Is Magick Yoga?

Spirituality
#1

Magick as defined by Aleister Crowley, the Greatest Mage of all times, is the ?Science and Art causing Change to occur in conformity with Will?. ?Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law?. Crowley considers the mystical path as a prelude to the more advanced means of ?Magick?. He states that the mind will probably not let the student stick to meditation, as before concentrating the mind, one must first concentrate the higher principle, the Will. He then advocates acting in accordance with ?True Will? and calls acts of the conscious will, which are at odds with the ?True Will? as a waste of strength.

Now if the ?will? as mentioned here above arises from the petty desires of the I, the Ahamkara, we may succeed in moulding the world to our desires or perceived ?Will?, but it will not set us free. However, if the ?True Will? is more like the niyama ?Sauca?, which is often translated as ?purity? but which means that you act according to the Will of the Universe, then it can be said that Crowley in fact focuses on one particular part of Yoga or Mysticism. Crowley however dismisses yama and niyama by substituting it with ?let the student decide for himself what form of life, what moral code, will least tend to excite his mind?. I think that here he may have missed the point of the essence of Sauca. So in fact what I am stating is that Magick is part of Mysticism and not the other way around. To reply my teacher: both are means but one encompasses the other. (It is to be noted that there are other definitions given when it comes to the relation of Magick and Mysticism: Magick is the communication with individuals on higher planes and mysticism is the process of raising yourself to that level: here Magick is the Goal and Mysticism the means).

I often get the impressions that many so-called Mages mistake the ?Will? of the ?Ahamkara? for their ?True Will?. By doing so they are likely to be often at odds with the Will of the Universe which leads to a lack of satisfaction and hence suffering.

So the advice should not be ?Mould the world conform to the Will of the I? but rather ?Destroy the I so as not to be bothered by the world?. By destruction of the false Ego acting becomes acting in accordance with the true Will. Where there is a Will (of the false Ego) it must go away!
Read the whole of the article here.

#2

Awwwware,

Any method whatsoever which leads one towards a communion with one’s true nature is a method of yoga. When we are referring to yoga, we are not speaking of any particular method or technique, but a particular state of consciousness. Any method that leads towards this is a method of yoga.

But as far as “Yoga” in the ordinary sense, the so called “magick” which Aleister Crowley has mentioned is also another method for the expansion of consciousness. In fact, what he has mentioned is not something new or unique at all, it is the same approach which has been used in the tantric sciences. Rather than seeking to cut off the stream of the senses and the activity of the mind, the activity of the mind can be used as a means towards one’s awakening. Bringing the mind to a silence is one approach, and stimulation of the mind is another. In each case, both are just different paths that lead towards the same space.
All of the methods of magic are just means towards this, to trigger certain forces within oneself and to use those forces for one’s own liberation. Magic seeks to develop and use the siddhis as the method, yoga is not so much concerned with the use of siddhis. But if one is to use this method, every dimension of one’s being needs to be considered. Our system is very complex. And if any single part of it is imbalanced, it can create an imbalance in the whole system. That is why also, in tantra, every dimension of one’s being is to be developed and brought into equilibrium, nothing is to be rejected or repressed. Even the ego has a function to fulfill. So the method of “magic” is to bring a total transformation to every level - one’s intellect, one’s emotion, one’s instinct, one’s intuition, the whole structure. It is far more dangerous, because once certain parts of you which are normally outside of one’s control enter into one’s control, if one is not careful, it is all too easy to tamper with one’s system in the wrong way. This is how so many mental disorders have happened to those who were practicing the method irresponsibly - they had become perhaps schizoprehnic, or with multiple personalities, bi-polar, neurotic, paranoid, borderline, even physical sickness, so many problems can arise out of the improper practice.

#3

@ AmirMourad

I certainly don’t disagree with you. As long as there is any pettiness involved the method of Magick will probably turn against you. It reminds me of a saying in of all books the Bible which when speaking about the snake: “you will destroy it with the heel and it will destroy you in the head”. If have always considered this as a warning to Kundalini practice, because in Siddhasana you press the heel against the perineum so that the snake, Kundalini can rise from Muladhara. But if it doesn’t go properly via Sushumna it will destroy you in the brain - giving schizophrenia, psychoses etc. It reminds me also of practitioners of Kabbalah who went insane and “did not return from the paradise”. I’ll be the last one to venture in pursuit of Siddhis, but when I was much younger this is one of the ways that attracted me to Yoga. In the book Magick an important number of chapters are devoted to yoga because Crowley did consider it as an important preliminary technique.

#4

[QUOTE=Awwware;49380]@ AmirMourad

In the book Magick an important number of chapters are devoted to yoga because Crowley did consider it as an important preliminary technique.[/QUOTE]

I can agree. That is the problem of the approach of the Western Mystery Tradition, it has almost no place at all for meditation. And those methods which do involve any kind of work upon the mind are either contemplation or concentration, but not meditation in the sense of what has been known as dhyana in the East. The problem is that because the method of magic stimulates the mind, if one is not absolutely mindful, remaining a witness without becoming identified with whatever arises in one’s experience, it can become all to easy to become entangled in hallucination. In fact, even Crowley himself had become a slave to his own delusions. But I agree with him, that if one does become interested in doing the work of magic, that a certain foundation in yoga is needed, not as a method towards liberation, but as a way of becoming more familiar with one’s own inner workings. Isreal Regardie has also made the same significant observation, but in a different sense. He says that before entering into the processes of magic, one should for some time undergo psychoanalysis to become more familiar with one’s own mind. But it is my understanding that mere psychoanalysis is not going to be enough, a thorough foundation in meditation is needed.

#5

To make an analogy with artificial intelligence protocols: Magick performs an unlimited depth first search not hampered by any heuristic, whereas meditation is pruning all branches of a search tree.

#6

I do not consider it different at all than Tantra.

#7

Amir, Are you a tantrist?

#8

Awwware,

I practice Tantra as well as the methods of the Golden Dawn.

#9

I am not a fan of Tantra. Magick are one and the same thing. They both consist of rituals, mantras, prayers, visualizations, substances and sexual energy practices in order to manifest certain outcomes. Like there is white magik and black magik, there is white tantra and black tantra. Tantra is the oldest spiritual practice in the world can be found in every region on the planet.

Yoga on the other hand is simply a pure science for self-transformation and realization. Yoga is not there to manifest certain outcomes one wills. That is what tantra/magik is for and therefore why tantra/magik is almost always motivated by selfish interests. Crowley is an epitome of the type of dark egos that such practices produce.

#10

[QUOTE=Surya Deva;49742]
I am not a fan of Tantra. Magick are one and the same thing. They both consist of rituals, mantras, prayers, visualizations, substances and sexual energy practices in order to manifest certain outcomes.

[B]Sounds like your speaking of yoga too…[/B]

Like there is white magik and black magik, there is white tantra and black tantra.

[B]It is intention that determines what is white or black[/B]

Tantra is the oldest spiritual practice in the world can be found in every region on the planet.
Yoga on the other hand is simply a pure science for self-transformation and realization.
Yoga is not there to manifest certain outcomes one wills.

[B] You put limitations on what the ‘yoga’ can be used for? Curious… [/B]

That is what tantra/magik is for and therefore why tantra/magik is almost always motivated by selfish interests.

Crowley is an epitome of the type of dark egos that such practices produce.

[B]

[/QUOTE]

Tantra/Yoga/Majick are one in the Same. Essentially.
They are simply tools. Inert - neither white or black.

#11

Yoga is not used for anything. It is a practice of reconnecting to the divine reality. Hence the word Yoga - union. If you want to realise the divine and are working towards that you are a yogi. If you want to develop siddhis and produce certain outcomes like winning the lottery, attracting the love of your life, creating certain weather or cusing somebody you are a tantrik.

#12

[QUOTE=The Scales;49753]Tantra/Yoga/Majick are one in the Same. Essentially.
They are simply tools. Inert - neither white or black.[/QUOTE]
Yes and No. It depends on what definition you give to the “Will”. If the Will is directed to selfish interests arising from Ahamkara, Yoga is different from the trantrist and Magickal approach. If the will is directed to acting in concordance with the true Will of the universe it is sauca and the outcome of the tantra or magick will be Yoga. That’s what I say in my seminal post. If you disagree I’d be happy to learn why.

#13

Surya,

“Yoga is not there to manifest certain outcomes one wills. That is what tantra/magik is for”

Certainly, magic can be used in that way. So can Yoga. There are some yogis who are simply practicing for the purpose of cultivating siddhis and nothing else. And some do use those siddhis to fulfill their own egoistic desires, to manipulate others, and simply live according to immediate fleeting pleasures.

Magic can also be used as a method for the expansion of consciousness towards one’s awakening, although it is far more dangerous than most of the methods of yoga. Because once you start dealing with certain forces of nature and using those forces for certain purposes, if one is not absolutely careful, it can become all too easy to unleash certain energies within and without oneself which are beyond one’s control. And the result may simply be madness. Our system is very complex. And if one tampers with the system too much without understanding the whole, it can create more damage than good. One has to either change everything, or change nothing. But it cannot be done half hearted.

#14

I do not consider Tantra and Yoga to be different at all, but that Tantra is a kind of yoga. When I say yoga, I mean any method at all which leads towards one’s liberation is a method of yoga. It may be through means of the intellect (jnana yoga), or devotion (bhakhti yoga), or action (karma yoga), or meditation (Raja Yoga), or through awakening certain subtle energies of the body (kundalini yoga), or through the control of sound (mantra yoga), or just about any approach. Tantra is different than many of the other methods of yoga in that it seeks to stimulate the senses rather than cut off the senses, it seeks to stimulate the mind as the method to enter into samadhi rather than dissolve the activity of the mind. Yoga is supression of the senses with awareness, Tantra is indulgence but with awareness. The practice of concentration upon a mantra is basically tantric because of this. In fact, the most basic technique of tantra is combination of the mantra and the yantra. Even in Tantra, the processes of yoga are not abandoned. Asana, pranayama, meditation, bandhas, mudras, kriyas, all are a part of Tantra. The tradition of Hatha Yoga itself comes from Tantra. Hatha Yoga comes from the lineage of the Nath Yogis, particularly from the time of Gorakshanath and Matsyendranath, who were tantrics. Because Tantra just refers to a whole range of different methods and techniques for awakening the Kundalini energy at the base of the spine. There are various ways to do this. That is why in left-handed Tantra, sexual intercourse is used. It is not used for the sake of sex, but for awakening the Kundalini energy. Because the man and the woman contain energies in their subtle body which are complimentary to one another, if one knows certain techniques, one can use the energies of the other to awaken the Kundalini in one’s own system.

#15

[QUOTE=AmirMourad;49771]I do not consider Tantra and Yoga to be different at all, but that Tantra is a kind of yoga. When I say yoga, I mean any method at all which leads towards one’s liberation is a method of yoga. It may be through means of the intellect (jnana yoga), or devotion (bhakhti yoga), or action (karma yoga), or meditation (Raja Yoga), or through awakening certain subtle energies of the body (kundalini yoga), or through the control of sound (mantra yoga), or just about any approach. Tantra is different than many of the other methods of yoga in that it seeks to stimulate the senses rather than cut off the senses, it seeks to stimulate the mind as the method to enter into samadhi rather than dissolve the activity of the mind. Yoga is supression of the senses with awareness, Tantra is indulgence but with awareness. The practice of concentration upon a mantra is basically tantric because of this. In fact, the most basic technique of tantra is combination of the mantra and the yantra. Even in Tantra, the processes of yoga are not abandoned. Asana, pranayama, meditation, bandhas, mudras, kriyas, all are a part of Tantra. The tradition of Hatha Yoga itself comes from Tantra. Hatha Yoga comes from the lineage of the Nath Yogis, particularly from the time of Gorakshanath and Matsyendranath, who were tantrics. Because Tantra just refers to a whole range of different methods and techniques for awakening the Kundalini energy at the base of the spine. There are various ways to do this. That is why in left-handed Tantra, sexual intercourse is used. It is not used for the sake of sex, but for awakening the Kundalini energy. Because the man and the woman contain energies in their subtle body which are complimentary to one another, if one knows certain techniques, one can use the energies of the other to awaken the Kundalini in one’s own system.[/QUOTE]

You describe the technique of maithuna, which presupposes that you can contol your pelvic muscles in such a way that you can even prevent ejaculation. The preliminary preparations are often described as trying to suck highly viscous liquids such as the highly toxic Mercury with the penis. Good luck to those who have tried that. If you’re capable of preventing ejaculations all the better for you; it will probably enrich your sexual life. Normal mortals often do not have this muscle mastering. (at least I don’t and it seems to me like a highly frustrating experience to somehow control if not repress the orgasm).

Apart from this issue, I’d like to know, Amir, what you thaught of my equation “true will”= sauca.

#16

Awaaare,

“The preliminary preparations are often described as trying to suck highly viscous liquids such as the highly toxic Mercury with the penis”

It is often transmitted as a secret technique. One first practices with water, then milk, then honey. “Mercury” is rarely ever used. These are used just as preparations so that when in maithuna, one can draw in the sexual fluids from the vagina, which is polarized in a different way than man’s. It has less to do with the fluid itself, and more to do with the subtle energy of the fluid, it’s life energy.

In Ayurveda, “mercury” is seen to be an important element in bestowing “immorality” upon a person. Several yogis have been said to realize this “immortality” through this “mercury”. It is more than likely that Mercury here is simply symbolic, not unlike the mercury of alchemy. In India, there was a rich alchemical tradition. And in alchemy, mercury has a very important role in the transmutation of “lead” into “gold”. By “mercury”, one means a particular aspect of the energy of nature.

#17

Awaaare,

"Apart from this issue, I’d like to know, Amir, what you thaught of my equation “true will”= sauca. "

What’s sauca ? : )

#18

[QUOTE=Surya Deva;49756]Yoga is not used for anything. It is a practice of reconnecting to the divine reality. Hence the word Yoga - union. If you want to realise the divine and are working towards that you are a yogi. If you want to develop siddhis and produce certain outcomes like winning the lottery, attracting the love of your life, creating certain weather or cusing somebody you are a tantrik.[/QUOTE]

There are Tantric Bodhisattvas all over the place and Yes they are real Yogis.

Yoga Tantra is the tool kit.

It is the Man and his intentions which determines what is white or black.

If a person practices the yoga it doesn’t necessarily mean he is seeking ‘God’ or ‘self’.

Your associating Tantra with black and yoga with white when practice of Tantra and Yoga are the same.

again it all comes back to the person and what their intentions are.

#19

[QUOTE=Awwware;49760]Yes and No. It depends on what definition you give to the “Will”. If the Will is directed to selfish interests arising from Ahamkara, Yoga is different from the trantrist and Magickal approach. If the will is directed to acting in concordance with the true Will of the universe it is sauca and the outcome of the tantra or magick will be Yoga. That’s what I say in my seminal post. If you disagree I’d be happy to learn why.[/QUOTE]

Tantric Techniques are Yogic Techniques which are the So Called “majick” technqiues which are ‘mystical’ techniques. Tantra/Majjick/Yoga are all relatively similar.

It is intention which connotes whether something is good, bad, or neutral.

Pumping up of the Ego can be accomplished through ‘yoga’ as with tantra as with majjick.

All paths lead homeward someday my friends.

My opinion.

#20

[QUOTE=AmirMourad;49783]Awaaare,

"Apart from this issue, I’d like to know, Amir, what you thaught of my equation “true will”= sauca. "

What’s sauca ? : )[/QUOTE]
Read the seminal post in this thread: Sauca is the first of the Niyamas, often translated as “purity” but really meaning acting in harmony with the will of the Universe. (from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali)