Not sure how deep any of you are studying the mathematical principles behind alchemy (I personally haven't delved to far into this arena yet myself) but this guy is doing some amazing and criminally neglected work over on http://www.abrahadabra.com



Just thought I'd plug him because he deserves it. I've been trying to convince him to sell posters or meditation cards of his images as I think they'd make for fascinating meditations. He has actually developed an extraordinarly elaborate system for meditating on the images but hasn't yet found the time to explain it in laymens terms.

Sean.

Its a bit far out. Also there are some mighty bold claims there, completely off the scale! Especially since the cursory references to science, philosophy and psychology that he uses as a framework to measure the significance of his work are so minimalist. To be honest he sounds like he's lost the plot.

I could be wrong, he may have come across something of immense importance and he just has trouble showing why. For now I suspect its one of the most common things I've seen in Magick, getting lost in the mists of your own imagination.

Sorry Sean. I really dig your enthusiasm but I gotta be honest with you on things like that.

I've gotta admit, that would be one very kick ass poster, you know!

If this guy could break it down into laymens terms I would really want to read it and check it out. I can't form an opinion either way until I actually look that stuff up...Keep it coming, Sean!

-Jessica

His approach reminds me of two things.

1) For a while I was trying to create an I Ching calendar/clock for Sun-Moon-Earth alchemy. I came up with various forms, but was slightly frustrated with bigrams only being able to represent 4 elements, but not earth. One solution I came up with was using a line broken into 3 parts, like he did. But, Winn rightly suggested that since it is not traditional in I Ching symbology, it did not fit well. I agree that it was too mental, and got away from the more simple and elegant symbology. In a couple of months I'll have some time to work a new version of the calendar, and I'll let you know.

2) The "rave I-ching" combines the tree of life and I Ching symbology. It seems to be more astrological than alchemical. Winn got a free reading from someone and said it was right on. It is somewhat expensive. But, look it up on the web.

Chris

It's cool man, I respect your honesty. I think this guy is definitely a little insane and he'd likely be the first to say so. But you have to admit, his imagery is pretty fascinating. Perhaps he has gone off the deep end a bit with the importance he estimates his work having.


I've been bugging him to explain how he works with these images. Like I said, he claims to have a fairly complex way of meditating on them and that the reason he has trouble explaining it simply is that the meditations presuppose a deep familiarity with the mathematics behind the images.


Sounds really interesting voice. I'll look forward to that. And thanks for the tip on the "Rave I Ching" .. I'll be sure to look into that because I still tend to look at things Qabalistically from my early studies in magick and it's helpful to see correlations between it and the Taoist system.

Have you ever seen this?


I've been doing research on this glyph's origin on and off for a few months now, ever since I saw it featured in an article in Tai Chi magazine. It is so unbelievably close to the structure of the Qabalah, I can't believe there is so little information on how such similiar glyphs arose in such distinct cultures. Really the only mention of a correlation I've found on the net is in a book called A Diagram of the Anthropocosmos but unfortunately (for me) it's in Russian and I don't think it's been translated into English.

Sean.

Sean,

In Eva Wong's translation "Cultivating Stillness" she calls this the 'wu chi diagram". Going from top to bottom, it is the process of creation; going from bottom to top it is the process of alchemy. This diagram is very much part of the 7 formulae.

I googled "wu chi diagram" and the following site came up, in which an academic talks about the origin of that diagram. He also calls it the "tai chi diagram".

http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/...71/ChouChu2.htm

Chris

The imagery is great, no question about that. It is just that importance thing. One of the clearest signs someone has gone off the deep end is when the grandeur of their claims are excessive and are personally verified in such a way that others cannot repeat or even understand their proofs. I think this person is a victim of one of the downsides of Magick.

There is a tradition in Magick of claiming secret knowledge that only initiates can understand. Initiation as I've experienced it often involves a lot of brain washing. The further in you go the more divorced from non-initiates you become until you're willing to believe things without the need for verification from the world outside of the group you've been initiated into. It can really feel as though others are blind to the truth since they don't have the relevant experience. The gap would be too huge to fill without them going through initiation themselves and so things just don't get questioned.

Now, to quote from that website:-



What could've inspired a person to feel there was so much potential merit in a simple line of text that they'd spend over thirty years to produce a set of diagrams that include no worked examples of their use? The earnestness of such an individual needn't be questioned; there is diligent, beautiful work here. Yet, a hypothesis is just that until it has substantial proofs. And in this case the hypothesis itself is based upon faith in ideas that are highly dubious to begin with e.g. religious beliefs revolving around Thelema and the relationship between the I Ching and DNA/RNA.

There is a very old definition of Magick: The use of glamour to enchant and delude others.

Without realising it initiates come under the spell of the group they've joined. You don't even need to be an initiate, you just need to be enchanted by the glamour of Magick enough to practice it without questioning whats really going on. Then you can start to feel that your making progress along a path to enlightenment when what you're involved in most of all is learning the very tricks and games that seduced you into believing there was a path offered to you in the first place! Thus, the illusion is self perpetuating. It's a circus of pawns and few who get in manage to break the spell that binds them.

For me, a helpful way out of the OTO (not just to leave, to release Thelema's grip on me) was to deliberately and publicly break every single one of my oaths repeatedly and to provoke those who threatened to use their Magick against me to do just that. In 'theory' all sorts of terrible things should've happened to me. In 'practice' there was nothing more than a marked improvement in my health and a great deal of laughter.

After that the reality of what 90% of Magick was about hit me: Perpetuating religious beliefs, not science and art.

Thanks for the info Chris. I'll have to check out that book. I'm fascinated with this diagram. And like I said, I am just dumbfounded more occultists/taoists/new agers/etc. are not discussing the parallels it clearly has with the Qabalah.

Very lucid feedback RedKooga. I appreciate you sharing your perspective here, which I know from talking with you is from direct experience.

Now just for the sake of playing devil's advocate for a moment, because I do believe, on a practical level, this obviously an extremely useful point, but my question is ... how is this process you describe any different from initiation into even the most benevolent of families or even societies? You must learn a language, speak it according to agreed upon rules that you don't understand until you learn it. You must dress and behave and even think within certain guidelines, eat drink certain foods, avoid smoking certain plants. Thoughts?

Interesting. Because one of the reasons I am most attracted to magick is that it feels like the closest thing to an actual spiritual science I've yet found. And most magickians I speak with have IMO an incredibly broad perspective on spirituality, and perhaps more importantly (for my temperament) an ability to detach themselves from literal belief that I find lacking in nearly every other manifestation of spiritual seeking. But you speak from experience with magick much deeper and much more socially connected than my own, and I take your opinion seriously. It makes me realize that Magick is no different that anything else; it too is based upon a set of beliefs. And maybe even more insidious in the long run because initiation in western ceremonial magick seems to frequently start out as a massive deconstruction of belief.

The above contemplations are coming at an interesting time right now, because in the past few days I've discovered a few key beliefs I've held for probably well over a decade (if not longer) that were so powerful and yet so buried and wordless I took them for granted as The Truth. And now in this moment as a result of thinking through this post, I am realizing another one of my long-held powerful beliefs; the belief that all beliefs are at least partially wrong and (important limiting part coming) that therefore I have transcended the need for beliefs and am completely free from them. Which is really far from the truth. Because at this stage of my journey, beliefs, even strong ones, are important and necessary. I realize the value in the first part of my old belief. That "all beliefs are at least partially wrong". And I'm cool with that. But it's time to step forward now ... choose what I believe is right to believe and have the courage to be wrong ... the guts to fuck up a lot and keep learning and revising.

(Sorry if this got Stuart Smalley-esque at the end. I'm having a positive thinking moment. )


Sean.

You probably know this already Sean but Crowley (not a big fan of his though he had a brilliant intellect) did some work on the correspondences between the I Ching and the Tree of Life. I too find the various diagrams fascinating:

Click to view attachment
taken from here

Click to view attachment
taken from here

There's also an interesting site on Symbols & Reality Creation which has an article on the Tarot and the Ching.

Of course there's not forgetting Crowly's particular version of the Tao Te Ching.

It's good to see the correspondences between different systems as concepts not explained in one may be clearly expressed in another. Also the more I compare and contrast the more I seem to appreciate the perennial philosophy and become syncretistic. There's a quote from Scholem's Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism that goes something like:

"Life, like a dome of many colours stains the white radiance of eternity".

Rex

From top to bottom, right to left (see attachment to show you the number order)
A breakdown of the glyphs on the tree of life-

YESOD The Foundation of purity, purpose, faith and focus.(Consecrated water)

HOD The Quickening of the intellect through Qabbalistic study.(Consecrated oil)

NETZACH The social Solidarity of the Dawnborn Family.(Consecrated grain)

TEFERET The Harmonious relationship between the heavens and the earth.(Consecrated incense)

GEBURAH The Disciplines and purgations that heal and purify.(Consecrated wine)

CHESED The Adorations that lift the heart unto Aumen.(Consecrated ash)

DAATH The Gnosis that endows and redeems and which becomes operative in sacrifice.(Consecrated salt)

BINAH The Compassionate affection of Yesua.

CHOCKMAH The Understanding and wisdom of Miryai.

KETER The Crowning glory and ever reverberating light of Amin - the Eternal Ones.


Qabbalistic Tree of Life Mnemonic Aid
Created and Illustrated by Abba Yesai Nasrai

The previous attachment above is an oil painting which shows the 22 Hebrew Letter Glyphs which are used to represent the 22 lower Paths of the 32 fold Tree of Life. In this mnemonic aid the Letters are shown, beginning with Aleph, at the center of the Golden mean spiral. Aleph means ox and so an ox is depicted. Aleph is also associated with Air and so Clouds and angels flouting in the air are depicted. The Sephir Yetzirah texts allots fire to Shin and Water to Mem, and so one sees fire with the Shin hieroglyph above the center and water flowing from the Mem Glyph below. Tah is associated with Earth and so one sees the earth in the background of the last 22nd image of the Angel waving tah-tah. The entire spiral is superimposed over a traditional tree of Life image of ten spheres, or Sephirah. Their ten Hebrew names appear with each Qabbalistic sphere.

The second Glyph of Beth means house and so one sees a house in the second sphere. The third means camel and so one sees a camel in the third, etc. The names of the Hebrew Letters are shown as well. Gimil sounds like Camel (and means camel as well) and so one sees a camel in the third sphere. Dalet sounds like doll (dollet, #4), Hey sounds like Hay (#5), Vah like Vodka (#6), etc. Astrological associations are on the original painting as well, but are too small to appear in this image reproduction. The shape of the Hebrew Letter, in crimson, is also found interwoven into the design of each sphere.

The Hebrew Alphabet as follows:

Aleph = Ox
Beth(vet) = House
Gimil = Camel
Dalet = Door
Hey = Window
Vah = Nails
Zain = Sword
Cheth = Wall
Theth = Snake
Yod = Hand
Kaf = Fist(of Yoda)
Lamed = Oxgoad
Mem = Water
Nun = Fish
Samek = Prop
Ayin = Eye
Pay = Mouth (red lips)
Tzaddie = Fish hook
Qoph = Back of Head
Resh = Head
Shin = Tooth
Tah = Cross

Well... families undergo change from outside influences. My argument would be that the OTO and others unnecessarily cut themselves off from the outside. Sometimes such isolation is a good thing, for example: to preserve something delicate and valuable that would be destroyed if exposed. I know many OTO initiates feel their secrets are valuable yet from what I've seen that particular family suffers from cultural stagnation and inbreeding due to their treasured ways. The same goes for most Magick cliques I've come across. I would go as far as to say the hidden agenda of most Magick groups is to set up an environment where a shared fantasy can be artificially brought to life, a kind of simulated reality where people gain supernatural powers, spiritual attainment and great importance (but only within the bounds of their self-created world). Role playing was not the reason I became interested in Magick and thus I am a little bitter about all that!


That's the hook that got me reeled in! If you read, listen to and talk with individuals all is well. Magick is great stuff, no doubt about that. Join a group and things can get a bit out of hand though. It depends what someone is looking for. I would rather be Nietzsche's Ubermensch than a law-abiding citizen of State Thelema. I have never been nor expect to be a team player unless it temporarily suits my own 'hidden agenda'!

On beliefs and their power you were beginning to touch on something rather HUGE at the end there. I'll make a mess of this but what the hell: When I was going on about enchantment before... Well I also said Magick groups create simulated realities to indulge their fantasies (which is typically harsh of me.) One way to be a magician is to use other people's fantasies and imagination to make yourself into something. We all do this all the time and are subject to illusion ourselves but don't usually realise how intrinsic to our perceived world it is. In fact, we also make ourselves into something by using our own fantasies and imagination BUT the 'something' is Samsara. You gotta remember your true face, that all forms are empty!

Yep I made a mess of that

Great distinction. Thanks.

Cutting insight. I think I instinctually feel this about most organizations and is why I typically put myself on the sidelines of groups. I am not into role-playing except as a tool to accomplish something, not as a blinder to pull over my life and community. Also I'm holistic in the sense that the magickians I look up to are people that are integrating in their whole life. They are not really cool and mysterious at the Black Mass but then bitter and cynical at their place of work ... (fuck I think I just described myself) .. they are great artists and musician and writers and real estate selling mystics (shout out to Yoda) that are aimed at living their life to the fullest.

I'm exactly the same way although I've always felt a twinge of guilt about it and never said it with as much remorselessness as I sense you have done here. (Not a criticism).

Can you elaborate on this more? It sounds like the beginnings of a really interesting point.

But emptiness is form.

...

Wild side tangent: Funny what the emphasis on is does to the meaning of that sentence now that I look at it. Because if you stop for a minute and say "Emptiness is Form" to yourself with the emphasis at first on "Emptiness" it comes across as "Emptiness" being the only form. Which is trippy. Then if you put it on "is" it comes across like Emptiness and Form literally are the same thing and there is no distinction except in our minds. Which is trippy. And if you put the emphasis on "Form" it makes it seem like Emptiness could be other things, like there are other possibilities for what it could be but you are emphasizing one of them "form" as the correct thing to think of it being. Which is trippy.


Not at all, I think you are grazing some rich stuff here, I hope you take the time to flesh out your insights further.