Path: typhoon.sonic.net!not-for-mail From: nagasiva Newsgroups: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.consciousness.mysticism,talk.religion.newage,talk.religion.misc,alt.magick Subject: Spiritual Station and Power (was Master of the Temple Oath ...) Organization: Sonoma Interconnect,Santa Rosa,CA(us),http://www.sonic.net Lines: 69 Sender: yronwode@sonic.net Message-ID: <9lpaig$ej1@bolt.sonic.net> References: <3B7DA289.86AFC485@envirometrics.com> <20010817193949.04331.00001455@mb-fh.aol.com> <3B7DB5EC.337954CD@envirometrics.com> <3b7dfddd.6515074@News.CIS.DFN.DE> <3B7E5E15.810B01@sympatico.ca> <3b7ead79.929873@News.CIS.DFN.DE> Reply-To: nagasiva@yronwode.com X-Newsreader: NN version 6.5.4 (NOV) Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2001 21:22:43 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 208.201.224.36 X-Complaints-To: abuse@sonic.net X-Trace: typhoon.sonic.net 998256163 208.201.224.36 (Sun, 19 Aug 2001 14:22:43 PDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2001 14:22:43 PDT Xref: typhoon.sonic.net alt.magick.tyagi:28832 alt.consciousness.mysticism:51213 talk.religion.newage:141245 talk.religion.misc:355189 alt.magick:257923 50010819 VI! Hail Satan! Hail Yes! Joe Cosby: >>> The only really pragmatically useful power is power over other people. richard sprigg >>Nah, that palls rapidly. >>If I had to chose one, I'd pick power over the self. lovely choice, though I might state it differently ('power over' offends the anarchistic sensibility and resistance to rulership, at least for purists such as I, who wish even self-rule to be eliminated in favour of self-understanding and self-acceptance). joecosby@mindspring.com (Joe Cosby): > Me too, sadly enough. why so sad? > Doesn't get you money. Doesn't get you sex. Doesn't get you fame. what, I'm the one defending the mystical (e.g. Hermetic) paradigm too?! :> the conventional notion of mysticism (perhaps a carrot to the materialist) is that power-over-self, or at least power-with-respect-to-self provides the mystic with access to the WILL OF THE DIVINE! that is, if you want money, it's all yours! (but you may not want it any more once you've achieved that fabulous Office) and if you want sex, it's all yours! (but you may not want it any more once you've tasted the fabulous delights of the Spirit). if you want fame, it's all yours! but you will quickly see the problems inherent to all of these, inclusive of having hordes of cultists following you around and taking up your time and attention (i.e. your responsibilities will multiply and your personal time and space will dwindle). > Power over the self and 50 cents will buy you a newspaper. Except on > Sunday. this runs against most of the teachings of Hermeticism. it also runs counter to many many mystical instructions the world over. power over self is the GREATEST achievement! it is not something lamentable at ALL! one learns the true placement of those items after which one was but a lustful seeker. now like I said, it may all be a carrot to get materialists to convert to the non-physical paradigm which tends to impress upon the minds of its adherents the importance of the Adepts and Masters of the tradition that is promoting the doctrine. but it is my experience that mysticism, properly pursued, does lead to greater self-satisfaction and whether or not one is able to obtain a newspaper, fame, sex, or money, assumes FAR less importance in the consideration of the successful mystic (some say because attachment or ignorance, depending upon which is being demonized at the time, is transcended or loosened as primary). this is why I wish to place before the Hermetic community the clear and present value of COMPASSION (as compared to merely wisdom or knowledge): it is my hope that, lessening one's lustful pursuits through glorified ascetic rigour and transcendentalism, one may come *back* to the world with love in the heart for those who truly deserve it (they who cannot, because of their brain and vocal cords, such as slugs and eagles, speak out in their own defense against the wall of flesh and feces which the human race has sadly become). blessed beast! nagasiva -- emailed replies may be posted ----- "sa avidya ya vimuktaye" ----- "that which liberates is ignorance" http://www.luckymojo.com/nagasiva.html hoodoo catalogue: send postal address to catalogues@luckymojo.com