Evil may seem to be a vague and highly misunderstood topic, but one of extreme importance to the practicing Occultist. If you are wondering if you are a "practicing occultist" you are if you practice any form of spirituality other than Christianity or Roman Catholicism. Ironically, however, there are many similarities and parallels between the two.
The purpose of this posting is to present at least one perspective on what we commonly call "evil" as it exists perpetually and eternally. Anyone interested in the esoteric, metaphysical or alternative spirituality would benefit from a clear understanding of it.
Firstly, evil is not be given a name, a face or an identity as has been done by the Churches of Christianity and Catholicism in depicting "the devil" "satan" or "the prince of darkness" , for to do so is to manifest it within our common reality. However, it is far too late for this to be of concern at this time in history.
An Occultist has many choices when working with light or darkness and may choose a path to follow, however, a journey to the underworld must not be taken without guidance and knowledge of where one is going and what lies ahead.
The Occultist understands the trinity of evil and it is classified into three categories according to the method in which they exist or by the route it manifests into common reality.
1. Primary Evil
2. Secondary Evil
3. Accidental Evil
The duality theory of good versus evil is expressed, in some form or another, by many cultures. Those who believe in the duality theory of evil believe that evil cannot exist without good, nor good without evil, as they are both objective states and opposite ends of the same scale.
Evil which dwells in the place known as the Underworld, does not concern itself with theories or concepts for it simply is, without questioning why or how or what. The Underworld may perhaps be a physical place, perhaps a figurative place or both and niether, such as Heaven and Hell of the Christian belief, but once again it's definition is irrelevant as the more one contemplates evil the closer it approaches, for intellectualism is but another mask to hide the insidious fear which is the food of evil.
Within the Underworld exists Primary Evil, it cannot by it's own accord make contact with the common reality in which humanity exists.
The term reality, in its widest sense, includes everything that is, whether it is observable,accessible or understandable by science,philosophy, or any other system of analysis. Reality in this sense may include both being and nothingness, whereas existence is often restricted to being.
Primary Evil is also known as the "Dark Satellite" by many Occultists and can be better understood as the source of all evil whose sole purpose is to consume and exist. Since it cannot make contact with our world of common reality it must feed by any means possible and this is most often by deception. Primary Evil is named "the "Dark Satellite" as many perceive it as a continuous, eternal body, mass or entity of darkness or the absence of light which orbits our common reality perpetually attempting to gain access to our world through the only doorway possible, the human soul.
Understanding this concept brings us to the next form of evil ; Secondary Evil or evil that has passed through the doorway of the human soul and has manifested itself within our common reality.
Secondary Evil is probably the most dangerous as it has been consciously willed into being by the human doorway or host. Many amateur Occultists or those dabbling with Occult tools such as Ouija boards, spellcraft or mediumship have fallen victim to Secondary Evil by inviting it into our reality through poorly constructed ritual, lack of understanding of the Occult or failure to invoke the protection from the light and benevolent forces and entities available to us.
This is not to say that the Occult arts are themselves evil, they are simply tools such as a hammer which sits quietly in a toolbox doing nothing but when wielded by the hand can be a constructive tool to build a warm and comforting home or a destructive tool to smash, destroy and kill. So are the Ouija board, the spells of the craft and all forms of spiritual practice which includes the tools of Christianity and Catholicism.
The results of manifesting Secondary Evil are devastating and the deception used by Primary Evil is that of infinate power. Like a carrot which dangles before a horse in a bridle the novice or arrogant practitioner follows the path of Primary Evil and the promise of power to his own demise and often takes many others with him to the grave, through murder, torture and suicide.
A prime example of the manifestation of Primary Evil into Secondary evil is that of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party which had its origins in the esoteric Thule Society and Germanorden or "The Order of the Teutons" themselves not necessarily evil but resulted in powerful Occult forces which opened the doorway through Adolf Hitler.
It is a commonly known fact that Hitler utilized the knowledge and tools of the Occult extensively in his reign of terror; including the perversion of the sunwheel or swastika which one represented the law of Buddha or good fortune but now is seen as a symbol of evil and terror (Buckland 2003). History reveals the horror of this evil which consumed millions of lives and eventually claimed that of Adolf Hitler himself by suicide.
Lastly and possibly the easiest to manage (if such can be said about evil) is Accidental Evil whose manifestation has entered through a doorway of the soul without conscious intent on the part of the host, uninvited and unsolicited.
Considering that Primary Evil perpetually and unrelentingly searches for a mode of manifestation it will detect even the slightest shadow within the soul and focus upon it until it succeeds in changing a minute shadow into a doorway of darkness, darker than night.
Shadows may come in the form of hatred, rage, fear, envy, lust or violence and obsession with the material or physical. Again do not misunderstand, these are not evil in themselves for truly they are all within the normal range of human emotion and existece. It is when these states of being become all encompassing, uncontrollable and the negative and destructive forces of evil begin to enter through the host, subtely and quietly.
Shadows of evil are not, by the Occultists definition, true evil but merely the potential to become so if left unchecked or ignored.
This is why we often hear such statements as; "It does not matter if you do not believe in evil, for evil believes in you" or "When you look into the abyss, the abyss is also looking into you."
It is truly a fool upon a dangerous path who denies the existence of evil, for it is the shadow of their fear which causes them to deny the existence of evil which feeds it and "accidentally" manifests it into common reality.
The seed of evil is fear, and I will repeat that as it is important, the seed of evil is fear, or in by the definition of Primary Evil as an entity which consumes and exists; the food of evil is fear.
Sources
Buckland, Raymond. (2003) Signs, Symbols and Omens.
Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN
Evil Defined- An Occultists Perspective
Moderators: eye_of_tiger, shalimar123
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houseofgar
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houseofgar
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 11:27 am
- Location: West Palm Beach, FL USA
- Contact:
Occult associations with evil
It depends on what persepctive you are veiwing the Occult from, the term Occult simply means "hidden" ,in this reference the process of gaining knowledge of that which is hidden or unseen.
If one is a Christian or non-pagan the Occcult is associated with evil (quite mistakenly) if you are an Occultist or pagan then good and evil are viewed as phenomenon exclusive of a spiritual discipline, beleif system or organized religion.
If is permitted to manifest when one has seperated themselves from the nourishing life force, divinity or the fabric of creation that connects us all, which is a rampant disease in our society. The Occult and paganism are neutral , it is the individual who chooses the alliances with forces of light or forces of darkness or may be seduced, tricked or accidently align themselves with evil and its legion of guises.
If one is a Christian or non-pagan the Occcult is associated with evil (quite mistakenly) if you are an Occultist or pagan then good and evil are viewed as phenomenon exclusive of a spiritual discipline, beleif system or organized religion.
If is permitted to manifest when one has seperated themselves from the nourishing life force, divinity or the fabric of creation that connects us all, which is a rampant disease in our society. The Occult and paganism are neutral , it is the individual who chooses the alliances with forces of light or forces of darkness or may be seduced, tricked or accidently align themselves with evil and its legion of guises.
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KitchenWitch
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- Location: South Atlanta
Curious:
Do you have any sources for this besides Buckland? I'd like to study this concept a little more, since it's not one I've come across in my years of witchcraft. Is it based out of high magick? Theosophy and Spiritualist philosophy? Where do these views on evil originate?
Very well put, houseofgar! I would like to add to your thread.
I often say that Evil doesn't exist, and this is relatively true... only shades of grey exist, any shade of grey being of the light, although very dark shades may mistake themselves for being of the darkness. Pure light doesn't exist anymore than pure darkness, and both are two sides of the same coin that is Nothing. So pure Evil is pure illusion... and yet, illusion exists to the extent it is perceived, else there would be no illusion in the first place.
I understand that the hidden sephirah on the Qabalistic Tree of Life Daath is Evil, as well as being the sephirah of knowledge. If evil is to ever exist, which is a necessary element in terms of eternal universal procession around the zodiac (age to age, big bang to big bang), then pure wisdom is the only thing that is an adequate buffer to handle Evil without risk. So Evil and wisdom combine as Daath, knowledge, one facet of the godform Set. I have made contact here and it was a humbling and enlightening experience.
The only thing to fear is fear itself, another example of wisdom being the only adequate buffer. One may thus amend the saying for their own self, if they understand it properly to simply "there is nothing to fear". But the critical part is that they cannot repeat this saying to others in this shortened version, for if others do not understand then then will fall victim to evil. The best way to pass along this adage is to say the only thing to fear is fear itself, explain how one may amend it personally, and how one must always pass it along in this same responsible fashion.
So there is actually NOTHING to fear from evil, *essentially*. If you learn how to handle evil, then you needn't fear it in the least, and in fact if you do fear it at all, you again have something to fear! The best approach I've found is to smother evil with unconditional love and compassion... beyond making it proverbially gag, whatever form the evil has taken, it will also create a humourous atmosphere and offer an opportunity for you to sow the seeds of good in evil and help it become happier, free of suffering, turn into anything (of the light) it reasonably wants!
I've found that within occult circles the conspiracy often speaks of the dangers of astral travel and things like this, which is totally preposterous! It's dangerous if you don't know what you're doing, but when you get an evil dude pretending to be a studied magician going on about how he was injured or nearly killed in the astral... then he is evil, or very ignorant (and talking the talk without walking the walk)... in any case, if you know what you're doing, then evil poses no threat to you, except as manifest in physical reality like someone holding you at gunpoint.. and even here you should be able to defuse the situation with words and/or misdirection.
The ONLY weapons Evil has is intimidation and misdirection, and if you fall victim to this, then as you say, you may become corrupt, and serve evil more and more... it does indeed have many a person under its control.. and the risk in modern times is that it gains so total a control over the modern marketplace of ideas, that it causes massive suffering. Evil has been attracted towards Gaea as 2012 approaches, because It thinks Its Nightfall brothers and sisters will be released from the astral into the physical realm come 2012... but this *never* happens, and every cycle round Evil is so deceived, so that it may be among the first to receive the opportunity to transcend and amend itself into a more positive agend of consciousness.
The most difficult manifestation of Evil I might encounter are IRL individuals who purposely work towards the perversion and self-annihilation of humanity at large. David Icke was lead to believe they are reptilians, but if this is so, it is merely in soul character and they haven't any green skin under their pink skin as in say the TV show "V". These individuals are excellent at math but lack very good abstract creative thinking capacity (undeveloped, but potentially there). They have strong psychic powers, and their are terrified to switch sides because like if a soldier in an army retreats, the solider behind him will kill him, or in this case terrify and torment him or her every night with nightmares. These people can put thoughts into your head that are not your own, make you feel anxious in social settings by smothering your energies, etc... they are not to be confused with (oh-so-misguided) psychic vampires.
I often say that Evil doesn't exist, and this is relatively true... only shades of grey exist, any shade of grey being of the light, although very dark shades may mistake themselves for being of the darkness. Pure light doesn't exist anymore than pure darkness, and both are two sides of the same coin that is Nothing. So pure Evil is pure illusion... and yet, illusion exists to the extent it is perceived, else there would be no illusion in the first place.
I understand that the hidden sephirah on the Qabalistic Tree of Life Daath is Evil, as well as being the sephirah of knowledge. If evil is to ever exist, which is a necessary element in terms of eternal universal procession around the zodiac (age to age, big bang to big bang), then pure wisdom is the only thing that is an adequate buffer to handle Evil without risk. So Evil and wisdom combine as Daath, knowledge, one facet of the godform Set. I have made contact here and it was a humbling and enlightening experience.
The only thing to fear is fear itself, another example of wisdom being the only adequate buffer. One may thus amend the saying for their own self, if they understand it properly to simply "there is nothing to fear". But the critical part is that they cannot repeat this saying to others in this shortened version, for if others do not understand then then will fall victim to evil. The best way to pass along this adage is to say the only thing to fear is fear itself, explain how one may amend it personally, and how one must always pass it along in this same responsible fashion.
So there is actually NOTHING to fear from evil, *essentially*. If you learn how to handle evil, then you needn't fear it in the least, and in fact if you do fear it at all, you again have something to fear! The best approach I've found is to smother evil with unconditional love and compassion... beyond making it proverbially gag, whatever form the evil has taken, it will also create a humourous atmosphere and offer an opportunity for you to sow the seeds of good in evil and help it become happier, free of suffering, turn into anything (of the light) it reasonably wants!
I've found that within occult circles the conspiracy often speaks of the dangers of astral travel and things like this, which is totally preposterous! It's dangerous if you don't know what you're doing, but when you get an evil dude pretending to be a studied magician going on about how he was injured or nearly killed in the astral... then he is evil, or very ignorant (and talking the talk without walking the walk)... in any case, if you know what you're doing, then evil poses no threat to you, except as manifest in physical reality like someone holding you at gunpoint.. and even here you should be able to defuse the situation with words and/or misdirection.
The ONLY weapons Evil has is intimidation and misdirection, and if you fall victim to this, then as you say, you may become corrupt, and serve evil more and more... it does indeed have many a person under its control.. and the risk in modern times is that it gains so total a control over the modern marketplace of ideas, that it causes massive suffering. Evil has been attracted towards Gaea as 2012 approaches, because It thinks Its Nightfall brothers and sisters will be released from the astral into the physical realm come 2012... but this *never* happens, and every cycle round Evil is so deceived, so that it may be among the first to receive the opportunity to transcend and amend itself into a more positive agend of consciousness.
The most difficult manifestation of Evil I might encounter are IRL individuals who purposely work towards the perversion and self-annihilation of humanity at large. David Icke was lead to believe they are reptilians, but if this is so, it is merely in soul character and they haven't any green skin under their pink skin as in say the TV show "V". These individuals are excellent at math but lack very good abstract creative thinking capacity (undeveloped, but potentially there). They have strong psychic powers, and their are terrified to switch sides because like if a soldier in an army retreats, the solider behind him will kill him, or in this case terrify and torment him or her every night with nightmares. These people can put thoughts into your head that are not your own, make you feel anxious in social settings by smothering your energies, etc... they are not to be confused with (oh-so-misguided) psychic vampires.
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houseofgar
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 11:27 am
- Location: West Palm Beach, FL USA
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good vs evil , what is real ?
Greetings to the Mystic Board,
My apologies for not responding to the postings for such a long time, I am so glad that I took the time to sit down and read the board today. There are some really interesting discussions going on, here's my two cents !
For Kitchen Witch: I highly recommend the work of Anderson Reed, she is a medium and Shamanic Counselor and teacher of 24 years and I was completely fascinated with her two books and I will add that while reading her work I felt a profound connection to her, expressed through her words ...my intuition said "she is somebody to listen to !"
LIGHTSEEDS: A Compendium of Ancient and Contemporary Crystal Knowledge (co authored with Wabun Wind)
and
Shouting at the Wolf: A Guide to Identifying and Warding Off Evil in Everyday Life.
I feel she is a highly gifted and wise woman who has much to teach anyone in the Occult Arts.
Although I like Raymond Buckland and the Gardnerian Witchcraft (Wiccan) traditions because they preserve the original European Wiccan roots, I believe much of Occultism and traditional Wicca needs to be applied to current and modern times.
Anderson Reed does this very well by sharing her own personal experiences with Evil as an Occultist as well as valuable advice for other Occultists regarding protection and spiritual safety.
For Transcix- I really enjoyed reading your posting and it was also inspiring, I respect your knowledge and your keen perception, you have done a lot of study and I think your interpretation and comprehension are right on target.
The endless concept of evil existing or not existing is a topic which many wise people discuss. It is a paradoxical concept as you have identified, evil both exists and does not exist, which sometimes is hard to wrap ones brain around !
When contemplating the realm of spirituality I have found it easier to let go of all concepts I have of the physical, mundane or ordinary reality because in the realm of spirit none of them apply or have meaning. This is a Shamanic concept sometimes referred to as "Piercing the Sky" in which one achieves a state in which they are able to, perhaps only for a moment; catch a glimpse of the workings of the universe, the "big picture" or what is behind it all.
This experience occurred to me as a result of a near death experience in my early twenties, surviving a serious car accident, being declared clinically dead (heart/breathing stopped) ,being resuscitated, in a coma for 3 days and in an ICU for 3 weeks. Needless to say a major life changing experience which altered my perception of life and spirituality. This story is of course not as simple as this as it has been a journey of learning and understanding over the past 20 years and the intervention of several wiser and caring people who helped me to understand how a near death experience had changed me, these people I respect as teachers and guides in my life, this journey of death and rebirth which in my case was literal could probably be another topic of lengthy discussion in itself, So enough about me! :smt002
The correlation of Evil and Knowledge as referred to in the Qabalistic Tree of Life, Daath representing both evil and knowledge I perceive as the symbolic link between the spiritual realm where evil "exists" and the metaphysical realm of the human mind and the many perceptions of reality that create the avenue, doorway, form or substance of evil. In this sense evil and knowledge are connected (also a Christian concept), But this does not mean that knowledge IS evil, only that knowledge (of evil) is a two way path to evil. As sentient physical and spiritual beings we ALWAYS have the power of choice, and as you stated "the only weapons evil has are intimidation and misdirection" (Right On !) this is how evil is able to manifest by misguiding or deceiving us into making choices which align us with evil so that it may enter our common reality.
Occult definitions of evil state that evil cannot harm you unless it is invited or unless one chooses to align themselves with evil either intentionally or accidentally. The Occultist who is aligned with the Light (sometimes referred to as a Light worker), has realized or learned the truth behind evil perhaps by surviving a willing or accidental alignment with it, or perhaps by intense spiritual life experiences and study and has made the choice NOT to be aligned with evil, but to have a healthy respect for it's potential and to live a life of service to humanity with this knowledge.
The choice is not made by evil, no one is forced to take one path or the other, the choice is made by the individual and the hallmark is that those who serve evil are selfish and do not allow others their right to free will, whereas, those that serve the Light are selfless and respect others right to free will.
(in my blog I discuss the concepts of primary, secondary and accidental evil Occultists Memoirs ).
There are many, many spiritual and religious disciplines in our World and all of them true and legitimate in their interpretations of good vs. evil, light vs. darkness. Many represent them as adversarial, opposing forces others state that they are one in the same (two sides of the same coin), and still others state that the Light is the only absolute and true reality and evil is the shadow (illusion) created when Light is withdrawn or blocked.
The former is an Occult representation of good vs. evil and the majority of Occult disciplines tend to follow this perception. This does not necessarily make it the "correct definition" nor the others the "wrong definition" for everyone of us is a unique spiritual being.
We each spend our lifetime on the spiritual journey of understanding, a journey that I believe is eternal, we must all discover for ourselves the spiritual alignments which resonate with our unique spiritual beings and refrain from ever judging those of others for it is not our place to pass judgment, everything has a purpose and a reason for being, we are only a minute part of an enormous universe.
In Peace
My apologies for not responding to the postings for such a long time, I am so glad that I took the time to sit down and read the board today. There are some really interesting discussions going on, here's my two cents !
For Kitchen Witch: I highly recommend the work of Anderson Reed, she is a medium and Shamanic Counselor and teacher of 24 years and I was completely fascinated with her two books and I will add that while reading her work I felt a profound connection to her, expressed through her words ...my intuition said "she is somebody to listen to !"
LIGHTSEEDS: A Compendium of Ancient and Contemporary Crystal Knowledge (co authored with Wabun Wind)
and
Shouting at the Wolf: A Guide to Identifying and Warding Off Evil in Everyday Life.
I feel she is a highly gifted and wise woman who has much to teach anyone in the Occult Arts.
Although I like Raymond Buckland and the Gardnerian Witchcraft (Wiccan) traditions because they preserve the original European Wiccan roots, I believe much of Occultism and traditional Wicca needs to be applied to current and modern times.
Anderson Reed does this very well by sharing her own personal experiences with Evil as an Occultist as well as valuable advice for other Occultists regarding protection and spiritual safety.
For Transcix- I really enjoyed reading your posting and it was also inspiring, I respect your knowledge and your keen perception, you have done a lot of study and I think your interpretation and comprehension are right on target.
The endless concept of evil existing or not existing is a topic which many wise people discuss. It is a paradoxical concept as you have identified, evil both exists and does not exist, which sometimes is hard to wrap ones brain around !
When contemplating the realm of spirituality I have found it easier to let go of all concepts I have of the physical, mundane or ordinary reality because in the realm of spirit none of them apply or have meaning. This is a Shamanic concept sometimes referred to as "Piercing the Sky" in which one achieves a state in which they are able to, perhaps only for a moment; catch a glimpse of the workings of the universe, the "big picture" or what is behind it all.
This experience occurred to me as a result of a near death experience in my early twenties, surviving a serious car accident, being declared clinically dead (heart/breathing stopped) ,being resuscitated, in a coma for 3 days and in an ICU for 3 weeks. Needless to say a major life changing experience which altered my perception of life and spirituality. This story is of course not as simple as this as it has been a journey of learning and understanding over the past 20 years and the intervention of several wiser and caring people who helped me to understand how a near death experience had changed me, these people I respect as teachers and guides in my life, this journey of death and rebirth which in my case was literal could probably be another topic of lengthy discussion in itself, So enough about me! :smt002
The correlation of Evil and Knowledge as referred to in the Qabalistic Tree of Life, Daath representing both evil and knowledge I perceive as the symbolic link between the spiritual realm where evil "exists" and the metaphysical realm of the human mind and the many perceptions of reality that create the avenue, doorway, form or substance of evil. In this sense evil and knowledge are connected (also a Christian concept), But this does not mean that knowledge IS evil, only that knowledge (of evil) is a two way path to evil. As sentient physical and spiritual beings we ALWAYS have the power of choice, and as you stated "the only weapons evil has are intimidation and misdirection" (Right On !) this is how evil is able to manifest by misguiding or deceiving us into making choices which align us with evil so that it may enter our common reality.
Occult definitions of evil state that evil cannot harm you unless it is invited or unless one chooses to align themselves with evil either intentionally or accidentally. The Occultist who is aligned with the Light (sometimes referred to as a Light worker), has realized or learned the truth behind evil perhaps by surviving a willing or accidental alignment with it, or perhaps by intense spiritual life experiences and study and has made the choice NOT to be aligned with evil, but to have a healthy respect for it's potential and to live a life of service to humanity with this knowledge.
The choice is not made by evil, no one is forced to take one path or the other, the choice is made by the individual and the hallmark is that those who serve evil are selfish and do not allow others their right to free will, whereas, those that serve the Light are selfless and respect others right to free will.
(in my blog I discuss the concepts of primary, secondary and accidental evil Occultists Memoirs ).
There are many, many spiritual and religious disciplines in our World and all of them true and legitimate in their interpretations of good vs. evil, light vs. darkness. Many represent them as adversarial, opposing forces others state that they are one in the same (two sides of the same coin), and still others state that the Light is the only absolute and true reality and evil is the shadow (illusion) created when Light is withdrawn or blocked.
The former is an Occult representation of good vs. evil and the majority of Occult disciplines tend to follow this perception. This does not necessarily make it the "correct definition" nor the others the "wrong definition" for everyone of us is a unique spiritual being.
We each spend our lifetime on the spiritual journey of understanding, a journey that I believe is eternal, we must all discover for ourselves the spiritual alignments which resonate with our unique spiritual beings and refrain from ever judging those of others for it is not our place to pass judgment, everything has a purpose and a reason for being, we are only a minute part of an enormous universe.
In Peace
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Brother-Minos
- Posts: 98
- Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:26 am
Beyond Good and Evil said Nietzsche!
The nature of evil is definitely one of those topics occultists must confront, and it’s unfortunate our Western vocabulary does a poor job when trying to describe, let alone define such weighty concepts. We can approach this subject from philosophical/psychological/spiritual/ religious angles, and it’s probably a good idea to not jump from each framework frivolously, especially since we have to take our 20th-21st century perspectives into account. The concept of “evil” changes with the ages, so does the common Literary/metaphorical term “darkness”: most times these are understood automatically to be synonymous with immorality- a purely human mental and emotional construct (needed to be understood for a society, but not for a universe)But what if we were to examine evil and darkness from an amoral viewpoint as nature itself is amoral; otherwise we are folly to human judgments. Science can help us get some of our ideas focused.
My first question is: Is evil and darkness naturally related or is this our human conditioning. I would say it is conditioning from the times of our prehistoric ancestors who feared the mysterious dark of night knowing they needed the sunlight to survive. Another reason I believe darkness is not naturally evil is because of what we know scientifically about our universe in physics and about colour in chromatics.
An occultist must understand the pillars of black and white-those of King Solomon’s temple are most helpful: Boaz and Jachin, and seen on the Waite-Smith High Priestess Tarot Card. Left and Right. Negation/Severity and Mercy/Beginning (Kabbalah Tree of Life). We love ancient symbolism, don’t we, but what is even better is when they reveal what science later finds out.
When we say Boaz absorbs Jachin or that Darkness absorbs Light we tend to stop there; that is the problem. Our modern mind or maybe it is the occult character which focuses on the darkness first because we like to explore such dark caves; really though, it’s the photons of light always remaining in the blackest black which proves there really is no such thing as pure total darkness in our universe. It’s a fact; look into non zero vacuum energy for a fuller explanation. White and Black, and all the greys are the same “Colour” with the same properties in different wavelengths; our eyes are just inferior to their frequencies.
White and Black is not Good and Evil, and any associations between the two are psychological, cultural and religious, themselves based on fear stemming back to the primitive world of no light bulbs. Once we all get over this Black-Evil artificiality, we will be able to move forward; its all good for Metal Music and scary imagery; but for Universal Understanding, No.
Daath is knowledge, not wisdom. The tiring process is collecting all the information we think we need- then traveling through with it in the knowledge at Daath, THEN we’re to unlearn it all! -the emptying, negating, zero-point field, and making that transformation into Chokmah-wisdom. Daath is also the void, the FALSE Sephirot lingering over the abyss and our Malkuth; it’s so glamorous though isn’t it!? but let’s not remain looking back at it and the psyche we have created all around it which we call dark and evil-we only end up seeing ourselves and it distracts us on our way to Binah (and when I say 'seeing ourselves, thats where its dark and that darkness inside us is real albeit psychological and does need to be known; its inside not outside-we get so self-absorbed!) Evil is the material world; it only exists on our material plane and as we know this is not a spiritual place, or rather spirit is trapped,; but it's just not worth our intellectual rhetoric when our interest is (should be) a higher reality.
My first question is: Is evil and darkness naturally related or is this our human conditioning. I would say it is conditioning from the times of our prehistoric ancestors who feared the mysterious dark of night knowing they needed the sunlight to survive. Another reason I believe darkness is not naturally evil is because of what we know scientifically about our universe in physics and about colour in chromatics.
An occultist must understand the pillars of black and white-those of King Solomon’s temple are most helpful: Boaz and Jachin, and seen on the Waite-Smith High Priestess Tarot Card. Left and Right. Negation/Severity and Mercy/Beginning (Kabbalah Tree of Life). We love ancient symbolism, don’t we, but what is even better is when they reveal what science later finds out.
When we say Boaz absorbs Jachin or that Darkness absorbs Light we tend to stop there; that is the problem. Our modern mind or maybe it is the occult character which focuses on the darkness first because we like to explore such dark caves; really though, it’s the photons of light always remaining in the blackest black which proves there really is no such thing as pure total darkness in our universe. It’s a fact; look into non zero vacuum energy for a fuller explanation. White and Black, and all the greys are the same “Colour” with the same properties in different wavelengths; our eyes are just inferior to their frequencies.
White and Black is not Good and Evil, and any associations between the two are psychological, cultural and religious, themselves based on fear stemming back to the primitive world of no light bulbs. Once we all get over this Black-Evil artificiality, we will be able to move forward; its all good for Metal Music and scary imagery; but for Universal Understanding, No.
Daath is knowledge, not wisdom. The tiring process is collecting all the information we think we need- then traveling through with it in the knowledge at Daath, THEN we’re to unlearn it all! -the emptying, negating, zero-point field, and making that transformation into Chokmah-wisdom. Daath is also the void, the FALSE Sephirot lingering over the abyss and our Malkuth; it’s so glamorous though isn’t it!? but let’s not remain looking back at it and the psyche we have created all around it which we call dark and evil-we only end up seeing ourselves and it distracts us on our way to Binah (and when I say 'seeing ourselves, thats where its dark and that darkness inside us is real albeit psychological and does need to be known; its inside not outside-we get so self-absorbed!) Evil is the material world; it only exists on our material plane and as we know this is not a spiritual place, or rather spirit is trapped,; but it's just not worth our intellectual rhetoric when our interest is (should be) a higher reality.
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ricknendepa
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2007 12:16 pm
Does there have to be opposites?
Isn't all just perception of reality?
Who's to say who's reality (or perception of it) is the more accurate one. There are as many realities on Earth, as there are conscious minds + 1. (One being actual reality.)
Just because we recognize beauty as beauty, why should we have to perceive anything that's not, as ugliness? We perceive good, we automatically assume evil, etc etc etc. Anyway, I'm sure you've read the Tao Te Ching.
Just saying: Is there any point? Do we have to be so damn human, and try to rationalize EVERYTHING?
Isn't all just perception of reality?
Who's to say who's reality (or perception of it) is the more accurate one. There are as many realities on Earth, as there are conscious minds + 1. (One being actual reality.)
Just because we recognize beauty as beauty, why should we have to perceive anything that's not, as ugliness? We perceive good, we automatically assume evil, etc etc etc. Anyway, I'm sure you've read the Tao Te Ching.
Just saying: Is there any point? Do we have to be so damn human, and try to rationalize EVERYTHING?
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Frater SEP
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2007 9:32 pm
Dissenting Opinion
I realize I'm probably going to catch a lot of flak for what I'm about to say but, as a Christian I still study and practice the occult, specifically ritual magick. I see nothing that contradicts my religion in the tradition that I follow. I am not saying that Christianity is for everyone but it works for me as does magick. I don't feel they are mutually exclusive.
Hi Frater SP Welcome to MB,
There are many definaitions of being a Christian too, would love to hear more about your ritual magic
I was wondering do you happen to know the paragraphs in the Bible that refer to witchcraft, psychics and occult and mediums, talking to the dead etc? I have lost my list.
There are many definaitions of being a Christian too, would love to hear more about your ritual magic
I was wondering do you happen to know the paragraphs in the Bible that refer to witchcraft, psychics and occult and mediums, talking to the dead etc? I have lost my list.
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houseofgar
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 11:27 am
- Location: West Palm Beach, FL USA
- Contact:
regarding the reference of darkness being evil
To clarify my previous statements in which I referenced darkness as synonamous with evil, this is an analogy, not a literal reference.
Nor was I making any correlation between white and black as colors of the light spectrum.
Nor any reference to a color being either good or evil...
In the context of my posting in which we are discussing an Occultists
perspective on evil , darkness refers to the absence of light, not light as in daylight or the light from a lamp but the light which is the life force, collective spirit, truth, absolute and life giving energy.
Analogies are comparisons or stories which help to add understanding to abstract concepts which much of spirituality is, as our human perception is limited by the words and vocabulary that we have to express it.
A common analogy "The Allegory of the Cave" comes from philosoper Plato
which is not literal, but a story used to describe the abstract concepts of truth, reality, light and darkness;
"Imagine prisoners, who have been chained since their childhood deep inside a cave: not only are their limbs immobilized by the chains; their heads are chained as well, so that their gaze is fixed on a wall.
Behind the prisoners is an enormous fire, and between the fire and the prisoners is a raised walkway, along which statues of various animals, plants, and other things are carried by people.
The statues cast shadows on the wall, and the prisoners watch these shadows. When one of the statue-carriers speaks, an echo against the wall causes the prisoners to believe that the words come from the shadows.
The prisoners engage in what appears to us to be a game: naming the shapes as they come by. This, however, is the only reality that they know, even though they are seeing merely shadows of images. They are thus conditioned to judge the quality of one another by their skill in quickly naming the shapes and dislike those who begin to play poorly.
Suppose a prisoner is released and compelled to stand up and turn around. At that moment his eyes will be blinded by the firelight, and the shapes passing will appear less real than their shadows.
Similarly, if he is dragged up out of the cave into the sunlight, his eyes will be so blinded that he will not be able to see anything. At first, he will be able to see darker shapes such as shadows and, only later, brighter and brighter objects.
The last object he would be able to see is the sun, which, in time, he would learn to see as that object which provides the seasons and the courses of the year, presides over all things in the visible region, and is in some way the cause of all these things that he has seen."
(The Republic, book VII 531d-534e.)
Similarly but not all inclusive this analogy can be used to perceive the meaning of evil, as an illusion, which exists (as do the shadows to the human perception) and are real inside the cave, which can be interpreted as the confines of our own minds or world view.
However, through spiritual enlightenment (escaping the prison of our minds) and seeing the truth of the light (the fire and the sun) we realize that the shadows are not true reality, but are created when light is blocked.
The Allegory of the cave also makes reference to our tendency to judge others who do not have the same or similar perception as our own;
" The prisoners engage in what appears to us to be a game: naming the shapes as they come by. This, however, is the only reality that they know, even though they are seeing merely shadows of images. They are thus conditioned to judge the quality of one another by their skill in quickly naming the shapes and dislike those who begin to play poorly.
"
The Allegory of the Cave and the Allegory of the Sun have been used as a tool to comprehend reality, illusion by using the analogy of light and dark.
Additionally, it is important to comment on cultural perceptions of good and evil, the majority are the same, however expressed or perceived differently, the importance is in understanding that different does not mean right or wrong, simply another perspective on universal concepts.
The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzche spent most of his life attacking Christianity and Christian morality and making unforgivable comments about women, he declared himself an immoralist and insisted on the aesthetic value of reality.
Nietchze was the radical contemporary philosopher who declared "God is Dead" and thus rejected the concept of truth altogether and that at that time in history the influence of the Judeo-Christian church was false and a hypocracy, Nietchze focused rather on the importance of self expression, personal power and creativity.
Nietchze's philosophy and beliefs about society, morality and religion are still alive and popular with counter-culture and radical minded individuals as he left the legacy that the moral constructs of "civilized society" should always be questioned and challenged.
Nor was I making any correlation between white and black as colors of the light spectrum.
Nor any reference to a color being either good or evil...
In the context of my posting in which we are discussing an Occultists
perspective on evil , darkness refers to the absence of light, not light as in daylight or the light from a lamp but the light which is the life force, collective spirit, truth, absolute and life giving energy.
Analogies are comparisons or stories which help to add understanding to abstract concepts which much of spirituality is, as our human perception is limited by the words and vocabulary that we have to express it.
A common analogy "The Allegory of the Cave" comes from philosoper Plato
which is not literal, but a story used to describe the abstract concepts of truth, reality, light and darkness;
"Imagine prisoners, who have been chained since their childhood deep inside a cave: not only are their limbs immobilized by the chains; their heads are chained as well, so that their gaze is fixed on a wall.
Behind the prisoners is an enormous fire, and between the fire and the prisoners is a raised walkway, along which statues of various animals, plants, and other things are carried by people.
The statues cast shadows on the wall, and the prisoners watch these shadows. When one of the statue-carriers speaks, an echo against the wall causes the prisoners to believe that the words come from the shadows.
The prisoners engage in what appears to us to be a game: naming the shapes as they come by. This, however, is the only reality that they know, even though they are seeing merely shadows of images. They are thus conditioned to judge the quality of one another by their skill in quickly naming the shapes and dislike those who begin to play poorly.
Suppose a prisoner is released and compelled to stand up and turn around. At that moment his eyes will be blinded by the firelight, and the shapes passing will appear less real than their shadows.
Similarly, if he is dragged up out of the cave into the sunlight, his eyes will be so blinded that he will not be able to see anything. At first, he will be able to see darker shapes such as shadows and, only later, brighter and brighter objects.
The last object he would be able to see is the sun, which, in time, he would learn to see as that object which provides the seasons and the courses of the year, presides over all things in the visible region, and is in some way the cause of all these things that he has seen."
(The Republic, book VII 531d-534e.)
Similarly but not all inclusive this analogy can be used to perceive the meaning of evil, as an illusion, which exists (as do the shadows to the human perception) and are real inside the cave, which can be interpreted as the confines of our own minds or world view.
However, through spiritual enlightenment (escaping the prison of our minds) and seeing the truth of the light (the fire and the sun) we realize that the shadows are not true reality, but are created when light is blocked.
The Allegory of the cave also makes reference to our tendency to judge others who do not have the same or similar perception as our own;
" The prisoners engage in what appears to us to be a game: naming the shapes as they come by. This, however, is the only reality that they know, even though they are seeing merely shadows of images. They are thus conditioned to judge the quality of one another by their skill in quickly naming the shapes and dislike those who begin to play poorly.
"
The Allegory of the Cave and the Allegory of the Sun have been used as a tool to comprehend reality, illusion by using the analogy of light and dark.
Additionally, it is important to comment on cultural perceptions of good and evil, the majority are the same, however expressed or perceived differently, the importance is in understanding that different does not mean right or wrong, simply another perspective on universal concepts.
The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzche spent most of his life attacking Christianity and Christian morality and making unforgivable comments about women, he declared himself an immoralist and insisted on the aesthetic value of reality.
Nietchze was the radical contemporary philosopher who declared "God is Dead" and thus rejected the concept of truth altogether and that at that time in history the influence of the Judeo-Christian church was false and a hypocracy, Nietchze focused rather on the importance of self expression, personal power and creativity.
Nietchze's philosophy and beliefs about society, morality and religion are still alive and popular with counter-culture and radical minded individuals as he left the legacy that the moral constructs of "civilized society" should always be questioned and challenged.
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