Being an Occultist

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Do Occultists try to get closer to God? There is no need. The gods are capable of arranging spatial relationships when they decide that it is appropriate to do so. All we should do is: remove any barriers or obstacles that may exist in our personality. Once those isolating walls are down, the supernatural can, and it does, come closer to you. Subconsciously at least, but even openly, each person is aware of a divine essence in life, in people or in daily events. Your own journey through life is one that leads you towards your "home", i.e., the place that has been prepared for you. So an Occultist tries to avoid any behaviour or situation that might slow him down. Led by his conscience, he strives not to harm other living entities, but rather to help them and to live in harmony with them.

Does an Occultist follow a special diet? Only if there is some medical reason for doing so. We have our own ethical standards-we never eat human babies, for instance-but we avoid silly or pointless food fads and never let our life be dominated by irrational sentiment. We are not vegetarian, for instance, for the simple reason that none of our ancestors were. We are members of an omnivorous species and, since all life (bar the extremely microscopic) lives on lower forms of organic life, development into a higher species depends on "building with the bricks provided" and not on adopting a superior ethical stance. If blood transfusion and organ transplants are Okay then so is eating meat .. provided the animals are respected and husbanded properly.

Aren't Vegetarians becoming more common? This merely proves that people, like sheep, tend to stray in the same direction. When they have other subjects to worry about e.g., war, famine, floods, volcanic eruptions etc people have different priorities and are far less picky about food. Vegetarianism is an issue that only the well off can afford. The concept has become a popular hobby, but it is possible that vegetable life is sentient and should not be eaten either.

We are the most advanced form of life; other forms of life allowed us to clamber further out of the primordial stew. Having gained a lofty perch, is it proper to disdain our origins and adopt the life-style of some hypothetical angelic being? Vegetarian pundits will change their tune when they find that their descendants are prone to tuberculosis or diseases that find it easier to assail organisms that are low on animal proteins. It is every man's right to make decisions that will have drastic consequences for his children.

Do you want Occultists to be meat eaters? I do not ask anyone to drop their vegetarian stance, though their health will be undermined and many of them are more concerned to prove their point than to maintain their health. It is an intellectual stance and not a spiritual one.

If you choose to follow my path, do not come with a closed mind or with opinions already set in steel and concrete. You should not say "Master, teach me everything except the stuff I already know". Your awareness will expand when you realise that attitudes and opinions (whatever they may be) are holding you back. To be opinionated is to be in prison; to have strong attitudes is to wear a strait jacket. Whatever your beliefs are now, you must accede to the Truth when it manifests itself.

Is there any fast or abstinence? Less than you might think. Before a great ritual, participants may reduce their food intake. If one is using magic to work changes, then one may also abstain from sex. At other times, one may add something to his diet e.g., sun-water especially if one is run-down and lacking vitality.

Should we withdraw from the world? Where would we go? In any case, what would be the advantage? Are travel agents organising trips to the moon again? Are they selling holiday villas on Mars? You cannot withdraw from the world. You can only try to remove yourself from all human contact, but then you run the risk of suffering the same ill effects as many of the old Hermits. Saint Antony, whose temptations were the subject of innumerable paintings, suffered grotesque psychological illnesses, dietary deficiencies and physical horrors .. as did Rambo, of course, and prisoners of war. Anyone who is kept in solitary confinement can suffer mental deterioration through lack of human contact. No, no. Withdrawal means going wrong in the head!

Why would that happen? Human beings are descended from herd animals and the need to be part of a group is in our genes. We cannot exist truly unless we first become a social entity. If we get cut off from any contact with others of our own kind then our mental stability starts to disintegrate. This has been found to be the case in respect of prisoners, torture victims, inmates of lunatic asylums, shipwreck survivors and neglected old-folk. If you have an urge to live like Prospero in 'The Tempest', by Shakespeare, then you are trying to escape from society and seek refuge. This would suggest that you are already severely damaged.

Is it wrong to wish to get away from it all? It is not good, or healthy, to want to abandon your fellows and live the life of a lone wolf. If ever they found you, or if ever you stumbled back to civilisation again, you would be less than normal. You would be incapable of joining in and other people would probably feel afraid and shun you. You may not escape your duty toward Nature. Will you run back if you are sick or if a great wind strikes? You must help to repair human society. A holiday is all right but run away and you will 'devolve' into a primitive beast again.

What about communes? An occult commune is simply a household, like any other, but instead of being based on the accident of biological birth (i.e., blood ties), it is built on informed choice and spiritual aims. Each commune is self-governing and owes no loyalty to any external, larger body. Neither is it a cult since the members themselves decide which spiritual tenets apply and how far they wish to follow them. The economic advantages of a commune are huge, but the spiritual and magical benefits are even greater. If a commune happens to shelter an occult Master (and this is not a sine qua non), then it is likely to become a powerhouse and a generator that can supply magical energy for several undertakings. A commune permits ordinary people sufficiently to withdraw from the distractions of everyday living without becoming religious recluses. It is modelled rather on a natural way of life that our own ancestors lived in, i.e., a more spiritual time before society became so materialistic and urbanised. We do not try to cut ourselves off from harsh reality but merely to protect our souls, to seek spiritual respite and to find fulfilment.

Does an Occultist have a daily routine? We are not monks or nuns, and we do not need to have daily reminders of our guilt and worthlessness. If the Master gives us advice, we follow it. However, we have no Angelus or any daily prayers. We live our religion and know our part in the Plan. That said, we try to live wholesome lives, so we observe normal rules of hygiene and nutrition.

What about regular rituals? There are none that concern a student. To make rituals obligatory would result in the 'Our Father' phenomenon. You would rattle them off like a high-speed train. I am amazed by the slickness of priest's tongues. When an Occultist performs his ritual acts and recites the formulae, he does so with solemn deliberation. One must not treat them like school recitations or historic dates. The words and gestures are not enough. It needs our spirits. There is no benefit, only risk, in performing tasks by rote. Magic must not be as casual as brushing your teeth.

What do you say about meditation? I consider it extremely dangerous. Far from inducing a supreme state of mind by means of alpha rhythms, as some exponents claim, it can just as readily produce destructive rhythms and encourage depression or suicide. After all, what is the difference between "meditating on higher things" and "dwelling on one's insoluble problems"? I do not want to see Occultists adopting the Lotus posture, or for that matter the Kiss-Me-Quick position. If you want to indulge your taste for a bit of eastern spice, I shall want to know why. No blank faces! Real meditation is a tool ... and not an act of piety itself.

Do Magicians take drugs?No. A Magician does not take drugs, except those that are prescribed by a doctor for medicinal purposes. We do not take any legalistic stance against such practices but merely avoid anything that interferes with the dominion of free will. We know of mystic procedures that will provide the 'highs' and the 'insights' that some people claim to derive from drugs.

If I wanted to make money or just be popular, I would tell people what they wanted to hear. I would not make such unpopular statements unless I was sincere.

What have you got against drugs? My view has nothing whatever to do with the laws of any country. Neither do I wish to be a killjoy. However, drugs, and alcohol, tend to weaken a person's will. As you know, will is of paramount importance in magic. Why should I teach weak people? I want to be sure that when they speak to me it is their soul talking and not the effect of drugs.

Does an Occultist give everything up? You are thinking of monks who take vows of chastity, obedience and poverty. Well, I am sorry, but that does not apply to us. If you want a path with overtones of masochism, go to church. I ask you to abandon only those items that impede your progress. But the same divine law, given by the three world religions, which states that we should never knowingly cause harm to others, also states that a man should never willingly do harm to himself.

Then there is no sacrifice involved? A Master will ask you to give up anything that is harmful. If it was something obvious - like banging your head against a brick wall, you would be eager to obey him. But if the matter is too subtle, you will be reluctant to conform. Which is why you promise to obey. If it is necessary, a Master will order you to do so. There'd be no point in striving for your soul, if you were quietly strangling it.

Is the Occult life different? Yes, mostly in the field of self-control and the development of one's 'will'. You should not over-indulge yourself in any way. Your body is made of meat, and this meat has its own needs and appetites. You must never let that 'meat' rule you like a slave. Your own will must be the Master of your destiny. If you reflect on this matter: a life passed in the pursuit of pleasure is a life wasted on stuffing one's appetites.

Can I rely on the Master to guide me? To guide you, yes; but accept responsibility for you, no! Each Occultist must strive to become master of his own Self and exert total control of his energy flows. Only then will he be able to focus power where he wishes. If he insists on remaining a child, then so be it. One must leave him in the play-school. But I cannot emphasise enough that we do not seek to fight our Nature. First we enthrone it, then we protect it, and then we crown it with a pure and shining Will.

What is the ultimate aim of a student? One's set of goals change throughout one's life. As a child you want sweeties, but when you are old enough to buy sweets, you want sex. When you reach the age where sex is obtainable, you want a racing car. If you get your racing car, you will be too old to drive it, so then you content yourself in buying sweeties for your grandchildren. Underlying all these foolish and fanciful aims is just the one great yearning: the need to fulfil the plan that underlies your being. To do this though, you must first locate, and then re-install, your Original Self. This is why any student's immediate goal is "to achieve perfection" .. but in the sense of becoming the person he was originally meant to be. Until that stage is reached, it is fairly pointless discussing which goals one might, or might not choose to follow.

Does perception deepen? Tests prove that intelligence improves and intellect (the way that one makes use of intelligence) also climbs. The first indication is usually the emergence of a new articulacy, or fluency of self-expression, and this is accompanied by an expanding stock of ideas and concepts. So yes, perception does deepen, and with a more penetrating understanding of self. Even if one invests little effort, one starts to benefit merely from being one Occultist among others. The good vibes are contagious, but sustained progress will depend on the exercise of one's free will. There are no limits, other than the ones that each individual sets for himself, which is why certain terms .. e.g., Self-mastery, Crowning the Will and Opening the Eyes .. try to point at this elusive phenomenon. Aleister Crowley put it in a nutshell when he said: 'Every man possesses the power to obtain greater power!' He starts by shedding fear and sadness.

Is Occultism a form of therapy? To look at the motley lot who become Occultists, you would not think so. At first glance, you would not take them as any recommendation for the treatment. And then you realise that appearances are deceptive, because most Occultists do acquire a certain air of spiritual strength and calmness. So yes, Occultism does have a salutary and remedial effect if only because its followers strive to improve their state of being. In fact, no one may proceed to advanced studies until and unless he has achieved an optimum degree of well-being. So you see, it would be irresponsible and dangerous to teach magic to a psychopath or someone who had not yet sorted himself out.

Do Occultists believe in 'sin'? We know that Evil exists and people can choose to co-operate with it, in which case they are wicked, but there is no list of particular deeds that are ranked according to their degree of offensiveness to the gods. Neither do we consider that anyone, anywhere, has been given the task of punishing wrongdoers or administering retribution. A soul just gets darker, and heavier. It is almost as though it carried a radiation badge or "tell-tale", which indicated the dosage of bad vibes received. If a person exposes himself too much, then they start to deteriorate and may sink to the point of extinction.

Other people are perfectly entitled to avoid, or shun, a person with a heavy charge. They must protect themselves from the harm that he would bring among them. The Christian sentiment of charitable forgiveness does not come into it. Nobody wishes to punish that individual any more than he is being punished already .. and he will be aware of his own situation .. but a community must shield its loved ones from disaster in the same way they would protect their crops from any fire that he might cause. Such a person may be ostracised, outcast like a leper, until he has been successfully cleansed.

What is a Cleansing? A cleansing is a ceremony at which a Master attempts to shift accumulated psychic rubbish from your body and release any negative charge from your soul. The ceremony is not done often because there is little call for it. It is a bit like cancer in that people tend not to believe that they need help until the situation is too bad for effective help to be provided. Strangely enough, a large number of people can all decide suddenly that they'd like it done .. a sort of mass baptism .. and the Master has to discourage them. I tend not to remind my own students about it because I do not like parading my talents as if I were selling ice-cream in a cinema.

The good news is that I can exert a similar influence slowly. If I am in contact with someone regularly, I can usually "adjust" their internal state gradually and imperceptibly over a period of time. This is less dramatic but the benefits also longer lasting.

Are there different degrees of studentship?

Do you mean like full-time, part-time and day-release, or are you thinking of Freshers, Sophomores and Seniors? You are confusing me with a technical college or an American high school. People are divided into two sorts-Occultists and Non-Occultists. After that, the Occultists can be sub-divided into Good 'uns and Not-so-good 'uns, while Non-Occultists are sub-divided into Potential Students and the Swiss. All other factors have to be ignored as irrelevant. Either a person joins the pilgrimage or he does not.

But private circumstances must count? If they count afterwards, they do not count beforehand, and in any case they do not count for much .. only the speed and intensity of learning. But in any case, All this kind of thing is mere detail and there are ways that we can take care of it. You should not even think about possible problems - only about whether you feel a call and if you should answer.

How much time will it take up?That is for you to decide. I will not overload you with lessons or study materials since I always go at the student's pace. You ask a question and I respond; you explain which direction you want to take, and I provide instructions. This is not to say that I allow you to dictate the situation, but like a caring parent I will feed you according to the hunger you show .. and according to my own knowledge of what is good for your development.

A lot depends on the group that you either join or form since the members of that group (you included) will fix its own frequency of meeting.

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