Messages

1

Hello and Goodbye / Re: Yo

« on: March 14, 2017, 10:56:04 AM »

Sorry dude, this place is dead. Nothing but tumbleweeds up in here...

2

Magick / Re: Initiation into Hermetics - differences in translations

« on: November 08, 2016, 08:44:39 PM »

I prefer the second translation, personally. I find it a bit more warm and precise, but I don't think the difference is such that it would cause problems for anyone.

No idea why they chose to redo the translation.

3

Magick / Re: Franz Bardon Hermetics & Astrology An Interview with David Coleman

« on: September 06, 2016, 12:21:17 AM »

These interviews are interesting, but maybe condense them into a single thread?

4

Psionics / Re: Adfeng's Technique Stash

« on: August 14, 2016, 03:39:51 AM »

Introduction to Pyrokinesis

Pyrokinesis is the psychic ability to manipulate or create fire. Generally, one begins manipulating a candle's flame. In more advanced practices one can extinguish a candle flame or reignite a flame that has went out. Pyrokinesis is a branch of psychokinesis. Another common name for Pyrokinesis is "Flame Manipulation".

Flickering Candle

1. Familiarity with the flame

It is important to first understand what fire is. Fire is a chemical reaction resulting in the burning of material that produces a flame. Light a candle and look at the flame. Concentrate on how the flame stands still. Close your eyes and visualize this flame. It may help to meditate briefly, visualizing this flame.

2. Familiarity with Energy

As with all practices, it will be very helpful to understand what energy is. If it helps, meditate and get ready to perform psychokinesis on the candle flame.

3. Concentration on the flame

It is important that you are in an area that has no air current. If there is air current, it may not be you moving the flame. Concentrate on the candle flame. Visualize it moving in your mind. Establish a link between yourself and the candle flame so that it is easier for you to manipulate the flame.

4. Move the flame

Use your energy to manipulate the flame. Take your visualization and push the flame with your energy, making what is in your mind become enforced on the candle. This may take a few tries. When you are able to shift the candle to one side, allow it to come back to rest. Shift the candle back to the other side. Allow the flame to flicker.

5. Retrospection

Were you successful? Were you struggling? Consider the successes and failures of your practice and try again later. Understand that more practice will help. Do not confine yourself to one brand of psychokinesis, but rather journey to others. Always learn from your mistakes, and remember your triumphs.

Dimming/Extinguishing Candle

Read the above steps, one through four. We will then continue on from four.

1. Dampen the lights

Visualize the lit candle in your mind inside a dark room(perhaps the room you are currently in). Visualize the room getting darker, and as a result, the candle getting dimmer. The candle is now very dim, and almost extinguished. As the room becomes dark, so does the candle.

2. Down the flame

With your energy, manipulate the flame to be smaller. Because fire lives on oxygen, it may help you to visualize putting something over the candle that prevents oxygen from getting in, therefore reducing the candle's size. Come up with your own way if this does not work. There is no right way, only the way that works for you!

3. Retrospection

Did the candle dim? Were you able to extinguish it? Always seek answers to questions you have while practicing, and always ask more. If you could not dim the candle, practice again or perhaps try another form of psychokinesis.

Re-lighting the Candle

1. Extinguish the flame

Either manually or through psychokinesis, extinguish the flame on the candle. Due to the wick being hot, it will help the wick re-ignite.

2. The Phoenix

From the ashes, the phoenix rises again. Similarly, a flame can come again where there is but a burnt wick. Visualize the extinguished candle in your mind, and focus on it re-igniting. Watch as it re-ignites. Do this multiple times until you feel satisfied with its re-ignition.

3. Performance

Using your energy and visualization, focus on the extinguished candle and concentrate on making it re-ignite. Visualize a spark on the wick growing into a flame, aided by your energy. You can use your own method, as the one stated is one of many.

4. Retrospection

Did the candle re-ignite? If not, do not worry. This is one of the most difficult tasks in psychokinesis. Practice makes perfect.

Exactly how far are you claiming to have taken this technique?

5

Magick / Re: Lost all faith

« on: July 24, 2016, 01:41:09 AM »

Sigil magick (A.O.Spare style) was the only system to every truly work for me. Because it's of the psychological model and there are very simple principals behind the how and why it works. There is no faith nor belief involved. I've lost faith and belief in the spiritual aspect of magick. That 'God' has some meaning to anything, and for some stupid reason 'demons' and other such supposed entities will do what you say just because of self-entitlement.

Well for starters, I haven't done a ton of spirit work, but most systems have pretty specific justifications for why it works that have nothing to do with self entitlement.

But beyond that, it sounds like your issues run deeper and have more to do with an existential dilemma than whether any specific phenomenon does or doesn't exist. Some things can be demonstrated objectively (psychokinesis, clairvoyance, any magic which creates environmental changes which can be statistically measured, etc etc) but all that they demonstrate is the existence of the phenomena in question.

 Even if someone turns up at your door levitating through the air, manifesting gold and jewels out of thin air with one hand and blasting lightning bolts out of the other, all that demonstrates is that human capabilities are exceptionally greater than is normally accepted in today's Western society. It makes no statement about the existence of a creator deity, primordial consciousness, immortal soul, or anything similar.

Now the individual themselves could allege to possess such knowledge, and use their powers as proof that they should be taken at their word, claiming that those powers are an outward demonstration of inward spiritual enlightenment or attainment. And this of course happens all the time (although generally on a lesser scale), where individuals use preterhuman/psychic/magical abilities (or alleged abilities, if you don't want to accept their existence) to endow themselves with authority to make grand statements about the nature of reality and tell people how to live their lives, but you are still, at the end of the day, taking their word for it.

Even if they give you some kind of empowerment which elevates your consciousness and allows you to enter what feels like a state of divine union, you have no way of knowing whether what you experience and learn in this state is real. After all, every day thousands of people experience similar states through the use of drugs - if a plant or powder can make you feel at one with the universe, surely a psychic could potentially induce the same sensation?

So where the hell does that leave you? I would say the best route is to decide on what you want out of your practice, seek out a system which has a good reputation for achieving that result, and then dedicate yourself to pursuing it. In your case, you seem to be seeking some method of reaching a greater metaphysical understanding of the universe and coming to terms with it - which is a great goal, but probably not something you'll achieve by working with sigils, or for that matter most of Western magical practice. You seem to be using the wrong toolset for what you want to achieve.

Maybe you'd be much better off pursuing Eastern mysticism? There's a wide assortment of schools of Buddhist, Daoist and Hindu thought and practice which have spend centuries attempting to answer the questions you're asking, exploring the nature of consciousness and human experience. Of course I have no way of knowing whether any of them have succeeded in truly proving beyond a shadow of a doubt the existence or nature of God/The Soul/etc, but at the least, their practitioners have scientifically demonstrated the capability of reaching states of constant calm and contentment, which suggests they're doing something right, and have, through their experiences, generally come to remarkably similar conclusions about the answers to a large number of the big questions you seem to be frustrated by. Even if the answers you find aren't the ones you hoped for, the right practice should be able to help you come to terms with that.

 I hope you find what you're looking for.

6

Magick / Re: Lost all faith

« on: July 23, 2016, 01:34:48 AM »

https://www.ics.uci.edu/~jutts/air.pdf

Even that doesn't convince me.

Why not? And what would?

If it's purely internal is that so bad?

Not if it gets you the results you want.

Why not take something which would establish once and for all whether magic has an objective reality, dedicate yourself to it, and see what happens? At least that way you can stop agonizing over the issue and get on with your life.

7

Magick / Re: Lost all faith

« on: July 20, 2016, 11:37:10 PM »

Not to put too fine a point on it, but what have you been doing for the past 6+ years that you're still questioning the validity of your practices?

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Psionics / Re: Psi and brain damage??

« on: July 14, 2016, 07:31:16 AM »

^Yup, see a doctor if you suspect you have some kind of head injury.

That said, I suspect what you're experiencing are placebo symptoms (which isn't to say they aren't real) as a result of a fear of injuring yourself which was either set off during practice or existed underlying within your psyche from the beginning. IMO you'd be best off to stop with the psi work entirely and take up mindfulness and quiet sitting to work on getting a hang of your emotions and reaching a state of calm and balance.

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Psionics / Re: Bump. Psi and brain damage??

« on: July 14, 2016, 07:23:06 AM »

^What he said, vis a vis going to a doctor. Any potential head injury should be checked out.

That said, if I had to take a bet, it would be that you're suffering from placebo symptoms (which isn't to say they aren't real, although only a doctor will be able to tell you for sure) as a result of underlying fear and anxiety about injuring yourself. I would suggest staying away from psi work for the time being and working on developing awareness of your emotions and their effect on you via quiet sitting and mindfulness practice.

10

Body Energy Arts / Re: Ask any question about Qigong or Yoga.

« on: May 14, 2016, 11:43:13 AM »

I know I'm resurrecting an older thread, but I came across this video which really neatly articulates a lot of what was being debated here, from a figure who generally receives a fair amount of respect and authority in the Daoist community, so I thought I'd post a link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHaeO2hl4SY

It's a decent length at 45 minutes, but most of what's relevant to the discussion which was being held is in the first half - namely the nature of Jing in traditional Daoist cosmology, how the concept influences Qi Gong practice and relates to Daoist concepts of health and lifestyle, and why it's important, when discussing these arts, to not recklessly cast off the traditional cosmological models within which these arts were developed.

11

Magick / Re: Child abuse in IOT?

« on: May 04, 2016, 12:44:19 PM »

What on earth is "Ice Magick"?

12

Magick / Re: Polarity and the Balancing of Forces

« on: May 01, 2016, 03:17:02 AM »

Sifu Anthony Korahais left the school, I'm a student of Sifu Anthony Spinicchia from Vegas.

Ahh, knew I recognized those teachings

13

Magick / Re: Polarity and the Balancing of Forces

« on: April 29, 2016, 10:52:13 PM »

I think it is interesting that through working with the vital force in the chinese paradigm one can experience a self balancing effect.

Stand upright
Relax
Smile from the heart

These are the major skills involved at a basic level.

Then repeating a special technique of physical movement to generate a flow of vital force, and enjoying the flow for a time before consolidating that flow at the lower abdomen energy center. It's the state of enjoying the energy flow part that does the balancing, cleansing, building, and nourishing, not so much just tapping the energy, but letting it flow where it most needs to be.

Simple, direct, and effective. Good health mentally and physically is supposed to be the natural state. So I somewhat disagree that all work with the vital force will lean towards only enabling ones current state of being, rather than helping one grow stronger.

One cannot discount the effect of the mind. Expectation. If told during instruction that something will happen, then it likely will. If told that it will create Yin and Yang or Electric and Magnetic balance in the body and possibly cure any ailment, because all aliment is a result of imbalance, then diligent and correct practice will produce the effect in a lot of cases.

I'm not talking out of my ass here, there are thousands of people that have learned this stuff from my teachers teacher over the last thirty years and have gotten massive benefit.

You wouldn't happen to be a student of Sifu Anthony Korahais or another member of the same lineage would you?

14

Magick / Re: The Divine Science (TDS) Ramose (Prophecy) and Veos- Open discussion

« on: April 13, 2016, 04:09:43 AM »

Maybe because you behave like assholes. Think about it. 

Are we speaking singular, or plural? If you have a specific example where I personally behave like an asshole, feel free to bring it up and we'll talk it out.

If you're lumping me in with the Murawsky's or Julian/Justin, or with others who have associated with them or posted on their blog, simply because I'm also offering criticism of TDS (I would aim to make the criticism more constructive in nature if I thought for a second that TDS was open to any kind of feedback), please take a minute to reflect on the  kind of tribalism and black and white, us v. them thinking you're falling into, because I've never contributed to the blog (I've actually critiqued it heavily since it's emergence, for various reasons), I've never interacted with the Murawsky's at all (beyond Daniel's tenure as the main tech support guy on the old TDS website), and my interaction with Julian and Justin is limited to a few responses to their posts here on Veritas and a brief PM conversation with Justin last year, when I was still a TDS student.

In short, I am not in any way part of the "TDSSanctuary crew," or otherwise associated with some group aiming at bringing down TDS, merely because I've been more openly critical of TDS since my departure.

Finally, someone behaving like an asshole isn't a reason to to neglect to sympathize with their pain and with their struggles - the ability to dislike someone's behavior and still understand the reason for it and feel pity for that person's suffering is the mark of a genuinely evolved and compassionate soul, and that kind of cliqueish, schoolyard bullying behavior is beneath someone claiming to be a spiritual aspirant.

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Magick / Re: The Divine Science (TDS) Ramose (Prophecy) and Veos- Open discussion

« on: April 12, 2016, 09:45:35 PM »

Well Kemetin, then your experience has been very different from mine.

I think I've said everything I've wanted to say this time round.

That is, of course, your decision, but it's disappointing that you seem to just ignore criticisms instead of responding to them.

TDS will continue to be called home by many spiritual seekers, and will continue to have success (students achieving the goals that the school sets out to help them achieve), and in fact improve.

Will it? How do you know this?

I'm not saying it won't, but it seems to me that simply assuming something will be a glorious success is a pretty good way to blind yourself to it's faults (and I admit to having been guilty of this during my early period in TDS).

Hopefully the school will take steps to place more emphasis on precautions, but ultimately, nothing can shield anyone from their own fate, and no one can walk the path for you, or overcome its obstacles for you.

No, but they can help or hinder - no man is an island and all that. And the goal of a school and of teachers is, after all, to help their students.

I'm not saying it's been all bad - I had a lot of beneficial experiences from TDS too, which is why I lingered so long and tried to defend it in my mind long after my heart had recognized the school for what it was. But ultimately, my own negative experiences aside, I couldn't abide in the kind of toxic culture the school cultivates, and I hit a point where I just couldn't justify my membership and through it my tacit support of their behavior any longer.

Some will benefit from TDS and some won't. That's life. If I'm being a bit flippant then so be it, this whole thing is a bit tiring. For someone who has benefited as much from TDS as I have, there's no real point in trying to argue with someone who hasn't had that experience. I like TDS's style, their curriculum, and probably most of all the community. I have absolutely no problem with the fact that there are people who really don't. It's fine. There are many, many other places to go - I just happen to like this one, and it's worked exceedingly well for me, and that's really all the justification I need.

For sure, there are a lot of people who've benefited overall from TDS, but this isn't a question of people's favorite gaming console or icecream flavor or some other triviality - we're talking about the behavior of a small group of individuals who have an inordinate amount of power over a large following, and the effect that behavior has on that following. We're talking about people who've had real, life-derailing negative experiences with TDS, the inability of the TDS leadership to help them and the refusal of the TDS leadership to take so much as a sliver of responsibility for the spillover from their behavior.

People who want to hold on to anger and vengeance will do that, and see how it works out for them.

I agree that holding onto these kind of negative emotions isn't beneficial either personally or to their goals of helping students realize the nature of TDS, and I've said this multiple times, but as everyone knows, it's one thing to tell someone to let go of an emotion and another thing for them to do it.

I personally think that the fact that they were under the spiritual guidance of TDS for so long and came away with such emotional turmoil and discord that they simply can't let go of is pretty telling. "By their fruits..." and all that.

Maybe a few years spent in a spiritual school that wasn't for you isn't such a terrible thing, even if your health and/or ego suffered a bit for it.[/quote]

Maybe, but it's extraordinarily arrogant for anyone but the individual to make that judgement. You can see that right? You're in no position to tell Rodz and his brother, or the Murawsky's, or assorted others, how much they were harmed by their experiences with TDS (whether physically, psychologically, spiritually, socially), any more than, say, I am in a position to tell you how much you have benefited from your time in TDS.

As far as I can tell everyone recovered anyway, so let's have some perspective.

That's a pretty cavalier attitude, I would expect some more sympathy from someone who's supposed to be trying to improve themselves spiritually.

That was one of the things that really turned me away from TDS - watching people react to the emergence of the Murawsky's and Rodz/his brother (sorry, typing PeoplesChampion over and over is a bit much) and not being able to summon up so much as a drop of sympathy.

Whatever the reality of the situation, whatever the blame, it's dead obvious that they have undergone some kind of pain or suffering of some sort, otherwise they wouldn't be acting the way they are. Short of being severely mentally ill (which would be it's own issue alltogether), people don't just have the kind of 180 degree change in attitude towards something as large as TDS unless they have some kind of reason. It doesn't happen.

To be unable or unwilling to acknowledge that and express even the smallest amount of sympathy for their suffering is a pretty nasty way to be behave.

These are rather tame first world aspirant's problems, none of us here know true suffering. That being said, I truly hope that everyone who was or felt hurt recovers fully, and that they are able to move on and find true peace, health and happiness.

Really? So, for example, the years of chronic pain Rodz' brother underwent wasn't "true suffering"?

That's a rather awful stance to take.

And, hopefully, the Veritas Magick forum will some day have meaningful activity apart from endless, circular TDS discussions.

I doubt it - forums on the whole are dying out as a mode of communication, and veritas is reflecting this. People prefer more speed, more instant gratification and less thought in their online communication these days, sadly.