the problem, but what to do next, HOW TO REALIZE YOURSELF? After all, the skills developed in the course of practices within the Line are mostly inapplicable to general human society (excluding the possibility of influence, visions..)
In general, I am only making an assumption, as I have not had such experience yet.
Turbo hacker, nothing prevents you from returning to society with your egregore. The so-called ‘magical lines’ are essentially closed models within themselves. So is human society – a closed model.
The stronger egregore wins.
All opinions on ‘inapplicability’ are contrived.
A human ‘society’ as such currently does not exist. There exists a set of fragmented individuals.
And what does the POWER suggest to you?))) If such a question arose, then you have developed abilities, but haven’t learned to listen to Power and keep your nose to the wind. It would have led you where necessary and suggested what to do. And as for your abilities, they are just a by-product, to be honest)) Today they are needed, and the day after tomorrow they may not be. These are temporary needs which can devalue in the course of development. Just like the need for money. For someone they are the goal of a lifetime, while for someone ‘happiness is not in money.’ And it often happens that the same person thinks like this after internal changes…
Regarding abilities, let me correct. Of course, there are abilities as a ‘by-product’, and there are those that are intended (and they will find application according to the soul, not reason). So listen to yourself. And the work of clearing grains from chaff is the eternal work of a mage.
It’s as if you are asking me to give you a standard cliché answer to the question: How to Realize Oneself?………………..”Do what you will, that is the whole law”…. however, you, as an intelligent and well-read person, probably already know this…………………………………It seems you do not know WHAT exactly you WILL, or your will is radically different from those ‘wills’ that are permitted by the rules of general human society and are therefore hidden in the far corner of consciousness, as impermissible for manifestation…..
If you hear what the tree says, what can be done with it? What desire might there be regarding it, for example? I am asking seriously, I know the answer to the question for myself, but I am curious about how the answers of others look.
To hear what a tree says is the desire regarding it. In my opinion.
This is a somewhat strange example, about the living and goals concerning it. I read in contact that someone pointed out that lions do not eat animals that look them in the eyes. And in Botswana, they paint large eyes on the backs of cows. And lions do not touch them. It’s certainly a strange example regarding the living and the inanimate.
Leaving is a mistake of the mage. Like a defeat. A real defeat, not a game of illusions of ‘left – returned.’ Complete power outage and closure of paths, total knockout, and the higher the mage has climbed, the more painful this knockout is, the more scattered shards remain of his former wholeness. And if for a novice who has taken the path, the path provides something new, for the former mage, rehabilitation will taste bitter. Such a mage will be located not only behind the wall of estrangement but also ‘contract’ and old attractions behind him will remain, while the seal of defeat will attract parasites with a tighter grip. ‘Lost mages’ are not novices; they are cripples of the magical world and the first problem of any cripple is their wounded consciousness…
The second problem is the relationship with the power that is either wasted (on feeding parasites) or, worse, a reverse current of power arises when trying to rise on the path, and old debts are recalled (which the ‘mage’ in such a state still will not be able to repay).
Until the mage restores his integrity of consciousness and power to the level from which he fell, he will not be able to fully embark on the magical path. And for this, he will have to take roundabout ways (of course, within the society), and the attractions to the past magical path may play a cruel joke.
Many ‘Not Lost mages’ are cripples, disabled from childhood, who turn to magic because they cannot otherwise resolve their psychological issues.
It is impossible to get out of the Contract, so it is better not to enter into it when you come. Even if they promise all the blessings of the world.
As for debts) – Avoid Burdening Yourself with Debts.
Tabita, are you talking about ‘escaping into magic’? It is clear that this will not lead to anything good (just like ‘escaping from magic’). Illusions will begin to crumble, and a person will return to society (becoming at least a skeptic, or even begin to view magic negatively).
The example of ‘magical cripples’ is one facet, and I wanted to name the most neglected situation (corresponding experiences). But actually, we are all a little lost)) We are in search. We lose some goals, find others… We reach a threshold and find ourselves stuck with one foot in the past… and now we have to go anew but more consciously… And the past, if you dig into it (including past lives) contains falls and mistakes. Where can we go without them? Only the dead make no mistakes, and even then… even about the dead, I wouldn’t be sure. And this being ‘stuck with one foot here, the other foot there’ can last for many years and incarnations, but they are a stage of formation on the magical path. But once on the magical path, you can’t relax; there is more responsibility, higher tasks, and the danger of falling remains…
Moreover, people with cracks (psychological childhood disabled?) are more inclined to seek other paths than those who remain in harmony (even if it is illusory). If a person is able to solve problems with the help of magic, why not? I am referring specifically to solving problems, not creating additional ones) Adequate people perfectly understand the senselessness of lighting a candle with a flamethrower))
And of course, who do you call psychological disabled from childhood? A 25-year-old person who went to cast a spell just because they aren’t reciprocated or an 8-year-old girl who falls asleep every night in fear because someone is watching her, or who wakes up repeatedly from nightmares fearing that she will not come back next time?
To be honest, I do not even know what that ideal childhood is to not have some problems. And what that ideal childhood is for those who undergo tests of strength…
If we are talking about ‘after a fight, one does not wave their fists’, then I would say about the contract differently: ‘if exit is impossible, better not to enter’))) But in fact, it is possible, at least to change… But the knowledge of these manipulations has not been given to me (just some bits heard on the edge ‘of the ear’…) Although, ‘contracts’ probably can vary too…
In any case, with Contracts and debts, it is better to talk not about avoidance but about expedience and responsibility, only with those who understand; it is useless to talk to those who do not.
How hard it is to express in words
That which cannot be said without words,
And, perhaps, may vanish between us,
Or maybe – the complexity of existence.
A person comes into the world with their inherent qualities, say, genetically determined.
The world, in the face of wise parents, educators, teachers, breaks the person under the rules, accepted in the environment, where they, like a sponge, absorb everything that is given to them. I mean early childhood, when a person is completely helpless and incapable of rebellion and rebellion. Some are very strongly broken; they are literally ‘broken’ at the energetic level. Behavioral models, ways of perception are inscribed in Consciousness (well, let’s say, in the form of neural connections, which are quite difficult to break).
However, aside from the qualities honed in society, a person is a bearer of genetically predetermined qualities.
When a growing individual discovers (if they ever discover) in themselves other “abnormal” qualities and abilities – they discover those other behavioral models and ways of perception and action.
And a Person Acts.
However, their energy structure has already been broken; their desires and goals are largely determined by the kinks registered in the body (at the level of energy flows) – they are also psychological traumas – they are also sustainable chains of neural impulses – they are also skeletons, embedded in unknown places in the dark corners of consciousness, they are also – Unconscious Impressions.
A person, a mage may possess amazing supernatural abilities, but their actions are conditioned by programs, algorithms that were laid down in childhood and hidden from consciousness, from the awareness of what is happening.
For example, one who carries pain inside cannot give the world, people, and themselves anything other than pain. One who cherishes their wounds inside inflicts wounds on those around them outside of themselves and further tears their own.
A mage cannot stop being a mage, but if their mother beat them in childhood, and they did not forgive her, then they will search for women their whole life on whom they will unleash their resentment towards their mother using magical methods, convincing themselves in the process that they are super developing.
A witch cannot stop being a witch, but if she believed her wise educators who instilled in her that she is bad and wrong, if she forced herself to be ‘good’ and not fly on a broomstick but work as a vacuum cleaner sales manager. These damn vacuum cleaners will break from just her touch. She will pay fines and cry about her miserable fate and feel like an outcast until she throws away Everything Unnecessary, sheds all human clothing, saddles her broom and begins to spin the Witch’s Wheel.
That is, the idea I am trying to express is that first, one needs to recover, heal wounds, forgive wrongdoers, understand the true reasons for their own actions, and only then Practice Magic.
It is very, very difficult, firstly, because a person does not understand: what their flaws are, where the root of troubles lies, how to change an ineffective lifestyle.
How to Realize Oneself? – asks the mage – and there are mountains of ready-made answers, but at the same time – there is no answer………
It is impossible to exit from the Contract because upon entering the Contract with beings from other worlds, your energy flows are tied (in the literal sense of the word) to the energy flows of these beings. The Exchange of Energy Signifies Kinship. Energy is like blood………………….Metaphorically – if you once opened the road to demons for them – they will barrel into your life for your entire life and justly (according to the Contract) Demanding from you the Promised Tribute. And if you deign to refuse to pay – you will be drained dry yourself. You will die in general. In exchange for Tribute – beings from other worlds grant earthly benefits and various abilities, for instance, to see the hidden. A contract with beings from other worlds is a lifetime slavery. Generally, it is offered to those who have a little personal power, but do not have sufficient understanding of what awaits them afterward. A Sold Soul is not subject to return or exchange.
Tabita, I agree with you.
Master, tell me. Above, your thoughts, your path, ten years ago. You sometimes find other solutions that describe this stretch of road more accurately or even radically differently? Does it require a revision with new data?
Of course, that happens. But on the topic of this post, my views have not changed)
I did not dare to engage in any public activity, I did not dare to start this blog until I felt that my ideas were sufficiently established and tested by experience. Therefore, perhaps I look at some questions a little differently now, but my worldview at the time I started this blog is practically no different from my conclusions today.