The Energy of the Way

We have already said repeatedly, in accordance with the Great Arcanum of Magic, all energy of realization available to an embodied being manifests as a quaternary: baraka/dignitas/vod/hamingja, where the first two “raise” the being toward perfection, and the latter two attract resources for this. At the same time, the Great Arcanum reminds us that each of these energies can manifest in an evolutive (“bonus”) and an involutive (“malus”) modification.

The pair of energies that realize the being’s “ascending” activity manifests, respectively, as the ability to do good (baraka) and the ability to perfect oneself (dignitas).

In other words, the extent to which a being harmonizes itself with its surroundings is determined by its baraka, and what conditions it creates for its further development is its dignitas. One can therefore say that baraka is more related to the being’s current embodiment, while dignitas is related to the future fate of the stream of mind that gave rise to it. Therefore “baraka” is called the “energy of mastery,” and dignitas the “energy of dignity,” or, in the Eastern Tradition, “merit.”

The concept of “merit” (Sanskrit puṇya, Tibetan sonam) is a very important notion in Hinduism and, especially, in Buddhism. Before the emergence of Buddhism, the notion of merit was usually used in the context of Brahmanical sacrifice, and it was believed that puṇya acquired as a result of such sacrifice would lead the devotee to a better rebirth. In Buddhism, however, puṇya is usually considered the basis of Buddhist ethics in almost all traditions. From the Buddhist point of view, merit is a “beneficial and protective force that acts over a long period of time” and is the consequence of good deeds performed through actions, words, or thoughts.

Internally, puṇya makes the mind happy and virtuous; externally, favorable circumstances such as long life, health, and wealth, as well as the character and abilities with which someone is born, arise from merits performed in the past (or, conversely, from shortcomings). In its “higher” understanding, puṇya is regarded not merely as good fortune, but as an energy leading to development and, ultimately, to enlightenment, and in this sense it differs from the “ordinary” energy of good deeds (“akuśala”). From this point of view, the function of merit is precisely spiritual perfection, whereas “good karma” simply provides favorable circumstances of embodiment. Since Buddhism considers this perfection to be its very goal, it is clear why the accumulation of puṇya is of such great importance to it. One can say that puṇya is both the cause and the effect of the successful application of the correct method of development, and therefore is one of the two (along with wisdom, jñāna) key energies of enlightenment.

The Buddha described three methods of accumulating merit — giving (dāna), morality (śīla), and understanding (bhāvanāmayā). Since the latter can be achieved in different ways, several more methods were later formulated — veneration, learning, pilgrimage, correcting oneself and others, etc.

It is not hard to see, therefore, puṇya is precisely the energy of the Way’s inertia, which in the West was known as the “energy of dignity,” dignitas (Lat. dignitas). Just as many Buddhist mantras invoke “puṇya,” many Latin prayers and spells invoke “dignitas” (e.g., “Dirigere dignare, Domine Deus, in adiutorium nostrum…”, “Deign to direct, O Lord God, to our aid…”, is, “may we have the energy of dignity to accept this,” in the Ritual of Abramelin).

In Ancient Rome, dignitas was regarded as the sum of personal dignity and the influence that a citizen acquired throughout his life. When assessing a person’s dignitas, factors such as personal reputation, moral standing, and ethical principles are taken into account. Dignitas formed the basis of worth that value was determined, as well as a person’s right to respect and proper treatment. Romans of all classes, and especially nobles from consular families, guarded it closely and jealously protected it. This concept related to their “good name,” past and present reputation, achievements, position, and honor. Many politicians would kill others or commit suicide (as in the famous case of Mark Antony), or go into exile in order to preserve their dignitas.

It is therefore clear that the Hermetic Tradition, even in antiquity, expanded the concept of dignitas and used this term to describe the energy paired with the Magus’s Authority (auctoritas, baraka). And if, in the “social” sense, “dignitas” meant stability of position in “high society,” then in Magic it determines stability on the path of development, the legitimate right to “take one’s place among the worthy.”

We have already said that, in fact, dignitas is a manifestation of the energy of aspiration, the momentum of development accumulated in the course of practice, extending beyond a single embodiment. Just like baraka, dignitas is a natural and lawful consequence of the Way, the basis of its continuation.

At the same time, historically it has turned out that, unlike the Eastern traditions, Hermetic practice is aimed primarily at successful achievements in the current life, and pays less attention to “laying foundations” and “karmic imprints” for the next ones, so the concept of dignitas is often overlooked by practitioners. Nevertheless, it is important to understand that although in the “next” life the stream of mind will manifest as a different personality (or may even fragment into several personalities), the actualization of mind as such must remain its task, and therefore the aspiration for the Way must be established and anchored in the stream of consciousness. Therefore, the accumulation of dignitas should not seem like a “secondary task”; it has universal, not merely individual, implications, and therefore it should be given attention.