self – Between The Pillars

Urban Occultism

December 6, 2018June 11, 2020Tagged astrology, body, city, Earth, Expereinces, focus, guide, Knowledge, magic, magick, mind, new age, night, Occult, power, prayer, religion, self, spirit, spiritual, spirituality, sun, urban, yoga5 Comments

Written: December 6th, 2018 | Edited: 28th March 2019

I’ve been thinking about what to write next. The purpose of this blog was never really to talk about occult theory or kabbalistic correspondences, because I don’t like to think of myself as a teacher. Instead, it was to talk about personal experiences with magick, mysticism, the occult and other spiritual stuff.

I haven’t invoked or evoked any Spirits in a while, because I haven’t really needed to. I did have a little encounter with Lovecraftian magick, but I’m still not fully sure about the safety and potential benefits of something like that. I don’t think that’s something that should just be put on a public blog like this. More of something the advanced occultist will figure out and engage in themselves, if one should feel inclined to and see a real reason to do so.

So, I thought why not write about the fact that I live in an Urban environment, and that’s a pretty unique, yet such widespread situation. There’s probably thousands of occultists and magicians practicing in the hearts of metropolitan cities, and it’s certainly not how it was traditionally done. So, in the spirit of modernity and pursuing the Great Work against all adversity, this is what today’s post is about. There’s also some stuff about protection against unwanted subconscious control (which everyone in the modern urban environment is subject to, except for one who knows his own mind, and one who lives away from society).

Traditional Occult Practices

There are hundreds of different branches of occult, from various eras and cultures around the world. However, one way to distinguish them is by putting them in two broad categories: organised and folk traditions. Folk traditions refer to most ancient pagan systems, and naturally most neo-pagan practices of today, as well as Tantra, Witchcraft, Hoodoo etc.

Folk traditions were often carried out in the rural areas and the countryside. Some existed at the fringes of civilized society, where the Known met the Unknown. Today, people who continue to live in such areas find it easy to follow such traditions, and there is a great connection with the land, and importance of sourcing everything yourself, going out into natural places like forests and lakes, performing rituals at various odd times like midnight, exploration, and all sorts of other things that require outdoor space and considerable amounts of free time. It is a very hands-on approach to the occult, and it is the easiest way to fully connect to the Source, and to gain understanding of the Self. People who live in the countryside seem to be able to do it without much hassle.

Then, we have the highly organised traditions like the Vedanta, Egyptian magic, Kabbalah, The Mystery traditions, Alchemy (Al-Khemi) etc. These traditions often emerged out of city centers (such as Alexandria, Rome, London, Varanasi, Kyoto, Tenochtitlan, Damascus, Baghdad etc.), and were closely tied to organised religion (since they were probably practiced in close proximity to religious centers). Today, such traditions are still practiced by people who live in towns and cities, and smaller urban settings. There is usually not an emphasis on sourcing material or going into nature, since it would have been, and still is, somewhat tricky to simply go into the forest to do a daily ritual. People in such settings also have less time, even if they do not waste time in pointless tasks.

On the other hand, people in cities would usually have much more indoor space, and access to materials and knowledge beyond what was locally available. This is perhaps why such traditions, instead of working with nature, are usually associated with elaborate, consecrated Temples, which is usually furnished with items having very specific correspondences. The city dweller would usually not have any trouble finding materials, getting access to books and learning specialized skills like herbalism or metallurgy. In addition, one would not have to worry about things like food and water, due to the division of labour. The lack of time, space and nature was made up for by access to materials and knowledge, ability to devote oneself to specialised study, and space for a temple, library, laboratory etc.

This setting is, while less conducive to being in touch with Nature, is extremely good for understanding extremes and confronting the Shadow.

While rural occultists would play an integral part in their community as community leaders (shamans, seers, medics, cheifs etc), urban occultists would play an integral role in a society as specialists (doctors, lawyers, politicians, priests etc). Together, humanity progressed forward,

This has pretty much been the state of things since the birth of organised cities around 3000 BCE.

A New Society

Since the end of World War II, a new kind of society has been emerging. A kind of human habitation that has never truly existed in the past, driven by technological and scientific innovation that cannot even be fathomed by the human mind, an explosion of culture, moral values, cooperation between all nations of the world on a common platform, the rise of the Internet, and, most importantly, Occult knowledge being freely and publicly available, on a scale never before possible. I mean, just think about how common it is for even the most average person, who knows nothing of mysticism or religion, to be familiar with basic ideas of spirituality like meditation, the power of the mind, what is good or bad for the body, and the notion of individualism.

However, as the Law of Polarity goes, this incredible Golden Age, which has really kicked off in the 21st Century, and gone into high-gear after 2012, has it’s various disadvantages and evils, which are just as extreme as it’s advantages, only much more subtle. While there is a steady increase in peace and quality of life as we overcome more problems (which we should all be extremely thankful for, by the way), there is a steady decline in true spirituality, magick and mysticism, along with the increasing attempt to remove these things from all sections of society. The average person might say that the trade off is well worth it, but i’m not sure. There’s a thin line between Utopia and Dystopia.

There has never been this much control and power over the masses. Never before have governments had access to private conversations, or international corporations such reach and resources. Never in all of human history has “mind control” been anything more that a delusion. Now, we live in a time where if Alex Jones gets drunk and starts rambling about conspiracy theories, you have to sit there and question how much of it is probably true. It’s strange when you think that everything he says is probable to some degree, and that’s terrifying. In the past, at best you had to worry about the King sending his troops to burn the crops. Now you wonder if your phone’s listening to you, if there’s an AI directing your daily actions, and if some shady international body has an algorithm that can predict where you’ll be before you know it (*cough* Google)

Now, with all that dark stuff out of the way, let me raise your mood by talking about how practicing Magick in the Urban metropolis may be made easier, and how most of it’s superficial challenges can be easily overcome. I don’t generally live in fear because when I think about just how massive and complicated human habitations have become, I feel like even the most powerful shady organisation is more or less powerless to control anything. If you really think about it, our society has become so intricate that no one really could control it. The only reason everything doesn’t spontaneously go to shit is because of mutual co-operation.

The Urban Metropolis

The Metropolis: a large, sprawling jungle of glass, steel and concrete. Brightly lit and well interconnected, it is usually brimming with a diverse population of hundreds of thousands of people, if not millions, or in a few cases, even tens of millions. On one hand, it looks like a City of Dreams, but on the other hand it is also a City of Illusion. You see, that is only from an observer’s perspective. To the people living in a metropolitan city (which at this point happens to be most of the populations of the Orient, parts of the Middle East, Western Europe and North America), it feels like home, like any other place in the world.

From the looks of it, the rest of the world will soon follow. If you’ve seen the design proposals for Pyramid cities, vertical cities, layered cities, aquatic cities, Moon/Mars colonies and heck, a full fledged artificial Moon (thanks China), you know it’s only just beginning.

In the 1920s, there was a dystopian horror film called Metropolis. I suppose back then the idea of such cities was terrifying. I happen to live in such a city, and I recently found out that my city is actually a popular location for horror, mystery and murder novels for people living in other, more traditional places within India.

This is very strange to me, since I grew up here, and as far as I’m concerned it’s a totally normal place. Past the facade of glass and steel, we got our little suburbs, with it’s local parks where children play, and the local grocers where we buy fruits and vegetables by the kilo. We have our schools, which are probably like any other public school anywhere else, and offices where people work (even if they are suspended a hundred feet in the air in a glass megalith shaped like a shoe).

So yeah, let’s be honest, even though metropolises were once the terrifying dystopia, life has worked out pretty well in them. Human beings wont change, even in a jungle of glass and steel, and a majority of the population already lives or is destined to live in a metropolis. Right now, all over the world, villages and towns are changing into cities and cities will change to metropolises. This is not the case everywhere though, but what’s important to note is that there’s a surge of populations into metropolises. Even if villages, towns and small cities remain, they’ll be largely devoid of population. This can already be seen in India and Western Europe.

In a way, it is actually going to solve most of the problems that the Industrial era brought, so I think it’s worth giving gratitude. But I feel a sense of uneasiness.

The problem however, is that the average metropolis, though giving people health, freedom and individual liberty, was designed with material and moral fulfillment in mind, but not necessarily spiritual. Magick has never been mainstream, and probably won’t be for some time still. Religion and New Agery may soon be well accommodated, but this doesn’t mean it gets any easier for actual occultists. So unless you want to renounce worldly life and go off to live in the mountains, we have to make the necessary adjustments.

Essentials

Let’s give a little background to the usual Metropolitan environment. Most people live in apartments (or flats). Based on the size of the building, you may be suspended hundreds of feet above the ground. Size of the apartment and number of rooms varies.

Usually residential and economic areas are separated, and multiple forms of public transport carry people from home to work, and back, and this is also when considerable amounts of time are wasted. Public spaces include squares, malls, shopping districts and promenades. Schools and Public service buildings are scattered about evenly. The cities are divided into various sections that have little to no interaction. Commercial buildings are glass, steel and concrete, while residential areas are plaster or brick and mortar.

“Nature” is limited to public parks and trees/shrubbery on the divisions between the large multi lane roads. If you’re lucky enough to be in a country like the Netherlands, you’ve got lakes and canals, though they’ll be off limits. Radio waves, smoke, bright light and noise may interfere with Magickal practice. I suggest working in the early morning, at late night or with windows closed.

Also, probably give up on observing the night sky in any meaningful way for astrology. Either you can’t see anything, or shit is behind buildings. There’s no way to see a full horizon.

Pollution is a thing, though the amount of it is based on how adept the Municipal corporations are, and the population is likely not homogenous, consisting of people speaking various languages, from various parts of the country, and many even from foreign countries.

Food, electricity and water is not a problem, opportunities and jobs are common and there’s a mix of rosy optimism and abject depression in the population. Everyone pulls their weight, there’s almost no idleness, people are always in a rush and have short attention spans.

Nothing is really seen as weird, including strange occult practices and fringe spiritual traditions, and there’s a general sense of comfortable chaos that everyone is used to. Everyone has strong political opinions but no one acts on it because the Left and the Right are forced to live in close quarters and co-operate to run the city. The intellectual nazi and the urban marxist may sometimes talk rather passionately about various subjects they know nothing about, but will usually go back to being busy with their own life. It’s never really dark or quiet. Ambient noises include the footsteps and chatter of thousands of people, distant drilling and machinery, cars, birds, and the low, perpetual hum of generators.

Sound familiar? Good. If you can relate to about 50-70% of the above, then you may find what I’ll write next as useful.

Temple

First off, the Temple. In any ceremonial tradition, the importance of a Temple is usually insisted upon. A general dedicated area where you can do your magick. Usually, a room is suggested. There may be specifications for the room too. You may read that an alchemical lab would need the space and fittings needed to carry out experiments, along with running water and a window or chimney, and heating apparatus. For a Kabbalistic temple, you may be told to use a square, empty room with the windows facing the cardinal directions, and be able to hang stuff on the walls, light candles, and if you’re up to it, install literal pillars. In the Book of Abramelin the Mage, an entire house is needed specially, and an entire room becomes the invocation circle, with a balcony separated by glass being the Triangle.

I’ll be blunt: in magick, you reap what you sow. That is true. The elaborate care taken in building a suitable place for magical work is with good reason. It’s the same idea as religious places of worship. However, we may also adapt our practice to the modern day.

Whatever path you’re following, learn what the core elements of your space/temple are, so you can simplify it. Cleanliness is a must, and it’s good to map out the cardinal directions. Remember, it does not have to be a room, but any dedicated space is enough. If there’s a small cubical gap in your home, you could clear it out of stuff, and put a rope circle on the floor. That’s a good enough Temple. I used one like it for 6 months. The idea is to have a place where you can do magick, and if possible it should be consecrated. All the other stuff can be added however you feel it should. Instead of Pillars, one can use a black and white curtain.

If you can’t find a special area, then you could just make a “collapsible Temple”. Simply put, you have all the implements stored away, and during ritual you can bring them out and establish a temporary Space. Once you’re done you could put everything away. Much like a Temple is meant to be closed to outsiders, I suggest storing the implements discreetly, and not visible to the world, like in a drawer or something. Don’t use the consecrated implements and furniture for anything else, and pick a spot that you will use each time.

It’s a good idea to keep the Temple portable. It’s your choice how many implements you want to use. Make it so that if you’re travelling, you can securely carry key implements. For things like Alchemy and Herbalism, the kitchen is plenty for most of the initial work. If you’re working with metals though, I say find an outdoor area.

You could rent a space or an office and use that for your Temple. Of course, rent is usually high in Metropolitan cities. Better off looking in the suburbs. This is not ideal for daily work, but not a bad idea for occasional work that is more grand.

I do none of that though. Personally, I just do all my rituals in my room, in the space between my desk and cupboard. I just move my chair out of the way, use some chalk to draw the circle on the floor, along with any other symbols needed, and do it that way. I keep the windows open so it doesn’t get stuffy, and that’s it. When I’m done, my few implements go into a drawer, and I wipe the circle off. Done!

Herbs

There’s always this thing about growing sacred herbs in your backyard or garden (something I don’t think even exists where I live) or going out to collect the needed materials (nowhere withing several hundred kilometers for me).

If you have a balcony, get plastic tubs or pots and grow some herbs. Ideally, it’s always a good idea to grow plants, and just because we don’t have a garden shouldn’t be an excuse. Growing local plants, flowers, and herbs is a good idea. Other than that, learn the correspondences of the herbs and spices you have in your kitchen, and use them. This is of great use when making incenses or oils, and most of what you want is usually found in the kitchen. It’s a far easier option than having to go out and buy or order exotic herbs every time you want to make a custom incense of oil, which I’ve seen people do. I’ve seen witches in India go out of their way to track down Irish moss or lavender, instead of use the marigold in their home or cinnamon in the kitchen.

So, instead of panicking when you can’t find Irish Moss or Dragon’s blood, learn to work with things like sandalwood and lemongrass (and yes, i’m well aware that it will vary from place to place. Apply the principle to where you live). And by growing stuff in the balcony, you’ll at least learn how to tend to plants. Do the hedge Wicca thing if you can’t do anything else. It’s an authentic enough spiritual practice.

It’s usually not hard to order very specific things online these days, but you wont be able to find things that don’t have commercial value, so knowing the correspondences of what you actually have access to is paramount. In a way, doing so is not very different from what the village shamans did in the olden days, when they learned about the herbs growing in the immediate vicinity.

Travel

Living in an Urban metropolis means you have little access to both natural places, like forests, lakes and mountains, and great artificial structures, like monuments, temples, cathedrals, museums. If you happen to live in some of the better planned metropolises, you may have intact forests and such nearby. Similarly, in cities of historic significance, you will probably be able to visit monuments.

Even so, travelling is great, and it should be of interest to any magician to explore and experience new things, and push himself out of his comfort zone. But it’s even more important to metropolis dwellers, both from a mystical and non-mystical sense. Being shut up in a city and going about your busy day is not enough. There’s a reason depression can run high in these places. Other than that, travelling will often give you a chance to do important Occult activities that you normally can’t do, like collecting stones, or wood for your wand, or observing celestial bodies, or collecting sea water and collecting dirt from specific places. Most of these are common in more folk paths. For urban paths, you can visit libraries, look at ancient relics, go to places where great events happened, or make a pilgrimage to religious grounds.

I could go on and on about the benefits of travel, but I’ll stop here. Yes, a more skeptic individual will say “Hah! We have the Internet! We have public parks! I could easily do most of this stuff without even leaving my own neighbourhood!”

To him I’d say: yeah, probably. But where’s the fun in that? Trust me, travel! It’s good for you. Some of the most profound mystical moments in my life have been when I’ve traveled. It’s good for the soul.

Remember, most Occult grimoires were written either in a time when people lived in vivid environments, or for people who traveled a lot anyway. The urban metropolis is a strange and modern phenomenon, and most Occult philosophy was probably written with the expectation of the individual experiencing certain things in life that people these days do not. No doubt Hermes Trismagistus would be confused if you told him you couldn’t understand his quote about “finding your haunt in every living creature” because the most complex animal you ever saw was a pigeon.

Get Used to Artificial Materials

Get used to the idea of using stainless steel, glass, plastic and plywood. I’ve sometimes seen people go to unreal lengths to find “natural” materials like Iron, wood, ceramic, natural stone such as granite, gemstones and heck, even pure gold. Look, it’s always important to use the best quality materials you can get when creating implements for magical work.

I find it is not a good idea to shortchange yourself or cut corners, especially if the desired material is within reach, but you’re too lazy or stingy to use it, since these things have a profound impact on the subconscious. Any material will also generate the energy it corresponds to during ritual. However, many a times the “best” materials available to you WILL be things like paper, steel or plastic. My own banishing dagger is made of stainless steel. I spent a lot of time trying to get the best thing I could, and this was what I found. When I make seals, I use good quality cartridge paper. After all, there’s a limit to what I can reasonably find and use, and vellum and parchment are out of the question in a big city, because they have little commercial benefit (and as we know, in the metropolis economy, only things that make money can survive).

Similarly, when I created my first proper Triangle of the Art, I used cardboard and painted acrylic. After all, I don’t just have a garage where I could do carpentry in order to make it out of wood, or cut glass.

I always try to find the best things I can find. The best paints, paper, wood or metal available to me. But, most likely those will be very different that what was traditionally available. So I wouldn’t be too upset if you, say, have to use a plastic stand on your altar. Don’t just make the new age fallacy of regarding all things artificial as “evil”. It’s no more artificial than iron, and ultimately everything is derived from nature. As for energy being generated, all objects have correspondences. A piece of gold will generate the energy corresponding to the Sun, but so will yellow ink and the circumpent (symbol of the Sun). An iron dagger will generate martial energy, but so will a steel one, and so will an image of war.

Recycled Stuff

I probably don’t need to tell you this, but it isn’t a good idea to use recycled material for magical implements, or materials which have been used for some other purpose before hand. If you do so, I suggest a formal cleansing and reconsecration. In my life I have tried to reuse old materials, but I find that over time I naturally accumulate fresh and new things. I actually collect items and materials expressly for magick purposes. Sometimes, it won’t actually be in use, but I don’t use it for anything else either. I store it away, so that if a time comes when I require something, I already have materials that can be used.

However, there are plenty of things that merely aid the magical work, but aren’t key components of it. A simple example would be jars or bottles, to store incense, oils and the like. I’ve seen people run off to hobby stores to buy brand new “antique” looking jars. The most amusing things are those jars that have purposefully made to look second hand, or “raw”, like those which have fake corks.

Ever seen a modern hippie who buys expensive mugs that are made to look like mason jars, and have a lid that’s plastic but looks like a cloth cover? He then pretends to be like the old hippies who used actual mason jars to drink. That’s what this reminds me of. Something stops being “hippie” once it’s mainstream.

Anyway, don’t waste time and money when it isn’t required. The amount of waste produced by big cities is already unreal, so we don’t need to add to that. Most of the stuff you’ll end up recycling, like jars and bottles, are high quality anyway because they’re mass produced in factories for a competitive market. Chances are your bottles of sauce, jam, and other drinks are good enough to be washed and recycles. In the city, almost everything is designed to be reused. Just consecrate and reuse, and save yourself a whole load of hassle. However, do not hoard. And stay away from plastic when you can, especially to store liquids.

Keep Things Very Clean

Speaking of not hoarding stuff, it is common knowledge that most students of magick keep their surroundings clean. You know how Jordan Peterson keeps saying “Clean your damn room”. In that statement he is conveying a deep and profound spiritual truth.

“Clean your damn sword, bucko!”

As within so without. The existence of filth and mess in a person’s surrounding is a reflection of everything around him. Now, this means just a little bit more in a big city.

Big cities represent, at their core, Chaos. Unlike a peaceful and serene environment of a town or village, where everything is Orderly and the magicians sometimes NEED to consciously bring in Chaos as the counterbalance, here it is flipped. Everything is highly Chaotic and the magician has to strive to bring in Order. So you’re not just cleaning up, you’re bringing Order.

Personally, to me cleaning is almost an alchemical process. When I clean up and set everything in Order, I feel like my heart is cleansed of darkness (and no, i’m not even exaggerating). I think this is similar to what the ancient alchemist experienced when refining metals. Gold from lead.

So, cleaning out the apartment or house is the cleansing of filth and removal of entities, the archetypal act of bringing Order out of Chaos, and the alchemical transformation of the mind and soul.

Adding to this is the fact that the air is big cities usually has industrial pollutants or smoke. Not always, but very often (especially if you’re somewhere it doesn’t rain a lot), so that just wafts through your windows and settles on your floor, shelves, carpets. Everything really. It’s enhanced by the dust from construction sites. You could just stay in and keep everything closed, but then I’m not sure what magick you’ll end up doing.

In the United States, Japan and other such countries this is less, thanks to strict regulation, but in India and China this is now probably the single largest concern (and I’m considering wearing a fucking gas mask if we can’t fix it soon. Can’t even leave my window open in winters without feeling like i’m in gas chamber. Fuck).

Update (2019): So I made a talisman that protects me from pollution. It is the post after this one. Click here to read it.

Just remember: unwanted entities dwell in filth and squalor. There’s a reason religions emphasise ritual purity, especially the older traditions.

On the other hand, try not to make things too sterile or perfect. That removes the soul from it. Obsessive cleanliness is as bad for you as untidiness.

Eat Normal Food

This is perhaps the most common thing I have seen in every great city I have visited: a population hopelessly addicted to processed or refined food. I’ll keep this one short because I don’t want to sound like some stuck up nanny, and I don’t think I actually need to tell people to eat healthy.

Simply put: try to cook your own food from good ingredients, avoid the sugar that’s in practically everything around you, and try not to live on frozen or instant meals….unless you’re in London, in which case you can’t buy the extravagantly expensive food anyway.

Sugar and salt directly affect the emotional balance of the body, so it is very important, especially for someone doing magick, to be careful of foods which have too much of either. Not to mention processed sugar practically works like cocaine (did you know the original recipe for Coca Cola used 9 milligrams of cocaine? These days they use “spent coca leaves”. Ha!)

I’m not going to go crazy and demand that you only eat raw vegan organic food. Just try to be healthy, and limit the alcohol. If the body is weak, no amount of mental, emotional or spiritual fortitude will help. Malkuth is the Kingdom on which all else stands. Magicians are very concerned with guarding against unwanted spiritual influences, thoughts and emotions. How about extending that favour to the body as well? Also, work out, because if the body isn’t fit, it will hinder the spirit. This isn’t just me, but one of the direct teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Additionally, try to do some yoga everyday. It is important to do yoga so that you can control your mind, body, and all it’s spiritual extensions.

I’ve known particularly gifted magicians to go haywire, because they ignored yoga and were unable to control themselves and their surroundings. Trust me, when things go wrong, you want to have that strength of Will that yoga produces. In the metropolis, you’re also much more likely to have less physical exertion, and you don’t want to let yourself become fat, weak or pasty.

Guard the Subconscious

One of the common aspects of large cities is that there is advertising everywhere. In other words, there subliminal stimulus everywhere, pushing you on to buy, eat and consume more and more and more.

Honestly, I don’t have a problem with advertising. It’s not that bad, but i’m not just talking about any old advertising. No, i’m talking about city centres, filled with neon lights, sounds and advertisements in every direction. Although I guess the TV and online ads replicate it pretty well now.

Once you’ve done magick for long enough, you begin to under the powerful effect these superstimuli have on the subconscious, and the subliminal stimuli hidden in them. It is important to not let your mind wander off in these situation, or you’ll end up with all sorts of programming entering the psyche. No matter how strong your will is, and how consciously dedicated you are, these things will keep popping up and creating challenges to the work of Self Realisation. I mean, yes, many advertisements these days have a very positive message. A Nike ad telling you to “Just Do It” with the name of the Goddess of Victory on it and an archetypal symbol of success may not be so bad. But an advertisement telling you to buy the latest product from a certain company so you can indulge in a lot of sex is just trying to create an association between consumption and sex, and in turn encouraging more consumption and sexual excess.

Even if you consciously recognize that drinking Coke isn’t actually going to give you a life full of happy memories, your subconscious isn’t that smart. It’ll simply remember that association and give you a craving for Coca Cola when you’re unhappy or lonely.

Look, as I said, i’m not against advertising or the free market. I fully understand that advertising is essential to sell products, and can ultimately be a force for the greatest good in making society better and improving the quality of life. However, it is important in big cities that you be vigilant and pay attention to your surroundings. We city folk have adapted to have short attention spans for that precise reason, to be able to notice everything around us quickly. THAT is why people in big cities have shorter attention spans than people who live in the forest. That also means you notice a lot of things in a short period of time without consciously understanding what it is, allowing all of it to directly go into the subconscious.

Would you ever inject food directly into your veins, without letting it go through the digestive system? No right. This is the same principle. Subliminal programming means that you’ll basically be doing subconscious magick without even wanting to. Maybe you work out each day, but can’t loose fat because you’re subconscious has been programmed to believe that unless you use a specific product, you cannot be thing. You may not even believe it, but your subconscious does. I mean, they’re literally using your own mind to do magick that hinders you. And most people don’t even know about magick. You know, when you live a newspaper lying around, you may ignore it but your subconscious sees everything. It sees all the ads and all the shitty news. You become a conduit to the astral plane for these people (I’m not even sure who ‘they’ are) to manifest their desires. For example, if a nation is flooded with subliminal messages promoting illness or civil war, the collective subconscious force of the population exposed to this propaganda will bring it about! If this isn’t like the Matrix, where the robots where using human beings as batteries, I don’t know what it.

Guard the subconscious!

If you consciously catch everything that you see, it won’t enter the subconscious directly, and will be processed instead. That, by the way, is one of the meanings of the god Anubis guarding the Gates of the Temple, as well as the Hall of Judgement from the dog faced demons.

Lighting

Update (2019): This wasn’t part of the original post, but I’m adding it in now.

Lighting profoundly affects your mood, and it has astrological symbolism. Generally, yellow lighting, such as produced from filament bulbs, has a strong sun correspondence. it will uplift your mood. The same can be achieved through yellow LED lights. That’s why most ‘fine’ establishments has yellow lighting. It calms you down and produces a similar affect to the sun, or fire. Our ancestors evolved to regard such lighting as positive.

On the other hand, white lighting is negative lighting. It is cold, bleak and sterile. It affects our psyche and produces depressive or negative states of mind. It isn’t homely.

Why do you think schools and offices have all this white lighting. It’s so that you’re not in a good mood. Basically, lighting is an important part of magickal practice, and has important occult significance. Remember to get out in the sun, and try to use warm lighting when you can. Avoid cold lighting.

My own room has cold lighting, but I do most of my work during the day. If you’re one of those people that does most of their stuff at night, I suggest buying some new lights. If you’re crazy enough, you can work at night using candles. I do so sometimes.

Alright well, that was fun. I have nothing more to say, and I hope this is of help to someone, or simply makes for an interesting read.

Remember to follow the blog, and you can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

Until next time.
~White Raven

The Tree of Life in Yetzirah

October 4, 2018June 11, 2020Tagged air, angelic choire, Angels, ascent, ego, element, Expereinces, golden dawn, hermeticism, journey, kabbalah, kundalini, light work, lightning path, magic, magick, meditation, meditations, methods, new age, path, religion, self, sephiroth, spheres, tree of life, white magick, yetzirah2 Comments

Written: October 4th, 2018 | Edited: 27th March 2019

Alright. I’ve not posted in 2 months. Part of that is I was moving back to India after living in Europe for 6 months and got very busy. I was working on and off on a post about Nativism vs Globalism in Occult, but it just turned into 6000 word political drivel, so I just stopped. Maybe eventually that stuff will see the light of day.

But anyway. Let us talk about the Tree of Life in Yetzirah. Last year, I wrote about my experience meditating on each Sephirah of the Tree in Assiah, and briefly explained how the four Trees of Life work in Kabbalah. Read that if you’re unfamiliar with the four worlds model.

What is Yetzirah

This is, like last time, a week by week documentation of the meditations on each of the ten Sephirah. Much like Assiah corresponds to the element of Earth and the Material World/Body, Yetzirah corresponds to the element of Air and the Astral World/Mind, and thus most of effects were psychological.

It is worth mentioning that the energies of each sphere were not nearly as intense as those in Assiah. Maybe it is because Earth is the first and hardest element to master. We are, after all, primarily living and functioning in the world of Matter. The material world has many forces largely outside our control and we have far more control over our own Mind. I was also prepared this time.

Yetzirah corresponds to the element of Air, and the GD Grade of Theoricus (2=9). This is placed at Yesod. The idea of these meditations is to develop the Mind, and by definition the Ego.

The Assiatic Tree corresponded to the Astrological houses (which includes the elements, Planets, The Zodiac and Polaris). Similarly, Yetzirah contains the various Angelic choirs of the Kabbalah. Bear in mind that the GD definitions stay true to the original mystical meanings (at least, as far as Hermetic Kabbalah in concerned), and not the various later interpretations, present in modern Judaism and Christainity. These later interpretations are due to the attempt to reconcile the two religions, and have them “fit” whatever narrative the Church was following in any given period. Whenever needed, I’ll mention such discrepancies in the names. I’m sure that many of the new interpretations serve the religious purposes of these traditions. However, I am more concerned with the Occult purposes. Also important: leave any knowledge you have of Angelic hierarchies from New Agery at the doorstep.

Ashim|Souls of Fire

The Ashim (also “Ishim” or “Eshim”) are the Souls of Fire. In mythology, it refers to the souls of men who lived a just and good life, and became angels upon passing. They are the closest to mortal affairs. They are said to be beautiful, made of ice and fire, which is an interesting duality. They correspond to Malkuth (in Yetzirah. This will apply to each Sephiroth).

The first four spheres are difficult and test you more than reward you. I was prepared for this, but it still hit hard. Almost right off the bat, I went into a mental rut. I was not able to pay attention to stuff I was doing, nor truly able process most thoughts that came to my mind. I put up with this lack of alertness by directing my attention to memes, youtube videos and a bit of light sketching. I became absent minded (one time, I forgot my laudry was in the machine and left it there for 3 and a half hours). I also ate simple food, because I literally could not bring myself to think about cooking.

Well, this began to ease around the 6th or 7th day, when I began to get my shit together. Interestingly, during this period I got a lot of menial tasks done, and watched a bunch of movies I’d been putting off. It’s amazing just how much time goes off just thinking, and processing thoughts.

When you’re a magician, and a ceremonial one at that, you have a great tendency to be lost in deep thought, and this is actually quite a waste of time. I realised this then, but it took almost 4 months before I was able to fully rid myself of the habit and start being more productive. It seems Malkuth in Yetzirah corresponds to the lowest part of the mind, engaged in the performance of menial, automatic tasks.

Kerubim|The Strong Ones

When one thinks of a “Cherub” you think of the little winged babies that shoot arrows at people to get them to fall in love. This was largely a Catholic idea, and the result of trying to incorporate the Roman God of Love, Cupid, into Catholic imagery.

He had been “babified” to make him more “innocent”, something the Romans had already begun by depicting him as a young boy.

The original Cupid, and his older Greek form Eros, the son of Venus/Aphrodite, was depicted as a handsome young man with delicate features: a more virile God of Love and Male fertility, and earlier still Eros was a more terrifying, primordial God, almost akin to the primal male force called Yogi.

Although the Christian version of Cherubs is a bit flawed, the original Kerubim in the Judaic tradition were the Choir of Angels associated with Yesod. Yesod is the Foundation, and the Kerubim are the strong, unearthly spirits that uphold it. Yesod is also associated with sexuality, and that may be how the Cherubs become associated with Cupid. The Kerubim were also shown as guardians of the Mesopotamian Tree of Life, supporting the thrones of deities (which is also very relevant to their role in Yesod). They are shown as having 4 heads: a lion, an eagle, a bull and a man. These, of course, symbolize the Holy Living Ones of Kabbalah and the Egyptian tradition. If you google “Mesopotamia s

Sexual Energy is the Foundation. Preserve it, but don’t let it decay. This means a lot and cannot be unpacked here, though most people reading will have some sense of it. As far as I can tell, the Kerubs guard the way to the Tree of Life, and consequently, the higher spheres of the conscious mind.

To go through Yesod in Yetzirah meant having to withstand, endure and fight against some of the strongest subconscious influences, like lust, lethargy and distraction. The entire duration of this, I was constantly aroused and uninspired, and very tired, and was even going to bed as early as 10 pm. There were all sorts of other little things, like barely making it in time in the morning. One day, I lost my sketchpad. I looked EVERYWHERE, and at the end I was literally convinced it had been stolen by some supernatural entity (it had slipped under the mattress. Go figure).

This taught me very less, and was more of a survival challenge. However, it made one very important change in my life. You see, like most normal people, I still believed the bullshit food pyramid issued by the US Department of Agriculture in the 1980s.

In order to combat this overwhelming fatigue, I started to see if I could make changes to my diet. Me, and a friend of mine who’s a health/fitness nut, delved deeper into the nutrition thing. Like everyone, most of our food was carbs and sugar, which is apparently a terrible plan.
This is an occult blog, so I don’t want to talk much about food, but after this I began to switch to a more high fat and protein diet, while eating less carbs and almost entirely eliminating sugar. Needless to say, I’ve been much better and energetic. Yesod in Yetzirah also related to perception itself. I was so convinced that it was a spiritual forces I needed to worry about that was causing all these issues. This was my own flawed perception, and it turned out to be things as simple as diet and mental alertness that I had to work on.

Beni Elohim|Children of Gods

“Oy vey, what’s this White Raven?! Hmm? Are you insinuating that the original Hebraic and other related traditions were originally polytheistic and pagan, until some intolerant upstarts demonised the Hebrew Gods and all foreign influence, and subtly changed the entire theological and spiritual structure to fit into a monotheistic doctrine so that they could keep all the stuff that came from supposed devil worshipers??!”

Why yes, yes I am.

“Oy Gevalt..!!”

STOP.
Now calm down. First off, before you start freaking out: no, I am not an anti-semite. If I was, I wouldn’t be sitting here explaining the subtleties of Jewish mysticism. I just have e d g y t a s t e s.
And yes, most other religions all did such things (including my own), and it’s something we have to accept. But remember, Judaism should be no more exempt from critical analysis (by outsiders) than any other religion.

Yes, Elohim quite literally means “Gods” and Beni Elohim means “Children of Gods”, and they reside in Hod, the sphere corresponding to Mercury. In modern Judaic, and some Christian, traditions, the “Beni Elohim” have become related to figures like the Nephilim, Fallen Angels, Demons etc.

Any intellectually honest follower of Judaism and Christianity will see that there is no single consensus on what these terms mean, and it’s all really a product of mistranslations and distortions of the Abrahamic texts. Most modern work on them involves massively misunderstanding Biblical texts.

In the Old Testament, Beni Elohim have been defined as an Angels that descended to the Earth and procreated with human women, and gave birth to a race of giants.
In the Hermetic tradition, as well as in the Kabbalistic tradition, it doesn’t matter.

The “Fallen Angels”, Azazel and his followers, taught Man the material sciences, and the art of war and weaponry. They were removed from divinity, but served as Initiatory figures in the lower planes. This is also the critical and analytical state of mind. This is part of Hod.

In a way, they pulled us out of our natural state. One might say that this is bad, and that we humans should adhere and submit to nature. That is, to some degree, the hippie position. But to be dragged out of one’s inherent base nature is to escape stagnation, to become aware of and escape habits.

We are supposed to sleep as long as we want on weekends, and take warm showers. When things don’t work out easily, or are difficult, it is seemingly better to leave them be, to eat when we are hungry, fornicate from time to time and enjoy our free time through leisure. This is after all, the natural and innocent state of man.

Why then, was this knowledge of science, technology and art taught to us? Why did we develop rules and tenets, why did we diverge so far from our natural state? As any hippie worth his organic salt will tell you it is not important and all these things are evil.

But you know what? Through the pursuit of unnatural things born of the ego and desire, such as discipline, self control, aggression, tool making, schedules, diets, exercise, grooming, and self initiated challenges, such as abstinence, fasting and heck, even going out of your way to take cold showers, have strengthened us and helped us overcome the bindings of material nature.

They are what gave us the name of homo sapien, the Thinking Man, and separated us from animals, capable of logical analysis, critical thinking, and scientific reason. They are not wrong, and the knowledge and challenges presented by the Beni Elohim, which seem like a waste of time, are actually the tools to empower us. No one ever said that man in his simple, animalistic state was truly a man. We become conscious for a reason, and and we return to the Source not as innocent beasts, but as akin to Gods themselves.

In the Bhagawat Gita, it says that the Supreme Being sends forth Souls of man, gods, demons and spirits in every Cycle, but when they return to Him, they are no longer fragments of his Consciousness, but fully developed Individuals. Let no one ever tell you to disregard all that your ancestors have built, and live akin to animals.

Update (2019): In the Hermetic tradition, Azazel and the like are meant to be figures that resent Creation and believe that the Divine Plan of the All mind to perceive itself is a pointless endeavor, due to the sheer pain and suffering that is present in the Universe. The mythological version states that they want the Divine Plan to be abandoned, so that all may return to the state of Unity once more.

The angels of light, instead, want the Divine plan to be fulfilled and a return to Unity that way. Ultimately, all forces want the same thing, and thus they all help the magician. This is a metaphor of course, but I think it’s closer to the truth than the good/evil dichotomy of organised religion. This is the reason for the Yin/Yang symbol, where the two forces are held in balance together.

However, in the mythology, Azazel and his kin wanted to ensure that only the worthy would practice magick, to ensure that those who are allowed to progress on the spiritual path would be sure to full-fill the Divine Plan, and perhaps end the suffering of existence. So they challenged us, distracted us, and gave us powerful tools that could tear us down if we let it get out of hand. All of this was a test, to see if man could survive, and prove himself. There are alternative versions of the myth of course, but this is my preferred one.

Elohim|The Gods

In modern religious thought, “Elohim” is simply defined as another name for God in the Bible. However, this word has become notorious ever since it came to light that in the original Hebrew, it would have been a plural. While El, meaning God, is singular, Elohim, is plural, literally meaning Gods. It can also be interpreted as dual, the collective term for El (God) and Eloha (Goddess).

The first line of Genesis, in modern English, is “In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth.”

However, this line in the original Hebrew version it is Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve’et ha’aretz, which literally translates as “And so, the Gods created the two heavens and Earth”.

I add “And so” at the beginning, because the statement implies a kind of continuity, and persistence, rather than a beginning.

Now, I am no one to preach to a Jew or a Christian what his religion means. That is up to them to decide. The truth is, this is simply the linguistics, and the actual history and development of the word, much like that of the Old Testament itself, is not fully clear.

Many people have interpreted this as simply referring to the infinite and pluralistic nature of God, while yet others have insisted that “Elohim” was merely a generic term for all Gods of Israel and the surrounding region, and still refers to the Abrahamic deity. Maybe this is so. There is a fantastic historical and linguistic content creator on YouTube called Metatron. He is very credible, well read and Christian. He unpacks this in a brilliant video here.

However, in the Hermetic Kabbalah, being a very academic system, we consider Elohim is mean “Gods”, and it falls on the sphere of Netzach. This choir implies endurance, and the birth of a firm determination to follow your passions.

During this week, I felt devoted, and driven to do what I had to. Be it listening to a podcast, designing or filming, exercising, doing dishes, illustrating, and even rituals. I do daily rituals, and they aren’t very long, but in this period I once held a meditative state for a prolonged period of time, wanting to see how far I could go.

By the end, I was a bit tired and drained. I had picked up a few excessive obsessions this week, like the obsession with counting calories and trying to multi task way too much. I suppose it was an excess of Netzach energy. As the week ended, I dropped such pointless and pretentious obsessions. We are not machines, but it’s also good to understand one’s limits. Most people don’t. I certainly didn’t, and probably am still in the process of learning.

Melekim|Kings

You see, in Judaism, the word for “Angel” is Mal’ak. According to Ben Shapiro, a conservative american Jew who does political commentary, the word literally means “messenger” in Hebrew.

From what I can find, no one really uses the word “Melekim” anymore, and when they do, they simply mean it as generic “angel”, same as Mal’ak. Kind of odd if you ask me, because they derived “Moloch”, the Judeo-Christian demon, from Mal’ak, meaning ‘Mal’ak’ was the God of some unfortunate pagan semitic-tribe.

Melekim is the angelic choir associated with Tiphareth, which you will know corresponds to the sun and the Self. Whatever comes to your mind when you think “Angel”, the archetypal idea of a divine being of light with wings, which serve as messengers between the Self and the Ego, or God and Man, in pure white robes and a golden halo/sun disk, are the Melekim. The solar symbolism should be obvious.

The first morning was exceedingly calm. This week I got a lot of stuff done. I got several periods of creative inspiration, which came as prolonged bursts of insight. This was also the period of a very important project, which I am glad I had not had to do in the previous weeks, in the lower spheres.

On the other hand, this was also a period of Ego inflation, as this was basically Tiphareth (Self in Ego) in Yetzirah (Ego).

I have an interesting thing to share. Often I pace around the room, thinking about stuff. I am pretty sure most people will get what I mean. I’m referring to that constant internal dialogue you have, where you process thoughts, ponder over things, and talk to yourself. I don’t know if everyone does it how I do, pacing around the room, but I know that everyone does it in some way.

Naturally, such period are great traps, because sometimes you get caught up in a particular line of thought that simply goes on and on, until you suddenly catch yourself. You realise you’ve actually managed to tire yourself from pacing and thinking, and have wasted almost an hour. You then get back to what you are doing, the mind being somewhat quieter.

I know one of the goals of meditation is to learn to stop following such lines of thoughts, and just observe them as they come. This is what the Tibetans call “the monkey brain” because it is always chattering. It is, ultimately, as aspect of the Ego.

My monkey brain is especially talkative, and though I’ve been learned to stop running after it, sometimes I can’t help myself and stumble upon some particularly interesting set of thoughts. (FYI, remember, Sexual Energy is the Foundation. Do not weaken that, for that keeps the Monkey in check.)

During one of the later nights of the week, after a walk through the forest with some friends, I was awake till very late. My poor attempt at making Slavic food (a rice dish called Plov) had gone badly, and I wasn’t entirely calm. My mind was running through various thoughts. I don’t know how long I paced, but since it was late and I had nothing else to do, I allowed my mind to run loose and I continued to pace, and my mind went from one thing to the next, chattering away about all manner of things. On and on, I willingly paced.

Then something very peculiar happened. For the first time in my life, I reached the end of such a line of thoughts.

You see, normally we don’t reach the end of our thoughts, just cut them short. Through the practice of meditation, one learns to stop following the thoughts. They’re still there, you’re just choosing not to run after them. But to actually reach the end, was a weird and mystical experience.

I believe Paulo Cohelo, the Brazilian author, alluded to this in one his books. I think it was in The Valkyries. It was like my mind had been steadily producing some physical substance that had been coming out of my head, and suddenly, this stream of stuff reached it’s end. It was like a physical hole in my head closed, and relaxed, as this stream of substance actually reached it’s end, instead of being cut off and withheld.

And I hate to make such a crude metaphor, but it was like I was in the toilet, and all the waste had been expelled, and my hind muscles relaxed, glad to be free to the burden of relieving oneself. I’ve heard a similar effect is produced by writing down all your thoughts, so you can stop thinking about them, and get them off your head onto paper.

I’d silently and patiently listened to the Monkey’s chattering to the very end. It actually had nothing more to say. I felt like I had not a single thought to produce. I felt a strange and deep silence, which was exaggerated by the late hour. True silence, with nothing to be heard, and nothing to be done, and a totally empty mind. Sleepiness and lack of food probably added to it.

I then proceeded to meditate until sunrise, without any distractions or thoughts. It was fun!

Seraphim|Fiery Serpents

In Christian and New Age literature the Seraphim are often the highest of the Angelic beings, while in Jewish hierarchy they are placed Fifth. On the Tree of Life they fall on the fifth Sephiroth, Geburah, being the warlike and forceful angels, thus called “Fiery Serpents”.

They’re depicted as having Six Wings, and help carry out ritual purification, mentioned as doing so in the story of Solomon and his Temple. The Serpent motif is an important one, often connected with Royalty, such as in Egypt and Japan, and with the Kundalini/Caduceus.

This week was a strange one.

There was great assertiveness, and way too much aggression, and at one point I exploded at someone. There were certain things that said person had been doing, that were bothersome to me and others, yet no one ever said anything, not wanting to bring in negativity into our work. Unfortunately, one day, having not slept the previous night for various reasons, I was cranky and tired, and it was as if all barriers of caution and doubt had given way. I just let loose, not angrily, but with a certain sternness. It was not a very good idea, but it was as if tension that been building up for weeks finally broke through. It felt good to say things bluntly and as they are, without regard to the norms that generally dictate social interactions.

Needless to say, all was forgiven eventually, and awkwardness eventually died out. We remain good friends, but sometimes it’s important to speak out for yourself. You’ll be amazed that others who feel the same, but can’t speak will keenly follow. This is especially true if you’re fortunate enough to be a naturally assertive person, since not everyone is.

Other than that, my appetite disappeared, and I went about 3-4 days without basically eating any meals. So I must have eaten snacks, but at the time I had little more than curd, nuts and fruit that was hanging about. Strangely though, I was full of energy, and experienced no side effects of not eating, going about my day as always, even exercising as usual.

Finally, an event of note. I had a plan with some friends to go somewhere. This plan, you see, had been delayed and cancelled several times, as getting everyone organised and ready to go out on a day always proved to be a chore. I think everyone reading can relate. The classic torture of trying to make travel plans that always fall through at the end.

This particular night, as usual, at maybe 2-3 am, each of them pulled out one after another. We were supposed to leave next morning.

All had some excuse or another, and I think for at least 3 or 4 out of 6 it was just that they’d had way too much to drink. I had avoided drinking for this very reason. I’m also that guy in the group who’s good at planning, so I usually take charge in making plans and such, trying to make sure everything’s taken care of.

I think that night it finally hit me. I just thought “fuck it, i’ll just go do shit alone”.

I mean, these were my good and close friends, with whom I have shared many fond memories. But after that, until the time of return, I traveled extensively, going far and wide, and alone. Sure, sometimes I accompanied others, but I entirely gave up on trying to get others organised.

I think it was ultimately based on my own fear of travelling alone, always wanting at least the assurance of someone else. Let’s be honest, a lot of people are like this. No one enjoys doing stuff alone, mainly because we feel self conscious.

But this was an important moment. After this, travelling alone over far distances, seeing all sorts of things became easier. Heck, I like films and always tried to encourage others to go see movies with me. Now I just went alone.

I’m not a loner or an introvert. I enjoy the company of others. I’ve just realised that few people actually enjoy seeking out experiences, and it’s much, much easier to be independent.

Strangely, it strengthened my bonds with friends, as they were no longer people I depended on for company so I could go places, and instead became people whose company I genuinely desired.

Some people found this attitude of mine very strange. I’d abruptly wake up early in the morning, grab my things and catch the train to another city. Halfway through the day people would ask me where I was, and I’d just tell them honestly. They found it odd that I’d just left without any noise. And I think some also longed to do things completely by themselves. I remember there was always someone who wanted to go do something specific, but everyone would always be busy or not interested.

So I say to you: fuck it all. Just go do whatever you want to do, wherever you want to do it, and don’t wait for others, or you’ll waste your entire life waiting. Who is destined to share those experiences, will come along naturally.

Chashmalim|Brilliant Ones

Chashmalim (often written Hashmalim) are the Angelic choir of Chesed (also pronounced with the same guttural “Ch”, as in Ch/Hasidic Jew). In modern Hebrew, Chashmal translates as “electron” or “electricity”. Chesed is associated with mercy, kingship, wealth and other Jupiterian things.

This week brought a satisfying conclusion to a project I’d been working on for almost 6 weeks, which as I mentioned had begun at the same time as my meditations. At the end, I had to present a short film to a large batch of Europeans, none of whom who had a particularly good grasp of English.

And, Europeans being Europeans, decided that it would be a great idea to have a round of beer before I went on stage, in the goddamn afternoon.

Regardless to say though, it went great! Chashmalim, as the name suggest, are where all the mental energies lose momentum and settle down, being the final spot of true manifestation before the Abyss. No wonder it is the sphere of Kingship. One may say this is the pinnacle of the Rajasic/Kingly mode of being.

I also had an acute awareness that I was playing a character. In everything I did, it was not truly me who did it, but simply a persona that had been adopted. This is a more complex topic, I know, so I just mention it in passing. Chesed is the point of first manifestation in Yetzirah, which is the world of the mind, ego and personas. You may say it is the sphere where Personas form, and where one became aware that one is ultimately just adopting various Personas throughout life. These personas are the things that separates the lower spheres in Yetzirah from the Supernal Triad.

Realising that you adopt a persona, or rather a set of personas as you go about life, lets you realise that you are not the Persona itself, and the Persona does not rule you. When I went up on stage, I consciously adopted the Persona of a speaker, and it filled me with confidence and eloquence. I was able to communicate very well, and felt like public speaking was somehow very natural to me (even though it’s not).

Also, amusingly, this was when I first decided to grow a beard. You will remember that all beings associated with Chesed have beards, and I thought it looked kind of nice.

So yeah, I have a beard now.

Aralim|Thrones

Sometimes called Dominions by Christians, the Aralim are the choir of Binah. Depicted as wise elderly men, the Saturnine symbolism is obvious. While the Wheels (which we will get to) are the moving and active (masculine) force, the Aralim are the passive (feminine) and stable force, like the Vehicle driven by the Wheels.

As my work was done, and I had nothing much to do in the few weeks before returning home, this week I rested. Saturn is the place of rest, as Saturday is, and why God made the World in Six Days and rested on the Seventh.

It is also a time of things ending, and passing. People wrongly assume that Binah signifies “Loss”. Loss only occurs when one has formed an attachment to the things that are leaving his/her life. You can’t do that, since everything will end anyway, and wanting it not to simply invites suffering.

As I mentioned, my time in Europe was coming to a close, and also the time of others I knew. This week was filled with me saying goodbye to several of my friends one after another, as many of them left for their homes.

It felt strange, as there was no real guarantee we’d ever even see each other again. It was a very surreal experience for me, when I truly understood what the Buddha meant by “attachment brings suffering”. I was determined though, to allow things to pass as they would. And so it happened. People who almost saw each other as family by now departed, perhaps forever, going separate ways. Not much more to write about this, except that the last days were happy days. It was bit depressing though.

I also want to point out something you must have noticed already. My meditations in each sphere were peculiarly linked to real life circumstances that were fully external and well outside my own personal reality. The meditations always coincided with meaningful events. Such is the power of Synchronicity.

Auphanim|Wheels

These are the Wheels I mentioned earlier. They are depicted as Wheels covered in eyes, that are inhabited by the Kerubim. The colour of Chokmah and Yesod in Yetzirah are also shades of the same colour.

These are the Wheels that you may have seen in the myriad depictions of Angelic beings in Japanese media, and the symbolism of invisible Wheels that direct the forces of the Universe is a powerful one, ranging from the conceptual cycles of life and entropy, to the Chakras, to psychedelic visions of machinery, to the Wheel of Astrology, to the swirling galaxies and nebulae, to the very manner in which the fundamental forces work.

Chesed is the first force that directs the energy of Kether downward into the Tree, being the place of Tahuti and Uranus, as well the entirety of the Zodiac. In Judaic lore, the Wheels, also known as “Spheres” or “Whirlwinds”, move and hold up the Throne of God.

During this week I traveled extensively. I also broke through into new meditative states, but those are experienced and interpreted differently by everyone, so not much point trying to explain that. It would be the defining aspect of this week though. I had free time so I’d sit in silent meditation for long periods, to that point where all goes silent and the light appears. When all physical feeling is lost, and you suddenly become aware of the true nature of things, even though it is only a glimpse. I often meditated until sunrise, and then went to sleep.

Chayoth ha Qadesh|The Holy Living Ones

This refers to the Angelic Choir of Kether, and I suppose one may think of this as the collective angelic forces ruling over the astrological house of Neptune, and Polaris (The First Swirlings). It is also refers to the Holy Living Ones of kabbalah I mentioned in Kerubim: The Man, The Lion, The Bull and The Eagle, which symbolise the four elements, and the four faces of YHVH.

This is it, the Crown of Yetzirah, or the Mental/Astral World of thoughts, the highest State of the Conscious sphere, which exists as a manifest “God”, like the “God” of organised religious traditions.

I spent this entire week preparing to leave, and all momentum had slowed down. I was exceedingly calm, and totally alone, and these contributed to creating a very content State of mind. I do not have many reflections to share, except that I was quite content, and longing to return home. Thanks to Synchronicity, I returned home on the very last day of the Week, and of this meditation.

People who read this blog may know I have nationalistic leanings, but I did not know how much until I set foot on the soil on which I was born. Seeing my home, and my people after so long left me almost emotional, and hit me with a deep and profound sense of joy and happiness, to the point where I was smiling stupidly listening to the hordes. Coming to Delhi is jarring though, since it tends to completely disrupt and break all mental peace. Unfortunately, when you live in a region around a Capital, all the important stuff, including airports, are there. And Capital cities are often soulless dystopias.

Still, the familiar scents, sounds, and visuals made me feel grateful, for no amount of fantastic sensory experiences can ever parallel the beauty of one’s own homeland and people (and soon we were out of Delhi).

FYI, I don’t mean it in the sense of of race, religion or any subgroup, but as the broader, loosely defined concept of one’s own “community”, generally associated with, but not limited to, an ethnic group, or set of ethnic groups (as in India or America’s case), a cultural or spiritual unit, or an intellectual bloc or geopolitical zone. The land of your forefathers, your Gods and your fundamental values has a deep significance.

It is also why almost all Occult traditions ultimately lead people back to their roots, which is also why I think so many Occultists, especially in the West, follow native/pagan religions instead of Christianity, or have some version where they merge the two. This is true even in the Middle East. Even though Islam is an ethnic religion, almost all Islamic occult traditions have old pagan influence unique to each region (Arabic, Turkic, Persian etc.).

The Occult is, by nature, nativist. I am now entirely convinced of this, after having learned about countless occultists and occult traditions. T

his phony attempt, that has raged for 2000 years, to unite all peoples under a single artificial banner, a “correct” religion, some universal spirituality, is bullshit.

If there be some Universal Creed (which there most likely is), it is found through one’s own roots, and any attempt to enforce such a thing will inevitably be the product of some individual culture’s conditioning. That does not mean, by the way, to pledge allegiance to some lofty sounding ideology or political figure on a pedestal, and to quietly submit to the norms of a culture and religion, and fade away into the masses of your culture.

These are mere safety nets, to ensure the system works and people are relatively content. To be an occultist means to delve into the Chaos that lies at the boundaries of Society. Only he who knows Chaos can adequately defend Order. And right now, more than ever before, in the face of this attempt to wipe away people’s identity and turn them into uniform drones, this means to stand for one’s people and homeland. This is what truly unites us. This is what “diversity” means.

You may very well say, that this set of values, this “God” is an illusion, that identity is an illusion. Sam Harris and many other spiritual atheists have said so. And to soem degree they’re right. This “God”, these values of “nationalism” or “homeland” or “community” are consciously perceived. They are the crown of Yetzirah, the Chayoth ha Qadesh, and obviously they are below the spiritual truths of Briah and Atziluth. But such platitudes are part of the spiritual blindness that has caused people for centuries to disregard Yetzirah and Assiah, Air and Earth. Statements like “the material world is just an illusion” or “identity and culture are artificial” are symptoms of this. It shows that the person saying them has not understood the lower worlds, and so he simply cannot understand the higher ones. I won’t trust any spiritual truths following these statements, because they will be incomplete and imbalanced.

People need community. They all have desires and thoughts, beliefs and values. It is simply not possible to discard these so non nonchalantly without having a pretty good replacement. It is a spiritual idealism that has left people alienated, isolated and bitter, and very susceptible to fall to political ideology

Corporate Propaganda to sell you something. You know very well they’re just models, but it’s part of the drama that this is a real college picture. Trust me, I’ve actually been the “token foreigner” for a pamphlet. Not that I minded though.