The Magus’s Pain
Battle, which is central to the Magus’s existence, inevitably brings wounds and pain, showing that his capacity to feel remains.
Ordinarily people equate pain with suffering.
For the Magus, these concepts differ.
Pain is a sensation — a response to change, a reaction to a change in the internal or external situation.
Suffering is an attitude — viewing change as negative, the result of choosing to perceive such changes as negative.
Even when pain threatens to shut down consciousness, the Magus does not necessarily experience suffering because he can perceive his condition as part of the Way and does not wish to change it. This does not mean that Magi are masochists; it means that they strive to eliminate the unconscious choice of reaction pattern.
Suffering is a broader state (a concept), involving many aspects and causes, one of which may be pain. Not all pain causes suffering, and not all suffering appears as pain or coexists with pain or stems from pain.
Suffering implies experiencing something unpleasant and distressing, involving loss or damage, or the feeling of such loss or damage.
The Magus’s Way is neither unpleasant nor inconvenient, and therefore pain on that Way is not accompanied by suffering in the usual sense.
The cause of pain lies in the imperfection of the world; the cause of suffering, however, lies in the imperfection of the mind.
Suffering is conditioned by a threat to or damage of the integrity of the “I” (“self”); it reflects a dissociation between what the being expects of itself and what its environment reveals about it.
It is obvious that the state of suffering is accompanied by reduced effectiveness, causing energy dispersion, and therefore it benefits predators.
From this it follows that people suffer because they consent to suffer; that is, they choose that path. At the same time the Magus, fighting against the imposition of the victim role on a person, inevitably engages in a struggle with suffering, attempting to change how pain is viewed.
Pain can never be considered desirable, but it is often necessary as a warning of the danger of destruction since pain is the sensation of a threat or of damage to the integrity of the being. It serves as a symptom of a cause that cannot always be immediately discovered. To find it, one often has to look at the situation from a sharper angle.
The Magus falls and feels pain. The Magus loses battles and likewise feels pain. But the Magus’s task is not to allow pain to cloud the mind, not to allow it to force him to lose Power. Control and retreat to negative vision should help him stay afloat even when the pain is unbearable.
Moreover, the Magus, of course, seeks to reduce pain when necessary and does not allow suffering to diminish the effectiveness of his search for Power.
If the key anchor points on which the personal myth of the being is built remain intact, but significant aspects of its existence crumble, the being can find meaning in that destruction, although it will be painful. If, however, an anchor point is destroyed, imbalance arises — suffering — and to find meaning and end suffering one must create a new anchor at a higher level, which requires a certain amount of personal work.
And if pain can be necessary, suffering never is. It should and can be avoided since it is always a step away from Power.
Are all the battles of the magician aimed at achieving pleasure and avoiding suffering?
🙂 Nothing like that. The battles of the magician are aimed at developing awareness and avoiding losses of Power. “Pleasure” is not a word from the Magical myth, it contains very little “sweetness,” but rather sharpness and boiling.
The article is superb.
This phrase is unclear:
“Control and receding to a negative vision should help stay afloat even when the pain is unbearable.” In what way can a negative vision help reduce the intensity of pain?
The intensity of pain – in no way, but negative vision prevents suffering from pain.
Thank you, now it’s clear.
In my opinion, a quote from Castaneda is very fitting: “It is our task, as individual persons, to oppose the forces of our lives. I have told you this countless times; only a warrior can survive. A warrior knows what he is waiting for, and he knows what he is waiting for; and when he waits, he wants nothing, so whatever small thing he receives is more than he can take. If he is hungry, he finds a way, because he is not hungry; if something wounds his body, he finds a way to stop it because he does not suffer from pain. To be hungry or to suffer from pain means that the person has left themselves and is no longer a warrior, and the force of their hunger or pain destroys them.”
So, can suffering be a driving factor on the Path, to create a point of support at a higher level of development?
Where to look for the point of support? In the macrocosm or microcosm?
A point of support should initially be sought in the microcosm. Once the point of support is found in the microcosm, it needs to be manifested, secured in the macrocosm, and allowed to spread. If you use suffering as a driving factor, there is a danger of getting lost in the microcosm. Yes, suffering can be a driving factor on the Path. It is better to follow the path with tradition than to suffer.
Thank you for the brief and complete answer. Just if circumstances have formed in such a way that there is a possibility to use the suddenly arisen state of suffering. Especially since this suffering may continue until the moment when you realize the cause of its appearance in your life. Then it is simply impossible to get lost in the microcosm.
Regarding the movement along the path with tradition, I have some difficulty in wrapping my head around this.
Following a tradition makes it much easier. Especially under guidance. There are ‘signposts’ all around, a loving Teacher nearby, ready to help at any time at the first call, practically.
But when one goes alone, sometimes there may not even be a direction of movement, if they do not establish it themselves. But there are no limitations. The only thing is the awareness that at any moment something may hit you even from what you never suspected, or rather didn’t even think about.
But the main thing here is – there is no limitation by tradition, no relaxation that can be possible with a Teacher. You are fully responsible for yourself and your actions. And this path is not always chosen voluntarily. Often, a teacher is not available or a companion. Sometimes support is offered, seemingly, but then that companion may give you a jolt 🙂
Oh, those are very good places! It means you have relaxed. And that is unacceptable 🙂
I love such places. And this is not masochism. It is the realities of life. You need to remember well where, how, and to what extent, and most importantly, with whom, you can permit yourself to relax.
Therefore, I consider the question of the path with tradition to be quite contentious. As a vector of movement – yes. But in other respects, it is a hindrance. But that’s just my personal opinion.
Suffering itself does not lead anywhere. There is a common belief that suffering ‘cleanses the soul.’ This may be true only insofar as it cleanses from long-term illusions, and that only under the condition of a proper relationship with it. But pain and suffering from pain are not the same thing.
Perhaps suffering from pain is not just a perception of changes as negative. Maybe it is a state of not understanding the reasons for the situation that has arisen, resulting from a misunderstanding of the situation from the outset.
I caught myself thinking that sometimes pain doesn’t bring me suffering. I got scared and decided to search for the word “pain” on the internet. I figured it out, thank you very much. You have no idea how great it is when someone can give you advice. I thought there was something wrong with me.