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Magic is a science that Science doesn’t yet understand. That said, science and technology can be used ethically or unethically. It depends on the level of ignorance in the user. The more you are aware of the bigger framework and longer term picture, the more your use of it will be in harmony with the whole and of maximum benefit to everyone.

So what happens when you’re self-serving, spiteful, paranoid, jaded, non-empathic, cold, etc. and you come across a convenient power? You use it irresponsibly, without regard or awareness of the bigger picture or long term consequences.

Typically what you will find among left-hand-path folks, thelemists, chaos magicians, black magicians, satanists, luciferians, etc. is that they are either ignorant or spiteful of the idea that there is a bigger framework with its own divine laws and ethics that they are subjected to and cannot get away from. They don’t want to obey anything, but rather find the secret lever that lets them manipulate everything, thus they have power over others instead of being under the power of anyone and anything else. It’s in the same category as nihilism or that there is no meaning in the world but that which you give it; not true, there is an objective framework we are enmeshed in, and there are objective laws of ethics that are in play. These ethics don’t always match up to social / political / religious mores, as the latter are largely products of humanity’s own inept / childish attempt to interpolate objective ethics; but they do match up in some cases, like the golden rule or just not being an asshole; I think both people and the divine forces can agree on that one.

As to why people go down the dark path, well for some, it’s usually because they’ve been fooled by the straw man fallacy that religion has created (a stupid and fake version of god and morality that any smart person can see through) and so they throw the baby out with the bathwater. They have an incomplete, unrealistic, overly anthropomorphic view of “god” and then blame “god” when “he” doesn’t perform to their comical expectations, then turn against “him” and either start worshipping themselves or worship the convenient alternative which is Lucifer / Satan or whatever. Basically it’s a bunch of logical fallacies they have fallen for, mixed with a hurt and starving ego that just wants security and power and finds a good pacifier in belief systems that will give it that. Others additionally have been wounded in life, subjected to conditions beyond their control, and since conventional / physical means have left them powerless, they get a kick out of some occult power that can help balance the situation.

Yes, occult / metaphysical laws are the means to overriding physical ones, but again it’s how it’s used, under what intent, and at what costs that determines whether it’s a positive or negative approach; I mean, casting a spell to get the girl next door to fall in love with you is a blatant violation, whereas putting yourself into the mindset that you are matched up with the perfect partner and vice versa, and synchronicity helps you cross paths with someone also looking for love who is a good fit — that is okay because it violates nothing.

So here are the facts of magic as I understand them:

1) Your deepest beliefs, mindset, root assumptions are directly reflected in your external circumstances through a sub-quantum mechanism. By changing these, you can change what probable futures you enter. Therefore your subconscious is the gateway to tuning your reality. This is the foundation of magic.

2) Probability is also affected by etheric energy fields, because these fields are sub-quantum in nature, sort of like the HTML code beneath a web page. By changing the code, you can change what’s displayed on the page. There are different access levels, from a mere user who changes it by entering text on a comment form, to the designer who can rearrange layout, text, graphics, etc. to the system admin who could completely wipe the operating system if he desired. Likewise, etheric/astral energy that underlies reality has different levels/frequencies to it, and our soul/spirit composition determines how much access we have.

3) Thoughtforms / egregores / tulpas can be created, which function as executables or autonomous constructs in the ether/astral field, that are programmed to carry out tasks. They are artificially intelligent, and are like holographic fragments of the thought / mindset / energy you projected forth in creating them. They can serve you, but they are fundamentally parasitic in nature and will induce in you more of the same behaviors/energies that gave rise to them, thus they can grow out of control and suck you dry if you’re not careful. These things are not necessary to accomplish magical feats, they are just a nonphysical type of technology created with your mind and emotions. #1 above is a deeper level of reality manipulation than this; but some magicians like creating and using thoughtforms; we create them inadvertently every day, and they are the metaphysical component behind addictions and obsessions.

4) The subconscious is a gateway to a higher part of our being, called the higher mind and the higher Self. This is the spiritual supercomputer or satellite that we’re connected to, or that we’re lower projections/probes of. The subconscious is used to communicate with it. It is the seat of power behind the reality tuning/manipulation. However, there is question as to how sentient it is, whether it’s an obedient servant, or the wise master who goes ahead and lets you implement your desire because if you desired wrongly then it’ll bite you in the ass and teach you not to be so stupid next time. Either way, it has a mind of its own (which is the true part of your mind anyway, the part of you that knows better) and sometimes it approves the directives you give it, and sometimes it does not.

5) There is a divine framework and metaphysical law of action and reaction, of ethics and consequences for violation. When you go against it, you rack up a kind of karmic credit card bill, meaning you can “buy anything you want” for now without consequence but the price will be heavy in the end. This is what black magicians do. They bypass what’s right and just, and use illicit means like employing demons or hacking people’s souls/minds (to manipulate their freewill) to get what they selfishly desire. They may have success in the short run, but it’ll weaken their spirits/souls and make them increasingly susceptible to demonic manipulation and possession. When they die, they’ll have a hard time getting away from these demons who come to collect their dues.

6) Purity of intent, correctness of belief (that is, not subscribing to actually fallacious and illusory limitations), and love / empathy / joy are the most powerful forms of magic. They are not used to manipulate, but rather to attune yourself with your own destiny / divine framework, which intelligently optimizes life for maximum happiness and success. It creates synchronicities and miracles. Having a darkened / wounded soul and using black magic to get what you want is sort of like stepping hard on the gas while having the emergency brake one and one wheel missing; it goes against yourself. If you had no resistance, even the slightest push would get you rolling. But to reduce resistance, you have to let go of your bitterness, depression, sourness, jadedness, and egomania and relax into a more easygoing, optimistic, warmhearted and good willed mindset. That’s returning to your true nature.

7) There are higher beings above us, positive beings, who are wise and have great foresight; you could call them angels or guardians. They monitor our activities and when fully justified intervene to prevent certain things from happening, or in helping you out in times when you need it (according to their view); if you were to use remote viewing to try and win the 150 million dollar lottery, it is they who would prevent it if not meant to be. Because of this, magic isn’t something where with a given technique/power you can manipulate the whole world and put elementals at your command and do whatever you want, as if you were king solely by your own decree; rather, what you do must be within acceptable ethical and destiny/karma based guidelines. You have to be mindful of what’s right, balanced, and good for the most in the longest term; that’s the only correct way to use magic. Incorrect way will result in loss of protection from these beings, and increasing susceptibility to the aforementioned demonic forces who are like the wolves that prey on the weak (the spiritually weak in this case).

8) Rituals and sigils, some are complete nonsense and only good as mnemonic triggers to send a particular message to your subconscious. Some are mere token “signing on the dotted line” that you announce to the demonic world telling them you want this in exchange for giving up some of your freewill and soul energy to them (it’s a way of legally giving away your protection / freewill, hence why demons will chomp at the bit to fulfill your desires there, you know like those musicians who said they sold their soul to the devil and then got rich and famous). Some rituals are means of manipulating the etheric / astral and are thus a form of technology. Regardless, rituals you don’t actually understand, or have some superstitious belief in, make you no different from primitive tribesmen or catholic priests; personally I don’t think rituals and sigils are necessary, at least not the complicated ones.

So long as you intend from the heart and are firm, you don’t need the purple table cloth and dagger and other bullshit. Exceptions are technologies like incense, which can directly affect the etheric ambiance of a room and make it harder for a ghost or demon to inhabit the area; that’s not ritual, that’s an etheric science. But tracing a pentagram in the air and chanting the banishing ritual, that’s not necessary because that’s just a more complicated way of expressing intent, which you can do without the arm waving. Same goes for healing; you can do complicated rituals, or you can just lay hands and up your vibes and thereby allow the higher positive force to do its thing.

The view that the ‘muggles’ can and should be manipulated with magic, that’s a black / negative path approach. Fact is, with proper use of magic, you don’t intend to manipulate anyone; however, synchronicity / higher hand will indeed manipulate people (either by inspiring them, or it just happens accidentally) to help you out. And it won’t come at their expense. Not like you intend for money and the higher force kills your spouse and now you get life insurance payments. I mean more like someone feels inspired and out of the goodness of their heart helps you out, and they feel good for it and might receive a blessing in a synchronistic way as well. Win/win for everyone. The demonic / black / negative path is conservative (like energy and momentum) where you either break even or lose some in the end; every winner comes at the cost of a loser somewhere. Meanwhile, the positive / divine / white path is free energy, win/win for everyone (and if anyone does suffer it’s more a correction mechanism for transgressions they have done, with benevolent intent for their remediation). In any case, I don’t think you should ever manipulate anyone directly and specifically, except to wish them well and bless them into having their spirit, mind, and body strengthened and that they have greater clarity and happiness; that respects their freewill.

What about Aleister Crowley?

Crowley chastises the stupidity of 3D false dichotomies, like the kind found in politics or social tradition or religion, to pose his transcendent metaphysical view as the logical alternative. But the trap is that beyond the 3D dichotomies, there is a higher duality — higher negative, and higher positive. Crowley’s material delineates the path of higher negative development, basically how to serve self at the expense of others and finding ways to justify it to oneself.

So he does this a lot, presenting the higher negative alternative to lower common fallacies. That is, 4D STS as the only alternative to 3D STS/STO, so higher vs lower. That’s fallacious black and white thinking. One example is taking a concept like “love” which, to ordinary undeveloped 3D people is just some sentimental hormonal surge and thus animalistic, whereas Crowley defines it in a higher context which I think is close to truth. But, then he goes and puts in a twist or disclaimer that deviates a seemingly positive concept toward negative ends.

For instance, the positive path would mean following your spiritual will and destiny in a way that harmonizes with others and makes consideration for them and the system as a whole, whereas Crowley says, “Every man has a right to fulfill his own will without being afraid that it may interfere with that of others; for if he is in his proper place, it is the fault of others if they interfere with him.” — in other words, do whatever your “True Will” wants, and if it hurts others then too bad for them.

Another example is his idea of “True Will” — it’s a transcendent kind of will that doesn’t stem from social programming or animal impulses, something beyond the regular ego mind’s whims. Well, there are all kinds of subconscious impulses that seem to transcend common will, that come from some place deep and mysterious. They can be divided into two groups, those that stem from spirit, and those that stem from a more demonic sub-ego level. The latter can be quite inspiring and exciting and mysterious, which is what the Nazis tried to tap into, and if Crowley defines that as “True Will” then of course it seems like a good alternative to mechanical habits and social programming. But what about the other “True” True Will? The kind that actually comes from spirit and works in consideration of the good of all? See, that is left out Crowley’s system.

Crowley’s material  stems from the negative half of a duality that tries to present itself as, and therefore suppresses awareness of, the higher positive half.

Another thing, I don’t care much for elaborate rituals and convoluted symbolism. That stuff is necessary when you don’t have divine backing but want to have your way anyway and thus need to “hack” your way to results. Ritual magick is hacking to break into what is disharmonious to the total system. Just like a hacker you need to know code, scripts, algorithms, etc. to be successful. But that’s not the only way to be successful. You can do it legitimately too, which is the higher positive path.

Tom Montalk

http://montalk.net/about/143/e-mail-qa