Some thoughts on The Cup, magical weapon of the Practicus (3=8).
The Tribal Man
There is a specific situation in life that is very painful, which is the presence of an individualistic Soul in a tightly knit tribal setting. Initiates from specific regions of the World struggle with this issue more profoundly. In many cultures, there is already an established System that leaves the individual free to design his own life. In more tribal cultures, the meaning of life is defined through the inter-generational trauma. In most tribal cultures of our age, the common script of communal life is already torn apart. Without a rational effort to make progress towards an individualistic culture, these tribal communities cling to fragments of group behavior. With the demise of actual Kings, every individual seeks his own petty kingdom with tyrannical dispositions unchecked. Hence, trauma becomes the only bond that resembles the former community. Old traditions are weaponized and pathologies run rampant. There is no force either to stop or hide the perversions in such societies. Their condition is unstable and transitory. Some members take on themselves the agency of oppression, while others explore an unlit and misguided individualism. In these fragmented societies, there is no place for reason, calm or sincerity.
For the initiates, as I have mentioned in my 'Zelator' posts, the goal is to remove all possibility of pain. Deeper pain means more urgent need to reach the freedom phase. The Higher Genius makes demands in the Soul through pain and pleasure. The pain due to association with tribal people is one such case. There is a stickiness and obstinacy inherent to the traumatized tribal person. He knows his shortcomings but he can't envision self-fulfillment. Unfortunately, the underdeveloped tribal human cannot forego destructive urges. It starts by destroying the easiest target, the individuality.
Tribal men have no notion of personal boundaries (source: https://news.yahoo.com/five-tips-on-setting-boundaries-mental-health-072735070.html)
There are a number of ways traumatized individuals seek to cause harm. Most of them can be rebuffed. Loneliness poses difficulties in steering the mind away from harm. If there is a lot of pity play, rumor mongering, etc., anger easily builds up as a response. The initiate feels anger only when a hopeless situation emerges. This type of anger should not be acted upon, unless there is a guaranteed outcome. The Higher Genius never burdens the Soul with a duty more than it can carry. The Initiate should interpret the signs properly, without relying on any guideline. There should be no prejudice or abstract principles. The anger should not be allowed to shift and cause an open conflict. Despite the common belief that 'the amount of suffering' is the criterion to be granted Paradise, for our Hermetic belief, it is the 'intelligent suffering' which seeks peace through the establishment of notions. In Christianity, being victim is given a too large part. It is very natural, because in Christian theology, there is one life, one duty and eternal Paradise. Hence, one can seek radical individuality and declare his values against any threat of violence. In our Hermetic belief, martyrdom or sainthood does not exist. Somehow, men are doomed to persist in this World with their Intelligence gradually manifesting in the material plane. It gets easy to protect one's journey in the path when it is understood how the common man operates.
Christianity glorifies sacrifice of oneself in the service of the Higher Genius, consistently with its Creed. (source: https://historyofyesterday.com/six-horrible-deaths-of-early-christian-martyrs-40c0fa7b61ae)
The common man is in a mechanical life with an aimless adherence to some personal drama. Lucky for everyone, the personal drama seldom involves open hostility to others. Life has evolved in such a way that subscription to a role in the common script is more appealing than individual existence. Individualism only exists as a universally condemned instinctive life, or as the less common Initiatic path. The drama in every tribal man's mind is different and it is very fortunate if no one has an obsession to control or bring down the Initiate. This may not be the case especially with family. Families of tribal communities are founded upon the perpetuation of trauma. It takes several generations and a lot of sacrifice to change this into the perpetuation of love. Tribes are built upon fear and sacrifice. One can either be a good person or belong to a tribe.
The Sword as The Zelator's Weapon
The tricky part due to Pain is figuring out the shortest way out of it. The Zelator uses the Sword, which is not a good weapon. The Sword is open strife. The Sword makes an imperfect weapon. It requires a big armor to effectively use a sword. The Zelator needs to learn when to hide and when to strike. It requires timing, nerve and preparation to defeat an adversary with the sword. All the savages claim to be handy with the sword. In fact, only tribal belonging stops a savage from going berserk. To use the sword without proper armor is to descend to the level of savages. Hence, the sword should only be used against the weakest of the savages, who attack without any planning. For example, if your co-worker threatens you, inform HR and get him fired. This is the Sword.
The Canaanite God Baal had characteristics that resembled the False Deity I claim. (source: https://hoshanarabbah.org/blog/tag/baal/) Anxiety is a drawn sword. It is not the pain of existence. It is the pain of being under threat. The threat is the tribe. Those who can hurt can expect to be hurt, but for different reasons. One can get away with Evil as long as it conforms to the rules of the society. Strife caused by the Will to preserve itself is not sanctioned. The society will seek a way to label the Zelator with something permissible for revenge. These can be condemned in retro in a therapist's office, or circumscribed with the help of Intelligence. The Initiate should allow anxiety to transform itself into self-knowledge and submission. Let the 'bad feeling' express itself. Being too pre-occupied with injustice is harmful in the resolution of anxiety. By being open to rules, mechanics, and operation principles of the Society, there is nothing being lost from your personality. In fact, the Initiate's biggest personality trait is his ability to feel pain by the reality that is called 'Society'. The tribe is a poison that can be cured only through a deep understanding of the bullshit it worships. Try to complete the puzzle which is the False Deity of the Tribe and make an offering to its thirsty glands. If you find yourself in a painful situation, that is a result of interrupting this lowly Deity's game. Just because the False Deity is accessible, does not mean he is weak. He is the master of complexes, neuroses, and delirium. He keeps the weak Spirits under his sway through an unconscious perpetuity. In this regard, I contradict Freud once more. Freud has identified various mental mechanisms that caused illness or severe upset. He attributed these to biological factors in the nervous system. I attribute these to some Destiny that should not be meddled with.
Tarot card: Ace of Cups (source: pinterest)
The Cup - Beyond Conflict
Trying to cut water with a knife is absurd. The adversary can be past the savagery phase. If the adversary uses Water, then the Zelator needs a Cup. The Cup is the more advanced weapon of the Initiate that becomes useful with the 3=8 Practicus Grade. The Cup is a listener with no reflexes. The Cup is a witness which makes no demands. The Initiate should give up purpose and planning in life. Biggest mistakes are committed by committing to a plan. One should trust in the wisdom of the Higher Genius. You are moving towards absolute happiness with no cares. The Zelator is always happy, but he still possesses some reactive mind. The reactive mind considers every occurrence as either good or bad. He sacrifices the 99% for the 1%. The Cup knows that Evil is divinely appointed, necessary, and persistent. There would be no consciousness without Evil. The Devil is the mind of Qliphoth. The Qliphoth is the hierarchy of oppressive consciousness. It is the negation of Life for Power. These are the builders of Fortunes that ultimately serve the Initates, along with Baal (or False Deity).
Baal is pure Mental being which needs the Astral body of enslaved men in order to enjoy being. The shadow personality which is hidden from each men that manifests itself as compulsions is in effect a sacrifice made to Baal. From the bits and pieces of every men's Soul, Baal derives a living body. In this, he is greedy, because he can push a weak Spirit to madness in order to claim everything he has. He is also very selfish, because considering all the ills of the World, his body that is composed of every suffering is one huge mass almost bigger than humanity. Yet, he would not give up a single Soul. Due to this, captive men should not be blocked in their pursuit of mental evacuation. From Pain to Joy, the journey lies in the ability to obey the rules of Baal. If you are not below his sway, he has no use for you. However, he would like to stop you from achieving even greater Consciousness that can remove his authority. The Initiate should keep building independence and Faith. Soon, he will see Society becoming very lenient. With the increased leniency, he will start attracting the strongest servants of Baal, the psychopathic in-group. The Inner Order of Qliphoth does not lead to an 'Evil Deity', but lead to absolute nothingness. There is an unphatomable vacuum below the Qlipha that could even swallow the Demiurge. However, Baal manages to appear in front of the darkness as a Ghost Deity to lure the dark persons towards annihilation. These special servants of Baal have given up all divinity and gained access to the tricks and mind of Baal. They set up traps for the holiest Souls and with each score they eternally lose some part of their Spirit to Baal. It is possible to lose the Spirit. It is not meaningful to the Initiate to lose and gain ground with people while they are always a step away from slipping towards darkness. One should observe the existence of The Law declared by 777, the True God which is above Baal. His is the unbreachable law which keeps Baal under control. Otherwise, the False Deity would sweep every Initiate away. The Initiate should make no demands from the society and enjoy doing 'nothing'. Such strong appeal to the True God's protection will eventually open up a chasm in the Tribe to admit the Practicus. There is an uneasy feeling of fakeness in taking advantage of this chasm. This is the difference between The Practicus and Baal. The Practicus still lacks comprehension of the divine laws. He is ignorant to the Nature of things. He is vulnerable to pity-play. There is, in fact, much pity due to humanity. However, the rewards are always due to purity and the purest do not feel guilt.
W. B. Yeats, a known Magician. (source: https://medium.com/@dubhempmuseum/william-butler-yeats-and-cannabis-fa8335789c37)
Black Magic
Now, with consciousness, every action is Black Magic. The moment one loses his faith in the Illusion, he starts building up a special power. The Practicus is the grade of Joy. The Soul needs to nourish itself if he wants to reach higher. In contrast to the common prejudice, Black Magic is a process of Grief. Baal is finally urged to give blessing when the Zelator reaches a purer Consciousness. This purity is not related to the negation of desire, but the cessation of participation in tribal cycles. There are many in the World who are trying out different things in desperation to get some warmth from the World. The Chaos which gives rise to Consciousness only has so much to give. Rulership over the World is a matter that belongs to another realm. There is a theory that the Kabbalistic worlds represented in Jacob's Ladder is not a linear world but one that closes upon itself. Thereby, a Spirit makes a jump, like an arc, from the purest of the Consciousness into Absolute Darkness to be born again. That is the zenith of Self-Love and Self-Object. Each time, it is born with more experience with the Object Relations, The Maya, the Illusion, the Gnosis. There is no way of knowing Truth like a description unless one experiences it. Newer Initiates force the Old Gods out of their place by Love. The World was created by The Purest to return Love. The most beautiful One had no other choice if he wanted to sustain dichotomy. Subject-object separation is threatened each time the Universe completes a cycle. The World is the desert Consciousness exiled himself to escape the 0 = 0. In the Microcosm, the Soul might enjoy mundane life until it obtains Intelligence. Then, it starts serving the Spirit.
(source: pinterest)
Practicus, Practice, Intention vs. Will
The grade 3=8 is named 'Practicus', because the Magical occupation of this grade is merely practical. Above, we have mentioned some speculations about the Nature of things, but the Practicus only needs to practice certain behaviors and observe. The Zelator is the epitome of 'Individuation' and the march continues onto the Practicus grade which gives the Individual a sense of purpose. It is a deeper level of Self-Manifestation by turning inwards. The Joys of Pure Intelligence, the ever-occupying 'nothing' becomes a part of the Initiate. As mentioned in 'Black Magic', Baal the Great Ruler of Life in Darkness, cannot stand another Spirit attaining divinity. He makes a fracture in Chaos to satisfy the newly rising Soul of the Initiate. This is the incomplete Genesis. Rather than seeking to become a perfect image of The Higher Genius on Earth, Temptation might derail the Initiate and lead him astray. The Practicus should use his Magical Power to study the World. Rather than giving in to Temptation, he should force Baal to make a very large allowance for him so that he can proceed to the Philosophus (4=7) grade. Temptation is actual 'Creation' as the Will of the Magician carves a palace from the flesh of Baal. For the human mind, the lovely people or occasions that might come our way is very desirable. For Baal, this fracture is a tumor, a scar, a source of nausea. Imagine getting a tumor on your neck with the shape of a rose. It looks like a rose, but it is ugly and nauseating because it is not supposed to exist. Hence, the cult of Baal sees the Initiate.
The Practicus grade offers an alternative to perpetual Pain. It makes peace with the vulnerability of the Soul and assures the persistence of Joy. Through Joy it fights Baal and manifests wishes. The Practicus should learn the Diplomacy with Baal. He shall keep Secrets for it is The Law. Each time The Law is revealed, Baal will only spin new hardships. The Practicus masters the Art of replacing Intention with Will. Intention is the mundane conditioning of the Soul. The Zelator is already a master of having no Intentions. Now, the Practicus is to study Magic which is the manifestation of Will. He is to do 'nothing', hence cleanse his Soul. As cleansing progresses, he will gain more Power. Power is necessary to master the mundane Life.
Tree of Life and the Qliphoth beneath. Elemental control of planets regulate the Malkuth. (source: https://www.cleanpng.com/png-sefirot-tree-of-life-kabbalah-anges-de-la-kabbale-3506697/)
Ego Dissolution - or Reboot?
Baal is the God of Earth and men are bound to Earth. Then, he has ordained a destiny for the human part of the Initiate. It was there, inside, occurring naturally with adequate satisfaction. You had your dreams set, your joys abound, and your expectations clear. Somewhere somehow your equilibrium got frustrated. Your Self inflated, your eyes started blaring, your skin caught fire. It was the force of captivity. The lover who appeared out of nowhere, the new house your parents got, the group of friends who welcomed you... All to be lost, all to be grieved. That is why Magic is Grief. Many of us are too attached to even acknowledge that they have lost something, or more commonly, they never understood the nature of loss. A loss cannot be registered until it is understood. Only men with Faith can comprehend a loss. Then, the Cup is welcoming of Perversion. It is the cessation of Hope, institution of sobriety and numbness. The Cup is The Restoration of Perversion. Now, only God corrupts and He corrupts absolutely. The brain is wired to make connections to pleasure that last long after the pleasure is taken away. The Opium addict has sailed away from the 'complicated' World to simple chemistry. The simplicity in this is a revelation of the Illusion. Magic performed like a 'stage act' is a form of suffering. The Will of the Magician can only apply to a special Ego state. This is the state of purity, mundane beauty, and Perversion. The right term for this process is Ego sublimation. In the psychiatric sense it is the expansion of the agent-Ego towards the unconscious. In some sources it is termed ego-diastole. Now, it is easy to see that so-called Magical acts to ensure Satisfaction, like charms and evocations work in the opposite way. Here, the difference between Black and White Magic emerges. Black Magic is bent on full discharge through submission to the Id. Now, one should understand that Baal is not kind to His slaves. Within the Elemental control, the weaker Spirits suffer from Megalomania. This is the outward affect that is ironically rooted in poor ego formation. Now, these Souls are not fit for the Baal regime of Drama. They are partially lost to the claws of the Serpent. Their Drive in life gets focused on losing the last semblance of ego through compulsive practices. As they are very near the edge of Madness, they can easily indulge in a grandiose fantasy. In this fantasy, they transform their Agency to that of Chaos Spirits. Through the action of Chaos Spirits their Astral body gradually forms to host Elemental Intelligences.
Tarot card: The Devil (source: https://www.alittlesparkofjoy.com/the-devil-tarot-card-meanings/)
White and Black Magicians can defeat Baal in unity, or more justly called in a sado-masochistic relationship. For all intents and purposes such a union is the End of the World. Outward, it is a highly abusive relationship below human standards. The control in such a relationship belongs to the Dominant side, but that is also the uncompromising side. The submissive side is forced to reach a very high Initiation that may not be currently admissable. It is worth noting that this kind of relationship is ultimately the psychopath-empath bond. One can deduce from our speculations that the psychopath in this case is not under control by the empath, or White Magician. The pleasure of the union for the empath side is ego-introjection, the consumption of the psychopathic ego-predecessor by the empath. Now the empath is the mind of the psychopath, but outwardly he is the Slave. The satisfaction thereby achieved by the empath is commensurate to Adepthood (5=4). Hence, the Devil tarot card, which also symbolizes the path 26 (tsaddi) from Hod to Tiferet. The converse of the equation is the psychopath becoming totally erratic and volatile. More justly, such a type should be called a Sociopath, because he craves to regress to a more infantile stage, an aggressive oral-stage that becomes possible by dominating the Empath. Again it is notable that the subjective experience of Domination is internally a step into absolute darkness and unconscious.
Social structure of Ancient Egypt
Practicus: The Lordship of Unfulfilled Perversion
Now, the Practicus understands all virtue is non-sense. There is no special praise for being a good kid with Baal. The subjective experience of common Spirits is that of Adoration. On the other hand, the Practicus is in Adoration of the Chaos. It is a stupid contempt that the common man has for the Black Magician, but the Initiate's ability to chew up and devour an infantile ego makes him no better. The Pyramid of social structure is based on contempt, but the new replaces the old, also. In Ancient Egypt, the priests ensured that a Divine Spirit is born to the Pharaonic family. Now, for the survival of a Society based on Theocratic principles, it is important to assign offices according to Spiritual Development. In that regard, being Pharaoh was both a curse and a delight. Social hierarchy is based on contempt and the Pharaoh at the top, both by Spirit and by birth, has no chance of fooling around. He has to stay true to his Office. Hence, A Pharaoh is born with 5=6 (Adept) initiation, so that he is in peace with the 'Created' World. The Pharaoh practices Mind control over the initiated men. Over the common men, his Will directs the Elements. The sinners, witches and Black Magicians defy his rule. The Megalomaniac can disrupt the flow of tribute to the Hierarchy. The modern age is an age of Vice in its outlook. Actually, every age is both an age of vice and virtue but the objective institutions take different shapes depending on the phase of manifestation. The Initiates of our current age are supposed to gain their offices through Work. The static society which guided souls towards pre-destined lives is done with. The only remaining Path is getting all Initiations one after the other such that the Spirit can inhabit the World without any need of special Office. The middle-ground is lost and Theocracies are over. Solitary Magic is the only option.
The reason for the demise of Theocratic Society is obviously technology. With the deeply peaceful and harmonious Theocratic way of life, there is no incentive for new developments. The Megalomaniac path, on the other hand, is inventive, variable, and driven. The Spirit of Chaos has its head in Malkuth, so all his energy is directed to the physical multiplication of the human race. These Spirits are Old Gods who transform into pre-material energy and come back to Earth through a gate. The modern Initiate has no institutional support or belonging. He has no resources to help understand his Soul. He is a social reject, or at least appears so until he obtains Self-Knowledge. He is threatened by the desirability of abusive relationships and the most he can get from the establishment is the semi-despicable 'Highly Sensitive Person' label.
Practicus Advice
The main advice for everyone in the Initiatic path is a cool head. One needs to wait for the mud to settle if he wants to see through water. The Initiate should stick to a regime of plain living, plain talking and kindness. Kindness is a perfect armor to keep pressure at bay. The Initiate should keep interpersonal relationships formal, shallow, peaceful and slow paced. He should map his surroundings to his journey and understand his actions fully. Until he has mastered the meaning and repercussions of more intense experiences, he should avoid them. Be the nice, reliable, honest and cool person. Measure and understand your desires. Identify people's Consciousness levels. Avoid ambition, resentment, self-pity, and make-believe. Try to unravel your Destiny with curiosity and Faith.
