From:    Lewis Cypher                           Area: MagickNet
To:      Josh Norton                            30 Apr 95 18:42:44
Subject: Consciousness Exaulted                 Rec'd UpdReq 

 JN>(Ponders...) I'm primarily concerned with initiatory magick, where such 
changes in consciousness are the prime goal of the work. 
    
LC> And that is my major interest as well. It is my practice, as I was 
originally trained, to work low magic with new techniques. This limits the 
possible consequences to usually just me, and gives something concrete to 
visualize. The intent is mastery of technique first, then exploration of new 
sources of spiritual growth; and discovering limits before putting myself on 
the line in a much higher purpose work. 
    
JN> I suspect that for someone concerned with producing external effects, (or 
who believes there is a real distinction between Self and Other) they need 
not be so obvious; one could let the preconscious parts of the being that do 
all the work remain below the threshold of awareness. 
    
LC> A.O. Spare called these beings "Selfconscious Automa." It was his advice 
that the safe way to reach these beings was with devices, like cards and 
scrystones, and to leave them in their own realms of the deep subconscious. 
Kenneth Grant, a dubious source for sure, told a story in his book about 
Spare summoning such a being, in detriment to the two guests he was 
performing for. 
    
LC> One thoery I have about these beings, demonic or otherwise, is that they 
are part of the cultural fabric of the Zeigheist, a shared world view, 
anthropormorphic aberant behavior. 
    
JN> (More pondering...) The problem isn't finding an example -- I've got 
hundreds of them. Rather, it's finding one that is clear enough to explain. 
    
JN> By their very nature, such experiences take place at a pre- verbal or 
extra-verbal level; words are often a byproduct of the experience, but don't 
really touch its core. Often, the best one can do is translate it into 
symbolic terms, and hope another person can use those symbols to work back to 
a similar experience. 
    
LC> I was hoping you would write that, eventually. Words may not define the 
experience, but they are a comfort to those treading the unknown road of 
inner plane contacts. "As within, so without;" Just so I don't lose track 
here. 
    
LC> "Those who know, do not say.""Those who say, do not know." Lao Tzu wrote 
these words thousands of years ago. If they were true, why did he write them 
in a book of 5000 words? Why was he such a blabbermouth? The answer, is that 
he wrote the Tao Te Ching out of grandmotherly kindness. I find that trying 
to explain it to someone who needs it is the best source of the right words, 
because the intent is all, just as it is in the ritual. 
 Sincerely,
 Lewis


201434369420143436942014343694201434369420143436942014343694718