The Book of Magick Power
Page 29
Further, many people do not believe in reincarnation at all, whether for religious reasons or because they just think it seems unlikely or preposterous. You certainly do not have to explore past lives if you feel fundamentally opposed to the concept. However, the real value in past life exploration is not discovering that we were Marie Antoinette in a previous life. The real value lies in discovering archetypal themes that relate to our current life. Whether the past incarnations are real or elaborate creations from our unconscious, within the stories we that discover there are useful lessons to apply in our current lives. You can get just as much out of the techniques by just considering these past lives to be metaphorical fairytales from your unconscious which may help you to see your life in a new light. Over progressive past life explorations, you will discover that these archetypal stories present us with new ways of looking at challenges that we face in our current lives, and may uncover challenges that we’ve never consciously acknowledged. In my personal past life work, I have consistently noticed a tendency for violence in my past lives. I have been a brutal soldier or warrior a number of times, as well as a quack physician who performed strange operations. In my current life I have had a lot of trouble expressing my anger and violent urges, but I never consciously realized this problem until I explored past lives using the techniques that you will find in this chapter. Now I am able to work on this hidden, violent tendency in myself consciously in a way I might never have discovered if it weren’t for these past life regressions. I have never bothered to verify my past lives, because I think it is rather unimportant, personally. You may take this as far as you want. I have heard of a number of people who have discovered very accurate relations between their visions and some actual person from the past.
Also, a lot of magicians and lay people alike believe that talking to the dead is somehow wrong, that it disturbs the natural order and should be avoided like the plague. Necromancy is often thought to attract very low, vampiric, astral larvae of a most unwholesome character into the life of the regular practitioner. Of spiritism, a watered down form of necromancy, Aleister Crowley writes, “They make themselves perfectly passive, and, so far from employing any methods of protection, deliberately invite all and sundry spirits, demons, shells of the dead, all the excrement and filth of earth and hell, to squirt their slime all over them.”[1] Certainly this subject is not something to be trifled with lightly. However, if there is something you need to know, or someone you need to connect with, there is little danger if it is used with magical caution.
PAST LIVES
As I’ve just mentioned, the purpose of these techniques is to discover the universal themes and large-scale patterns that you have been playing out in your life, by looking back at “previous incarnations,” throughout history. As Aleister Crowley writes, “There is no more important task than the exploration of one’s previous incarnations.”[2] These may or may not be real lives, but they will give you an opportunity to explore consciousness in a new and novel way. Hopefully, over the course of a few experiments you will discover some consistent themes that will give you insight about the patterns that have brought you to where you are currently in your life.
Exercise 99 - Past Life Regression
Time Required: 40 to 60 minutes
In approaching this, you can have some specific issue, phobia, or consistent pattern of problems in your life in mind, and attempt to discover how these things may relate to an experience or series experiences in a past life. Or, you can just travel backwards, obtaining whatever vision comes to you. Either way, it may take a few experiments to really discover some important themes or patterns.
1. Consult with your subconscious using the pendulum.
2. Get into the Alpha state using your anchor.
3. Do opening preparations, including any combination of purification, consecration, chakra opening, Kundalini arousing breaths, circle casting and the pentagram ritual. Not all of this is really necessary for this experience. Do only as much as you will to do.
4. Make a statement of your intent to experience a past life.
5. Sit or lie down comfortably, bringing yourself into the Theta state as deeply as possible, while remaining in control of the experience.
6. Recall something that happened yesterday, something simple and pleasant, and move back into this experience as fully as possible. See, hear and feel your past surroundings from yesterday vividly.
7. Now, move back to a week or so ago, recalling some pleasant event.
8. Now, move back to a month or so ago, recalling vividly some pleasant event.
9. Go back a year, perhaps to your birthday or some other pleasant day.
10. Now go back to your early teens, then back to the age of 9 or 10.
11. Go to age 5 or 6, and 4 then 3 then 2 then 1. And now visualize yourself in the warm, dark experience of the womb.
12. And go back even further seeing a light, and as you pass through this light look down at your feet.
13. Simply notice what comes. Look at your body. See where you are. Allow yourself to explore your surroundings, trying to get a sense of experience. Things may just come in flashes, or a whole story may unfold.
14. Allow yourself to go to an “important event” that took place in this life, something that you need to learn about. Experience whatever images come and feel free to explore for as long as you want. You may ask yourself what the message from this life was all about. Explore whatever you want.
15. Return to normal consciousness slowly and deliberately, intentionally remembering all that you have experienced.
16. Immediately write down whatever you have observed. It is important to write it all immediately, because you will tend to forget it quickly, much like dreaming.
Exercise 100 – Past Life Timeline Alternative Method
Time Required: 40 to 60 minutes
This is a variation on the previous exercise, using a method similar to the future timeline that you explored in the last chapter. You will simply visualize a line of time, go back up it and visit childhood then keep going back. The advantage of this technique is that you do not have to be in such a deep altered state as you were in the previous exercise, so you can more easily remain in control and remember what has occurred. The disadvantage of this technique is that it may remain much more of a fantasy, and could prevent you from obtaining as deep insights as the previous exercise. However you may find it even more useful.
1. Use your pendulum to make sure your subconscious and super-conscious are willing to work right now.
2. Use your anchor to go into the Alpha state.
3. Do opening preparations, including any combination of purification, consecration, chakra opening, Kundalini arousing breaths, circle casting and the pentagram ritual. Not all of this is really necessary for this experience. Do only as much as you will to do.
4. Imagine that you are standing in front of a mirror, looking at yourself. Visualize yourself exactly how you are right now. Begin to think about your life, what you are doing day to day, how you are habitually feeling and what you are habitually doing.
5. Shift your gaze inward to the top of head, focusing into the light above. Imagine yourself floating up into this light so that you are moving outside of space and time for the moment. See your future and your past lying beneath you, along some sort of a timeline. This could be a tunnel or passage way, or a series of images, whatever seems appropriate to you.
6. Imagine that you are now floating down into the past on your timeline, so that you are moving back five years. Again see yourself standing in front of a mirror, five years younger than you are now. Begin to think about your life then, what you were doing day to day, how you were habitually feeling and what you were habitually doing. How were you different then? How the same?
7. Again, shift your gaze inward to the top of head, focusing into the light above. Imagine yourself floating up into this light outside of space and time, looking down at your future and past timeline.<
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8. Float down further into the past on your timeline, moving back to your early teens. Again see yourself standing in front of a mirror, as a young teen. Begin to think about your life then, what you were doing day to day, how you were habitually feeling and what you were habitually doing. How were you different then? How the same?
9. Again, shift your gaze inward to the top of head, focusing into the light above. Imagine yourself floating up into this light outside of space and time, looking down at your future and past timeline.
10. Float down further into the past on your timeline, moving back to your early childhood. Again see yourself standing in front of a mirror, as a small child. Begin to think about your life then, what you were doing day to day, how you were habitually feeling and what you were habitually doing. How were you different then? How the same?
11. Again, shift your gaze inward to the top of head, focusing into the light above. Imagine yourself floating up into this light outside of space and time, looking down at your future and past timeline.
12. Float down further into the past on your timeline, moving back beyond the beginning of this life. Again see yourself standing in front of a mirror, but it will not be you. Who is this person at whom you are now looking? Begin to think about this life, what you were doing day to day in this past life, how you were habitually feeling and what you were habitually doing. How were you different then? How the same?
13. Do not analyze, simply observe what comes, keeping it in your mind, not forgetting anything.
14. You may extend this further, traveling further back, experiencing other periods in this life, or other lifetimes altogether.
15. Return to normal consciousness slowly and deliberately, intentionally remembering all that you have experienced.
16. Immediately write down whatever you have observed. It is important to write it all immediately, because you will tend to forget it quickly, much like dreaming.
Exercise 101 – Seeing Past Lives in the Magick Mirror
Time Required: 40 to 60 minutes
This is such an extremely simple and strangely effective technique that I almost don’t even need to bother writing it out step by step. It is based on the same principle as the distorted image technique for contacting spirits.
1. Use your pendulum to make sure your subconscious and super-conscious are willing to work right now.
2. Sit in front of your magick mirror (a dark mirror) at night, with only the light of a candle or two, looking at your reflection in the mirror.
3. Use your anchor to go into the Alpha state.
4. Do opening preparations, including any combination of purification, consecration, chakra opening, Kundalini arousing breaths, circle casting and the pentagram ritual. Not all of this is really necessary for this experience. Do only as much as you will to do.
5. Simply stare at your image in the mirror unblinkingly, allowing your eyes to tear if they must, but continuing to stare at the image without shifting your gaze. Eventually, perhaps after fifteen minutes or a half hour, your face will start to change shape, and you will see a new face in the mirror.
6. This is the face of one of your past lives. You may now ask about this life, and the details w ill begin to come to your mind. You may continue this practice as long as it is comfortable. Don’t strain yourself.
7. Return to normal consciousness slowly and deliberately, intentionally remembering all that you have experienced.
8. Immediately write down whatever you have observed and discovered.
NECROMANCY
According to many of the great magical scholars, both ancient and modern, the practice of necromancy can be dangerous and caution should be taken. In my experiments in this direction I have noticed no real problem, but I suppose that there are some potential dangers. First and foremost, you must keep in mind that you are not really going to be communicating with the real essence of the individual you are going to talk to. Instead, you will be communicating with their astral shell, shade or shadow, that part of themselves that is left behind in the astral plane, made up of the memories of the past of the individual. This could also simply just end up being your own memories or fantasies of the person, projected through the lens of your imagination. But this practice could easily become addictive, particularly if it is a person who is sorely missed.
The other small danger is that some other unbalanced spiritual intelligence could easily masquerade as the deceased person, and ingratiate itself into your life for the purposes of sucking your energies away from you. Such a spirit might start giving you advice and demanding things from you and could become very destructive to you. So, for both of these reasons it is highly recommended that you not get into the habit of contacting the same deceased person over and over again. If you have something you need to know, or something you need to get off your chest, communicating with a deceased spirit is relatively harmless. But if you just wish to maintain and continue your relationship through this process, you will probably end up getting into trouble.
Autumn is traditionally the best time for necromancy, and Halloween the absolute ideal time. However, the night of the new moon is also suitable, when the darkness is greatest, and the shades of the dead are a bit more active. Many writers recommend a long period of preparation for necromancy, where you set up a shrine and go through various preparatory rituals. I think this is rather unnecessary, but it might be a good idea to set up your workspace for necromancy a week in advance, spending a little time each day thinking about the person you are going to contact. This will effectively build up the energy and anticipation for the ritual. But, you could honestly do it rather informally and still most likely get some results.
Exercise 102 - Necromancy of Love
Time Required: 40 to 60 minutes
For this practice you should burn some pleasant, sweet smelling incense, evocative of pleasant memories of the past. If you know of a scent that the person enjoyed in life, this would of course be ideal. Set up a little shrine in your temple or workroom for the person you will communicate with, including as large a photograph as you can find. Cover this photo with a white cloth, preferably of silk. Surround the photo with flowers, and any precious things that belonged to the person you will contact. You may wish to leave this shrine for a week or so, spending a little time with it each day, to really build up the atmosphere.
On the day that you will conduct your working, bring an offering of food and drink to the shrine, and serve yourself some too. This is sometimes called a “dumb supper.”
You will need to write a spell to evoke this person, using your memories and reflections on the person’s life. Set up your triangle of evocation in the west, the direction of the dead. Place two white candles at the triangle, one on either side.
You can use any of the visualization methods of evocation, a crystal ball, a mirror, clairvoyance, or attempt physical manifestation.
1. Consult with your subconscious using the pendulum.
2. Uncover the image of the person, and bring it into your working area.
3. Get into the Alpha state using your anchor.
4. Do opening preparations, including any combination of purification, consecration, chakra opening, Kundalini arousing breaths, circle casting and the pentagram ritual.
5. Make a statement of your intent, naming the person you intend to contact out loud, clearly and with conviction, looking at the image.
6. Potently draw the light of your superconscious into you, until you feel deeply connected with the true source of your power, a deep sense of cosmic strength.
7. Direct this energy into the triangle of evocation. Begin to accumulate the energy into an amorphous shape.
8. Recite your spell three times, looking at the image before you, conjuring up all the force you can, and directing it into the energy in the triangle.
9. Go to each of the four cardinal points clockwise, starting in the north and ending in the west, calling the person’s name, inviting them to join
you.
10. You should have a pillow or small chair in your workspace that you can sit in to allow as full relaxation and visualization as possible. Begin to focus on your third eye to develop your visualization. You can use your Alpha state anchor again at this point, taking a moment to deepen and focus your state.
11. Say the person’s name slowly, three times, feeling their presence in the triangle.
12. Look to the triangle. The shade of the person will manifest in some way, although it may not be that clear.