Notes on Keeping a Magical Diary Below you will find various authors notes on keeping a magical diary gleaned from the web. I do not own copyright nor claim copyright ownership over the following materia material. l. The follow following ing posts posts are for entert entertainm ainment ent purpo purposes ses only only and copyr copyrigh ightt remains with the original authors. Used under the Fair Use Licence 2!".
Notes On The Magickal Diary #ugust 2$% 2& by 'eter (aughn The practice of keeping a )agickal *iary is as old as dirt. +e can see the old ,rimoires in -ust about any book shoppe% and also online. The fascinating diaries of ohn *ee and /dward 0elly are being re1constructed and the originals are in the British )useum. #leister rowley said that it was far better to fail at a )agickal ceremony than to fail to record it. The magician3s diary is his chief asset. 4ecording what worked% and what didn3t% aids the magician in all future workings. Imagine writing a ritual% and having spectacular results% and then failing to record it. In a year3s time you decide to repeat the 5peration. But you never bothered to record the particulars6 moon phase% weather% your mood% the day and hour of your working% etc. +hat then7 This is the folly of )agick without method. #nd it lowers your )agick to the realm of guesswork. 8our )agickal progress can be best analy9ed through your own )agickal record. :ow else would you see your progress7 )any beginners are overwhelmed at the thought of keeping such a diary. They often ask what is proper to put into it. I always suggest that anything relevant to your +ork and progress. I3ve seen )agickal diaries online that seem to have taken this concept to the e;treme% practically recording each and every bowel movement or else they include any silly% stray thought that enters their minds.
but now I3m not not so sure. But the main thing is to always always keep a record of your )agick. I can go back years and see e;actly what I was up to% and with the wisdom of a little more age% see where I went wrong% and where I went right.
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In my ne;t post% I will take this sub-ect a step further by actually creating a servitor% going through all of the steps that I would use% and showing e;actly how I would add the entry into my )agickal -ournal.
Basics 2: The Magical Diary +ritten by #lan
Thursday% ! )arch 2$
The Point
!?. # means of improving magical methods by acting as a record of e;periments> 2?. # goad to further work @thereAs nothing uite like a blank page to give you a kick up the arse?> C?. # method of integration> D?. The provision of a better record than your memory> E?. The diary renders predilections e;plicit% either as an indicator for specialisation or high time you tried something new. The Practice
!?. ,et a fancy -ournal> 2?. 4ecord your magical activity every day. That means% if you did nothing% write it down C?. Include6 *ate% Time% #ctivity% 4esults and any speculations. Expected results
0eeping a magical diary will make you a better magician for all of the reasons given under AThe 'ointA.
AN OPEN EPIT!E ON T"E MA#I$KA! DIA%& by Frater #chad 5sher opyright opyright @? ornelius 2" @This paper is adapted from series of lessons distributed by the ## titled The )agickal /ssence of #leister rowley% Understanding the Gew #eon through the teachings of the ,reat Beast.? *o what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.1 AL law.1 AL I:40
This article will discuss the first and most important reuirement often overlooked or taken lightly by the average would1be magician. If this practice is
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In my ne;t post% I will take this sub-ect a step further by actually creating a servitor% going through all of the steps that I would use% and showing e;actly how I would add the entry into my )agickal -ournal.
Basics 2: The Magical Diary +ritten by #lan
Thursday% ! )arch 2$
The Point
!?. # means of improving magical methods by acting as a record of e;periments> 2?. # goad to further work @thereAs nothing uite like a blank page to give you a kick up the arse?> C?. # method of integration> D?. The provision of a better record than your memory> E?. The diary renders predilections e;plicit% either as an indicator for specialisation or high time you tried something new. The Practice
!?. ,et a fancy -ournal> 2?. 4ecord your magical activity every day. That means% if you did nothing% write it down C?. Include6 *ate% Time% #ctivity% 4esults and any speculations. Expected results
0eeping a magical diary will make you a better magician for all of the reasons given under AThe 'ointA.
AN OPEN EPIT!E ON T"E MA#I$KA! DIA%& by Frater #chad 5sher opyright opyright @? ornelius 2" @This paper is adapted from series of lessons distributed by the ## titled The )agickal /ssence of #leister rowley% Understanding the Gew #eon through the teachings of the ,reat Beast.? *o what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.1 AL law.1 AL I:40
This article will discuss the first and most important reuirement often overlooked or taken lightly by the average would1be magician. If this practice is
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ignored one borders on very dangerous waters. This is no idle threat. IAm talking about the practice of keeping a )agickal *iary or 4ecord. The latter implies the record of specific magickal working@s? while the diary is a personal overview of oneAs life activities which may% in fact% include magickal records. Like every magickal e;ercise% the theory of this practice is based in simplicity but it is multilayered and includes intricate reasons for the advanced student. I find it tragic that some Aself1helpA books reportedly published by serious students of magick donAt even bother to discuss the )agickal *iary% or they give it such a weak overview that it offers little help for the novice. )ust I remind these authors that it was #leister rowley who said in )agick +ithout Tears that HThe first and absolutely essential task for the #spirant is to write his )agical 4ecord.H @p.D!?
up a copy of #leister rowleyAs novel The *iary of a *rug Fiend. #t the age of D" the ,reat Beast dictated this masterpiece to Leah :irsig% his
Hdevelopment of the )agical record is by far the most important of oneAs weapons. :ow to use the 4ecord is not easy to e;plain> but there is a sort of knack which comes to one suddenly.H @p.C&2? Before such a knack can be understood we must first ask ourselves% on a mundane level% what makes a )agickal *iary stand apart from some plain old daily diary. For starters% some of you may may want to run out and buy one one of those cute little blank books with a picture on the cover or purchase one of those ready1made spiral diaries which have the dates neatly printed at the top of each page. 'lease% donAt. These prefab diaries are limiting and e;tremely restrictive% remember Liber #L vel Legis warns us that the only sin is restriction. @#L I6D!?
4emember% youAre a scientist and although a note pad% bound or not% is always a good idea for immediate thoughts% it is not your final )agickal *iary. #s for myself% during the course of every day I am continually -otting down what occurs on my note pad for convenience. Later% everything which IAve written down is transferred into a final record. It is my suggestion that one uses a specific time of the day set aside for -ust such a task. I usually begin my day by writing out yesterdayAs events from my notes while they are still fresh in my mind. This allows me to reflect upon yesterday in order to fulfill today. 5ccasionally% during the day itself% I am given the lu;ury of typing out my record but usually I limit such to events which reuire immediate attention due to a conversation% an event or% especially% the emotional mood of the moment. # computer can be used to keep an on1going log% day by day. This is far easier. :owever% be sure you have a back1 up disk in case an AelementalA tampers with the hard drive. 8ou might laugh at this thought but% years back% when I was first beginning my workings% my own handwritten diary was messed with on a few occasions while being under lock and key. Things were drawn and scribbled across
but there is no easy answer to this uestion. an we tell a botanist to use the same format as that of a brain surgeon in labeling flowers and plants7 5f course not. Go two records will ever be the same because no two needs are alike. 8ou must determine what is reuired for yourself.
your )agickal *iary. If something went well% acknowledge it. If it didnAt and was a failure% tear your soul as to why and learn to correct it. *o not create phantoms in this book. 8es% the world is your playground to do with as you want in order for your spirit to gain e;perience. :owever% it is important to acknowledge that there is a time and place for everything. There must be some place where honesty prevails to the utmost. The )agickal *iary is this place. #lthough most beginners are unaware of how it works% the diary reflects a discourse which is being established between the mundane% your spirit and your :oly ,uardian #ngel. 5nly with time will you understand how it works. *o not take it lightly. Furthermore% nothing will lead to the destruction of a magician uicker% when reaching the threshold of the #byss% than if he or she laid a foundation based on deceit and lies.
to bloom in order to fulfill such written aspirations7 ItAs uite simple 11 phantoms breed more phantoms% which are inevitably the food of horon9on upon reaching the
paper. For now% let me e;plain one way a beginner can use the )agickal *iary in relation to this ritual. 'erform and record your doing Liber 4esh% letAs say% for a reuired test period of a month. #t the end of this period you should make a count of the e;act number of times which you have done each adoration. If youAre normal there will always be one adoration which you do the most and one the least. +ith time and practice this unbalanced uality must be overcome by doing that which you have lacked the most. Liber 4esh opens an internal door and I canAt stress enough that it is mandatory for a student to learn the proper proportions. The door should be of eual sides% not lop1sided. # distorted image draws down unbalanced ualities and% remember% any unbalanced uality in your psyche can become a very dangerous obsession. It is this reason that recording and reviewing the uantity of each 4esh is very important. The door which opens is like a flower slowly blooming in the )uladhara hakra. Its petals should be radiant and of eual si9e to enable the current or tides to flow unhampered within% regardless if a ritual you are planning taps into only one particular elemental tide. The purity of the overall current is mandatory even
4esh into a suare. LetAs say each ten days reflects one inch. If the month had thirty days and you did the #ir adoration a full C times% the Fire 2% the +ater 2E and the /arth adoration only ! you would only be able to draw a bo; CH ; 2H ; 2 !=2H ; !H ... hardly a balanced four1fold door in your psychic anatomy. 4emember% the number
Binah @)other? on the Tree of Life. In most renditions of this Tarot card there is a depiction of a flowing stream. This symboli9es not only the four1fold tides or Life1 force% but also the basic stream of unconsciousness which is found in all of humanity. If the stream is unbalanced it cannot flow evenly. # blockage will occur in your psyche% obsession is easy at this point and it usually occurs in the direction of the strongest element or impression put into the stream. It is very important that we allow the stream to flow unhampered so that the impressions or images put there by an entity% like oneAs own :oly ,uardian #ngel% can be clear and pure. 5therwise instead of being a vehicle for the communications% or descending ,nosis% we tend to interfere with such on an almost unconscious level% often becoming obsessed by the communicated imagery without even knowing it. #leister rowley warns us in The Book of Lies that Hno impression must be allowed to dominate you% only to fructify you> -ust as the artist% seeing an ob-ect% does not worship it% but breeds a masterpiece from it. @p.!? IAd like to uote a chapter from #leister rowleyAs The Book of Lies which refers to the mysteries of the Tarot card of The /mpress% even if some of my critics state that it will go over the head of most of my readers.
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'()*+, $OMMENTA%& .-/
PEA$"E
Daleth is the Empress of the Tarot, the to Thee is the fruit
The chapter is a counsel to accept all impressions" it is the formula of the Be thou the Bride> thou shalt be the #carlet $oman" %ut no impression must )other hereafter. %e allo&ed to dominate you, only to fructify you" 'ust as the artist, seeing an To all impressions thus. Let them not o%'ect, does not &orship it, %ut %reeds a overcome thee> yet let them breed within masterpiece from it! This process is thee. The least of the impressions% come e(hi%ited as one aspect of the )reat to its perfections is 'an. $or*! The last t&o paragraphs may ha+e some reference to the -th Aethyr .see 4eceive a thousand lovers> thou shalt bear The Vision and The Voice/! but 5ne hild. This child shall be the heir of Fate the Father. http6==www.bibliotecapleyades.net=crowley=lies=$.htm IAm not going into all the se;ual innuendoes regarding how peaches refers to the vagina% Hsoft and hollow%H overcoming the AhardA because this chapter in Lies might be far too difficult for the novice to understand but% never1the1less% I made the above reference for those few who might read between the lines and grasp further insight on all levels. The average person might simply be asking% H:ow can we avoid becoming dominated by an impression which flows through us7H I can only say that this is difficult to e;plain because% to the average reader% this might imply that one is manipulating the communications. This is not true. The AtamperingA usually takes place deep in the subconscious or within the flow of the tides. +e must learn to keep these tides moving in a balanced order. By doing this we can rule out a personAs psyche effecting the impression. #n unbalanced door symboli9es a stream moving in torrents% chaotically and uncontrolled through our system% while a four1fold door tells us the tides are moving perfectly in harmony. If everything is running smoothly the images placed into the waters by oneAs :,# flow through us. ItAs that simple. If you find that there is one tide which you perform or acknowledge more than the others then it reflects the widest opening by which a particular current can move in abundance. #s an e;ample% let us say itAs the #ir tide. /ven if the #ir tide is what you have decided to utili9e in a given elemental ritual there is great% great danger if you continue. 8ou need the other three elemental ualities% in eual uantity% to flow through you to balance the #ir impressions being received. +ithout them obsession is almost certainly guaranteed.
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#fter writing the above paragraph I reali9e that I need to elaborate the last few lines because I can see some idiotAs mind grinding its wheels right now over the possibility that IAve given them an easy way out. Let me e;plain clearly. If youAre doing a group ritual and you review the records of everyone who is going to be involved in an elemental or magickal working and find that% due to the lack of a specific adoration% none of them are completely compatible with the ritual youAre planning% do not rewrite it to fit the incompetence of the whole. 8ouAre only asking for trouble. *iscovering the AstrongestA tide is not the reason for reviewing the uantity of times that individuals do the adorations. 8ouAre suppose to be looking for a balanced% even flow of elemental currents within the people who are involved in the ritual. onsider yourself a scientist. If youAve set out to accomplish a specific goal and find that the staff around you is not ualified% you fire them and hire people who are. Friendship has no place in a temple% especially if theyAre not committed to the ritual at hand by laying the appropriate foundation. Ideally the door% like the flower blooming in the )uladhara hakra% should be perfectly balanced within each person in the ritual chamber% even those who are only there as witnesses. #fter all% this is not a spectator sport. /veryone present can and does effect the outcome of the ritual. If people arenAt committed enough to do Liber 4esh then they shouldnAt be involved in oneAs
paper distributed within #leister rowleyAs 5rdo Templi 5rientis states that Hthe greatest tool a magician has to aid him in his noble uest for attainment is his own )agical *iaries.H @The )agical *iary% The )inerval 5bligations% Lesson 5ne @onnecticut6 Brocken )ountain Lodge 5T5% !$?% p. !.? This is% of course% true. The paper continues to e;plain that all individuals who -oin the order by taking the first step of )inerval Initiation are obligated to begin keeping such a record. That was then. Today the fraternity has tragically dropped its magickal repertoire and no longer reuires any obligations from one degree to another. #lthough% in all fairness% it hasnAt discouraged such practices. This same unpublished 5T5 paper acknowledges that to Hunderstand why this *iary is important% think of it as an intricate chart which has the capability of guiding an Initiate in any direction% or path which he chooses. +ithout this guide most path1finders perish in the vast wilderness of their own minds. Thus the more in depth an Initiate goes is to his own benefit. For it will enable him to venture deeper in an understanding of his own inner being. # shallow )agical *iary with few entries symboli9es the same achievement in reality. It also symboli9es the depth which he has sunk in his efforts to penetrate the very core of his soul in his pursuits of his True +ill.H @Ibid.% p. C.? +hat the author implies is that you must include as much data as possible% leaving very little out. /;actly what to include would be determined by the individual and the ritual itself% although the golden rule here is that more is
4emember% if scientists do not keep a record then their Aalleged accomplishmentsA are never taken seriously. This same attitude should be e;tended toward any Thelemite who likewise doesnAt keep a )agickal *iary. If they claim any lofty accomplishment% especially magickal degrees% and have no record to show for it% then take everything they say as being suspect of deceit. I have vivid memories of ,rady )c)urtry -oking $
that those of the Black Brotherhood never keep records% nor commit into writing their accomplishment% out of fear that such would e;pose them for what they truly are. #ccording to them% youAre simply suppose to Aaccept their +ordA as to their greatness. I agree with rowley that this is one of the reasons why the :ermetic 5rder of the ,olden *awn failed. It embraced the Black Brotherhood and allowed its membership to claim degrees without accomplishing the simplest of obligations% as for e;ample the )agickal *iary. For any real magician it is important to reali9e that you must lay an appropriate foundation. I can not stress it strongly enough% #leister rowley tells us that the first and absolutely essential task for all students is to keep a )agical
rowley makes another important point. :e warns the student in Book Four that Hthere are very great difficulties to be overcome in the training of the mind. 'erhaps the greatest is forgetfulness% which is probably the worst form of what the Buddhists call ignorance.
*iary. If you are truly a Gew #eonic pathfinder who en-oys sailing off into uncharted waters% you will inevitably hear the terms Hobsession and possessionH being thrown around. )adness is real for anyone who plays in the astral waters of their mind. It should not be taken as an idle threat. :owever% on the most mundane level% if every early e;plorer listened to the fears of their times11that the /arth was flat% or that monsters lived in the deep who sought to devour their ships11we would still be living in the *ark #ges. 8es it is true% many early e;plorers lost their sanity and their lives as they forged their way into the unknown parts of our globe. :owever% those who followed used the maps and diaries of earlier e;plorers so that they might continue even further. This general statement is important to understand. Go matter if youAre an e;plorer of
records% youAre doomed to repeat the same errors. If errors become apparent% study them and determine what is reuired to overcome these problems blocking
students of #leister rowleyAs teachings are well aware. I donAt feel the need to detail how to use your magical record to achieve this% e;cept again uoting rowleyA )agick +ithout Tears% HThe construction of this 4ecord ... leads to the acuisition of the )agical )emory1the memory of your previous incarnations.H @p. D!.? The Beast has written much on this topic and students wishing to learn more can easily find further data if they look. #s IAve said% this practice is for the more advanced student who has kept damn good diaries for many years and who knows the correct way to AbeginA. In this article we are not concerned with this type of AbeginningA because it reuires more thought than the average person can handle and is usually something
e;pect. I have given you only a brief over1view. The bottom line is that% regardless of oneAs e;periments% a shabby record offers little help if such is reuired. I can not stress enough the need of creating an accurate and in1depth record of any magickal working% especially into
time youAll obtain a knack on how to use your )agical *iary. This knack becomes apparent in your relationship with your :oly ,uardian #ngel. If rituals like Liber 4esh vel :elios% the Banishings and +ill are performed over a period of time% your record will begin to speak to you in a fashion that only you will understand. This only occurs through the descent of ,nosis and reuires the perfect recollection of thought. 4emember% keeping your )agickal *iary trains you in this particular ability% even though youAll probably be unaware of it when you begin. This process takes time. 8ou can not start a diary today and e;pect results in a week. :owever% once you start obtaining Inner 0nowledge youAll become driven to pursue
0%OM M& MA#I$A! DIA%& By DeShaun Johnson (Frater E.L.O.)
Introduction: I was a skinny kid brought up by my mother. I never knew my father. When I started school, I was so small that the administrators wanted to hold me back a year. But my mother wouldn't hear of it. So within the first few weeks, I was made fun of by the bigger kids at school. I told my mother and she said that I had to stand up for myself. "esus helps those who helps themselves," she used to say. !hen she'd break up in laughter because she knew that wasn't correct nglish. She wasn't making fun of those who didn't know better, but of those who choose to speak incorrectly #ust to be accepted by some in the $merican%$frican community. She refused to call herself an $frican&$merican, saying she was an $merican first and then honored her $frican heritage. She insisted I learn to read and write nglish properly, and that was one of the few classes where I always got $'s. She was a devout hristian, too, and brought me up that way. $s I got older, the insults from bigger kids started to change to beatings. I was approached by some members of a gang (I won't say which one, but the name of the gang is associated with the name of a street). !hey said that if I #oined, they could protect me. I talked to my mother about it and I thought her head was going to e*plode+ She took me to church and we prayed about it for hours. !he ne*t day she picked me up after school and took me to a do#o to learn arate. Within si* months, the big kids didn't pick on me any more. By the time I was in high school, I was considered a "weird loner." I wasn't part of a gang. I was too small for any sports. I wasn't interested in any of the school clubs. I studied hristianity and always had a Bible with me. If you're wondering, as long as I didn't bring it out in any class and didn't try to share it with anyone, the school administrators left me alone. In high school I became friends with another "weird loner," urtis. -e insisted that people call him "huku." I asked him what that was all about and he said he'd tell me all about it after school. ater that day he revealed that "huku" was the name of the supreme god of the Ibo people. !he Ibo came from an area of $frica that is now in /igeria. "huku," he e*plained, "is like the 0ather part of the hristian trinity. verything good comes from huku. -e created the universe and brings the rains that allow the plants to grow. $nd #ust as esus is the Son of 1od, huku has the Sun for his symbol, and the Sun "dies" each year at the winter solstice and is born again to bring the sunlight and rain." I was in shock. "That's not Christianity. That's a!anis. That's Satanis. That's evil ." huku laughed aloud. "2eah, I know. !hat's what everyone says. But i t's not true. et me tell you about what I believe. !hen you tell me if you think it's !
evil." So, he shared what he believed and the practices he followed. $lthough it wasn't what I believed or did, it didn't sound evil to me. "Some people call me a Wiccan or a Witch," he said. "2ou'll have to make up your own mind if that's evil." I was really mi*ed up. What he said sounded fine, but I had learned about the evils of 3aganism and the occult. -e gave me some books to read about Wicca and the religion of the Ibo. What I read sounded okay to me, but my upbringing kept me from adopting either. I was, and am, a hristian. uriously, these books on Witchcraft and the Ibo also described some things about mysticism and spirituality that were related to hristianity. !his surprised me, as I had never heard anything about this stuff. I started to study it, and a year ago, on the day I graduated from high school, I vowed to myself that I would become a hristian eremonial magician. 4y mother doesn't make a lot of money and I only have a part&time #ob while I attend ity ollege. !hat means I don't have a lot of free time, but I am still working on my magical studies. But it's slow, and I don't have anyone to work with or help me, so I'm stuck working e*clusively through books. 5ne of the things I read about is keeping a magical diary. I've been keeping one since I took my personal vow. Below is a summary of certain aspects of several months worth of diary entries. I've added some references to help people follow along.
THE ADORATIONS I started doing the 0our $dorations, which are related to the movement of the Sun. -owever, I didn't like all of the references to gyptian gods, so I changed them to esus at sunrise (being born again), ehovah at noon, esus again at sunset (-e "dies" so -e can be born again at sunrise), and the -oly Spirit at midnight. THE LESSER BANISHING RITUAL OF THE ENTAGRAM I was able to use this ritual with no changes. It only took me a week to memori6e it, but it took me a month to be able to really do it. I practiced it morning and night. 0or a time I did a esser Invoking 7itual of the 3entagram ritual in the morning and the Banishing at night, but I didn't notice any difference in my life, so I went back to #ust the esser Banishing 7itual of the 3entagram morning and night. By the end of four months of twice&daily practice, this ritual really si66led. !he pentagrams were bright blue and when I did the ritual in a candlelit room, there would be a faint bluish glow everywhere. I felt stronger and for some reason, I would stand a bit taller. !!
!here are some guys in the neighborhood, big guys with lots of rock&hard muscles, who are not good to mess with. verybody walking down the street would give them lots of room. 7ecently, they have started crossing the street to avoid being on the same sidewalk as me. I tried not doing the B73 for a couple of weeks and they treated me like everyone else. Within two weeks after I started it again, they were going to the other side of the street when I walked by. It was proof enough for me that the ritual had something to do with it. $fter si* months or so doing the B73, I felt filled with power and energy. $nd that was the problem. Where do I go from here8 What do I do with it8 $fter looking at a couple of web sites, it seemed like the ne*t thing I should learn was the 4iddle 3illar 7itual. 0rom the instructions I found on the internet, it seemed easy, but I didn't feel like anything was happening. So I went to the bookstore and got a copy of the book, The #idd$e i$$ar by Israel 7egardie. BOO! RE"IE# I was surprised to see an entire 9::&page book dedicated to one ritual. $s I went through the book, I discovered that it is actually two books. /ew in this edition is a book by hic icero and Sandra !abatha icero called The Ba$ance Bet%een #ind and #a!ic. !his makes sense, because much of 7egardie's original book focused on psychology. !he icero's also added lots of notes for each of the chapters in 7egardie's original te*t, so this edition is probably the best. !he key to this book is the order of basic magical ritual given on page ;:< =. !he >abalistic ross. ?. !he esser Banishing ritual of the 3entagram. 9. !he 0ormulation of the 4iddle 3illar and the !ree of ife in the Sphere of Sensation. ;. !he 4ethods of ircumambulation, and the @ibratory 0ormula of the 4iddle 3illar. A. eremonial 4agic. It is my hope that this book will enable me to do the final three steps as I already do steps one and two. LEARNING THE MIDDLE ILLAR 7egardie writes (p. C) that it his "confirmed belief that several weeks at the very least of patient application to the esser Banishing 7itual of the 3entagram should precede any effort to perform the 4iddle 3illar. 0or one thing, it will have trained the student in several little tricks of routine and magical techniDues Duite apart from the intrinsic virtues of the e*ercise, which is to purify and cleanse the entire sphere of personality to the end that the !2
higher self may manifest through a purified body and mind. If the e*ercise has been labored at for two or three months, performing it two or three ti mes during the course of each day, the student will approach the further stages of magic well&prepared, Duite able to cope with and accommodate the increased vitality and power which will pour through him." $lthough I had already been doing this ritual for several months, I rededicated myself to it and started doing it three times a day. I was e*cited to read (p. E:) 7egardie's opinion that, "the e*ercise described as the 4iddle 3illar is the groundwork of all actual developmental work. It is a process that is the basis of magic. !hat this has been but seldom reali6ed is obviously at the root of the futile attempts to do ceremonial and perform ritual, of which the general public hears every now and again. ven students of magic of many years standing have been guilty of negligence in this respect, and also in failing to recommend it to their successors." $s I understand it, the basics of this ritual are simple. It works with the famous >abalistic diagram known as the !ree of ife. !he thing is, the !ree of ife is not #ust a picture, it also really e*ists within our auras. By energi6ing the central column of the !ree of ife (which eDuates, in part, with the spine), we can bring a tremendous influ* of balanced energy into ourselves. !his we can use to energi6e all parts of our being (the "circumambulation" he described, although the iceros, in a footnote, say it would be more correct to call it the "circulation" of energy Fp. ;G) as well as direct it outside of us (do magic). /ot long ago I saw a movie on !@ called "!he 1ate." It's about some kids who muddle through some sort of magical ritual and end up opening up a "gate" to another dimension filled with demons and such. Well, it's clear that this doesn't happen. !hat's good, because if it did, everybody would be causing trouble doing magic. In reality, to do magic reDuires preparation, practice, and understanding. $nd that's what most of !he 4iddle 3illar is all about. !he actual ritual itself is fully described on pages E?HE9. 0or my use, I have listed the instructions from the book in a numeric format< =. "Stand upright, hands to side, eyes closed, breath being inhaled and e*pired steadily. $bove all the mind should be Duiet, calm, and still." ?. !ransfer your attention to the region immediately above the crown of the head where you should "endeavor to visuali6e a sphere of white brilliance...et it be regarded with a certain sense of devotion, and contemplated as being the spatial correlative or correspondence of the vital core of..." your being. 9. "!his devotional attitude should enliven it considerably, and the sense of light and power, the first avenues of sense by which this higher phase of consciousness may be grasped, should increase wholly beyond anticipation."
!C
;. $t this point you should "vibrate three or four times, slowly, the name heieh. !his is a -ebrew divine name meaning 'I am' (or more accurately 'I will be') a statement which in reality is all that one can truthfully say of the self." A. Steadfast in the contemplation of this source of power and enlightenment, you "should endeavor to feel that an all&penetrant beam of brilliance is emitted downwards towards the nape of the neck. -ere it widens, e*panding to form a brilliant center similar to, though smaller in diameter than, that above the head. $pplying the same vibratory techniDue here Fto the name,2e&hoh&voh &loh&heem, you willG... again feel the radiation of power and vitality. So marked and powerful should this become at this #uncture that even in the palms" of the hand will this be felt. . !his pattern is continued with the heart (2e&hoh&voh l&oah ve&a&ath), the groin (Shah&dai l hai), and the feet ($h&doh&nai ha&$h&ret6). "!his very briefly is the techniDue. ittle can be said which the 6ealous student will not be able to discover through application to it. If the student spends about five minutes in the contemplation of each Sephira on the middle column, the e*ercise will take appro*imately twenty&five minutes to half an hour. $nd surely there is no one so busy today who cannot devote at least one half hour a day to the task of self&mastery, to the cultivation of spiritual insight, and in the Duest of his For herG own divine nature." I7J$!I/1 !- I1-! 0rom what I've seen on the internet, many people think that this is the end of it. But in chapter five of !he 4iddle 3illar, 7egardie goes on to discuss doing something with the energy you have raised and placed into the power centers associated with the spine%4iddle 3illar. 7egardie writes on page K< "-aving been awakened from latency into some degree of activity, i t is necessary that the power that the centers generate should be circulated through the invisible or psychic system. 0ailure to do this is, in my estimation, one of the most potent sources of nervous trouble and disturbance e*perienced by dabblers in occultism, who have e*perimented with various amateur or incompletely delineated methods of awakening the psychic centers. !he energy thus awakened streams back and forth from the center. But unless some method is devised for distributing it and thus relieving the pressure, the center itself will in the course of time suffer derangement through over stimulus, and there is bound to ensue some serious disturbance to the nervous and psychic system... "With every one of the five centers active and throwing power into the mind and body, and there is a clear awareness of an actual column e*tending interiorly from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet, an entirely different techniDue must now be pursued." 0ollowing are my interpretation of the instructions< !D
=. 0ocus once again on the area above the head which should be like a lamp of invisible light. ?. !he energy from it passes down the head to the left shoulder, down the left side of the body to the sole of the left foot, across to the right sole and up the right side of the body to the shoulder and eventually back to the energy center above the head. 9. 7epeat this several times. ;. 7epeat this process, only allow the energy to go down the front of the face, down the front of the body, under the soles of the feet and up the back to the top energy center. A. 7epeat this several times. . /ote that these should have "produced wheels of power spinning around the periphery of the aura or sphere of sensation at right angles, as it were." (p. KE) E. 0ocus in the energy center at the feet. /ote its "inherent power of stability and eDuilibrium and fertility." (p. KK) K. 0eel the energy wind up around you in tight spirals like the "act of swathing or bandaging a leg" (p. KK) only do it for the entire body. !he bandage should be of pure white light. ontinue upward until it reaches the energy center at the top of your head. M$ RESULTS I have been practicing these techniDues completely, now, for a couple of months. !he results have been, to say the least, Duite phenomenal. I feel the energy growing and surging around me. Sometimes, the room seems to glow with a faint, bluish color. When it is going really strongly, my head sometimes feels like it might e*plode with all of the energy. When I finish, my body feels like it is tingling or shivering. !his sometimes lasts for hours. M$ %UESTIONS !his leaves me with a bunch of Duestions< =. $m I doing this right8 ?. I'm not sure what 7egardie means when it comes to using this for magic. -ow is this done8 9. $fter I use this system and succeed with magic, what should I study and practice ne*t8 ;. If you've been doing this work, what sort of e*periences have you had8 What might I e*pect8
Editor's &ote: !he 4iddle 3illar y Israe$ e!ardie (Edited and nnotated %ith &e% #ateria$ y Chic Cicero * Sandra Taatha Cicero) is + L$e%e$$yn !E
,or$d%ide- Ltd. $$ uotes are used y /erission.
SOME STEPS TOWARDS MAGICAL DISCIPLINE Copyright © 2003-2006 by Soror P.I.A.M.D. Think of some !ti"ities #hi!h yo$ perform e"ery %y of yo$r &ife' #ith no prti!$&r effort. (o$ sho#er n% br$sh yo$r teeth) *f !o$rse. Mke !offee n% et me&) Cht on the te&ephone to fmi&y or frien%s) S#it!h on the T+) ,rite e-mi&s or s$rf the et) t$r&&y' yo$ sy' #ho !o$&% get thro$gh the %y #itho$t %oing one or && of these things) Theyre prt of &ife' b$i&t into the %i&y ro$tine. /eres nother $estion then1 #ht bo$t yo$r mgi!& #ork) Do yo$ %o tht e"ery %y too) Every %y) .. *h 4 er 4 #e&&' I"e been b$sy &te&y' 5$st h"ent h% m$!h time. (o$ kno#' #ork' frien%s' fmi&y !ommitments. ,e&&' I #s bo$t to strt yester%y' b$t then the phone rng n% I 5$st %i%nt get ro$n% to it. $t Im %efinite&y going to %o something tomorro#.7 /"e yo$ her% something &ong these &ines before) Does it h"e n $n!omfortb&e ring of fmi&irity) The member in o$r imginry s!enrio is sin!ere in his moti"tion n% hs gen$ine &o"e for mgi!& #ork' so #hy the e8!$ses) ,hy %oes he fin% it s$!h str$gg&e to keep $p reg$&r %is!ip&ine of %i&y rit$&s' n% is there #y thro$gh this prob&em) I"e been thro$gh simi&r phses myse&f. I"e $se% e"ery e8!$se in the book n% I !o$&% tke %egree in %isp&!ement !ti"ities. I m &so' by nt$re' the &9iest person on this si%e of the Abyss. /o#e"er' gr%$&&y' thro$gh pinf$& tri& n% error n% some hr% &essons' I h"e &erne% fe# se!rets bo$t b$i&%ing n%' most importnt&y' maintaining firm pttern of !onsistent %i&y %is!ip&ine' #hi!h I #i&& g&%&y shre. I origin&&y trine% s m$si! te!her' n% I !n per!ei"e !ertin simi&rities bet#een mgi!& n% m$si!& #ork. oth re !on!erne% #ith the mnip$&tion of energy' "ibrtion n% emotion' n% both re$ire h$ge mo$nts of person& effort n% ste%y pp&i!tion. I #s fort$nte in being b&e to bring the %is!ip&ine into my mgi!& #ork #hi!h I% &ernt o"er the yers s m$si!in' n% it !o$&% be tht some of the insights #hi!h I gine% #i&& be $sef$& to those #ho re str$gg&ing to keep $p their %i&y rit$&s. There is no %o$bt tht firm %is!ip&ine' preferb&y forme% %$ring the er&iest stges of the #ork' #i&& py in!&!$&b&e %i"i%en%s &ter on. The estb&ishment of this %is!ip&ine %emn%s #i&&-po#er' %etermintion' se&f-mstery n% se&f-kno#&e%ge' !"
&& of #hi!h re essenti& ttrib$tes for the spiring mgi!in. The hbit of %i&y pr!ti!e m$st be!ome so embe%%e% into the ro$tine tht it be!omes "irt$&&y impossib&e to neg&e!t it. The mgi!in' #hether beginning or %"n!e%' sho$&% mke !ont!t #ith the :ight;the Di"ine for!e e"ery sing&e %y of his or her &ife. This is the i%e&' n% it && so$n%s "ery fine. $t #ht bo$t the re&ity) The re&ity is tht #e re h$mn beings' #ith moo%-s#ings' prob&ems' 5obs n% fmi&ies' n% #e %ont &#ys fee& spirit$&' fo!$se% n% %is!ip&ine%. ,ht hppens #hen #e 5$st %ont fee& &ike %oing o$r %i&y rit$&s' #hen s$%%en&y #e re&ise #ith g$i&ty sho!k tht its !t$&&y #eek sin!e #e performe% the : if I %o the %i&y rit$&s' I %ont seem to get ny res$&ts 2> if I don’t %o the %i&y rit$&s I sti&& get no res$&ts b$t' on the other hn%' t &est I %ont h"e to mke ny effort. At this stge' it is "it& to h"e fith in the pro!ess n% to tr$st tht' if yo$ perse"ere %i&igent&y' there #i&& be res$&ts' &tho$gh mybe not in n imme%ite&y re!ognisb&e form. After &&' if yo$ p&nt see% n% #ter it reg$&r&y' yo$ !nt see nything hppening for some time. So %o yo$ 5$st stop #tering it) o' of !o$rse not? this #o$&% be some#ht !o$nter-pro%$!ti"e. Inste%' yo$ m$st simp&y !ontin$e to n$rt$re the see%' #hi&e tr$sting tht the !reti"e pro!ess is $nfo&%ing beneth the s$rf!e. Mgi!& #ork is simi&r in this respe!t' n% it is !ertin&y not on&y the neophyte #ho spen%s pro&onge% perio%s groping thro$gh pprent %rkness. Its %$ring these fr$strting' !onf$sing&y %ry perio%s tht mentor !n be espe!i&&y "&$b&e1 someone #ho hs been thro$gh simi&r prob&ems' n% #ho !n he&p to mintin the st$%ents fith in the #ork' s$pport them n% boost their moti"tion. The mentor' &ike the @er$8' !n &e% n% &ight !$
the #y thro$gh the %rkness $nti& the st$%ent !n see the pth he% for himse&f. I fee&' in!i%ent&&y' tht the S#e%ish #or% hn%&e%re7' one #ho &e%s by the hn%' e8presses this !on!ept m$!h more stisf!tori&y thn the Bng&ish #or% mentor7>. /"ing sin!ere&y me%itte% on his;her person& ims n% moti"tion' it is "it& for the st$%ent mgi!in to form clear will and intention to %o the reg$&r #ork. This my so$n% ob"io$s' b$t && too often there is &!k of firmness t the o$tset #hi!h !n $n%ermine the #ork &ter on. There m$st be no "g$eness here n% no room for e8!$ses' $n&ess in the !se of se"ere i&&ness or fmi&y emergen!y. It !n be n e8!e&&ent p&n to mke the intention into form&' person& mgi!& "o#' s this #i&& he&p to g$r% ginst #ekness %$ring the %iffi!$&t per io%s #hi!h #i&& ine"itb&y !ome. It is ne"er too &te to %o this. An e8perien!e% mgi!& !o&&eg$e' fter fighting btt&e #ith inerti for o"er =0 yers' performe% rit$& of so&emn intent' #rote n% signe% "o# to his /..A. n% fi8e% the %o!$ment o"er his &tr s perpet$& remin%er1 to%y he !&ims tht this one !t re"o&$tionise% his ppro!h to his %i&y mgi!& #ork. S$!h "o#' perhps together #ith re%ing of the eophyte *b&igtion' !o$&% be rene#e% on the nni"ersry of ones initition' in the form of rit$& of re%e%i!tion. /o#e"er' e"en #ith firm intentions n% mgi!& "o# in p&!e' the #y of %is!ip&ine is ne"er going to be esy' n% there re !ertin te!hni$es #hi!h !n ssist in forming goo% #orking hbits. If #ork n% fmi&y &&o#' it is %"ntgeo$s to estb&ish ro$tine of %oing rit$&s t the same time in the same place e!h %y. This is the sing&e most effe!ti"e f!tor #hi!h I h"e %is!o"ere% so fr. The h$mn bo%y n% psy!he %pt f"o$rb&y to n estb&ishe% ro$tine this !n be seen e"en in "ery yo$ng !hi&%ren>' n% this nt$r& ten%en!y !n be $sef$&&y hrnesse% #hen ttempting reg$&r %is!ip&ine of ny kin%. If possib&e' try to se&e!t time #hi!h fits the nt$r& !y!&e of yo$r o#n person& bo%y-!&o!k. If yo$ re' s I m' 9ombie in the mornings' then there is &itt&e "&$e in rising for %#n rit$&s t this stge. Its best to !hoose time #hen yo$ re fee&ing &ert n% refreshe%' n% preferb&y not imme%ite&y before or fter me& both h$nger n% rep&etion !n be e$&&y %istr!ting>. or the first #eek or so' try setting n &rm-!&o!k for the !hosen time' n% sti!k to it fithf$&&y. If yo$r bo%y or min% ob5e!t n% rebe& n% they #i&&>' simp&y ignore their protests n% !rry on !&m&y #ith the #ork' &#ys remembering the firmness of yo$r origin& intention. After #eek of #orking reg$&r&y in this #y' the &rm-!&o!k is rre&y ne!essry 4 something goes !&i!k7 in the brin t the ppointe% time' n% this is "ery goo% sign tht the ro$tine is be!oming firm&y estb&ishe% n% intern&ise%.
!&
As I mentione% er&ier1 in %%ition to se&e!ting reg$&r time' it is he&pf$& to %o the #ork in the sme p&!e e!h %y. *f !o$rse' not e"eryone hs the &$8$ry of seprte temp&e room? ho#e"er' one re' e"en if it is on&y %esk or sm&& tb&e' sho$&% be set si%e s permnent p&!e for rit$& pr!ti!e' s this #i&& be po#erf$& i% to#r%s triggering n pproprite stte of min% for the #ork. ,ering robes' $sing f"o$rite in!ense or #ering prti!$&r item of mgi!& 5e#e&&ery set si%e for rit$& $se #i&& && ser"e to enhn!e this trigger7 effe!t. :ter on' it #i&& be $ite esy to !hie"e the !orre!t moo% n% fo!$s #itho$t ny props7' b$t $nti& tht hppy stge is re!he%' it mkes sense to $se #hte"er #orks best. It is better not to be too mbitio$s regr%ing the %$rtion of the r it$& pr!ti!e' prti!$&r&y if %is!ip&ine hs &re%y been prob&em. *"er-ftig$e #i&& !t s serio$s %isin!enti"e to f$rther pr!ti!e. E$&ity n% reg$&rity re m$!h more importnt thn &ength1 it is more "&$b&e to %o mo%est' short session on reg$&r %i&y bsis thn to in%$&ge in &engthy rit$& e8tr"gn9s t errti! inter"&s. As the st$%ent %"n!es thro$gh the gr%es' the $ntity of re$ire% rit$& #ork in!reses. My o#n e8perien!e is tht' if #ork n% fmi&y !ommitments permit' it !n be enormo$s&y he&pf$& to %i"i%e the #ork into t#o or e"en three> shorter sessions. Agin' it is best if reg$&r times !n be firm&y estb&ishe%. B8perien!e #i&& be the g$i%e s to #hi!h kin%s of rit$&s #ork best t prti!$&r times of %y. If !ertin in"o!tions nee% to be performe% t stro&ogi!&&y e&e!te% ho$rs' this #i&& of !o$rse be go"erning f!tor. B$&&y' if the st$%ent !hooses to perform reg$&r so&r %ortions' s$!h s those in Cro#&eys :iber
going thro$gh simi&r pro!ess. This !n pro"i%e "&$b&e s$pport n% fee%b!k' n% !n %o m$!h to restore enth$sism if the #ork hs be!ome &itt&e st&e. It is' ho#e"er' $n#ise to %r# !omprisons bet#een ones o#n progress n% tht of nother member' s e!h persons mgi!& pth is $ni$e n% e!h member %e"e&ops t his or her o#n in%i"i%$& p!e. A&tho$gh the nee% for !onstnt "igi&n!e n% %is!ip&ine #i&& ne"er %ispper !omp&ete&y' the st$%ent sho$&% fin%' fter ste%y &ong-term effort' tht the %i&y pr!ti!e e"ent$&&y tkes on moment$m of its o#n' s the hert n% so$& be!ome in!resing&y fo!$se% on the /igher. The re&i9tion tht this is hppening is one of the gretest re#r%s of ste%y n% fithf$& pp&i!tion to the #ork' n% mkes sense of the str$gg&e #hi!h hs gone before. At this stge' it is tr$&y both %$ty' 5oy n% pri"i&ege to perform the %i&y rit$&s' n% the perio% set si%e for the #ork be!omes the high point n% the fo!$s of the entire %y. It is then' if #e re fort$nte' tht #e my be grnte% "ision of the tr$e p$rpose n% nt$re of o$r #ork1 "If we are willing to persevere, to be patient, and to work at selfdiscipline, to aspire and to invoke often, the #ngel will allow us to do all of this. $or every step we make in %is direction, he will take two& Isre&
$hapter 1 The Practice o the Magical Diary 0eeping a diary of oneAs spiritual e;ercises% e;periences% and reflections is one of the most important and effective activities the aspiring magician can dedicate themselves to mastering. +hy is this7 rowley was fond of describing his approach to magical training with the motto Hthe method of science% the aim of religionH. This motto was used in every issue of his massive publication The E2uino(.K! This idea of a scientific approach to mysticism and )agick is a key component of the Thelemic tradition% and is at the basis of the usefulness of the diary as well. +hat is AscienceA then7 If we attempt to answer that uestion% we will discover that the word designates more of a variety of background assumptions% activities% and attitudes% rather than something really specifable by a set of propositions that everyone would agree with. In the !& th and !th centuries% AscienceA was often used to connote any kind of knowledge arrived at through reason. :egel uses the term in this 2
manner% for e;ample. )agick posits a transrational source of knowledge% however% so )agick is not scientific in this sense. Today% science is perhaps best understood as a set of methods for recogni9ing repeatable regularities. The goal of using these methods is not itself determined by the methods% so this kind of AscienceA is not necessarily tied to a particular metaphysics such as materialism or physicalism. )any scientists are materialists. )any are not. This way of understanding the idea of science also has the attitude that beliefs% assertions% or theories should be sub-ected to some kind of appropriate testing or verification. rowleyAs )agick does legitimately have some features of this type of science% and in few places more clearly than in his use of the diary record. The diary functions e;plicitly as a kind of lab notebook for various investigations that the magician undertakes. +hat is the nature of these investigations7 The oath of the probationer of # ∴#∴ is to e;plore the nature of oneAs being. 5neAs own being% oneAs self is therefore the phenomenon to be sub-ected to e;perimentation. The aim of the e;perimentation is HreligionH and so this determines the type of e;periments with which the phenomenon is interrogated. 5ur uestions therefore are6 what is this self% what is its nature% its limits% its meaning7 It may turn out% in e;ploring this phenomenon% that the self is not at all like a physical ob-ect% and that it is opaue to analysis in uite the same uantitative manner as are the chemical properties of :25% for e;ample. Gevertheless% the method will remain scientific in the broad sense already outlined if one proceeds with attention paid to the observation of repeatable regularities% and if one refuses to be convinced of states of affairs by other then conclusive results.
are doing or e;periences you are having% they will be enriched by writing them down. The self1reflection necessitated by the nature of the activity will act to deepen your spirituality. *onAt try to make too much of a distinction between your spiritual activities and your daily life. Let the record deal with your mundane goings on M let it be a regular diary at times M but keep in mind as you do so the ultimately religious nature of the record. Let that aspect of the diary bleed into and infltrate your supposedly profane goings about.
5ne good rule of thumb in the practice is always to remember that it concerns oneAs own pro-ections only% not those of others. )aking -udgements about the pro-ections of others is often its own subtle form of pro-ection. It is also not the focus of the practice. for everything that he has willed is willed to a purpose. It is the same as if he had taken an oath to perform some achievement.H In speaking of Athe BookA rowley is here speaking of far more than the physical diary. That is here revealed to be a symbol of the very life as a whole of the magician. This Book is said to be a book of
2$. Let there be nothing 2&. Let all things drop into this ocean of Love 2. Be this devotion a potent spell to e;orcise the demons of the FiveHKD The demons of the five are obscurations and distractions of +ill% Thought% /motion% Body% and they pass J are done> but there is that which remains.H @ AL II : 6? This remembrance acts to bind and e;orcise the demons of distraction. HThe Book must then be thus written. In the first place the magician must perform the practice laid down in Li%er 6- so that he understands perfectly who he is% and to what his development must necessarily tend.
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In other words% ask seriously the big uestion M what is the meaning of my life7 #s we say in Thelema M what is my True +ill7 The diary is one of the best ways to begin to approach this uestion% as it involves a study of oneself. Through this conscious study% carried out in the record% one can begin to grasp the parameters of the issues involved. ompletion of the task of Li%er Thishar% is said by rowley to constitute only the Hfirst pageH of the Book. #fter discovering oneAs True +ill% one must then live it. HLet him then be careful to write nothing therein that is inharmonious or untrue. Gor can he avoid this writing% for this is a )agick Book. If you abandon even for an hour the one purpose of your life% you will find a number of meaningless scratches and scrawls on the white vellum> and these cannot be erased. In such a case% when you come to con-ure a demon by the power of the Book% he will mock you> he will point to all this foolish writing% more like his own than yours. In vain will you continue with the subseuent spells> you have broken by your own foolishness the chain which would have bound him.H /vocation% or more properly ,oetia% is here again used as a metaphor for the confrontation in our lives of perceived obstacles to our True +ills. These must be summoned% faced and bound by the power of the #ngel% by the power of the True +ill. Insofar as we distract ourselves from our real purpose we are helpless before these forces of dispersion. +e cannot control them and so they master and use us% rather than the proper relationship M where we should master and use them in accordance with our True +ill. The situation described in this passage is metaphor M and yet in some situations it can be literal. In The 3oo* of the #acred 7agic of A%ramelin the 7age the first task of one who has accomplished the 0nowledge and onversation of the :oly ,uardian #ngel is to summon the D great devils of the world and all of their legion of servitors. K$ These are evoked and bound by the traditional magical methods. The #deptus )a-or in # ∴#∴ is e;pected to perform or have performed some kind of analogous task. in the cloud of incense it is hard to read the con-urations. +hile you peer dimly through the smoke% the demon will vanish% and you will have to write the terrible word AfailureA. H#nd yet there is no page of this Book on which this word is not written> but so long as it is immediately followed by a new affirmation% all is not lost> and as in this Book the word AfailureA is thus made of little account% so also must the word AsuccessA never 2E
be employed% for it is the last word that may be written therein% and it is followed by a full stop. HThis full stop may never be written anywhere else> for the writing of the Book goes on eternally> there is no way of closing the record until the goal of all has been attained. Let every page of this Book be filled with song M for it is a Book of incantationH These passages involve some rather deep reflections. rowley seems to imply here the mystery and parado; that one can never completely reali9e oneAs True +ill% that one can never achieve a completely perfect state% because imperfection and failure to achieve the True +ill somehow is itself part of the True +ill.
0or3at or the daily entries in your 3agical diary record The way in which your magical diary record is kept is as much part of your training as the knowledge in the te;t. Therefore% the following format is to be followed in all your daily meditation work.
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TI)/6 'L#/6 )/*IT#TI5G
http6==www.servantsofthelight.org=courses=first1degree=sample1diary1entry=
The Magical Diary 2C=E=& by
The magical diary is one of the most important aids of practical occultism. In spiritual work it is most important to keep records% because these records do not only preserve our e;periences in a durable form that enables us to compare our memories at a later date with our real e;periences% but keeping records is also an important part of processing the results of the meditation. (ery often realisations and e;periences of meditation and ritual are kept in our consciousness only in a subtle and ephemeral form. 5ur consciousness can only keep these kinds of e;periences in our memory to a limited e;tend. 5nly by means of the process of recording our e;periences and finding precise verbalisations for our e;periences our realisations will gain a form comprehensible to our consciousness mind. For that reason keeping records is not -ust a necessary chore but a very important part of spiritual work itself.! @By the way the same applies to eastern spiritual traditions 1 although in that case the written record is often replaced by a verbal record to the teacher.? +ithout this translation process into our language% our conscious mind cannot assimilate these realisations because our mind thinks in the form of language. 2$
(ery often% the lack of this translation process is the reason why even after years of meditation some people only make very little spiritual progress @moreover% in some unfortunate cases the lack of recording even leads to self1deception regarding their own spiritual progress?. It is much better to do one single meditation with records rather than three without. )editation 1 similar to dreams 1 takes place at a different level of consciousness. #fter waking up we tend to forget our dreams very fast unless we retrieve them to our wakeful consciousness. In the same way meditation realisations will slip our conscious mind unless they are HgroundedH immediately. The meditation diary has a similar function as a dream diary which helps to make the level of dreams accessible to our wakeful consciousness. 2 The real benefits of meditation are bestowed upon us only if we can integrate our realisations into our personality and into our life. /specially for meditations the notes of our realisations should not be to elaborate in order focus the mind on learning to concentrate on the essentials @a ma;imum of ! to !E lines should be sufficient?. For records of a ritual it is different 1 of which more later.
Meditation %ecords .sche3e/ Date: :ere you should mention the weekday and the date. #bbreviations such as
over again @please no use more than E to ! lines?. %ealisations: :ere the realisations about meditation sub-ect are recorded. # students of the mysteries should learn right from the start to focus on the bare essentials @please no use more than ! to !E lines? $oncentration: *escribe in a few words what your concentration was like. @For concentrative meditations you can count the number of distractions using a meditation chain. For other meditations you should not do this% because the counting makes it difficult to immerse yourself in meditation. %elaxation and physical sensation:
Meditation %ecords .exa3ple/ The structure of a typical record of your diary will be e;plained by way of a fictive e;ample for a possible meditation about the sub-ect6 H+ho am I7H
2
ourse of thoughts6 +ell% who am I really7... there is more to it% like I do have a -ob and hobbies... But I am not my profession% or am I7... LetAs try again...I have black hair and I am !%$D m and weigh about $ kg% probably a bit more. I should really lose some weight... but back to the sub-ect. That was more a kind of description of myself.
%ecords o %ituals: C
4ecords of rituals should be more detailed. /;ample of a fictive record of a ritual6 7a44alistic u33er %itual Na3e: Tara 4hea )ilin Date: une 2!st 2C= Ti3e: C pm 1 D6C pm= Place: Temple of the Lodge in Frankfurt=) Position: 5fficer of the +est Personal i3pressions: .$hat is your general impression a%out the ritual8 $hat &as the most intensi+e emotional or spiritual e(perience8/ # festive ritual during which the pleas of the community for the gifts of the summer took a strong effect. In the beginning the mood had been a bit too serious but became more and more celebratory and even high1spirited in the end. The ritual left me in a good mood and gave me lots of power for several days. Opening and closing o the 7uarters: .Please gi+e details for each direction9/ *uring the opening of /ast and
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# meditation without notes is similar to a tea ceremony in which the tea is poured away without drinking from it. 2
8ou may do the following e;periment6 #sk yourself if you can remember what you dreamt last night7 an you remember what you did this morning right after getting up7 +hy is the l ast one easier to remember7 an you remember what you dreamt last week7 'robably not...+hat did you do during that day7 *o you remember7 Think whether you do remember anything and why it is easier. Tomorrow write down your dream in detail. Tell somebody about it right after getting up or read your notes aloud. an you still remember your dream in the evening7 Think about it ... Try to remember it a week later. 8ou will see that the dream e;perience is much more present if you write it down immediately.
The ractice o& the Magical Diary Posted 4y Nathan 9 B5orge on No1e34er ;<= 2;;;
0eeping a diary of oneAs spiritual e;ercises% e;periences% and reflections is one of the most important and effective activities the aspiring magician can dedicate themselves to mastering. +hy is this7 ItAs not a necessary activity for spiritual attainment% since most other religious traditions do not promote a diary practice as a normative undertaking. Thelema does.
rowley was fond of describing his approach to magical training with the motto Hthe method of science% the aim of religionH. This motto was used in every issue of The /uino;% which he also called the Aorgan of
The aim of the e;perimentation is AreligionA and so this determines the type of e;periments with which the phenomenon is interrogated. 5ur uestions therefore are6 what is this self% what is its nature% its limits% its meaning7 It may turn out% in e;ploring this phenomenon% that the self is not at all like a physical ob-ect% and that it is opaue to analysis in uite the same uantitative manner as are the chemical properties of :25% for e;ample. Gevertheless% the method will remain scientific in the broad sense already outlined if one proceeds with attention paid to the observation of repeatable regularities% and if one refuses to be convinced of states of affairs by other then conclusive results.
chronic problems7 +hat are you eating7 *o you smoke and if so how much7 Try each day to do something in a positive direction toward maintaining or enhancing your health. )ake a note of it in the diary. )any kinds of spirituality suffer from a kind of dualism% a belief that the physical body is somehow unimportant or inessential. This is a limited point of view. Thomas #uinas says that the human e;istence is a unity of body% soul and spirit. These are distinguishable in some conte;ts% and yet if they are separated the human being ceases to be as such. In alchemy% the analog is the presence of the three alchemical principles in all things.
/lectronic version of keeping a magical diary6 https6==github.com=mcnemesis=diary=blob=master=4/#*)/.md
Pope Training or The Practice o the Magical Diary #utohagios une 2!C 5r6
also the state of the weather% and generally all conditions which might conceivably have any result upon the e;periment either as ad-uvants to or causes of the result% or as inhibiting it% or as sources of error. D. The #.R. #.R. will not take official notice of any e;periments which are not thus properly recorded. E. It is not necessary at this stage for us to declare fully the ultimate end of our researches> nor indeed would it be understood by those who have not become proficient in these elementary courses. ". The e;perimenter is encouraged to use his own intelligence% and not to rely upon any other person or persons% however distinguished% even among ourselves. $. The written record should be intelligibly prepared so that others may benefit from its study. &. The Book ohn thus with practice it will be found more and more to appro;imate to the ideal.H 1Liber / vel /;ercitorum http6==www.sacred1te;ts.com=oto=lib.htm CE
H:e may select any practices he that prefers% but in any case must keep an e;act record% so that he may discover the relation of cause and effect in his working...H 1Book I(% 'art 2% pg. C H...on coming to himself% let him write down soberly and accurately a record of all that hath occurred% yea a record of all that hath occurred.H 1Liber 5 vel )anus et
# )aster of the Temple http6==hermetic.com=crowley=libers=lib!"E.html HBeauty and strength% leaping laughter and delicious languor% force and fire% are of us.H 11 Liber #L II%2 omments by •
#utohagios une 2!C
:rair I havenAt had much trouble adding writing in my diary in my day to day practice% as I have set aside time everyday for me to do my various rituals and meditations @a little scheduling and time management goes a long way?. #lso% IAve taken up the idea that keeping the record is always a part of whatever working IAm doing% and that it is not complete until the pen hits the paper. I only keep two ournals though% magical and dream% as I treat tarot work as a magical act. :owever% I can see how keeping more than two @or one even? a daunting task. The actual writing of the record definitely does help in the overall understanding of the previous task. 5ften% I find myself in an afterglow of ritual% but the act of recording the rite snaps me back to a place of ob-ective observance in which I can dissect layers and states into something more tangible and HgroundedH that can be recounted in a sensible layer when IAve sobered up from the gnosis a bit. IAm also toying around with the ideas of the pen and diary being double1magic tools in the formulae of 8:(:. The will @active=wand=fire=85*=chiah? is focused onto the paper @passive=cup=water=:/=neshamah? through the pen @active1 passive=sword=air=(#(=ruach? until the word@s? are complete @passive1 active=disk=earth=:/ final=nepesh?. HBeauty and strength% leaping laughter and delicious languor% force and fire% are of us.H 11 Liber #L II%2
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abramelin une 2!C
:rair The value of the magical diary is something that I got after about practicing some basic stuff for a while. Gow i use it for almost everything. its fun how you develop a kind of shorthand that surely looks like the scribblings of a madman. here is an e;ample% lets see if you can guess the different parts6 !"62C 1 lbrp%lirp lirh%nap% mpr@2?cbl@!?BI%*ynamischant ;C%lbrp then i write if there was something interesting that happened during the different parts@ achieving some sort of #<?. if my performance was good and focused. any visions. 'ost edited by abramelin at 2!C1"12C E6!"6$ The secret is6 the law of action 1 if you actually do shit% stuff happens
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(ansuch une 2!C
:rair 8ou took a nap in the middle7
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#utohagios une 2!C
:rair C Thanks for the props (ansuch
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