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We have already explained how the « Volitive I » is created, but we have not indicated the means of giving it strength and power, which are in general as follows:
• Domination and sublimation of one’s desires
• Charging one’s psychic battery
• Economizing one’s energy
• Action directed by will
Desires are one of the principal sources of energy (or energetic loss) in sapiens.
If we listen to our internal world we will realize that desire forms an integral part of our lives and that desire acts with an astounding potency and persistence.
This implies that a great quantity of energy is lost, since desire uses up time and energy when our magnetic strength is projected elsewhere. Nevertheless, if we control and guide our desires, they can be converted into a source of extraordinary potency.
Desire must never be a crazy or fleeting whim for the Hermeticist, but an act of intelligence and method. When a desire is not satisfied, a powerful force vibrates within the individual, but as soon as he obtains what he wants, this power is extinguished and a vacuum is produced.
There are those who pursue a desire intensely for a long time, and finally attain fulfillment, but far from making them happy, this fulfillment of the desire causes a state of deep emptiness, laxness, and disappointment.
This occurs when the fuel which motivated the individual runs out, as desire provides the power which carries us toward fulfillment. We have already said that each person has « x » amount of energy at his disposal during his life, and can distribute it among many things or concentrate it on a few.
Applying this concept to the subject we are addressing, it does not mean repressing or frustrating desires, but permitting their existence only if reason considers them just and convenient, and allowing them to materialize when, how, and where the « Volitive 1 » dictates.
We could also apply this to the principle of penitence, but from a different point of view. For example, we could sacrifice one thing we greatly desire in order to obtain another of greater spiritual or moral value. This could also be applied to vices, denying satisfaction of them through will power in order to obtain what we want.
For example, a person may say, « I will not smoke because … (stating what he desires to obtain). » This affirmation should be mentally repeated every time the individual desires to smoke.
One of the desires it is necessary to suppress in order to channel this force toward higher purposes is that of telling others certain things we have learned exclusively or in secret, in order to impress them or to raise our self-esteem.
This does not mean that we should not tell anything, but do so only after a time, only if in truth we want to, and not in order to make ourselves important. It should also be stated that it is more difficult to accomplish projects that become publicly known than when we endeavor to keep them secret.
The « psychic battery’s » charge is the nervous and psychological tone produced by the magnetism which people accumulate and project; some in very small doses, and others with great potency. Magnetism is accumulated through conscious breathing and all practices of self-control. In fact, the more magnetic an individual is, the more possibility he has of being a success in life. At the same time, it must be understood that the « Volitive I » concretely exists in the form of a strong magnetic field which must be constantly revitalized, as all action absorbs energy.
It is necessary to remember that it is indispensable to economize the energy that has been concentrated, as the « Volitive I » requires fuel; it is continuously expending strength just like any other living being.
A series of bad habits and conflicts brings about a great expenditure of energy within the human being. Impatience, emotional conflict, unnecessary haste, mental rumination, the sense of guilt, anger, unnecessary or exaggerated laments, different kinds of frustrations, fear, disorder, and indolence all rob energy from the « Volitive I. »
The Hermeticist must establish discipline and internal order at all costs in order to match his conduct with the purposes he wishes to achieve.
In relation to « action directed by will, » the difference between « to desire » and « to want » should be very clear. The worn out axiom « to want is power » has fallen into disrepute,
not because it is false or exaggerated, but because no one has ever been able to explain how one has to want in order to obtain that which is desired. Jesus taught his disciples that « if you have the faith of a mustard seed you will move mountains. »
On the surface this has nothing to do with will, but deeper analysis will show that Jesus was not talking of ordinary faith, as ordinary faith is not enough to move mountains.
In truth, he referred to Hermetic faith, which consists of two basic forces:
1. To want
2. Reasoned belief
To want is the masculine power of the « Volitive I, » and reasoned belief is the feminine energy of feelings. In order to want intelligently, the word « want » must be joined to the
rest of the words which form the magicians’ acrostic, that is to know, to dare, to want, and to keep silent, with which the following combinations may be formed:
In order to know how to want, a person must be very clear as to what he desires to obtain, and must give the objective a high place in his scale of values in order to obtain adequate motivation from where the power to want is acquired.
One must also practice the four Hermetic « commandments, » which are:
• Love
• Hope
• Knowledge
• Peace
LOVE
By means of love, God, the Supreme Intelligence, transmits his creative essence to us.
It is not only the attraction between the sexes; it is a power born from the spirit which is directed toward all that carries the divine essence. Love that is passional is not love but only a selfish possessive force, which fights to retain an instrument of pleasure. To clarify the true meaning of love, it is necessary to meditate on the axiom, « love, and do what you want. »
HOPE
Hope is the womb which collects the seed, which it develops and gives form to.
It is the counterpart of sex. It is the feminine soul in man and masculine soul in woman. Through it we conceive and create. It is the etheric double which has an opposite gender from that of the physical body; man’s double is feminine, and woman’s is masculine. This is where the feminine part of man and the masculine part of woman is found, and from which it is necessary to detach oneself, changing its polarity.
KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge for the Hermeticist is like the compass for the navigator, for Hermetic science is the knowledge of the laws of Nature. The possession of knowledge places the student on a higher step than one who lacks such knowledge. One must know Nature thoroughly, and thereby control all. One should meditate on the axiom which says « the magician reigns in heaven and rules in hell » (to rule in hell means having sufficient power to avoid being destroyed by satanic forces).
PEACE
The student must fight to establish harmony between the brain, heart, and sex, and thus attain the union of the « Superior I » with the soul. This is the only way to end the internal conflicts which develop within the human being. When the individual’s will grants or denies his body the satisfaction of desires or needs in a completely conscious manner, he will become the king of his physical body and will live in deep peace; and with the power of peace, everything will be harmonious and happy. He will be king of the Universe, as he will be in harmony with the laws of Nature.
The power of peace is acquired only by the will to maintain control of the imagination. Impure and uncontrolled imagination is the primary source of restlessness and anxiety. One can only enjoy peace and serenity by controlling the imagination, but nevertheless, there is no peace without love. It is for this reason that it is necessary to overcome egotism, which is the opposite vibration of love.
REASONED BELIEF
Reasoned belief comes from applying Hermetic theory to vital situations. Observation of the action of natural laws and practical verification of the Teaching, confers on the disciple blind belief in himself and in Hermeticism. This is not done through faith, but through absolute certainty of the logical and material verification of everything that he has learned in the Hermetic School.
MIND
We have already pointed out that Homo sapiens lacks mind, merely possessing a brain and intelligence. We could state that cerebral intelligence is unconscious intelligence without any internal sense, while mental intelligence has the character of being conscious. The former is oneiric, and the latter awakened. In order to give an elementary idea of the basic material the individual possesses in a latent state, which can form his mind, we refer to the three vital sources:
1. Brain: Intelligence
2. Heart: Feelings
3. Sex: Instinct
Normally the individual works with one of these centers predominating, or with a mixture of two of them. For proper Hermetic effects to be realized, the individual must learn to function in the following way:
When the human being « thinks with the number 666 » there is no possibility of reaching the knowledge of truth. He is, however, able to perfectly execute marvelous works of
good and evil.
Furthermore, the works will be programmed and therefore can be tremendously dangerous for the human species and the individual himself. People always believe that good brings forth goodness, and vice versa, but in practice this is not always true.
In Example No. 1, it is hoped that the student should reach integral thought in which there is a perfect equilibrium between intelligence, feelings, and instinct.
The formation of the « Volitive I, » in addition to the different disciplines the student must accomplish, will gradually lead to the formation of a magnetic bipolar spheroid which extends from the head to the sex, the center point being the spinal column.
This magnetic field is actually present in the Hermeticist and is the seat of his higher awareness; it is a force which resists dissolution by death, and it is through this magnetic field that the individual exists and thinks, even without a physical body.
Observe the similarity between this and our planet Earth.
Summarizing the concept of what mind is, we can affirm that:
(a) Mind is the « Volitive I. »
(b) Mind is a magnetic bipolar spheroid, which is formed within the Hermeticist.
(c) Mind is the « philosopher’s stone. »
(d) Mind is the whole body.
(e) Mind is the super-brain.
(f) Mind is celestial intelligence.
(g) Mind is the integration of the superior faculties latent in the human being.
The naive reader will probably ask how it is possible that mind is a magnetic sphere, if in point (d) it is said that « it is the whole body. » The answer is simple as the one does not contradict the other.
The mind or super-brain is what permits the Stellar Man to reach true wisdom; that which within the individual is « beyond good or evil »; the part of man which reaches eternity. The semi-sage, on the contrary, only accumulates knowledge {dead or unconscious knowledge, which is only useful for recognition in the world of sapiens) and uses his intelligence for temporal and limited aims.
When common men think, they do so with their brain; the Hermeticist thinks with the mind.
THREE BASIC OBJECTIVES
As we have already pointed out, these three objectives are awakening, mental digestion, and the formation of the « Volitive I. » We have already spoken sufficiently on these points, but must again emphasize mental digestion as the most important part of processing the information we acquire through study.
When we learn perfect mental digestion, a new world is opened before our astonished eyes, as we thus discover the real sense of written or verbal information, and the genuine meaning of art, music, and other forms of human expression.
This capacity of penetration which is reached through the mind is so extensive, that no matter what book we read, no matter what we do at a given moment, we will always extract wise and beneficial lessons from our situations, as we will have learned to read the open book of Nature.
Animals, plants, birds, and even stones will speak to us in silent language, but we will understand perfectly. Further, through the process of understanding, we will be in a permanent transformation into beings who are wiser and more conscious. This will enable us to help our fellow men, not by charity, donation, or politics, but in a superior way, teaching them to live wisely, teaching them to think and decide for themselves, showing them the advantage of taking their lives in their hands and being saved by their own efforts. Because the age of the Messiah has passed, the one who does not save himself condemns himself. Only the individual who is able to form his mind can appreciate the transcendental importance of this fact.
THREE SUPERIOR OBJECTIVES
We have pointed out three superior objectives: deprogramming, initiatory death, and rebirth. The three form part of one process and represent different degrees of it. Programming is the assembly of mechanical and automatic circuits, which rule the biological and psychological side of sapiens.
Naturally, we do not wish to interfere with biological functions except as an effort to correct some anomaly; we only seek the individual’s psychological liberation, and for this it is necessary to reeducate the motor capacity.
We will explain very generally and simply what constitutes the basis of deprogramming: to exchange automatic circuits for conscious circuits.
The individual is deprogrammed by submitting to the relearning of what it means to be awake. To understand this, it is necessary to bear in mind that mechanical circuits are also formed within the human being thanks to learning.
It is thus that at a given moment the child starts to walk without any effort, due to the automation of the circuit, which has been formed by the repetition of voluntary movement.
However, we maintain that the low level of alertness in which sapiens lives gives all learning an oneiric character; that is, he does not incorporate a superior state of awareness within himself.
Therefore, the learning is generally of a mechanical character and reinforces the individual’s program, progressively reducing his level of awareness and making the possibility of his awakening to greater alertness even more remote.
Paradoxically, the more a human being learns, the « less human » he will become, as the potency and reach of his mechanical circuits will increase, making him more and more like a robot. This, as we have already stated, invariably annuls genuine intelligence and leads to absolute slavery or dependence on the program.
IQ tests only determine how well trained the individual’s intelligence is, along with the agility, coordination, and speed by which the neuronal information is synthesized. Such qualities bring to mind the general characteristics of a computer. If perfect robots existed which could both design and apply intelligence tests, they would certainly obtain outstanding performance, but they would only measure mechanical intelligence.
Nevertheless, these robots could apply their extraordinary « intellectual » capacity to accomplish functions much more rapidly and efficiently than sapiens.
Hermetically, we consider the human being a perfect robot. Therefore, we deny that his intelligence genuinely corresponds to what should be the superior intellect of a truly awakened and conscious human being.
The deprogramming of the individual is obtained gradually by means of an apprenticeship in a state of superior alertness, and gives birth to true intelligence, which leads to « living knowledge, » as opposed to the « dead knowledge » of sapiens.
Hermetic observations from the most remote ages have established that sapiens does not necessarily die when his spirit leaves his body as is the usual process, but in many cases the body continues to live as a veritable zombie, in spite of the fact that the spirit has moved on to a better life. A person can live 30 or 40 years under these conditions, leading an apparently normal life. The terrifying thing is that no one realizes this; no one knows that he is greeting, speaking to, or living with an authentic living cadaver.
From the Hermetic point of view, a cadaver is not a physical body in which the biological life has ended, but is the body without a spirit, as this spirit is the individual himself, the true « I, » the real individual behind the person. If people cannot recognize a cadaver, it is not at all surprising that they are not aware that they themselves and their fellow men do not truly think but that something thinks for them. This something, which is the source of their ideas, is also converted into the rudder and compass of their existence. We already know that this something that thinks is the central computer of the species and the individual is freed from it when he becomes deprogrammed.
Returning to eternal paradoxes, let us consider the enormous contradiction of the fact that an individual’s professional preparation limits him intellectually. Instead of expanding the scope of his intelligence, only his cultural, technical, or professional program is furthered. No university student is prepared to withdraw from the power of suggestion imposed by the prestige and authority of professors, enhanced by the university’s imposing image. Thus the student blindly accepts all he is taught, and imitates the behavioral model of the prestigious professors.
On the other hand, something absolutely different occurs with the self-taught, who, intellectually speaking, are generally on a much higher level than those who graduate from a university, as their programming is weaker. From the Hermetic point of view we should always prefer self-taught knowledge to that acquired from professors, at least until present educational systems are modified.
Referring once again to deprogramming, we must point out that there is one stage which the disciple is able to cover by himself, and another more advanced and rapidly progressing stage which can only be passed through with the help of a Master or instructor.
The disciple’s part refers basically to reeducation of motor skills, an effort to give awareness to movements. This can be practiced in ten minute intervals and repeated as many times a day as desired. It is necessary to move slowly, thinking about and
feeling each of the movements being made. Moving slowly should be understood as « moving a little slower than is habitual. » This means practicing a deliberate motor action. The consequence of this is an immediate elevation in the level of awareness, placing the student in the « present moment. » It is necessary to reflect on the fact that there is nothing which gives a stronger sensation of existing than the act of moving within a space. Walking should be done consciously, moving the hands, arms, head, trunk, and eyes while thinking and feeling.
Together with this exercise, one should meditate daily on the difference between the « I » and « John Doe. » That is, person X should think that he is not X, and look at X only as a puppet or vehicle of the « I. » It must be observed how X has feelings, ideas, impulses, and fears, which in reality « are not his, » but in fact are absolutely foreign to his « I. » This practice must be perfected until two absolutely separate beings with perfectly defined boundaries appear, until the practitioner is able to state with complete certainty: « I am not X, » and be absolutely convinced of this. (« Découvrir Mathieu)
Another discipline that may be practiced by the student consists of controlling the five senses until he is able to see or not see at will, hear or not hear at will, thus successively placing his senses under the control of his will. This exercise is extremely important but we will not elaborate on its benefits, since only those who assiduously practice will learn the secret.
Regarding the part which must be accomplished with the help of a Master, we will only state that the Master can progressively annul the disciple’s circuits so that the disciple may rise above all that is mechanical. This is however, a long and delicate task, which may only be known to the person who has arrived at such an experience. The culmination of this stage is initiatic death. This is the dissolution of the personality in the Hermetic sense, where personality is a synonym for the program.
(Séparer l’épais du subtil dans l’Alchimie : c’est se créer un Esprit/volitive I et faire mourir les programmes involuants issus de l’inconscient collectif, le « central computer of the species », les boucles automatiques de feedback qui s’auto-alimente sans aucune attention sur son jardin intérieur.)
During this period, and until the rebirth is complete, the disciple really ceases to exist, psychologically speaking, living during the time it takes for rebirth with very basic elemental circuits which will not form an obstacle to his evolution.
After his rebirth he will be called the « twice born, » and in this manner we understand the esoteric symbol of the birth of Jesus, as it is said that his mother was a virgin. Likewise, we may say that the reborn « is not born of woman. » Once Hermetic rebirth has occurred, the individual starts to live an absolutely new existence, that is of an individual who has been deprogrammed and freed from the central computer of the species.
For the first time, he has genuine self-determination and autonomy; his thoughts belong to himself; his intelligence has risen to a higher level, and he has been freed from the cosmic-oneiric influence. Likewise, his soul has been cleansed, becoming again as pure and innocent as a child’s. This, and only this, is true heaven, which can be found within the individual.
God, who is supposed to be in heaven, and into whose lap it is believed that those of faith will arrive, is in truth the « Superior I » or Divine Spark, before whose luminosity the individual feels intimidated and at the same time transported to a condition of supreme peace and love. The angels in their heavenly choir raise paeans in honor of one who died in the world of the beast to be reborn into the world of men. One cycle has ended and another begun: the ascension of man to semigod.
THREE SUPREME OBJECTIVES
We have pointed out three supreme objectives: evolution, conversion into a Stellar Man, and transcending Maya. As we already know, evolution means the growth of our
spiritual essence, freeing it from the tyranny of the beast.
Our spirit should grow in size and quality. We will illustrate an evolutionary process in this simple diagram.
In the first figure of Diagram 10, the spiritual essence is represented by the small dark point in the center, and the large circle represents the rest. In the second figure, we see the growth of the center point in relation to the rest, which symbolizes an evolutionary process. Here we wish to point out a profound difference between the Western Hermetic path and the goals sought by Yoga, where it is intended that the individual should be integrated into Nirvana, that is, reintegrated into the cosmic egg. As a matter of fact, we could call Yoga the path of the egg, and Hermeticism the path of the spermatozoid. (How about Steiner’s Path ? Is it conscientazing both and marrying it through christ ?)
Through an enormous effort, the yogi reaches dissolution of his essential individuality which has taken so long to form. It is thus that he never reincarnates and joins the cosmic egg, awaiting a new wave of life. It is appropriate to ask what happens when this new wave of life arrives after eons of time. Nothing is eternal, and when one who has been freed from reincarnation awakens from his eternal sleep, he is obliged to reincarnate. Thus everything begins again.
On the other hand, the Hermetic path is the conscious evolution of the spiritual individuality. It pursues the indefinite growth of the individual’s spiritual essence, so that always conscious of his own identity, the individual evolves until his body as we know it is not sufficient to contain his enormous spiritual power.
At this point, his evolution continues in celestial bodies, such as the planet Earth or others. It is completely impossible to conceive of the life of one of these beings and to imagine how they think, talk, feel, and move. In any event, it is useful to observe that a celestial sphere possesses a body basically the same as represented in the two figures, that is, the essence corresponds to the nucleus and the rest to the physical body.
Likewise, we can surmise the important difference which may exist, for example,
between the sun and a planet of the solar system. To clarify what a Stellar Man is, it should be said that he is an individual who was a sapiens in the near or remote past.
Through his own effort he was able to provoke a genetic and functional-psychological mutation in himself, which established the basis for his transition to the other extreme of the evolutionary spectrum. One of the poles of this spectrum is represented by Homo sapiens and the other by the Stellar Man, the name given to Hermeticists who have reached a high level of consciousness.
A Stellar Man is not necessarily a Hermetic Master of wisdom, as this is a difficult specialty; but he is a man who, having surpassed his terraqueous condition, is fit to continue the study of the great mysteries of the Universe and to choose his future destiny.
There are many « masters » who have accomplished great things and have outstanding knowledge, but who are not Stellar Men. On the contrary, when a Stellar Man reaches Hermetic mastery he will always be a « Master of Masters. »
With respect to the specialization a Hermeticist may follow when he is advanced along his path, only two of the most important possibilities will be mentioned, following
the theme of Zanoni.
These refer precisely to the path of Zanoni and to the path of Mejnour.
- The path of Zanoni is that of high politics, of those leaders who march at the head of the history of mankind; or better stated, are the creators of history and leaders of civilization.
- The path of Mejnour is that of a Master of wisdom, which is the best known.
It needs to be said that these individuals are very scarce, and there are but few in the world, as the extreme difficulty of their task permits only a few with the necessary spiritual strength to choose this path. Even though gullible people see « masters »
everywhere, they are very scarce and are more carefully hidden than is believed.
Those who show themselves do so only for purposes of initiation.
Some of these Masters, but certainly not all, transcend Maya, or the universal principle of illusion. This means that they live above the disguised appearance of reality and that the most important events for the human race mean no more to them than the ebb and flow of Maya, an illusion created only to be destroyed and infinitely and repeatedly reformed, as the tide which incessantly fluctuates, always repeating the same cycle with practically imperceptible change. With the supreme calm of absolute reality, they imperturbably contemplate the circus of human life, as Mejnour did in the novel Zanoni.
It is fitting to meditate on the controversy which arose between two mythological Masters, Cagliostro and the Count of Saint Germain. As is well known, Cagliostro was one of the fomenters of the French Revolution, and the celebrated episode of Marie Antoinette’s necklace was directly provoked by Cagliostro through Madame de la Motte to unleash the revolutionary process. The Count of Saint Germain, on the contrary, was in favor of maintaining the royalty, and believed that the revolution was not necessary.
What is interesting is the philosophical stand taken by each of them. Cagliostro maintained that the revolution would bring about an extraordinary evolutionary advance in the world. Saint Germain argued that there was no hurry for the evolution of the human masses, and that it would be the same if this evolution were slow or fast, as evolution is always cyclical; one cycle ends and another commences.
In order to understand what it means to transcend Maya, we must recall the Principle of Mentalism: « The Universe is mental; the only essential reality is mind: the Universe is a mental creation and we live in the mind of God.. . . All is infinite, eternal, immutable, and unknowable; all that which is finite, movable, and transformable cannot be the All, and as nothing exists beyond this, all that is finite must in reality be nothing. »
To transcend Maya means being fully and totally conscious that all that is finite, movable, and transformable is illusory. It means to be able, in time, to project our consciousness toward the infinite, immutable, and eternal, that is to say, toward God.
Qilin Egostasie 