Thi something of wigue eee in eter pblhing~ nm book by the Keeney ‘clit Dion Fre onthe teary sod practin of ital or ceremonsal gL the heroine of to af ber aswel, Ze Se Pre an Mea Magis she was soul 4 mines ofthat In wachngs ha as ier speared ony in eget fori in aja ries fhe dean suse chapter with Type of Bind Werking: Mid Ting th ae of ua ychie Pevepin; Rial Iron; the Realty ofthe Suck Planes Foeusing the Mage Micror, Chancling the Fores the Form of the Ceterny an the Papo ‘oF Mage— with appendices on Talran Magic and Atal or Each chateriesoplementd ood cepa bya companion chaperone tame sje, toy Gareth Knghe In Dion Fortunes day the conventions of cel sey pete et ftom ing to exon the rail sels sey hag now been elle b Tilo wich patel erent een ring toi He ied of praised workings recent Sines and ill hal pl Parc nd consaceon etal of Ta shor inthis nique ol wo magi prsitoners and teachers me are event with uaa oth peace flor cement eg BOE Ad are eae peal wad eae sep Uhelurd sperstion and specaation that tthe amar of tr een senna jaca and chanel of opis nrerainment pe mek ee ieee ih operant ee De Ml ae DY twos risicton “erent? oe i) vthothco.uk Doone a1 n.JIGHTAN INTRODUCTION TO RITUAL MAGICBoks by Dine Forte with Gar Kaige ‘An friction o Rial Mage “The Arthurian Fowrmle “The Creat of Force The Magia! Bate of Hitin Preto Occult Peinples of Esoerc Feng aneples of Heemese Pilsophs Spit sod Occlirn th ss by Di rece Machinery ofthe Mind The Eset Philosophy of Love and Massage ‘The Paehology ofthe Servant Problem ‘The Soya Bean "The Esoteric Orders and hee Work ‘The Problem of Panty Sane Occult ‘The Tenn and Work ofan Tate Myst Meditations the Colt Spit i he Light of Occult Seence Pisce ScleDefence Glastonbury Aealon ofthe Heat ‘The Mtl Qabalah Pracel Occ in Dai Life The Coste Doctine “Thro the Gates of Death Api! Mage ‘Aspects of Ocean sat Fin ‘The Deron Laver The Goat Foot God ‘Moon Magi The Sea Petes “The Secret of De Taverner The Winged Bal ter bk by Gat ight ‘Bion Forsne andthe Toner Light ‘Brot Tring in Every Le voli the Godden (ats The Rose Coss and the Goddess) [Expert of the lamer Wolds Grronyt Magic Cards ‘api snd dhe Westen Mind eke A History of White Magi) ‘ape mage ad the Nagi! Imayination| The Magial World ofthe Tkkngs The Magical Wold ofthe Tarot, [esis ana dhe Gra Traion ‘The Oona Introduction (Oacalt Exercises and Practices “The Pace of Rita Magic A Paci Guide t Cabstie Spb ‘The Secret Tradon ih Athosian Legend Tarot and Mage (ae The Teese House of Image)AN INTRODUCTION TO RITUAL MAGIC » DION FORTUNE and GARETH KNIGHT THOTH PUBLICATIONS Low serieCopyright ©1997 The Society of the Taner Light Copyright ©1997 Garth Knight ad en 206 Allg reserved: Noreprodbtion, copy or sansmission of this pblcaion may be made without waiten perma, [No peengph ofthis publication aay be reprocicd, copied lento ave wih writen perrisson oe accordance With the provision of the Copyright Act 1996 ax amend). Anypereon wh does any nator ac lao otis ‘ublction ey be able to einiealpeecution and ci ims For mage “The Moral Rights of the Authors bre een asserted, [Bion Fortunenssmgitered aera Details ofthe “Work and Ais” of the Society of dhe Inner Light, Founded by Dion Foran, maybe obtained by iting, {oath postage plewe) to the Secreta st 58 Sess Ron Landon NWS 48G ACIP catalogue rood fo this bak ‘saab rn the Beith Libary, ISBN o78--870450.263, Gover desgn by Helen Surman Prine and bet in Great Bain abled by Thoth Publications 64 Leopold Stee, Loughboroug LET) SDN "Web Ades woth. coak cna enquires @hoth. cok DEDICATION to DC and Se INC. roschom alo my hanks GK.CONTENTS Teton 1. Types of Mind Working 2 Mind ining 3. The Use of Ritual 4. Payee Peespion 5. Rial Ination| 6. The Reaityof she ube Planes 7. using the Magi Micror Chain the wces 9. ‘Therm af the Ceremony 1M, The Parpone of Mie Appendix A. ‘Talstnnic Magic Appendix Baal Foor Appendix C, The High Crom: “Temple Working Indes Gareth Kaige in Forune Gareth Knight ion Fortune Gareth Kaight Dion Fortune Gate Kaight ion Fortune Gareth Kaight ion Foetone Gareth Kaight Diam Focrine Gareth Knight Dion Foraane Gareth Knight Dion Fortune Gareth Knight Dion Forte Gareth Knight Dion Forne Gareth Knight Dion Fortine GacetbKnight Dion Forme Gach Kenge Gaceth Kaight aea 0 2 » 7 14 120 1 a7 15 151 156 168 12 1INTRODUCTION DDioa Forte's Intsoction to Rial Mage Fest appeared ke ‘other of her books as separate articles in “The Inner Light Magazine” the jour tha she founded and edited daring the interwar years These articles wete then collected together by ‘me in my alter ego as editor of Now Dinvasins magazine and tun asa series in 1963/5. le gives me geet pleasure to sce them a ast given bith ia volume for (Of all her wring this dissertation on dhe techniques of situal magi strikes me as being as Fesh and to che point as the day it was writen. Inded its aot the esoteric content that etry the passing of years but erences made o everyday hie "Ths pound notes no longer exist andif they didieisdoubiful if the Bank of England would pass gold acoss the counter in exchange for one. Aad modetn marketing and production technigues in the dairy indtry make st uoikly shat we finda Ini of the cow in. botle of mile Whilst gramaphones have given place t record and CD players an sound systems of ‘ratious types Thave not presumed to edit out any of these contemporary sefetences, sil les to ey o rephtase Dion Forrun's use of the masculine pronoun to indicate membezs of the human race of either genes. ‘My own contrition to this volume is one of amplification rather than amendment. "To each of the chapters provided by ‘Dion Fortune Ihave added one of my own under the same le “This in some respec may prove tobe someting acommen- taryon points of difference ordeal, butin th main my attempt hs ben to fil some ofthe appiatons thar Dion Fortune, ‘wntingin he ds, would have fl rehictant to inelode2 An fnvoduetion To Rial Magic ‘Theeilofoocult secrecy has heen tolled back considerable way ever the past sinty yeas and T hope that Ihave succeeded in rounding oat Dion Forcune's pioneer work to provide the ind of explicit and practical est chat she herself wou think, have provided if she were waiting today. Tn this Ihave been enormously helped by my daughter Rebecca whose contribution demonstrates tome tht the torch of initiation busns as brightly as ever t dd, and that old inner plan fiends and reachers a span the generations. Od soldiers fever dic, as the oll song sys but there is one we know who will nt even fade GARETH KNIGHT Chapter 1a ‘TYPES OF MIND WORKING Dion Fortune ‘Gccuson isthe study of extant undesstood powers of ‘the human mind and of the mind side of Nature. Its pursuit therfore, depends ypon the porsesson ofthe eapcity to make ‘use of these itle-understood powers of the human mind and to perceive the mind side of Nature The ist step in the pursuit of practical occulism sto train ‘the tind. Ul chi is done we are not ina position to make 2 start. Everything, therefore, most wait upon the aequirement fof the necessary faulties Only a very small portion of occult work is concerned with supernormal phenomena that can be perceived by the pysicl senses and these phenomena play no part ia the very ‘valuable practical applications toifeandits problems of which ‘occult science is capable and which constitute is great valu to ‘mankind. The occurrence of such phenomena depends upon the presence of « matetalsing medium; such eediums are ‘are, and theit ight use requires great skill and experience, The ‘major partof oceulisin, anal the most practical psx depends ‘upon the possesion oF some degree at least of seasitvenest ‘or paychinm for is appreciation ‘Nea peycism, when we come to examine itis relly hype. sensiteness, and alla usaresensitve in wayne depres pechaps ‘notes chan we rele. Thi seastivenes enables sto perceuw ‘An Induction Ritual Magi subeinfoeass hat ps waned the haya of be ans eam ecg ese tmprenins ase sie, rae ogneengem nme anabengitened rae eing grees Ton oral al man Sigs Tce eevee the psec avenge eon suntan sabre eres cm what average a ely perce ebconscns re nr ese ad hold be csi aod dale scoring Faye get he nae perch ese Npemman on serine dat abe aos Fe aoe eh fein te work wid 0m what Hien weal oie ole cong up 2 vi ashen ye ong ete aot ins sn ce Sead ran ot ohio, ais heen dsome eee duane pecan tm pormay# imple Pee Nn nto as ove thes oc Mpenonraner ore nes ebnals tino it conkon apa Fst bopaboutby bein eaan cnt compensa omeren ge oto Te sith ceria dag ih nde Then cet pe of pei ening which combines bret exercise fom Hes fonds tthe a cera amis: Vanes pes ofthis med, Teese tom Gow the Fast, hee bon deed or Fe casei eis nt ny opon rato be SRSInSe cenit had of sm capeenend acts se cass Peed without he supereion oF oot ehcp of agar sho shad oes Menting arpean pup fe se ean Be so Mec pieneer nse typersnise one wlst oan ets tapyy poston of ting abe to com the rien oe es ses echo herr, sree becnplyed sey pesos urea pate ae Mae eanlyme oro whet 200 ina competitive world “Typos OF Mind Working - Dion Fortune 1s Second we gtthe yp of phi whichis pode by thal cote ese pesos hat the ‘ide vibsn an peeved eh of sp tie + Jerson who soe te geophone i net obese hea inc ngs onc ephone Ths kindof pyc depend frit ny upon the poses a ey igh dee ofthe owe fo concent [eis wc mtd ecu tale confs the peso testo toany pp of bengal tclne dwn tee {Coca skh ne bah acute ed vcore rf ad aos wig \ hd pe of poem ota lng the mind pest tind "eigen ht ae n Thi the lest method to cq, tial theese penal forts eye get etl wey om cr Jroconcedsean and in any materi which ow lags Miva uly mabe “The fourthpe of schisms at of inde isn. Tis neha ie of esate ofthese ‘Sit ta employ a igo adr te bones Conn eo conscomnts and then pe Bot although these four types of payehitm can be distinguished rcs of mat knd amos aby rmpoyedin acl pice ois fond atopy of a chance wish wendes he abeoncin eeatet tra ten co ncase the ntl cvs an fhe patna in clas ome A ein pee SF contton sth as enpoed in te cond pe tecemry in onder to prices ded ion tnt ce {he pour an cones syting eli an an ane to Chalet oom seine! hd po trang cer Thebes peo! ees, kh combines he wie with he reste concern, and which wat cei Cah ma tn tha ew whch pts as16 ‘An Inituston To Ritual Magic Aisturbance of normal cansciowsnes, is obtained by a technique which avail taelF of something fom al these methods in varying proportions; for according co a well-understood pharmaceutial lay, the actions of certain drugs reinforce each ‘other, and they ae far more effectual when blended than whea, taken separately ‘We nced 0 sim at power of concentration combined with sensitivity, and the devclopment of skill in the technique “which enables us to make the subconscious content avaiable Fast and foremost, however, must be the power of concentration, fori i that, and that alone which gives mind control, Coneenteaton is the power to pay attention to one thingata time and ta refuse tobe distracted. People possesitin ‘varying degrees. Its said of SirIsaac Newton that he continued his ealeulacions after his papers ad caught on ire, oblviows of the flames that were sngeing his wig while at che other end of the sae isthe deranged person whose mind attends to nothing bots distracted by every impression The power to concentrate, granted s nosmal mind, is Inngely mater of habit and responds readily to practice. For its eltivaton we use the same method that we would employ for the development of the muscles - regular, graduated exercise. To demand of the person unaccustomed to study 4 prolonged and concentrated atteation is to demand of him what he = incapable of giving, To demand of him chat he shall considet one idea for five minutes is to demand of him what he can do if he chooses to take the trouble. He ray have 10 take 1 good deal of trouble at Sst, if he is a seatterbesined perton, unaccustomed t0 use his mind, but by the time he has repeated the operation on half a dozen consecutive das he wil find thane can do the exercise without ‘fort, and is beginning to lengthen the ime spontaneously ‘There ae a great many tricks and shore cuts in the art of managing the min. Por insane, tis mach ese to “meciate” ‘Types OF Mind Working Dion Forune 0 than ¢0 “contemplate”, Therefore one learns meditation Iafore one attempts contemplation. 1a meditation the mind follows atin of thought that circles round a entel idea. Ia contemplation one exchides everything else from one's mind and jst lok a the cere, allowing it 10 expan and él fone whole being. One cannot sl the mind in contemplation luni one has lestnt to seady iin meditation, ‘Again, is much easice to meditate on concrete ideas than upon abstact ones; therefore one practises meditation cxercixes upon common objects such as a penny or e piece ‘of coal before attempting thse spiritual esereies that exalt ‘A great many books have been writen about in-esining, and many of them are very useful so far asthe rudiments oF the work go, but they have their limitations Te is possible to tus the surface of the mind by systems taken out of books, and to improve the memory and powers of aetenion; but tis ‘ot possible to open up the higher eonseiousness except under shied guidance. ‘There are three ways in which the mind works, as we shall ally soe if we observe, Most commonly we eink in words and in series of picture images like acinematograph im, But there is a tied and higher pe of meotaby, and which comes ‘occasionally to all of sat times of sess. This i ehinking in terms of pure ide, i which the ides anes in the mind complete and does not have to be thought out, but comes as.4 lash of cealisation which we apprehend in a sudden _impse of insight and dhen gradually unfold and reals in all its implieations If we examine ursches we shall id that we have probably had experience ia varying proportions ofall three types of mentation. “The physical culatst, when he exercises akes fst one ‘group of muscles and then another and makes special use of them, exerting them to tei fllest capacity. Likewise when sve train the mind we got the best results if we pick out a18 ‘An Intoducton To Ritual Magi acu ata time and eoncenttate on it, There are special ways of exercising each facaly: We ein he aude imagination, asthe power to thinkin words is called, by giving imaginary Iecrures fr five mines on simple subjects with which we are familia, imagining we hear ourselves speaking We tain the ‘visual mination, athe interior cincratogaph film i called, by calling up before the minds eve a series of piceaes of sone amir wal as we should see them if we were ending that very path. Witha litle practice we can ean todo both these things with avery temarkable degree of vividness People stay inline robe edhe audio visual in their ype of mind- working, just a8 they are either rght- or lefchanded, but itd effort mil usually enable them to acquze the ype that snot their chosen one, just swe can lean to se the left than for things usually done by the right. tis only a mater of effort atthe start, one soon cuits the knack, or the mind is tainly a creature of abit People who are given to day-dreaming and fantasy Gnd lice dificuly in this exercise, which they have aly practised ‘enawares for yeas, Allthey hae olsen eto dice he aimless romancing to vsefl porporet. Day dreaming is supposed to be avery debitating thing for the brain, according to orthodox psychologists, and so it can be if indulged in overrmuch of Injudiciousiy. Te has, however, a very important place in the technique of mind-working; the same place, in fact, that is ‘occupied by the architects plan in the building of a hove. TTerefoceto condemn the ue of the imagination n romancing, fsa Foolish as to accuse the sketching, sexbbling architect of ‘vas his time and bd hin get busy with a barrow if he wants to do something useful ‘This image bling, done with knowledge by means of the skilled use of the imagination, plays the ehief page ia mind- ‘work This i a thie which i ery litle understood, either by psychologists or cccutsts Te has ewofold importance, borh Subjective aad objective; both in sind. tring and in magic {Types OF Mind Working - Dion Fortune 0 Its importance in mind traning i osulficenty ceased, ‘because those who teach mind-tsning systems, whether fom. the stindpoint of esoteric development or business efficiency, always seem to havea very old-ashioned concept of paychology, and goto work aif the conscious mind were al there isinsde tur skulls, which i very fa fom being the case. Coné was on the ight rack, buche stopped just short ofthe top ofthe hill, LE he had employed the visual imagination to make pictures as ‘wel a the aude imagination to formulate the words “Every dy in every way T get hetter and beter" he would have se tliscavered one of the ancient keys to the Mysteries He realised very clearly tha iis useless to try and dive the sabeonscious mind by the brate force of the conscious vill applied to i suiee. This «fac chat stands out in the experience of everyone who hss made the atempt. On the ‘basis of this experince Coué formulated his Law of Reversed fort, which s but « restatement in paychologial terme of Se Prats experience, “The good I woul Ido not, and the ev T wold aot, ett Ida Because Cou observed this reaction, Ine discarded the effort af the diteced wil sltogether, and in facradvisedagainstits wee Now this may be wll enough when swe are attempting a pysial healing, For iis apt to produce ogtiveauto-suggestion when, afer having repeated the magic swords, “Every day in every way I get better and better” the quite numberof times, we ty to get out of bed and find ‘hit we are tot any better Physical healings take time i they ate genuinely physical and not neurotic. These things do not ‘work ike Abracadabea except in ficon, and in chat cass of “upltang”hterstaeto which that term might unkindly bur ot ssntraly be applied ‘When it comes to dealing withthe breaking o* forming of hubits, the development of eapaciy, other work of eharcter bulking co all of which auto-suggeston szeadly applicable and of the greatest vlc the wll can with advantage be used to reinforce the asto suggestion. If, for instance, one applied20 ‘An Ineoucton To Ritual Magic auto-suggestion to learning o skate or any other achievernent ff physical ski, one would aot make very mach progress if fone contented oneself with saying, “Every day in every way 1 ‘Sate better and better” and then remained seated beside the rink. If however, at one staggers onto the ce one repeats this formals instead ofthe more popular one,“Thnow Pmgoingto Fal. know Pm going to ill, the esas are very encouraging, Tre one mast expectto sit down hard occasionally in the exty stages, and a cynic has even std that skates shoald be sold in Sets of thre, and aot in pairs; but a wise man bas ls sid that the cowacd dies «thousand times, bat the brave man only dies fonce. A cowatd, be it noted it usually an imaginative person, Personally | do not believe the Law of Reversed Fffot to bbe a tue formulation of subconscious resistance Tike the rest, ‘of ws the subconscious mind is ee in its ways that all. 1 ‘no deliberately spiteful towards the conscious mind as Coué ‘would have us believe thas is owe ideas a tothe best way Df getting us what we want, nd these ideas ae apt to be short sighted or what ng cals nani, forthe subconscious mind busts imitations ad madera eduction passes irby and leaves itllterate. The subconscious mind often has much shrewder rotion of what we really want than we ate prepared to admit ven to ourselves, ad ke the poachers dog, responds tothe pitch of the voice and not tothe actual command, and whe biden to come to hed, dives down the sabbit hol "The subconscious mind, however, although its education is so widely neglected, by no means the imbecile is generally represented to be. Approached in the right way, it is, ke the test of vs, exceedingly respoosive But there isan old saying, that «nod is a good apa ink 1 blind horse and when we talk to our own subconscious minds ina language they do not ‘understand, we gt the same paucity of results that occurs when, ‘we apply the same method to other peoples conscious minds Tf we remember how we ourselves fel when a foreigner makes an eloquent appeal tous in hie own tongoe, we shall know how “Types OF Mind Working- Dion Fortune a the subconscious mind fel when the usual methods of mind trsiing ae applied tot team make nether head nor tal of ‘he commands shatare being dianed into its ears. andif pressed ‘00 ad, ay turn nasty “The only way co talk to the subconscious mind is through the pictorial imagination. It has a very archaic mode of sentation that developed before speech had been thought of. It ie unresponsive to logic, oF argument, oF appeals 10 its better nature, ust asa deaf man is unresponsive and for the same reason. But show i «picture and st understands and is only too teady to cooperate now that it knows what is required of it ‘Not realising this fact, we are constantly showing our subconscious minds the wrong kind of pictures. This the real key to the Law of Revered Effort; the misunderstood instruction, aot the innate eussedness of the subconscious, as ‘Coué wold have us beiere Irs eeally an exemplifcation of the older and better known maxim chat che hand follows the {96 IF you Took over the hedge when diving a ea, you will ‘ad inthe ditch because all unconsciously, you will stern the rction in which you ae looking. The novice keeps his eye on the ket in order to avoid runningineo it, and follows St. Pauls ‘example by doing the thing he would not. The expert looks ‘where he wants to go, nd get there. If you keep your eye on the tip of your near side mudguard you will infllibly ave in a cele. Knowing this fact as we do by common experience, and having had it pointed out eo us by Cov itis stage that Applied psychology, whether in the form oF mind ining ot psychotherapy, makes s itl use of it Magistrates know that gangster flims produce 2 crop of gangster crimes inthe districts where they are shown, and xpress themselves in good sound terms on the subjet. Boys sce these films, day-dream the plots wih themselves the place Of the hero; character deteriorates, and juvenile dlingueney is the result Supposing we indulged habicaly ip fancasies of a2 ‘An Introduction To Ritual Magic ifferent type, might not the resale something quite different foom dehinguenes? "This is whit the initiate does in dhe wisions he induces by means of invocation and coorempation. This sa pat, nd an Jimportane par, of the techniques of the Mystenes, butt mst be sed intelligent and with understanding if 3s not to do ‘as more har than good ‘The wniastescted person thks he is developing psychison “when sees eves archangels and elementals with tenner ey The instructed person kaos that he is using a technique of the ‘imagination in orderto clothe with visible form intangible things thar would otherwise be imperceptible t his consciousness He knows that itis a form of visual auto-suggestion, as istnguished from Coue's audi ato-suggestin, He makes tee of i for sve reasons, fs, because itis the most effect ‘way of handling the levels of the mind that are beyond the Cnect access of norms consciousness He uses it in Ft foe jrs autosuggestive value, and not as a0 end in island this the way itshould be used wedo not want the auco-syggestive effect vo get out of hand and end in hallucination. eis therefore acthercredulous nor sceptical concerning, the pierce psyche that presents itself to his mind in the conte of hit occult work. He is not credulous, beeause he ows is seal sgnfiance at a mode of mind working, and therefore docs not take i a ts face value, He is not sceptical, Ipecase although be does aot sega the images perceived as tealin themselves he knows that they present reltis tha sre Of value to itn, No-one makes dhe mistake of thinking that a pound aote has any intrinsic valu, but evesyone knows that if Ihe were to present it atthe Bank of Fngland, he could obtain apound’ worth of gold frit Sos with visionary psychism 1 we interpret, we find i hat 2 genine significance, but t sno has no intense value ia sch things as we understand as phenomenal existence ‘Typos OFMind Working -Dion Fortune 23 “The sale, therefore, learns the killed technical ase ofthe ‘visual imagination; the nite leans interpret the Wisons aod to exchange the pound note of fantasy for metaphyseal goldChapter 1b ‘TYPES OF MIND WORKING Gareth Knight In mos forms of practical acelin we ate dealing with what Dion Fortune lke call “certain litde-understood powers oF the human mind” although many of these posers are more ‘common thaa we generally suppose. Iti realy a matter of naling what out vatious mind powers and levels are and then deliberately cultivating them by various forms of training and technique ‘Powers of paychism are by no means as rate ass generally assumed, They ate simply a particular use of the human imagination, and we all of us posts an imagination, whether lr not we choose to use tin @ constructive fashion. Most of ws put up some kind of mental block when the wor psychisis use and assure that when a psychic vison is described ic rather afer the fashion of a luminous mist building up befote ws, in a corner of the room or at a sacred site. That i isa discernible “out there” - by means of some rare faculty ofthe physical eye that some pfted people possess and others do not. We may thus go around peering in various ‘rections with eyes ha closed hoping to "see" some external ‘or semi external manifestation ia this way Towariably we ate disappointed, which i to our advantage For indeed if we were tot disappointed, shen we ought have eanse tobe alarmed, for externally sen or heard psychic perceptions are of the order of exteriorised delirium and Types OFMind Working Gareth Knight 25, hlucnation Thats to sy evidence of payehopathology sather than subtle powers of the mind, “The precise external or internal ealty of “ate fers", and the philosophical and psychological conclasions to be dexwn therefrom, willbe comsidera later For our immediate practical purposes let us etate quite plainly that psyehism, whether of |nmages seen wth the fone veo words or music heard withthe nae eat a mater ofthe imagination -and of the controlled use of the imagination at chat ‘There is, we have to sa, ao shortage of examples of the uncontrolled use of the imagination withia the occult movement. For occulism, like the arts, is a discipline that depends very mach wpon the we ofthe imagination, and this rican cat iattacts moze than its share ofthe immature the pretentious and the self deluded ‘The development of any taleat is no easy proces Justas the eat artist needs to serve along apprenticeship to develop the necessay technique to bring the powers of creative expression to full development, so does the occu tual magician or otherwise), have t undergo a similar process - and many are the false tis and fake dawns upon the wa. However, all of us possess the necessary basic sills within ‘our psychological make-up. The imagination is a common heritage, as areal dhe other mental Enos that make ws to human beings Tn diferent men or wonen, such isthe diversity of human. cuaracey ll of our Faculties aid talents may be present in Afferent proportions and may be applied in different ways. “This may be s result of genetic inheritance, family and social background, or indvidal peychology: None of as however are totally devoid of any natural human fculy, despite the fact thacivis possible to over expeess orto repress ertain of them Tet us make a list of the various faculties of the human bing, This en clarify ou ideas and present us with a plan for6 ‘An Inroduction To Rial Magic action, 98 longa we do not ur this simple basic stractte nto ‘mentally constricting watertight compartments Tradition teads to try to analyse fe into sets of seven Seven days of the week, seven notes in the diatonic scale. These are man mad conventions and work none the less well, for that, although they tead to break down when applied to ‘objective physical reality, asin the ancient classification of seven pplnets, Bot the seven fal convention runs deeply within out psychology and one reason fortis aye tha the inner works tre so constrcted, giving us a intuitive rendeney to project this form onto the outer word Fiven the pioncering physist Issac Newton thought in terms of seven wher he came to deseribe the colours of the ‘rnb, though close observation ofthe spectrum does not readily reveal seven distinct and separate colours. There are more like six with various indefinable graduations between hem, “Anyhow, € we apply simile convention to the spectrum ‘of hnmian consciousness we coud come up with something, Tike the st below: Spiral il Moral conscience Tritons Rational mind Idealstic emotions Tstineive emotions Physical body and is electo-magmetc matt Ir would be possible to make othe divisions, but they would be ‘beoudly sim, jst as we might describe she sinbowin slighty ferent terms tothe conventional red-orange yellow-green blue indigo -vioet We cond farther divide it into a more general three-fold seructute and vatios schools of elementary occult thought hve their own preferred nomenclature ‘Types Of Mind Working Gareth Knight 27 ‘Thos the spiritual wil, moral conscience and intuitions can lhe segatded asthe Faclies of the Higher Self or individ. (which some schools also call the Soul of the Evolutionary Personal). Whilst the rational mind and higher and lower emotions are thot of dhe Lower Seif oe Personality (also known 2s the Inesenationary Personality and to St Paulas “the Resh”) Note that ll share the physical body at « mode of expression ‘within the physical world, andi a common misunderstanding to assure tha twas only the physical body and ts appetites that St Paul meant when he referred tothe flesh The physical body is also something rather mone dhan a carcass, devoid of life. When a physical body does become a catcas immediately starts to obey a differant set of ls and ‘Greumstances and begins to decey. While ics maintained in bing bythe higher or innerstructures of the lectro magnetic snd eerie energies of whatare sometimes aed she cub-planes fof the physical, thea it remains asa vehicle fr conscious and imeligent life expression that has its 200% in all and any ofthe higher cutis, frm spiritual wll to intinetve reactions ‘eatin mind char weal f us ave all these faculties, even if some of them may seem dormant. Tt would be a mistake to think that 2 very mateialistcally minded and selfishly motivared personality has no higher self even if the laters sense of spintua esponsibility and destiny, moral conscience ‘of intuitions ate ignored or seldom acted pon. In after death coneltions the balance will be ested, and this accounts for the general tation in various religions of the existence of a ost:mortem persoel judgement, and purgasin or putifation, tnd destocton of allthatespcialy false or corrupt, whether in medlival ell te or in the maw of Amemait, the ancient Eggpeian “devourer” god, part hoa, part hippopotamus, part crocodile. ‘What concems ws is how all of these faculies within the complete human being may be brought into as fll a funtion 1 possible, nd then used ina magical way2” An intrdetion To Ritual Manic “his fst aim, of developing cur inhesent faculties is very mich te province of peyehothetspeatic and self development Curses It isa worthy aim in itself, which can lead to greater Falélment, usefulness and self expression in life, and there are ‘many books and courses devoted to this end ‘Our aim, however,gocs Farther dan tha, for ital magi a specaisaon chat not ony strives to develop these faculties, bu tose them in a particslar direction, and chat direction Bes in opening up awareness to inner levels of creation and being, able to fanetion thereon. "This not the same asthe peyehology of self or spriual development. Ie comprises the other half of Dion Fortune's ‘Sefton of vccultism. That ist sy, aot ony “the study of ‘certain litie-understood powers ofthe human mind” but also “af the id ie of Nowe” “This “mind side of Nature is by no means x subjective oF introverted ste Ht comprises the whole objective mechanism ‘of inteligent consciousness tha is behind every manifestation fof physi life that isto say behind every animal, organi, plant, stone planet, star, mineral, gem, Jandscape, from the malls sul-stomic partie othe pretest galactic system. Js th the physical body of tan isthe vehicle of an inesioe Life, fo, aecording to ti world view, all other physical bodes are ‘xpressions oF different Kinds and levels of intelligence "This mcans tha the universe did just “happen” ther by big hang or longevolstion oF by combination of the two. IF thee was ig bang its the teligent FIATLUS, "Lehre be Light” ofthe Creator If there was subsequent evolution in space and time this was the work of crated consciousnesses (Of various Kinds, of swarms of spirits, creative spatks from the divine fie, be they Elohim, o* human, angelic or elemental restates, whatever other category of being that may exist ‘within or beyond careent human understanding, “This leas us into deep of pilosophy beyond the scope of these pages and our preferred means of approach s nor by types OFMind Working-Gareth Knight 29, ‘way of philosophixing bu by the more deer way of systematic ttaising and development of the natural heman faculties Those that provide a personal awateness of ch “mind side” of nature. This does however entail by-passing the concrete mental facukies by an at oF faith. Whilst che human intlect may bbe quite within its right in seeking for logical proofs before cabatking on a journey over unproven ground, dhe human intellect also bs it istations and so should not be allowed tore the roost unchallenged, Te may well be thit the intimations from the higher self shoul be givea more weight."These may appear in the orm of nirrational” sense of destiny or of conscience hat something need to be done, peshaps aquest tobe followed ora parieular intuition to follow a new decion. ‘Ths, says an adage of ancient wisdom “Ask, andi shall be ‘ven you cck and ye shal find; koock, andi shall be opened unto you” So standing ouside the door of opportunity and doubting proves nothing bu the steity of lek offi, “This doorway is in the imagination and lead to the great treasure hone of images within. For the most part chese are picture images, bot thete are images in sound aswel, and of the moze “formless” senses of touch, taste and smell and yet more subtle ons that are aot usualy inluded in peychologeal manuals, Those which ae often vehidles of the intuition as for cxample when one “senses” the presence of another, evenin a darkened room, This sense of presence can manifest also with contacts between the planes of consciousness fore we can arrive atthe crucial ext of Binding out the truth of these things for ourselves, we bave to develop and tenn the fculics involved. These Fucles are concesned with processing symbolic images snd aumerous tess ‘Most of the images take thee frm fom experience and perception of forms within the physical world, Some of these forms of everyday ie and consdousness may aso take on,0 ‘An ntrveson To Ritual Magic ‘ore invested with significance beyond their own immedi tse and purpose. That is they may serve as reflections of higher modes of expression. That eto say,ehey may sere as symbian much of esoteric taaing consists of learning to ‘ens o shion, tointerpret and to ehannel the higher frees repeeseated by symbols Symbols ate many and vatous the suits and tramps of the “Tarot area common example, and we process ther by building, hem and holding them within dhe pictorial imagination, They ‘may then become charged with emotional force, and this is tobe seen in thee application in stores, partially involving figures of myth and legend. In turn cis emotional charging may become the eatser oF spiral energies and intuitive realisations Tn esoteric work syimbolic chasactes and dramas can be formulated deliberately to invoke and harness spiral forces Ta stul magie this process s simply take from the pitorst ‘imagination and enacted in a physical envizonment- of the temple or the lodge. Spiritual realivies are thus expressed physically, completing the czcui from spirit 10 matter and back again ‘So much for the role of the pictorial imagination. There is abso, however, another major mode of mentation, beyond picture intgery, the cealm of ‘eas and intuitions. These may be expressed in words but not skways 3. "The practical way to approach this level is by way of ‘meditation, of which there ae various forms That upon which ‘we will concenteate consists of holding the min steady upon 2 particu idea, rather dha a pictorial image. “To ein with by thephenomenoa known asthe association of ideas many related leas wil tend to come into mind. to fone form of meditation these cat be pursued and meditated ‘opon in their orn, and his is perhaps closest to our wual ‘mode of concentrated thought when we are trying co solve a problem “TypesOfMind Working-GarcthKnight 31 “The stn of mental meditation of this ype is however, not 0 much to solve mental or physical problems but to bare a ‘hole soto spe, i the shell of concrete mental ation the formless levels beyond. Then intuition may low is, binging sccningi rational but spiially valid imposes to acon of fucther realisation, This kind of thing is pethaps most commonly seen when, wwe cleet “to sleep” om a problem. The solution, if we are Icky, comes into mind the next moming. This is popularly termed letting “the subconscious” deal with he matter. Although we know verylitle of what we actually mean by “the sulsconscios title more than a convenient label for what swe do not understand, However, in sostained and systematic exoterie taining and evelopment, we aim to open up acces 0 this itutional lve at wil This should produce the penon who ean do the eight thing atthe sight tiene, largely based upon “hunches” or, at high levels, a sense of spintl destiny, even if othe ational mind circumstances seem advise against this particular mode of action, ‘What is particule important about tis hed of mentation however, if we refer back to our simple table of fetes, is that we ate forming a ditect ink not only herween ten levels of the mentl plan, bur between the higher self and the lower sf Ina tem borzowed ftom the east, this is sometimes called the antartanma, oF more pictaresquely entiled “the tainbow bridge". Other associated imagery is shooting the atrow of spiral desc rom the bow of aspiration, asin Wiliam Bake's famous words in his poem fsa, or opening up personality ‘cansciousness othe world oF souls, ci form consciousness 0 the formless worldsChapter 2a ‘MIND TRAINING Dion Fortune Ione ope checpe sd eptiion fhe owes i aon teniavand sata of mn shih chtp theo Pes cnn nanireriietisba eT ees anda gor ee onc eee ae nto frantic pe vei Fp one a sy ct! wh Fee ces cd yom ne ae eine nme pers Tis the a Ee gecabing ithe mindt east cee ees Arey onl soa of epee See Mocees vet to hs Thee bees Se Fee wi of dinate a ce wooo mater Tat aly "dna anc ea hes Se pa ap ot of sk of te Pesca appan becench by he mes csc buy ei ane he mee ar ea SPERELTA Res lem he we ik, on nt tomes he he per eben SST he oa peta ne Do waned Mind Training - Dion Forune a ‘The intiste mainsins thatthe mind works in ost the same ‘way that ts bul pout of the mind-stul of the cosmos in cacy the same mance thatthe physical body is bal yp cut fof substances forming the physica universe. [Now ite well nown to those who have studied such things iis only plants that can make diect use of the sunlight in otder to wotk up inorganic mineral substances into oxpanic foodsutfs. No man by sting in dhe sun and swallowing sol can do this Alle can do is to eat the plants ofthe animals that have already eaten plants. AIl his food is second-hand. "Now if we apply this analogy to the mind, we should agree ‘with orthodox psychology dha nothing ean bein the mind thar has nat comein chrough the senses thacis a 54 all se mental experience must have been aesimilated for us by the physical bod, which alone, according to this concept as sense organs. “The mind, iti maintained, ean no more sisialate mental inflacacesdcct chan the body can assimilate garden sik the boy with es sense organs doing forthe soul of maa wha the plants do fr the animal kingdom, ‘Now is this true? That fa matte, not of argument but of observation, Has the mind ever been known to assimilate dee? Andif so, under what conditions? Disc assimuation of mental {fluences by the mind isclledrelepathy, and telepatiy is held ‘by recognised authorities to be an established fac. We have, therefore, definite evidence that, uader certain conditions the rind can assimilate what has not been predigested for it by the sense organs ofthe body. Now ths i an exceedingly important point; one might ‘ally say that it i one of the pillars ofthe temple of exoterie philosophy If che materialistic hypochesis were tre, then occult Sienice would be the balderdash the materialist says ts but the establishment of the fat of telepathy knocks the bottom ‘out of this hypothesis and opens the doce toa greatly extended concept of some very important things: in fact it means that wwe have got to reconsider our whole atcude towards ourEo ‘An Intodston To Ritual Magic cavionmat for we ca no nge cose ude coed Syste of cones hl up eon py boi, rt schon open having det eos with ot met tevsonmenin jing deceit, br rere dfn en i thenovt ives of ein cra cues in ey hgh dg inde “pat penely andro 0 ete commaicntion oe pear en a en le Sheeran, hoveves il show We tet nich ommier fonmof communica iste snp indton of enods tei cmodoes For inte thaw ae imumele rots record whee nd ned wih an nerueming ee Of dod and depron se moment when vmeone ett with dbater Weal know how «depend or ad erpered econ gl spa hisinenc fugha bons without word fpoken, We nso know tnt certain owes and een ora {Bjec exec defence aad oq wal rvs Th inflcoce wo be duc tothe uate of the revs frapunisorowmer An theater wel shed at teem ety thea aed cs or hgh nda Thncermey beopenounton te acualecires of ach Fhenomens cantly be guestoned by anyone epable of Fercig erence Upon is bs the ces bi is rca work He sys that mel infest bt lay hs come Communion oes om aed wer bese therm otha onjand for oem pains eer ewes the term pyc, om the Grek word ors and then sis th iferet pes of pee infenc th acwn tom among which depth one ccs these oye nto opis ment, saad magic Spit cee woul dare oe pre forest ashes ges off pure uncslore bt. Bt even white Training - Dion Fortine 35 light contains the potensakty of all colour, so pure spicitual lie-fonee emanating directly feom the Creator, contains the potentialities of all the different types of force that build Ur universe. spintual influence consists of an influx of this force upon the spiritual nature of man but spite being beyond the immediate apprehension of the hurman mind, we ‘snot perceive this influence directs; we only expeience a fallness of life; or, contrary if this influence & obstucted, a lows of vitality or loss of general deving fore, Ie is amoral of obstructions and reestablishment ofa fice flow of spina life-force which isthe work of psychotherapy. ‘Meat influene i oar old cad cepa it isthe influence ‘of organised mind upoa ongsnise mind as dstnguished from the “nonganic” force of pore odiffeenite sit. The ita holds, however, tat organised minds survive bowl deat, which ‘sa concept that greatly extends the sphere of operations, for it ‘means that telepathy isa fact ata elepathic communication is possible withthe departed: this fict isthe eomerstone of spinuatsm. Ttrequies only atl imagination, however, to see that has applications farbeyond the ikl af spsitualism, and ‘might bea factorin both paychopathology and psychotherapy Wath the sudy of astral infence weeopen pa very complex sand far reaching sphere of investigation. Iti upon the astal plane asthe esocercis ells this phase of manifestation, that he pute white ight of the spiritual ie force gets analysed into its ‘component factoes. Upoo this plane tis possible forthe human sind to perceive it This i exemplified inthe saying that we ‘anaot know God as He is but ean only conceive Him as the sum total of all His qualities; these qualities being the fetors which can be distingsished in the spinal hfe foree when it ‘opeeates in the manifested universe, ‘The whole of the magical technique tests upon this bypottess, for magic ais a picking up the dffecen typee ‘of spiritual force in their pure form and concentrating them, Wis to this end tha all iy technique i tected; and 25 ie Bs36 ‘An Intrxtston To Ritual Magic meatal operation, it is performed eatisely by the mind, and Sil the material parapheraalia of ceremonial and symbol te simply to help the mind to concentrate and to exalt the imagination. ‘Magnetic influence on the borderline berween the mind ‘and matte, its form of vitality, peobably electric in nate for everything that we kaow to be true of the Genetioning, of electcty appeats to apply to it, but also dependent upon pyehie states for its manifestation, using that term i i Droadest sense to ichude bot idea and emotion. These four ‘pes of influences ae ll psychic influences, ough hee sub-dvisions are legion and we areal capable of ‘oth receiving, peresving, nd exerting them, borh consciously and umeonscous in widely varying deprees Upon one hand is ‘he indifference of the stodgy unimaginative, self-satisfied and telf-centred person, and upon the other ae the sensitveness ff the peyehie and the powers ofthe adept. In between tthe rnrmal person, who isa good dea more psychic than he realises ‘because he accustomed to aceept she subile influences by which he s surrounded as «matter of course, and atibute them tothe state of his nerves, his stomach, or the weather ‘What is popolaly called “nerves wil nvtibly be found 10 conta varying depres of sensitivity to subtle influences such th we have deseibed, Orthodox medicine can do very hte for them because it kes 90 account of these subtle influences Unorthodox practioner, however, often being, themsetves sennitves, can frequently handle these cases where Hasley Sweet al Having analysed ut problem into its component fetors, swe ate now a poston to consider ts practical aspects. For Il practical purposes iis impossible to differentiate berween the mind andthe emotions oral les ate always emotionally toned in some degre; ii an astt-mental organisation with ‘which we funetion on the sane planes. This we must beat in view whea taining Mind Training - Dion Fortune 37 For the purposes ofthe mental exrite, however, we sanpty nt pbs a tach a pons nd we chose suijecs it which tee 5 he hope proportion of min! iho pion cv he et ‘hy mind wanderings ptm the exergy en tetse dong he ive net excise of themida have oo rostral vocations fore atenvacees en tan to the moat highly emotion! pet ofthe mental coment Hwee he power to dette mind a wl one tat ‘stent an) prog spinal or marae, 0d he ey Srpska We teach the nd wo cue he a of ing up and Aolling steady a mental prc in the imagine, We so tech 3 nyo Sen to iioey Spence doe tot mater wath pete of speedhc are about a oop fs ty ee cnetinay ort - yous con wax ogpat i Se iaginton upon te mjc ofgrcrancen or pte Seni she deste. What shee es imagination awl spar om he cscs Tiss nota ey tsitsound, burs th ky to very oo deal when we sah fois temenn shy ter we ca de tage Sed secon at tbe oer tet heaters woke Si neer gt the uper hand and obsess hate lose te mental ot moal bance, This wry tecomny whe we 2g ih faces, hy gas bad mass ‘Mon schol orl ining ortoving fom oneanother and following aon lady stat tet sadn ff by teaching dem to vale tangle oc pon ihn» cl cesome sh spl et hk tet ser the casera Thebes armor diel ovale ‘imple set pon ih eaten at eld eg igure than ove an objec sucky compe othe tration beable 0 wave bows pint opin, ptt 0 to use the8 ‘Am intoaetion To Ritual Magic censce to balance on a gle f ones moving atx fe pace than. if one is going very slowly Kes beter, therefore, co deal athe ‘tart with complex subject, such asa roomfl of funiture, ot 4 country walk, because its $0 much easier forthe mind 10 fchieve attention before it attempts concentration. "The complete stilling of the mind in sawadis avery high degree of eonccotation indeed, and few Europeans achieve ie Our racial dlwrma being the conquest of matter, howevee, ‘doubt whether Europeans 6nd in Samadi a profitable goal 1 have ala belived ito bea geeat mistake o yt disincatnate ‘ve sil inthe Res, It is kindof spitiual suicide, and in my ‘experience it brings pathology rather than blesing, we need matin owe method of taining isadequateconceotsaion, nd to employ certain technical devices raid us suchas symbolism snd situ ‘The power having been achieved to create clear-cut meatal pictures at will and to hold them for as Jong a8 is desired, fre are now ready forthe next step, which is 10 take one of these neue, emotionless picture and 6 it with force dawn From spiztal sources, This we do by choosing some object that shall symbolically epresent the force we wish t0 dw fovus, and while pirating t larly in the minds eye, work wD jn ourselves a feeling corresponding to the force we wish 10 ‘contact in iss cosmic form. For instance, we make ourselves feel connpassionate if we want to ataact 2 healing force. We then pietue in our imagination the cosmic force ina ray of appropriately coloured light descending upon out chosen Syinbol If we do this clear, and are working slong the Tine Of conic aw and not constructing chimeras that ave 80 posibikty of fein shen, we shall ela tremendowssflas of Dower of the chosen type, sad the symbol we have ui and hace will oly have to be visualised in furute For w 0 pick fp these comtacts again very realy ‘That is the true occult technique. It may be sd that am giving away the secrets of practical oceltism in thus Mind Training - Dion Fortune 2» cexphiningits but these secrets can ao moce be given sway than can the secrets of practical violin playing, For to use this methoxl presupposes a trined mind and a thorough knowledge of cosmic law; dhese are things tat have 1 be worked forChapter 2b MIND TRAINING Gareth Knight “Tecliniques of taining the mind usually concern themselves “vith the contol ofthe imagery dat is present in the conscious Tnind of the everyday petsonaliy. Ultimately, however, mind Tinning extenall che way from sptitual and inniivecomtaces ‘tth the higher mind ehrough t control of the autonomic rewvous system and muscular consciousness of the physical bod “This of course is avast fel andthe type of tsining will depend upon what foem of esoteric development is being Sought. In the Bast disciples of yoga spend very great deal of ime and effort in arousing and diectngetheric Foxees within the aura. This calls for specific and quite difcule physica ‘porures allied o complex breathing techies, accompanied byspecite visuslisations to affect the directions of subtle Force flow: Suseined work upon these lines overa mater of years an toring about starlig ests in control of the physical vehicle fnclading sespended animation, b:location and levitation, anuibutes only associated with eae sanity in the west, and then involuntary “The pesformance of spectacl ticks is not of course the principal sim of such daciplines They are however an ourer gnof the considerable inner feats of control consciousness Mind Training - Gareth Knight 4 allied tothe ion oF the higher vehicles of consciousness with the kawet Yop indeed means “ution” However, to attain sich a degree of control call for a rigorously dedicated monastic life sje, one that is not open to the average esoteric student inthe west. Although certain clementary exercises based upon yoga tuning ez be satay, ssa branch of health and beauty regimes, the main thrust of advanced training in the west follows a diferent route ‘The fis objectives to exercise some kind of discipline and control ore the moving alkng pitute vereen of or steam of ‘consciousness our own personal “vital reality” device, that Sometimes obsessively suns off is own loops of fantasy dven by varone emotions and channelled by pet ideas. ‘We can begin to bing some contrl and onde into this by simple daily exercises, either by striving to make the mind a blank, of by holding sil, withie a narrow foeus, upon some particular objector idea Making the mind a blank is 20 easy feat, ands of no great usc initself The only use fora blank minds to allow something ‘worthwhile to come long and flit and if this is ofthe higher fnitons of impuikions of the spit then that i all to the good. Thete is faily well wodden mystical way know a the a meats, negative way, whereby the mystic seeks to nd a way to God without the use of smages- on the grounds that ‘no image in itself can be anything clse but a wei befote the real “and that one needs to get beyond created farts to reach the tancreate reality behind them all “The taining of most esoteric students of the west and ppattcularly for those who aspite to techniques of rita however by che ast, or postive way. Thais to sa by the ‘use and help oF images ‘We can start by concen ting upon some patil iden ot phrase, peshaps of « ener aspirational natuce, Dion Fortune ‘quotes Coud’ famous phrase, parcularly popular when the ‘News Thowght movement wns in its hey dy “Every day and2 ‘An Introduction To Ritual Magic in every way Tam getting better and better”. ‘Thee is pethaps ‘omathing rather brash even commercial sounding about this Tris not very fur from the kind of psychological taining that tone nds in certain schoo of salesmanship. Some nuns, tis SaALattrcted to Couds methods preferred to inert a devout Corollary “Every day and in every was, by le will of Gad Lamm feting beter and bette” However, it woul! have been just i appropriate, pechaps, for them ro have gone back co their tovaties herein the devotional ambience of along sequence Of Paternosters and Ave Mrias ~ the same psychological principles apply However, as far asthe training of the tital magician is concerned the purpose of the exerese snot one of devorional teligius practice nor of psychological confidence boosting His Cimplyasjstemof mentalcxereisestheequivalentof theenoseals ‘herches we might undertake in order co keep physically fi Sorta ferent physical exercises wil benef ferent parts of the body, so concentrating upon different types of subject will ‘evelop different parts of the soul and mind. Webave, in ourlst “haptes, divided consciousness nto various levels at spit from, intiional, rational, visionary, emotive, and physical’ ‘cherie. Different means of mind working aply to each peatical terms we probably do best to sartmore or ess in emi of this poychologieal spectrum, with the emosionally od mozlly neural concrete mind. The words of images we tncarcof o great consequence to bepin with. Weate peimasly focesned with establishing a discipline ‘This is a matter of forming habit and custom patterns (Of setting aside a certain period each day to dhe practice of meditation, and not devia Etomit The period set aide nee thot be Tong, ten or ffeen minutes is ample, wil the practice owe etablished over a number of months, once ot pethaps tice a day. Long petiods devoted to the exerese between iiegular gaps ae no substrate or compeasnton forthe regular performance of the minisnum requirernent “Mind Training - Gareth Knight 8 When one has been performing this kind of practice for some time, is value wll hve become so apparent that 0 mate discipline is needed than applies o siting dow to kan, and the inner perceptions will hive atained a state of atunerent throughout much of waking life. Not indiseriminately open toall the psychic winds thar blow, but poised on permanent stand-by ‘Sentences culled from an esoteric text that personally appeals can promide plenty of material fr meditation of this type Ths, curing for example to the fst few paragraphs of ion Fortune’ Mut! Gabalah we might select sentences of the onder of “the fountain whence out tsdtion springs” “he Yoga of the West” “the mysticien of Tse” Each of these short phesses contain the potential for very comiderable expansion, according to aur own conselous or unconscious knowledge, so keeping a diary in which to make ‘ots of any “reaiasons” fone ofthe fst disciplines of the ‘western aspirant According to tation, i ¢ posible rap into pool of ancieat knowledge by these means, andi this is the eae then the student may eventual develop into a teacher ‘ot writer upon esoteric subjects However, this advanced application isnot the aim of the ‘exercise as far asthe beginner is concerned. Indeed, fr those ‘who already have « degree of natural peychism, this type of exercise may well seem to close it down. This i all to the ood, for when this mental discipline has been observed, loping the mind focused about specif constellation of swords or ideas, then a mote precise and reliable psychism can bie developed. ‘The next stageis to spend the ine of meditation, not upon a phrase or sentence, but upon a pictorial image, and of these there are varions kinds“4 [An Ineoustion To Ritual Magi rset rsh nm of gery sichaeay e fond fo no eres cca commncion Te See then e commana gute enna ee ge a deg to en he as 0% eee rhe rds bra guesion of ig he it Ea cal concep bare dreling ee sat dc nndond lve of he hig al or oe ree imagery i ofthe one of 4 pit in space ens mover and he booms of dal ces whin ts a ns ced uh whch evenly ead 0 he cing Ta grt ng he wp 88 et nd movenents et or sbter an coal And then hog he tec of aoe ee rnd be me one Begs 5p ad 0 ee neha compleper of omg nd sees nba forming tern plane of nee, cee pepe andthe end a ve Btu ro forn te cate niene ese ent of ther sources for 18 ype of an ee nil and no al gc see se mous Rowerucin dagen sstocited Si oben hl fr mney treo wl mega a dhs tre: Or om medica mes aoe ye tye henvens av depicted in Dane's Pn ind mein om his pe of ager wil oem ep sighs ere of cms, on oes Woy i es conus to eed ine ee for Fe Shue ower ve te al important Te anp + minced pactsooe Meee eee cad eckt mode of cmeounet that resonates with spiritual realities and this s bes revealed jn the realms of symbolism, and any system of legend oF Inytholagy wil prove arch source of material. OF parialar ‘Ming Training - Gareth Knight 4s ‘uu in this respect are the Arthurian legends as they have complete ru throug from the ancient depths of saci memory represened bythe Caukiron of Ceridwen, or the Round Table of Merlin and Guinevere, and the realms of the Ladies of the Lake rght on through aspects oF medieval chivalry nd heroic ‘and courly aspirations of a gradually ciclsingsociexy, ro the tnystcal heights of the Holy Graal. la Th Sten! Thiion sx _Artran Lage whic is based wpon pioneeding work by Dion Fortune and those wha followed her along these ines, [have cecavoured to map outa tentative structure of esoteric taining and mystery working "Another rich source of symbolic material may be found in the Tarot, which like the stella sprobobsm found in sstrology, is often sadly abused and reduced to popula fortune tling But at root the Tatot isa self contained strucate of related symbolism, from the fourfold symbolism of the suits with theirbasicsign, number and cout ard effigies through to the ‘scenty-bwo trump cards each of which is a compendium of archetypal symbolism in itself Its possible to tain oncself very adequstely in the mysteries simply by fashioning in meditation one's owe ser of Tarot designs. have described various sical and divinstory applicntions in Tarot & Magic (armesly “The Travare Haus of Ing’) nd The Magia Wor of the Tart ‘Thereisakoa vasteallection of symbol tobe foundlid out in selated function and parternin he Tree of Life of the Qababsh, ‘etl of which may be found in Dion Fortunes Mytial abu ‘pon wich [myself wae fst ined and my own A Pras Gide o Gaba Symbol which in its turn leans hewily on what rst learnedin the school which Dion Forcane founded. However apart from these compendia of esoteric symbolism, there i another line of taining which strikes dizedy at the facility of handling internal imager. This simply co construct ‘one's arn scenes inthe imagination. To gin with, some actual location within the store of personal memory can be very46 {An Introvction To Ritual Magic Inlpfl, suchas taking the dog for walkin your imagination through once familiar scenes, possibly of childhood. From this it is a short step #0 go upon completely inmaginary journey, at fist in natualisc settings, prosaicinner Cireumstunces but then gradually developing towards symbolic landscapes and mectings with various imagined beings. In one seose this is very dose tothe imaginative working of a novelist, playwright or shor story writer - and indeed in thee esoteric Cscreites He considerable sds ca development of dhe powers bf self expression and the ereasveimaginason. Moving into deeper eroterie waters, we may then embark pon completely symbolic journeys, of which the traditional “pas between the different spheres on the Tree of Life ate avexcellent stare. We may commence atone sphere on the Teee Of Life, imagining it sa kindof temple o structure dedicated to the relevant planetary symbolism, and making our way to the next ephere, so visualised as building or site of some kind ‘On the way we progress theough three types of symbol - first the Tarot card which allocated tothe path seen aa kind of picture vel ats bepianing, through which we may pass. Then friving a some kind of stered grove of symbolic mid-point tnarked by the appropriae Hebest eter And towards the end of the path coming under the influence in some pictorial way ofthe astroogial sgn “Theres asetsystem of cottespondences hich may be used, slthough sah systems may vary French Qabalism for instance, ‘ering from Fliphas Levi and "Papus” hata diferent syste ‘of atibutions from dhose used in the English speaking world, ‘which derive from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawa. “Yetboth systems work reasonably wel fr experienced occult svho wosk with them, ‘From thisit follows tharone has no eed to stick sais 0 any one paticlar system of tational correspondences as one gains confidence and expesience, The inner wots are capable OF infinite expansion, but because of this is pethaps wise Foe Mind Teainng - Gareth Knight ” Shosewho arf within Gre tie ose thor os hin anaceptedand bles arcs To lem 1 walk run he wll garden who taping he Awe als ral it th pon, bee veri ut inthe mer Sif the arn where here be deer lms van and dhs nang thc eat neler Ai, thse are erties within the iain, Sa fa aol of sce, Nemes ofthe pie environment ay wel nsec ae cue o suchererc bth practic ital ma by ey aa i none ht els pe wane ses abandoning th tcl od nein poe St es Condone the wc of gl tne ss sor eta el altered states of consciousness. a Tei sean of com coe cto spo te pyc pg, concn pt rics n smb em wl ing tvarenon open ier acne plans taney I ths al fact of concurs whit m fll Saal of th phil vehi hat the stm of he eee ht ne beet decdChapter 3a ‘THE USE OF RITUAL Dion Fortune many pop hee of strain coro pit tigate gen see ene peas “nose re et Tour oman nd tition, 0 wh enchant oF ning a rand te eseaiyens =e, aa oe aon ate ne ster DG a dw man, When ewer hoe eee satin panied edge ce copbedant emt obe employs. aa inde poly of upercmscons ae aap and lyri eit on He en heparan avery eee sree pet ht iain spa aa et me Forme a gamers aaa eo pylon 9 elon Ex one sanding powers ees eg sth onde ie he ond Supper eorsina See sear mace oat wo what oreo fe aking fod coe a re ond oral peso sa The Use OF Rita - Dion Fortune ” Fast and foremost, there isthe psychological effect, the exaltation of consciousness of the participants. Secondly, bby means of the exalted consciousness, contacts are made with spititaal forces. Thitdly, the means used co make these contacts are what, in the technical language of ‘occult, ae called thought-formns. These three fnetos are present in any rie, however simple, or however elaborate From the point of view of practical mind trining, the aspect, we are most interested in isthe exon of consciousness: snd in the ight of what we have already learnt in these pages, its modus operand is easly understood. Coue has aleady oemulated it law for us. The deeper levels af the mind ean beinfoenced by profound feeling and polongedattenton, He strove to find a substitute For spontaneous emotion becasse he knew of 20 way of producing i at will, and he found his substinate in prolonged attention produced by means of akind of litany rected with the aid of an undenomninational rosary ‘of knotted string By means of sual we ate able to ake advantage of both these methods of subconscious appesl, the one powerflly seinfoecing the other. By means of the performance of a set rite we obtain prolonged attention, and by means of the use ‘of “conditioned symbole” to make up the rie, we generare ‘motion. By means of a mood), or emotionally toned sate of sind, we ate ale to gee into touch with the conespoading spiritual force, and by means of a rite we are able o induce a ‘mood, That, bey th eoale of ceremonial as understood bythe inte an as used by him “To say this, howere, i aot to claim that exalted sates of| ‘consciousness can only be obtained by the we of set eremoniee They can be, and fequeatly at, achieved spontaacously by sheer devotion; but this eannot be commanded, and there are ‘many deep and datk nights of the sul for those who depend fn fith alone forthe achievement of these higher sates of consciousness 1t would also he tre to say that che higher50 An Introduction To Ritual Magic aspects of these states can only be achieved by pute devotion. But by availing ourselves of the technique of religious psychology we can free consciousness from its self-imposed limits and lend it wings for its flight. It is well known in physiology that minute daily quantities of vitamins are essential to health; very little is needed, but that little is indispensable. And so it is with the soul; there is a minimum of spiritual experience without which the soul cannot keep its poise; by means of ceremonial we are able to ensure it at least that minimum. And how is this achieved? Once again by the use of that all-important factor, the imagination. The attention is held, the imagination is directed, a mood is achieved, the spiritual exaltation follows automatically. ‘The rules which govern the design of a ritual are the rules which govern the holding of attention. First and foremost, there is the emotionally charged idea and the symbol that represents it, whether it be a symbol to which we respond spontaneously or whether we have been “conditioned” to it. ‘Then thete is the appeal of sound through pitch and rhythm, an appeal which stirs the very foundations of our being. There is also the appeal of incense, which is a primordial appeal. Then there are the conditions under which a rite is performed. These should be such as lull the mind and render it receptive, therefore the effect of a ritual is most potent when it is performed in a dim light with all other sounds excluded, so that there is nothing to distract the attention. Finally, there is the well-known effect of reiteration. These, you will say, are the conditions that the hypnotist uses to get his victim “undet”. Cettainly they are: and he uses them because he knows they are effectual. But when these conditions are applied in ritual, the human mind of the hypnotist 1s absent, and its place is taken by the Holy Spitit. By these simple devices the lower mind is manipulated so that the higher mind may come into action. The Use Of Ritual - Dion Fortune 51 In using such methods, however, one needs to know what one is about; I am far from denying, in fact I wish to point out unequivocally, that in ignorant or unscrupulous hands the effects obtained by ritual lend themselves to abuse. But as I have so often said before in connection with the practical application of the occult knowledge, a medicine that is potent enough to produce good effects in the right dose, will be potent enough to produce poisonous effects in an overdose, or if used when contta-indicated. ‘I'he drug that is harmless to the patient in any dose is apt also to be harmless to the disease in every dose. A very objectionable ascendancy can be obtained over people by the clever use of impressive rituals, even by charlatans, and it has been not infrequently done, to my certain knowledge. What guarantee, then, has a student who enters an esoteric school that this power will not be abused? His guarantee should be found in his carly training. Anyone who has had his mind trained as I have indicated is unhypnotisable. The reason for this will readily be seen. First, we have concentration; secondly, we have the power to turn from one object of concentration to another at will. Now hypnotism depends upon the power to obsess the concentration by a given object, like a hen with its beak held to a line of chalk on the floor. If a person has the power to change over from one object of concentration to another at will, you cannot obsess his attention. He merely changes over, and the would-be hypnotist is “done”. An interesting example of this is recorded in Kipling’s well-known novel of the Indian secret service, Kim, wherein the boy, being tested for suggestibility, resists the hypnotic influence by reciting the multiplication table. The initiate therefore, who desires to obtain his results in the speedicst and most effectual manner, and at the same time to have them completely under control all the time, makes great use of formulae, beginning and ending all operations with them, even the simple operation of meditation. By this means he raises consciousness quickly and certainly from “cold”; and,52 An Introduction To Ritual Magic what is even more important, returns it at will to normal when the operation is finished; to fail to do this is to invite nerve trouble, for no one in an exalted state of consciousness is in a fit condition to cope with the rubs and stresses of daily life. Now, you will ask, what kind of formulae does he use? He simply applies to his Inner Group knowledge the methods he has been taught in the Outer Court. The initiate imagines himself to be clad in the robes of his grade and seated in a symbolic representation of a sanctuary which he has been taught how to formulate. The person who has done that has very little trouble with mind wandering. Students may think the picturing of a room in the imagination is a trivial performance, but it leads on to the picturing of the symbolic temples with all their elaborate detail of symbolism when the advanced knowledge is available, and if you cannot picture your familiar bedroom with detail and clarity, and hold it stead for the few minutes of the meditation, how ate you going to picture the elaborate composite symbols and obtain the results they are capable of giving? Having cut himself off from all extraneous influences by means of the “composition of place” as St. Ignatius, who was the first to teach it outside the Mysteries, called it, the student next picks up the contact of his tradition by means of the formula that is given him, and these contacting formulae are the things that are kept really secret in the Mysteries, and are never committed to paper; and as they consist as much of knowing how to do, as well as knowing what to do, they can no more be betrayed than the secrets of Kreislet’s violin technique. Consequently there is no legitimate reason for making a mystery of them, and it is much more interesting for students, and they will work much more effectually, if they know the reason for the things they are made to do, and the purposes to which they will ultimately be applied. It also shows them why it is useless for a student to “fake” his meditation record, for as soon as he is given the actual occult work to do, his fake is revealed, for The Use Of Ritual - Dion Fortune 53 he cannot do it. He is wasting nobody’s time but his own if he does the meditations carelessly, or according to some other method that he considers preferable. If, instead of the clear-cut visualisation, he slides off into day-dreaming in his meditation, when he is given the actual symbols to work with, he will also slide off into day-dreaming without being able to help himself, and the symbols will not work for him. Meditation training can no more be faked than learning to ride a bicycle. If you have practised so little that you have not attained a steady balance, no filling in of forms will prevent you from falling off when you get among the trains and the traffic. These things adjust themselves automatically even in the correspondence courses, because magic is a practical system and proves itself by results. If you have not mastered your technique in the Outer, you will not obtain results in the Inner.Chapter 3b THE USE OF RITUAL Gareth Knight . 1: . as Magical ritual is a technique for taising consciousness that hy iati i first grew out of tions with theatre. Indeed theatre grew Oa Eat in festivals of Dionysos ioious festivals in ancient Greece, whe god chanted a litany with where a priest taking the part of the m a chorus. oa ciara based upon a story of the god there developed the action of first two and then three or more protagonists rs was still very much in a hieratic form of presentation, with ‘ actors wearing stylised masks and elevated in height upon raise boots. From these teligious festivals and their later development we inherit the great dramatic tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophos es, Eutipides, drawing upon legendary stories of gods and eros ‘The purpose of these dramas was a religious and moral one: e soul” by the evocation of terror and pity. oe . “purge the Magical ritual, it should be said, does not aim to nts with pity and terror in the ancient Greek ” of i lebra souls” of its ce! bowen sense. Nonetheless it is a means whereby the soul may deeply stirred, and this because drama, even when indifferently i Se) performed, is a very powerful technique, and even more when the subject of the drama is of a symbolic, mythopoeic or religious character. ca Much of the powerful effect of dram: ction between performer and audience. A film the presence a comes from being a live intera “ does not have quite the same impact even wi The Use Of Ritual - Gareth Knight 55 of an audience, and there is also a noticeable difference between a film seen in a crowded cinema and one seen on television by a solitary viewer. Much the same applies in the more tough and ready drama of a sporting contest - however interesting it may be to the home television viewet, there is no real substitute for the thrill of actual presence as part of the crowd, who in their way are actually participating with the contestants. ‘Thus, what Coleridge called the “willing suspension of disbelief” that occurs when we watch a company of actors performing on a stage before us, can have a profound effect upon our emotions and affect us for some considerable time after. This effect may be enhanced with the addition of music, whether in popular show or grand opera, and it is worth noting that film, because it is a mechanical medium, finds it essential to have supporting music in order to gain the emotional impact that it otherwise lacks. ‘These theatrical dynamics are therefore what we seek to harness for the purpose of esotetic training in ritual magic, with the possible addition of olfactory stimulation by the use of incense. Regular performance of magical ritual can have a much more rapid and profound effect upon the inner vehicles of the esoteric student than individual meditation. The main difference between magic and the theatre lies in the subject matter and intention. Magic is not seeking to entertain a passive audience, and its subject matter is directly concerned with the portrayal and representation of inner realities. Thus all the “props” of a magical temple will have a symbolic meaning and value, with the intention of producing a deep effect upon the souls of those participating, The technique of a ritual officer is also different from the technique of an actor. A trained actor who is “putting on a performance” by means of skilled dramatic technique may be completely “dead” as regards magical function if he is placing an ego blockage in what should be a free flowing channel between inner and outer levels. In ceremonial magic, although skills in36 ‘An Inroduetion To Ritual Magie eke pation lye mene ve hie, reer is mee rane ta em + rec ones dines uh no aly. Se mon nl pee een nai fo er be cheesy pring See eee ember of ep eth apo aan etn nc cones sd ees, Doe “Saltanccenatacs a Stained wend pr xs ‘eg outed a mage artiants wheter hey sen an or he pod comin of BOE vo nestor te amore and poe mh of Pe engin om seer ito eer ety mache oem ll Aer eit on te ts fa tes rst Meese ersten ment and the compare aa pnt pve ne Se ot ery mens goupts vac sia nny har dsc. Put oon te eee ae ttc he id a ae pee 8 Ser eke po the gee are, aoa ie orm pee symbole ens sh aan ae acs we posal cons fo Seer ey ne nt new oanenc ORCS mae And when we speak of a focus of attention for all present, wtf ama hw wo ean pesca se pt pee Tie Cane nee ec alma ene ot neue wah ee Nc ins map wong ne mee? eit cue os ene ee eee ccm Powel mapas ts by re Segue the wed steno oho who ae aka ded se ane Deb “Somme pote eof comes The Use OF Ritual - Gareth Knight 3 To thote of the outer wold such aims may seem to range foom the harmless snd deluded tothe sinister and dangerous, Tutto the dedicated and trained stual magician i i all very seal and very worthwhile. Rial magi, by it veep matte, & specialisation, but someone has to doit. Indeed throughout the ages itscems likely that someone always has dane, sometimes tis of religous persceution, bu in modern secular times ‘generally only at 1sk of ridicule - totalitarian segimes and seligious bigots of vatious kinds excepted Just as theatre is one form of art amongst many, 0 is Final magic one form of esoteric technique amongst many, Te follows eat just as any of the arts can be the medium for a whole range of human experience fom the banal, even the degraded, to the sublime, 0 magical ritual wil reflec the ‘eonl integrity and spiseual motvation ofits practitioners ‘Yer insofie that magical ital is generally pat and parcel fof a means of spisitwil development, wherein high ethical standards are expected and demanded of its practioner there is le substance in the more lurid speculations chat name the imaginations of readers of popula aceult ction ety be Ielpfal therefore, swe brelly describe the type of rial that might be performed by an active magial group working within the Western Mystery Tradition by cng an actual example 1 this instance, the iniative came From an inner plane contat who had strngaffliations wth the fst Word Wa, and the group was requested to bul up upon the astral plane, by seats of the pooled and directed imagination of all presen, and accompanied by physical situa actions, series of chapels dedicated to the vistims of war: That which follows, although inually performed as part of stu is equally sutable at a meditation for individual performance. Inthe fit bape bic scent bead the ar menial of a catleaea or inler pla of wos arcane roa of de cis ca, th gh othe wal of rough sn, with (pli al ae altri this a aera ded its