Michael Sternbach

You are welcome. It was a reasonable suggestion.

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Well, that question is complex...

Man's origin lies in his mother.

I don't have any direct experience with this kind of therapy. But I am able to sense electromagnetic fields alternating at high frequencies, as I found out while experimenting with a Tesla electronics kit. I am sure that my long involvement with various forms of vibrational healing has helped sensitize me to this. In my opinion, therapies like PEMF are generally more effective on "spiritualized" people than on the materialistic type.

Let me clarify this... She is a dog that appears as a human most of the time. Actually, Junko is my wife since 25 years. But I'm not surprised that the difference is a little hard for you to understand, given your own biography. I would say, you're barking up the wrong tree.

In Junko's case, that's what she really looks like.

Exactly right. The Star-Lord

We seem to agree that it originated somehow.

How do you do this?

Here is an anger management method for you: Inhale as deeply as you can. Hold your breath a couple of seconds, then inhale some more (you will find this to be actually possible). Repeat this once again. Now exhale completely. Visualize all your anger and tension flow out of you with the air you exhale and dissolve in the ether. Repeat the whole procedure. Keep doing this for two to three minutes. You will find yourself calm and relaxed. Do this exercise as often as necessary, but at least once a day. It also works for other negative emotions, such as anxiety, fear etc.

Just like Ironman's.

I think, especially the application of visualization and affirmation is a direct heritage from the magical tradition. The influence is particularly evident in NLP. Also, the (little understood) art of transforming the lower into the higher, or spiritual alchemy, which is discussed in the Kybalion, has great psychotherapeutic potential. (Remember that the Kybalion was supposedly authored by Paul Foster Case, a child of the Golden Dawn. )

Although Philemon's "definition" of magic indeed seems quite at odds with its almost academic understanding in the Kabbalo-Hermetic tradition, it is interesting that it speaks to magic's way of defying the expectations of the linear mind, as every practitioner of the art experiences. That may also be the reason why I'm feeling compelled to reply to the posts in this thread in reverse order...

Spirits (both "demonic" and "angelic"). They are not easily distinguishible from unconscious aspects of the psyche (hence Crowley's uncertainty regarding them). Think of Swedenborg. Talking about Jung, this is where the Archetypes come into play. Jung was critisized for never making clear whether they stood for "primitive" instinctual drives or for lofty impulses of a higher nature. In fact, the two are linked with one another. This "pre"/"trans" ambiguity pervades much of metaphysical literature, and sometimes leads to confusion. Ken Wilber addresses this. Interestingly, the Egyptian Amduat tells us:

By following the movements, breathing patterns, mental states etc of those arts, we are aligning ourselves with the universe (thus universal self), as we are, for instance, atuning our brain wave frequency to the Schumann resonance in the Earth's electromagnetic field. So we are establishing the connection from "below" as it were, applying the Hermetic principle of analogy. This works because all is one, as your post suggests, but this one-ness needs to be actualized.

Heart

Fear and guilt are far worse than "not ideal"; they can easily turn one's earthly life into hell. (Bear in mind that I am talking from the perspective of a professional therapist here.) They are not even that effective in preventing negative behaviour, as strong instinctive desires will often win over guilt-induced objections - plus the believer will now be living in fear of eternal damnation. Paranoia, neurosis, psychosis - they are all in one way or another related to the psychological conflict between what are basically natural desires and the prohibitions of the Super-ego that reflect the standard of whatever society/culture the individual lives in. For that matter, the deceased person may indeed be experiencing tantalizing states for awhile, as a confrontation with the formerly unconscious contents of their psyche seems to be part of what follows after physical death. So better choose your beliefs carefully - you will tend to encounter them, whether you are on this plane of existence or another. Don't get me wrong, I don't deny that an ethic frame of reference is generally a necessity and can actually be quite constructive, as long as it's not overly rigid. But there is the catch, a rigid religion will always declare some perfectly natural things (like masturbation and sex before marriage, but also taking interest in other religions etc) as "sinful", and warn of dire consequences in the after-life. Again, as long as it's a reasonable one, there is nothing wrong with this. But there are good reasons why the restrictive religions of yore have lost much of their grip over Man in many parts of the world. And watch its destructive effects on societies where this is not the case! It is regrettable, although historically speaking quite inevitable, that this has happened on the foundation of a reductionistic rationalism. The next step should be the introduction of a spirituality that is reconciled with the scientific perspective. In keeping with this, initiation can no longer be limited to just few individuals, it needs to occur on the large scale, else humanity will be facing slavery and possible extinction. Fortunately, there are the prerequisites for a true uplifting of humanity to occur in this century. I recommend reading The Morning of the Magicians by Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier. A good discussion of this classic can be read here. I am not sure about Guenon's view, but Evola called modern science "knowledge of what is not worth knowing." Rejecting the modern scientific world view altogether while relying on its fruits would be hypocrisy indeed. I certainly sympathize with that. However, as the "absolute" spiritual goal that one progresses towards may be (in) Infinity, it can never actually be attained. Therefore, all the truths accepted by an entity on its eternal way there can only be relatively valid.

I agree with this. It is understandable though, if we consider that the established religions have always been misusing the concept of there being consequences of our actions after our physical life for enforcing their particular moral codex by inducing fear and guilt. For individuals not ready transcend the dualistic view, the only way to liberate themselves was to renounce the belief in a post mortem existence altogether. Transcendence of the belief in good and evil can basically be found in most metaphysical systems, but it is generally a result of rather advanced initiations. Not least, it was also considered that the average human being needs a moralistic frame of reference, and there is some truth to that. Other representatives of this view of history were Julius Evola and Oswald Spengler. I thorougly tested this perspective in my younger days and concluded that, although it is not completely wrong, in its extreme form it is far too dualistic and limiting. Modernity has its own brilliance, and great potential for a more spiritual future! Not all of the modern developments in science, technology, philosophy, politics etc are bad. But if you want to throw modernity out the window in toto, that's fair enough. Please make sure that you include the computer that enables you to communicate your views over the Internet. This I consider to be ultimately true, even though what the spirit innate to a human being temporarily needs in order to progress may not look very spiritual on the surface. What gives meaning to your life indeed originates beyond the boundaries of the conscious mind, in the depths of the psyche. It is often being translated to the conscious mind by the imagination, actually.

It's an interesting observation that Crowley and Jung, coming from opposite directions, sort of meet each other half-way.

It could be fun to watch you muck about with them.

A lot of the porn that people are getting for free on the Internet is actually made by amateurs - and they don't look like they are suffering!

It is possible to sublimate sexual energy to creative ends. Usually, a degree of suppression is present nevertheless, however.

The things treaten by metaphysics are as objectively existent as those treaten by physics. Therefore, the metaphysicists of different times and places are more or less bound to reach the same conclusions. Religions? They are simplified (and often distorted) versions of metaphysics, a surrogate for people that are uninitiated into the knowledge of higher things.

Based on my experiences as a therapist, I would say that what is most harmful is the repression of sexuality. This has a long history in both Western and Eastern societies, and it's a continuing theme despite the known attempts at sexual liberation. In the course of the latter, the pendulum tends to swing a little far to the other side, to be sure - and generally without much resolution of the underlying conflict. Porn addicts are far from being sexually liberated individuals. Nor is porn really the source of their troubles, although it contributes to sustaining them where there is an outright addiction to it. A final observation: In countries where porn is prohibited, men are hardly less kinky than in those where it is widely accepted.