The Separation of Science and Mysticism: A Detriment To All?

As many of my treasured readers may know I have been taking an abundance of mathematics and physics courses over the past two years while getting my Master's degree in bio-medical engineering. I am pretty sure at this point, that the ghost of Sir Isacc Newton has begun haunting my brain, scraping his chains through the halls of my cerebellum. For anyone who has taken at least Physics I and II and Calculus I and II, you will know that Newton pretty much has his named stamped on everything from his "Three Laws of Physics (which form the foundation from which most other physical laws/theories are defined) to "Newton's Method" ( a method for finding successively more precise approximations for the zeros of real functions in Calculus). For all intensive purposes we could say that Newton for the most part, invented Calculus ( although this is highly debated as another scholar during his time was working on the fundamentals of Calculus but from a different perspective). However, in terms of what we as students learn in university it is Isaac Netwon's principles in both mathematics and physics that govern the majority of material that is taught. But what is never spoken about is that Newton was also a famous alchemist and mystic. In fact, the majority of what we study in science and mathematics today were discovered by great intellects who were also mystics, alchemists, and magicians...Giordorno Bruno, Pythagoras, Plato, Poincare, Einstein, Descartes, Kepler, Bach, Roger Bacon, Pascal, Copernicus, Albertus Magnus, Geber, Paracelsus. This list is far from complete and leaves out the many mystical thinkers who have made great contributions to other important areas such as literature, music, and art that so highly influence us today.

Contemplating this and studying the universe from both a magical and scientific perspective it seems obvious to conclude that humans are functioning with limited knowledge on both sides of the fence. Limited because these famous scientists and mathematicians combined their work with techniques, and teachings that gave them a more complete understanding of the nature of reality which has now been separated from thier discoveries. Where they were praying, meditating, and connecting with the Spirit to uncover the mysteries of the universe and nature, we are left with the bare-bones of what they percieved. Where they were eating the hot, sumptuous pie just barely cooled from the oven, we are left with the crust (which is exceptionally tasty), but not the filling or its freshness. These masters were getting in touch with higher states of consciouness that helped them to uncover some of the many wonderful principles that we exploit today in our inventions, studies, experiments, and discoveries.

Albert Einstein for example, used to use a personal technique that he uncovered when he was working on the Special Theory of Relativity. He would sit in a chair with a metal ball and a metal bowl. Thinking of his question or what he was working on he would let himself drift off to sleep. Just before he would fall asleep he would enter that state of consciousness between waking and sleeping which is totally unbounded by the intellect, this is known by some to be transcendental consciousness, the dialectic, hypnogogia. In this state he would uncover the answers to the mysteries that he contemplated, unrestricted by the intellect, emotions, and sensations and attachments to the physical world. When he began to transition into the sleep-state the ball would drop into the bowl and wake him up so that he remembered what he uncovered. Although one of the world's greatest physicists, Einstein believed he could get in touch with the underlying unity of existence to unveil its true nature and make some of the most important discoveries to physics since Newton himself.

The seperation of science and mysticism didn't happen during the Age of Enlightenment, but has been a part of intellectual thinking since antiquity and has affected our studies of mathematics and science from its inception. Pythagorean cults are a perfect example. Although no writings exist from Pythagoras himself (he beleived in the concept of "mouth to ear" that still lives in the Golden Dawn tradition today). We do know by cross-referencing the writings of his students that Pythagorous was a mystic, mathematician, musician, and astronomer who did not see the seperation between these subjects but instead viewed them as being bound by a unifiying principle. He taught unification with the Spirit though harmony, humility, honor, and the contemplation of the infinite through numbers and music. It wasn't until after his death that two "Pythagorean Schools" emerged, one that focused soley on his mathematical and scientific teachings and the other which focused soley on his spritual teachings. It seems that the separation of holistic knowledge into bits and pieces was fated from antiquity.

If we begin to research and study the life-works of many of the scholars listed above, it becomes quite clear that the physical knowledge that we have obtained from their works is but a mere reflection of the spiritual principles that they uncovered simultaneously. "As Above, so Below" is the great spiritual edict, or as many a Golden Dawn magician may say, "Kether is in Malkuth and Malkuth is in Kether". If we contemplate these teachings of pure math or physics or chemistry from the view point that there is a reflective side of these subjects, a new world, a more complete world, begins to open itself up to us.

The next thing that we may deduce (or debate) is that not only is the corpus of out scientific knowledge incomplete, but possibly the corpus of our magical teachings. Is it so far fetched, to look at the study of something such as electro-magnetic fields and associate them with the way that magical current flows during hand-on healing techniques? Chapter X of The Kybalion concerning polarity begins, "Everything is dual, everything has poles, everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same, opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree..." For those of you who may have studied electricity, current, and electric fields this may sound similiar to you. Protons and electrons have an equal but opposite charge. Protons having a positive 1.67*10^-19 charge and electrons having a negative 1.67*10^-19 charge. These elementary particles are governed by Newton's "Third Law of Action and Reaction" which states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Not only does this govern the movement of objects in the macroscopic realm but also the behavior of particles in the microscopic realm. The fact that these two particles are equal and opposite are the reason that atoms are held together and that molecules are made.Next comes what is known as an electric field where a distribution of charge (a bunch of charges bundled up together) causes what is known as an electric field. A single particle has an inner or outer pointing electric field, but it is the distribution of charge that causes things such as electric current.

Now let's look at this from an esoteric point of view. How many of you have under-taken the study of an energy healing technique or been the recipient of one and thought "Wow, I can feel this energy flow out of my hands" or "I can feel you touching me even though you are inches away from my body"? Is is so hard to make the connection that these energies may behave similarly to what we study in science? That there may be some type of energetic current or distribution of energetic particles causing this flow and that we may turn it on and off by at will? We spend a great deal of time honing our magical will in order to control these energies.Combined with a more specific understanding of how these energies work we could allow our will to turn into a sharply honed knife. And what about distance healing? Could quantum physics govern the principles of healing from far away? What about the discussions of the astral plane, where things such as time have no meaning? In the realms of quantum physics time is totally transcended, in fact the results that we receive from our experimental studies in quantum mechanics are totally dependent upon how we observe them because they deal with a plane of existence that is nothing but potential. Does this sound familiar?

Now this post is not meant to prove the connection between science and magic. I think that has been well written and well documented. The point that I am trying to make is that not only are we as a species of intelligent beings doing ourselves a great disservice by poo-pooing time honored and proven techniques (meditation, yoga, magic, etc..) that can help us to gain greater physical knowledge, but that we as magicians may not be utilizing all the knowledge that is available to us either. (Yes, I believe a physics book could be part of your grade material if used in the proper way) I have often heard it said by modern day mages that if science was only willing to take on the studies of esotericism our discoveries would grow exponentially. But I have rarely heard it spoken of the other way. However, over the past two years I have come to believe that when the separation of science and mysticism of an individual's teachings and discoveries takes place not only does the scientific community suffer, but spiritual community does as well. It makes complete sense that one should study chemistry along with alchemy, or physics along with ritual magic and meditative techniques. Knowledge is universal. It is one, it is not meant to be separated from itself into pieces. You cannot bake a pie with just a crust or just a filling, you need both. Please tell me your thoughts...

Nosce Te Ipsum

VH Soror FSO

The Magician's Paradox: Balancing Power and Enlightenment

Power is the double-edged sword of the magician, the paradox which we continuously suffer for the mastery of our path. One one hand, as one increases in skill and purity one increases their power and the ability to use it for deeper spiritual exploration. On the other hand this power can easily begin to corrupt what one has accomplished, viciously tearing apart any hard-earned progress we may have achieved. If you have studied magic, I can almost guarantee that you have inhaled the luscious scent of this vexatious rose, equally intoxicating, purifying, and devilish. We find ourselves teetering on the edge trying to harness that power yet always risking falling onto its deadly blade . How can we walk the thin line which if crossed successfully will bring with it fulfillment, enlightenment, and joy without falling into the depths that will completely devour us, leaving us as an empty shell, slaves to our lesser selves rather than masters of the elements and of metals? To begin our exploration of this topic lets look at another tradition and one of its key texts, The Yoga Sutras.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is one of the most important and widely studied texts of the Vedic system, which in contemporary time has become more widely known in the West. It discusses and describes the state of yoga (union) and the process one's consciousness goes through to achieve it through the practice of the "eight limbs" of the Yoga system. Most people have only read or studied the first two chapters but the last two are equally as important, albiet wrapped in more mystery than most Westerners are willing to explore. Chapter Three of the Yoga Sutras discusses the subject of the Siddhis, supernatural powers which are attained as a result of one's spiritual progress. These include (but are not limited to) levitation, mastery over the elements, invisibility, divine hearing, the ability to walk through walls, and flying through space. The Yoga Sutras expounds on this topic by saying that these abilities will naturally arise out of the practice of Samayama which is the bringing together of dharana (steady orientation of the mind), dhyana (meditation, effortless awareness at the point of attention), and samadhi (one's awareness appearing as the pure object of meditation, devoid of even the thought of itself). As Samyama becomes firmer, cognition of the subtle strata of the universe becomes more and more lucid. Thus, by bringing ones awareness to these subtle layers of the universe one can gain control and knowledge over them. However, it is through this state of Samyama that the light of fully enlivened consciousness arises, thus making it essential to full enlightenment, although not yet its final state.

Let's look at this state a little more closely. On one hand the person begins to experience the subtle strata of the universe, the underlying fabric of creation. On the other hand the light of fully enlivened consciousness is arising. Here the consciousness begins to illuminate itself, and begins to reflect its own light onto itself. As a result of being in touch with such a subtle layer of existence the yogi may begin to experience Siddhis or supernatural powers. These can occur spontaneously, but as the Yoga Sutras explains one may be able to invoke a particular power such as levitation by bringing one's awareness to that particular layer of the strata. However, at this point the yogi is still not completely free from his ego, and thus this can be a very dangerous state of consciousness. Imagine being able to walk through walls, create fire at a touch, or fly through space? Would you be drawn to explore this further? Even if you told yourself you wouldn't think of yourself as better than another because you have attained this state or allow these powers to feed your ego, can you imagine how easily these powers could become a distraction? Because of this it is warned that they yogi continue to adamantly practice non-attachment, for it is through non-attachment, (even to the idea of non-attachment) that absolute freedom is attained.

Now the magician takes a bit of a different route. Instead of experiencing powers as a result of enlightenment he seeks to gain powers in magic as a way towards enlightenment. He uses his powers to explore deeper levels of purification, to invoke beings of a higher vibration, and to raise his consciousness into higher parts of the Tree of Life. But, the same problem can still arise, this disease of attachment to ego and power. The number of ego-driven people on this path is an often discussed topic...well of course! Most people are not prepared to handle the magical powers that are given to them, which is why the fathers of our traditions always stressed living life most piously when practicing magic. If we look at the yogi, we can see that even he, at this extremely purified state is in danger of falling...how much more in danger are we at a lower level?

This doesn't mean that we should stop practicing magic, for this path is holy and effective. But, we must recognize the subtle interplay of power and how it is affecting our consciousness. We also must be strong enough to admit when the intoxicating essence of power is beginning to taint and destroy our lives and our work. Furthermore we must remember that it is not for these powers that we are following this path...but for the enlightenment that comes through following this path of which the powers can be used to help complete our Work. By following the concept of non-attachment we can give ourselves a great step-up in this area. Non-attachment allows us to keep our egos separate from the fruits of our labors, from the special powers we may attain, and from the positions of power we may receive in our groups. In essence non-attachment is an act of humility, the one gift of the spirit which opens the door fully for the grace of the Divine.

What Is It That Binds You?

I was talking to a Zen Buddhist over Facebook this morning and we were discussing the topic of how different traditions approach the topic of enlightenment. He said that when a person asks how to attain enlightenment in Zen he is then asked "What is it that binds you?"

After hearing this statement even now, hours later, my consciousness is reverberating like a brass bowl that has been expertly played. What is it that is holding you back, holding you to this world, keeping you from experiencing the Divine in your life every day, keeping your consciousness locked in the material, the ego, your desires? What is it that you are holding onto? What is it that binds you?!

At each level of our development we are seeking a deeper and subtler degree of purification. I have always asked myself "What is it that I need to purify?" or, having noticed myself reacting inappropriately or being attached to something said " I need to purify myself of this". But there is something about the word "bind" that strikes me on a whole new level. I might be just looking at the the same thing from a different perspective, but using the word "bind" instead of "purify" invokes a sense of urgency within. When I think of the word "purification" I associate that with time. Yes, purification takes time so even though I am working on purifying these lower qualities I now see that part of my consciousness doesn't mind if it takes longer to accomplish.

The word "bind" however makes me feel suffocated, controlled, and held back. It is as if someone is telling me "No, you can't live in your full potential because you are being shackled to this existence by illusions, desires, appetites, addictions, and attachments." Re-framing it this way makes me want to go into the Temple right now and stay there doing magic until I emerge like the Buddha from underneath the Bodhi tree. In fact, here I am equally kicking myself and equally rejoicing as I realize I have awaken from another layer of slumber. How easily we fool ourselves into thinking we are progressing when really we are half-sleeping on the floor of enlightenment.

The irony is that they only thing that is binding us to this lesser state of consciousness is ourselves. If we look at The Devil card in the Book T based tarot decks we see that the man and woman standing beneath the Devil, bound to him, are in fact holding the chains. They can choose to release them at anytime, yet their own ignorance causes them to believe they are trapped, tortured, and forced to live in an imperfect existence. We hold the chains to our bonds. Equally, we hold the key to our happiness. Now when I think of "purification" I think of "cleaning out", but when I think of "binding" I think of letting go. What is there to clean out? Nothing. We are created in the image and likeness of the Divine. What is there to let go of? Everything, because there is only one true state of consciousness and that is Unity. Enlightenment is a state of consciousness, it is not dangerous. There is nothing dangerous about immediately achieving it. What is dangerous are the paths sometimes used to get to enlightenment ;techniques used wrongly, purification done too strenuously, but if done correctly, they can be a jewel worth more than any physical trinket.

What I am trying to say is this, it is important to follow our chosen path, and it is important to practice our techniques (properly) so that we can ripen our consciousness. It is the ripened consciousness that is free to realize the bonds which he is so fervently holding onto. But it is important not to hold ourselves back by the false belief that we cannot live in the Truth until some far off time. The Truth is here now. It exists now. It is all around us and within us now. By remembering this at all times it is as if we keep a suitor waiting on the other side of the door so when we are ready to open the door we can embrace him that much more passionately. Let's not forget that our True Nature is there at all times...we only need to turn to it.

Nosce Te Ipsum

Soror FSO

"Before enlightenment chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment chop wood and carry water" - Ancient Chinese proverb

Purification of The Soul Through the Loving Gift of Gratitude

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that you were as blessed by the season as I was. Although, I have to admit, as a creature of habit I am more than happy to finally be back into my regular schedule...and I am very exited about this coming year! Did anyone notice that amazing full moon we had on the first?...a beautiful healing moon, full of nurturing energy. My hope for myself, my students, and all my readers is that we all remember everyday how blessed we are (even if the circumstances seem dire), and take that gratitude and share it with others...this is the best way to bring even more blessings into our life.

I was blessed over the holidays to learn a true lesson about gratitude (in retrospect, how appropriate!) and I have come to see that it is a real tool to happiness...one that can be used to bring positivity and healing to any situation. Over the holiday I was in beautiful, sunny California at an an amazing condo on the beach in San Diego, a city which has a million fun things to do. I was really looking forward to having a, fun filled vacation...and what happened? Someone was sick every day I was there. First it was my son, then my mother, then my husband, then my mother in law...it was really a recipe for disaster- a bad mood, and a bad trip just waiting to happen. Whereas in the past I would have let my attachment to my expectations, and my desire to have the trip be a certain way cause me to be disappointed, then irritable, then angry, then just plain worn out from 2 1/2 wks of sickness...I was determined to not let it be so. Recently I have been working very hard to not be attached to my desires, expectations, or material inclinations...and this to me was a great test for that. But, I have to admit that while this has been my goal I wasn't quite sure how to reach it. Was it through control of my thoughts, or by constant testing until it was burned out of me, or through prayer and fasting? What I found through my Christmas ordeal...was that the key was gratitude. No matter what happens, no matter what is taken away...there is still something to be grateful for. And whereas intellectually one may think that by attaching your consciousness toward another material thing would be contrary to the goal...gratitude for the blessings in your life has the alternate effect of going beyond the ego, and taking us away from attachment. I realized the fullness of this concept in the simplest of choices I made while on vacation. My son was sick? How thankful I was that I could watch over him, while to beautiful ocean was outside to soothe me. My husband was ill? How wonderful it was that it didn't happen until he got to CA so I could be with him and see him after a week of being gone. My mother was throwing up? How thankful I was for the time we did get to spend having heart to heart conversations...every time a feeling of hopelessness tried to take over I would combat it with gratitude and thanksgiving to the Divine for all the great things I did receive while there. Even if I didn't get to go surfing, and to the amusement park, and around to take more photographs (I love photography), the small, simple moments were far more meaningful. And although this may seem like a small lesson learned in a small situations...the power of gratitude showed itself to me during a far more difficult time in my life when I was no where near where I am in my consciousness today...when I was truly lost in darkness.

There was a time when I was so wrapped up in my own pain that at one point I couldn't get out of bed. My depression was so debilitating that it culminated in me dropping out of college. One day, as I lay there in bed, thinking about my life, I realized that no one was going to "save" me. No friend or family member was going to come bursting through my door and say "Get up! its time to start living your life!" It was up to me to take the first step to having a fulfilling and happy life. I thought "there are so many people who are happy, what is different for them?" and from somewhere deep inside,(which I now realize was the whisper of my Higher Self) I heard a tiny voice that told me...choice. We all have a choice. The world is the world, and we see it for what we believe it to be. There are just as many "bad" things as there are "good", there are just as many "mean" people as there are "nice"...but we see what we want. I was always flabbergasted when I was out driving, or shopping, or going to school by how rude and inconsiderate people were. But how many people had been nice that I hadn't noticed? Were people maybe extra rude because I was always in a foul mood? On and on my thoughts swirled around in my head, and I went from thinking that I was a victim of a terrible curse to realizing that I had some control over my life, and that maybe my life was a result of who I was inside. So I took that first step, allowing my feet to slide out from the covers and feel the carpet beneath my bed, and I thought "how nice it is to have carpet". Who do you know had been thankful for carpet? But that thought was a start, a new way to look at the world. It was a new way to cultivate an attitude that wasn't so full of darkness and despair; a way that kind of tickled my heart and gave me hope. After all those months it was like a refreshing drink of water given in the desert. So I started to cultivate the attitude of gratitude when I could...of course having a new attitude about life was a challenge to overcome, but now I had a tool. So I counted my blessings- food, shelter, the ability to not have to sleep in a cold street in the winter, health...in the beginning my blessings seemed few, but there was always at least one things that I could be grateful for and over time I realized how great even the smallest one seemed. And now 12 years later, I have so many blessings, family, friends, happiness, healthy, a graduate degree, a beautiful son, and this lesson has come full circle in the smallest of circumstances...an illness over Christmas vacation, and I am made fully aware of its power.

The only way to true happiness is to look outside our small selves to our Higher Self which resides within us and throughout the whole universe...to realize our intimate connection with everything and everyone. The material realm, the material consciousness of the ego strives for more, and is never satisfied always leaving us feeling empty no matter how much we gain. But, when we connect to our Higher Self, we connect to the source of all and thus can never feel empty. We accomplish this by purifying ourselves to our lower natures and exalting our Higher Self. Gratitude is the loving way to purification, for it automatically humbles us and withdraws us from the ego. It fills us with love, hope, and kindness, and causes us to want to share it with others...thus becoming a self-perpetuating gift.

May we be grateful for all that we have this year, and share our blessings with others.

Nosce Te Ipsum

Soror FSO

For information on how to receive training in the Hermetic Arts, and The Golden Dawn please contact me at werisetogether@gmail.com