Review Of The Previous Week:
During the Criticism of Others exercise, I feel that I did fairly well. I have been rather practiced at biting my tongue for quite some time. My low point is 4 days where I had zero marks, and my high was a single day where I made fifteen marks. I'm not about to try and make excuses for that day, I feel I was fully justified in all that I said and can easily live with myself for it. I must admit though that if I were doing the second iteration of this exercise and writing also my thoughts that verge on crticism of others, I would more than likely have had quite a few marks each day simply from dealing the aforementioned Lieutenant.
The Stepped Relaxation and Color Breathing exercises went as the previous week. I still haven't gotten much out of the stepped relaxation, so at this point I am going to continue to rely on the methods I have used before and which I know to work for me.
The Candle Burning exercise ended up not happening. My interpreter did what he could but couldn't get the candles to me until the day that this week ended. I had substituted the Time Watching exercise of the week prior to this one. That one went better, it seems that a second week of "Doc staring at his watch again" was less odd than the first week. Either that or they decided it was worthless to keep asking questions.
Schedule of exercises for Week 3:
-Exercise 3: Self-Awareness III: Criticism of Self (pg 8)
-Exercise 5: Inward Perception II: Elemental Orientation (pg 17)
-Exercise 11: Breathing I: Color Breathing (pg 39)
-Exercise 16: Outward Concentration III: Water Boiling (pg 55)
All of these are done each day, with no variations.
Thoughts and expectations for the week:
Criticism of Self shouldn't be too bad, I am usually rather defensive of my actions and not too apologetic so long as I feel that whatever I did or said was justified before it became word. The flip side of this is that I tend to think a while before saying much of anything anyway. It's rare for me to be completely open and there are only a very small handful of people who get to see me unfiltered.
The Elemental Orientation exercise should go fairly smoothly, as it is not unfamiliar to me. I can't say I have ever done this particular exercise, but I've done plenty of similar ones. I can imagine I may get some funny looks if I am unable to find appropriate privacy, but after the Time Watching bit I doubt anyone will really mess with me. This exercise will probably help me to feel a bit more balanced in my daily life as well, which is definitely something I could use about now.
I expect Color Breathing to be the same as the previous weeks.
As an extension of the other Outward Concentration exercises, Water Boiling should prove simple enough. I don't exactly have a stove top with a whistling kettle, but I do have an electric kettle with multiple heat settings. I am eager to try this exercise, since I don't think I have ever done one like that focuses on the sense of hearing the way this one does.
Misc:
My plan for the Tree of Life Rosary is coming along smoothly. I am having a little trouble deciding what I will use as the beads that seperate the decades, as I am having them representative of the veils. Also, I have finished my initial run through of The Power Of The Word by Tyson (see previous post for ISBN) and my usual note taking process. I've been experimenting with a few of the exercises and rituals he has in there. I can not say I agree with everything he has written there, but it does provide some great food for thought. I did read over all of his Enochian references within the aforementioned work, and again he has some good food for thought though I would prefer to vet his source materials myself before agreeing or disagreeing with any of his assertions. For all he claims about the inherent apocalyptic nature of Enochian Magick, he seems quite obsessed with it.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
A Long Term Plan (Week 2/40)
A note should be made here, that I am a member of the U.S. Army. I am a medic and currently deployed in support of Operation New Dawn in Iraq. Due to this, I have found some things to be more difficult than others to complete. This is also the reason that my updates are not always going to be right on the weekly mark, though I will try to keep as close as possible.
Review Of The Previous Week:
As ironic as the wording the following statement uses, it is true all the same. I found that I referred to myself quite often throughout the previous week. My highpoint came on the second day, at 356 marks. In all honesty, I expect this is fairly normal. It seems that in normal day-to-day communications, we all refer to ourselves often. This is mostly due to the way we relate our experiences, and the way we communicate our thoughts and feelings to one another. Also, it seems that the marks are higher in the first few days due to our awareness. As the exercise begins, our awareness is not as focused, so we catch ourselves afterward, where our errors are worth five marks instead of one. Whereas, by the end of the week, our awareness is more honed and thus we catch ourselves either just before or during the act whereby we either refrain from gaining a mark or gain only a single one. I also found that as the week progressed, it became easier to think in ways that avoided the use of personal pronouns that referred to myself. In no way do I claim that I could remove this entirely from my speech. My lowest marks were 72, and this was on the final day which also happened to be a day where I had very little verbal communication of a social nature. The book says that the second iteration of this exercise should also include our mental uses of the same words. This second iteration is seperated from the first by a few weeks though, it should prove interesting.
As to the stepped relaxation, I found that it was easy enough to find time to practice this one as I either did it at the very begining or end of my day. This proved to be the easiest practical exercise to find time for. I feel that this exercise has merit, however I did not achieve the deep relaxation that I find in other techniques I have practiced in the past. The technique is sound, it is a focused relaxation that works to draw your attention away from the body while relaxing the muscles, though I will return to my former relaxation technique for ritual and practical use. If any reading this currently has the book, you will notice that the use of this relaxation technique continues for a second week. In the spirit of the study, I will continue to use this technique for the requisite daily exercise.
The color breathing was as expected. A technique I have used in the past and one that I still find extremely effective. This exercise was a little more difficult to find time for, given my current situation. I found that I was interrupted quite a few times throughout the previous week, and would have to start over repeatedly. Also, the description suggests using a chain, string of beads, or knotted cord as a form of rosary in order to have no need to count your repetitions as you make them. For the first few days all I had were my dogtags, I found that the beads on the chain were almost too small and closely set to use. I ended up acquiring some para-cord and knotted it for use. This turned out to be a much better device. Also, the exercise along with some other research I am doing has inspired me to begin work on a personal rosary based on the Qabalastic Tree Of Life. Eitherway, this exercise continues for 2 more weeks, and is then found alternately throughout the rest of the 40 week guide. I really feel this is one exercise that never loses its value.
Time watching was a dificult exercise in itself thanks to a lack of practiced focus, and when interruption after interruption was piled upon it, it became nigh on impossible. The book advises against doing exercises such as this one when you are very tired, however about the only time I could find to complete it was very late at night either while monitoring the radios on a checkpoint or after I was finished with my various duties on the main camp. Even then, it was often interrupted by people coming to me for medical issues or by my room mate asking, "why are you staring at your watch". Aside from all of this, the exercise did become easier by the end of the week and I definitely see merit in the use of this exercise on a regular basis. It has already had an effect on my day-to-day life in that I am finding it easier to focus on things and increase my productivity because of it. This has great merit in the workings of ritual magick because, as the book states, the better your ability to focus on a sigil or talisman for an extended amount of time will allow you to better charge them for use. Also, my continued daily rituals(various Qabalistic rituals that I have practiced for the past few years) have benefited from this renewed ability to focus.
Schedule of exercises for Week 2:
-Exercise 2: Self Awareness II: Criticism of Others (pg 6)
-Exercise 4: Inward perception I: Stepped Relaxation (pg 13)
-Exercise 11: Breathing I: Color Breathing (pg 39)
-Exercise 15: Outward Concentration II: Candle Burning (pg 53)
All of these are done each day, no variation therein.
Thoughts and expectations for the week:
I would like to believe that I am not that critical of others, but must admit that I have never really paid that close attention to exactly how I speak. I am worried that I may find out I am more critical than I believe. Also, considering a certain LT that I am less than thrilled to be around but end up being stuck with for literally days at a time on the checkpoints, I may end up with high marks. Only time will tell on this one.
Exercises four and eleven are a continuation from the previous week, nothing has really changed about them. Perhaps with more practice the stepped relaxation will become more effective.
The 15th exercise will prove difficult simply because I will have to ask one of our interpreters to buy some candles for me. They are, technically, prohibited due to being a fire hazard. This is mostly due to a handful of people who couldnt be smart enough to clear the area around a candle or to put it out before they left the area. Such is life in the military though, it only takes one or two people to ruin something for everyone else. While I wait to see if the candles can be acquired, I will continue with Time Watching.
Misc:
During all of this, I am also studying a few other things. I recently got a copy of The Power Of The Word(ISBN 0738705284) by the same author as the above guided study. This is a study into the Qabalastic divine name YHVH and its use in ritual magick. I made mention earlier of daily rituals, aside from this study, that I complete. These are mostly taken from a study through Modern Magick by Donald Michael Kraig(ISBN 0875423248), though I substitute variations of a few of the rituals therein with ones from Circles of Power by John Michael Greer(ISBN 1567183131). This is due to a general lack of fondness for Enochiana. I am well aware of the raging controversy about this system, and have no desire to partake in these heated discussions. My non-use of the Enochian system itself, and also the subsequent altering of rituals when it makes an appearance within the Golden Dawn system of ritual magick, comes from a lack of familiarity. I do not know enough about it to comfortably make use of it. When this lack of comfort is combined with the current debate as to the "true intentions" of the Enochian Angels, I feel it is better to avoid use. I suppose this can be likened to not using a certain tool in the workshop when you do not know any of the safety techniques. Though I am studying what I can of the Enochian system, that is a discussion for a post all on its own. That is, if I ever get around to making enough sense of my own notes to write the post.
Review Of The Previous Week:
As ironic as the wording the following statement uses, it is true all the same. I found that I referred to myself quite often throughout the previous week. My highpoint came on the second day, at 356 marks. In all honesty, I expect this is fairly normal. It seems that in normal day-to-day communications, we all refer to ourselves often. This is mostly due to the way we relate our experiences, and the way we communicate our thoughts and feelings to one another. Also, it seems that the marks are higher in the first few days due to our awareness. As the exercise begins, our awareness is not as focused, so we catch ourselves afterward, where our errors are worth five marks instead of one. Whereas, by the end of the week, our awareness is more honed and thus we catch ourselves either just before or during the act whereby we either refrain from gaining a mark or gain only a single one. I also found that as the week progressed, it became easier to think in ways that avoided the use of personal pronouns that referred to myself. In no way do I claim that I could remove this entirely from my speech. My lowest marks were 72, and this was on the final day which also happened to be a day where I had very little verbal communication of a social nature. The book says that the second iteration of this exercise should also include our mental uses of the same words. This second iteration is seperated from the first by a few weeks though, it should prove interesting.
As to the stepped relaxation, I found that it was easy enough to find time to practice this one as I either did it at the very begining or end of my day. This proved to be the easiest practical exercise to find time for. I feel that this exercise has merit, however I did not achieve the deep relaxation that I find in other techniques I have practiced in the past. The technique is sound, it is a focused relaxation that works to draw your attention away from the body while relaxing the muscles, though I will return to my former relaxation technique for ritual and practical use. If any reading this currently has the book, you will notice that the use of this relaxation technique continues for a second week. In the spirit of the study, I will continue to use this technique for the requisite daily exercise.
The color breathing was as expected. A technique I have used in the past and one that I still find extremely effective. This exercise was a little more difficult to find time for, given my current situation. I found that I was interrupted quite a few times throughout the previous week, and would have to start over repeatedly. Also, the description suggests using a chain, string of beads, or knotted cord as a form of rosary in order to have no need to count your repetitions as you make them. For the first few days all I had were my dogtags, I found that the beads on the chain were almost too small and closely set to use. I ended up acquiring some para-cord and knotted it for use. This turned out to be a much better device. Also, the exercise along with some other research I am doing has inspired me to begin work on a personal rosary based on the Qabalastic Tree Of Life. Eitherway, this exercise continues for 2 more weeks, and is then found alternately throughout the rest of the 40 week guide. I really feel this is one exercise that never loses its value.
Time watching was a dificult exercise in itself thanks to a lack of practiced focus, and when interruption after interruption was piled upon it, it became nigh on impossible. The book advises against doing exercises such as this one when you are very tired, however about the only time I could find to complete it was very late at night either while monitoring the radios on a checkpoint or after I was finished with my various duties on the main camp. Even then, it was often interrupted by people coming to me for medical issues or by my room mate asking, "why are you staring at your watch". Aside from all of this, the exercise did become easier by the end of the week and I definitely see merit in the use of this exercise on a regular basis. It has already had an effect on my day-to-day life in that I am finding it easier to focus on things and increase my productivity because of it. This has great merit in the workings of ritual magick because, as the book states, the better your ability to focus on a sigil or talisman for an extended amount of time will allow you to better charge them for use. Also, my continued daily rituals(various Qabalistic rituals that I have practiced for the past few years) have benefited from this renewed ability to focus.
Schedule of exercises for Week 2:
-Exercise 2: Self Awareness II: Criticism of Others (pg 6)
-Exercise 4: Inward perception I: Stepped Relaxation (pg 13)
-Exercise 11: Breathing I: Color Breathing (pg 39)
-Exercise 15: Outward Concentration II: Candle Burning (pg 53)
All of these are done each day, no variation therein.
Thoughts and expectations for the week:
I would like to believe that I am not that critical of others, but must admit that I have never really paid that close attention to exactly how I speak. I am worried that I may find out I am more critical than I believe. Also, considering a certain LT that I am less than thrilled to be around but end up being stuck with for literally days at a time on the checkpoints, I may end up with high marks. Only time will tell on this one.
Exercises four and eleven are a continuation from the previous week, nothing has really changed about them. Perhaps with more practice the stepped relaxation will become more effective.
The 15th exercise will prove difficult simply because I will have to ask one of our interpreters to buy some candles for me. They are, technically, prohibited due to being a fire hazard. This is mostly due to a handful of people who couldnt be smart enough to clear the area around a candle or to put it out before they left the area. Such is life in the military though, it only takes one or two people to ruin something for everyone else. While I wait to see if the candles can be acquired, I will continue with Time Watching.
Misc:
During all of this, I am also studying a few other things. I recently got a copy of The Power Of The Word(ISBN 0738705284) by the same author as the above guided study. This is a study into the Qabalastic divine name YHVH and its use in ritual magick. I made mention earlier of daily rituals, aside from this study, that I complete. These are mostly taken from a study through Modern Magick by Donald Michael Kraig(ISBN 0875423248), though I substitute variations of a few of the rituals therein with ones from Circles of Power by John Michael Greer(ISBN 1567183131). This is due to a general lack of fondness for Enochiana. I am well aware of the raging controversy about this system, and have no desire to partake in these heated discussions. My non-use of the Enochian system itself, and also the subsequent altering of rituals when it makes an appearance within the Golden Dawn system of ritual magick, comes from a lack of familiarity. I do not know enough about it to comfortably make use of it. When this lack of comfort is combined with the current debate as to the "true intentions" of the Enochian Angels, I feel it is better to avoid use. I suppose this can be likened to not using a certain tool in the workshop when you do not know any of the safety techniques. Though I am studying what I can of the Enochian system, that is a discussion for a post all on its own. That is, if I ever get around to making enough sense of my own notes to write the post.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
A Long Term Plan (Week 1/40)
I recently acquired a copy of The Magician's Workbook by Donald Tyson(ISBN 0738700002). He wrote it as a series of 40 exercises that help to develop the skills, concentration, and awareness necessary to properly practice Ceremonial Magick. These exercises are meant to be practiced immediately, as they are written as simply as possible. Mr. Tyson does a great job of explaining each exercise well, and the reasons behind its inclusion. The exercises are broken into sections starting with techniques that require no specific posture and working through reclining, sitting, standing and moving exercises. They cover the range from basic breath technique and awareness to the basic daily rituals involved in Ceremonial Magick as practiced by groups such as The Golden Dawn. And, he does this all with a bare minimum of tools. To quote the author, "they consist of a knife, the tattwa symbols cut from cardboard, various receptacles to hold common substances such as water and salt, candles, regular coins, a deck of Tarot cards, incense sticks and cones, a dowsing pendulum that can be made from a piece of thread and a ring, and simple objects such as a watch and a kettle." (The Magician's Workbook, Tyson, pg. xv)
At the end of the book, the author gives a suggested 40 week course intended to build up the necessary skills while working through all the exercises, followed by a 4 week rotational course meant to maintain the skill level. This is then followed by a rather well developed suggest reading list. I have read over the entirety of the exercises and started the 40 week course a few days ago. I intend to track my progress here by writing at the end of each week to report my experiences, and any thing else I find pertitnent, as well as give the upcoming week's projected exercise schedule. Out of necessity, this week will have two posts.
I invite anyone who may be interested to join me in this course, or simply post thoughts or questions pertaining to the process I am working through. I will gladly do my best to answer anything that may be posed to me.
Schedule of exercises for Week 1:
-Exercise 1: Self-Awareness I: Ego Denial (pg 3)
-Exercise 4: Inward Perception I: Stepped Relaxation (pg 13)
-Exercise 11: Breathing I: Color Breathing (pg 39)
-Exercise 14: Outward Concentration I: Time Watching (pg 50)
These are each performed every day of the week.
My thoughts and expectations for the week:
As I am already familiar with various relaxation techniques, and have done multiple methods of color breathing, I expect these two to be the easiest of this week's exercise. The Ego Denial involves a higher level of awareness than I usually practice. I expect high numbers of "infractions", but it is all in the process of growth. And as for the Time Watching, I know that my mind will wander, and I am curious to see just how well I can hold the necessary concentration.
At the end of the book, the author gives a suggested 40 week course intended to build up the necessary skills while working through all the exercises, followed by a 4 week rotational course meant to maintain the skill level. This is then followed by a rather well developed suggest reading list. I have read over the entirety of the exercises and started the 40 week course a few days ago. I intend to track my progress here by writing at the end of each week to report my experiences, and any thing else I find pertitnent, as well as give the upcoming week's projected exercise schedule. Out of necessity, this week will have two posts.
I invite anyone who may be interested to join me in this course, or simply post thoughts or questions pertaining to the process I am working through. I will gladly do my best to answer anything that may be posed to me.
Schedule of exercises for Week 1:
-Exercise 1: Self-Awareness I: Ego Denial (pg 3)
-Exercise 4: Inward Perception I: Stepped Relaxation (pg 13)
-Exercise 11: Breathing I: Color Breathing (pg 39)
-Exercise 14: Outward Concentration I: Time Watching (pg 50)
These are each performed every day of the week.
My thoughts and expectations for the week:
As I am already familiar with various relaxation techniques, and have done multiple methods of color breathing, I expect these two to be the easiest of this week's exercise. The Ego Denial involves a higher level of awareness than I usually practice. I expect high numbers of "infractions", but it is all in the process of growth. And as for the Time Watching, I know that my mind will wander, and I am curious to see just how well I can hold the necessary concentration.
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