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Qaballa, chakras & trance states

  
 
XXII:X:II = XXX
02:45 / 07.11.03
Hiiiiiii-de-ho!

I'm looking for a bit of advice from the old hands at this sort of thing.

As prescribed by my previously endorsed Basic Magick by Philip Cooper, I am attempting to meditate with certain visualization exercises, in this case activating the central five points or the "trunk" of the Qabbalic Tree of Life. It's no secret these are roughly analogous to major chakra points, and they've even inspired me on my creative ventures.

I must admit, however, that as of yet I can only claim to have really made it work once, a couple weeks ago in bed before I went to sleep. I fired up all five simultaneously, and suddenly I felt like a guitar string that had just been plucked. My roommate, who has more experience in these matters than do I, confirmed that this is pretty much typical.

So my problem is this: I have difficulty envisioning all five points lit up at once; my attention doesn't seem to be able to hold them all at once. And then, when I did make it work, I wasn't able to sustain it for long. The Cooper book recommends trying to light them up one at a time, from head to foot and back again, holding one's breath for 30 seconds with each, but I've not given that a go as of yet.

Any thoughts?

VJB2
 
 
Quantum
09:26 / 07.11.03
[trivia]The human consciousness can hold more than 7 things at once, you are thinking of the digit span which is 7 +/- 2. [/trivia]
Try thinking of it as a ladder (or kundalini serpent!) and mount the steps, lighting them as you rise up the spine and keeping them lit. I suppose that's similar to what the book recommends, definitely try it.
 
 
illmatic
09:46 / 07.11.03
Seems strange to focus on 5 different points stimultaneously. I would be more tempted to focus on one at a time, even solely working on one for a couple of weeks to see what happens. Working in this way before sleep might trigger interesting dreams, so you could keep a dream diary handy - you could chant the chakra name as a mantra as you doze off.

General note on magical training - I think we often get caught up in trying to replicate what we read in books - or rather, what we imagine we have read. I know I do. We attribute or project definitive authority onto books which, possibly, they don't deserve. We all want a faultless guru who's going to tell us what to do, I suppose (subject for another thread perhaps). It's only this guys experience after all, maybe your experience will be very different, maybe he's talking a load of old chakras. I think a superior approach is too see whatever it written as a template for a creative approach, stick to it and/or play with it as you see fit, there's no way to get it "right" or "wrong". Think for yourself - your experience should always have precedence over what you read.

This article has a very creative - and erotic - approach to working with the chakras.

I like the idea that you mentioned briefly of pursuing creative work (ie poetry, drawing,painting, whatever - to differentiate from "creative approaches as I've used it above) based on the symbolism of the chakras. I think this is an excellent way of exploring and grounding our experience. Getting something down in a form your happy with adds a sense of completeness to things. Good Earthing.

.
 
 
XXII:X:II = XXX
00:25 / 08.11.03
Quantum wroat: [trivia]The human consciousness can hold more than 7 things at once, you are thinking of the digit span which is 7 +/- 2. [/trivia]

Actually, I was trying to quote from memory whatever it is that Sir Miles tells his assistant at the beginning of the coronation of the Moonchild. Sort of a parenthetical joke that fell flat.

Illmatic illed: Seems strange to focus on 5 different points stimultaneously.

The way I understand it is that since the chakras/Qabballic "trunk"/Gurdjieffian "minds" all contain certain intrinsic information, trying to light them up simultaneously not only gives one access to greater awareness of one's whole self, stimulating areas of the brain oftentimes dormant or rarely multitasking, but also greater awareness through the body, allowing one to perceive what might ordinarily be background noise. I think the point to making them correspond to certain colors is so that you're forced to stretch in order to have all five online.

Illmatic: I think we often get caught up in trying to replicate what we read in books - or rather, what we imagine we have read. I know I do. We attribute or project definitive authority onto books which, possibly, they don't deserve. We all want a faultless guru who's going to tell us what to do, I suppose (subject for another thread perhaps). It's only this guys experience after all, maybe your experience will be very different, maybe he's talking a load of old chakras. I think a superior approach is too see whatever it written as a template for a creative approach, stick to it and/or play with it as you see fit, there's no way to get it "right" or "wrong". Think for yourself - your experience should always have precedence over what you read.

Preaching to the choir over here. The reason why I find this particular fella's perspective compelling is that he attempts to approach magickal practice as a science, so much as one is able to without forcing a certain dogma of who you need to pray to or whether you should beat off with the right hand or left, overhand or underhand. (I know there's going to be someone reading this who's ready to pounce with, "If you think all magick is is beating off to sigils rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb..." YES. I KNOW. IT'S A JOKE. CALM DOWN.) I think his emphasis is not so much on any one technique, but explaining a possible skeletal structure, with more room than not for experimentation as befits the user and the purpose. No, I don't need to do this exercise precisely as he prescribes... but until I find another technique that rings as true as his does, or until I've got enough experience to make my own path, why don't I keep it to the bunny trails for now?

[beat... "skiing metaphor"... no, I don't ski... no, I've never had sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky...]

I really wish I had someone around here who's read the damn Cooper book and could back me up when I say it doesn't smack of dogma or demagoguery. I'm not a desperate, easily-imprinted sheep, after all; I don't need answers, just the right questions.

VJB2
 
 
trouser the trouserian
09:58 / 08.11.03
Vlad

I haven't read Basic Magic but I have met Phil Cooper a couple of times and exchanged the odd letter. He strikes me a nice, down-to-earth chap and not one of yer occult monomanic 'personalities'.
 
 
XXII:X:II = XXX
23:05 / 08.11.03
THANK YOU, AoG. Not that this necessarily proves anything conclusively, but it's nice to know I'm not just a lone nut. At least not about this.
 
 
XXII:X:II = XXX
21:55 / 19.11.03
Update: As the lot of you probably already guessed, with practice has come a bit more facility with this exercise. While I'm still unable to hold the five-point activation for more than a few seconds at a time before something intrudes into my consciousness, I did have an interesting experience last night: Once I'd achieved the state, I felt it slipping away from me, and managed to regain it for a moment, which surprised me enough to actually break my concentration. My roommate, who is more practiced in such things than I am, assured me that this is fairly typical. I'm choosing to believe that this is a positive sign that sometime soon I'll be able to sustain the state for longer periods at a time, at which point I'll be able to begin working on constructing a ward, et al. Any insights you might be able to share on my progress or lack thereof will be taken in a constructive vein.

VJB2
 
 
PatrickMM
03:57 / 25.11.03
Is there a thread on here, or a site, that discusses the basic visualization techniques, because I've just been reading Promethea, in which she goes on a journey through the five points of the qaballah/tree of life, and this sounds like it would be the real world application of the book, so more info would be appreciated.
 
 
EvskiG
17:38 / 25.11.03
I haven't read Philip Cooper, but the exercise Vlad mentions sounds like a variation on the classic Middle Pillar ritual.

Israel Regardie's instructions can be found at

http://www.llewellynencyclopedia.com/article/1295

or in greater detail at

http://www.davedavies.com/splanet/magic3.htm

Or do a Google search for "Middle Pillar." You also might want to do a search for the "Circulation of the Body of Light," which serves as a nice follow-up.
 
  
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