Katharsis Part I: Magick, Ego, and Breaking the Connection with the Divine

[Vir Lucis Ex Deus]

This will be one of a series of seemingly disconnected topics (numbered by chronology) that I wish to raise and discuss openly with anybody who might come across these boards.  This particular topic is one that has had quite an important place in my own path and life in recent times and I am still struggling to come to terms with a way to articulate it properly.  So here goes...

Ceremonial magic (as an aside - is there really a need to use the 'k' when its context is clarified?) has long been the manner in which the occult practitioner seeks to gain access to the realm beyond the veil (hereafter referred to for simplicities sake as the 'Divine').  Something that has always been a concern of mine is that the magician, at least in the many examples of which that I have met personally throughout my relatively short journey, tends to be practicing for highly egotistical reasons.  Even if their end goal is 'to cross the abyss' and they say they are seeking the dissolution of their ego for the final Union, I have yet to honestly meet an individual (myself included thus far) who is doing so because of an irrefutable need to return to the source.  Particularly in many occult circles we see people participating in these practices for the gratification of having access to things that others don't - or of receiving a power over others and the physcial world that allows them to assert their 'Will'.  This idea is nothing new, and neither really is what is to follow, but I feel that many 'magicians' are living in a world of denial when they say that they are in contact with the Divine; that they are practicing the Great Work.

The Divine works through us as conduits - we are the physical vehicles for its manifestation on this plane.  But the identity, the ego, corrupts that channel; it closes the door to the Divine and the actions that follow cease to be manifestations of that realm.  The magician's ego causes him or her (usually him, but increasingly more so her) to lose the connection with the Divine that would otherwise allow them to be a conduit for the universal current from which all great things emerge.  This is why when one has fleeting movements of being "dragged along", beyond their own ego's desire, the Divine provides them with everything they need to achieve what had to be achieved.  Of course, what happens soon after these exhilirating moments is that the ego kicks back in - we start thinking 'wow I'm getting somewhere here, things are really starting to have an effect, I'm really starting to get it'... 

Once that thought process is initiated the doorway is closed and the crossroads lie empty.

The 'I' is the trap that keeps us from being the true conduit for the Divine influence that we all have the capability of being - with the I in place we are allowing this plane to corrupt the infinite beauty that lies behind it.  In this sense, occult magic as it has been practiced for the last hundred years at least (and almost definately alot longer) is a corruption of the one True Tradition - it is a wolf in sheep's clothing, a bait and switch.  As one starts to learn more rituals and rites, starts to practice more, starts to develop their understanding of the world behind the veil they are certainly shown glimpses of the possibilities that lie beyond - but they are in reality only feeding their ego, making it stronger, and corrupting the conduit.  Occultists talk of things like the 'Holy Guardian Angel', the 'Higher Self', 'Enochian entities' as if achieving an experience of these 'things' and 'conversing' with them opens the conduit and puts one in line with Divine Providence...whether or not these concepts themselves are flawed, the individuals that use them are doing so from a perspective that they have their own identity that is achieving something; they are the ones conversing with these entities; they are the ones that have achieved the knowledge and conversation; they are given the 'power' to assert their agenda out on the physical universe at large.  Unfortunately, this is a path that leads one further and further away from the Divine Light that created them - and it is this that is what gives us our 'free will' spoken of in Christian traditions; we are given an identity that we can enjoy and experience the ups and downs of, but if we truly want to achieve Union we must let go of this identity and become a true conduit for the Divine.

Once one is able to achieve that then they become truly influential in that they are the true bearers of the Divine Torch; not just of their own candle-light.  It is one who is able to do this successfully that becomes the Secret Chief that walks among us; the Hidden Master; the Sun of God.

   

[Editor]

.....in many occult circles we see people participating in these practices for the gratification of having access to things that others don't
I feel this must be why magic has been seen as sinister by more exoteric traditions.  Do you think the same problem exists in mainstream religion - perhaps manifesting as self-righteousness - but that it is less potent (and less dangerous?).       

[Vir Lucis Ex Deus]

Mainstream religion, to me, is there because catching a glimpse of the Divine is the easy part - letting it flow through you and alter this realm is the thing that very few people achieve.  Those who can see that this path exists are the ones that the exoteric begin to call esoteric, to me it is this level of insight that creates the distinction - one sees the Divine, the other realises that they can become the Divine.

In this context, there are examples of individuals in exoteric religion who become so consumed by the need for Union that the ego eventually dissolves - what usually accompanies this dissolution is a revelation.  The problem is that revelation, when communicated, usually leads to the revitalisation of the ego and one needs to begin the path again.  If they don't realise that the ego has returned then although they may continue to have 'revelations', these revelations are corruptions and creations of the ego.  It is a very fine line and one that cannot readily be distinguished because if you can see which side you are on then it has to, by definition, be on the side of ego!

Self-righteousness is a few steps down from the pious disciple - but the pious disciple is themselves nowhere near the Christ-Lapis that is required for the 'conduit' relationship described.

[Editor]

What if we constructed an ad hoc 'spiritual ladder' out of what we just said:

Christ Lapis
selfless occultist
pious believer
self righteous believer

Where would you put the selfish occultist?  I'm inclined to put them at the bottom .  Admittedly they may have more attainments than the exoteric believers, but arguably they are more selfish even than the self-righteous believer.  (And potentially more dangerous, unless their attainments are fraudulent).  But I would qualify this by adding that the selfish occultist (with attainments) is in some ways primed for 'conversion' to selfless occultist, thereby taking a short-cut up the spiritual ladder.  Just how this conversion occurs is another important issue, but before we go on I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the above. 

[Vir Lucis Ex Deus]

Okay, this 'spiritual ladder' idea might be a useful one to try and construct.  Firstly, Christ-Lapis must be considered the pinnacle of attainment - there are many stages of alchemical transformation that must be experienced before one arrives there.  So...

Christ-Lapis
|
|
|
V
selfless esotericist/occultist
pious believer
self-righteous believer
selfish occultist

I would agree with you that for one to be aware of the Divine realm and to selfishly try and either exploit it, or on the other hand invert the relationship ("God is a product of Man"), would be at the bottom of the spiritual ladder.  It is a concept long held and the term 'Black Brother' is just one of the phrases that it is known by.  The magician is placed under the self-righteous because the ritual magic that they practice is tainted further by their attitude towards the Divine; all they are achieving is the strengthening of the ego, bringing themselves further and further away from the Source.  Above them comes the self-righteous believer because although they are not aware that their body and spirit need to be uncorrupted and prepared for Divine Providence; the exercises of ego-strenghtening that they are participating in are not as powerful as those of the occultist.  Unfortunately for them, unless they have an experience which leads them to see otherwise, they are not moving at all along the path; merely standing at its beginning (recognition of the Divine).  You could say that the selfish occultist may actually be moving backwards from the beginning of the path as they start to construct a 'divinity' that is born from ego; a truly hideous beast and one could use the alleged occult experiments of the Third Reich as an example of this concept taken to its' inescapable conclusion.

I would agree that the selfish occultist, if given the right circumstances, could be considered 'primed' to take a shortcut up the ladder - but in my own experiences this rarely happens as the ego becomes all encompassing and any revelations that emerge from ecstatic states are inherently corrupted.  I would be interested to know your opinion of the idea that many ecstatic states can actually be achieved in both an ego-fulfilling and ego-negating manner.  The problem you have with magic is that the individual practicing cannot themselves realise the difference...only the final results stand as a testament as to whether they were truly strengthening or dissolving the ego.  This is the danger involved in the magician's path - it is a way to speed up a process which is doomed to fail if not conducted slowly and without desire for any end result other than the Manifestation of Divine Providence.  Would you say that with this idea we see both the 'western' and 'eastern' paths in agreement to some degree?  The way of the esotericist is a long and laborious process, the way of the magician is an attempt to rush things - which although it may mean that you are able to gather alot of 'power' from the planes between this physical world and the Divine Light, it almost always means that you are not selfless enough to deal with the consequences of the experiences.  What happens then is that the magician starts attributing their results to themselves, therefore strengthening the ego and corrupting the conduit.

Obviously all of these ideas that we are pushing back and forth are very roughly developed and in need of some serious thought...the key however lies in practicing esotericism and other such things without a personal agenda (if that is possible for any normal person) - there is a Divine agenda out there that is seeking our help in manifesting on this furthest plane and unless we submit ourselves to it we remove ourselves from the river of Providence.  One should of course note that the idea of Providence I am using here is somewhat different from the manner in which it is traditionally used (particularly in the Calvinist tradition); the Divine here is distant from this world and depends upon those between here and there to assist in the construction of infinite beauty.

[Editor]

 (I'd assumed there would be stages between 'selfless esotericist/occultist', and Christ-Lapis. That's why I would stress to readers the ladder is ad hoc, just a rough diagram.  Usually I'm not fond of these ladders because their terms of reference are always simultaneously too specific and too generalised.   But what we have suffices for now.)

I hope some of this (unfortunately lengthy) response is relevant to the kind of discussion you had in mind when you began this topic. 
(Please steer it in the right direction if it is not!)

Regarding your question, "...the magician's path ...is a way to speed up a process which is doomed to fail if not conducted slowly [.] Would you say that with this idea we see both the 'western' and 'eastern' paths in agreement to some degree?" 

Ceremonial magic (and miracle-working)
I think just about every school of Buddhism has some conception of the awakened being as a miracle worker.  Very often the main ritual practice is contemplation, where accomplishment of the different ecstatic states opens up powers of a more tangible nature (popularly regarded as miracles).  The key is that these powers are correctly channeled and for the right reasons.  Schools with some Tantric influence (which include also Chinese and Japanese Zen) often have more elaborate rituals with an erray of symbols, incantations, gestures, visualisations plus (what could be described as) divine role-playing.  These are similarly supposed to generate 'magical' abilities.  Once again, there is strong sense that these are open to abuse.

The Gradual and Sudden Paths
 In East Asian Buddhism there has been a very involved debate about whether the path is gradual or sudden.  (Gradualism vs. subitism, to use the jargon).  Not surprisingly, many (or perhaps most) have tried to reconcile these views into one synthesis.  I won't go into too much detail here (although it's a good topic for later), except to hint at the basic strengths and weakness of either side.  Gradualists have the obvious advantage of taking cautious, manageable steps.  There is no greed for rapid attainment, and there is a lot to be said for the smooth and gentle pace of this approach.  The downside, or so subitists argue, is that the 'accumulation of attainments' has no natural conclusion.  They stress the qualitative difference between those who have reached the other shore and those still on the way.  The transformation from the finite/conditioned to the infinite/unconditioned involves some kind of quantum leap - there is no quantitative straw to break the camel's back.  The subtists stress that this 'crossing over' is all that is important.  Lifetimes of accumulative attainments ultimately add up to nothing, and when enlightenment comes, it's sudden and not supported by conditions.  (I believe there may be a Christian analogy here, in that man ultimately cannot save himself, but is transformed purely at God's discretion)  Subitists are also more mystical, emphasising that in reality we are already enlightened and it is just a matter of realising this (rather than moulding one's character into something new and better).  The drawback for this view is that people expect too much too soon and are disappointed, or conversely they think they are enlightened before they really are.  I would add that the notion that  "we are already enlightened, it is just a matter of realising this" alters the definition of enlightenment - which to the gradualist is precisely this realising and not just that which we realise (which was always there).  If you say there is no difference between enlightenment and non-enlightenment (or, between good and evil), there is the implication that those who understand this are enlightened (or good), while those who don't are unenlightened (or bad).  I sometimes think the subitists either misunderstood the people they called 'gradualists', or else they were reacting against overly formulaic conceptions of a spiritual ladder.  In my opinion, both schools are at their best when they're at their most humble.  The humility of subitists is in their disinclination towards climbing an artificial intellectual edifice (a kind of hubris a la the Tower of Babel), and their sense that enlightenment happens to you rather than you causing it.  For the gradualist, paradoxically, the use of spiritual ladders can itself signify a humble acknowledgement that one is not capable of progress without some kind of map to follow.  As I said, it's an involving topic! 

Tantra
Of course, an equally relevant notion in Buddhism is the path of the Tantric practitioner, who takes secret initiations (usually under close supervision) to tread the fast road to awakening.  (NB: 'Fast' to a Buddhist means 'in this lifetime' as opposed to some future lifetime, which certainly changes how we interpret this idea in comparison with Western equivalents.) It is said of Tantric practitioners that their path is both the most rapid and yet also the most dangerous - that it involves truths so profound that they are too easily misunderstood, and powers too strong for one to handle except in a controlled context (hence the need for a teacher).  The mystical 'we are already enlightened' notion is one possible example of these easily misundertood truths, and the ability to attain rapid enlightenment involves otherwise overwhelming powers.   Someone who attains such powers for selfish ends is the common magician or evil sorcerer.  The tantric teachings are not considered to be appropriate for everyone, therefore they are kept secret.  This is not the same duality as the gradualism/subitism debate: the tantric path, though more rapid than others, has a clearly articulated set of stages and levels of attainment (like our spiritual ladder), while the (East Asian) 'sudden path' is strictly formless from beginning to end.  In tantra, it is only ever the final step on the ladder which really escapes definition. 

Subduing demons
Regarding the conversion of 'Black Brother' types to true practitioners . . . . like you I have no personal experiences to substantiate the likelihood of this.  But it is a very common phenomenon in Buddhist histories (which admittedly span hundreds of years).  An archetypal story in Chinese Chan (Zen) Buddhism is that of the evil demon who has more attainments than a pious believer, but obviously less wisdom and grace than an awakened being.  Sometimes the demon might even rely on Buddhist teachings to further his own ends (like the proverbial devil quoting scriptures).  Often such demons will secretly infiltrate the communities of the faithful, to steal their knowledge, but unlike the pious, they do it all for themselves and answer to no-one.  When demons come to the attention of enlightened teachers - who are often also exorcists - some sort of contest of wills ensues.  What is interesting about these stories is that the teacher and his pious disciples are always at odds with each other about how to deal with the demon.  The disciples are naturally frightened, and would kill the demon if given the opportunity.  The fearless teacher on the other hand, appealing to the demon's intelligence, tries to convert the demon to the proper path.   Inevitably the teacher is successful, and the former demon always goes on to be the favourite disciple - the one who will lead the community when the teacher dies.  Of course these stories have a strong allegorical component - the idea being that our inner demons must be transformed  rather than repressed, but there may also be some historical truth in them as well. 

Ecstatic states
"I would be interested to know your opinion of the idea that many ecstatic states can actually be achieved in both an ego-fulfilling and ego-negating manner."
I agree with this opinion.  Ecstatic states are  - above all - enjoyable, so that people forget that 'ecstasy' means 'standing outside oneself', and simply define it as something akin to 'bliss'.  The Buddha, who I'm certain knew more about this than me, was very clear about this point.  He clearly thought that such states were needed for a full awakening on every level of our being.  He also thought they were the most pleasurable experiences available.  But he argued these states are passing - being dependent on certain mental and environmental conditions to properly flourish, and that the final awakening is beyond pleasure/displeasure (and beyond neither pleasure nor displeasure).  So he advoated learning the ecstatic states, but stressed that we should not grasp at them or see them as an end in itself.  It is essential, he says, to be able to move freely in and out of these states without abiding in them.  (I agree with this view, for what it's worth).  Ecstatic states are ego-negating in that they take us out of our 'normal' level of consiousness.  But if we seek out the 'rush' of the trance state for its own sake, or exhibit a perference for one state over another, we are just feeding an 'abnormal' ego.  Getting back to our spiritual ladder, one is usually better off with the 'normal' ego of the ordinary believer.

Tying all this together
Whether one is a 'gradualist', tantric practioner or training in the ecstatic states, the following picture emerges:  meditation and/or other ritual are ways of traversing ever higher levels of reality (regardless of whether these are conceived in psychological or cosmological terms).   Insight and new abilities are attained at these levels, and it is these which are needed for the final awakening.  There is however the temptation to use one's knowledge and power for other purposes, with some even beginning their training with this in mind.  Abuse of these powers will only further one's ignorance and enslavement, because one has failed to reach their true source, which is also their ultimate goal (ie. that to which one is enlightened).  The schools differ, however, on the question of whether one can or should speed up the process, but they all agree it is dangerous to attempt this (because one will not be prepared for the 'temptation' experience).  As for the subitists, they appear to ignore these levels (and abilities) by aiming straight for the final awakening.  The idea here is that one has the correct attitude at the outset and pursues it singlemindedly to its conclusion.  (Slowing down to be safe is one thing; getting sidetracked along the way is quite another.)  In this sense subitism can function as a useful corrective to the exciting distractions which accompany spiritual progress.                   

To sum up my response to your question on whether Eastern religion agrees that magicians egotistically accelerate their progress and accordingly meet with a bad fate (note I have restricted my focus to Asian Buddhism):
All Buddhist schools agree that one should not perform rituals or other practical techniques with the selfish aim of experiencing ecstatic states and/or acquiring magical powers.  On the other hand, most schools follow paths which (to varying extents) comprise just these activities and attainments, but (ideally) with the intention of using them to perform the difficult tasks which await those destined for sainthood (in its various definitions).  There is some dispute over whether one traverses the path slowly or quickly (or even instantaneously). Yet all would agree that an attitude of impatience is an obstacle, which can stem both from a craving for personal power, or conversely an unwillingness, having attained certain powers, to see the path through to its rightful end. 

I feel this agrees with the general principle of what you have been saying, although it has been articulated in a number of different ways.

[Vir Lucis Ex Deus]

"the Divine here is distant from this world and depends upon those between here and there to assist in the construction of infinite beauty."

I have had a conversation with somebody who has read this line which has lead me to see that the idea needs some clarification.  Being a rather freeform Christian they had difficulty with the concept of the creator being 'distant' - as if I was somehow saying that the Divine is 'out there' and not 'here with us'.  In many ways this is akin to the point that I was trying to get across (particularly with "The Perpetuation of the Opportunity for Divine Providence"), but at the same time is misreading the concept.  I take responsibility for using that term as it seemed appropriate, but I do realise that the word 'distant' has connotations that were not entirely intended.

So, let me try and build up a bit more of a cosmology here...

Divinity and the Physical Plane
The Divine is the source of all creation and lies at the beginning of all things (I was tempted to use the term 'center' here but again that implies space, which is only relevant in this, the physical, plane of existence; the word 'beginning' itself is still problematic because of its relation to time, but more appropriate nonetheless).  From this source springs forth everything that exists, and from within its infinity came the potential for everything that will exist.  The physical plane is the 'newest' creation, being a result of other processes that occured before its springing forth into existence.  Everything that is physical has an element of the Divine source within it, animate or inanimate; but it is the animate objects, those with consciousness, that have within them the link between this plane and the one above.  It is from this link that directed change can occur - inanimate change such as weather, cosmic movement, geomorphic changes etc. come as a result of processes set into motion at the beginning of the Universe - and it is from directed change that the Divine Light can continue to manifest on this plane and manipulate the processes that were begun with creation.  If we think about the things that are being created now that have the capability for changing the manner in which the Universal processes function, they are a result of human consciousness; genetics being a rather topical example of 'playing god'.  Now the problem comes from the fact that this physical plane has in some way become corrupted (just how this occured I haven't quite been able to articulate yet), humanity developed to a point where we now have something that is a creation of the physical that is competing with the more pure form of the Divine - the human Ego/Identity.  Almost everything that causes suffering either comes as a result of, or would be fixed without, the interference of human selfishness and disregard for the common heritage of all existence.  Those things which cause suffering that are not human-made, such as disease, have their solution to be found within the human endeavour - with positive results usually coming from the selfless nature of those seeking the answers (and as many of them tell us in flashes of 'inspiration', i.e. the structure of DNA).

The Possibility for Divine Providence
From this idea springs forth the concept of the possibility of Divine Providence.  Providence is not a given in this realm as it is in the ones above because the physical plane has corrupted the channel, it is up to humanity (and if there are other consciousness advanced species on other worlds, or this one, them as well) to act as custodians of this plane of existence and provide a conduit for Divine Providence to have an effect.  We have the choice to do so or not - and if we choose to do so there are varying degrees to which this can occur; hence the 'spiritual ladder' that is being discussed and will continue to be developed.  Through selfless dedication of our body/spirit to the Divine Soul that exists within us all we can allow the Light to shine through and out onto the world around us.  On the flipside, the existence of an Ego has lead to the belief amongst many that their 'will' is what is important and the thing that they should be dedicating their life to.  This almost indefinately leads to either personal suffering or the creation of suffering for others as the negative influence that it emits not only causes the Divine conduit of the individual to be inactive; but it can also lead to actively destroying the conduit of those around as well if strong enough.  What this conduit is replaced with is a simulacrum that calls itself 'I'; a distortion of purity and infinite light that actively moves one further and further away from the Divine Light that is the creator of all things.

This whole idea is a work in progress and should be taken as such.  The aspect that is being spoken of in this thread in particular is the notion that seeking access to the planes above this one for the sake of personal glory/achievement is a path that only strengthens this 'I' and moves the physical plane(to varying degrees) away from the Light instead of opening up the true conduit that is necessary for Divine Providence to have its effect.  This is a concept, that although sometimes different in end result, has a direct relationship with many different streams of esoteric ideology (as has been shown in relation to the Buddhist approach by our knowledgable Editor) - the Ego corrupts the completion of the Great Work.