The Way as a System
From the perspective of Magic, the Way is a set of actions and a particular state in which the mind actualizes its nature, reducing its limitations, and therefore — reducing suffering and increasing freedom. At the same time, the traditional view of the realization of the Monad’s potentials, which make up the fabric of the Way, insists on the extraordinary importance of systemic constructing the Way.
The classical definition states that
“A system is a group of purposefully interacting elements.”
Therefore, the very notion of goal is central and defining in the concept of “system” — the system-forming factor. As we have already discussed, the goal of the Way is the attainment of freedom, and this attainment passes through stages that are valuable not only as means, but also — as ends in themselves. The Way is a melody which, although it has its first and last note, does not sound merely to reach the final chord; it sounds in order to be fully realized. The Way is not a means to attain freedom; the Way is an end in itself, and it is itself freedom. In other words — the Way has an unchanging direction of Power.
It must be understood that the properties of a system are the properties of the whole. No single element possesses them in their entirety. Moreover, the more complex a system is, the harder it is to predict its new — systemic properties. Accordingly, the absence of a system, conversely, turns the Way into a simple set, the sum of its constituent elements, robs it of integrity — and therefore of direction — and, ultimately, deprives it of Power.
Elements not bound by a common axis or system-forming factor do not form stable connections with one another. Only the systemic organization of the Way gives it stability, independence from random fluctuations in force or mood, since any system always resists change and deviation from its axis precisely because its elements are tightly interlinked.
Thus, all elements of the Way are directly or indirectly interconnected, so that changing one element affects all the others. It is precisely this character of the psychocosmos that determines the reconfiguration of Power it produces: as soon as a new element appears in the system, the other elements change in accordance with the new situation, and those changes, in turn, cause changes in that new element. It will begin to respond to this wave of feedback. Consequently, the initial influence returns to the originating element in an already altered form, closing the cycle of Transformation. In other words, by expending Life force to accumulate experience, the psychocosmos constantly adds new elements to the mind, and it is precisely this addition (but only if the structure is systemic) that gives rise to a new surge of Power.
Such a mechanism of balancing feedback guides the Way-system toward its goal precisely as a system, into a state in which the action of the balancing mechanism becomes unnecessary and movement along the Way becomes steady, as it should be — natural and involuntary. Such movement is always aimed at reducing the difference between the desired and the actual state of the mental system. As soon as this difference arises (or is detected), the balancing feedback begins to push the system toward the required state. Moreover, the movement is more intense the greater the gap between desired and actual states. However, such movement is possible only with a systemic organization of the Way.
Mapping the Way, which is so important for the Magus, makes it possible not only to plan the most effective route, but also to understand how harmonious — that is, how systemic — the Way itself is.
At the same time, the reverse is equally true — the absence of a system means the absence of a definite goal, a meaningful axis around which both the psychocosmos and the Way of its development are built.
Despite the obvious importance of a systemic approach, in practice a system is very often substituted by a mere sum of elements. The developing Magus is often insufficiently attentive to the elements he introduces into his Way, and, by disharmonizing, elements alien to one another prevent progress to a new developmental level. The danger of excessive syncretism, so characteristic of the modern world, lies precisely in the frequent neglect of quality (that is, mutual compatibility) of elements in favor of their quantity. It is often assumed that “the more practices, the better.” At the same time, the crucial point should be not quantity but the congruence of the Way’s elements with its whole, and in this regard for the Magus — being matters more than ability.
Thus, entering the Way, the Magus must strive with all his might for systemness — the integrity and structure of his description of the Way (that is, the Myth), the systemic organization of the mind (its integration), the systemic nature of movement (the purity of impulse). Neglecting systemic organization threatens the destruction not only of the Way, but of the Magus’s very being.
It’s interesting, what happens to the system and its parts upon achieving the goal? A system in a state of rest is no longer a system… there should be a regrouping of parts and/or the disintegration of the system as a whole.
The integration of parts occurs, and the system becomes a whole.
A lot has been said in the blog about one’s Path, and I think everyone understands how important it is – but how? I have always had this question. How? Will a teacher come and tell me? A chiromancer, a practitioner, an astrologer… I’ve just heard a lot on this subject from my acquaintances, and each time I would stop them – what do you mean? By what wild law can someone tell you about you?
It’s clear that the foundation of choosing a path is the response in the heart, but sometimes, when differentiating between feelings and emotions, one can get confused and end up going where the ego leads. These thoughts arose from observing the path of one of my friends and from going through the rune Raido.
Here I will express myself somewhat uniquely because, for reasons unknown to me, I can be both my own teacher and student. This division is necessary to look at myself from the outside, as a rule.
In general, Raido unfolded in that an irresistible desire to structure myself emerged, particularly in relation to the magical path. The first thought that appeared was that magic is the contact of the unconscious and consciousness, and I wish to expand and harmonize it. After all, that too is me – there, beyond the boundary. Next, I looked at what happens if I simply do it, how to remove the boundary, so to speak…
There are many examples, and most of them are found in hospitals. Then came the logical conclusion that, for me as consciousness, I still need words and concepts, and logic to describe the forces of the world. Not because the forces need this, but simply because as an embodied person, I certainly can contact a force like Semargl, for example, more than with the very idea of fire. I need descriptions. And a lot depends on descriptions. I understand that Myth is a form of permissibility, a description that actually influences the energy itself. But I needed a myth!
I have conscious goals of individuality, there is the place where I am now, and this strange perspective on consciousness as a tool, so I literally started to choose my worldview and scan myths. And I began to check with my heart. It turned out that the path was already within me. And in those people whose awakening to their path I am now observing. It lived in the form of feelings and signs, in the form of unexpected inclinations and a non-accountable love for certain things, and I actually just hadn’t asked myself such a question and hadn’t looked in that direction.
And it really resembles bread – something you can and want to eat always, without which life feels incomplete. For me, it connects to who I am and what I can always do.
The only thing I want to say is that any embodied being is already a system. Somehow, everything – both familiar and foreign – is intertwined and, though it creaks in different ways, it works. It is within our power to take our heads into our hands and make the system more aligned with itself.
The only thing I see somewhat differently from the author of the blog is regarding the predisposition to magic and some sense of selectivity among magicians (perhaps I simply didn’t grasp the thought correctly). In my view, this is determined by a single factor – the level of awareness, the ability to understand, to be one’s own teacher. And theoretically, each of us is a magician.
Dear Enmerkar, as far as I remember, your own Path also lay somewhere between the Western order-based system and the mysterious natural-pagan community, which had a completely different coordinate system (I won’t even mention that if you quote the Edda in the original – this at least indicates that your synthesis is much greater and deeper than it may seem to be). Was it difficult to ‘gather’ all this into a coherent myth? And how did you manage not to slide into a chaotic eclecticism?
It would also be interesting, if possible, to hear your personal experience – how is it best to map the Path – to make notes, somehow fix observations, creative descriptions, ‘rules of the game’, etc., or to keep everything in memory?
My Path is simply my Path, and my experiences and my ways are my victories and my defeats. Some find it better to memorize, some to write; some feel more connected to air, while others to earth or water. There’s no need to use someone else’s templates; you need to try to create your own.
I will try. Thank you very much for the food for thought)