Otherkin
On the topic of Otherkin, I am very much a skeptic. Otherkin are those humans who believe themselves to be, on some level, nonhuman. Common varieties of Otherkin include those who identify as vampires, fairies, elves, werewolves, angels and demons. Sound strange? I’ve personally encountered several such beings, and even I think it’s strange. I will not, however, sit in judgment like so many others.
The major critics of Otherkin, primarily occultists and intellectuals in my experience, like to try to simplify the scenario to one easily digestable in their paradigm. I freely admit that I simply do not believe that Otherkin are what they often claim to be. Outside very extraordinary circumstances, fairies, Elemental spirits and other Astral and Mental entities simply cannot incarnate as humans and even within those rare cases, they either do not remember their origins at all, or remember them entirely from the start. Just because I don’t, at this time, accept the story at face value, however, does not mean that I am willing to brush it off as a fantasy or delusion.
I know Otherkin and have met a fair number more. I have met some who were clearly delusional, and others who were obviously screaming for attention (”Look how different and interesting I am!”). Most, however, have been not only quite sincere but also very grounded and intellectual. That said, it becomes much more interesting that magicians make the same accusations of Otherkin that “normal people” make of magicians and under analogous circumstances.
There is, in truth, no such thing as “the magical community.” There are merely magicians who periodically make the effort to ignore their drastic differences. The scenario is ultimately similar among Otherkin. There is no “fitting in”, but only “covering up.” In this, magicians and occultists can sympathize.
I propose that occultists of all traditions and systems refraim from judging the Otherkin phenomenon in its entirety. Instead, we might extend to them the same courtesy we all want from society at large: either leave them in peace entirely, or accept that while we may be different in many ways we are all still deserving of respect in the brotherhood of humanity (at least biologically).
Legalized Reincarnation?
China enacts legal regulations on the reincarnation of Buddhists. As this MSNBC article points out, beyond the absurdity of the proposition lies one more attempt by the Chinese government to undermine any sort of non-governmental religious movement, especially one which emphasizes liberation from all worldly powers. This isn’t the first time they’ve tried to control the reincarnation of a high Tibetan religious leader; the Panchen Lama has recieved such treatment already.
(Cross-posted to Rosicrucian Love.)
A world populated by Lights
I went for a walk this evening, as I’ve grown accustomed to doing. One of the few luxuries I’ll miss about Suburbia is the ability to go walking at any time of day or night without fear of interruptions like, say, being run down by speeders. I discovered something tonight. The world is full of ghosts. Every indistinct shape by day, every disconnected shadow by night is a living being, an astral husk, a sprite, an elf. Was it a ghost I saw lying in the street, or just a trick of chaos mathematics that made the rain water dry more quickly in the exact shape of a human? Does it actually matter enough to judge? I would say that it does matter, but my spirituality would not be threatened either way.
This is exactly the difference, in terms of essentials, between magicians and materialists. To magicians, the entire universe is alive, while to materialists it is dead. Regardless of tradition or system, every magician the world over sees the universe as a constant interaction, ever in motion yet ever still. That is the secret of the doctrine of the unchanging universe so often criticized by anthropologists, psychologists, and physicists alike. It isn’t a literal physical reality, but a metaphysical statement. Evolution is a constant throughout the universe, and it’s an upward spiral or perhaps an ever-expanding sphere with no center rather than a straight line through the singular dimension of Time.
Materialists smugly rest in their conviction of post-mortum dissolution, as if death itself were a vindication of their dogma. To the magician, even if our personalities do dissolve upon the cessation of physical functioning, it is only to return to the very Source of Life and become (hopefully better for having lived through us) the foundational Elements of a new life. This is the reality behind the kabbalistic concept of tikkun. We are responsible for this universe and for the lives which we lead in it, and we can truly improve it by simply improving ourselves, and we will keep coming back until we get it right! Some have gone so far as to say that God needs us at least as much as we need Him, for without us to manifest and observe His perfection, He could never be perfect in truth.
Of course, as a Hermetic I know that our personalities can continue after physical death (and physical death is not even true death, for the physical elements which make up our bodies will merely be recycled into yet new life), but even if they didn’t it would hardly invalidate one’s evolutionary efforts. All such knowledge is human knowledge and, no matter how direct, is still therefore only one angle on the Truth. Still, it is personally valuable and proves our progress.
Perhaps the best statement on the matter comes from Timothy Leary. Love him or hate him, the idea is worth paraphrasing: defining “intelligence” as one’s ability to process new information and apply it to one’s life, if you find yourself more and more depressed, hateful, and pessimistic, you can bet that your intelligence is getting lower, while if you find yourself becoming on average happier, more loving, and optimistic, you can bet that your intelligence is increasing. There is no reason to be afraid. The universe is conspiring in your favor; just quit telling it that you want bad luck, and open up.
Passive-Aggressive Behavior
Here’s a fantastic editorial by my friend Lupa on passive-aggressive behavior. I highly suggest that everyone take a read, because most everyone in modern America has some passive-aggressive patterns.
On the Relative Merits of Magical Classics
Magic, like science, must be studied according to the level of knowledge and technical expertise of the time in which it is being studied. Depending upon which tradition or system of magic you’re studying, you’ll find that there’s been quite a good bit of advancement since the Renaissance. At least in the Western Esoteric Tradition (really a group of historically related traditions), there really is no such thing as a “pure” strain; everything is synchretic. Kabbalah has come into contact with Eastern systems like Zen and Tantra, for example; Hermetics has come into contact with Zen, Tantra, Yoga, and Taoism among others. A lot of good material has come out of these relationships, though Kabbalah and Hermetics both remain essentially Kabbalah and Hermetics. Thus, we have to work up a modern list of “classics” and let the older classics rest in their proper place: history.
I am not saying that we shouldn’t respect the magicians who have gone before us, or the works which they have left us. I just happen to feel that they must be kept in perspective. Most of them have little to no real value to them beyond history, considering the vast reams of more practical materials which we have at our disposal today. I thank those magicians who have come before for the work which they performed to my benefit, for the books which they left to me, and for their courage in sustaining their practice in the face of religious, cultural and political forces of opposition. Their written works are of exceptional value on that level.
The majority of medieval and Renaissance grimoires are of exactly zero practical value for a modern magician. We have learned better. We know that Heaven is not physically above us, nor is Hell physically below us. There is not a vengeful Zeus-like Jehovah in the clouds over our heads at all times awaiting any excuse to strike us down, nor are there hordes of demons slathering at the mouth just outside of our magic circles hoping for a careless finger to slip over the chalk lines on the floor. While they all have some historical interest, none of them are terribly practical for a well-educated member of the 21st century. The only exception is, of course, The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. It is qualitatively different in important ways. In a big way, its author was prescient of the developments in the Sacred Magic in the 19th and 20th centuries, insofar as the spirituality of magic has opened up to allow people of all faiths (or none) admittence into the Mysteries. The author is plain about the fact that the Sacred Magic is workable by Christian, Jew, Muslim or (*gasp*) Pagan, as long as they are willing to acknowledge the supremacy of the One God (which, by the way, most classical Pagans historically have, even before the advent of Christianity). The main aim of Abramelin is the attainment of Knowledge and Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel; that is, the communion of the mortal magician with his or her Angelic Guide. It is, in fact, from this book that we have borrowed the term “Knowledge and Conversation, etc.” Rather than focusing on how to command the lowest sort of spirits to find us treasure and to make women dance naked before us (yes, some of the Goetic demons are supposed to possess that power), Abramelin is more concerned with the conscious evolution of the human worker, and on using one’s magical powers (which do include commanding lower spirits) to do good works in the world.
We come now to the work of Cornelius Agrippa. His Three Books of Occult Philosophy and the subsequent attributed work, Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy, are epic manuals of Hermetic natural magic and practical Kabbalah. As Joseph Lisiewski, one of the last worshippers of the almost-useless “classics”, aptly pointed out Three Books is a manual of theory, while the Fourth Book provides practical working examples of the theory presented in the first three. Together, even if the Fourth is almost certainly not from the hand of Cornelius Agrippa, the four books provide a complete course in the magic of the early Renaissance. It is exceptionally useful for historical researches for this reason, and also still holds some practical usefulness to those of us interested in Hermetic natural magic (although there are better books on the subject now, they do not always contain the vast wealth of information on the subject found in some of these older books).
Eliphas Levi is still worshipped by many, including our friend Joseph Lisiewski as well as most of Aleister Crowley’s modern followers. Levi’s materials are more useless than any other books of magic that I can think of. He literally provides nothing practical in any of his books, but instead tries to impress the reader with his vast knowledge of Kabbalah (which is actually almost nonexistent, if you compare his “Kabbalah” with either Jewish or Hermetic sources). If you want the best out of Eliphas Levi’s works, read the translations by A. E. Waite; Waite has a dry wit that cuts through the irrelevancies and absurdities of Levi’s works and his outlandish claims and his footnotes make Levi entertaining and worth reading, though really still no more than an amusement. It is more than clear that Levi actually never tried any of the stuff he wrote about. He was too busy trying to figure out if he was really Catholic or not.
Aleister Crowley is the last Western Esoteric source of “classics” to be dealt with in this list. I’m sorry to say it, but Crowley was a miserable man. He did little more with his life than struggle in a herculean fashion with his Puritan upbringing, and his occult writings do little more than to reinforce his seeming inability to come to any sort of peace with this own background. He abused women and children and indulged in excessive drug use to the effect of becoming a syphilitic dope fiend by the end of his haggard life. His books are every bit as useless as Levi’s (Levi was one of his heroes, and he claimed one of his past incarnations), being full of superfluous theory and very little of any lasting value. Crowley’s greatest addition to occult literature was his sense of humor, which was sharp and constantly moving. In a literature so often taken deadly serious, humor is always a breath of fresh air. This has had a lasting effect insofar as authors since Crowley have felt free to make jokes and use humor as a teaching tool (as it has long been in certain Eastern and other traditions).
Our greatest modern classics pick up where such works as Three Books and The Sacred Magic of Abramelin leave off. Israel regardie is a perfect place to start, as he was one of Crowley’s students. Unlike Crowley, Regardie had both a sense of humor and self-discipline enough to actually perform the Work. His books are still quite valuable. While he tended to focus on the Golden Dawn’s system of Hermetic magic, his insights into that system are universally applicable and provide wit and wisdom for modern magicians of all stripes. His little volume The One Year Manual is still one of the single finest basic training manuals in occultism, providing at least one years’ worth of spiritual and magical exercises designed to profoundly alter one’s experience of the world with a minimum of time and effort. It is a good introduction to real spiritual practice. If you can make it through Regardie’s one year, you have a flawless foundation upon which to build.
Dion Fortune has a relatively large following among not only Hermetics and Kabbalists, but also Neopagans, and this is a good thing. Fortune’s works are clear and plainly written, and readily available in major bookstores. Of course, The Mystical Qabalah is her best known and most important book. It remains one of the best general introductions to Kabbalistic cosmology available. Fortune’s one drawback is her bizarre support of “the political status quo”. She states explicitly in What Is Occultism? that it is the duty of a magical initiate to uphold the establishment of their society. I find that the reality is quite different: a magician’s duty is to challenge the problems with society and with “the system” not out of a childish need for rebellion, but out of a genuine desire for a more humane civilization.
William G. Gray, one of Dion Fortune’s inheritors, has done more than almost any other single author to advance the state of modern Western magic. Stripping away obsolete language and irrelevant symbols, Gray has provided us with two college-level manuals of magical ritual construction and performance. Inner Traditions of Magic is a fabulous introduction to magical ritual, with more than enough to challenge even advanced magicians. Magical Ritual Methods picks up from there and details the workings of Western rituals from start to finish, providing an entire course of study and practice in Hermetic and Kabbalistic ritualism (though with lessons designed to be easily applicable to nearly any system).
Franz Bardon, like Gray, is one of the unsung heroes of modern Western magic. His Initiation Into Hermetics is the single finest manual of modern Hermetic magic available. It takes us through the very basics, all the way through the advanced end of intermediate magical practice. In a big way, IIH has taken the place of The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage by leading the magician to Knowledge and Conversation, and then beyond. Bardon followed up this classic with two more books of great importance: The Practice of Magical Evocation and Key to the True Quabbalah (Kabbalah) which form powerful adjuncts to IIH’s course of progression.
There are more modern authors who could be mentioned in detail, like Mark Stavish (The Path of Alchemy and Kabbalah for Health and Wellness) and John Michael Greer (Encyclopedia of Natural Magic and Earth Divination, Earth Magic). While I consider their works to be of great value to modern magicians, only time will tell if they will be counted among “the classics”.
Politics
Rosicrucian Love is my new blog for political entries. I will likely be joined over there by my Coven brother, Griff.
Hermetic Kabbalah is Not Cultural Appropriation
Immanion Press/Megalithica Books is currently compiling essays for an anthology on cultural appropriation in modern Paganism and occultism. While I don’t have enough material to make a submission, this caught my eye and I had to comment.While I have no real problems with cultural appropriation as such (as long as it’s done with respect and honesty rather than attention-seeking hucksterism), I still must make a point that Hermetic (or so-called Western) Kabbalah is not an example of cultural appropriation. Kabbalah is not a strictly Jewish phenomenon, and to claim that it is, is to miss out on a rich and diverse historical development.
Kabbalah as we know it didn’t exist until the late medieval period, or perhaps the very early Renaissance (depending on where you draw the line; there are a number of historical systems). There were other forms of Jewish mysticism prior to the development of Kabbalah, such as Hechaloth (a.k.a. Merkavah). Kabbalah itself is actually a very synchretic system, even if you’re only examining “kosher” Kabbalah: it borrows liberally from Neoplatonism, Pythagorean mysticism, the various Greek mystery schools, and Gnosticism (pre- and post-Christian). That’s just a handful of the major influences upon Jewish mysticism around the time of Christ, and if extended forward to the historical birth of Kabbalah (sometime in the 13th century or so) we find even more influences: early Islamic mysticism, Hermetic and Islamic alchemy, and Christianity itself. Kabbalah is thus a “brain trust” of some of the best and brightest of spiritual traditions throughout Western and Middle Eastern history, and not a purely Jewish or even mostly Jewish intellectual property.
If anything, Hermetic Kabbalah (at least as it has manifested in certain branches of the Hermetic tradition) has simply changed focus back to more classical ideas. In Hermetics, the primary focus of Kabbalah is as a system of letter and number mysticism and magic, while in Judaism, Kabbalah is mostly a method of organizing one’s prayers and meditations in a progressive format. Personally, my Hermetic practice has been vastly improved by a study of Jewish Kabbalah, but I do not consider either one of them to be “the original” considering the non-Jewish source material that originally went into it.
Movin’ Over
I’m on my way over to WordPress.com due to LiveJournal’s awful policies since Six Apart took over. I’ll be slowly importing my LJ entries and, due to the problems with changing systems like this, will probably be kicking up some dust in the process (such as having some raw code that I’ll correct as I get to it.
Some Entries from Nick’s Occult Dictionary
Here are a few of my definitions of some occult terms that may perhaps aid in reading my blog. Note that these are only intended to define my own personal use of these terms, and not to be universally applicable. I have tried, when possible, to provide corresponding more common terms for the same ideas for comparison. I’ll post more here and there as they come to me.
Akasha: Otherwise known as the Etheric Principle or Chaos, this is the force that many religions worship as God (and not unreasonably). Akasha is the Archetypal World or ha-Olam Atziluth of Kabbalah, and is often called Spirit by Western sources (though my terminology is different; see Spirit below). It is the Void out of which all things were created, and the realm of karma. In the individual, Akasha is one’s personal meaning.
Ceremony: Magically, a ritual which has great historical and cultural inertia; a ritual which has become cemented in form and function.
Chaos: See Akasha above.
Contemplation: The mental discipline of intense concentration on a single idea or train of thought.
Divine Law: Divine law does not mean that there is no Chaos, or that Chaos is evil or “anti-Divine”. Instead, it means that even Chaos is a creation and aspect of the Divine, and is subject itself to the Will and useage of the One Mind. Another important aspect of this Hermetic doctrine is that there is no such thing as a “miracle”; the Divine set up laws in Creation corresponding to the workings of Its own Mind and does not break Its own laws. All “miraculous” events are simply natural phenomena the laws of which have not yet been discovered or codified by human intellects.
Emenationism: The belief, feeling and idea that the universe, on every plane, is a manifestation of the Divine, created by and from the Divine. Every plane is itself a “condensation” or definition of some Divine concept, sacred force, or aspect of God.
Energy: In scientific terminology, energy is “the capacity for doing work”. That about sums it up magically, too, but an explanation may help. Magically and scientifically, energy is just what we call any force of which we don’t have a complete intellectual understanding. Electricity is as little understood as Reiki in the end; we know that electricity is a flow of electrons, but what is an electron? Etc.
Evocation: The external manifestation or projection of an entity or energy. A “ritual of evocation” is generally concerned with evoking a particular spiritual entity at an Astral or physical condensation.
God: The Divine. Sometimes manifests as specifically masculine or feminine, but not essentially either. See also Akasha.
Hermetic Philosophy: A panentheistic, emanationist philosophy founded primarily upon the concept of Divine, universal, and natural law.
Hermetics: The putting into practice of Hermetic philosophy via magical and mystical techniques. Hermetics is, in other words, the technical or practical side of Hermetic philosophy.
Hermeticism: Hermetic philosophy itself, as a way of thinking and feeling. The paradigm behind Hermetics.
Invocation: The magical act of manifesting the Divine or some aspect thereof, or some specific being or entity, within the individual magician’s own consciousness. This can take the form of overshadowing (a sharing of consciousness), as in the case of the assumption of Godforms in the Golden Dawn system, or full possession.
Magic: Magic is the development of Inner mastery through both Inner and Outer works. It is a means of realizing one’s unity with All. Even magicians who focus on material achievements are invariably shaping their Inner cosmoi in the process.
Mass: A magical or religious ritual intended to draw upon the power of the Divine or some aspect thereof, or some specific being or entity, without invocation or evocation. The Catholic Mass is, of course, a good example of intent.
Meditation: The mental discipline of producing, at will, a state of mental vacuity or No-mind.
Mysticism: Any method of developing Inner mastery and realizing one’s unity with All. Magic is automatically also mysticism, though not all mystics are magicians.
Panentheism: The belief, feeling and idea that the Divine is simultaneously immanent (”here” or “Inside”) and transcendent (”there” or “Outside”). All that exists is Divine, but so is all that does not exist. You are God, I am God, that is God, and yet God is not limited to any such manifestations.
Plane: Also called “plane of existence”. The planes are interwoven and consubstantial states of being, much like the dimensions of physics though on an even greater scale.
Ritual: Magically speaking, a symbolic act intended to activate and direct certain Inner powers and forces.
Soul: The “personality” of an individual, corresponding in the individual to the Kabbalistic ha-Olam Yetzirah or World of Formation. The Astral body.
Spirit: The Mind and Consciousness of a human being. The part of an individual corresponding to the Kabbalistic ha-Olam Briah or World of Creation; in other words, the Kabbalistic Ruach. That which comprises a person’s true individuality, but also their unity with All.
To the International Community
Americans and non-Americans alike, please read this! Thanks to for writing this, and to for bringing it to my attention.
