The Magus’ Freedom
The supreme, fundamental value for any Magus, as for any other being on the path of effective self-realization, is always freedom.
Let us recall that the Magi call freedom unconditioned choice — that is, a release from chains of cause and effect.
Relative freedom, or degrees of freedom, can be discussed depending on how many external factors determine a choice or a change in the psyche or macrocosm: the fewer such factors there are, the greater the degree of freedom. Yet Magic also speaks of absolute freedom — a complete release from conditioning — and here it certainly converges with Buddhism, which likewise regards as the highest value liberation from the cycle of samsara.
The Magi, by their stated goals, fall into two distinct groups: some strive to accelerate their development, to “force evolution,” raising the level of their Power and thereby increasing their realizational possibilities; others seek an exit beyond the Tree of Life, aiming not merely at development or evolution but at full and instantaneous realization — which is to say, attaining freedom.
The first approach means the steady and effective passage through the stages of evolution — entry into the Tree of Life (overcoming the First Abyss), ascent through the Sefirot, surmounting the Second Abyss, reaching the level of the Most Perfect, and moving on to the next turn of the spiral of development — already as a divinity of creative intelligence. For this the Magus consistently and methodically accomplishes the tasks of each Sephira, awakens the corresponding Powers within himself, and conducts the necessary battles. With each step his awareness increases, possibilities for realization awaken, and the number of binaries to be neutralized grows. In effect, advancement along the Tree is the neutralization of ever more complex and higher binaries, which releases significant energies directed to harmonizing the psyche and macrocosm. At the same time the inertia of this movement increases with every step; it becomes steadily more inexorable, lifting one ever higher, toward new summits of realization and the realization of ever-new potentials. An effective Magus can travel the entire Tree in a single life and ascend to the divine status of a creator, to continue his endless ascent toward the heights of the Great Spirit.
This approach is the sacred and pure embodiment of the cosmos’ original intention: the eradication of consumerism within it and the acceleration of development, self-knowledge, and self-realization in opposition to darkness and filling ever-new potentials with light.
Nevertheless, another approach exists.
Each new stage of development, each new Initiation, brings not only increased Power and expanded awareness, but also an increase in binary tension: the more light the mind receives, the larger the range of potentials it holds, and the greater its interconnections with various objects and phenomena. In other words — the higher one climbs, the greater the Power, but also the greater the responsibility. Just as a climb up the career ladder opens new opportunities while imposing new duties, the evolution of mind leads to an increase in connections, and gods are far less free than humans: they are responsible for greater volumes of energies and for groups of beings.
Yet for a human whose mind stands at the junction between the Descending and Ascending currents, there is the possibility of a “revolutionary” exit beyond causality and the attainment of absolute freedom.
Two mythological models of this exit are widely known — the model of the Buddha and the model of Lucifer. Lucifer — spirit of absolute separateness — rebels against “Providence,” that is, against subjection to the system-forming law of the cosmos; he steps beyond that system, yet by doing so places himself outside the Flow of Power and, having severed himself from the natural and rightful source of his existence, is forced to become a predator, stealing others’ resources to survive. His striving for freedom turns, paradoxically, into complete unfreedom, total dependence and conditionality. The Buddha represents the state when the mind identifies with its source, loses differentiation and merges into the world’s potential fullness — Nirvana. This striving for liberation from suffering also entails liberation from conventional existence.
The Magus who seeks freedom attempts to walk a razor-thin line between these possibilities: he resolutely rejects predation and demonic nature, understanding the limitations of that mode of being, and balances the aspiration toward the Buddha’s integration with love, in which his individuality finds full and final manifestation. In effect, Buddhism describes this state as “the Way of the Bodhisattva,” and the difference, of course, lies only in the direction of movement: toward increased individuality (Magic) or toward increased Totality (Zen). Still, we remember that the Ouroboros always bites its tail…
The most favorable position for the development of Freedom is that of the Lesser Adept — the state of Tiphereth — because this state, the center of the Tree, is the most balanced. At lower levels awareness is still insufficient; ascending higher increases responsibility, and crossing the Abyss makes the evolutionary path almost inevitable.
It is precisely at the level of Tiphereth that the Magus can understand which path is closer to his heart — development and Creativity or Freedom. And accordingly — either begin to broaden his mind while sharpening its individuality or continue the expansion of awareness and the realization of its potentials.
Yes, I was told that the time would come when a mage must choose one side of the Forces for further development or refuse to be a mage. But you are talking about some kind of globalization of consciousness and individuality. Can the process of individuality take place without the process of Creativity and further development?
One way or another, development in any direction is associated with the organization of the sphere of consciousness and the expansion of tangible connections. One could say that the Mag, when choosing between these two paths, is making a choice: seeing the spectrum of possibilities, they can either act (take on responsibility) by adding new connections, or simply observe (register). The concept of predation is somewhat unclear—after all, in any case of development, there is an exchange of energies, which is a form of consumption. If we are talking about some necessary minimum, then the criteria by which we can distinguish survival and development from consumption are also very blurred. For example, assuming that my actions should not cause suffering, it is quite permissible to consume meat. If we look at it honestly, I have no direct relationship to the specific death of a chicken; my individual refusal will not change the demand, and the chicken itself doesn’t particularly care about it anymore.
“So, does it mean that there is no freedom without love?”
An amazing article that clarifies that besides the left-hand path and the right-hand path, there is also the Path… However, you’ll have to dig deeper on your own, as this Path is uncharted unlike the others. Individualism separates, while Love unites – that’s the point… By the way, it’s not really clear how “globalizing one’s consciousness” differs from “continuing the expansion of awareness.”
The expansion of consciousness is an evolutionary path, where consciousness incorporates elements one by one. The revolutionary path is that of direct perception, of direct “grasping of reality,” where the entire picture is visible, albeit without the detailed depiction of individual elements. This is what global consciousness is.
Good day! Happy Belated [greetings]! I often visit your blog, and I find a lot that resonates with my thoughts. Today, I can’t stop smiling all day; the memories are overwhelming. One must not rebel against Providence; even the thought of it shouldn’t be entertained. This understanding, a long time ago, kept me from something bad. Now I have a clearer idea of what that was.
Buddha is indeed a prototype of Lucifer, one of his forms. Interestingly, Buddhist monks describe Buddha’s youth as hedonistic, with loose relations. Additionally, every magician in the world is by default a servant of Moloch (the Devil). This can be denied, but opponents of this truth somehow never provide not only facts but even logical refutations.
Dear, please provide facts about the claim that Buddha is a prototype of Lucifer, as well as about the wizards. IMHO: it is generally inappropriate to compare two religions in the context of who is evil and who is good. Otherwise, one could say that Jesus is Buddha.
I believe that the Buddha cannot be a prototype of Lucifer, if only because the latter appeared before the Buddha.
Hello! What happens to the monad if a magician, following the second path, frees themselves? Do its potentials get realized by other beings?
Hello! The Monad is a potential reality, a way of seeing the Absolute consciousness. Therefore, its potentials can be realized avalanche-like, instantly, in a moment of Liberation, or, as Latin American writers call it—’in the fire from within.’