Gnosis

Trance

Saṃsāra: Saṃsāra is a Sanskrit word that means "wandering" or "world", with the
connotation of cyclic change. It is also the concept of rebirth and "cycle of all life, matter,
existence", a fundamental belief of most Indian religions. In short, it is the cycle of death
and rebirth.

Peter Caroll- Liber Null and Psychonaut

Altered states of consciousness are the key to magical powers. The particular state of
mind required has a name in every tradition: No-mind. Stopping the internal dialogue, passing
through the eye of the needle, ain or nothing, samadhi, or one-pointedness. It is used to
overcome the conscious mind which filters your perception of reality. In this book it will be
known as Gnosis. It is an extension of the magical trance by other means.

Methods of achieving gnosis can be divided into two types. In the inhibitory mode, the
mind is progressively silenced until only a single object of concentration remains. In the
excitatory mode, the mind is raised to a very high pitch of excitement while concentration on the
objective is maintained. Strong stimulation eventually elicits a reflex inhibition and paralyzes all
but the most central function — the object of concentration. Thus strong inhibition and strong
excitation end up creating the same effect — the one-pointed consciousness, or gnosis.

Neurophysiology has finally stumbled on what magicians have known by experience for
millenia. As a great master once observed: "There are two methods of becoming god, the upright
or the averse." Let the mind become as a flame or a pool of still water. It is during these
moments of single-pointed concentration, or gnosis, that beliefs can be implanted for magic, and
the life force induced to manifest.

The Death Posture is a feint at death to achieve an utter negation of thought. It can take
many forms, ranging from the simple not-thinking exercise up to complex rituals. A very fast
and simple method consists of blocking the ears, nose and mouth, and covering the eyes with the
hands. The breath and thoughts are forcefully jammed back until near unconsciousness
involuntarily breaks the posture. Alternatively, one may arrange oneself before a mirror at a
distance of about two feet and stare fixedly at the image of one's eyes in the mirror with an
unblinking, corpselike gaze. The effort required to keep an absolutely unwavering image will of
itself silence the mind after a while.