Blog post: A cycle for diviners?

[hilary]

I wanted to see what you thought of this blog post from James Warlock, who was part of last year’s Festival of Change: The Magickian’s Cycle.

It begins:

The magickian’s cycle is, in essence, as follow:

• Become very enthusiastic about magick
• Practice magick in a regular and dedicated fashion
• Have an crisis – either external or existential
• Sulk
• Stop practicing magick
• Rest
• Repeat

Don’t know about you, but this sounds familiar. A diviner’s cycle might go something like…

• Have some amazing readings and become very enthusiastic about Yi.
• Divine regularly with complete trust.
• Have a crisis.
• Optional additional steps: argue with book out loud, scowl at book, shout at book. Feel entirely sane.
• Sulk.
• Stop divining.
• Rest.
• Repeat.

…which is wordier, but not so different. What I’m wondering is whether what James describes as lying behind that magickian’s cycle might also be somewhere behind the one I know.

The ‘crisis’ for diviners seems to take the form of going from having readings ‘work’ for you beautifully, naturally and quite predictably, answering your questions in the way you need, to abruptly having readings make no sense to you whatsoever. It could be that questions that used to ‘work’ for you now lead to impenetrable answers; you could be left feeling that Yi’s led you completely up the garden path. Somehow, the lines of communication broke altogether. What happened?

I don’t know. It’s easiest to say that we just got out of synch, confounded the signal with too much personal noise, or too much sense of entitlement and regarding the cosmos as our personal ‘slot machine for answers’. Yet after*reading James’ article (and remembering things Sparhawk wrote on the forums a few years back, here and here), I wonder whether maybe we tripped some kind of cosmic circuit breaker for our own protection.

James says that,

“The thing about magick is that it induces change – and not always the change you intend.”

​

and

“But over the years I’ve come to the conclusion that if you’re practising regularly and nothing much is changing in your life then you aren’t doing it right…

…well, either that or you are actually, genuinely, in harmony with the state of your life.”

​

And again for ‘magick’ you could read ‘divination’ quite easily. In theory there is a clear distinction between the two: one wants to change how things are, and the other wants only to discover how they are. But maybe the distinction is not quite as clear as we imagine. Certainly if you go back to the roots of ancient Chinese divination, the line between performing magic to invite good weather and divining to discover what weather you’re getting is a very blurry one. We call these things we do with coins or yarrow stalks ‘readings’, but is it really just a pure, hygienic, ‘read-only’ process?

Is the experience James describes as ‘pushing the accelerator on life’ a familiar one to you at all? I find it’s faintly echoed in my own experience when I’m doing weekly readings: it’s not that a bunch more stuff happens, necessarily, but that I find myself about ten times more awake in the midst of everything. Habit and routine become much less of a factor, and the dominant guidance system is living communication rather than auto-pilot.

But this idea that as we engage with Yi, and hence with the whole, we’re inviting more energy to flow through the contours of our own stuff, and hence we might experience a bigger, more charged version of it… that grabs me. And like I said, I wanted to see what you thought. Here’s the link again –
http://www.weirdshitnotbullshit.com/the-magickians-cycle

 

[Sparhawk]

• Have some amazing readings and become very enthusiastic about Yi.
• Divine regularly with complete trust.
• Have a crisis.
• Optional additional steps: argue with book out loud, scowl at book, shout at book. Feel entirely sane.
• Sulk.
• Stop divining.
• Rest.
• Repeat.

…which is wordier, but not so different. What I’m wondering is whether what James describes as lying behind that magickian’s cycle might also be somewhere behind the one I know.

The ‘crisis’ for diviners seems to take the form of going from having readings ‘work’ for you beautifully, naturally and quite predictably, answering your questions in the way you need, to abruptly having readings make no sense to you whatsoever. It could be that questions that used to ‘work’ for you now lead to impenetrable answers; you could be left feeling that Yi’s led you completely up the garden path. Somehow, the lines of communication broke altogether. What happened?

I must be one of the exceptions to what you describe (which is true for most). I, and quite a few others here --including yourself, I might venture, unless you are having one of those crisis-- have maintained an even keel in their studies. Your description is a picture of those that see the Yi as a tool for their own purposes and not as a learning venue. That's why I've said before (can't remember when but I have) that the first couple of years after you encounter the classic (a bona fide divination orgy sans the sex some ascribe to a number of Magick rituals), is a filter for the ones that are intrigued and continue their studies, even after hitting the proverbial divination wall (several times), and those that only resort to it in desperation. The latter sift through like water...

 

[hilary]

The distinction between 'tool' and 'learning venue' is a thoroughly useful one to have around. Only... do you really think that every single 'breakdown in communication' with Yi is down to having obviously the wrong mentality?

Could be, I suppose... but I've a feeling there's more going on. Sometimes people have a kind of honeymoon period with Yi, when every question, however ill-conceived or thoughtlessly phrased, is answered with grace, directness and unmistakable clarity. Then things get more complicated. Is that because they messed up the relationship and muddied the waters, or because they 'graduated' to a level where they're going to be expected to understand something more complex? Is this that 'filter' you mentioned?

Or... Fred asks practical questions about x for years, gets consistently useful answers, acts accordingly, and all goes well. Then one day Fred's usual style of questioning about x ceases to yield useful answers at all (as he finds out either by looking at the readings or by following their advice as usual and losing his shirt). What happened? Is this nothing but a very, very delayed reaction to Fred's 'tool user' mentality?

(Erm. I'm trying for a clear distinction between two ways of describing this, one as clearly the querent's fault for breaking something, and one as just how things unfold. Conceivably this is a false distinction anyway.)

And do you see any connection to what James is talking about?

 

[sooo]

Sunspots temporarily block or reverse magnetic fields.

Although the details of sunspot generation are still a matter of research, it appears that sunspots are the visible counterparts of magnetic flux tubes in the Sun's convective zone that get "wound up" by differential rotation. If the stress on the tubes reaches a certain limit, they curl up like a rubber band and puncture the Sun's surface. Convection is inhibited at the puncture points; the energy flux from the Sun's interior decreases; and with it surface temperature.

We get so used to the universe serving us, we forget that we are a result of it.

I've always been curious if at such times, reading the complete opposite answer would regain continuity and connection.

I've worked in radio/tv for a few decades, and sunspots always played havoc with transmission during especially dynamic sunspot activity.

The primary affect on the Earth is on our ionosphere. This is the very upper part of the atmosphere. Increased sunspot activity frequently accompanies an increase in the outflow of matter from the Sun in the form of a "solar wind". Charged particles in this wind can interact with atoms in the upper atmosphere and sometimes wreak havoc with our communications systems. It can interfere with the operation of satellites by introducing background static. During periods of heightened solar activity, the Earth's upper atmosphere swells up slightly in response to the extra heating, which in turn increases the rate of decay of satellites in low Earth orbit. http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/980506a.html

Of course I don't know for sure if sunspots are responsible for these rare kinds of blackouts or polar reversals in Yijing readings, but I see no reason to dismiss the possibility.

 

[Sparhawk]

Oh my... ROTFLMAO! I shouldn't laugh but I'm doing so at myself.

Hilary, I apologize. I paid a disservice to your thoughtful post: I didn't read it all and shot from the hip (I wasn't the only one apparently as I don't know where the sunspots fit here. I think it was Mojo in charge of the keyboard... ). I actually, and only, read up to the point that I quoted and replied. Geeze, I didn't even notice you were quoting some of my old posts!!!

Fridays are crazy for me at work. Give me a chance to mull this over and reply something more coherent.

 

[rosada]

I find if I've been sitting around a lot my I Ching readings get sluggish too. Like the Chi isn't making past the first chakra.
-rosada

 

[hilary]

Oh my... ROTFLMAO! I shouldn't laugh but I'm doing so at myself.

Hilary, I apologize. I paid a disservice to your thoughtful post: I didn't read it all and shot from the hip (I wasn't the only one apparently as I don't know where the sunspots fit here. I think it was Mojo in charge of the keyboard... ). I actually, and only, read up to the point that I quoted and replied. Geeze, I didn't even notice you were quoting some of my old posts!!!

Fridays are crazy for me at work. Give me a chance to mull this over and reply something more coherent.

Well, if I wrote a blog post that was even slightly coherent, instead of hopping about like a stoned rabbit, it might help.

 

[sooo]

Well, if I wrote a blog post that was even slightly coherent, instead of hopping about like a stoned rabbit, it might help.

This is the kind of topic that no matter what you say about, it sounds kinda stupid the next morning. Even stoned rabbits make sense sometimes.

User error is typically pointed out as the obvious reason (wrong head-space, wrong motive etc), and while that's possible, as you've pointed out, conditions of inquiring sometimes exhibit no variation from cycles of coherent answers.

Or, on a different note, there was a scene in the funny flick, "Bruce Almighty" where God decides to take a long needed vacation, and left this whiny, entitlement minded character in charge to figure things out for himself awhile.

 

[hilary]

Even stoned rabbits make sense sometimes.

I defer to your greater experience on that one.

You know, I had a strange intuition as I was writing my last post that this thread was going to end up being about rabbits.

Anyone read James' post? It really is intriguing stuff... mostly, I just wanted to post something as an excuse to link to it and see what anyone thought.

 

[Tohpol]

The distinction between 'tool' and 'learning venue' is a thoroughly useful one to have around. Only... do you really think that every single 'breakdown in communication' with Yi is down to having obviously the wrong mentality?

Could be, I suppose... but I've a feeling there's more going on. Sometimes people have a kind of honeymoon period with Yi, when every question, however ill-conceived or thoughtlessly phrased, is answered with grace, directness and unmistakable clarity. Then things get more complicated. Is that because they messed up the relationship and muddied the waters, or because they 'graduated' to a level where they're going to be expected to understand something more complex? Is this that 'filter' you mentioned?

Or... Fred asks practical questions about x for years, gets consistently useful answers, acts accordingly, and all goes well. Then one day Fred's usual style of questioning about x ceases to yield useful answers at all (as he finds out either by looking at the readings or by following their advice as usual and losing his shirt). What happened? Is this nothing but a very, very delayed reaction to Fred's 'tool user' mentality?

(Erm. I'm trying for a clear distinction between two ways of describing this, one as clearly the querent's fault for breaking something, and one as just how things unfold. Conceivably this is a false distinction anyway.)

And do you see any connection to what James is talking about?

Maybe it's not really a question of mentality but of intent which dictates the type of "cycle" that will or will not manifest?

Fred's usual style of questioning I would say doesn't "cease to yield useful answers" merely that Fred has ceased to understand them. OR yes, as you say the window or opportunity to cement and "groove" that connection has passed. There is something unique about the Yi as a divinatory tool that surpasses the commentary and even the lines. The Hexagrams themselves are something akin to a lock and key or a ligand and a receptor. The human body-mind matrix is the ligand and the Yi the receptor that will deliver information directly provided the intent and connnection is maintained. If not, then the connection continues but the awareness continues to decrease if the amplitude of knowledge is not applied. There are "windows" and cycles to everything I think a la 55, 24 and 19.

[/INDENT] And again for ‘magick’ you could read ‘divination’ quite easily. In theory there is a clear distinction between the two: one wants to change how things are, and the other wants only to discover how they are. But maybe the distinction is not quite as clear as we imagine. Certainly if you go back to the roots of ancient Chinese divination, the line between performing magic to invite good weather and divining to discover what weather you’re getting is a very blurry one. We call these things we do with coins or yarrow stalks ‘readings’, but is it really just a pure, hygienic, ‘read-only’ process?

Is the experience James describes as ‘pushing the accelerator on life’ a familiar one to you at all? I find it’s faintly echoed in my own experience when I’m doing weekly readings: it’s not that a bunch more stuff happens, necessarily, but that I find myself about ten times more awake in the midst of everything. Habit and routine become much less of a factor, and the dominant guidance system is living communication rather than auto-pilot.

But this idea that as we engage with Yi, and hence with the whole, we’re inviting more energy to flow through the contours of our own stuff, and hence we might experience a bigger, more charged version of it… that grabs me. And like I said, I wanted to see what you thought. Here’s the link again –
http://www.weirdshitnotbullshit.com/the-magickians-cycle

Speeding up life surely only happens when you elect to place oneself in a meditation with life. Isn't that what happens when you begin to contemplate your own "film" and your connections to others? Moreover, when we look at the effects we have in the world that accelarate creative change rather than a self-centrered feedback of effects that precipitate the thoughts like: "what I can get out of this...? "then in that sense the concept of time changes. But the idea of Magick in the sense that I understand it and have experience of and placed in the context of the I Ching - I don't see the connection. You put it in a nutshell: "In theory there is a clear distinction between the two: one wants to change how things are, and the other wants only to discover how they are."

Not only in theory. I think the determiner between the two is perception and intent. That is what will dictate whether or not a deeper relationship will eventuate or just...chaos which I suspect will be the result if one uses the I Ching as a slot machine. That or stasis in terms of the inner life. (One may be conscious of this or not I suppose). And Magick (Black or white) is a primary example of "acclerating change" via one's ego / personality with the consequent results. "Why isn't it here? I want. Manifest it for me now." While Divination via the Yi is, at it's profoundest, a conversation with your Highest Self, imo. Certain esoteric methodologies or techniques and rituals depend entirely on the objective and intent. There maybe the reactions and needs of the ego whining it's way through the teachings as you ponder and ask and ponder again but eventually the noise is finally drowned out, by persistent realisations. Engaging with the I Ching deeply MUST happen in stages like any formal contact with Truth. This too has consequences. However, I believe the reasons and trajectory of that resultant chaos are very different indeed.

They aren't just "readings" no. They are a choice to engage with the unknown. At best they are a process of co-creation and that process will vary for everyone depending on how great the gap of awareness is between a subjective and objective reality. In other words, how well we know ourselves and what we have to do to align to the principles of what could be termed Creative, inclusive, truthful, sincere, modest, compassionate, loving etc; in service to others, as oppose to the host of subtle dynamics of service to self.

If I interprete a Hexagram through a filter of what I want to hear and I'm living through a certain perception of how life is, in turn based on all kinds of programming from the past and I haven't taken the time to do learn what the I Ching can represent then yes, it will usher in change - maybe even chaos. If this upheaval is due to plain old ignorance and refusal to see oneself as one really is, then the chaos and pain can confirm that: "...the I Ching didn't work for me." Or, "It's BS." Or, there is also the possibility that similar chaos can be created in the querent but it's sourced from a very different cause. It is a redefining of that person's life according to wholistic principles or rather "spiritual" ideals (though I no longer feel comfortable with that word as it's been hijacke so many times). And by establishing a relationship with the I Ching not just a divinatory tool but as a way to get closer to the highest potential one can have, certain slow or rapid changes will enventuate as a matter of course won't they? We can still follow advice yet suffering can still arrive as it that is what's necessary to strip away energy and blocks commensurate with the maxim that "**** happens" (25.3) Suffering can eventually produce humility in the querent and they will want to know what went wrong. What was I not seeing? The suffering large and small always leads to choices. These choices cannot be understood or even seen without cycles of return.

Magickal practice, as I understand it, too often acts as a buffer to those hard choices and ultimately prolongs the suffering. The I Ching presents the underlying image of reality and therefore clarity in our choices. Whether we have the strength and will to choose the right choice depends not just on past experience but faith and trust in a multi-dimensonal and fluid reality that is not immediately apparent to our senses. Most importantly, that we NOT in control. Magickal practices seems to shun that idea and favours individual control at the expense of Unity that flows from the Universe that can manifest in our lives by virtue of the fact we have let go.

“The thing about magick is that it induces change – and not always the change you intend.”

Yes, but the thing about Magick is that the change is often the result of actively seeking control and the imposition of our very human preceptions on a particular outcome that is ultimately bound up with needs and wants for oneself or for another. The chaos is qualitatively different as it's trajectory. And it can be very, very subtle.

“But over the years I’ve come to the conclusion that if you’re practising regularly and nothing much is changing in your life then you aren’t doing it right…

…well, either that or you are actually, genuinely, in harmony with the state of your life.”

That's too far simplistic. Neither precepts are true. The very opposite can also be said. It depends entirely on what type of change. Often internal change takes time to manifest into the external. It also depends upon the intent. Sometimes lack of external change is precisely what that person needs and is a fire in itself. Internal change may be growing. (And I speak from my experience there lol) Active and passive seems to be routunely misunderstood in Magickal circles because result is everything and the process is a "means to an end" which speaks volumes in itself. "Practising regularly" seems to so often be about misplaced effort masquarading as meaning. It reminds me of folks who keep going to the weekend seminars on spirituality and buy all the right books but nothing ever changes. Yet change is often dramatic but also SLOW depending on a multitude of factors.

 

[sooo]

(I wasn't the only one apparently as I don't know where the sunspots fit here. I think it was Mojo in charge of the keyboard... ).

Do you really think my idea is so outlandish, considering something referred to as The Oracle of the Sun?

And since Hilary has kindly deferred to my stoned rabbit experience, more stoned rabbits are likely to chase magicikians and magickian's cycles than to consider the possibly of a natural, albeit not yet thoroughly understood explanation.

On the positive side – if parts of our life are strengthened during such intense periods, if relationship stay strong and friends grow closer… that's a pretty good indicator that we are really in harmony with those things, that they are really right for us, are things we should trust in and enjoy.

I disagree with this entirely. There are many people who have close ties with many others, and they stay strong only through agreeing with one another: cliques. "Close ties may exist also among thieves.." (Wilhelm 61) An elite group of intellectuals or diviners still have the capacity to be only a mob. If the so-called magicikian feels self satisfied calling that being in harmony with all things, that is what's laughable.

It is often during our weakest, darkest and loneliest moments that sudden, true and clear insight comes.

What does Weird Sh*t not Bullshit mean? It's the philosophy of this site, and sums up a new attitude towards such things as Tarot, spirituality and magic.

New? Really?

 

[Tohpol]

And another thing...


From his website a definition of Magick:

"I would say that magick generally means the use of the mind to bring about change when we currently have no understanding of the mechanism that may cause that change to happen.

OK. It could be that plus many other things. So, we have the idea to bring about change. Who or what is bringing about the change? Our mind? Or are we making the effort to change so something can live through us? That is a different concept that has confusing ties between forcing something and allowing something to be reborn and stripped away so that change happens in full awareness and outside the demands of the personality. Rather than making change according to our own limited perceptions the Universe uses US to bring about change and places us where we need to be in order to faciliate that end in own unique ways. Maybe that's what he's saying but the Western Magickal tradition - as oppose to the roots of Taoism - doesn't generally conform to the idea of give to get but just get to get. Does that change when you call yourself a Magickain and act as an intermediary for others to "get" what they want? Not really. I suppose that means you have to know yourself well enough to be able to facilitate an authentic process for the other that doesn't pander to short term gains - unless that's what the person wants. Then it comes full circle. What kind of diviner / intermediary are you? Where do you fit in those cycles of another?

"If I sit, meditate, focus my will on a piece of paper onto which I’ve drawn an image which represents my need for more money and the next day I get three new client enquiries, then I’d say I’ve done some magick. I currently have no understanding of a mechanism by which meditating on a symbol can ‘coincidentally’ lead to more clients coming to me, but I’ve seen it happen often enough to know that it’s got a good shot of working."

And that's pretty much the problem as I see it. You CAN do those things and perhaps sometimes with enough will power (Will to power?) it may even yield results but I've also seen that these results sought for oneself alone will be transient and temporary because it goes against the natural Creativity of the Universe. We impose OUR limited perceptions for what we deem right and proper, for we think we want, without understanding that this may not be what we need at the soul level. That doesn't mean you don't seek to better your life or sit away doing nothing. But surely, if the I Ching divination teaches anything it is to create a vessel within yourself that can receive in order to DO. Then the will and the creativity is applied with awareness and is accomplished with a maximum amplitude of energy.

I think I Ching teaches self responsibilty and self knowledge through a divination with the Self. It does not teach ways to GET at the cost of the soul. If that is our intent then credit and debit suddenly applies. But as a conduit of the principle of life, it does teach ways to give and thereby receive as a natural mathematical equation. That has to affect our perceptions of time/space in a number of ways because intense cycles of awareness (or lack of) must feature in our lives if we are serious about applying the knowledge gained. A support system is needed for everyone in the densest part of the jungle of life, and those too will be variable or one long intense process of discovery without respite. But I think the I Ching never "switches off". But our receivership capability most certainly can.

Is that any way related to your question? Um..Not sure lol. Anyway, maybe there's not a rabbit but there's one hare tearing across the field again....
__________________

 

[Tohpol]

It is often during our weakest, darkest and loneliest moments that sudden, true and clear insight comes.

Very true. I'd say it's when the vast majority of insights arrive.

 

[Sparhawk]

Argh! Sorry, my friends. I've been busy and this thread has flown by me with great posts, after my initial, incomplete reply to Hilary.

Do you really think my idea is so outlandish, considering something referred to as The Oracle of the Sun?

And since Hilary has kindly deferred to my stoned rabbit experience, more stoned rabbits are likely to chase magicikians and magickian's cycles than to consider the possibly of a natural, albeit not yet thoroughly understood explanation.

No, no, no. Not outlandish at all. I was seriously scratching my head trying to find the contextual match for your post with Hilary's and mine and the only thing I could think of was that perhaps you intended to post that in the Open Space forum discussion about solar flares. Yes? No? If it was indeed intended as shown, the more intriguing to me.

 

[sooo]

No, no, no. Not outlandish at all. I was seriously scratching my head trying to find the contextual match for your post with Hilary's and mine and the only thing I could think of was that perhaps you intended to post that in the Open Space forum discussion about solar flares. Yes? No? If it was indeed intended as shown, the more intriguing to me.

No, I posted where I intended, as a direct contextual match to:

The ‘crisis’ for diviners seems to take the form of going from having readings ‘work’ for you beautifully, naturally and quite predictably, answering your questions in the way you need, to abruptly having readings make no sense to you whatsoever. It could be that questions that used to ‘work’ for you now lead to impenetrable answers; you could be left feeling that Yi’s led you completely up the garden path. Somehow, the lines of communication broke altogether. What happened?

I think my response, though outside the typical magical perception box, was cognizant, reasonable and responsible.

 

[Sparhawk]

Ah, I read it again and understood. My apologies, I'll blame my misunderstanding to an incipient ADHD, I suppose...

On another window I am typing a follow-up to my incomplete posts of before. However, IMHO, cosmic forces like sunspots and solar flares, immediate to us but minuscule in the universal scheme of things, are an easy and empirical culprit for radio signals interference but I believe divination, whatever makes it work, something that for me is metaphorically akin to "quantum entanglement," is a train that runs on another track altogether. Alas, I've no way to prove or disprove either my conceptualization or yours. I believe, yes, that there are "interferences" to the process, but just not the obvious ones. For example, if I were to believe in, A) a soul, B) solar electromagnetic storms, C) that B) interferes in metaphysical inner works, then I must believe my soul is subject to the whims of solar activities and it will be blown away and dispersed once released from my body. I mean, it may happen precisely as described, farfetched as it sounds, but it is not something I am prepared to believe in ("belief" being the operating word here).

 

[heylise]

I am right in the middle of a period of no understanding at all. I know more or less where it comes from. Too many nasty things happening at once, and the only way on is to see it all as "out there", like hex.51 advises. To rely on that inner silent spot where no earthquakes or thunderstorms can hit. And no answer, however wise, can get through that wall. Feels nice in here.

I know understanding will come back. When the earthquakes cease and I can open the windows again and a gentle breeze welcomes me instead of the icy storms. I think I simply don't need magick or Yi now. I need that inner silence and being able to hold on to it feels great.

Hmm, thinking about it. It is as if I am hearing the whole of Yi, and not answers or lines or advice. That whole big beautiful image which Yi gives. One huge answer, all around me.

 

[Sparhawk]

Ok, let's see if I'm allowed some attention time to focus on this for a while and put a few sentences together.

I've read James post and it is very interesting and, "heartfelt"?

The distinction between 'tool' and 'learning venue' is a thoroughly useful one to have around. Only... do you really think that every single 'breakdown in communication' with Yi is down to having obviously the wrong mentality?

Could be, I suppose... but I've a feeling there's more going on. Sometimes people have a kind of honeymoon period with Yi, when every question, however ill-conceived or thoughtlessly phrased, is answered with grace, directness and unmistakable clarity. Then things get more complicated. Is that because they messed up the relationship and muddied the waters, or because they 'graduated' to a level where they're going to be expected to understand something more complex? Is this that 'filter' you mentioned?/

The issue of the Yi “talking and ceasing to talk” to a subject is an old and recurring one, albeit one of the most important. I’m sure you’ve read Marshall’s musing on this as well as Allan Lian’s. Even though Allan sometimes sounds like he’s discovered the Yi’s “Antikythera Mechanism” I think he makes some good points. And he uses the "Yi speaks" metaphor a lot.

I'm not sure "wrong mentality" is a fit label for what happens. Also, I don't think we muddle the waters or even that we can muddle them. Thinking of bit, perhaps it is a problem of "refraction". The further away from shore and deeper the waters, the more the effect is pronounced. Literally, we can't see in a straight line and connect the X and Y points because Y is not where our senses tells us it should be from the surface. How do we navigate from shore and end up in a metaphysical abyss is an obvious result of years of study and a desire to understand and explain how "it works." We forget though that we don't need to be auto-mechanics to drive a car. The problem for Yi diviners that hit interpretive walls (Yi not talking to them) is that they venture into deep waters without being properly prepared to digest what they find and lose the proper perspective and frustration sets in. Look around and you'll find, right here, people that have only one or two Yi books for life and divine daily with no problems and may even be wondering what the fuss is all about. Ah, but they stay, safely so, in shallow waters and "refraction" is not intense. They don't try to over-analize what they receive from the book. It clicks with them more often than not.

The ones that do venture away from shore and survive the frustration they will find along the way, also find a way to "calculate" where point Y is from above and "refraction," as intense as it could be at that point, should be a non-issue.

There's nothing casual about divination but causal. There's no acausality in what we receive from divination. We just don't have a way to "prove" that causality, yet. When "quantum entanglement" theories were conceived, they were preposterous and beyond any kind of proof other than in wispy mathematical formulas. Today we do have empirical proof that it does indeed exist. The ideas I shared in the linked threads talk about what we could be doing when strumming the cords of divination: that it is a two way street.

Or... Fred asks practical questions about x for years, gets consistently useful answers, acts accordingly, and all goes well. Then one day Fred's usual style of questioning about x ceases to yield useful answers at all (as he finds out either by looking at the readings or by following their advice as usual and losing his shirt). What happened? Is this nothing but a very, very delayed reaction to Fred's 'tool user' mentality?

Fred has neglected learning from all those years. Even the best knife loses sharpness and volume the more you use it and re-sharpen carelessly. When the tool has ceased to work, what do you do? The most primal response is to throw it away and get another one, right? But what if you've learned to take good care of the tool and keep it as new as ever?

More later...

 

[Trojina]

I am right in the middle of a period of no understanding at all. I know more or less where it comes from. Too many nasty things happening at once, and the only way on is to see it all as "out there", like hex.51 advises. To rely on that inner silent spot where no earthquakes or thunderstorms can hit. And no answer, however wise, can get through that wall. Feels nice in here.

I know understanding will come back. When the earthquakes cease and I can open the windows again and a gentle breeze welcomes me instead of the icy storms. I think I simply don't need magick or Yi now. I need that inner silence and being able to hold on to it feels great. Hmm, thinking about it. It is as if I am hearing the whole of Yi, and not answers or lines or advice. That whole big beautiful image which Yi gives. One huge answer, all around me.

Yes ! :bows:

I really don't think it matters if one has some time where the lines are down with Yi or with Magick (heck why does that word look so phoney with a 'K' at the end...someone told me once and i forgot) ?) because we have other guidance besides...infact its good to not be continually planning and plotting about ways to make things work...and its good to have silence where noones answering

 

[sooo]

Ah, I read it again and understood. My apologies, I'll blame my misunderstanding to an incipient ADHD, I suppose...

On another window I am typing a follow-up to my incomplete posts of before. However, IMHO, cosmic forces like sunspots and solar flares, immediate to us but minuscule in the universal scheme of things, are an easy and empirical culprit for radio signals interference but I believe divination, whatever makes it work, something that for me is metaphorically akin to "quantum entanglement," is a train that runs on another track altogether. Alas, I've no way to prove or disprove either my conceptualization or yours. I believe, yes, that there are "interferences" to the process, but just not the obvious ones. For example, if I were to believe in, A) a soul, B) solar electromagnetic storms, C) that B) interferes in metaphysical inner works, then I must believe my soul is subject to the whims of solar activities and it will be blown away and dispersed once released from my body. I mean, it may happen precisely as described, farfetched as it sounds, but it is not something I am prepared to believe in ("belief" being the operating word here).

I like the hypothesis.

My hypothesis doesn't even make to my "I believe" list, only my "it's something I sometimes seriously have wondered about" list.

I remember the feeling, many times, of being intermittently knocked off the air through solar flares (we usually were warned by news services beforehand); it's a sort of panic bell in the industry to lose communication with the audience and sometimes also with the source of our signal. That's a similar feeling as being disconnected from a...whatever we wish to call it: a metaphysical, spiritual, quantum entanglement, oracle etc, source of our usual information, be it in subtle or more gross forms. Where once there was something orderly and reliable, now there is separation, decay, chaos, and something we referred to as dead air.

 

[sergio]

Hola Hillary;
I just saw your post and it hit home right away since that blockage or stonewalling with incoherent answers is happening to me now.And I am baffled to say the least.Not that it did not happen before but it was easier to adopt a more "zen"attitude to the problem at that time.For many personal reasons it has become very important for me to consult it,one of the"only-ask-the Yi Jing-when-there-is-a-crisis-situation"situation.so after consulting it last Monday in a very delicate situation my interpretation of the answer was something like this ?!*^?!>?(expletives not included) aND i ALSO ACCEPT THE yI jING'S ADVISE SOMETIMES ACT AS A kOAN SUSPENDING OUR RATIONAL THINKING PROCESS TO FORCE US TO APPREHEND OUR REALITY IN A VERY DIFFERENT MORE"ORGANIC"WAY FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD(changing to lower case after accidental caps lock activation)So I reacted in a mix of anger, frustration,indignation and many other "ations".I even thought it was a kind of revenge like a cat turning its back on its owner after been away from home for a few hours.Maybe I did not get it and I was given the right answer-take care of your problem never mind my opinion.Just do what you have to do when you have to do it.
Absolutely maybe it is.Got to back to face the wall.
Sergio

 

[bamboo]

O

Even the best knife loses sharpness and volume the more you use it and re-sharpen carelessly. When the tool has ceased to work, what do you do? The most primal response is to throw it away and get another one, right? But what if you've learned to take good care of the tool and keep it as new as ever?

More later...

I have also come out of a period where my yi responses made no sense recently. It wasnt even just feeling i wasn't understanding, it just felt like there was no real communication. it felt stale, and I felt sad as if a friend had decided not to speak to me anymore.

i know this sounds simplistic, but a change happened when I got Hilary's book in the mail. Suddenly my Yi responses via HIlary's commentary were truly speaking to me again, almost literally, IE meaning the responses were directly answering my questions almost as if the commentary was designed specifically for my question . It was an unmistakable conversation.

I hadnt bought a new version of any text for awhile, and I suddenly remembered why I used to buy new ones regularly. They seemed to make the answers fresh and unbiased. I guess using any text can still yield fresh, innocent of baggage, responses, but I think my own mind was bored with the old books, and had attached too much of my own baggage to the lines and texts. Hilary's commentaries were eye-opening to me, added ideas that I had never considered.

IMHO, both magic and divination can get stale if the clear unbiased mind goes AWOL. as in Life itself, we need to always be introducing newness, not just in text, but in outlook, perspective...I need to open a space where I can allow for something new, welcome the unknown, take on the beginners mind again. somehow if any kind of rigid mindset gets into the mix, nothing moves or flows. The Wizard's perception is one of seeing anew. familiarity somehow shuts the door to the ever fresh and new.

A man once said "by now , I know my wife so well that I truly have no idea about who she is at all."

 

[Sparhawk]

(Erm. I'm trying for a clear distinction between two ways of describing this, one as clearly the querent's fault for breaking something, and one as just how things unfold. Conceivably this is a false distinction anyway.)

And do you see any connection to what James is talking about?

Indeed, what he describes is a metaphorical approximation of what happens to many of us, but, you know, one thing that caught my attention in James' post was this:

When they checked in after six months they were startled to discover how little progress they'd made through the stages, but each confessed they had been distracted by what was happening in the rest of their lives. There were relationship break ups, relationships starting, jobs changing, moves from one house to another… generally everyone was feeling that their whole lives were being turned upside down.

When I worked with a magickal group a few years back the year that followed our six months of work together saw marriage, engagement, pregnancy, break ups, house moves, depression and the ending of long term friendships.​

IMO, there's a good historical reason for monastic priesthood. No, I'm not talking about Father John at the parish church down the street. I'm talking about the 100% commitment needed to follow such a chosen path fully. No distractions of any kind should be allowed. Egotistic? Perhaps, but you cannot dabble in something like Ritual Magick with a hobbyist frame of mind or crap can and will happen. There was a good reason some knowledge and rituals were secret and accessible only to initiates and in a hierarchical setting. And it wasn't just a matter of "mastering" techniques to reach the next level; it was matter of showing the commitment necessary to step up and that you were able to control what was learned, which is different from mechanical "mastering."

Fortunately for us, Yixue requires a somewhat different approach. For example, Daoism can be "ritualistic" and religious but it is something that feeds from some basic Yi principles and built from there and not the other way around. Real Daoist practice may in fact require the type of commitment that Ritual Magick requires. Alas, the study of the Yi does not require Daoism. We are, so to speak, dealing with the foundation of many buildings. Some like to aim for and buy the penthouse of the building of their choosing. Some like to figure out what holds the building upright. That's what makes the study of the Yi so fascinating to some: the possibilities.

 

[sooo]

I have also come out of a period where my yi responses made no sense recently. It wasnt even just feeling i wasn't understanding, it just felt like there was no real communication. it felt stale, and I felt sad as if a friend had decided not to speak to me anymore.

i know this sounds simplistic, but a change happened when I got Hilary's book in the mail. Suddenly my Yi responses via HIlary's commentary were truly speaking to me again, almost literally, IE meaning the responses were directly answering my questions almost as if the commentary was designed specifically for my question . It was an unmistakable conversation.

I hadnt bought a new version of any text for awhile, and I suddenly remembered why I used to buy new ones regularly. They seemed to make the answers fresh and unbiased. I guess using any text can still yield fresh, innocent of baggage, responses, but I think my own mind was bored with the old books, and had attached too much of my own baggage to the lines and texts. Hilary's commentaries were eye-opening to me, added ideas that I had never considered.

IMHO, both magic and divination can get stale if the clear unbiased mind goes AWOL. as in Life itself, we need to always be introducing newness, not just in text, but in outlook, perspective...I need to open a space where I can allow for something new, welcome the unknown, take on the beginners mind again. somehow if any kind of rigid mindset gets into the mix, nothing moves or flows. The Wizard's perception is one of seeing anew. familiarity somehow shuts the door to the ever fresh and new.

A man once said "by now , I know my wife so well that I truly have no idea about who she is at all."

Interesting.

The renewal of mystery does bring with it fresh excitement of discovering answers. Hilary's book was a source to renew that connection, and your enthusiasm probably was already piqued to receive something fresh (new hope?), whereas as running through the usual stuff just feels like practicing what you already know, up to the limit it interests you.

Sometimes my "no music" (jamming) gets stale. I can't break out of the usual chord shapes or old patterns, that are just glued together for continuity sake but lacking breath and life. But, if I look to receiving and trying out a different guitar, amp, strings, speaker.. even a vacuum tube I've never yet tried, I typically can't wait to fire that bad boy up again and make a new noise, like banging on new old pots.

The state of I know isn't conducive to the state of I receive. It's that old empty bowl metaphor. But even there, I filled a nice empty bowl full of metaphor. Back to the corner for me.

 

[James_T]

Hey folks,

As it was my original blog post that sparked this thread I hope you don't mind if I chip in. It was very interesting to read your various responses, ideas and comments that my post spurred, it feels good to generate an interesting conversation.

There are many streams it would be interesting to pick up on or debate, but I can't let myself be here all day, so I'll just confine myself to trying to express something about the central idea here - the connection between the magickian's cycle and the diviners cycle and why it might exist.

For those of you who aren't familiar with me (which I imagine is most) I work with ritual magick as my main spiritual practice, but also extensively use the Tarot and meditation as part of my practice. I find they each provides a different perspective, a different approach and different kinds of insights towards my overall progress in life... whatever that may prove to be.

A friend of mine once said that magick was learning to speak to the universe in a way that it could understand, while mysticism was learning to listen to the universe in a way that allowed you to understand. I think divination - in all it's forms - falls into the broad definition of mysticism. It is finding a way to allow yourself to be open to a deeper perspective, a fundamental understanding that goes beyond the self, the ego, our common everyday conscious understanding. There are times when this is easier - when the chaos and confusion of everyday life is at its lowest, or when for reasons passing understanding our local version of the Universe is particularly keen to speak loudly to us. There are also times when it's much more difficult - when we're stressed, upset, deep shifts are occurring (which we may be unconscious of), we are undergoing dramatic change, or are particularly ego-bound.

But I think there's a feedback between these stages. Having a fundamental, deep insight into ourselves, into events, into what is happening within our world right now will catalyse change. We won't be the same person we were before the reading or the moment of understanding... well, of course our authentic, eternal, self will be but our everyday walking-around ego will have shifted. And the more 'moments' like this we have the more insights our everyday ego will have to adjust to, the more change will occur, the more our ego may well fight against that change, and... the more chaos and confusion we have in our head and the more difficult it will be to make good, clear, readings until we have integrated the changes that are happening within us.

So my expectation would be - clarity leads to deep insight. Deep insight leads to change. Change leads to lack of clarity. Pause, calm down, integrate, become clear, repeat.

I've found the same thing in meditation practice - good meditation practice leads to insight. Insight brings change. Change is disruptive, and good meditation becomes harder. If I was better at the practice (hell, if I was better at life) I imagine I'd cope a lot better.

The first action most magickians will take in a ritual context is banishing - the purpose of this may be seen as pushing away external influences, but I see it's main use as to push away internal chaos and baggage. It's an attempt to create a clear space in the mind, to allow as much of the authentic self to be present as possible. If you're going to talk to the Universe it's best if it's the authentic bit of you doing the talking. It's not entirely uncommon to get to the end of a banishing ritual, stand at the centre and go 'you know, this is a bloody silly idea' and go and do something else instead.

One of the ways I visualise magick is to consider that life has a current - a flow of events that we are traveling along. However, that flow has turbulance withing it - disruption, random bad luck, moments of stalling. I would say that a good deal of this turbulence really originates within us, that our inner conflicts and lack of clarity becomes externalised as disruption. Magick can be very effective at clearing the turbulence - of freeing the current to flow more strongly. By shifting ones consciousness one is able to extend personal Will and push through the turbulence in harmony with the Will of the universe. Naturally, if one has mistaken the fundamental flow for some turbulence - if you're pushing against events you don't like but they are actually part of the flow - you're going to cause yourself even greater problems. A battle of Wills with the universe is really terribly unwise. Hence, insight should be an essential part of any magickal act.

The thing is though, in my experience, the kind of 'deep' insight I was talking about above which can come from a great divination session can seemingly have exactly the same effect. Shifting to a deeper, more profound, understanding of the nature of things in this moment seems to 'clear the way' (that is if your ego can adjust to the new level of insight). Deep insight generates spontaneous magick (which one could consider no magick at all). Oddly my most profound moments of this have been in an entirely other context - working in therapy. I've had a few occasions where I've experienced a moment of insight in a session, where a deeply felt need has come bubbling up through me with terrific force, and I've stated it out loud - to have that desire manifest just a few days later.

So insight, change, manifestation, chaos and confusion, adjustment, integration... to me they all spiral around through divination, magick, meditation, even therapy. And a frequently form a cycle which it takes time, practice and discipline to learn how to ride out.

 

[Tohpol]

Hi James and welcome,

Thank you very much for your thoughtful post - I enjoyed reading it.

And if you'll permit me, a few questions:

What practical differences do you see between Taoism and Ritual Magick? I saw the latter, traditionally, as influencing events and physical phenomena by harnessing power via the effect of Will and the former as allowing the Universal Will to work through you by understanding it. You seem to combine both (?) "Magick" and other such labels can and do take on entirely different meanings according to the individual concerned.

Why did you choose the Magick with a "k" as it does seem to have strong associations with Enochian and Crowleyian Magick which ultimately appears to be quite a different ball-game to what you've outlined in this post, not least the I Ching. Unless you're being coy.

In fact, the concept of Magick you have shared is different in the sense that proponents of the "Magickal arts" as I have understood them have sought to control (however well-intentioned) rather than co-create. Even the whitest of white magickians, in my view. But you seem to be advocating a different quality of Magick... the origins that I'm a little more comfortable with such as the roots of Wiccan and celtic shamanism. Or so I think.

You've talked about "banishing" a practice that every New Ager can use to "cleanse" a room of bad vibes but about other "Magickal" techniques such as invocation?

 

[James_T]

Thanks for your interest... I'll do my best to explain. (This has turned out pretty long - sorry about that)

I think to start off with I should really say that I don't see myself as part of any 'tradition' nor do I ascribe exactly to any particular philosophy or belief structure. What I've done over the years is try a lot of different things, observe the effects, collect stories and blend the ideas from as many great thinkers as possible. I don't know if I should be seen as a 'typical' magickian (although I doubt such a thing exists) and certainly not representative of any particular school. I'm just, you know, a guy trying to figure some stuff out...

My main observation for what I wrote above, and my general approach to magick, is this - we all do magick all the time. Or put another way we are co-creators of our reality. This came from the following observation - some people are incredibly 'lucky' in some areas of their life, other people are incredibly unlucky. By which I mean it would appear that some people find a desire or a need developing and then events seem to contrive to fulfill their needs exactly, whilst other people seem trapped in negative cycles, constantly re-visiting the same problems, being plagued by bad luck or unfortunate circumstances. I know people who are immensely good in their career - in that whenever they need a new job opportunity one turns up; the first job they apply for gives them a terrific offer; they constantly land on their feet even when things become chaotic. I know other people - equally skilled at what they do - who are dogged by bad work experiences - bad bosses, being under-paid for their skills, companies they work for going bankrupt. Just bad luck. I see the same pattern with things like relationships, money, family, technology, other major sectors of life.

And I realised the following - 'good luck' tended to come to people in the areas of their life which they had developed a profound understanding or insight. Areas where they seemed to 'get it' - where they were calm, confident, at ease; where they new how to 'be', what energy to bring to it. Likewise the same person could demonstrate bad luck in another area of their life - but typically one where they were anxious, ego-bound, stubborn, had unrealistic expectations, or were in some other way damaged.

This is not universally true - life is way more complicated - but it was a pattern I kept noticing. I also saw people have 'breakthroughs' - being able to adjust their attitude and understanding, and suddenly finding that their life began to flow differently. This lead me to believe that if I wanted a pleasant life and to fulfill my potential I had two options - gain insight in all areas, or learn to control the co-creation of my reality. I initially thought the second sounded more efficient and more fun. Then I decided that maybe the former was more effective. Then I realised they were basically the same thing and to stop differentiating.

The best kind of magick is the kind you don't have to do - you can enter a stage in life where you are in the flow, where things 'just work out' for you, and your desires manifest by 'luck'. However, that requires a kind of level-headedness and self insight that isn't easy to sustain because... well, life is hard and I'm not as clever or wise as I'd like to be. If I realise I don't have insight in an area, or the fact that 'things' are not working out repeatedly suggests that this may be the case, I have two choices - gain insight, or try to use magick to push through a difficult patch. The former would always be my preference, but it's a long term thing - hence sometimes I use the latter to help me on my way.

For instance - for the last month I've been looking for somewhere new to live. This is an emotionally charged issue for me, and I quickly realised I was throwing around so much anxiety, frustration and expectation I was probably disrupting any 'flow' in my life to bring me to the place I needed to be. The emotional issues associated with 'home' are something I look at in my personal work, but I've not got comfortable with it yet, so I'd expect transitions like this to be rocky. I have a commitment to resolve it, but in the meantime I really need to move. So I reached for a magickal technique - it took all of about ten minutes (well, the actual 'magick' was 30 seconds, the preparation took the time) to send out a message to the Universe that said "I could really do with finding the place I need to live next". It took about five days before I found a place that was far and away the best place I'd seen and which I put an offer on immediately.

Now, compare that to a few years ago - I was again moving, and I'd spent a couple of months trying to find somewhere new to live. I was moving out of a house I was sharing with my recently ex girlfriend. I was not in a good place - angry, confused, upset, hurting, very anxious. I knew I was blocking any flow I had. The simple ten minute magick had no effect at all - I decided it probably couldn't get through the wall of ick I was surrounding myself with energetically. As a reasonably experienced magickian I took on a much more taxing, risky, kind of magickal act which basically involved dragging up the part of myself that was blocking me and getting in my way, talking to it, and retasking it to help me get where I needed to go. It worked incredibly well and I moved shortly afterwards, but it was quite a task and there were costs. If I'd been less experienced I wouldn't have been able to pull that off and I believe I would have been buffeted by the chaos in my life for a considerably longer time.

Or at least that's how I see it. I usually say we have three areas in our life - those where we are sorted enough (have enough insight) we don't need to do magick. Those where we are so messed up (lacking in insight) that magick won't work anyway, because we'll just block it. And then there's the gray area in between - where we can use magickal techniques to push back the curtain of our own chaos and talk, briefly, to the Universe and make our intentions felt.

What practical differences do you see between Taoism and Ritual Magick? I saw the latter, traditionally, as influencing events and physical phenomena by harnessing power via the effect of Will and the former as allowing the Universal Will to work through you by understanding it. You seem to combine both (?) "Magick" and other such labels can and do take on entirely different meanings according to the individual concerned.

I worked with Taosim some year ago and found it a very helpful way of clarifying the above ideas that I was developing. I 'paradigm shift' quite a bit between thinking about magickal work in terms of flow, in terms of Universal Will, expressions of energy, in terms of my own Will/Power - none of them are right, but all of them have truth in them, in my opinion.

Why did you choose the Magick with a "k" as it does seem to have strong associations with Enochian and Crowleyian Magick which ultimately appears to be quite a different ball-game to what you've outlined in this post, not least the I Ching. Unless you're being coy.

The spelling of magick has become more or less compulsive for me - I think it's because most of the writers on the subject that I enjoy use it. I do actually work far more with Thelema/Crowleyian/Enochian/Chaos magick ideas than I do with other areas of occult philosophy, and I don't actually see *that* much of a contradiction between it and my own approaches. However, particularly with Crowley, one constantly runs into the issue that he spoke mostly in metaphor and that gives people a *lot* of scope to re-interpret and mis-represent what he was saying. I was completely shocked when I started reading his work at how completely different it was (saner, nicer, more spiritual) than I had expected based on what I'd read about him. But as I said, magickians are an incredibly diverse bunch - I find it useful to shift in and out of different paradigms and belief sets, because I think any single one of them can only explain part of the truth in its language. It's like the incompleteness theorem in mathematics - no one system can express all knowledge.

In fact, the concept of Magick you have shared is different in the sense that proponents of the "Magickal arts" as I have understood them have sought to control (however well-intentioned) rather than co-create. Even the whitest of white magickians, in my view. But you seem to be advocating a different quality of Magick... the origins that I'm a little more comfortable with such as the roots of Wiccan and celtic shamanism. Or so I think.

Oddly I resonate far less with Wicca (for me its too religious and their occasional 'historical' claims bug me) or shamanism (fundamentally I suspects its just too... untidy? chaotic? for me). I think perhaps the 'control' idea is more common in what are called 'post modern' magickal currents (like chaos magick - which is almost entirely about technique and result and has, in its purest form, little to do with spirituality). But in Thelema the co-creation thread is throughout - Lon Milo Duquette is probably the most successful Thelemic author at the moment, and you can very much recognise the idea in his work. The 'heart' of Thelema is still the completion of The Great Work, which is a purely spiritual endevour, really concerned with the realisation that there is 'only one Will' and that every event is a direct communication from the Universe. Controlling the flow of the Universe makes no sense if you are trying to become perfectly harmonised with its Will.

You've talked about "banishing" a practice that every New Ager can use to "cleanse" a room of bad vibes but about other "Magickal" techniques such as invocation?

A 'good' banishing ritual should achieve more than cleanse (the lesser banishing ritual of the Pentagram really contains lots of elements like reinforcing your connection with the nature of the universe, asking for aid, defining your magickal reality, and so on), but I take your point. To be honest, I've tried most things over the years... I would say 95% or more of my magickal work is about gaining insight, personal development work, exploring or experimenting, trying to gain understanding. But it's useful to know that there are ways of dealing with practical issues if need be.

For instance, working with the Enochian paradigm (that is, using the work for Dr Dee - Elizabethen occultist extraordinaire - and contacting his 'angels') is relatively simple, but a fascinating way of achieving different levels of consciousness. Working with it often leads to insight during a session, or perhaps a few days later where you'll go "Oh, maybe the way I've been thinking about this concept needs adjusting".

Again, Crowley was very clear about the purpose of magick - you practice it to develop the skills you need, the resources you require and the self insight necessary to get on with the Great Work. Everything else is buggering around wasting time and should be discouraged.

 

[pocossin]

A 'good' banishing ritual should achieve more than cleanse . . .

Have you explored the parallel between phenomenology and magick? The banishing ritual seems identical to epochè (the cleared space) and the magic circle to bracketing of the problematic phenomenon? In both cases the process aims to lead to insight.

 

[hilary]

(The thread has soared above my head - did so a while back - but I am reading and appreciating a lot.

I get the feeling this is about 17-18... oh, and maybe...

I took on a much more taxing, risky, kind of magickal act which basically involved dragging up the part of myself that was blocking me and getting in my way, talking to it, and retasking it to help me get where I needed to go.

...the sequence into 19. Does that sound about right?)

(Sorry, James. Yeekery.)