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Breathing problems in magic

06:07 / 24.01.06

I have a close friend of mine who's more into Crowley than I am, and he has made mention that breathing dis-ease is a common issue that arises in the practise of magic. He follows the more orthodox Thelemic path and studies the Golden Dawn and OTO stuff, whereas I've grown up with chaos magic and urban shamanism. He developed throat cancer, and two years ago I developed an acute allergy which would come on like a full-fledged asthma attack.

My friend often states that Crowley and other notable magicians of the past centuries developed and/or passed on due to complications related to breathing or breath.

Yes, we both smoke. He's quit now, and I've never been a big smoker to begin with (generally, I'm a social smoker over wine or beer). He exercises regularly — boxing, training, weights — and I cycle during the summer seasons. His cancer has gone into remission. I've had my lungs and breathing checked by doctors, to which I've been told that I have strong lungs. But even now I consistently seem to have breathing issues that arise and I've been prescribed a steroid to inhale whenever my lungs begin to constrict or whatever it is they're doing.

So I wonder, does anyone else have any issues?

08:16 / 24.01.06

I think that is total bollocks. Scare mongering bullshit.

08:23 / 24.01.06

I think it's coincidence that you both have breathing problems. Crowley managed to become a pre-eminent mountaineer, and I've never heard of breathing problems being common in magicians more than any other group.

Less searchable M0rd4nt

09:06 / 24.01.06

Didn't Crowley also have a "filling his system up with quantities of wildy toxic shit for years on end" problem?

09:43 / 24.01.06

Seriously Mordant, if you had a smack habit like Crowley's that would totally put you on an even keel ;-)

trouser the trouserian

10:04 / 24.01.06

My friend often states that Crowley and other notable magicians of the past centuries developed and/or passed on due to complications related to breathing or breath.

Both Allan Bennett and Crowley suffered from asthma, as did Gerald Gardner, Anna Kingsford and Arthur Conger (a prominent American theosophist). Also, in Dion Fortune's novel "The Sea Priestess" the protagonist Wilfred exeperiences an 'occult awakening' (or mid-life crisis, depending on how one reads it) partially due to a severe asthma attack. Crowley's asthma, according to some of his biographers, is said to have developed following his experiences on Kanchenjunga, which ended his mountain-climbing career. Crowley was prescribed heroin by his Doctor to allieviate the symptoms.

The most recent connection between magick and asthma is the late Andrew Chumbley, who died on his 37th birthday following a severe attack of asthma.

However, the fact that a number of prominent occultists have suffered from asthma is not in itself indicative of a special relationship between occult practice and the disease. Several US presidents (including Coolidge, Wilson, Roosevelt and JFK) have been asthma sufferers. Beethoven, Vivaldi, Schoenberg, Bob Hope and Bernstein were all sufferers of asthma but this does not, I would say, imply a causal link between asthma and being a musician. As a point of interest, there have been some healthcare programmes in the UK and elsewhere, which indicate that asthma symptoms may be diminished by teaching children to play woodwind instruments.

Less searchable M0rd4nt

10:21 / 24.01.06

*runs off to buy a flute*

This is pure anecdote, of course, but I suffer from asthma and find that various practices associated with magic are very helpful, from relaxation techniques to the Wilhelm Reich material that I'm dabbling in right now, to herblore and potion-making (ginger-juice is my top pick for asthma remedies).

One thing I have found that can worsen the condition is the use of loose incense in an enclosed area. Investigation suggests that it's not the incenses themselves that affect me, but the charcoal used to burn them. I try and limit the amount of charcoal I use and make sure that there's a good draught going in the area now.

trouser the trouserian

10:39 / 24.01.06

Mordant - there's a summary report on how playing the flute relieves asthma here (pdf file).

Interesting page here with pictures of 19th-century opiate based products sold for the relief of asthma. In the 19th century, liquor, smoking and strong coffee were all thought to be 'good' for asthma, as wells as cocaine and heroin.

Scrambled Password Bogus Email

11:23 / 24.01.06

And singing...any practice which requires 'correct' and deep breathing techniques (hence yoga also, and various meditative practices), since a huge component of asthma, as well as constricted alveoli in the lungs, is the psychological reaction to constriction in the chest leading to shallower and shallower breathing.

Some sufferers can be completely cured of it from singing lessons with a good teacher.

rising and revolving

14:25 / 24.01.06

Dunno. I've got a family history of asthma but never suffered myself until I took up ceremonial. Within a year I had serious asthma that put me out of commission for a month and has continued to be a problem from there.

However, I'd also moved to colder climes, which is a common trigger. Montreal has a very high rate of asthma compared to Melbourne.

However, if I look back over my diaries, my first bout of asthma happened directly after my first kundalini-style experience, which sent me into a week of intense throbbing in my chest. My diary is also full of notes regarding being in love with the world - about six months after this I came across references relating asthma to premature heart chakra work.

Inconclusive, in my opinion - but possibly useful in the context of broader figures.

Regardies asthma he attributed to his ceremonial work - the cure he attributed to Reich, btw.

Boy in a Suitcase

15:19 / 24.01.06

This one has interested me for a while too. I've had severe breathing complications caused by working with full ceremonial Goetia, connected with getting out of the circle; I got severe bronchitis the same night of a 'botched' working and another friend I was working with developed throat polyps on another instance of observing less-than-traditional boundaries in such work. Now did I get bronchitis because of a 'demon' or because I was a smoker and stayed out late that night drinking and shared a drink with somebody who was sick? Maybe both. I don't think there's a causation but maybe a correlation in some cases... but I agree with Gypsy, it's not much to worry about. I do magic daily and have been for a long time now and haven't had breathing problems outside of early work with Goetia. Maybe it has more to do with being in a 'panicked' state than anything actually connected to magick. Dunno.

15:55 / 24.01.06

This is a phenomenon I'd heard of before, too. Started really wondering about it when I was listening to a lot of recorded lectures by Buddhist monks. Those dudes cough a lot. And clear their throats like every ten seconds.

Of course, I probably would, too, if I spent most of my time over the course of decades vibrating chants in incense-filled rooms.

07:02 / 30.01.06

I think illness in general often serves as a crucible for people's future character.

I would imagine that asthmatics - especially in earlier eras where the illness was less prevalent and less easily treated- often were confined to their rooms (ie. doing lots of thinking and reading in bed)- not to mention treated with opiate-based medications (to relax them & ease the panic from attacks. Crowley, I think, first used opiates in this context- as prescribed asthma treatment- probably as a young boy).

I think the isolation and time to read and think that characterise many illnesses often can result in great advances (although at hideous cost).

I also have heard (perhaps one of the medical people here can further expand or correct my ignorance) that there is a linkage of some kind between respiratory illnesses and panic disorders (and other psychiatric disorders such as bipolar affective disorder, depression etc.). As has been noted on these boards before, magick often has some relationship with such illness (speculation on that link is elsewhere discussed). As a wild speculation: perhaps a persistent sense of unease and dread, coupled with time and social isolation (at least in previous eras), lends itself to beginning esoteric investigations.

I had severe bronchitis as a kid- and now severe chronic asthma. I've spent lots and lots of time being told to stay calm and amusing myself at 4am while others slept.

EDIT: My apologies to trouser the trouserian. I just saw your post on opiate medications. Excellent and thank you

ESOZONE : Oct 10 - 12 PDX 2008

20:48 / 06.02.06

a related thread about the didgeridoo, sleep, and breath.