Greetings

[dejapu]

Hi all, Dejapu here. I have been an armchair occutist/mystic/whatever for probably about 15 years now, and I'm just now finally trying to ease myself into some daily practices of some sort and whittle down my path from the assortment of systems out there. I am most heavily read in Crowley, (though I would certainly not call myself a Thelemite  or prospective Thelemite) and like Crowley my interests lie in about the whole gamut of ways of attainment out there... qabalah, yoga, Taoism, I Ching, Christian mysticism, Fourth Way etc etc... I'm currently getting my toes wet with the BOTA correspondence course. My first tastes of the mystical experience and all related weirdness probably came from psychadelics so I am also a bit interested "better living through chemistry" and ways that can be worked into spiritual practices.

 

I've found that a lot of times "occult" forums can seem like "the bottom of the barrel" so I'm excited to be a part of this community because there seems to be a bit more level-head-ness and maturity here, as well as a knowledgeable core user-base. Thanks for accepting me into your community! (I'm assuming I'll be accepted, that is lol)

[Fa Xin]

Hello, dejapu, and welcome.

 

Your membership is approved and we're happy you found your way to us. We look forward to accompanying you on some of the way that you still have to go.

 

Please take the time to read the post pinned at the top of this Welcome page and take a look at the forum Terms and Rules.   This covers all you need to know when getting started.

 

For the first week you will be restricted to ten posts per day but after that you can post as much as you like. Also, until you’ve posted fifteen times in the forums, you’ll be a “Junior Bum” with somewhat restricted access and will be allowed only two private messages per day.

 

Good luck in your pursuits and best wishes to you,

 

Fa Xin and the TDB team

 

Hi dejapu,

 

Welcome! Sounds like you’re open minded and will fit right in here. How’re you liking the BOTA stuff so far? Hope you enjoy it here.  

 

 

You are welcome to jump right in to the ongoing discussions, revive an older thread, start a new thread of your own, or start a discussion in the "Newcomer Corner" sub-forum to expand on your introduction or ask general questions to help you get started.

 

May you enjoy your time here.

 

Fa Xin 

[dejapu]

The first section of the BOTA course "Seven Steps in Practical Occultism" has a bit of annoying "New Thought" vibe, reminds me a little of the Kybalion in tone which I find hard to stomach. I've heard from several people that the lessons focused on the Tarot are by far the most thorough and in depth method available for internalizing the Tarot as an initiative system, so I'm trying to stick with it. I'm making haste slowly though... I'm kind of at an impasse because the exercises are beginning to require lots of visualization and I have almost no skill with visualization. The past week I've been researching and toying with different exercises to try and improve my ability to visualize, but haven't had any luck yet. I was thinking of making a thread on it (if there isn't one already, I'll be sure to do a search first), but if anyone sees this and wants to give some pointers I'd be greatly appreciative 

[Zhongyongdaoist]

Welcome to the Dao Bums

 

Get yourself a copy of Betty Edwards:

 

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

 

Start working with her exercises and then switch over to drawing pictures of the Tarot cards.  This will increase your visualization skill and teach you how to draw.

 

ZYD

[dejapu]

One step ahead of you lol... I atually ordered the book a couple days ago, I got a couple copies because I saw from reviews there are some differences between editions, and also to give one to my girlfriend. I was doing a quick search for visualization suggestions on the forum and I saw you mention the book. It seemed somewhat serendipitous to me as my girlfriend and I are both also trying to learn drawing, painting etc... we've been drawing and painting Tarot cards as practice.

 

Another funny coincidence is that on googling "how to strengthen visualization abilities" a couple days ago, one of the top results was a page from Llewelyn that turned out to be a technique from Don Kraig's "Modern Magick" which I've also saw you've mentioned before. In the past I never bothered looking into this book because the cover makes it look like it's written for Harry Potter fans, but it actually seemed like one of the more intuitive methods I've come across yet so I've been toying with that the past few days too.

 

Thank you! You've already (even indirectly) been quite helpful.

[Zhongyongdaoist]

Don's Modern Magick has a lot to recommend it, among other things, (My apologies to nonmembers who cannot read this and other references to a members only section of the Dao Bums.):

 

On 3/11/2018 at 9:45 AM, Zhongyongdaoist said:

Don was working with the people who were responsible for the revival of the Golden Dawn in the early Eighties and very likely intended his book as something that while standing alone, could be used as instruction within the revived Golden Dawn, as anyone who is familiar with Don's Book and the Golden Dawn teachings can plainly see.

 

So in the teaching system that I am working out, I use it as a textbook, however, in the curriculum I am working out:

 

On 3/15/2018 at 9:44 AM, Zhongyongdaoist said:

. . . my use of Modern Magick more or less stops at the end of Lesson Eight.

 

for reason too complex to enter into here, but which are somewhat examined in the discussion referred to.

 

in the following quote I give a short outline of the early levels of my teaching:

 

On 3/7/2018 at 10:54 AM, Zhongyongdaoist said:

Aspects of the Chinese esoteric system, especially the use of diet and herbs will start early, to improve health and balance the bodies basic energy, but the early energy work will be Western and oriented to ritual uses.  Actual Chinese magic will be approached in the third level of study.

 

The second level of study will expand ritual practice into astrological magic and starting to focus on understanding and using Golden Dawn teachings as a basis for practicing Deity Yoga, and in the third level, their extension into Chinese magic and meditation, a practice which the Chinese call "Transforming into a god to rectify Qi". (Emphasis Added ZYD)

 

but the early energy work will be Western and oriented to ritual uses: this refers to my use of Don's book up to Chapter Eight. 

 

The second level of study will expand ritual practice into astrological magic and starting to focus on understanding and using Golden Dawn teachings as a basis for practicing Deity Yoga: and after Chapter Eight the second level would introduce the more advanced Golden Dawn Ritual techniques with an emphasis on Deity Yoga, as a preparation for the higher levels.

 

the third level, their extension into Chinese magic and meditation, a practice which the Chinese call "Transforming into a god to rectify Qi":  Of course the Chinese don't really call it that, they call it, 变神内炼, biàn shén nèi liàn, which roughly translates as, "Transforming into a god to rectify Qi".  Once one has made satisfactory progress in these practices, one can think about calling up spirits, but one shouldn't be in a hurry about this type of thing.
 

ZYD