Mastery without a Master
Understanding that the personality, formed to maintain a separate perspective under the influence of destructive forces and parasites, has little chance of fulfilling its task — to support the mind — the evolution of the human spirit has found several ways out of this situation.
The First Way — letting go of egoism, letting go of personal identity and the identification of oneself with the “Highest Observer” — Atman, HGA, God, or whatever else it may be called. This Way, traditionally associated with “Eastern” views, leads to peaks of detachment, equanimity and a broader perspective. Mystics who shift the mind’s focus into the infinite and dissolve it there move beyond limited existence, but in doing so — also beyond the stream of manifestations, merging with the world potential.
The Second Way is purifying the personality, transmuting it, removing its destructive elements and building a more integrated, harmonious system. This is the Way of ethical hermeticism, alchemy, martial arts and all other systems of realization. Warriors who follow this Way move toward the highest integration of their psychocosm, its actualization and ordering.
Each of these Ways is, in itself, complete and capable of giving the seeking mind a balanced, fulfilled state that excludes dissatisfaction and suffering — which, broadly speaking, is the main motive for development.
Many seekers, having embarked on one of these Ways, reach heights inaccessible to the ordinary mind, and some even leave the circle of conditioned existence. The diversity of Ways corresponds to the diversity of seekers, and everyone can find a possibility for development that accords with their individuality.
At the same time, there is a considerable category of travellers who walk the edge of these Ways, combining their essential characteristics. The Way of Magic is a movement beyond the limits of the limited personality, accompanied by empowerment, purification, and harmony of that personality.
The Magus sees and understands that he is merely the Great Spirit’s gaze upon its reflection in the ocean of the World Environment. In this “gaze” one can see both Unity and Duality, as well as ways to reconcile that duality. Thus, on the one hand, the Magus does not see “himself” — that is, his individuality does not imply separateness; but on the other hand — the Magus regards the actualization of potentials as his aim — that is, the growth of awareness in his own way, in his unique style.
The Magus cultivates within himself an unbroken sense of connection, of unity with the whole cosmos, while also feeling the evident sense of the “illusoriness” of that cosmos and the mind’s transcendence in relation to it. The Magus sees himself in everything, and at the same time — recognizes the emptiness of existence. The Magus is at once brimful and utterly empty, he is individual and impersonal, his selfhood strives for maximum expression, yet his personality does not seem real to him.
The Magus strives for realization, not because these realizations appear “important” to him, but because such is the nature of the manifested world. The Magus seeks contemplation, not because he wants to “break away” from illusion, but because he feels no kinship with it. The Magus seeks the fulfillment of desires, since this is his Way to transcend desires, yet the Magus does not despise the manifested world, does not regard it as “low” or “erroneous”, perceiving it as a field for self-knowledge.
The Magus strives for mastery, not because being a “master” matters to him, but because any undertaking must be completed, any task finished, and responsibility must be accepted for every achievement. The Magus is immersed in activity, yet completely free both from being consumed by it and from contempt for it; the Magus treats manifested existence with utter seriousness, and at the same time — is entirely beyond it. The Magus is not a function, he is always an agent, and yet the mastery of the Magus is mastery without a master, existence without a separate self, individuality without separateness.
I read the article: immediately a whole bunch of associations, memories, forgotten sensations, experienced glimpses came up. It was like a whole layer of something unmanifested that was still not expressed but was ripening. The Magic of Words, goosebumps 🙂 Thank you!
A true manifesto! And how great that the article finally unites rather than divides approaches. We walk on the edge, and it is very difficult. On such a path, one may fall into one of the extremes. In connection with this, it would be wonderful to write an article ‘on methods of recovery, getting out of extreme states to the middle’.
Hello Enmerkar. How do martial arts lead to realization? After all, it cannot be said that gymnastics or football are realization systems, which means the matter is not at all about developing physical characteristics. You often emphasize in various articles that sexual energy is the substrate for creativity. And that a difference of potential is necessary for creativity itself. But if we consider some mythological images, we can see that the husband of Aphrodite is Ares, and Ishtar is simultaneously the goddess of desire and strife. Surely, this pattern is reflected in other myths as well. And if we recall the cult film ‘Fight Club,’ where the main character, suffering from loneliness, was able to find expression for his passion that tore him apart, preventing him from sleeping, in fights. And it does not matter what this led him to; what matters is the model itself. Do martial arts serve as that means of achieving the necessary difference of potential, avoiding obscuration, and gaining access to already activated creative power?
Hello! Well, firstly, the husband of Aphrodite is Hephaestus; her relationship with Ares is ambiguous and contradictory. Secondly, Ishtar is not such a hostile goddess; her sister is Ereshkigal. Third, when speaking of martial arts as realization systems, two aspects need to be considered, which transform them from sports into a method of evolving consciousness. First – martial arts can be useful as a means of transforming anger (https://en.enmerkar.com/magus-way/transformaciya-gneva-ognennyj-drakon) and thus help transition considerable energy volumes from destructive forms into constructive ones. The second – martial arts can become a tool for total development when they incorporate psychophysical training, and the development of the body as a conductor of consciousness occurs in parallel and harmoniously with the development of consciousness itself. The more harmoniously and balanced this development is, the greater its evolutionary potential.
And what types of martial arts fit this? For example, Tai Chi Chuan or similar styles of Taoist schools like Shou Dao? In the same Taoism, there are many schools whose goals and tasks involve inner alchemy, achieving immortality at various levels of existence, etc.
Are there any offline communities of like-minded individuals on these issues? And how to distinguish them from citizens who unjustifiably consider themselves as such?
“Accidentally” I paid attention to this article and came up with several questions. Here there are two Paths. The first path is straightforward – merge with God, do no harm with one’s existence, truthfully help no one either, simply because we, in theory and in the ideal, do not interact with anyone or anything. And of course, then we cannot be punished for it (it seems that no one punishes for passivity), especially since we blend with God – total submission or identification, after all, God cannot punish Himself. There is nothing to punish and no one to punish. Now the second Path is not so clear-cut. After all, who decides which elements to declare destructive and remove, and which to encourage and integrate? Take martial arts, for instance; someone will say, “better to turn the other cheek,” while someone will decide that it is quite justified to take out the aggressor trying to kill your family. That is, the main question is – who is the Judge? Who will later evaluate and determine whether the elements were correctly selected, and this correctness will be defined from whose perspective? Only from the individual’s point of view? But I don’t really believe in solipsism. Of course, one can say that “Objective Laws” judge and then “the natural course of events” punishes. This can even be conditionally called “God.” And then, perhaps, the individual will decide that he is ready to pay the price for realizing his desires. To a certain extent, this is taking on responsibility. But here arises the greatest difficulty. It is not even about who sets that price, but how to determine that it will undoubtedly be set. At least with some probability, but realistically? For example, a person goes to the distant mountains for something he needs. He understands objectively that he could get injured or die, get stuck, and not be found. But he is willing to take the risk and pay the price for realizing his desire. But the problem is that these are clear and traceable laws throughout life; one can search and find evidence that someone went to the mountains and did not return, etc. And here we encounter the grim reality that the most oppressive laws of consciousness – are not like this!!! For instance, someone says that engaging in magic (any) is a sin and all magicians will go to hell. Wait for the laughter. And how will you prove whether this will happen or not? Or magicians and Buddhists say don’t do this and that (along with different schools defining what is allowed and what is not), because in the next incarnation karma will catch up with you. And Buddhist hells are even scarier than Christian ones. Or you may find yourself in various “realms of retribution”. And who knows this for sure? Well, someone saw visions and recorded them, but what if they were just “merely” conscious dreams? Or trips under something, or even due to some physiological reasons (high in the mountains a lot of DMT is generated in the lungs…)? It turns out that religion and magic are either believed in or not, even concerning the aspect of Tradition. Extrapolations mainly, like “Tradition cures diseases well, thus it speaks the truth about the afterlife.” But that’s crooked logic. In reality, we are all moving blindly somewhere. We make choices purely based on faith and some internal sensations. But who gives them to us? It seems I’m once again arriving at the conclusion that everything is predetermined and controlled by something other than us.
Two more words. It’s just very difficult to fit all thoughts into a short text. And I thank Enmerkar once again for the opportunity to publish some of my reflections here. Speaking of price – another very important point – is not only the reality and probability of it being set but also its volume, in other words, the very price itself. That is, for example, if you want to engage in Vodou Kimbanda, you like it there, etc. But what will happen next? It’s one thing if you might just be born in the next incarnation in Haiti and continue to be a powerful magician, albeit in somewhat worse conditions by European standards. Someone may not even consider it a punishment. It’s another thing if you will be thrown into terrible hells for a billion years, where you will be tormented fully according to Buddhist canons. That means after perhaps several decades of life as you wish and realizing all desires – you will suffer for a billion years. I doubt anyone would willingly go for that, knowing that it will certainly happen. Hence the question – how to know the price? There’s also the question of the reality of this. It’s one matter to philosophize about the subjectivity and objectivity of reality, but very few would continue to assert that reality is ephemeral while physically suffering in this world or elsewhere. Of course, one can recall the Path and say – if this is your Path – follow it, no matter what price you have to pay later. If you cannot help but engage with Magic – live Magic, even if you end up in hell forever. And then everything falls into place with understanding the idea of predetermination. That is, we do not choose the Path; it is already prescribed. Everything within a person will pull him according to some already established program. But then there is no Freedom, nor can there be, yet there is a Path. (Coincidentally, this sounds a lot like ideas from the “alternative matrix scenario”, by the way.) (And the Matrix was written based on ancient Gnostic teachings, by the way.)
Maxim, the right questions. I will answer. .. I skip the paragraph about God; it would take too long. .. “and someone will decide that it is quite justified to take out the aggressor trying to kill your family” .. Not only to take out. But to kill. This is called the reflection of intent. And it is always fully justified. ——— There are Kones. Those present on the Internet are incorrect! These are laws. Kones are deeper. .. According to Kones, almost always, you can determine what is permissible and what is not, who is right and who is not, and why. And who can punish, and who cannot, and whether punishment is possible in this particular instance.
Max, who is stronger is right. Powers are reflections of our desires that provide a choice, but the decision is always ours. Regarding changes and understanding, I usually use such a template: everything is contained in one. Take a person. Each person is an independent flow that determines their fate based on choice, but overall, all people constitute a single flow of the world, the world is a conglomerate of worlds comprising the Sphere, etc. That is, the development of the universe proceeds as a united front, but each component has its individual direction. One depends on the other. Can people’s consciousness influence the consciousness of God? Yes. Can it be said that we are controlled? By ordinary people – yes. The control of mass consciousness is the prerogative of the ruling class striving to maintain power and the stability they need. I cannot say the same about magicians; they see and understand everything and, therefore, are undesirable in their independence. Are there specific laws of the universe that cannot be violated? – there are, and ignorance of them does not exempt from responsibility. In technological worlds – they burn magicians, in magical ones – scientists.
“Max, who is stronger is right.”
..
I know this phrase and often use it myself.
And in many ways – it is indeed so.
..
But if you dig deep – no, it’s not so.
By Kones – just the opposite.
You remain right if you do not violate the Kones.
(Or rather.. there are no such words in the Russian language: follow their natural evolutionary flow – this is close. To violate the Kones is virtually impossible.)
..
And, possessing little strength, you can bend someone who is significantly stronger.
I thank you all for your answers. I’m glad that we are all thinking approximately in the same key. I also thought that personal experience is very important. Personal experience can answer questions that currently seem unsolvable. But how to gain such experience in a relatively controlled environment, and not when you are already carried away and nothing can be stopped? Regarding the “generating energy” by the being itself. I still think that this is not generating “from nothing”, but transformation. (Although it may just be different terminology rather than substance.) That is, a living being is capable of absorbing energy of one kind and producing another, more easily assimilated, so to speak. For example, plants absorb sunlight and transform it into energy of carbohydrates, if put simply. And animals eat this energy, absorbing it through plants and extracting it through digestion and metabolism. And so on. In general, this can be called the ability to extract life energy from the Great Flow of Force (this term is accepted here). The body performs this function. It is impossible without a body. Just as without a body, there is no actual consciousness. But bodies vary. Consciousness is primary, and that is where most attention is directed. However, it is the Body (in one form or another) that ensures Life itself. It also seems to me that in many ways we are cultivated (by someone…) precisely as objects for transformation and conduits (somewhere, to someone…) of energy in a more valuable form than its “raw form”. When I thought about the meaning of life deeply, I understood two things: in this very world, it is impossible to find meaning per se – transcendence is needed; and if it is possible to find anything here “similar to meaning” – it will be the very experience of life (pure experience), its quality and quantity, and only individually evaluated. Whatever a person wants and does – this, in itself, neither the objects acquired, nor even the actions committed, have any value in themselves. Value for him, in fact, is carried – by the experiences he encounters during that. And all the “external” elements – are merely triggers of internal experiences to which individuality ultimately strives. Experiences manifest, for example, as feelings and emotions – and this is, indeed, the energy stream being conducted.
By the way, it is written here https://enmerkar.com/en/personal/pleasure-and-necessity that the experience of pleasure is not the ultimate goal – but merely a signal of “correct” actualization of the potentials of consciousness in existence (perfect actions, obtained effects, etc.). It turns out that all of this has already been written.
“In this very world, it is impossible to find meaning per se” … This world has a specific meaning. The meaning of this world is an Orion colony. … Baphomet (in the interpretation of this blog) is a mythical representation of real “figures”.
By the way, here’s how Enmerkar himself describes something similar https://enmerkar.com/en/myth/the-gloom-of-the-heavens But how possible it is to Liberate oneself from all this – is still not clear. And in this comment of Enmerkar https://enmerkar.com/en/way/power-or-energy I understood under Freedom, in fact, that one must become the Greatest Spirit. And then, of course, solipsism will triumph. Only the Greatest Spirit can be Absolutely Free.
I thought and realized that the Greatest Spirit cannot be absolutely free because even if it is alone and One, it cannot be free from itself. Otherwise, who would support its own life? It seems that Freedom, by definition, can never be absolute and final. But it can infinitely increase like a mathematical function infinitely approaching the axis of a graph without ever reaching it. In fact, this is the very aspiration and activity of the Magician: to increase Power = to expand Awareness (the Vessel) and always increase (ideally – infinitely) Freedom!
“The freedom of one ends where the freedom of another begins”)))
Hello, Maxim. I hope you don’t mind if I share my thoughts that arose from reading your comments. They are not responses to your questions. All the answers are within you.
As we know, every action has a cause and effect. This is the law of karma, which is beyond doubt – if you hit a ball, as a consequence, it will fly (this is not so much karma but physics – “as above, so below”). I believe that something higher can be found in the reflection of what is right under our noses)… The ball will break the neighbor’s window, your parents will deal with angry neighbors and punish you by putting you in a corner, and you will eventually think, “Why do you have such cruel parents and why did they punish you? You were just playing.” This example does not relate personally to you; it merely serves as an illustration. Responsibility manifests in that you can see the consequences of your actions, choosing the optimal option to avoid causing harm to yourself and the people around you, because you should understand that everything has value. Value is not magnitude or measure, like price. It is usefulness. What is useful and what is not? To answer this question, you need to be honest with yourself, not lying to yourself, which means not lying to the external world either. To understand what is beneficial for others, you need to step beyond the limits of your selfish self, and then, if you do harm to another, you will harm yourself. By taking on responsibility, you will know this and foresee it.
But here is the paradox: we can take the effect into our hands, but can we manage the cause? A person went into the mountains (or forest) to a specific place; he wanted to be alone – he thought of the dangers that could arise and chose the optimal option. And then he arrives, but the road to the place he wanted to reach is blocked, and he cannot get through. What a surprise! But our hero does not falter and chooses another option – another place nearby, where access is open. He arrives, and there is a bunch of people – some inadequate company is crawling toward him and bothering him. “Why is this happening?! – this person exclaims. – Why is this?!” What is the cause of this situation? Could the cause be found in his actions? Or perhaps in his thoughts? Or could the cause be that other person who advised him to go there? Or maybe it’s in those people who led the hero to the point where he wanted to be alone? Or perhaps… It seems to me the cause lies somewhere beyond the visible, earthly world (forming a blind spot right under our noses), and as long as we cannot perceive it, know it, comprehend it, any “blind spot” holds power over us. Religion and Magic are not the same thing. However, magic is an ambiguous concept – for some, it’s a way of life, for others, it’s a bunch of rituals. Not the same – other people’s experiences and your own experience. You should align with your own experience, not the experiences of others. Thus, you will know your own myth. For instance, for me, death is accompanied by a profound reassessment of life lived, where understanding and awareness are far greater, while emotions and feelings may not completely transform, forming heavy regrets, guilt, and residual intentions that now cannot be carried out or completed without a body… “the program could not close because there are unresolved tasks; please restart the computer.” Although, there are many questions about why something higher cannot free itself from these attractions if it is higher? Only by wishing and isolating itself. It seems that emotions do not exist in the higher self. It’s probably just a program that requires perfect closure. But that’s not certain! This is my myth, which I am trying to piece together from fragments of experience. I even had the thought to write down what I am certain about. For example, that beyond the physical world, there is something that is inexplicable to me – I am certainly sure. I am certain that ghosts exist – I have seen them, etc. (as I mentioned here before, what is faith for some is knowledge for others). This will allow to expand the focus of attention beyond the physical world and moreover, over time, check by rereading these affirmations – whether they are true or not. If an opinion changes, then it’s from personality; if the surge of the heart and feelings remain unchanged – that is what awaits us beyond. “” “” … We make choices purely based on faith and some internal sensations. But who provides them to us? It seems I am again coming to the realization that everything is predetermined and controlled by something other than us…. “” “” As for the question – by whom or not by me? Of course not by you, not by your self. Even if you look out the window – you will see numerous individuals who influence your personality. And this is only the visible world. In general, I have written a lot – just give me a little room.
Thank you for your attention. I hope my thoughts will help you hear your own answers.
Milita, thank you for your thoughts! “Not the same – the experiences of others versus your experiences. You need to align with your own experience, not the experiences of others. Thus, you will know your myth.” – This is very well said.)
Regarding comments: everything is so fragmented, fragmented, fragmented… ‘A long road in the dunes’…