Perseus Arcane Academy

Category: Interviews

  • Journey through Rosicrucianism, BOTA and Initiation into Hermetics: An Interview with Tibor Simic

    Journey through Rosicrucianism, BOTA and Initiation into Hermetics: An Interview with Tibor Simic

    We welcome today Tibor who has agreed to share a little of his path towards Franz Bardons teachings and his approach to practice. He had a lot of experience prior to meeting with Franz Bardons teachings which is interesting to hear how it all connects together. Thanks Tibor for sharing.

    PAA: You already shared a little of your history with me but for the benefit of the readers could you give us a brief introduction up to this point.

    Tibor: Hi everyone! So, following our initial communication, James, I did some thinking about how a regular guy like me looks back one day and realizes he’s been studying and practicing magic, day to day, for some twenty years.

    It’s like in the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, when various characters come on screen and Benjamin says: “Some people were born to sit by a river. Some get struck by lightning. Some have an ear for music. Some are artists. Some swim. Some know buttons. Some know Shakespeare. Some are mothers.” And looking back, a story – one of many possible stories – emerged of what it’s like to be born to be a magician.

    My early exposure to magic was in my native Croatia, then a part of Yugoslavia. My grandmother knew some folk tradition – I was told she arranged my first taking of solid food as a magical act. The war in Croatia made me do a lot of soul-searching, a lot of searching for meaning in the face of mindless atrocities. And then, in 1997, I won a scholarship to take A-levels in England, which was both an early experience of manifesting a desire and a chance to make friends with kids who had access to esoteric literature in English.

    When I returned to Croatia, in 1999, I was in an experimental mood, chasing any out-of-the-ordinary experience I could find. In 2004, I joined Lectorium Rosicrucianum, an initiatory order based partly on Rudolf Steiner’s interpretation of Rosicrucianism and partly on Gnostic ideas. I can speak more about this part of my life later. I left in 2018 and joined the Builders of the Adytum, also known as BOTA, and was baptized in the Liberal Catholic Church.

    I was aware of Franz Bardon and dabbled in the early steps during my time in the Lectorium Rosicrucianum, but it was Virgil’s books, the Covert Side of Initiation and the Elemental Equilibrium that encouraged me to take up his system as a backbone, so to say, of my daily practice – as a way of structuring and evaluating my progress.

    PAA: You mention in your bio that you spent 14 years as a member of Lectorium Rosicrucianum. Could you share your experiences? 14 years is a long time so I imagine it was a very productive period.

    Tibor: It was a maturation period. Let me sketch briefly what Lectorium Rosicrucianum is and does. It started as a splinter group from Max Heindel’s Rosicrucian Fellowship and later cooperated with and absorbed the ideas of the French mystic Antonin Gadal, who claimed to be the “last patriarch of the Cathars.” The group’s endgame is to restore the Higher Self, which the order interprets as the “fallen Adam”, back to Divinity.

    The basic technique – although the group itself shuns the word “technique” – is the establishment of an electromagnetic field, believed to be provided by the Brotherhood of Light, which, according to the person’s degree, promotes this transformation. This is done especially at retreats – called “renewal conferences”, culminating at temple services. Such retreats take place mostly on the order’s property, at the so-called conference centers, and require much volunteer work to organize and run.

    At first, I found this difficult to bear – sometimes I had to laugh the energy out of my system – but eventually I learned to handle it. It’s a deeply meditative state – possibly the theta state, which you learn to engage with practice. It can lead you to a place of deep stillness.

    And then there’s the whole lifestyle, the volunteering and certain behaviors and restrictions, such as abstaining from alcohol, which teaches adaptability and willpower. You get to reinvent yourself daily – one moment you’re chopping carrots at the center’s kitchen, another you’re leading a temple service. There’s a Zen element to it.

    My favorite memory of my time with the order is of a service at a Cathar cave in Southern France. I won’t share what I experienced there, but it was transformative, and it set me on a path of embracing greater responsibility and freedom – eventually leaving the order in 2018.

    PAA: From 2018 you entered the BOTA with a focus on Tarot and Golden Dawn. How did this build on your previous training and were there any significant breakthroughs that occurred in this time?

    Tibor: I wouldn’t say the BOTA is a Golden Dawn system. The founder, Paul Foster Case, was a member of the Golden Dawn, or rather, the Alpha et Omega, and many teachings overlap, but it’s an independent system.

    My involvement with the BOTA is far less than with LRC, not the least because BOTA has no physical presence in Croatia. This is also the reason why I joined the Liberal Catholic Church – I was missing a temple. But I do the coursework regularly and I find it powerful.

    BOTA is in many ways the opposite of LRC. LRC had a big list of don’ts; the BOTA’s lessons begin with the question: what do you want to be and do? It’s very empowering and practical. A major component of the system is the tarot, which, famously, the student has to color themselves. The tarot becomes integrated in you, becomes your teacher. You can meditate on it, draw correspondences with it, do magic with it. It’s very empowering and liberating.

    PAA: This might be a good time to mention the Liberal Church. You mentioned it previously could explain how it differs from what most of us know as Church?

    Tibor: It’s a church founded by theosophists J. I. Wedgwood and C. W. Leadbeater. It’s a church with apostolic succession, that is, bishops Wedgwood and Leadbeater were consecrated by Old Catholic bishops who could trace their consecration back to the apostles.

    The church understands the sacraments and the liturgy as magical acts, as described in C. W. Leadbeater’s The Science of Sacraments, and offers them freely as a service to humanity, without doctrinal requirements. The “Liberal” in its name comes from freedom of thought, not from any sort of political affiliation. I like to compare it with “free” in “Freemasons.”

    The ability to take part in sacraments without doctrinal requirements is attractive to magicians, and sure enough, the Church at its heyday had a few reputable magicians among its clergy. Robert King, Dion Fortune’s collaborator, was a Liberal Catholic bishop, and Paul Foster Case, the founder of BOTA, a priest.

    PAA: You mentioned in your bio that it was around the time of being at the church that you discovered Virgils books that redirected you towards Franz Bardons Initiation into Hermetics. What was it that appealed in both Virgils books and in IIH that caused you to make this your focus?

    Tibor: The first of Virgil’s books I read was The Covert Side of Initiation, followed by the Elemental Equilibrium and the Gift of Being Simple. I loved how earnest, simple, even vulnerable, he was. He came across as someone who wrestled with this material, who earned his scars, and who came back to report it.

    I especially loved that he wrote about responsibility, maturity and humility, which aren’t fashionable subjects in esoteric literature these days. So digging deeper, I discovered William Mistele, Rawn Clark, Bob Smith, and loved how all these characters seemed completely different, yet completely authentic. So I wanted that for myself. As BOTA encourages the exploration of other systems – what harm was there in trying? And Franz Bardon, being Slavic, resonated with me on a cultural level.

    The way I see IIH is not as a teaching, but as an exam. The instructions are often dense and terse and you have to figure a lot of it yourself. In Where Do Demons Live, Frater UD writes that Bardon’s system is dogmatic and you have to grow into it; I disagree. I’d say it’s a standard you have to meet any way you can.

    I love how subtle it is. A lot of it blends seamlessly with daily life. Whenever you pour a glass of water, you can practice. Whenever you can move your fingers, you can practice. Whenever you have some string and a safety pin, you can practice. It’s a very modern system in this way.

    And, it ties together nicely all my other experiences.

    PAA: I see you are also involved in programming/software/AI. What are your thoughts on AI becoming somewhat conscious and the implication of this for Magic? I remember one of my favorite stories from Bob talking about an AI in the Mars Sphere which brings up all sorts of questions about consciousness and the vessels it takes on.

    Tibor: AI, as we do it today, won’t become conscious. The name “artificial intelligence” is a bit misleading. We know we can describe the world with formulas, such as E=mc2. The question is, how could we find a formula that solves whether a photo shows a dog or a cat? Well, we can take a random formula and fine-tune it to a set of expected results.

    Such formulas are constructed as non-linear sequences of matrix multiplications, which is analogous to neural layers in the brain, so we call them “neural networks.” And the process of fine-tuning a formula is called “learning.” But anthropomorphic metaphors aside, it’s software like any other. Just as you can’t build an iPhone by throwing more vacuum tubes at it, you can’t build consciousness by throwing more matrices at it.

    However, as with all human endeavor, it’s human hopes and fears that become conscious. No doubt, the excitement of technologies such as AI leads to an unconscious creation of elementaries.

    Of course, one day we might have the technology to create cyborgs, such as Bob Smith describes. For now, we have to contact them astrally.

    PAA: What have been the most challenging aspects of IIH for you coming from these other systems?

    Tibor: Organizing your own schedule and deciding when to move on. Working in three areas – physical, mental and astral – simultaneously. It puts all the responsibility on you. It’s also what makes it so exciting.

    PAA: Many thanks for your time and generous sharing.

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  • Magical Journey through Franz Bardons Universal System of Initiation- Interview with Antonio

    Magical Journey through Franz Bardons Universal System of Initiation- Interview with Antonio

    We are welcoming today Antonio a practitioner of Franz Bardons system who is generously sharing his personal experience of the path. He has his own blog that I encourage you all to visit: TUNA blog – spiritual enlightenment thanks to Franz Bardon (tuna-blog.azurewebsites.net)

    PAA: Welcome Antonio and thank you for joining us. Could you introduce yourself, your magical journey and how you came to be on this path of Franz Bardon’s teachings.

    Antonio: Hi, first of all I want to thank you for this opportunity of sharing my current experience with other practitioners. I’ve been a materialist oriented for years, striving for career goals and for other people acceptance and judgement. I’ve been in contact thanks to a friend of mine with freemasonry in 2013. I joined in 2014, but I still was missing something in my life, I wanted something practical to learn, to experiment, and primary, to get results. I’ve read lot of books about modern magic, but somehow, I’ve missed the Bardon’s entire path for months until my brother, scholar on compared and East religions, gifted me the first Italian edition (first 90nties if I’m not wrong) of IIH. I felt like Colombo discovering America continent. My greatest obstacle of the first months (almost 6) was meditating. I never had any meditation before, and I also had some fear of meditation, as it was a sort of hypnosis where someone else from everywhere in the world could ever take control of my mind…. I will never miss the memory of my first real result in vacancy of mind: I was on a simple chair, and I was so scared of the feeling I needed some other week to have again the bravery of retry the practice.

    PAA: From your blog you have lots of very helpful information. What do you feel are the main challenges that students face in the practice of Initiation into Hermetics?

    Antonio: Well, I have a little idea of the main challenges beginning practitioners may face at the first steps thanks to Facebook groups. In my opinion the two biggest I see are laziness and over-thinking. Laziness occurs to people that think it is like in the movies. You read IIH and start firing fireballs…. And when this is not happening, they start saying it is too difficult, it is badly written, it is cryptic, I was not born to practice as “you”, where this “you” is always someone who shared his/her results, eventually without specifying the difficulties faced, the time spent, the sacrifices overcome, and so on. The second category (I repeat, IMHO) are the overthinkers. People who try to syncretize all the knowledge available in all books from all kinds of magic, from all kind of traditions and cultures and eventually written in totally different historical ages. People who, eventually, start caring about the color of vital energy years before also trying to do the first ever practice.

    PAA: What has been the biggest challenge for you in your work with Franz Bardons material and how did you overcome it?

    Antonio: I think the worst challenges I had to face was during step 4, between 2017 and 2019. Yep. Two years. I felt the loneliness of me as practitioner trying to balance my time between family, work and hermetic. The difficulty of practicing something (transfer of consciousness) that I found (at the time) deeply wrong (because I mis-understood the practice as spying people inner thoughts). I waited for months with some good and some (let say) relaxed practice until I met two corner stones of my path… I’ve found the help from Ray del Sole and I’ve made my first meeting with my HGA. I will not go into the details, obviously, buy I want to add that at the time, I almost daily asked for help (in terms of praying for). When I’ve found Ray, I was extremely happy because with his suggestions my practice advanced to step 6 in few months. It was in that time that I’ve made a strange (without memory) dream. The only think I remember is that I awaked in the middle of night with a very powerful “mission” I definitely needed to do. Rising up and write down a “name” on my journal. Then it was Ray who identified him as my HGA. Later I’ve made additional contacts, then I’ve started a beginner communication, and so on.

    PAA: What advice can you give to those people who are perpetually on Step 1/2? Have they misunderstood the requirements of the step?

    Antonio: Well, it seems I already addressed this question above. I will instead talk of the keys of the progress in IIH path. Practicing exercises like in a gym is useless. When you end step 1, you should start being powerful in mind also in the everyday life. You are now a meditator. The same happens with step 2, you should become a new person by starting the changing of yourself. In other words, IIH changes you. Is not a sort of workout. Until you will overthink, or be too lazy, or repulse the transformation that IIH should bring into your life, you will never advance further. I personally like the idea of considering those people the “Fools” as for the tarot card # zero. They have an idea of what there is (in the Universe), because they have now made a basic experience, and they’ve read IIH, but they are still on their “relaxed” way.

    PAA: What steps have you enjoyed the most and got the most satisfaction out of completing?

    Antonio: In few words, step 7 clairaudience to me has been the key to go further in any step or plane or whatever. Bardon wants we are our self-teachers. He wants we enlighten ourselves learning and practicing. But he also wants we have encounters, first with our HGA, and later with beings from planes, not as magicians from other traditions only to prove we’re powerful and “force” those beings doing something for your personal benefit. No. He wants we became friend with those beings. Friends and also, he wants we learn from them. Later we can use the same practice to talk with gods and to “read the mind” as we all know from Frabato novel. This is because, imho, clairaudience it the first of the ability of high level we need to master. Yep, clairvoyance is a great tool too, we can see auras and we can access to the symbolic world. Something of incredible importance. But without the ability to talk we’re less than halfway on our path to self-learn and self-enlighten.

    PAA: I notice from your blog you share the same thoughts as I do about the importance of the depth point training. Can you talk more about this and how it shifts one practice at the start of the 2nd half of IIH.

    Antonio: Space magic or akashic point magic is the key to get into a position of power with anyone or anything. I already made some examples of key tools or key practices we find during the path of IIH. These keys are not only important steps in the practice. They each change the practitioner and the practice also of other steps. In step 4 transfer of consciousness, we can feel the target, or transform into the target, or both and interchange the two experiences. But when we’re at step 5, and we do the transfer of consciousness using the deep point as an access door, we rapidly get into the real target. It’s like we get a short way to the core of the target.

    PAA: What can you tell us about your work with the second and third books, PME and KTQ?

    Antonio: I chose to not work at this moment with KTQ. I’ve made some practice to “try”, but I’ve never actually worked with KTQ because I already have a huge amount of work with PME and IIH. Working with PME is greatly a mystery to IIH practitioners who didn’t reached step 8 to try. I personally have used the magical authority only once. Because the quest I was having was requesting the use of such practice. I prefer asking, eventually talking. And getting to what I consider the primary goal. Friendship. I can recognize in my life and also in the life of other friends here on Earth the influence of the beings from this or other planes. When you start a friendship, or even when you simply met some of those beings, you’re already into their influence sphere. And things start to move differently from how normally happens on other (normal) people.

    PAA: I notice from your blog you have returned to your religious practice in conjunction with IIH. What can you tell us about this? Was it like going full circle returning to some of the practices you did when younger prior to IIH?

    Antonio: Eh, this is a complex topic. Yes, I’ve made a return to Christianity thanks to the experiences I’ve made with IIH. Obviously, my current participation into the Sunday mass is totally different from other people. I can feel the energies. I can see the “angels” involved into the ritual. I can feel and interact with Jesus. But this also created into me a powerful crisis. The call of the right-hand path in participating this was to a mass is definitely strong. It is easier. It is full of gratifications coming straight from a god. For instance, the feeling of getting into the grace. A sensation of “rightfulness” mixed to the feeling of proximity to a god. The love. And all the other feelings. But there are also issues into this path (I mean in Christianity). The duality is strong. There is a hidden pure positive energy that always try to fight the negative energy of super dense astral beings (commonly referred as demons – in modern meaning). I felt the strongest resistance from negativity in the time I mostly I got closer to Jesus. All that grace, all those great feelings, asked a price. The absolute purity. You can fail. You can’t absolutely give time and energies to any of your negativity. In this, Bardon’s path is definitely gentler. It gives you time (and tools) to transform. While in Christianity you have not time, as your mind get into any negativity, you miss the grace…. You flow away…. And to get back, you have to righteously maintain the purest mind and conduct of actions. Jesus is really the god of salvation. He said “only through me, you’ll find the salvation”. This is true, in the meaning that between all gods I know (I’m not an encyclopedia), He is the only one actually giving you salvation only asking for absolute giving to Him. I’ve tried this experience as an initiate, so with totally different abilities and knowledge from other people, and I’ve found all true. But I’ve found Bardon’s path more suited to my destiny.

    PAA: Lastly is there anything else you would like to discuss or a message you would like to share with readers?

    Antonio: I’d like to conclude with something from a friend who helped me into the edge of my most difficult moments with my path. Be serious in your work but never be hard on yourself. Find the time to celebrate your successes, also the smallest, because this path is seriously difficult and any success worthy of a celebration.

    PAA: Thank you very much for sharing with us your journey.

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  • Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha with Author Daniel Ingram

    Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha with Author Daniel Ingram

    I am excited to introduce this interview with Daniel Ingram, author of the very well known book Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha, he is also active and shares a lot of information over at the Dharma Overground as well as a personal blog, with older, free versions of his awesome book available. If this interview has piqued your interest then there are some real treats for you with lots of podcast appearances here.

    This is a repost of an article we first published on StudentsofFranzBardon.com

    PAA: Welcome to the blog and thank you for taking part. Could we begin by introducing yourself and how you began this path from there we will move into more specifics.

    Daniel: I am a retired emergency medicine physician in the US with a background in public health/infectious disease epidemiology, as well as extensive meditation retreat experience, mostly Theravada Buddhism (have done over a year on retreat in various bits and pieces), author of Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha (www.mctb.org), co-founder of www.firekasina.org, and magical practitioner since mid 1990’s, often augmented by intense Buddhist meditation practices and states. I got into this path through various childhood experiences, all explained in the last part of www.mctb.org.

    PAA: As this blog is coming from the perspective of Franz Bardons Hermetics I would like to discuss one of our early exercises. Called Vacancy of Mind we need to hold the mind free of thought for 5 minutes and eventually ideally 30 minutes. This is often the first obstacle for people as not many tools are given to get to his point, there are 3 preceding exercises 1) Observing the contents of the mind 2) Focusing on one train of thought and 3) Remaining Conscious during the day.

    Now I believe the day is often the key in remaining aware, but after hearing your story and reading your book I saw that you decided to capture 100% of sensation from the sense gates and this became a turning point. So could you comment on firstly what you believe the requirements are to gain the still mind and secondly the significance of capturing every sense from the sense gates.

    Daniel: Ok, the first point is one has to be very careful about what one means by “thought”, which, from a technical Buddhist point of view, contains lots of different types of sensations, such as:

    • intentions (even the intention to direct or hold intention, and these occur before all actions, even thinking),
    • mental impressions (which occur after all types of sensations as a very rapid mental echo that is what can then be remembered and processed by further thoughts, as well as contributing to the sense of the observer/controller),
    • “binding sensations”, which are these very rapid, quick sensations that through a mix of memory, anticipation, recognition, familiarity, background framing sensations, and the like give a sense of continuity to experience,
    • Subtle evaluative analysis and comprehension, that sense of recognizing and monitoring what is going on (which would be ironically required for most ordinary forms of noticing that one’s “thoughts” were reduced or absent)
    • The complex interwoven sensations that make up parts of emotions, and, of course,
    • The ordinary thought stream involves primarily a sort of linear verbal narrative and visual images that most people think of as “thinking”, which is probably what is meant here.

    This is not even the complete list, but it gives one a sense of what one is up against if one truly wants to eliminate all forms of “thought”.

    To dramatically reduce the volume of the linear thought stream is clearly difficult but doable with what Buddhists would call “jhanas” which can be taken to a vast range of depths and come in 4/8 basic flavors, see www.mctb.org Part III for more information on this. This is typically way easier on retreat for those doing high-dose practice, typically becoming more accessible after somewhere around 100 hours done over 8-11 days, that sort of dose. These skills, for many, fade rapidly when one goes off retreat, but, for those who are diligent and have the other requisite levels of mental and psychological stability, can at least give one a taste of what is possible.

    To truly shut off all thought in the strict formal Buddhist sense requires attaining to either an extended Fruition with duration, something hard to do and requiring at least the first stage of awakening, or to attain to something vastly harder, that very rare attainment called Nirodha Samapatti, only attainable by highly awakened beings with access to the formless realms and again explained in detail in www.mctb.org. These are both high attainments and not likely what FB was talking about. If one is interested in practices that may lead to magical experiences and increased degrees of mental quiet and stillness, I recommend high-dose fire kasina practice, again with lots of free information found at www.firekasina.org. In particular, check out the Tower of Hallbar retreat from 2015.

    PAA: Do you feel that these states of stillness follow the same process due to the one constant that is us and our biology, or do you feel that specific methods from different traditions can possibly take you down differing side roads which though we may think we have reached x state we have not.

    Daniel: The debates about how various traditions do or do not attain the same states and how many truly different roads there are is endless and will not likely be resolved until we have vastly better neuroimaging technology and a wide range of deep practitioners willing to be imaged by it. The mind is truly very complex, and the range of experiences that various practitioners can get into, even on, say, the same retreat with the same techniques and the same instructions, is vast. Also, misdiagnosis by one’s self and sometimes skilled teachers is common and par for the course. What one person vs another means by, say, “stillness”, or “rapture”, or “concentration”, can vary widely. It is a serious problem when trying to sort this out, typically requiring long, careful conversations and observing people over many days, weeks, or months to get a sense of how their practice unfolds and how they language their attainments and experiences. That said, I do think that the jhanas, properly understood in their still wide range of possible manifestations and forms, can provide a useful framework for understanding the possible degrees of mental stillness, stability, and concentration. Again, you can find a long set of descriptions of this topic in www.mctb.org for free.

    PAA: What is your opinion of things like Kechari mudra that seems to be a symptom of the rising of bliss which strangely starts to make the tongue naturally reach towards and eventually into the nasal passage? As the bliss is according to traditional thinking, the cause, whereas in Buddha’s path through the jhannas this bliss may be a magnet into the next Jhanna?

    Daniel: I personally haven’t done extended Kechari Mudra practice so should be careful here in speaking beyond my core areas of knowledge and experience. I personally can’t insert my tongue into my posterior nasopharynx. I have had had many powerfully blissful experience in meditation yet never had my tongue do that. Bliss in jhana in Buddhism is initially a draw to the lower jhanas, but then it also becomes something we may become dispassionate towards, leading to the higher jhanas, which are characterized first by subtle bliss, then by a superior neutrality which is better than bliss in the fourth jhana, and eventually by formless realms which are lacking in any obvious bodily feeling tone, as the perception of the body is gone by that point.

    PAA: From reading some of your other interviews I see that you have said that Vajrayana is a big part of what you do, though perhaps you are (most known?) for bringing clarity to the process of entering the Jhannas and helping people make sense of the journey. How significant do you see the Vajrayana and dzogchen teachings when compared to other vehicles of buddhism? Do they deserve their reputation of being skillful means?

    Daniel: Vajrayana is a very complex topic with many aspects, practices, traditions, and attitudes. I have practiced with much more of a Vajrayana attitude than I have done some of the very specific practices, though I have definitely done a number, though I never had a formal Vajrayana guru, for example, which some would consider an essential component of the Vajrayana path, though I have received some Vajrayana empowerments from some qualified to give them. The skillfulness of the Vajrayana is a huge topic, and it is definitely one of the higher-stakes ways to play the game. It has deservedly earned a bad reputation recently due to scandal after scandal, abuse after abuse, so, if you go into the Vajrayana, realize that there is a lot of that around, and keep your wits about you. That said, there is some great tech in it as well and really good people and teachers also, so don’t throw the baby out with the narcissistic psychopaths, I mean bathwater. I particularly appreciate its emphasis on embracing and working with the full emotional range skillfully, as articulated in books such as Journey Without Goal, by Chögyam Trungpa, particularly the section on the Five Buddha Families, as a great example of what I mean.

    Dzogchen is also a vast topic, but books such as Clarifying the Natural State, and related topics such as Sutta Mahamudra and Essence Mahamudra, are all very worthy of study. I routinely joke that Dzogchen and Mahamudra are remedial practices given to those who didn’t understand the profundity of Three Characteristics teachings of the Theravada, but that is not entirely fair, as they do add concepts and language that can help some people understand those topics more skillfully who didn’t understand them in some other presentation as well.

    PAA: You have provided very clear information in your book which has helped many start to have real experience with the Jhannas. So do you feel in this modern age that a teacher is a necessary part of the journey to enlightenment? Or is this something that if we have the correct information for practice that it is more a matter of just doing it and the results will come?

    Daniel: I definitely know people who woke up without having any sort of a formal teacher, and the problem these days is the reverse of what I came up with, that being that there is so much good information around it is easy to get lost in it. Like simple practices and simple frameworks done really well, so that is my general advice. If you need a teacher to help you follow very simple instructions and do very simple things well, ok, well, such is your karma. It is definitely true that good teachers can sometimes see obvious imbalances that you somehow couldn’t see. If you are looking for a teacher, definitely seek someone that is low on exploitation and high on personal empowerment, asking you to see for yourself and do the experiment for yourself, to make the practice 95% about the practice itself showing you directly and maybe 5% about study and the words of any teacher. Most people simply don’t get the dose high enough and expect a teacher to compensate for that. It would be like only taking your medicine you were supposed to take every day once a week instead, and then asking the doctor who prescribed it to answer lots of questions about the medicine to you to make up for the difference in effectiveness.

    PAA: Similar to the previous questions, the fruit of Dzogchen is supposed to be the Jalu – Rainbow Body, of which there have been practitioners in recent years who seemingly shrank and the bodies did not follow the expected pattern at death. I am interested in your opinion of this phenomena as both an accomplished meditator and a medical doctor.

    Daniel: I have seen lots of weird things in my life, but have no personal experience with the rainbow body. I know people who claim to have seen it. I am not sure what to make of this. I keep an open mind about things I don’t yet have experience with. Bigger question: how will the question of the rainbow body impact your practice here and now today? I have had no direct experience with it and no definite opinion on it and yet my practice has somehow been extremely powerful and satisfying despite this lack. Still, I can see how achieving it might inspire others who were very into rainbows to practice well.

    PAA: Following on from looking at these subjects from a modern scientific perspective. What have you learned from using EEG machines in practice? Can they reveal much about the process of enlightenment?

    Daniel: The science of EEGs and enlightenment is still in its infancy. I am just starting to get preliminary analyses of some meditation runs I have done on and off retreat with my Cognionics Quick-20R dry EEG machine, and it is very interesting but too early to say much. Numerous attempts have been made to correlate EEG and meditation, and much of it is probably not great science. We will attempt to improve on this with study using EEG, MEG and fMRI at Harvard with data analysis by a neuroscience team at Oxford and the University of Utrecht. Until then, not much to say, as the results are not in. It is clearly a promising technology, particularly as its temporal resolution vastly exceeds fMRI, and should hopefully allow the precise micro-phenomenology for which the high end of the Theravada practice world is well-known to have some practical utility, but the jury is still out.

    PAA: You mention many models of practice in your book MTCB2 energetic, non dual etc. But I would like to ask about the actual process of ‘change’ from what we were to this enlightened state. Do you see it as a biological process rooted in the nervous system? Or is it something outside of the body?

    Daniel: Clearly, there is some connection between the “brain” we perceive as being in our heads and aspects of consciousness, as anyone who has ever had or given someone else anesthesia knows. However, I personally maintain a strict ontological agnosticism regarding models of what is “truly going on” and only adopt ontological frames if there is some clear practical use case for them, as they help solve some practical problem, and even then hold them extremely lightly. Clearly, there is enough data to know that there appear to be differences between, say, advanced meditators and non-advanced meditators in terms of their ability to, for example, hold their PCC (posterior cingulate) either activated or deactivated as measured by an fMRI. I have taken part in these studies at Yale and U Mass and soon, coronavirus permitting, to take part in them at Brown University, and can tell you that it is possible to correlate certain focuses of attention to various brain structures. That said, this is all related to temporary states, and we have essentially no data on “enlightenment” in these contexts, so I can’t say more at this point. What is the practical use case?

    PAA: The 4 Elements are used as the foundation of everything we do in Franz Bardon’s first book. I am interested to hear more about the Kasina practice with the elements, you have written extensively on the effects of the fire kasina but could you share a little about your experience with other elements also? You mentioned this briefly in one of your journals.

    Daniel: Ok, yes. I can definitely tell you the following:

    Doing fire kasina practice gave me an appreciation not only of the fire element but also of the other three (or really 5 if you count space and consciousness, as the Buddhists sometimes would).

    It increased the sense not only of what they were at the ordinary level but also at the magical level, such as beginning to experience them as conscious entities, with their own sometimes interactive divinities, with their own realms that I have visited, with their own magical meanings. This was an organic process that is hard to explain, and it appears to have simply resulted from just doing very simple practices in high doses.

    I get much more cold tolerant and sometimes unnaturally hot when I do fire kasina practices for long enough. For example, when I first went to the Tower of Hallbar retreat, in February in Scotland in a poorly-heated, damp, heavy stone defensive tower, when I first got there I was all bundled up in fleece and heavy socks, but, within about a week, I was talking around barefoot in a t-shirt and sweatpants and still feeling to hot.

    Elemental balance is important, which can be as simple as taking baths when doing fire kasina, putting your hands in a cold stream, taking the air element as a focus of practice at times, walking on the earth, particularly barefoot, etc. This initially seems insane, yet, if you don’t do it, things can get rapidly out of hand when doing one element practice, and, if you do do it, things suddenly start to rebalance and work better, so, if you do elemental practice, keep this in mind. My best fire kasina retreat was actually at a largely deserted beach where I also spent time gazing out at space, sitting on the sand taking it as objects, and playing in the water and just watching the waves as object.

    Reverence and prayers and the like to elemental deities are a good idea if you want to go deeper into the possible effects, but just remember what the elements are about and don’t expect them to be otherwise.

    Questions from the community (Unedited)

    PAA: Does he believe the attainments required by the mastery of spirit exercises in step 1 i.e. mastery of thoughts, can only be achieved by long years dedicated to shamatha meditation? I.e. complete vacancy of mind for ten unbroken minutes.

    Daniel: See above, as it is answered there. Still, one can get into some very powerful magical states and effects and still have some subtle aspects of thought operating.

    PAA: what methods of soul purification do you use to attain astral equilibrium so you can practice at a higher level?

    Daniel: Wow. That’s a really complex topic. The first thing that comes to mind is that most people don’t practice basic morality training (sila in Pali) all that well, and so those habits then infect their formal meditation and magical practice. If you are angry a lot, having lots of guilt, regret, desire, etc. all day long, then these habits will naturally carry over into your other practices. So, if you want to have good meditation practice sessions, build good habits the rest of the day. Take care of business and yourself. Forgive whenever possible without being a doormat.

    Have your daily To Do list taken care of, or at least made, before you start to practice, so that your mind isn’t burdened with those issues then. Don’t expect magical experiences and meditation to fix most of your real world problems, and be sure you have a real-world plan that you actively and realistically work to implement instead, as this will let the other parts of your mind rest assured that they can relax. It is typically the boring, painful, ordinary, tedious basics that people want to try to transcend through elaborate rituals and fancy concepts, but in this they often go astray. Do the boring, tedious, embarrassing, ordinary stuff that needs to be done. Have that painful conversation you have been needing to have. Make sure your room and work spaces are clean. Listen to those nagging feelings that tell you that you are on the wrong track or avoiding something and change direction instead of looking for some fancy magical solution to solve your problems. Be sure your real-world actions align with your higher ideals, as conflict therein is meditation poison. In short, get your ordinary shit together first.

    I also do a lot of brahma vihara practices, and it is important to do all four of them. Check out Sharon Salzberg’s Loving-kindness, the Revolutionary Art of Happiness. I also like the book You Are A Badass, by Jen Sincero. If you chronically appear to sabotage your life, check out Scripts and Drivers in the book TA Today, by Vann Joines and Ian Stewart.

    Daily exercise just helps all sorts of things. A clean diet is also highly recommended. My guess is that 70% of the major health problems could be prevented by people only putting skillful things in their mouths, and 70% of political and social ones by people skillfully regulating what comes out of their mouths.

    PAA: I want to know if he has any experience with vampiric and draconian entities and if so thoughts on their origins and shamanic techniques vs meditative in their confrontation.

    Daniel: Yes, and that is a very long topic about which I do have reasonable experience, unfortunately. How to deal with toxic, dangerous, malignant entities is complex. There are many ways to work, many possible levels of response, and it very much depends on you and the nature of the entity and what it is doing. First, many such interactions are obviously caused by the person themselves to some degree, as they clearly invited them in and maybe even attempted some sort of deal or contract with them, so the simplest first move is to either not do this to the degree that you are able or at least take responsibility for your part of the tango. Next, don’t let the entity’s bad karma and actions lead to you creating bad karma and actions whenever possible, meaning, whenever possible, respond skillfully and kindly rather than angry, vicious, etc. You could attempt some dialogue that expresses your wishes straightforwardly, such as to stop sucking your energy, for example, at least as a preliminary step, and presuming you had the time. The Buddha, for example, recommended strong boundaries and keeping good company but also options such as sending them loving-kindness and also teaching them the Dharma, in particular the Law of Karma, such that they might learn and change their evil ways. That said, creature all have their own nature, and their nature might just be the way it is, so don’t imagine this solution will always work. Basic dissolving of contracts as well as ordinary measures such as circles of protection and the like are obviously standard moves worth trying. If these fail, and kinder measures fail, then at this point I am comfortable with a realpolitik response, as we all have the right to defend ourselves when under attack. If at all possible, go with a Compassionate Exorcism style approach, which you can Google Search for lots of information on, but, if that doesn’t work, then tactics such as simply blasting them out of your space, formal old-school command and control-style banishing, and the like, are all reasonable approaches at that point. Any port in a storm. Afterwards, might have a good look at yourself and ponder what about you attracted that sort of interaction and what you can do about it to try to prevent it in the future. Friends might be able to help with this, as might a simple divination, etc.

    PAA: What methods can he teach to an astral magician who will not use prop’s and con’s in spirits evocation and the same want to create astral amulets, astral magic rings that will function more than those in use by the shaman ? Has he ever practiced astral magic in its full details ?

    Daniel: I get the sense that this question is referencing some specific texts and systems that I am not that familiar with somewhere in its assumptions and background. I am also not sure what variety of shamanism they are referring to, as the topic and varieties are vast. Also, my guess is that there is a specific system of astral magic whose details they are thinking of, and so my answer is probably “No, likely haven’t practiced whatever system you are thinking of in its full details.” Some underlying background would probably help, as it is a very large, vague question that likely has some more specific, practical question behind it, I suspect.

    PAA: In Bardon’s system we first observe our thoughts. Only when we reach the capacity to observe our thoughts for 10 minutes without any distractions nor identifying with them we are allowed to move to the next exercise that consists in maintaining one thought and further the vacancy of the mind.

    For some people the first exercise tends to be more difficult than the second ( one though meditation).

    In your opinion what’s the best approach to reach the vacancy of the mid? Why not identifying with our thoughts can be more difficult than keeping attention into our breathing for example? What should be done first? Do you have any crutch/prop to recommend that may help us to reach these goals?

    Ps: My apologies if I didn’t make myself clear, English is not my first language, you can edit the question to make it more “understandable” if you want.

    Daniel: One of the helpful tricks I have learned that is simple but effective is noting, specifically to just note “thinking” when noticing that one is thinking. It is obviously a thought, but, as many have noticed, it turns the power of thoughts into part of the solution, as, if one does this long enough, particularly with some other part of the practice involving attempting to focus on something, such as fire kasina, then the mind will begin to simplify, settle down, and become much more workable.

    PAA: Knowing what’s in IIH, I’d love to know what synergistic practices he sees for those who walk the path that could enhance development and performance through flow.

    Daniel: That’s again a huge question and too vague to easily answer. However, I can say this: most magical practitioners are just not getting concentrated enough, and, for most, to get concentrated enough takes about 70-150 hours over a very short period of time, such as a week or 12 days or something like that, such as we do on fire kasina retreats, which is why we do them. My capabilities for immediate, immersive, palpable, hearable, seeable magic go vastly beyond my baseline capabilities when I have paid my entrance price and am powered up on retreat. If you haven’t seen what that is like, do yourself a favor and do a retreat like that, realizing that it is not entirely safe and heeding the warnings, and, if possible, having a group of sane, reasonable friends around with some “trip-sitting” skills, as those will serve you well.

    Best wishes,

    Daniel

    PAA: Massive thanks to Daniel for spending so much time answering these questions.

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  • Magical Evocation and Invocation Simplified – An Interview with Jake Green

    Magical Evocation and Invocation Simplified – An Interview with Jake Green

    Today we we would like to introduce one of the new teachers here at Perseus Arcane Academy, Jake Green. He has a tremendous amount of experience that has been gained from some intensive training literally living and travelling with some very well known teachers from within the Franz Bardon community. The result of this is a clarity and understanding of the path of the Initiate, Sphere Magician and Quabbalist with the rare ability to teach the skills that allow others to gain the very same access and understanding to these teachings.

    Before we begin the interview lets have Jake introduce himself and his new course in the following video.

    Interview

    PAA: Thank you Jake for joining us. Please could you share a little of your journey, how you came to this path and what you have trained in over the years.

    Jake: I came into the Hermetic path when I was 15 years old. I’ve loved the idea Evocation since I was a little kid. Growing up, I went through catholic school for most of my primary education. A lot of Christian sermons were claiming things like Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh & Digimon would turn kids over to the occult at a very early age–– In my case, they were right!! All of my favorite forms of media were about summoning monsters or monster-related. Scooby doo. Or watching the Rugrats special where a Baby depiction of Moses drops his staff on the ground & parts the Nile river. As a very young child, I would draw monsters in my drawing book. I was all about monsters, dinosaurs, & sharks. When learning about animals or mythical monsters, I tried to understand “how many attack points does it have?” in reference to yugioh, a children’s card game where attack points= power. This type of lateral thinking quickly dissipated when I connected with real beings years latter. I also watched movies, like the Labyrinth & The Dark Crystal. Brain Froud, the art director of those films, is a gifted medium & his depictions of fairies in the films were strikingly accurate to the appearance & frequency of some of the faerie folk I met later on.

    Before I was an adolescent, I had many, many encounters with nature spirits & other beings out in the wilderness where I lived. I had a leprechaun friend whom I would talk to sometimes for hours. He would stand in patch of tall weaves in the grass about 3 ft high. He’d turn them left or right to communicate yes/no. While I often couldn’t see him with the naked eye, here’s what was curious–– The entire area would be still with no wind, whereas the weave of grass that he stood on would move delicately or vigorously depending on the answer or question I presented. Additionally, he would send me telepathic messages. pendulum-like yes/no was very effective in training me to communicate & understand him. I quickly understood intuitively that it wasn’t any treasures or material object he has that were substantive or important, but what I learned, the teachings, the true friendship & knowledge that I gained out of that connection.

    I have an unpublished memoir of 120-130 pages (20k words, a little smaller than a standard book) I’ve written about all my prepubescent experiences with ancestral land spirits, sasquatch, & various gnomes, sylphs, & magical experiences I was gifted by faeries. I’d be open to publishing if there’s any interest. Some stories are traumatic, others are very funny & involve me being at the the butt of many pranks!!

    I cannot claim to be a natural medium–– rather it was my connection with the forest & the fact that my mom had fairies with her for her whole life that made it possible for me to connect with them. Being prepubescent makes all sorts of beings more willing to come out of the woodworks to connect for better & worse.

    I still felt/saw spirits throughout my teens if I was traveling to really activated places, like New Orleans, old European cities & mountaintops, or in sacred regions in Hawaii. But it wasn’t as regular an occurrence. Between all my relationships with different beings, playing role-playing games like The elder-scrolls & travel, I unconsciously put those aspects together since travel awakens my spirit to psychic impressions more than anything else & the video games added fuel to the bonfire. 30 countries later, I still have the travel bug more than ever!

    As an adult, I don’t see spirits if I don’t want to, unless they “knock on the door” of my crown or periphery sight. I mostly just stay connected with higher light realms since the value is exponentially greater.

    Because of the organic relationships I developed with beings, faeries & spirits, I always hated how grimoire’s & books approached connecting & “dominating” them or asking them for unreasonable favors to materialize possessions, so I never followed the instructions of old grimoires. I also never connected with the beings of books like the goetica (with the exception of a few) because of all the negative hang-ups that I intuitively felt could happen. I’ve also never, ever asked spirits for anything material, only ever knowledge.

    I discovered Franz Bardon first when I was a part of the Evocationalmagic.com (now StudioArcanis) forum, which has since been debunk. I notice it had a whole section dedicated to Franz Bardon & I found it quite curious so I investigated the book.

    I started a website recently called www.Mysterycollege.com . One of my hopes was that serious practitioners that were apart of that forum & followers of Franz Bardons could find camaraderie there & at the Perseus Academy. I’m very shy with marketing myself, so I’ve mostly been focused on building the features. I’ve been playing around with achievements, gamification, and building a forum, which is a ton of work for a one-man crew (You know that too well, James!)

    PAA: You have spent the last few years intensively pursuing your path. Can you share some of the highlights over the last few years? It must have been a wonderful experience being able to live and travel with some of these teachers.

    Jake: I’ve spent tons of time with some of the best Franz Bardon practitioners around–– some are well-known & others who don’t reach out for the limelight. One of my favorite moments was going to the grave of Franz Bardon with Bob Smith & another member of our community Fabio in Opava, Czech Republic. I’ve had the pleasure of practicing & traveling with Bob full-time in many different countries across three different continents. Not a “spiritual” story, but a funny/shocking one. We rented a car from Prague & drove it across the country until nightfall. We were trying to “Czech” into hotels, but many were uninterested in hosting several foreigners. The Eastern side of Czech Republic is entirely different the western part (ie: Prague) We were even asked to leave by a dodgy hotel 1-hour outside Opava. The attendant of the hotel didn’t speak English, so a lady of the night who was there to get a room with her client was translating for the attendant, “sorry, there is no room available for you.” In hindsight, it is a very good thing that we left that town & didn’t stay there.

    Franz Bardon’s grave was quite magical and quaint. People leave little stones & crystals there & then it appears that the crystals become very charged this way. I haven’t tuned in to seeing whether it’s one of his serving spirits doing the charging or if Franz does this himself. I took a quartz crystal someone placed on his grave & it was charged very strongly, even though it was probably recently placed there within the last few months.

    Once you reach a certain level of momentum with Evocation, Invocation & Kabbalah, peak experiences happen with far more regularity so it is difficult to call out the best ones. This week as of writing this I’ve had a blast playing around with two-letter kabbalah combinations & integrating them with my morning affirmations & Visualization practice. Today I connected with some light realms while reading a book, which was happening in the background. Yesterday When I played Doom 3 in VR on my Occulus headset, I later felt some saturnian energies that were knocking at my crown & I politely declined. Doing this work is an amplifier of good & bad opportunities, so you’ve got to be extra conscientious of the media & information that you consume. Some people I know who are advanced simply cannot handle violence, horror, or reading the news because of their heightened sensitivity. One of my well-known friends in the community often watches anime for hours while streaming non-dual light! (I don’t recommend this approach if you haven’t been practicing for decades like he has) In other words, you can play & enjoy life as a normal human being with this work & still have extremely profound effects on a day-to-day basis.

    I recently watched a youtube documentary on consumerism & western cultures’ obsession with ‘newness”. The conclusion of that 90 minute documentary was that to combat the shallowness of western culture, the best antidote is to instead be a consumer of profound depth in fewer things (knowledge, consumer purchases, & community-oriented purchases.) For me, this translated to my experiences of gaining expertise in the Initation, Evocation & Kabbalah processes.

    That all said, there is a very important balance between treating all of these practices with the greatest level of the highest degree of sacredness & being able to apply the teachings during the most mundane activities. Most teachers adopt the attitude of sacredness because it is the best attribute for personal practice & the highest level of transmissions/teaching, at the cost of scaring off most students who’d feel inadequate. While if I talk only about media, games, & comedic encounters while traveling that may communicate too little reverence & take away the punch power to the teachings when transferring these lessons. At this stage for me, the best way to balance is to communicate both of these polarities so that people can find the middle ground for themselves & accept their own light & dark natures.

    PAA: You are known for your work with Sifu Mark Rasmus, being the co author of the very successful Backdoor into Hermetics. Can you talk about how your work with Mark assisted you in each of the books of Franz Bardon, IIH, PME and KTQ?

    Jake: Mark taught me about all the various hidden aspects of the Franz Bardon framework that are not publicly available. The irony is that even when publishing an advanced esoteric book like Franz Bardon did, it is still in many ways, “exoteric.” Exoteric means that these books were developed for the public OF HIS TIME. I can only image that Bardon had his Esoteric & inner circle practice where he could share energetic transmissions & help students gain abilities at a far more advanced pace then they would’ve on their own. Books are just far too limited. In traditional esoteric circles in Western Europe, people would visit their teacher in short spurts to get the attunements & get back to practicing on their own. The myth of a solitary practitioner isn’t helpful & I don’t encourage it. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I just stayed alone in my room and bashed my head against my copy of the IIH text, only repeating the observing & rising of thought exercise over and over and over again & being sorely disappointed…

    It is unfair to expect anyone to learn calculus on their own using a textbook, especially if they didn’t know how to add, subtract or knew what they should focus on reading. How discouraging would that be? Where would they know where to start? Attunements give you all the energetic information to make these instinctive calculations for magical practices so that they “just work.” In a post-enlightenment westernized world, Magic, akasha, light, universal principles, Esoteric Dharma teachings & Quabalah are much more conceptually difficult to comprehend because there is virtually zero consensus of belief in society that supports you on this path. Our perceptions of reality are largely guided by what our societies dictates we can see & no one is immune to their environment. What wants you to psychically evolve is your spirit & nature itself, which is why I believe getting direct transmissions, as well as practicing in the forest with plants & trees is the fastest way to grow & have breakthroughs in your practice.

    The beauty of technology today is that we can transfer far larger bandwidths of data than text. A text file is kilobytes (1,000s of bytes, ) whereas video is often gigabytes (billions of bytes.) The extra bandwidth carries Way more information for our intellect, feelings & spirit to discern nuisance. With videos, I’ve been able to help students far more than I would have with using books alone. Additionally, instead of reading & subvocalizing the words of a book in the voice you’re projecting onto the author, we can instead see each other eye-to-eye (albeit parasocially.) You can see a human versus a mythologized author, which really helps with getting a realistic feel for our soul mirror work & normalizing the hermetic lifestyle. If we feel that we are too separate from the possibility of getting truly competent in the framework because we worship our heroes too much, then we are missing out on so much. I’ve had at least a dozen people who have met me in person & who’ve read the Backdoor into Hermetics back-to-front & are often surprised to find myself being an easy-going goofy guy when not actively practicing or teaching. The author personality or teaching personalities are just one of many dimensionalities of being that we have. I can say the trait of a strong sense of humor is characteristic in the best practitioners I’ve met.

    All the advanced hermeticists I’ve met who have been highly competent magicians who I’ve seen with my own eyes demonstrate wild abilities are also very human –– in both their strengths & flaws. That’s why the practice of self mastery isn’t about reaching total perfection as projected by our egos, but about attaining equilibrium with all of our attributes

    It is my belief that if Franz Bardon were alive today, he would do transmissions via video as well to help accelerate student’s progress massively.

    PAA: What are some of the main challenges you see students get stuck on? What would be the solution to these challenges? For example we often see questions about how to attain the emptiness of mind, visualization, and depth point. Any tips for attaining these important IIH skills?

    Jake: One example I see students get stuck on is the gap between doing the initiation text & doing Evocational magic & invocation. For example, Bardon had a student who he started working with & initiated into Evocational magic after 3 DAYS of working with him.

    Emptiness of mind

    Visualization

    Depth point

    The best thing is to practice these exercises with trees & plants. If you can learn to connect with plants, they will do all of the heavy-lifting for you for developing all of these traits in record time.

    Don’t be afraid to apply the exercises to your own unique path & needs–– the Initiation into Hermetics book isn’t a bible; it is a training manual & skeleton framework to be further built out through direct experience & your own path. Backdoor into Hermetics provides a lot of unique ways to approach the book using your own intuition & getting the same results at an accelerated pace.

    A lot of people get caught up on the first few steps of the book because Bardon said not to progress if you did not do all of the proceeding exercises perfectly.

    The reality is that I haven’t mastered every single one of the above steps perfectly, at all times. Neither has Bob, Mark, or anyone else that I know of––We all have extreme competence in some areas, & less so in others. Everyone has strengths & weaknesses and the most optimal way to find your strengths to lean on is to keep progressing in the book despite those instructions.

    With Evocation for example, some spirits I see like 4k, others I can only feel them through my clairsentience. There are literally infinite variations of clairfaculties that all work slightly differently on varying levels of reality. Depending on the reasons we incarnate & due to our natural proclivities, we all have a natural tendency to have strengths in different areas. I for example get very clairvoyant connections with Saturn, whereas I don’t often connect very clearly with water spirits other than clairsentience. Bardon for example found it very difficult to connect with Air spirits, where I have a very strong resonance with Sylphs & find them to be exceedingly friendly to me, despite their shy tendencies.

    This is why in my latest course I have plans for people to connect with all of the various spheres in our solar system so that they can find what works best for them. I have various protective mechanisms working on the backend so that people don’t harm themselves. Unsurprisingly, great harm has happened to many, many students who did the evocation work in Bardon’s system & far more frequently in other Western/Eastern systems without being initiated into the right frequencies & universal principles to guide & protect them.

    Out of any magical practice, evocation & invocation have the most pitfalls and have caused people the most problems karmically & individually in their lives out of any from of practice. This is why the transmissions I provide are the most vital aspect of my new work.

    PAA: How important is physical training when it comes to building skills in IIH.

    Jake: The biggest thing about physical training is that it increases your total reservoirs of energy & your ability to conduct energy outside of yourself. Some people overplay the need to physically exercise–– the simplest approach is to just jump on a trampoline for 15-30 minutes a day & you’ll be able to do everything I can. Run some air element while you’re doing it, the letter Z & some of your favorite workout sounds & you’ll love to exercise in no time!

    If you’ve gotten 8 hours of great quality sleep, are breathing properly through the diaphragm throughout the day, eat high quality food, do an intense workout in the morning & are drinking 3 litters of high quality water on a regular basis, then your practice sessions are going to improve dramatically. Add this with vial breathing (pore breathing), then the first exercises will be far more manageable. On top of that, do an invocation of the Mercury Shchemorah angel Vehumiah (who I give you a transmission of in the course so you can start the IIH process with them) & you’ll literally double the time of unbroken concentration in the beginning exercises using a stopwatch. And that’s just through invoking & ignoring all the physical factors.

    What’s more important than physical training is the soul mirror work. I’ve been recently reviewing The Universal Master key every evening before I go to bed & every morning before I begin my day.

    I have an unreleased kabbalah course I’ve already produced that’s 9 hours long that includes transmissions for every single letter key, but I’d like to see the response I get from the Evocation/Invocation course before I decide to release it –– Either as a standalone, or as a potential combo package deal with the evocation course.

    Because I’m at a stage where I have a strong proficiency in the Initiation System, Evocation system, And Kabbalah, I find that the most important differentiator in the strength & quality of my experiences isn’t how much time I put into practice. Instead, I find that raising to my highest level of attunement, & working diligently on my soul mirror everyday is what is giving me exponential growth at this stage & everything else are just fun bonuses that happen out of the day because the work is super enjoyable! I want everyone to be able to experience the framework this way since I know how lost people are with the system. If they could feel the way myself, Bob, or Mark felt, they’d do it because it is super fun & entertaining for the sprit & six senses, rather than because they felt an existential anxiety of failing at this system & thus failing at maximizing this incarnation itself. I only say this because I felt this way when I first started the Franz Bardon system & I was “stuck” on the first step for years.

    The truth is that nobody is inescapably stuck–– most people who approach this work may have advanced proficiencies in other steps, but many wouldn’t even know because they havent’ tried anything else. As someone whose natural tendencies are extremely high in air as my predominant element, vacuity of mind isn’t my strength & being still isn’t! My mind moves at a mile a minute & I am always thirsty for knowledge & am addicted to learning new information. But I also get High-quality results out of the practice because I release on the idea of being distractible altogether because I can invoke strong levels of energy that suck my attention into whatever I’m practicing. This is why I encourage people who are even still on step one or to of the franz bardon training to join the course––– We create the right conditions for you to succeed from the first step.

    Once you’re connected with various aspects of extremely refined light, universal hierarchies, working with multi-letter Quabbalistic formulas throughout your day & you’re equalized with all the planetary sphere’s the work all comes back down to enobling the soul.

    PAA: Can you share some memorable moments from your training? What stands out in your memory as truly transformative moments.

    Jake: For peak experiences with the fire aspect, I recently did a 12 hour meditation sit with Nathan from the group. We built up a massive reservoir of akasha & light. We were too equalized to feel it at the time since you get used to working with energies, but when students entered our circle after the session afterwards, they were shocked & quickly unnerved with the build-up of energy that took place.

    Peak experiences with the water aspect have been releasing old traumas & rediscovering talents & different reservoirs of energy. I’ve never met a magician or spiritual practitioner who had a perfect childhood & I’ve not met a Bardonist who had a particularly great childhood.

    I really enjoy spending time raising up into light realms that I have no labels or names for. This year I’ve connected a lot more with Budhistic Deities & frequencies. For me, it is one of my most high value practices is to equalize with the energy of light realms & keep raising up the vibrational ladder. One of my first encounters with this was when I used psychometery with the BDK edition of Lotus Sutra & quickly I awakened to some brilliant light streams connected to that book. All The names of those Buddhas, beings & light realms stated in that book are highly accessible & cost nothing to gain from accounting-wise. For those taking my course, I’m happy to add some content related to this type of work upon request. There’s some parts of working & raising through vibrational scales of light mentioned in the Automatic Writing portion of the course.

    PAA: People may or may not know about your work with Reiki and your hugely successful Udemy course. Could you tell us about this, how it evolved and how the experience perhaps contributed to your current courses?

    Jake: Through the reiki courses, I was able to teach many students from all over the world on the topic of energy healing. I also received countless amounts of positive responses from people who were able to successfully receive the transmissions through video! I read hundreds of messages from people providing me feedback on transmissions. There was a spectrum of people who felt it very intensely & would cry, whereas some would just feel some warmth in their hands & would pick up the skill after a second session. I can count on two hands people who messaged me saying they couldn’t feel energy at all no matter how hard they tried. For them, I recommended seeing a Reiki master in person to initiate them. Out of a course with so many people, having such a small failure rate gave me the confidence to find a solution to the chief challenge that is preventing students from succeeding from the Franz Bardon Framework & prevented myself from “getting it” as a beginner––– getting transmissions for the energies of Franz Bardon’s work & our planetary hierarchy.

    PAA: Moving on now to your new course which I think is going to surprise many people in the sheer amount of information and detail that is included. The course is extremely detailed and has some aspect that are truly unique. Could you tell us about the course, what made you create it and what makes this a very special opportunity for those that want to learn.

    Sure! When I first started making courses & publishing content, Bob Smith & I were super tight & discussing how to help give the Franz Bardon framework a 2.0 update for the 21st century. We had a heart-to-heart & were both very concerned about the karmic repercussions of sharing the knowledge, insights, & transmissions that we had. We both knew of the possible consequences of magicians who make the wrong pact or do things that get them locked into what Bob calls, “ the Saturnian box.” Upon checking my own karma & carefully conversing with spirit guides, it seems that this wouldn’t happen as long as I tread carefully & share info in complete earnest for the benefit of the next generation of practitioners. I shared this insight with Bob & we both encouraged each other to create content for the Franz Bardon community. Not long after, we filmed the Building the Ball course. I was the cameraman & help setup the original logo, file uploads & course description while he taught the course. We’ve also worked together on some other projects as well that can be discussed in further interviews.

    During our discussions, we would often talk about Prometheus. According to Greek myth, Prometheus was a God who brought fire from gods at mount Olympus out of compassion for the people. As a consequence, he was chained to a location, only to be pecked at by birds until his eye sockets wore out, over & over again each day for eternity. We both came to the conclusion that this narrative was powerful, but was also for a different generation of people.

    So to start our journeys sharing this knowledge, we’ve both adopted the attitude of prometheus & the concept of sharing “Promethean fire” that is to focus on sharing the energetic transmission & knowledge despite any spiritual repercussions placed on us. Luckily, none of our concerns came to fruition & sharing has been a net positive experience for both of us & the people we’ve shared with.

    This whole course is dedicated to the younger version of me who struggled & struggled with the Franz Bardon framework & wanted more than anything to finally “get” it to work for me. I’m gifting this course to my past self & to all the future students who wont’ have to struggle for years & years like I did. I know how painful it is to feel like the work is completely insurmountable. All I want is for people to experience & awaken their true potential from the start instead of suffering like I did. That is why I am so open about my personal shortcomings & my own challenges as a practitioner. I personally learn & resonate more from teachers through both their humility–– having success, despite having shortcomings.

    I’d like to do seminars on the topics twice a year. I’m open to doing online seminars or in-person depending on the feedback that I get for this course & book projects I release.

    If you want to stay in touch with me, I go by “Jake” in the facebook forums. You can go to mysterycollege.com & subscribe to my newsletter. I’ve also got a youtube page by the same name. I’ll be sharing some early access content of my next book on the site, so check the site regularly for updates!

    And check out my newest course at the Perseus Arcane Academy, I love what the Perseus Academy is doing with democratizing access to all of this insider’s knowledge from different practitioners.

    PAA: Thank you Jake for sharing so much with us. I look forward to us having more discussions in the future both here on Perseus and over on the Mystery College.

    Learn more about Jakes Course: The Evocation Masterclass

    Useful Links

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    If you would like to see more about Jake’s new course then please visit here.

    Subscribe to his youtube channel here.

    Visit his site here.

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  • Taoist Magic and Franz Bardons Tradition: A Discussion with Jason Read

    Taoist Magic and Franz Bardons Tradition: A Discussion with Jason Read

    Today we have an interview with Jason Read, someone who has undertaken a very interesting course of study in Asia, he is a student of Franz Bardons work and the author of what I think will be some very interesting books on hard to find subjects within Taoist Magic, due to be released in the coming years. I hope that as more information comes out about his books we can do another update, but for now we have his insight on some questions I raised primarily focusing on Bardons work, for the Taoist segment of this interview scroll down to read about the training Jason received. Be sure to visit Jason’s blog after reading the interview. Update: Here is his new website.

    PAA: Please introduce yourself and let us know how you found the teachings of Franz Bardon.

    Fraternal greetings. Well I’m Jason Read, and I expect a few people know me through my work in Chinese folk magic rather than Hermetic endeavors. I found Bardon in my early twenties after having gone the usual route …you know…Dion Fortune, Israel Regardie, Crowley and the usual resources available in the 1990s. Back then Bardon was not very well known and I ordered his books from an advertisement I found in an astrology magazine of all places. I quickly realized that this was a logical system with definite goals and devoid of obscuration of method.

    PAA: Many have problems with the early steps like VOM in step 1 and the visualization exercises in step 2 (These are exercises in the first manual of Franz Bardon ‘Initiation into Hermetics’ often called IIH). What advice would you give to help students pass these steps?

    I expect most people say this, but stick with it. I think the alchemists speak of this in terms of fixing the volatile. Sustaining a concentrated image is hard work, and to make it real is even harder. Think of it in terms of alchemy. The imagination /mind is like Mercury, but the passion and sustained discipline is like sulfur that fixes the image so it becomes crystallized, salt. Yet don’t be rigid and tense in the visualization, relax into it, enjoy it. As alchemy texts say yet again, alchemy is child’s play!

    PAA: What in your opinion are the crucial steps of IIH that ensure success and did you follow IIH by the book or did you go your own way with it?

    The key of it all is sustained, gentle effort. The development of character is also important but overlooked by those wanting quick results. In fact the way your visualizations go can quickly indicate psychological complexes that are blocking the free flow of elemental energies. Even niggling muscular tensions as you sit in meditation may be locked in emotional traumas and the like.

    PAA: What challenges did you face during your training in IIH/ PME/KTQ. Was there any specific step that took longer for you than others?

    The most challenging aspect for me personally was inertia. Getting moving in the practice. Another challenge is distinguishing mere vivid imagination with actual ‘mental wandering’. I tend to think students mistake vivid mental impressions with actual experiences in spiritual realms and that can lead to delusion. I did exactly that, until one day there was an actual audible click at the base of my skull and an apparently complete disengagement from normal consciousness. That was a eureka moment for me, and I thought…’’Oh, so that’s it!’’ It’s a world away from my previous controlled fantasizing.

    PAA: Are you able to share anything from your work in the second and third book? Such as experiences in mental wondering? First Evocation etc.

    I had some experiences with invocations of the Elementals as at that time that was my capability in all honesty. Some interesting experiences, and I seemed to work well with Air and Fire in particular. In one experience we used in an experimental fashion, audio tech to record voices, similar to EVP, an experiment others might pursue with more gusto. Some interesting sibilant voices on the background of white noise.

    PAA: You have travelled and studied extensively in Asia. Can you share with us your journey and explain what you learned?

    Well yes. To cut a long story short I ventured to Malaysia and China to learn , specifically magic. By my (Chinese) wife , then girlfriend I was put in touch with a master of the folk magical tradition and studied with him for some 12 years. For me it consolidated alot and dare I say filled in some gaps. I can definitely see some Daoist aspects in Bardon’s work, though Bardon taught it at a basic level. I would say, my teacher, Dr Liang is one of the few people who I met who can authentically demonstrate magic physically.

    PAA: This sounds fascinating, can you give more details about the kind of training you underwent in Asia?

    Yes , of course.

    I will try to quickly summarise the methods used in our particular school, though they do vary from sect to sect. Of course there is also quite a lot that can never be discussed publicly nor printed due to oaths of initiation, what we call ‘Entering the Door’. So first and foremost you have to be inducted or passed through the door. Like many Asian systems you have to receive a transmission from an acknowledged Master who is capable of aligning you to the ancestral reservoir so to speak. You couldn’t just buy a book and hope to succeed in the methods even if they were fully published. It would be like, for example, trying to start up a computer with no electricity. Until you are ‘wired’ you cannot work with the method.

    However this isn’t a guru type relationship where you are ‘worshipping’ the teacher as some kind of living embodiment of a god as in some orthodox system common in Buddhism and Hinduism. So having your transmission or ‘chuan, the next stage is geared towards self-healing. In Daoist belief you have to revert towards , for want of better words, a ‘child-like’ state, something we refer to as the Pre-Heaven Nature. Generally speaking there is a kind of deterioration of the totality of the potential of human beings from puberty onwards. The energetic functions are lost, bits of your soul essence are scattered by trauma and repression, the workings of the energetic system are off balance and so forth. So for the first several months or even years there is work done to retrieve lost fragments of the soul complex and rebalance the energetic system that is represented by the six organs and meridians more well known to acupuncture and other TCM practitioners.

    Another aspect of this is ridding of spiritual parasites, some of which we are born with and

    have various names in Daoist literature, such as the Nine Worms. Another aspect is paying off your debts to the universe. Daoists believe you cannot function magically at your full potential until your debt to the cosmos is paid off. In other words we are all born in a kind of debt. There is a special set of ritual practices designed to do exactly this but due to brevity I won’t go on.

    Having all this complete, and aside from training in the basics of cosmology, and other aspects of Chinese metaphysics, then meditation and neigong can begin. Until the person is ‘repaired’ however, Daoists teach that magic is only a fantasy, and results, if any, are statistical at most. One only has to quickly read any number of ‘astral accounts’ on the occulture internet to quickly realise that those accounts are far more based on a fevered imagination than reality. Daoist esotericism constantly stresses the need for Zhen, reality. Yes, I realise this won’t be a fashionable statement in today’s world of Tik-Tok occultism and entitlement. It is at this point I should mention some interesting parallels to Bardonian magic. They are only parallels though, and we should not read too much into them.

    1. THE LIGHT IN ENERGY TRAINING.

    Getting beyond mere qigong which is an art these days more geared towards health and

    martial arts in most (not all) cases is difficult even in Asia. Due to Sun Yat Sen and Mao

    Ze Dong, much of the magical tradition in China was thrown away or discarded.

    However in the underground are to be found real magical exercises.

    One of these is called Jin GUAN Fa, the Golden Light Method. It is a special magical exercise in which the dizi (student) pore breathes golden light after speaking a special invocation and holding a mudra over the third eye and mentally envisioning a special Seal. (see picture). Particles of Golden Light infuse the body. These particles of pure solar light can be stored at the Yellow Court Centre (solar plexus) or Dan Tian (near navel). Advanced students can direct this light for healing or exorcising Xie (unhealthy qi or Spirits). It can also, in Masters, be seen by other students and even photographed as a golden aura around the master.

    COMPARE. BARDONS LIGHT EXERCISE.

    2. ELEMENTAL BREATHING/ORGANS.

    In five colours of red, green, black, yellow and white, representing fire, wood, water, soil and metal, the master inhales the elemental rainbow to empower, balance and strengthen the harmony of elements within.

    Along with this is associated the conscious centering of mind in corresponding internal organs. Going beyond this he actually communicates with the spirits and intelligences of the organs as entities in their own right. The organs are filled with purifying, life giving elemental essence. This can be extended into magic such as magically induced fire, and healing.

    COMPARE: BARDONS ELEMENTAL BREATHING, TRANSPLANTATION OF

    CONSCIOUSNESS AND ORGAN LOADING.

    3. CONSCIOUS EATING AND DRINKING.

    In Magical training, Taoist fangshi (magicians) are taught an intricate art of empowering food such as fruit, buns (Bao Zi), rice and water for certain aims. A typical one involves empowering water by use of a special seal called Zi Wei. the Seal of the Purple Palace to empower water with a purple essence representing the powers of the Stars. This is drunk and absorbed to help build a tangible magical body. Sometimes talismans are infused with will and entity essence and burned. The ashes were mixed with water, tea or wine and drunk.

    COMPARE:BARDON EUCHARISTICAL MYSTERY.

    4. CREATING MAGICAL ELEMENTALS.

    A basic process in Maoshan is to carve a wooden figure, usually with willow or peach Wood. It is drilled with a central axis from the top of the head (bai Hui) to form a hollow spinal channel. This is filled with special ingredients similar to FLUID OR SOLID CONDENSERS. In special cases the magician will employ ashes of bones of the recently deceased to kick start the operation by using an astral shell of the dead. The magical familiar is cultivated over a period of 49 days and fed a drop of blood, incense, rice etc. The Familiar can work for the magician.

    A highly developed art with many variants in Maoshan.

    Note that all statues and images undergo Kai Guang or consecration using light reflected

    from mirrors, filling with the 8 Treasures and opening the senses with cinnabar.

    In lesser operations a simple paper doll or zhiren or a straw doll of 36 straws is used but

    is opened with cinnabar ink.

    COMPARE BARDON CREATING ELEMENTARIES AND VOLTING.

    5. MAGICAL MIRRORS.

    Many kinds, moon mirrors, sun mirrors. Absorption and projection mirrors. Some are

    convex, some concave and some a flat plane. All are loaded.

    Even the well known bagua mirror has to undergo Kai Guang with cinnabar and ritual or

    it is inert.

    PAA: How does what you have learned from the Eastern approach fit with your experience of IIH? Are you able to combine them or do you practice them entirely separately?

    Some of the methods of IIH and Daoist magic are so similar that there is no need to practice

    them separately. All genuine systems have similar templates so to speak. For example, as well as energy work, visualization, mental and astral travel, we have the use of solid and fluid condensers in both mirrors and small statues made of willow that are used as mediums to converse with spirits.

    PAA: Where do you see your practice going now that you have the experience from both the Western and the Eastern systems?

    These days I am almost exclusively a practitioner of the Chinese system, but I acknowledge my debt to Bardon, who in many ways led me to that path. Bardon’s work also helps me to explain the Chinese system in concrete terms to those westerners who show an interest.

    PAA: Closing thoughts – anything you wish to discuss. This could be advice for practice, information on your own projects like books, podcasts etc.

    Franz Bardon has given a wonderful and genuine system to students. I believe it to be a great foundation for the exploration of other systems as it was for myself. Do not be discouraged when the system takes time to produce results…..they will come!

    As for myself, I am currently writing a series of books via Mandrake of Oxford on the subject of Chinese Magic that goes beyond just theorizing about qigong, martial arts and so on to the meat of actual practice.

    Thankyou for your time!!!

    PAA: Thank you very much for sharing journey with us.

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  • Franz Bardons ‘Key to the True Kabbalah’ and the path of a Magician – A discussion with Ray Del Sole

    Franz Bardons ‘Key to the True Kabbalah’ and the path of a Magician – A discussion with Ray Del Sole

    Ray Del Sole - Teacher of Franz Bardons Teachings

    This post uses both Kabbalah and Quabbalah interchangeably. We are extremely grateful for Ray in spending the time answering our many questions in such detail. It was lovely to have this communication with him as he brings deep insight into many of these topics as he truly walks the walk and has spent countless hours seeing what works most efficiently and safely. I still remember back in 2008 when I discovered Franz Bardon and Initiation into Hermetics. I was so excited with so many questions, Ray was one of those kind individuals who answered my questions and even did some webinars with us early on, more than a decade ago. So as you can see, Ray truly knows this material intimately.

    If you would like to read more about Rays Magical Quabbalah course then please see here.

    PAA Thank you for this interview. Could you briefly introduce your organisation SURA and its approach to education.

    Ray: Thank you for the opportunity! I founded the Sura Academy around ten years ago with this idea to support spiritual seekers, especially those who walk the path of Franz Bardon. I offer personal coaching for an efficient approach in spiritual training. On our platform we discuss related topics, questions and experiences. We have a very nice international community of spiritual students who follow the universal path of initiation. Individual goals on the path are also supported by me as it is not a “must” to work in the way of Franz Bardon. An individual approach can make more sense.

    PAA: How does education within SURA Academy and nextsteptomastery.com differ from simply tackling IIH via solo practice by oneself.

    Ray: I have been on the path for about 30 years now and I would have liked to have had someone to give me advice, someone to discuss questions with. Unfortunately, no one was available and so progress was partially a real challenge, taking a lot of time and effort for studies and experiments. Having to do all on yourself is a big burden. This experience led me to the wish to be supported by brothers and sisters on the path, so that they can save precious time, making better progress in a most efficient way.

    PAA: Does everything within IIH need to be completed to safely move onto PME or is it sufficient to have the elements, fluids and Akasha training in place.

    Ray: A few topics are optional, simply depending on the preferences of the student/master. Here is the point to understand how things work and in best case you make experiences with the topics so that you can evaluate them. So, for example, depending on your individual activities in life, it is the question if or how often you need to work with elementals, with elementars or with astral traveling. Even such simple things like creating talismans is a question of individual needs or usage. Some magicians create talismans for others, or they like to use them by themselves while other magicians have not a single talisman. In conclusion the message is: Understand all topics, make practical experiences to know the practical application but if you make use of them in life is your individual decision.

    For PME and KTQ it is most important to have managed the refinement and empowerment process, so that you are in control of all energies and that you are able to unite with the divine virtues like described in the tenth step. Otherwise PME can be a disappointment and KTQ won’t work. The deities or spirits of the spheres expect a certain degree of maturity or mastery, otherwise a visit or a request of acknowledgement doesn’t work in the sense of Bardon. If you can do mental traveling and if you make it into the sphere of a deity, then it is a matter of kindness if the deity receives you and helps you. If you are a master then the deity receives you as the king or queen that you are (in the spiritual symbolic meaning). This is truly a difference. Then initiation, blessings and full support are offered by the deity.

    PAA: As a native German speaker what differences, if any, have you noticed between German materials and English materials? For IIH, PME, KTQ.

    I know the pronunciation is something often mentioned in KTQ, what about the instructions of IIH is it largely correct or are there some areas where you think the change to English has caused us to miss the point of the exercise?

    Ray: Indeed, the translations of all three books, in main of IIH and KTQ cause real pains. There are translation errors and the commentaries of the translators as well as their “correction” of mistakes are something which is counterproductive for the goals which Bardon had set for his books. We have to see that his teachings are in main detailed instructions which need to be followed to realize the desired results. If the instruction is changed due to translation errors, then the results are questionable or bad. Now, I do not blame the translators as they followed their human nature, with good intentions but the results are still painful. KTQ especially, suffers a lot from incomprehensible mistakes, for example regarding the right colors of the letters. Now, the problem is that Bardon´s way of describing things is very complex already in the German original teachings. So, it takes a high effort to understand what he means and then a high effort to translate everything correctly. In the end, – only an experienced practitioner can understand Bardon´s teachings completely and such a person would be needed for a high quality translation. I personally hope that the present translations of the new publisher are better. I can only recommend to compare translations with the original German teachings with Online translators like DeepL if something sounds strange or is questionable. I think that IIH and PME can be done even with the errors, KTQ not.

    PAA: What can we do to ensure our practice is rigorous and not self deceiving? Nowadays with so many people practicing on their own with no wider community there is the potential that we can fool ourselves and not truly attain what we think we have.

    Ray: Yes, this is an important question for sure. From my perception there are people who are lost in self deception. This should not be the goal. There are a few security factors which help very well. The focus on the personal ego with ego expansion leads in general to self deception. So, the true seeker should be humble and should go beyond the limitations of the ego, setting higher goals, following higher ideals. For example, if you desire truth, wisdom, refinement, etc. then you cannot get lost in ego traps. It is the mystical attitude which is needed to walk the path of the magician in a safe way. The development of the heart chakra and the crown chakra is also crucial, – divine love and divine consciousness. Both help to heal and to integrate the human self, the ego in a positive, lawful way. There is a mystery connected to the so-called ego which must be understood and realized. Otherwise imbalances and problems come up. Another point is that things simply must work. If you cannot do something, you are not a master in this aspect, – something needs improvement. If things work well, then it is a good sign of progress and mastery. One important point – there are things which a normal human cannot understand as these topics belong to the divine nature. For example, if you ask someone about the nature of almightiness then he might think about the Avengers, Superman or very rich people but he cannot create a realistic idea as he lacks experiences and comparison possibilities. On the other hand, if you realize the divine virtue of almightiness practically in yourself, you understand its nature and you can explain it even to normal people in a way that they comprehend it on an intellectual level. A last point is the acknowledgement of your maturity and progress by other initiates and especially by the deities of the spheres. A true master is a divine authority in creation and will be treated in this way. In conclusion, most important is the permanent introspection to check who we are, where we are, what we are doing, if there are any imbalance or mistakes which need to be corrected, etc. And if we walk the path in love and growing wisdom with humbleness and natural joy, then we can be sure to be on the right track. If possible, then it is good to get feedback from more developed, older brothers or sisters on the path. Self-reflection is simply important.

    PAA: You are well known for your organisation skills and efficiency. How can we best organise our time towards efficient practice? What can we do within IIH, PME, KTQ to make our training more efficient and impactful?

    Ray: Thank you. Yes, time is precious and we should focus on progress to not waste any time. Growing old and wasting time is unfortunately very easy and something which we regret at the end of the incarnation. Further on, this incarnation offers the greatest opportunities for growth. In comparison with other incarnations, it is the big lottery win. I recommend reading books about management and project management to understand how you can manage yourself, life and your training better. Indeed, it is very easy as you define standards, setting goals and milestones, going through evaluation and improvement processes. The right attitude and the focusing of all available techniques and powers on one goal offer efficiency. And certainly, a mentor or coach or older brother on the path can help a lot too. Without a mentor you can easily waste years without realizing the real cause of not making good progress. The right attitude is the mystical attitude. Bardon simply assumes that the future magician has a mystical attitude, a longing for enlightenment, refinement and the initiation into the mysteries of creation. Those who orientate only on their egos, desiring power and control over others lack the mystical attitude, do not care about refinement, love and wisdom, and block themselves in this way for real progress. Besides these points, I suggest looking for smart ways, smart approaches in the development of exercises. Many students just read the instructions of Bardon and get directly frustrated as it appears as a torture to do imagination exercises with a fork, for example. Indeed, we should enjoy all exercises, creating them in a motivational way, with fun and a higher meaning or application. If you connect different techniques or exercises in a smart way, you can easily get something of value. So for example why not directly working on an own talisman by applying imagination exercises and instructions for working with vital energy? This can be done easily and the results can be controlled well too. The point with Bardon´s books is that they are composed with a focus on the three Tarot Cards. This means that the teachings are limited to the Tarot Cards and not prepared in regards to efficiency or the level of motivation of the student or any further, smart factors. For example, it would make a lot of sense if the beginner studies directly the laws of wisdom, the wisdom teachings as they are very important for success and progress on the path. To overcome the limitations of the three/four Tarot Cards, I want to develop a training system with the focus on mastery and efficiency, integrating all important teachings, also those beyond hermetics – The Path of the Master. Bardon´s teachings would be reengineered. Unfortunately, I lack time but I hope that I manage this before I leave this world.

    PAA: In regard to the application of depth point and conscious transfer etc……..how can students efficiently practice these things and apply them. Knowing them is one thing but what practical things can they work on to gain true mastery of these practices?

    Ray: The use of the depth point belongs to the Akasha principle. It is simply the most efficient technique to control any kind of space, object, body, organ, room, etc. and to charge or accumulate energy in it. I always work with the depth point because of all its advantages. The transfer of consciousness is also a matter of the Akasha principle. The mind has no limitations and can move in time and space deliberately. Magic is a lot about moving or traveling to get specific information or to become active for some kind of operation. For the practical approach I think it is most useful to understand that the mind already belongs to Akasha, that the mind can naturally move in time and space independent from the physical body. We do not need to move the head or the brain. We just move the consciousness, our awareness, our attention, our sensation and this happens already by intention, by keeping the attention on an object for a longer period of time. It is a natural process. For the start it makes sense to move the consciousness into body parts. How does my right hand feel? Feel it. At some point you become the hand. You are the hand. Then take other body parts. Then take objects. And understand that it is on the one hand a natural process of attention and on the other hand it is a matter of imagination, similar to playing a role. “It is easier than I think. It is possible. I can do it. It is a natural ability. I just have to get used to it.” This is a good approach. Unfortunately, most think that it is difficult, unnatural, etc.

    The depth point works in three ways. One approach is to simply grow the size of the object to “as big as possible” with yourself as the small center point. The second approach is to shrink yourself by imagination to the size of an atom in the center of the object. And the third approach is to fix the depth point with your will and then to work with an object, for example to charge it quickly. In all cases, we work with the Akasha principle, going beyond time and space, the limitations of material forms. In the training we should make experiences with all different approaches. Later we choose our favorite techniques. School versus life. In general, it is all about imagination, intention, will. A great support in the mastery of such techniques is the training with the Akasha element as you refine your mind perfectly. The Akasha qualities of the mind will be increased and strengthened. Mind transfer and other techniques are much easier afterwards.

    PAA: With more and more people practising this work, do you feel it is good for an individual to go through each book? Or after IIH gravitate towards PME or KTQ depending on what attracts the practitioner the most.

    Ray: Bardon´s mission was to reveal the four Tarot Cards and the universal teachings they offer. These are teachings beyond the frame of time and space. The realization in time and space, in the material world is a different question. This means that not all spiritual seekers or students are of the same nature, the same level of progress or maturity but that we all are individuals with an individual history, individual goals and individual talents or abilities. Indeed, everyone should be picked up where he is on the path. Some are very old souls with lots of experiences while others might be complete beginners. This all means that the Tarot Cards, the books offer orientation and can be understood as a check off list for the human soul of what can and what should be accomplished on the path of universal initiation and development. And when you understand it in this way, you find freedom in making individual decisions for your studies and training. If you feel ready for KTQ then this training certainly offers great advantages for working with PME and in general in all fields of magic and mysticism. On the other hand, if you go through PME without KTQ you will have different experiences as you have a different status, a different understanding. Meeting kings and queens of the spheres as a prince or princess is different to such meetings when you are a king or queen yourself. KTQ makes you “old”, wise and powerful. Without KTQ after step 10 of IIH you are a prince, young and ready for adventures. The inner call will lead all of us to making the right decisions. In the end we all will finish the check off list completely, in this incarnation or a later one.

    PAA: What is your response to people who say these entities though ‘real’ are still contained within the practitioner’s own mind and an expression of the subconsciousness?

    Heavens

    Ray: We can create a lot by imagination, – monsters, demons, angels, also things like irrational fears, passions and addictions. We are creators by nature. However, this does not mean that we can easily create gods and goddesses, the spirits of the planetary spheres. They have a separate, independent existence outside of our minds. They are the administration of creation. Without them, nothing would work. All beings, including us as humans are receiving their influences and depending on our individual setting we receive more or less influences of the great diversity of deities in the spheres. This is comparable to a satellite receiver. Only in the perfect case, it is able to receive all TV programs in perfect quality. In the normal case, the satellite receiver gets only some and not all in good quality. Now, certainly, we are all connected as the spirits of the spheres are active on the highest mental plane and we are mental beings too, and on this plane time and space play no role. Due to our mental nature and the Akasha principle we can unite with these spirits to take part in their nature. The application of KTQ allows us to create all deities further on in ourselves. This means that we can invoke them. Indeed, there are no limits for the human spirit in the world of spirits. We just have to differentiate between our own imagination and real beings. Real beings offer information which we haven’t imagined while imagined beings look and behave exactly as we imagined them to do.

    PAA: Are you able to mention anything about the origins of Bardons Key to the True Kabbalah? Some say there is a connection to the work or Kerning and possibly others before him.

    Ray: I know such discussions and I know that it is a human desire to find sources. When we examine the polarity of God and humans, then we can see that God offers teachings which are received by humans. These higher insights are processed by humans with all their flaws and limitations, and as a result we have the religious, traditional and spiritual teachings on earth. Now, Franz Bardon incarnated, checked the present status of teachings and the used terms, and then transferred the eternal, divine four Tarot Cards into the present language. Bardon could have used a completely different language with different terms which he would have prefered but then no one would have been able to understand his teachings. In conclusion, it is not about the books of other authors which he has checked to see the level of initiation and to check which terms are in the present use. It is about the revelation of the eternal, universal teachings directly from the spheres. And KTQ is simply the highest level in science and arts of divine teachings. Imagine that you are a Quabbalist and that you visit a deity in the higher spheres. This deity will introduce itself in the quabbalistic way, according to the cosmic letters of its name. All deities are created by the Highest Spirit by using the cosmic language, the Quabbalah. These are practical experiences. And I also must point out that the “Magical Quabbalah” is not meant to be confused with lower kabbalistic teachings or the corresponding religion. I explain this in the course. And just to mention it – if you study the oracle of Manjushri you will find the cosmic language presented, certainly not with the term Quabbalah. We simply must distinguish divine teachings from human teachings.

    PAA: Should a practitioner planning the start of KTQ work with a being from PME prior to starting KTQ or is it possible to go straight into KTQ with the right guidance.

    Ray: All instructions are given in KTQ, so it is not necessary to take the effort of working with a deity from PME. If you have the right colors and the right pronunciation, then you can do the KTQ training without any problems. I have published a workbook “Meditation on the cosmic letters” and we have the online course with all exercises and instructions. KTQ does not have a difficult theory. So it is good to understand.

    PAA: What is the impact of working with letters from a karmic perspective? They are essentially so significant and the very essence of creation so surely there must be a weight upon a person who decides to do this work?

    Ray: The initiation and training with the letters offers the maximum of transformation, refinement and empowerment from human nature to the divine, macrocosmic nature. It is the maximum of spiritual development. The microcosm will be a perfect image of the macrocosm, meaning perfect balance in power and quality. The master who accomplishes this is then a complete divine spirit, a macrocosmic spirit on the same level as all the deities of the spheres, a true representative of the Highest and with this a true authority in creation.

    Karma

    Regarding karma, – as the mystical training works mainly on the Akasha plane, the transformation is not a matter of karma or fate and not connected to Saturn and the judges but it is all directly under the supervision of Divine Providence, the Highest. The cosmic language is used for own refinement, empowerment, for invoking deities in yourself, for research, for evocation, space impregnation but rarely for working on other people as everything must be justified and responsibility must be taken. As long as the master uses the letter for himself in 99% of all cases everything is fine. Applying divine energies for normal people is hard to justify. Special blessings or support in the development as well as special healing treatments can be imagined but normally “standard” energies are sufficient so that Quabbalah is not needed. So, in conclusion, it is more a matter if someone feels ready to undergo the comprehensive transformation process. For those who are ready, it is the highest fulfillment, the great treasure chest filled with the most precious gems.

    PAA: What did you find different in the German language versions of IIH PME and KTQ versus the English versions?

    Ray: Besides the translation errors, where for example simply wrong colors were chosen for the cosmic letters, there is a “standard problem of communication”. If you tell someone a story and this other person tells the story again, then you have deviations, simply because you have a different perception of what is important in comparison to the other person. And second, the other person adds content and details from his own imagination. This is a subconscious process. So even if you have the intention to offer a good translation, these problems occur easily, especially if it is a whole book you want to translate. And this means that a higher awareness is necessary to translate as perfectly as possible the instructions of Bardon. Today such things are easier as we have AI based translation technology – which certainly must be checked too. In comparison to the original German versions we find commentaries in the translations. They originate from good intentions but can be misleading or wrong or questionable. In the English versions it is also not always obvious who has written the commentary. I remember one comment where the translator said that he had to correct Bardon for some reason. This is what I call hubris. A translator is normally not a commentator and if a translator or commentator has the opinion that something is or could be wrong, then he can give a hint to the reader to check it if at all. But it is not usual just to change the text. Some comments are “nice” as the commentator compares for example letters in one quality which have a completely different nature and work in a completely different way. In conclusion, the ego of a translator should be quiet during the process of translation and the own opinion is also not requested as obviously the translators were not great adepts with theoretical and practical knowledge. Good intentions are nice but do not automatically offer any real value. Quite the contrary, they cause more confusion and problems if the necessary knowledge is not given. Again, these are subconscious processes which are the standard in communication.

    PAA: In regard to evocation, is this a large part of your practice or has Kabbalah now become the main practice as it allows a creation right out of Akasha.

    Ray: With KTQ things change. This means, as a master of IIH you can do evocation but you have to fulfill a lot of requirements. You need all magical tools. You have to prepare your room. You have to prepare yourself. And then it can still be a challenge to do the evocation. As a Quabbalist, you need nothing. No circle, no pentagram, no special tools, no cloths. As a Quabbalist you will choose a formula to express your divinity in the way you want respectively as it fits for the Spirit you want to contact. The application of the formula takes a few seconds. Then you can create a fitting atmosphere for the Spirit, as a formula directly derived from his name. And that’s it. In conclusion, the quabbalistic approach is much easier and faster and the Quabbalist has a completely different standing than the magician. On the other hand, the whole ceremony with cloths and tools is dropped which can be seen as a loss. But certainly, it is up to the Quabbalist and a Quabbalist can make use of all cloths and tools. Besides this, the Quabbalist can directly work with all divine virtues and powers which a Spirit of the spheres has. For a Quabbalist everything is directly available. A magician must work more. At some point, the Quabbalist can and will study the nature of the various Spirits of the spheres in a quabbalistic way to refine and empower his own nature to even higher degrees. This belongs to a higher Tarot Card and training.

    PAA: Can you provide more information about your new course? Specifically why the strict course requirements so people can understand why these things are necessary before going onto practice these things.

    Ray: Sure. The only energy where mastery is not required is vital energy. The five elements, light and the two fluids must be mastered as we need to be able to create them instantly, filling a whole space. Accumulation by breathing is also a part of the quabbalistic work. Mind and soul should be well-balanced, refined and empowered as we deal here with the highest, macrocosmic powers, powers which are beyond human nature. The student must be able to bear and to handle them. And this means that the energy system must be strong, clean and balanced. Then it is very useful to have experiences in the tenth step of IIH, to know how the unity with divine virtues feels like as we work only with divine virtues, divine powers and divine states of consciousness. At least the “taste” of the Divine should be experienced. The knowledge of human nature is important for working with organs. If you know the planetary spheres, it will help to understand the nature of the cosmic letters better. Then the student must understand that the whole course is based on transformation. If someone does not want to unfold his divine nature, then the practical training is not good for him. So, it takes a conscious decision to undergo the full refinement and empowerment process which is offered and requested. “I want initiations, powers and divine virtues, but I don’t want to change.” – this simply does not work. It is also important to understand that the “Quabbalah training” is a universal training in the cosmic language which stands beyond religion and human teachings. Confusing traditional ideas with universal teachings does not work. In the end, – certainly, even a total beginner on the path can start the quabbalistic training but here the training would take decades if success is given at all. Fulfilling the requirements offers good progress in a good time.

    PAA: Any other points you think are important for those working IIH and approaching a stage where they could practice Kabbalah.

    Ray: I think it is in main the call, the inner call to do the training. Before I started KTQ, I had a great respect and thought that this training is something which might come at the end of this incarnation. But due to some circumstances I felt the call to do it and it appeared that it was feasible. Much later, I got the insight that I had old connections to the teachings of the cosmic language. Looking back, I must say that it was not difficult for me to do the training. It was more the case that I have enjoyed this wonderland of spiritual gems, this treasure chest of the most precious gifts which are prepared for humans. And certainly, I still enjoy the quabbalistic work. It offers so much beauty and bliss. For those who lack clarity if KTQ is the right training or if they can make it, – I can only suggest trying it. The preliminary training does not offer total transformation, only the mystical training does it. So, the student who does not like it, can simply stop it.

    PAA: Lastly you have created several courses to help practitioners with their training some over on your sites and one new with us at Perseus. Could let people know what services and courses you offer and where they can find them all.

    The Magical Quabbalah

    Ray: I have offered several lectures and courses for the Templar Research Institute in the last years. In the future I am going to offer retreats with friends, – a combination of Yoga, Ajurveda, coaching and hermetic-spiritual exercises. At the moment we are working on the curriculum. This retreat is supposed to take place in nice areas with a holiday feeling. In general, I lack time, and that’s the main problem. Interested people can join my Sura Academy, can get individual mentoring or we meet for the Quabbalah training here at Perseus. Upcoming news will be spread on social media.

    The Magical Quabbala Course

    If you want to realize the macrocosmic divine nature in yourself, then this is the right course for you.

    The cosmic letters offer the highest, mystical transformation, the initiation into all main mysteries of God´s nature and the ability to create as God does. You become a true son or daughter of God and a divine authority in creation.

    You will get initiated into the application of the 27 letters of the cosmic language which is used by God, the Creator and all deities to create directly from Akasha. The cosmic language is used in the form of single letters, and two-, three-, four-letter formulas. You will learn how to use the letters and the formulas in the Akasha, on the mental, astral and material plane.

    As the cosmic language is connected to the laws of creation, you will also be initiated into them and their practical application. At the end of the course, you will learn the synthesis of the names of the deities and how to apply them in a quabbalistic way.

    What benefit do you get from participating?

    Certainly, you can walk the path of self-initiation by following the Key to the True Quabbalah by Franz Bardon. Unfortunately, this approach comes along with some problems. The English translation contains many mistakes, – details which are crucial. The correct pronunciation of the letters is necessary. The instructions and descriptions of Bardon are very complex and can easily cause confusion. And Bardon has described the techniques like we know it from school. When you leave school, you work in an easier, more practical orientated way.

    So, if you participate in our course, you will not only benefit from my long-term practical experiences but also from clear, easy to follow instructions, recommendations and reliable information. This offers the opportunity for efficient progress and good results.

    Requirements to enter this Course

    Please understand that this course has the following requirements for your safety and for making progress feasible:

    The mastery of the five elements, the two fluids, light and the transfer of mind are absolutely necessary. Mind, soul and body must be well-balanced, in good health. Your degree of personal refinement must be high. A high maturity is the basis for managing the great divine powers.

    If you have a basic ability to unite with divine virtues and divine consciousness, it will be beneficial. You need a basic knowledge of the human anatomy, – the location and shape of organs in the body.

    It will be useful to have a practical understanding of the spheres according to Bardon (PME) as we find all the letters in the spheres respectively the spheres are made of the letters.

    Please understand:

    It is a serious decision to undergo the quabbalistic training as you will unfold the complete divine, macrocosmic nature within yourself. You will become a perfect image of God. This must be desired and accepted.

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  • Interview with Ajahn Punnadhammo: Jhana, Stream-Entry and Buddhist Cosmology

    Interview with Ajahn Punnadhammo: Jhana, Stream-Entry and Buddhist Cosmology

    Introduction

    Today we are talking with Ajahn Punnadhammo from ‘The Arrow River Forrest Hermitage’. I was inspired to contact him after my research into Buddhist Cosmology and the states of the Jhana led me to his website. We are just scratching the surface here into what are extremely far reaching subjects. I am very grateful for Ajahn Punnadhammo taking the time to answer these questions. You can visit his site here. The Cosmology book mentioned in the interview can be seen here.

    Here is some background information:

    The Arrow River Forest Hermitage is a Theravadin Buddhist monastery and meditation center located in Northern Ontario, fifty miles southwest of Thunder Bay. We have 92 acres of land in a beautiful mixed forest. There are presently seven all-weather dwelling places on the property as well as a meditation-hall and kitchen, a sauna, library and well-equipped workshop.

    The resident bhikkhu is Ajahn Punnadhammo who has been studying and practicing Buddhism since 1979 and was ordained in Thailand in the forest tradition of Ajahn Chah (novice ordination Feb. 1991, higher ordination Feb. 1992). Between 1990 and 1995 he was based at Wat Pah Nanachat, Thailand. Punnadhammo is a Canadian, born Michael Dominskyj in Toronto in 1955. He began studying the Dhamma under Kema Ananda, the founder and first teacher at the Arrow River Center.

    Interview

    Ajahn Punnadhammo

    PAA: We have your background from your website which is exciting to read, I see you were in Thailand from 1990-1995 and I wonder if you are able to give us insight into what life was like in those 5 years and what if anything stands out as significant events and breakthroughs in your practice.

    Wat Pah Nanachat was an ideal place to train as a young monk. It is the international monastery of the Ajahn Chah tradition set up for his western disciples. The atmosphere is very traditional but the teachings are available in English. It was very inspiring to be living in a Buddhist country where the Dhamma is part of the fabric of everyday life. WPN also has a couple of remote retreat monasteries associated with it and I had the opportunity to spend some time there as well. I especially enjoyed Tow Dtum which is deep in the jungle bordering Myanamar. Living close to nature is a big part of the Buddhist forest tradition, going right back to the Buddha’s time. The South-East Asian forest is very different from the Canadian Boreal forest but both have their unique beauties and wonders.

    PAA: Have the teachings remained as they were in Thailand or have you had to make changes at Arrow River to the way things are done to accommodate Western ideas.

    The teachings as such remain the same. There is necessarily some adaption of the lifestyle due to both climate and culture. Our tradition (Theravada) tends to be very conservative and seeks to preserve the original teachings of the Buddha. Also my personal approach is not to dilute the original message to make it palatable to modern ideas.

    PAA: Within your tradition you use the Jhana as a guide to attainment and increasing stillness within the mind? What is the process and methods you use to achieve each Jhana?

    The basic idea of developing samadhi leading into jhana is to make the mind still. That is the true meaning of the word “samadhi” which is usually translated “concentration.” I have thought for some time that this translation misleads meditators into pushing too hard. The term is defined in the old texts as “non-wavering, stillness, stability.” The practice is to unify the mind on a single arbitrarily chosen object. We usually use the breath although other objects are possible as well. The key skill to learn is the art of non-attention. That is, the meditator must learn to disregard all other objects, whether they be internal such as thoughts or memories or external such as sounds or smells. The key is make the mind open and receptive, but only to let the chosen object in. If this is done persistently the other objects will fade away because one is not feeding them the energy of attention. The mind will gradually disengage from the senses and rest in a unified blissful state. This is jhana.

    PAA: Are the Jhanas something of a prerequisite for Ahartship? If so, how important are these stages/absorptions to one’s progress? I see that they are listed in the Cosmology book.

    Technically yes. There is said to be no enlightenment without jhana. There is however a “bare insight” path which does not pursue jhanic unification but goes straight to vipassana (insight or investigation, a very different meditation). But even the proponents of this method admit there must be at least a single moment of jhana before the realization of Nibbana. It is also clear that when the Buddha spoke about paths to enlightenment the one he mentioned the most was to go through the four jhanas and then to investigate reality upon emergence from jhana. So in summary, while formal development of the jhanas my not be an absolute requirement for enlightenment, it certainly helps!

    PAA: We have words like Samadhi and Enlightenment. From your understanding what does it take to truly embody these words? Secondly if we were able to define these terms would it from the context of Buddism mean that they had freed themselves from the six realms of Samsara? Or would it simply mean they have been able to establish the ‘Right view’.

    I have already said something about the meaning of samadhi. Enlightenment is another odd word choice in English. It’s not really wrong but it doesn’t correspond with any of the common terms used in Pali for the experience. Instead we have vimiutti – liberation or bodhi – awakening. In Abhidhamma it is referred to as magga-phala which means path and fruit. The essence of what is being referred to is the realization of the unconditioned, or Nibbana. Theravada sees awakening as occurring in four distinct stages. The first is steam-entry which is the first glimpse of Nibbana; it is like the curtains part for just a moment. This moment is enough to change the being forever but it is not yet full enlightenment. Before stream-entry it is impossible even to imagine the unconditioned. After stream-entry there is a new understanding of the conditioned, by contrast as it were. Becoming freed of the cycle of rebirth also occurs in stages. The stream-winner is forever freed from the possibility of a lower rebirth and is destined to have a maximum of seven more lifetimes, always in the human realm or higher. The second stage is called “once return” because he is subject to one more human rebirth. Third stage is a “non-returner” and is almost completely purified. He can be reborn only in the Pure Abodes. An arahant or a perfected one will not be reborn anywhere.

    PAA: In Buddism and in your Cosmology book you have written about the universe, beings and even time. How much of this can we take purely as a story from the Pali Cannon and how much can we take it as real information that can be gleaned by anyone with proper practice? For example the beings of the universe mentioned in the cosmology book, are these beings that one could experience contact with given access to the Jhana states?

    In my view it is important to avoid the opposite errors of extreme skepticism and extreme credulity. We should accept our own limitations and not pretend that we actually know how the universe works. Every description of the universe, including the modern scientific one, is just a model. It is not the reality itself which is beyond our comprehension. When someone asks if the devas are real, we can reply by asking “what do you mean by real?” This is a deep question. In what sense is this ordinary human realm “real”? Of course the descriptions in the Pali texts are coloured by the cultural background of India, which was already a rich and ancient heritage in the time of the Buddha. Some spiritually advanced human beings may have had visions or interactions with other realms, but they would inevitably perceive them through the lens of their previous conceptions. A Christian mystic sees angels, a shaman might see ancestor spirits, an Indian saw devas. In regard to such visions, one of the psychic powers that can be developed through mastery of jhana is said to be the divine eye (dibbacakkhu) which allows one to see into other realms of existence. Devas and other such beings may also chose to manifest to humans on rare occasions.

    PAA: We hear in Tibetan Vajrayana and Dzogchen systems one of the highest accomplishments is that of the Rainbow Body (Jalu) where the practitioner dissolves into the 4 elements or a smaller achievement that of the incorruptible body. What are your thoughts on these achievements?

    There isn’t really an equivalent of this in Theravada. The closest thing I can think of is the way the relics (cremated remains) of a dead arahant often transmute into pearl like relics. It is really quite striking.

    PAA: According to the Pali Cannon what are the Sun and the Moon?

    The sun and moon are conceived as vimanas in which devas live. A vimana is like a flying mansion, an aerial and mobile abode of the gods. Hundreds of devas live in the sun and moon and there is a chief deva in each; the sun god and the moon god. They orbit around Mt. Sineru and it is night when the sun is on the opposite side of the mountain from us. The change in seasons depends on a change of altitude of the sun. From time to time the gigantic asura Rahu swallows the sun or moon, terrifying the devas within. But he is unable to hold it for long because of the force of their motion. This is the explanation for eclipses. There is almost nothing in the canon or commentaries about the stars and planets. And it seems that the model described above wouldn’t hold up to scrutiny for the observed motions of the sun and moon. This reveals a significant difference between the Greek and Indian approaches. The Greeks developed their cosmology by looking at the sky and trying to account for the observed motions. This is the tradition we still follow in the West today. In India, the actual sky was of less interest than the internal world of the mind. They developed a cosmology to account for different levels of consciousness and weren’t really all that concerned with the external world.

    PAA: What are some of the things that students can do to make better progress in their practice? Also what advice would you give to practitioners who are not part of larger Sangha and practice on their own.

    The first step must always be to improve your sila (ethical behavior). You won’t get anywhere on the spiritual path if your morality is bad. The next step is to develop a meditation practice. The most important thing here is consistency. It is a very good practice to fix a certain time every day for meditation and to follow it diligently. If you only meditate when you feel inspired you will never get anywhere. Overcoming resistance will strengthen your resolve and we often make the most progress when we overcome defilements like laziness or desire mind. Having a sangha to practice with is very beneficial and anyone seriously interested in spiritual development would be well served to seek out a local group if one exists. If not, there are nowadays a plethora of resources on the internet. The covid restrictions did have one beneficial effect is that it brought many of our monks as well as other spiritual teachers to look into possibilities of teaching on the internet. Every week there are new dhamma talks being uploaded to YouTube and other venues. There are also online discussion groups and forums etc. Find something of the sort that resonates with you and it can be a decent substitute for a local sangha.

    PAA: Is there anything else you would like to say to readers regarding the practice of Buddhism, meditation or the view of the Cosmos?

    One of the traditional meditations that has been largely ignored in the West up to now is devanusati or contemplation of the devas. This is a way of refining and elevating consciousness. It is has a brightening and expanding effect on the mind. I have been experimenting with variations of this practice for some time now. For anyone interested, here is a guided meditation on this theme.

    Rainbow Body, Jalu and the Miraculous (Updated for 2022)
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  • Interview with Bill Hegeman

    Interview with Bill Hegeman

    We would like to introduce William Hegeman (Bill) “Archonstone”. He has been very generous in sharing his journey through the magical arts. Please leave us feedback in the comments and please do share the post if you feel inspired to do so. Contact details for Bill can be found at the of this post.

    PAA: Please introduce yourself and let us know how you found the teachings of Franz Bardon as well as sharing a little more about your extensive background as mentioned on your website.

    William Hegeman (Bill) “Archonstone”. 1983, out of the Marines, couldn’t afford a Community College, struggling financially, I moved from Troy, NY to Albany. I was finally able to afford books as a typist. I think the store at that time was “Blue White Rainbow”. IIH, 777, Magic without Tears, and others I managed to acquire.

    I started having mystical and paranormal experiences when I was 2. At 7 my grandfather came back to say good bye 2 weeks after his passing; and had local earth based creatures visit me also. At 13 I started going to a Baptist church, and practiced meditation and energy work from Evans-Wentz book: “Tibetan Yoga: The secret doctrine”. I lived in an “exit” suburb, with drug gangs, poor, criminal and troubled people. My family had its own issues. At 14 I did a progressive fast 40 days and prayed for the wisdom of Solomon or God. I saw a physical visual manifestation and got my answer in the affirmative, and said I’d be released in 32 years. El is not Yahweh. My life was filled with trials and ordeals. There was no shaktipat, or grace. Meditation and energy basics, along with my own visual techniques, I was faced with supernatural adventures where other people saw the same thing I did. Also realized that the “Christian” perception of God was flawed, finite and that there had to be a much larger metaphysical reality. I was 19 then. In my early 20’s in 1983, I had a girlfriend, with a household that had books on Kabbalah, Kyballion, and some Theosophic works. At that time I studied much further. I was a part-time professional reader. I planed walked with a structure based on the symbolic frame work from Kabbalah. I had created fetches , bodies of light or in Bardon’s work Mental bodies, to do reconnaissance and help inform me of the goings on of the Albany tri-city area. Kabbalah and the fetch’s attachments were all traps and I let them go, over a decade, then restarted and creating my own system and methodologies when I moved to Atlanta in 1996.

    PAA: Many have problems with the early steps like VOM in step 1 and the visualization exercises in step 2. What advice would you give to help students pass these steps?

    I can find no reference to VOM in my Bardon Books. I am assuming visualizing excercises. Step 1 I was practicing self control through my meditation exercises since I was 12 or 13. I did conscious breathing pranayama, and Bubble breath. Element Tatwas I had a harder time with. They evoked presences that I had to shut out. I did practice retrospection as a mean for mental body traveling. I agreed with Bardon’s assumption that disturbing the astral matrix can be harmful, and in my experiences would provide a feeding ground for negative vampiric beings in astral projection. Astral traveling pulling reality is not much better. Mental Body work, I call Aspecting and to be functional it has to use Astral accumulated to it to tune into the realms they walk in, and where one can relate the information back, so the energetic patterns can be remembered and not lived.

    I have found that people have affinities for using a limited set of senses that concentration exercises work well with. Visual and physical senses are my primary. Auditory is the worst. All exercises we go back to basics continually to improve ourselves over time. Other senses that get translated to our physical senses develop over time as you develop a symbolic, mental/emotional patternings that mean something to you. Kabbalah is convenient system, building your own requires a lot of introspection and study. In an energetic framework, systematic contrived systems usually fall short to the social contextual framework one lives in. Excercising whole frameworks to work with egregores of divine, supernal/ infernal egregores, one can compartmentalize it, and work detachment and withdrawal, and choose other dynamics as one develops. I like the Tibetan or chi-gong expression for Bubble or Bell breathing better than the description of Pore Breathing.

    PPA: Additional follow up on VOM from Bill.

    My method is different than either observing the river method, or pure will which is what I started out with. Having a good potbelly breath and using the stillness at the end and top of the breaths, helps.

    The idea that people today can still their mind and emotions is excessively difficult. The traction of distractions makes an ingrained habit. I use a Taoist Longman tradition of using judgement of mindful meditation. Proper Asana sitting with buttocks rolled forward and underneath so to take stress off of the psoa muscles sitting straight. Then have the chest expanded and hanging, breath the 4 square pot belly breath. starting with a count of four, Breathe in count of 4, hold at the top of the breath, breathe out for a count of 4, hold at the of the breath for a count of 4. The mind is like having a 2 year old running around the house of hoarders home with memories and impressions from the day we were born. Every thought or emotion that comes up, if it is yours own it, box it, categorize it, good bad or indifferent, labels and categories of your choice. What is not your detach from it, this is not mine let it go. After a mediation session, a standing sun stretch holding on to you, letting go what is not you with a modified and modest horse stance, bending knees, and pushing hands to the earth, letting go and grounding out what is not you. After 2 – 6 months, one is likely to have nothing come up and one can sit in silence, in a void. This and other techniques to manage the energy in the body, detaching the energetic issues in the body, and mindfully managing what has been sorted out. This is to help energy in the body and resolve previously categorized thoughts and emotions. Then do the same with Taoist microcosmic orbit breathing. These techniques are in my book. It explains how we hijack the body’s autonomic system to assist in the process, by breath, asana and recognition of the emotion and energy connection in the body.

    PAA :What in your opinion are the crucial steps of IIH that ensure success and did you follow IIH by the book or did you go your own way with it?

    I worked the concentration exercises. Some were inherent, I had been using them. Identifying and breathing the elements, because I saw them as phases, that didn’t work for me. Charles Luk’s book on Chi Gong: Taoist Yoga: Alchemy and Immortality, made more sense. Breathing in Yin type of elements, work better for physical and spiritual integration. The western elements work better for Yang elements methods of controlling yin.

    I went my own way. The description of electric versus magnetic a western way to describe masculine and feminine energies with Pingala and Ida didn’t make sense. I realize that science, western culture, and the time Franz wrote these books, it was probably the best way to describe biomagnetism (which was a popular means of talking about spiritual energy at the time) given the time. What concerns me is that a lot of the writing seems to be heavily influenced by theosophists or more likely the interpretation into English was done by someone heavily influenced by Theosophists. My studies of Eastern schools of yoga and western schools of magic, theosophists made a mishmash of things to sell spirituality to the west. Eventually I had to go my own way. The Victorian poetry of Crowley was filled with metaphors that only literature and divinity PhDs could keep up with. Taoists and Hindu writings are filled with similes and cultural metaphors. After deep studies I’ve been able to tease out the salient meanings in them. PAA: What influence has the practice of Franz Bardons Hermetics had upon your life?

    The most important thing I got out of Franz Bardon’s works was his systematic methodology of practice and discipline. Hinda and Taoist Yogas also put that at the forefront. His methodology of systematically developing practices and exercises and building upon them, to develop the self. Self examination, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually and the use of the minds perceptions and analysis, to create a control of the spiritual practices. Also to order the mind and develop self discipline to control behaviors in context. The magical and spiritual mindset people have they tend to loose their way when they have to work with the blind public. The body, memories and faculties we loose when we pass. Disciplines, desires and personality are spiritual dynamics that we carry from life to lifetime. His methodologies keep that as a priority whether he had good direct information from Hindu yogi’s/guru’s or not. There were nuggets of information that the theosophists managed to get into the west. People’s interpretations and summaries, were filled with parochial and western lenses that were highly flawed. He managed to pull the nuggets out of the wash.

    PAA: What challenges did you face during your training in IIH/ PME/KTQ. Was there any specific step that took longer for you than others?

    I think I covered IIH in the previous answers. KTQ I don’t own a copy. There are plenty of other contemporary books and authors on Kabbalah. PME I didn’t practice. Nor have I ever made a practice of evocations. My personal history with El and other spirits who would interact with me but not speak to me, was a concern. That mystery of why I have since unraveled. Fighting demons, I can force them to speak, but they avoid me like a plague. Only if they are held in space by magicians, can I force them to communicate Evocation based on Western or Kabbalistic practices, requires an invocation of divine presence to effectuate the egregore where the respective spirits can be summoned. I have spent much of my life contemplating my relationship with that being and beings of their respective systems.

    PAA: Are you able to share anything from your work in the second and third book? Such as experience of specific spheres via mental wandering or your first evocation? And Yet, with all the caveats and hesitations, I still do plane walking. There are natural planes, with various time skews, and affinities to geography, earth based, underworld and overworld, that are not inundated by parochial influences of heaven/overworld, hell/underworld, or spheres of deities and or their pantheons. I found that mental bodies that are attuned to specific spheres and or realities that are heavily influenced by divine egregores and the cultural contexts, can be a trap and an anchor to those realities. By 1990 I had to let them all go and detach from them.

    Instead I created mental bodies at 8 compass points, zenith and Nadir, that I keep constructed and have them interface with any number planes. It is a constant practice. This pattern is repeated 26 times so I have 296 aspects to work with. All are shielded. Each has access to planes around the world, angle, speed, skew, overworld or underworld. At times they intersect with patterns from people and divine contexts that they identify with. Magic and its limitations depending on the attachments and detachments you choose, is a deep study. I prefer that these aspects do the work directly in whatever spheres of influence. Silence even from, to and around spirits, are necessary for magical operations. It is great if they are in agreement and act in congruence with your volition. When they are stymied and restricted because the control and edicts from the egregore, denies you access in any shape or form. Well that is past lifes, history, and more. For the sake of understanding and moving forward, I won’t get into what I think my hagiography might be.

    PAA: I see from your website that you have vast experience with different systems and traditions. How have these impacted your work with IIH/PME and KTQ?

    When one works at the Great Work, all things blend together. When you perceive non-duality, methods, apprehensions and dynamics, there is a truth in all of them. Your own personal context if worked to the degree of discipline one creates from trial and error what works best for themselves.

    PAA: Do you think they have made things easier?

    IIH more so has made things immensely easier. The step by step development of practices is a requirement for any one experienced or not for spiritual, mental or personality development. Most schools or traditions don’t have that. Books tend to pick practices by the type of development or by the traditions for the symbol set. PME, and its methodology, and studies from other practices have put me in the mindset to create my own.

    PAA: Were there any areas that clashed?

    The idea of electric and magnetic aspects of energy, while it fit the time of the writing, and appealed to the scientific terms of the time, it doesn’t fit. Mesmer and static electricity the affects and feelings are directly yang energy. Equivalating that to Astral or even the term astral I find misleading. It is a product of the time. Aether and astral were terms built from medieval and renaissance magical treatises and brought up to date of the time of the 19th and 20th century neo-romanticism recrafting magical traditions. It doesn’t help the idea of Spirit and Soul was turned inside out by the catholic church, and terms like astral, having people focusing on heavenly bodies, or spheres that can have both overworld and underworld influences, not separating the masculine for controlling the feminine presence and substance of spirit, and calling it soul. While spirit is relegated to the spark of god, giving over the soul to one spiritual egregore or demesne, all the other possibilities and proper designations spirit are ignored. Greek, Hebrew, and even translations of other cultures have misconstrued spirit and soul. Soul is the expression of your immortal being in the world. Spirit is everywhere in everything and there are technical terms for it and its function in Hebrew, Greek and other cultures. Calling it astral, light, spirit interchangeably does not fit. This is one of the things that I am quite pedantic about. Having this clarity it helps me make clear comparisons between other systems.

    PAA: If you could go back in time and give yourself some advice on how to best approach the journey of these books, what would it be?

    Like anything practice, practice and experiment and see what works. Study everything. I wish I had these books when I was 14. My IIH was printed 1975 and PME 1981. Enid Hoffman’s book “Develop Your Psychic Skills” wasn’t available then either.

    PAA: Closing thoughts – anything you wish to discuss. This could be advice for practice, information on your own projects like books, podcasts, website etc.

    Meditation, 4 square pot belly breath, breathing with just the diaphragm, to quiet the mind, ask yourself, is thought or emotion mine, yes or no. If yes, label and order it. No let it go. Ground it out. Instead of quieting the mind by force, one develops the discipline of control of the mind and emotions, observes them, and then can interpret energy and senses from what is not you and where it comes from.

    Questions for analyzing the body inch by inch, how does it feel, flow and connect at each step of the breath. And more is it me or not me. A good way to clear the body of energetic influences that are not your own.

    Practice Bell or bubble breath for energy accumulation as pore breathing. Erect and comfortable sitting posture with a full yogic breath, 4 square breath while using the ribcage.

    These meditation techniques and the section on Internal Alchemy ordering, and managing mind, emotions and conscious control of evolving personality and ego to work with one’s spirit and magical experiences or journeys is in the book.

    I hope in my book the step by step method of developing the mind, spirit and magic in successive steps that build on each other could be compared to Franz Bardon’s IIH book. Granted it is different in many ways. The first half of the 20th century industry and personal work ethic was the hallmark of the mindset of the west. Critical thinking, and developing an inquisitive mind has been squashed out of the west or at least here in the United States, that questions and exercises for reflection on the steps to build that has been built into the book.

    PAA: Thank you Bill for your time and generous sharing.

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  • New Release: Through the Soul Mirrors to the Sphere of the Sun

    New Release: Through the Soul Mirrors to the Sphere of the Sun

    This is the first of several new releases from Andre Consciencia. He is a practitioner with a wealth of experience, the author of many informative and beautifully presented books as well as being one of our teachers here on Perseus Arcane Academy with his course Magical and Mystical Introspection. He is based in Portugal and has the ability to describe in beautiful details the essence of what we seek to accomplish in our magical journeys.

    Through the Souli Mirror to the Sphere of the Sun

    Those familiar with Initiation into Hermetics by Franz Bardon then you will be well aware of the Soul Mirrors. The black and white mirrors on which we analyze our selves, making note of everything that makes up our character and organizing into the four elements then further organizing by positive and negative traits. This new book by Andre takes this as a basis for understanding each and every exercise in Initiaion into Hermetics.

    From having an early view of this book the biggest thing for me was the uniqueness. It is written in a beautiful way as are all of Andres books. But this one really is on another level as he has been able to introduce things that most of us will be familiar with in a way that feels very personal, relatable and most importantly achievable without dropping the requirements needed for a solid foundation. It is hard to explain without ruining the surprise but with the permission of Falcon Books Publishing I am sharing what I can below of the interior of the book to give a feel for how special Andre’s writing is.

    An Early Glimpse of the Introduction

    Introduction

    This book follows up on the trail of Franz Bardon’s Initiation Into Hermetics, applying his techniques used in the soul mirror training in Step 1 and I have further elaborated upon them.

    The soul mirror is what distinguishes Bardon’s system of hermetic training from all other training systems of hermeticism or magic, for, having dominion over his own mind and soul, the magician is already a master in any exercise he might attempt. Introspection is an essential ingredient to the formula, for, without it, he hasn’t yet identified his mind or soul, to begin with. An Olympic champion cannot perform without perfect knowledge of his anatomy, for devoid of such knowledge, his anatomy will trick him into failing or else it will break in its own structure and destroy the athlete.

    The practitioner is, thus, expected to have built his soul mirror, white and black, before proceeding with the work in hand. But, to start with, we will ask him to rearrange it into a second soul mirror category according to the most basic instincts whose credits humanity ignores when attributing the real causes of his actions. We think this is a key to the roots of not only many problems, but also solutions concerning the different virtues and faults, and connects the magician directly to the evolution of mankind as a whole so that, while he is working on his individuality, he is also working for the evolution of mankind. This structure is inspired by Nema’s table of correspondences for what she calls, ‘The Forgotten Ones ‘ (1) and suffers from the author’s own 1 adaptations.

    It is expected, then, that the magician already holds Bardon’s Initiation Into Hermetics (“IIH”) in his hands, as this is something we want to make sure of. Through the Soul Mirror to the Sphere of the Sun is suitable even for those who have not done any exercises in IIH. However, it is important that the magician, male or female, is able to read from our source directly. This book is also appropriate for the mature adept. It doesn’t matter if he has completed IIH, The Practice of Magical Evocation, The Key to True Quabbalah or any system of magic foreign to Franz Bardon, as any may benefit greatly from it and take heed of the sphinx’s words,

    Man, if you wish to know the Gods and the Universe, know thyself

    Through the Soul Mirror to the Sphere of the Sun by Andre Consciencia

    As can be seen from the images in this post, the layout of the book is a labor of love to match the beauty of the content that Andre has created. I think it will really breathe fresh life into anyones practice as Andre is continuously pointing out things that seem so obvious now as I read them on a page but I had actually not considered things in that way previously. So you can certainly be an advanced practitioner of Franz Bardons system or indeed any other system and find immense value in what Andre offers,

    I want to share another little sample of Andres perspective this time from an interview I did with him on the blog over at studentsoffranzbardon.com as in this interview he talks about a number universal things we all need to have in place regardless the system. This is what he had to say about cultivating an emptiness of mind (known as Vacancy of Mind amongst Bardon practitioners), called a multitude of things in various traditions.

    ANDRE: Vacancy of Mind is the cornerstone of IIH. Some might say it is working with the soul mirror, which I can understand. But from my experience, those who can’t master vacancy of mind will always get poor results while working with the soul mirror. If one truly masters VOM, all that stands in the way of our belief and determination can simply be erased. Yes, if one is able to fix one’s thoughts on a single thought, things that might distract him from this thought stop distracting him. It means such distracting thoughts are not on the front panel of the mind nor are they allowed to come in there, so to speak. But with VOM, there are no front and back panels, you get the whole view, and when thoughts stop coming, that is when you truly know you have control over anything, or better put, over the mind. For instance, when one doubts, and asks while pore breathing “is this true vitality or just my imagination of true vitality?” one is losing vitality. If he removes this thought of doubt entirely, instead of simply not being distracted by it, he immediately starts to build true vitality. To highlight the importance of VOM, especially in its relation to the Soul Mirror, I like to remember the story of the Three Little Pigs. The big bad wolf is made visible by the black soul mirror, it starts to visibly peek around for its three little pigs, wanting to consume body, soul and mind. Sensations are very unstable, the pig of the body builds his house on them. Feelings are less unstable but still fragile, the pig of the soul builds its house with them. The pig of the mind doesn’t build his house on thoughts, mere mental imitations of sensations and feelings, automatisms, he builds his house on vacancy, the stuff of the mind. The big bad wolf of vice sweeps over the house of sensation, it all goes to ashes, but what lived inside sensations survives in the house of feelings. Then it is time for the bad wolf to test the house of feelings, and the soul (that was living in the house of feelings) and consciousness (that was living in the house of sensations and then in the house of feelings) survive in the purity of mind (whose quantity is the vacancy of mind). Sure, in the story, the big bad wolf doesn’t give up when he sees he can’t bring down the house of the mind, he tries to enter it from above, and that is when the fire of the spirit hits him. I hope what I have told here can be understood. One can also bring his attention to the story of Hercules and the Hydra. Before beating Hydra, Hercules was just an heroic personality, he wasn’t yet a true initiate. Hydra is the beast of thoughts, Hercules cuts one and two grow back in its place. It is when Hercules lifts the Hydra from the floor that she loses power, and he is able to dominate her. This means to portray that thoughts are but reflections of feelings and sensations, separate the mind from feelings and sensations, and the mind will be silent. Instead of feelings you will find love, the unity of feelings. Instead of sensations, bliss, the unity of sensations.

    You can go about Bardon all you like, without VOM, it will all be useless in the end except for the personality and its stimulus.

    I have attained VOM through many different methods over time, as some students cannot seem to do it the way I first did it. The way I first did it was very simple, to forcefully expel all thoughts and persist, until only electrical impulses were left, and then stilling the electrical impulses. In the end, there would be void compressing and transbundant light, and once that dynamic state is achieved, it is the other way around, you have to use your will-power to come back. Once this was mastered, I started practicing VOM with my eyes open, and then even while going about my business and while having conversations. To many this first approach seems to be impossible, so, in my book the Way of Abrahadabra I use the greater capacity people apparently have of fixing their thoughts on a single subject or object. I start with simple thoughts and images, after which come complex images and thoughts, and then I begin to reduce the concepts that fit in the thoughts/images being used. Eventually, you are focusing on the thought and image of a single star in the void black sky. Then, you remove the star, and there is only vital vacancy.

    What a description, anyone being told of the journey in such a way is surely going to be far more inspired to take that first step. In the coming months I hope to talk more with Andre about this and his many other books. So look out for an in-depth discussion with him, sooner rather than later. But I hope what I have shared here introduces you to some of his work and why I believe at least one of Andres books should be on your bookshelf.

    If you do purchase this book then please do share your thoughts on the forum.

    Purchase ‘Through the Soul Mirror to the Sphere of the Sun’

    More from Andre

    If you you would like to do a little more research on Andre before delving into his new release or commiting to his course then please have a look at the following interviews. He talks about a range of topics in great detail as well as sharing his own experiences in magic and how it all began for him. Really nice to hear his journey.

    Interview with Falcon Books Publishing

    Andres course – Magical and Mystical Introspection

    1 Nema (Margaret C. Ingall) was the founder of the Horus-Maat Lodge in 12/03/78. These are 1 notes taken from her contemplations

    Exploring the Profound Meaning in Andre Consciencia’s Occult Works
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