I am addicted

[...]

I am addicted to masturbation. I am addicted to cigarettes. I am addicted to laziness, and lack the strength, will, discipline, motivation, (WHATEVER,) to become a spiritual master.
I believe I have all the know-how, at LEAST to earn myself the full-blow 'awakened' state. But I just don't do it.

I want to, but obviously not bad enough.

Does anyone have any advice? Can I fill a candle with my intentions or something? I don't know anything about magick... is that a possible route to take?

[m1thr0s]

I really don't get all this obsession about becoming a "spiritual master". In all fairness, I can hardly think of anything that interests me less...perhaps it's just the term itself and all the crap that goes with it...

I am interested in truth, and I am interested in where this thing called humankind is going, and I am interested in attaining a correct understanding of human potential and more or less high-tailing it in that direction asap...but none of that has anything to do with becoming a so-called "spiritual master". That's something different...that's a question of how others look to you. It's like wanting to be a rock star more than wanting to be a good musician if you ask me...it's all fucked up...the focus itself just doesn't work...

But...does it include a license to serve drinks in airports by any chance? Maybe then it would actually be worth something...

m1thr0s

[...]

When I say spiritual master, I mean *awakened* mithros. One learns the TRUTH on the path of mastery.
The channels open, the energy flowing, the union with the big whatever.

To be a spiritual master is to BE fulfilled potential, mithros.

Yes, as long as I am an egotistical being, (which will be forever, I hope!) such things as status, power, etc etc will always fascinate me.

Don't get caught up in the wording of the post, either, and use it against me. =\
Who said anything about fame, or worldly success? I said 'spiritual' master. =p

[m1thr0s]

no...I am not directing anything at you but at a concept in general. Let me ask you something...just exactly who do think actually IS a so-called spiritual master? Cuz I don't acknowledge ANY. I realize a lot of people look up to a lot of other people...I don't see where ANY of them are genuine "spiritual masters"... not from where I sit anyway...

If you want awareness...become aware...you can do that in all kinds of ways. Take up something that interests you and follow it through...that's all it takes really...

m1thr0s

[Zaii]

I am addicted to masturbation. I am addicted to cigarettes. I am addicted to laziness, and lack the strength, will, discipline, motivation, (WHATEVER,) to become a spiritual master.
I believe I have all the know-how, at LEAST to earn myself the full-blow 'awakened' state. But I just don't do it.

I want to, but obviously not bad enough.

Does anyone have any advice? Can I fill a candle with my intentions or something? I don't know anything about magick... is that a possible route to take?

Define "addicted" to masturbation. If you really do have a chronic problem, one thing is to realize that you don't have to have at it every time you feel the urge, and I would personally recommend to start having healthy sex if you aren't already. It's a part of being a human being and in and of itself, there's nothing wrong/dirty/shameful about it.

Cigarettes - there's more than enough information floating around about nicotine addiction, the dangers of smoking, and treatment. It's simply a choice you make, or you don't. I quit smoking about a year ago, and haven't looked back. I can say that it's just a point of deciding not to do it. There are no gimmicks or tricks. I can't speak for any of the patches or gums or other myriad of "shortcuts" out there, as I didn't use them. I just reminded myself every time I felt an urge to smoke about mouth/lung cancer, yellowing teeth, blah blah blah. Honestly I just hated the way it made my clothes, breath, and hands smell, more than anything. It doesn't even cross my mind anymore that smoking might be something I'd do in a given day.

Addicted to laziness? So basically you live in america..? ;)

My recommendation to you (and this may differ from others) is to completely throw out the concept of "spiritual master" from your vocabulary. If you are going to be delving into the occult, you should look at it as a way to improve yourself, your life, and the lives of those around you, without any inflated ideals or out of touch concepts like spiritual masters.

You're a human being, first and foremost, living right here on the ground in the real world. Start right there.

You choose how much much will you have. It's not up to anyone or anything else, and is 100% under your control. It's a simple matter of digging your heels in and pushing through.

If you're trying to change your habits and form discipline, start one thing at a time. Let's take smoking for instance. Build the idea in your head that the old behavior (smoking) is immensely bad for you (which it is), and associate all the things you don't like about your life with smoking. Then, find a new and healthy habit, and associate all the good things about your life, and the idea of getting what you want, with this habit.

If you're new to the occult, (and I'm by no means an expert, in fact I view a large portion of what's accepted as "occult" with great skepticism) there's no better place to start than meditation. You can find a myriad of guides to meditation online. I sit zazen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zazen) myself, though I've tried a variety of techniques. Basically, just find something that makes sense to you and make it a point to stick to it on a daily basis. Even for just 15 minutes.

The first thing I ever used as far as "magick" goes was a sigil, with instruction from this site: http://topy.net/

There's some good information floating around there.

Be sure to take nothing as gospel, to always keep an open mind, and to always keep asking questions. If a technique doesn't work for you, find out why. Try it again. If it's just not your cup of tea, try something else.

As for being "awakened"....I'd say to just not worry about that all. It will happen when it happens, if that's something you're to come to.

[m1thr0s]

My recommendation to you (and this may differ from others) is to completely throw out the concept of "spiritual master" from your vocabulary. If you are going to be delving into the occult, you should look at it as a way to improve yourself, your life, and the lives of those around you, without any inflated ideals or out of touch concepts like spiritual masters.I would second that recommendation. If people lived on the order of 3-5000 years at a clip, they might actually be able to realize all the stuff they somehow think they're gonna cram into 70-80 years on average...but they don't. If anybody even really knew what the hell a spiritual master actually was, then somebody might actually be able to accomplish it someday, but we don't...it's all speculation stuff...nobody actually knows what the hell they are talking about. And the reality is...we can't know, because we aren't there yet. It's just no way to steer your boat, shooting at abstract ideals that nobody can even define clearly...

But there is a lot we can accomplish and there is a lot we can know. I'm into some pretty abstract stuff too but it's all physical stuff in my case. I make an exception for physical abstractions because, being rooted in the physical, they can at least be attacked in a physical sort of way, so that's all fair game in my view. Hermetic Alchemy talks about turning lead into gold...ok...we can talk about that and we might even be able to do it with a certain amount of regularity eventually. But even gold amounts to lead to yet some other higher kind of gold so there's just no telling where it all stops...if ever.

m1thr0s

[...]

thanks alot on the sigil link, man... I am reading 'how to' introductions... very interesting...

[...]

Hmmm.. So if I simply draw a picture, 'charging' it with my intent, then this is sigil magic, and can help me along the way?

For example, sketching a picture of a powerful hermit, simultaneously as an idea and as me, for hours, will charge the 'idea' and it will manifest. I can 'charge' the sigil simply with my focus, concentration, and intent... However it is common that people 'tax' there systems, emotionally or physically, to increase the volume of the 'charge.'

I have a question. Does the type of energy a sigil is charged with effect the outcome? for example, if you charge an intent with depressing, painful emotional energy... Will this negatively effect the outcome of the process?

[...]

This brings me to think.... Your self-esteem, the way you see yourself, as successful, smart, good-looking, or as a failure, a fool, as ugly... must have very real consequences...

...Because we are consistently 'charging' these idea's every time we think about them... albeit with rather minute amounts of energy, but the charging is still there.. and probably builds up to be quite a bit over time.

do you guys think along these lines as well...?

[Alisa]

You are a very interesting and honest person. I can also relate to addiction. I have overcome a few of them (such as smoking) by trying, falling down, trying, falling down, for about 100 practice runs until I finally made it. Also, it has taken me years to commit to exercise and control of my diet through the same grueling path, and I am conquering this as well.

As for spiritual awakening (can't speak to mastery)...two years ago I asked, to any entities listening, what the whole meaning of life is about and what happens after we die. By taking it seriously, expecting answers, writing it down and paying attention to every sign, I was flooded with information, imagery, and experiences. :eek: I feel sure that anyone seeking can find and experience as much intensity as they can handle if they expect it.

And that leads into the concept you just posed of "charging" our ideas. I believe in this 100%. Every thought gives power to that which you are thinking of and draws it to you (so it is quite helpful to think of yourself in the best light you can muster). It is a principle law of existence in my opinion, that we create our reality through our belief system, entirely. :)

[Luciftias]

All around the world in esoteric and even exoteric paths there is a traditional method of categorizing a person's progress. The three main stages in the english language are often called: Novice, Adept and Master. The Novice (aka Apprentice/Neophyte/Probationer) is someone who is just starting out, learning what they can and applying it here and there. An Adept is someone who knows where they are going, how to get there and is committed to acheiving it. A Master is someone who has acheived the primary goal of the path.

For example, in Lab Alchemy, a novice is someone who is reading texts and doing ocassional experiments to get a good understanding of the system. An Adept is somone who has the lion's share of information that they need to acheive the Great Work (confecting the Philosopher's Stone), has a good deal of experience in the methods and is committed to accomplishing it. A Master is someone who has confected the Philosopher's Stone.

Now, in addition to that, a successful Master is someone who is able to deal with everything that comes with "Mastery." There are all kinds of stories about alchemists who confected the stone only to end up squandering it or getting killed because of it. Jean Dubois, for instance, is a recent alchemist who is said to have finally accomplished the Great Work in his old age but used the entire stone up in transmuting base metals into gold (leaving none to consume as the elixir) and not having enough years left of his life to create it again using his method. Count Cagliostro, like several others of his era and earlier, was imprisoned for his alchemical claims and died in prison. A successful Master Alchemist would live well beyond an average human lifespan, but you'd never hear about it because they would keep it secret to avoid persecution. Count St. Germain is one of the exceptions. He apparently lived a public life of 100 years during which he looked to be a man of about 40 years old the entire time. He had friends in high places and was able to avoid persecution in that time and era.

With regards to charging ideas, I agree completely that it has a big effect. It can cause and/or exacerbate delusions - on either side of the coin, whether they be "positive" or "negative."

Luciftias

[Seipiriz]

just exactly who do think actually IS a so-called spiritual master?


Yeah I know someone who IS a spiritual Master, that is Yoda and better accept it M1thros !!!:D

Look I do not know what the real problem is and if you do not who does?? Could it be your definition of youself by the links you have with the material ???
Find solutions yourself cause frankly even if I could find them for you they wouldnt mean much...

[fr.novumorganum]

This brings me to think.... Your self-esteem, the way you see yourself, as successful, smart, good-looking, or as a failure, a fool, as ugly... must have very real consequences...

...Because we are consistently 'charging' these idea's every time we think about them... albeit with rather minute amounts of energy, but the charging is still there.. and probably builds up to be quite a bit over time.

do you guys think along these lines as well...?

yes, very much. and that is why the "great work" is so much work...society and other accidental factors have imprinted us with many negative programs that get constantly reinforced, while positive programs and any we attempt to realize within ourselves gets negatively reinforced.

i'd strongly recommend you read Prometheus Rising (and then Cosmic Trigger) by Robert Anrton Wilson for some frank and useful discussion and TOOLS to learn about and break free from the programs which are determing your output.

[m1thr0s]

Find solutions yourself cause frankly even if I could find them for you they wouldnt mean much...the truest fact of all...and seemingly one we keep wanting to duck-and-dodge every chance we get...we can share insights...we can compare notes...we can back each other up in whatever ways we can. None of us can do any of this "becoming" stuff for the other and some of us at least contain keys that may never have been seen before, so we really do need to cultivate the ability to find that Inner Guide and rely mostly upon its councils...

m1thr0s

[Seipiriz]

I agree and would like to point out that advising someone on such matters comes with a great deal of responsibility and with the danger that, as the solutions you have work for you they may not work for anybody else ... I am too sceptical when comes to advising and generally do not ask for it...

[Anibis]

I'd say that all sigil, and talismanic type magic is a sort of aid to learning how to 'flex' your will towards certain goals. By working with spells you gain the confidence to realize and trust that when you bend your full faculties to a goal, not only do you create the circumstances to achieve that goal yourself, but that somehow the universe tends to meet you 'half way', and if it doesn't who cares? The work of becomming a magician involves learning to take joy in the sheer act of willing an effect whether the outcome arises or not. Learning a magical system thuroughly helps build 'conduits' within your being so that it becomes easier to bring your various faculties to bear on a task in unison. The Tree of Life, for example when you learn to use it is like a prism which takes all the conflicting drives within your being and enables you to direct them with a single impulse.

I find this discussion pertinent to me since it reminds me that I get hung up on the whole idea of 'spiritual mastery' sometimes too. It takes perserverance to shake all our various addictions and neuroses, but in a sense, I think that is the best use of magic; to clear the various blockages and limitations to your capacity for joyful experiences. Good luck, try out sigil work, learn a decent system, keep your mind open and perservere. Generally in this world-arrangement, we start out with our life/sex energy sequestered in all kinds of weird complexes and neurotic fold-backs, and though there are plenty of people out there hawkinh snake oil designed to alieviate the symptoms, it is YOU who need to take upon yourself the task of isolating, analyzing and addressing the cause. It can be done.

As M1thr0s often says;

Perserverance Furthers

-Ibisis-

P.S. It occured to me recently that magick is the art of 'deliberate allocation of attention'. At least that is a big part of it.

[m1thr0s]

It has become my habit over the years to confine myself to addressing nuts-and-bolts issues almost exclusively and pretty much leave off matters of *being* per se...certainly not because they are unimportant but because they are so important as to render anything I might have to say fundamentally superfluous...

I'm a bit of a spiritual martial arts instructor that way I think...or at least that's the way it often seems...

m1thr0s

[Anibis]

I'm a bit of a spiritual martial arts instructor that way I think...or at least that's the way it often seems...

m1thr0s

And HOW...
-Ibisis-

[Seipiriz]

And HOW...



Well what M1thros was trying to say ,I think , is from the point of discipline and raw practice, he looks like one

[m1thr0s]

Perhaps I have set my own standards too high to be realistic. It is something to consider at least. In a more practical sense, by the time one has reached the point where he/she is perfectly comfortable following his/her own lead in things, one has reached a level of mastery at least. Unfortunately, I have met many people who think they are content to do this only because their own mastery has never really been challenged to any great extent. That's where it gets tricky...is your *mastery* rooted in reality or attitude? One needs to be properly grounded in the whole struggle of existence. I think this is why the emphasis has been placed on public outreach among the masters themselves. How does your *mastery* affect others? Does it help them in any way? Does it facilitate their own individual mastery? If it does not, or cannot, perhaps one has only mastered the art & science of self-aggrandizement...

m1thr0s

[Anibis]

Well what M1thros was trying to say ,I think , is from the point of discipline and raw practice, he looks like one

"And HOW!" is an expression. It means more or less :'I agree', with emphasis. I was not calling ole' M1thr0s to task or anything. He can do that well himself...
-Ibisis-

[Kain]

...is your *mastery* rooted in reality or attitude? One needs to be properly grounded in the whole struggle of existence. I think this is why the emphasis has been placed on public outreach among the masters themselves. How does your *mastery* affect others? Does it help them in any way? Does it facilitate their own individual mastery? If it does not, or cannot, perhaps one has only mastered the art & science of self-aggrandizement...A really great point I think...

Kain

[s1m0n]

Perhaps I have set my own standards too high to be realistic. It is something to consider at least. In a more practical sense, by the time one has reached the point where he/she is perfectly comfortable following his/her own lead in things, one has reached a level of mastery at least. Unfortunately, I have met many people who think they are content to do this only because their own mastery has never really been challenged to any great extent. That's where it gets tricky...is your *mastery* rooted in reality or attitude? One needs to be properly grounded in the whole struggle of existence. I think this is why the emphasis has been placed on public outreach among the masters themselves. How does your *mastery* affect others? Does it help them in any way? Does it facilitate their own individual mastery? If it does not, or cannot, perhaps one has only mastered the art & science of self-aggrandizement...

m1thr0s

What an interesting thread with some great insights all round. Ive chosen this quote here because it's my favourite. It's some cracking advice that I myself will benefit from whenever I need to take a reality check. :)