The Danger of Profanation
We have already discussed that the most effective instruction in Magic is provided by traditional lines and schools. Let us turn our attention to the great danger every seeker on the Way faces — the danger of profanations (from Late Latin profanatio – the desecration of a sanctuary) — distortions of the original understanding of an idea.
It often happens that people who have acquired only a superficial notion of a magical tradition move away from it but, driven by the natural urge to pass on information, begin to teach others.
Such undertrained magicians are traditionally called paffers, “tutors“. The term means that instruction in such cases is like a parrot’s mimicry: the paffer repeats formulas he does not understand and forces the pupil to learn them likewise without understanding. It’s less of a problem if the formulas memorized by the paffer are correct. It often happens that someone who has not undergone traditional training at all begins teaching Magic — for example, someone who has read the works typical of paffers of Dr. G. Encausse (Papus) or the like.
It would seem — what is so dangerous about that?
However, first of all, “misunderstood” Magic does not necessarily mean “ineffective” Magic. There may be results, but they will always be flawed and sometimes unpredictable. And, of course, such outcomes can pose a danger both to the practitioner and to those around them. I have often heard statements such as: “I began practicing Magic, and I had some success, but then my relatives began to fall ill, and I realized that Magic is dangerous and stopped practicing it.” This is a typical example of how profanation exposes those involved to danger.
But there are more serious dangers. Aside from the obvious devaluation of Magic itself by a profane attitude toward it (about which people often speak with bitterness), misunderstanding is dangerous because it halts progress.
It’s far better not to know at all than to know incorrectly. It is well known that unlearning what has been learned wrongly is far more difficult than learning it for the first time. A wrong, profane understanding creates a fixed pattern which is subsequently hard to break. Profanation places an almost insurmountable barrier on the seeker’s Way.
Partly because of this, magical Schools and Lines treat “defectors” — people who practiced “yoga” or “meditation” and then decide to turn to Magic — with great caution. It is likely their magic will remain “yogic magic” or “meditative magic”. The situation is even more difficult when a devotee of Papus and E. Lévi wants to study Magic. He will almost inevitably compare his experiences during training with what is written “in the primary sources”. It goes so far that even authentic Schools and Lines are reinterpreted by profanes who have joined them. Consider the numerous “pagan” currents today that have merged into a chaotic blend of Hinduism, Christianity, and authentic paganism. In this case, the barrier is imposed not only on the individual Way but on an entire movement.
Madame Blavatsky, as I understood, is also here not by chance)).
“I started practicing magic, and I was succeeding, but then my relatives began to get sick.”
Something similar seems to have happened to my uncle; it’s just that he himself suffered first from his attempts. And how does such a side effect happen in detail: due to “holes” in the worldview, due to setbacks? Are there any ways to “cover” relatives?
Of course, profanation is dangerous, but isn’t it better to do it than not at all?
Usually problems arise from not having a clear enough understanding of the nature of the forces that the magician tries to manipulate. However, similar difficulties occur on any other path – if a person who does not know chemistry is allowed into a chemical laboratory, or who does not know microbiology into a bacteriological lab, then he will most likely also encounter problems.
Just like any laboratory, Magic is usually securely locked, and there are always plenty of intruders penetrating it without the necessary preparation.
Consequently, the best protection is understanding. And if there is no understanding or mental abilities do not allow achieving it, then – better “not at all” than “any way.”
In extreme cases, you can accurately follow someone else’s instructions (of course, you also need to find the right instructions, which is not easy) – be a puffer, and the more accurately these instructions are followed, the more accurate and safer the result.
This article hit home for me. I am very interested in Kabbalah and Tarot and have studied under one teacher. She also taught me Tarot magic. I think I know enough about this topic, but every time I want to apply this knowledge in practice, I feel a sense of fear. I begin to think that my knowledge is insufficient and that I may stumble into an area where I am a layman, and I stop. I want to gain more knowledge, but I do not know where. I read a lot, including materials from OTO. But I understand that this is not enough.
Unfortunately, the internet is full of examples of the profanation of Magic, and such things are being taught, and I am surprised at how students still remain in their right mind, for example, mastodons called ‘staves’ created based on the Runes of SF with the addition of the minor runes and glyphs; there are those who wish to apply it to themselves without thinking of the consequences.
Is it possible to protect oneself from this danger by not taking on faith what doesn’t resonate in the soul, what doesn’t easily lie in the head, what is unclear, incomprehensible, not corresponding to your worldview, your experience?
Profanation is a necessary consequence of the concealment of magic. After all, throughout the entire history of humanity up to the last decade, magic has been hidden, and it was simply impossible to find real teachers, let alone magical schools! Furthermore, there have been persecutions against mages – the Inquisition, the Soviet authority, the Abrahamic religions (for example, Islam has a very negative attitude towards mages, even to the point of death). In the West, the most famous figures in the field of magic are those mentioned by the author as puffers; then if we do not trust these characters, then whom to trust, where could people study? Perhaps the mages themselves are to blame for the profanation of magic since they so diligently hid their knowledge that they lost true knowledge and spawned profaners and puffers.
Hello. Can I ask what you understand by ‘yogic magic’ or ‘meditative magic’? Do you consider magic and yoga incompatible because magic achieves realization through the heightening of consciousness, while in yoga, the aim is to achieve maximum stillness of the mind? The same Crowley used yogic practices, so your view on the compatibility of practices is interesting.
Hello. No, I do not consider Magic and yoga ‘incompatible’; I simply think they are not mixable – in the sense that each requires a special state of consciousness. In other words, it is quite possible to perform a series of asanas in the morning and summon a demon in the evening, but summoning a demon while practicing asanas is unlikely to be harmonious.