Excellence and the Left Hand Path

[Wintruz]

The most famous motif of the Left Hand Path is the Pact with the Devil. It has also led to the most misunderstandings. Because of the mental dispositions which most would be Fausts bring to the idea of the Pact, it has become a sort of "zero to hero" last chance saloon, where the Prince of Darkness supposedly bestows the Heart's desires simply because that's how it works. As well as making the Devil do all the work, this motif depends on the idea that Satan wants your soul after death or that the tricky Serpent who brought mankind knowledge may have somehow forgotten about the various "get out" clauses when it comes time to pay the piper. Not a chance! Take it from someone on very intimate terms with His Infernal Majesty, His only interest in your soul is whether it is of the quality that it still would pursue the Left Hand Path even if he ceased to exist. He no more notices most humans than you do the billions of microscopic organisms that meet their fate each time you breathe.

The Pact (by which I mean the first steps on the Left Hand Path, in whatever exterior form that takes) does not work by outsourcing fulfilment of desire in the way that a prayer might be answered. The Prince of Darkness is not a more accessible shadow of the Other Fellow, dispensing gifts to anyone who asks. I spent a good portion of my early twenties as the first digital point of contact for a well-known LHP organisation, sorting through which emails to send onto more experienced initiates, which to forward to the police and which needed to be deleted. I have seen many, many unfulfilled Pacts with the Devil, some of them written on the best sheepskin and papyrus that money can buy. I have seen some fulfilled Pacts too. The difference, without fail, was that those with unfulfilled Pacts were desperately attempting to get an outside "fix". Those who were successful saw their Pact as a doorway, not an end point. Embarking on the Left Hand Path allowed these initiates to unlock the best within themselves and, because this is the Left Hand Path, this happened rapidly and with a great deal of exhilaration and pleasure. To put it in more traditional terms, the Devil accepted their Pact because they had qualities which he admired.

The idea that the Left Hand Path is an easy street to power is a falsehood. Those who are the furthest down the Path apply standards of excellence to themselves which most people would find unbearable. In a world where "Satanic" is applied to any number of metal bands, I instead see truer Left Hand Path qualities in the ballerina whose focus is intense, whose discipline is supreme, who has organised her entire being towards the one point of creating a moment of wonder and beauty. For the LHP Adept, this uncompromising standard of perfection and excellence is applied to all levels of being. Like a muscle, the intellect is built and sharpened so that it can evaluate every situation, so that the soul has this most powerful tool at its disposal. Adepts recognise that they operate within a communication based society and will use every opportunity to send a message which brings them their desires. For that reason, you'll rarely find them swearing, talking rubbish and looking as though they haven't seen a shower. They tend, by design more than accident, to be "good looking", not necessarily because of genes but because they know that impressing the sense of beauty is a powerful tool over sleepy humans. They will be relentlessly pushing themselves to Work harder, to learn more, to get fitter, to be more charming, to use language with greater mastery. All of this, with no days off, becomes a rather harder Path than vibrating Hebrew for twenty minutes a day.

The pursuit of excellence is also becoming the most antinomian aspect of the Left Hand Path. In a time when practically every form of sexuality is routinely (and often joylessly) publicly displayed, where suppressing feelings is toxic, where the pursuit of worldly power is the unspoken purpose of life, telling acolytes that they are going to have to get very disciplined, very fast, becomes overbearing. It's too much like hard work and it shouldn't be underestimated how those indoctrinated with the idea of equality have been trained to see quality as something innately oppressive. As in all things, the standard for excellence isn't whatever mood music society is playing but the Prince of Darkness Himself. A beautiful glimpse into His own unrelenting pursuit of self-excellence is found in Paradise Lost, probably because Milton consciously endowed Satan with the chivalric qualities which his own puritan mind found too prideful, too noble. Alternatively, Milton may have been echoing a description found in the Bible which the Church Fathers intuitively knew to be about the Devil:

Thou were the seal of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty ~ Ezekiel 28:12

 

[Taudefindi]

The most famous motif of the Left Hand Path is the Pact with the Devil. It has also led to the most misunderstandings.

Anything with "Devil" in it is a breeding ground of misunderstandings.That's what happens when you live in a highly religious country.

The idea that the Left Hand Path is an easy street to power is a falsehood.

I don't know if it's because of the link to demons/devils(is there even a difference?) or because the LHP seems to focus more on the "self" rather than the "all", but I guess that the idea of seeking power for yourself is always portrayed as something bad.

"Power should be sought only if it is for the greater good" as many figures in history and fiction like to parrot, they demonize the self-power so much that they end up thinking that the only way a person can get power for themselves is through a pact/deal.
Because "no one can get power through hard work" but once they see someone with self-power they go "must've done something shady to get it, like using steroids for building muscles, stealing money for having a fortune, or...done a pact with the devil", rather than just, y'know, working out, getting promoted for a good job or simply having good luck once in a while.

Those who are the furthest down the Path apply standards of excellence to themselves which most people would find unbearable.

I can imagine how holding yourself to a higher standard would require more hard work and committment than letting yourself be on the same level as most people.
But the lazy butts all want "an excuse" as to why some excell while they don't, and to them it's easier to blame outside factors(ok, some outside factors do affect people no matter how hard they try to avoid them) than to admit the bitter truth that a lot of things are actually under their control, it's just that they are the ones not wanting to work for it.

I instead see truer Left Hand Path qualities in the ballerina whose focus is intense, whose discipline is supreme, who has organised her entire being towards the one point of creating a moment of wonder and beauty.

Poetic.

They tend, by design more than accident, to be "good looking", not necessarily because of genes

You would be surprised to know that while genes can indeed gift someone with beauty, tailored clothes(or at least a fashionable-for the person-style), good personal hygiene and good posture can make a world of difference in someone's appearance, more than genes would.
Even doing the bare minimum for one's own appearance can be enough when we consider how most people probably only work on themselves if they work in a highly professional work environment where they have to look impeccable.

They will be relentlessly pushing themselves to Work harder, to learn more, to get fitter, to be more charming, to use language with greater mastery. All of this, with no days off, becomes a rather harder Path than vibrating Hebrew for twenty minutes a day.

I'm not going to lie here, this actually sounds more exciting.I think the LHP that has it's focus on someone working hard on themselves seems much more like an option than the RHP that seems to depend on the goodwill of entities(I think this is my introvert side speaking, but I kind of don't like to have to rely on others, if possible, to get/have things.I prefer to rely on myself because then I can always hold myself accountable).

the pursuit of worldly power is the unspoken purpose of life

"Unspoken"?
Considering what we see on the news and on our own lives, I think this one is actually even advertised.

 

[Xenophon]

Anything with "Devil" in it is a breeding ground of misunderstandings.That's what happens when you live in a highly religious country.


I don't know if it's because of the link to demons/devils(is there even a difference?) or because the LHP seems to focus more on the "self" rather than the "all", but I guess that the idea of seeking power for yourself is always portrayed as something bad.

"Power should be sought only if it is for the greater good" as many figures in history and fiction like to parrot, they demonize the self-power so much that they end up thinking that the only way a person can get power for themselves is through a pact/deal.
Because "no one can get power through hard work" but once they see someone with self-power they go "must've done something shady to get it, like using steroids for building muscles, stealing money for having a fortune, or...done a pact with the devil", rather than just, y'know, working out, getting promoted for a good job or simply having good luck once in a while.


I can imagine how holding yourself to a higher standard would require more hard work and committment than letting yourself be on the same level as most people.
But the lazy butts all want "an excuse" as to why some excell while they don't, and to them it's easier to blame outside factors(ok, some outside factors do affect people no matter how hard they try to avoid them) than to admit the bitter truth that a lot of things are actually under their control, it's just that they are the ones not wanting to work for it.

Poetic.

You would be surprised to know that while genes can indeed gift someone with beauty, tailored clothes(or at least a fashionable-for the person-style), good personal hygiene and good posture can make a world of difference in someone's appearance, more than genes would.
Even doing the bare minimum for one's own appearance can be enough when we consider how most people probably only work on themselves if they work in a highly professional work environment where they have to look impeccable.


I'm not going to lie here, this actually sounds more exciting.I think the LHP that has it's focus on someone working hard on themselves seems much more like an option than the RHP that seems to depend on the goodwill of entities(I think this is my introvert side speaking, but I kind of don't like to have to rely on others, if possible, to get/have things.I prefer to rely on myself because then I can always hold myself accountable).


"Unspoken"?
Considering what we see on the news and on our own lives, I think this one is actually even advertised.

You're at least partly right about pursuit of power being flaunted, but I think Wintruz implies a point worth touching on. One canny gambit in power games is faux humility. E.g., the scheming politician who paints himself as "the first servant of the people." Really pathological cases start to (or start out) believing it about themselves, too.

 

[HoldAll]

Really well thought-out post, just like the "Gatekeeping" one. I only started to take the LHP seriously after I had read Stephen Flower's "Lords of the Left-Hand Path" because (apart from the edgelord Goth cliche) it seemed to lack a consistent philosophy or define itself as a shock-value position fiercely opposed to a socially normative christianity that has long lost its ubiquitious power. I've read here and there that the LHP was much harder than the RHP but never understood why… I have to admit that this 'unrelenting pursuit of excellence' aspect was completely new to me. Would you say that most LHPers can agree on that ideal? Superficially, it seems to be at odds with LaVey's emphasis on indulgence (ok, I realize that he is not considered such an LHP demigod anymore).

Another idea that is new to me is that antinomian stances can be adopted to any modern mores and are not limited to (again, cliches) to breaking each and every taboo, blind rebellion against monotheistic gods and compulsory fanatical opposition to all that is commonly considered 'good' or 'decent'. In my own case that would mean to profess unpopular opinions I'm afraid to publicly express because I desperately want to be liked… something to ponder.

Holding myself to excessively standards has been the bane of my life. I used to beat myself up relentlessly for failing to reach this or that ideal, and the mere thought that some infernal enforcer god would watch my pathetic efforts (which were often downright heroical, seen from today's perspective) gives me violent shivers. On the other hand, if such a being would also provide guidance and support and not merely act as a cruel slavedriver all the time… again, something to ponder.

This doesn't mean I'm sold on the LHP (I'm still smarting from my own masochistic idealism) but I'd really like to learn more. Are there any good books you could recommend? Btw, what is LHP position towards all that post-modern relativism? I get the feeling from your post that the LHP is very much about firm convictions instead of wishy-washy dithering. Anyway, fascinating read!

 

[Xenophon]

Really well thought-out post, just like the "Gatekeeping" one. I only started to take the LHP seriously after I had read Stephen Flower's "Lords of the Left-Hand Path" because (apart from the edgelord Goth cliche) it seemed to lack a consistent philosophy or define itself as a shock-value position fiercely opposed to a socially normative christianity that has long lost its ubiquitious power. I've read here and there that the LHP was much harder than the RHP but never understood why… I have to admit that this 'unrelenting pursuit of excellence' aspect was completely new to me. Would you say that most LHPers can agree on that ideal? Superficially, it seems to be at odds with LaVey's emphasis on indulgence (ok, I realize that he is not considered such an LHP demigod anymore).

Another idea that is new to me is that antinomian stances can be adopted to any modern mores and are not limited to (again, cliches) to breaking each and every taboo, blind rebellion against monotheistic gods and compulsory fanatical opposition to all that is commonly considered 'good' or 'decent'. In my own case that would mean to profess unpopular opinions I'm afraid to publicly express because I desperately want to be liked… something to ponder.

Holding myself to excessively standards has been the bane of my life. I used to beat myself up relentlessly for failing to reach this or that ideal, and the mere thought that some infernal enforcer god would watch my pathetic efforts (which were often downright heroical, seen from today's perspective) gives me violent shivers. On the other hand, if such a being would also provide guidance and support and not merely act as a cruel slavedriver all the time… again, something to ponder.

This doesn't mean I'm sold on the LHP (I'm still smarting from my own masochistic idealism) but I'd really like to learn more. Are there any good books you could recommend? Btw, what is LHP position towards all that post-modern relativism? I get the feeling from your post that the LHP is very much about firm convictions instead of wishy-washy dithering. Anyway, fascinating read!

I know you're asking Wintruz, but Naos is a good place to begin. As for post-modern relativism and LHP, Nexion has one response. (Be advised, though, that Myatt who had a big influence on Nexion was an advocate of something very much like Critical Race Theory in some of his late essays. Though this---in a weird way---remains consistent with his earlier Islamicist and NSDAP leanings.) Both books are easy to find online. Or send me an email adress. Burner preferred.

 

[HoldAll]

I know you're asking Wintruz, but Naos is a good place to begin. As for post-modern relativism and LHP, Nexion has one response. (Be advised, though, that Myatt who had a big influence on Nexion was an advocate of something very much like Critical Race Theory in some of his late essays. Though this---in a weird way---remains consistent with his earlier Islamicist and NSDAP leanings.) Both books are easy to find online. Or send me an email adress. Burner preferred.

Would that be "NAOS: A Practical Guide to Modern Magick"? Easy to find on annas-archive.org. I don't want to have to do anything with nazis though. I don't mind relativism, it has been a good tool to break up all that stodgy dogma and doctrinal close-mindedness that were basically dead-end streets. I do have my own moral compass though and will resist any attempt to have values foisted upon me that are contrary to my convictions; I'more a Max Stirner kind of guy (and one day I'll read more than only the first paragraphs of "The Ego and Its Own" so I can do more than just namedropping in forums ).

​

 

[Xenophon]

Would that be "NAOS: A Practical Guide to Modern Magick"? Easy to find on annas-archive.org. I don't want to have to do anything with nazis though. I don't mind relativism, it has been a good tool to break up all that stodgy dogma and doctrinal close-mindedness that were basically dead-end streets. I do have my own moral compass though and will resist any attempt to have values foisted upon me that are contrary to my convictions; I'more a Max Stirner kind of guy (and one day I'll read more than only the first paragraphs of "The Ego and Its Own" so I can do more than just namedropping in forums ).

​

Do you even know what "Nazism" is? Have you looked at why the writings referenced get into it?

 

[Wintruz]

I have to admit that this 'unrelenting pursuit of excellence' aspect was completely new to me. Would you say that most LHPers can agree on that ideal? Superficially, it seems to be at odds with LaVey's emphasis on indulgence (ok, I realize that he is not considered such an LHP demigod anymore).

I think it is very astute to make the connection with Indulgence because that word does highlight an interesting difference between types who are attracted to the Left Hand Path.

LaVey's Satanic Bible has been read by millions of people, with a small number of those reading it (but, given the numbers involved, still many, many tens of thousands of people) putting its principles into practice. For most of these, Indulgence is an immediate thing that's interpreted in light of LaVey's claim that "man is just another animal" and so it goes no further than "I want to do this so I'm doing it". In that sense, the self-excellence that I mention above is not something pursued by all or even a majority of those who consider themselves to be on the Left Hand Path. However...

It doesn't take exceptional genius to figure out what things would quickly look like if "I want to do this so I'm doing it" became the only ruling principle in one's life. The fact that creating a beautiful, meaningful life involves self-control and, sometimes, deferring gratification was a major tension among the California-based LHP set in the 60s and 70s. This tension really was at the heart of the break between LaVey and the Temple of Set. As in so many things, LaVey never ironed out his contradictions. He wanted his movement to be filled with people whose lives were a testament to competence while simultaneously saying things which, taken at face value, would lead to a dissolute and squalid condition for his "alien elite" (as it did for him). The Setians went in a different direction and discovered that self-work ("Xeper") could be a form of pleasure. For all of the legitimate criticisms that should be brought against Aquino and Co., my sympathies are very much with them on this issue.

My own Vampyric tradition conceptualises the initiate to be composed of two major parts; one is the Aristocrat and the other is the Beast. Both aspects need to be fed and that is a balance which has to be worked out each for their own. Enjoying the sensual and satisfying things in life is requisite (I'd argue for any healthy human) but this can be done on the way to somewhere Other than a trough!

Another idea that is new to me is that antinomian stances can be adopted to any modern mores and are not limited to (again, cliches) to breaking each and every taboo, blind rebellion against monotheistic gods and compulsory fanatical opposition to all that is commonly considered 'good' or 'decent'.

Yes. A person addicted to violating the mores of Abrahamism and Enlightenment values is just as controlled by those mores as someone blindly obedient to them. Casting off programming is an important thing, especially early in initiation, but there comes a point when the question is "So now what?". At that stage, it's pretty common to see serious initiates move away from Satanism and towards forms of Paganism (Flowers is a good example of that). Some of us find that a bit of a magpie approach, where we pursue the various threads which have "spoken" to us, is the best way to unfold our Selves.

Holding myself to excessively standards has been the bane of my life. I used to beat myself up relentlessly for failing to reach this or that ideal, and the mere thought that some infernal enforcer god would watch my pathetic efforts (which were often downright heroical, seen from today's perspective) gives me violent shivers. On the other hand, if such a being would also provide guidance and support and not merely act as a cruel slavedriver all the time… again, something to ponder.

My goodness, I see so much of myself in this. There's simply no way I can address this in a detached way.

A bullying superego is an horrendous thing to live with and it's very hard to break away from. After all, then we'd be lowering our standards wouldn't we? We'd be admitting failure. Yes, it pushes us on to exterior forms of excellence and to the world we look like we have everything together but, inside, we're living with the harshest, most relentless critic (and it usually speaks to us in the voice of one of our parents... food for thought there!). For me, this reached a stage where, terminally miserable and having driven myself to breaking point with perfectionism, I invoked the "infernal enforcer god" and a response came: "Because nothing says 'initiatory excellence' quite like a nervous breakdown".

That snapped me out of it and I was able to transform the overbearing energy into another kind of energy, I was able to say "You've brought me this far and there's a lot to be grateful for in that, but you're now actually inhibiting my pursuit of excellence and so it's time for you to be dethroned". I am a perfectionist by nature but that part of myself no longer has the lash over every other part of myself. Instead, it's integrated in a holistic way, one disposition, and a good one when it's a friend, among others and one which often guides me to do well but which serves a Master who realises that the Work itself and not the final appearance is the real goal.

Are there any good books you could recommend? Btw, what is LHP position towards all that post-modern relativism? I get the feeling from your post that the LHP is very much about firm convictions instead of wishy-washy dithering.

In one of my earliest posts on here, I gave a LHP reading list which may be useful. You could add Aquino's Black Magic (which I'm fairly sure I uploaded to the library) to the top of that list too and it's a short read. It may feel less constricting than NAOS. For excellence/perfection and the LHP, I'd recommend anything from, what I'm terming, the "old Luciferian current" (nothing to do with Michael Ford, etc.). As mentioned above, Paradise Lost is the gold standard for that (if you're perfectionist minded, you'll pick up those themes immediately) and I enjoyed Fred Parker's The Devil as Muse, which touches on the application of that Luciferian ideal to art and politics among the Romantics. I also have a lot of time for Christopher J. C. (aka "The Satanic Scholar") who is a Satanist very deeply into these aspects of the lore. He has a website with some fine essays and an excellent reading list.

The Left Hand Path is concerned only with your personal beautification, strengthening and self-realisation. It is less about set convictions and more about what helps with that self-work. Many of us have found that areas such as what's called "virtue ethics" are useful, not because we want to be considered good by society but because, to quote a wise man, "virtue makes us strong enough to encounter the gods". Relativism is a complicated subject and it depends where it's being applied. In terms of the Left Hand Path, I think the fine line between "relative" and "exceptionally personal" would be paramount.

These were some excellent questions and perceptions @HoldAll and I'm very grateful that you shared them on this thread.

 

[HoldAll]

Do you even know what "Nazism" is? Have you looked at why the writings referenced get into it?

I know the ONA only by reputation. I have some of their books on my harddisk but haven't really looked into them. However, I know very well what the Nazis were, although I have never read Mein Kampf either (and don't wish to) but it's allegedly not very big on philosophy and theory either. Didn't Mussolini say once that even he didn't know what fascism was? I must have watched hundreds of documentaries about Hitler, the nazis and WWII, that was a really weird and intense phase of about two years in my life. That any contemporaries (apart from white supremacists, rabid anti-semites or downright racists) could find something valuable in that crude ideology is beyond me; perhaps what they like are some of Nietzsche's wilder ideas (didn't the nazis ban his books near the end of the war?) as seen through a brownshirt lens, no idea.

However, this is a thread about the Left Hand Path. I can't believe it's philosophy has a logical slant to the right but confess that I must educate myself more before I can reach any conclusion as to its politics.

Post automatically merged: May 16, 2024

My own Vampyric tradition conceptualises the initiate to be composed of two major parts; one is the Aristocrat and the other is the Beast. Both aspects need to be fed and that is a balance which has to be worked out each for their own. Enjoying the sensual and satisfying things in life is requisite (I'd argue for any healthy human) but this can be done on the way to somewhere Other than a trough!

A bullying superego is an horrendous thing to live with and it's very hard to break away from. After all, then we'd be lowering our standards wouldn't we? We'd be admitting failure. Yes, it pushes us on to exterior forms of excellence and to the world we look like we have everything together but, inside, we're living with the harshest, most relentless critic (and it usually speaks to us in the voice of one of our parents... food for thought there!). For me, this reached a stage where, terminally miserable and having driven myself to breaking point with perfectionism, I invoked the "infernal enforcer god" and a response came: "Because nothing says 'initiatory excellence' quite like a nervous breakdown".

That snapped me out of it and I was able to transform the overbearing energy into another kind of energy, I was able to say "You've brought me this far and there's a lot to be grateful for in that, but you're now actually inhibiting my pursuit of excellence and so it's time for you to be dethroned". I am a perfectionist by nature but that part of myself no longer has the lash over every other part of myself. Instead, it's integrated in a holistic way, one disposition, and a good one when it's a friend, among others and one which often guides me to do well but which serves a Master who realises that the Work itself and not the final appearance is the real goal.

The Left Hand Path is concerned only with your personal beautification, strengthening and self-realisation. It is less about set convictions and more about what helps with that self-work. Many of us have found that areas such as what's called "virtue ethics" are useful, not because we want to be considered good by society but because, to quote a wise man, "virtue makes us strong enough to encounter the gods". Relativism is a complicated subject and it depends where it's being applied. In terms of the Left Hand Path, I think the fine line between "relative" and "exceptionally personal" would be paramount.

What I would be really interested in is a new way of resolving that eternal superego - ego - id struggle. Unadulterated perfectionism isn't viable, what with the superego (or an Abrahmic god) being such a merciless taskmaster. Unabashed hedomism, however, is unsustainable and not viable either, and both are neither good for your physical health nor your peace of mind. The simplicistic answer would be striking a balance or reaching a compromise but I feel this is unsatisfactory either, and what's more, I sincerely doubt you can convince your perfectionist/hedonist self to change by reasonable arguments alone. Your idea concerning the need to feed both the Aristocrat and the Beast sounds intriguing… although I'm afraid that my inner Beast is so immature and voracious that it could never be satisfied.

I simply love the irony in "Because nothing says 'initiatory excellence' quite like a nervous breakdown", I wish someone had said that to me ten years ago, it would have saved me some serious health issues. Being a martyr to perfectionism seemed a perversely noble thing at the time, and a (more enlightened) pursuit of excellence, i.e. abandoning the feverish chasing after unattainable goals, would have felt like a betrayal of my oh-so-lofty ideals. Sometimes I would say to myself, "When I die, my epitaph will read: 'He gave his best, and it wasn't enough'". Crazy, I know.

The RHP solution would be most likely that trite old NewAgey "I'm OK - You're OK", i.e. being more accepting of one's weaknesses and letting go of anything that unduly stressful. Perfectionism (and also the pursuit of excellence, I guess), however, is exciting and thrilling, one of the reasons it's so hard to relinquish; it's hard to give up the quest for the holy grail and settle down and grow old and fat instead.

Anyway, what I would expect from those LHP books you recommended is an intelligent way of reconciling the superego, the ego and the id in a way that is completely novel or one that I'd hitherto thought impossible and transcends all dichotomies like 'disciplined' and 'self-indulgent'. I'd be very disappointed if any of these authors dealt in a simple inversion of (perceived) RHP teachings and called the whole thing 'Satanism'. I'm not interested in page after page of rants against the Abrahamic religions - that was already old when the hippies cut their hair and started climbing the corporate instead. My erstwhile chaos magic background is still very much alive (it was one of the few effective antidotes against that damn perfectionism), so you can easily imagine what I feel about dogmas…

The single most important thing that kept me from investigating the LHP was that stereotypical corny Halloween aesthetic, and if I read 'sinister' again in a book title I'm gonna scream. You recommended Nietzsche (I'm a fan), Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, so that's encouraging, Evola - not so much, but I'll try hard to keep an open mind.

 

[Xenophon]

I know the ONA only by reputation. I have some of their books on my harddisk but haven't really looked into them. However, I know very well what the Nazis were, although I have never read Mein Kampf either (and don't wish to) but it's allegedly not very big on philosophy and theory either. Didn't Mussolini say once that even he didn't know what fascism was? I must have watched hundreds of documentaries about Hitler, the nazis and WWII, that was a really weird and intense phase of about two years in my life. That any contemporaries (apart from white supremacists, rabid anti-semites or downright racists) could find something valuable in that crude ideology is beyond me; perhaps what they like are some of Nietzsche's wilder ideas (didn't the nazis ban his books near the end of the war?) as seen through a brownshirt lens, no idea.

However, this is a thread about the Left Hand Path. I can't believe it's philosophy has a logical slant to the right but confess that I must educate myself more before I can reach any conclusion as to its politics.

Post automatically merged: May 16, 2024

What I would be really interested in is a new way of resolving that eternal superego - ego - id struggle. Unadulterated perfectionism isn't viable, what with the superego (or an Abrahmic god) being such a merciless taskmaster. Unabashed hedomism, however, is unsustainable and not viable either, and both are neither good for your physical health nor your peace of mind. The simplicistic answer would be striking a balance or reaching a compromise but I feel this is unsatisfactory either, and what's more, I sincerely doubt you can convince your perfectionist/hedonist self to change by reasonable arguments alone. Your idea concerning the need to feed both the Aristocrat and the Beast sounds intriguing… although I'm afraid that my inner Beast is so immature and voracious that it could never be satisfied.

I simply love the irony in "Because nothing says 'initiatory excellence' quite like a nervous breakdown", I wish someone had said that to me ten years ago, it would have saved me some serious health issues. Being a martyr to perfectionism seemed a perversely noble thing at the time, and a (more enlightened) pursuit of excellence, i.e. abandoning the feverish chasing after unattainable goals, would have felt like a betrayal of my oh-so-lofty ideals. Sometimes I would say to myself, "When I die, my epitaph will read: 'He gave his best, and it wasn't enough'". Crazy, I know.

The RHP solution would be most likely that trite old NewAgey "I'm OK - You're OK", i.e. being more accepting of one's weaknesses and letting go of anything that unduly stressful. Perfectionism (and also the pursuit of excellence, I guess), however, is exciting and thrilling, one of the reasons it's so hard to relinquish; it's hard to give up the quest for the holy grail and settle down and grow old and fat instead.

Anyway, what I would expect from those LHP books you recommended is an intelligent way of reconciling the superego, the ego and the id in a way that is completely novel or one that I'd hitherto thought impossible and transcends all dichotomies like 'disciplined' and 'self-indulgent'. I'd be very disappointed if any of these authors dealt in a simple inversion of (perceived) RHP teachings and called the whole thing 'Satanism'. I'm not interested in page after page of rants against the Abrahamic religions - that was already old when the hippies cut their hair and started climbing the corporate instead. My erstwhile chaos magic background is still very much alive (it was one of the few effective antidotes against that damn perfectionism), so you can easily imagine what I feel about dogmas…

The single most important thing that kept me from investigating the LHP was that stereotypical corny Halloween aesthetic, and if I read 'sinister' again in a book title I'm gonna scream. You recommended Nietzsche (I'm a fan), Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, so that's encouraging, Evola - not so much, but I'll try hard to keep an open mind.

I would "Like" this, but that function has been emasculated for me.

 

[Wintruz]

You recommended Nietzsche (I'm a fan), Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, so that's encouraging, Evola - not so much, but I'll try hard to keep an open mind.

One of these days, when I gather sufficient emotional strength, I will write about my decade-long, and ultimately failed, "Othala Working" where I found myself breaking free of the mental stranglehold represented by Evola. Until then, I'll only say it's worth bearing in mind that, quite apart from his political beliefs, he was regarded as an excellent lay-scholar of Eastern traditions. Take the nectar, leave the rest!

Anyway, what I would expect from those LHP books you recommended is an intelligent way of reconciling the superego, the ego and the id in a way that is completely novel or one that I'd hitherto thought impossible and transcends all dichotomies like 'disciplined' and 'self-indulgent'.

That reconciliation is quite specific when considering publishers' projected reader of a book about the LHP so I wouldn't want you to think you're going to get answers in print from that list. However, apart from my own journey, I have known a few LHPers undergo similar healing and integration (perfectionism seems to assail serious LHPers in the same way that "former addict" is a type among conventional religions) and in all cases it seems to come about through the principles of initiation ultimately overriding the counter-productive aspects of the superego. It's simply inevitable when one's path is concerned with self-transformation that one will, at some stage, encounter the programs running in one's head and it's inevitable that the time will come when those programs need to be reconciled with our deepest held goals. In other words, with a good balance of self-care and deep commitment to truth, eventually you will find a reconciliation and all the parts of yourself will work towards the one thing.

For all of the Sturm und Drang of Left Hand Path imagery, that reconciliation of the Self is a deeply calming, therapeutic thing.

Your idea concerning the need to feed both the Aristocrat and the Beast sounds intriguing… although I'm afraid that my inner Beast is so immature and voracious that it could never be satisfied.

As St. Francis said: "Feed the wolf"!

 

[Hypnos]

Who can make a pact with leviathan and expect to play with him like a fish? I'm spiraling, I'm full of shit, I've lost my way in the dark and there's no way out.

Post automatically merged: May 22, 2024

Who can make a pact with leviathan and expect to play with him like a fish? I'm spiraling, I'm full of shit, I've lost my way in the dark and there's no way out.

-And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
There's your true lhp practitioner

 

[Xenophon]

One of these days, when I gather sufficient emotional strength, I will write about my decade-long, and ultimately failed, "Othala Working" where I found myself breaking free of the mental stranglehold represented by Evola. Until then, I'll only say it's worth bearing in mind that, quite apart from his political beliefs, he was regarded as an excellent lay-scholar of Eastern traditions. Take the nectar, leave the rest!

That reconciliation is quite specific when considering publishers' projected reader of a book about the LHP so I wouldn't want you to think you're going to get answers in print from that list. However, apart from my own journey, I have known a few LHPers undergo similar healing and integration (perfectionism seems to assail serious LHPers in the same way that "former addict" is a type among conventional religions) and in all cases it seems to come about through the principles of initiation ultimately overriding the counter-productive aspects of the superego. It's simply inevitable when one's path is concerned with self-transformation that one will, at some stage, encounter the programs running in one's head and it's inevitable that the time will come when those programs need to be reconciled with our deepest held goals. In other words, with a good balance of self-care and deep commitment to truth, eventually you will find a reconciliation and all the parts of yourself will work towards the one thing.

For all of the Sturm und Drang of Left Hand Path imagery, that reconciliation of the Self is a deeply calming, therapeutic thing.


As St. Francis said: "Feed the wolf"!

Evola's mental stranglehold? A personal thing, or do you think he is a snare in general? (The U.S. right tends to use him like undergrads do Nietzsche---a quick-read source of provocatory quotes.) Me, I have to admire a guy who took a stroll in Vienna during a bombing raid. I don't necessarily follow his every opinion. His "spiritual conception of race," for example needs some more sustained development and depth than he gave it. Plus, I'd say there seems to run a streak of sadism through his remarks on women. Asperity may be an honest emotion; displaying it is oftimes poor manners.

 

[darangal]

I find all paths virtually identical after the neophyte stages varying only in method and presentation of principles with morals and ethics being determined by the environments cultural values. Can you briefly expand upon your cultural context?

Excellence is a quality existing independently of direction or method. Excellence is exclusive to an elite minority that have been blessed by the fruits of labor or good fortune. The minority is perceived to possess various qualities that combine to present an presence of extreme skill & varying degrees of charisma. It does make a great deal of sense that an unconventional approach to any discipline would result in excellence on account of the steeper requirements to begin (overcoming adversity, taking initiative, and a great deal of self education) as well as the lessened amount of competition due to the lack of popularity for the methods and knowledge.

Any thoughts on "The Book of Five Rings" and how it would relate to excellence or LHP?

 

[Wintruz]

Evola's mental stranglehold? A personal thing, or do you think he is a snare in general?

A complicated combination of both but mostly the former. Evola's thoughts correspond with a particular kind of alienation from the world and a deep yearning for excellence in a time when such is rapidly becoming stigmatised. Unfortunately, because of the potency of his thoughts, they draw close to Nietzsche's insight about how in chasing monsters one can become one too. Awareness of just how horrific is our condition can blind one to the beauty and excellence that are still around us. More generally, I think Evola attempted to create a kind of science of quality (very Enlightenment, Signore Medievalist!) but the truth is simply a mystery. We can notice broad trends but we cannot really know why some show themselves to be high quality souls while others, despite having all the elements in place, turn out to be poor quality (yes, I am talking about Prince Harry, this is a call out). The major lesson I draw from Evola is that there are standards, that quality does look like a different order of thing and that the brave/noble soul holds to that.

with morals and ethics being determined by the environments cultural values. Can you briefly expand upon your cultural context?

Yes, but it's irrelevant. The first steps on the Left Hand Path in any cultural context involve precisely rejecting the various "guides to life" which the environment hands to us. In a sense, that is what is going on in some of those early rituals I discuss above such as the Pact or the Black Mass; it is an exterior, dramatic expression of the psychological differentiation which occurs when one says "I don't know what comes next, but I know I am not accepting any of this". In my observation, those and similar rituals (and maybe in this jaded time Satanism needs to be replaced by something more antinomian) do speed up the process of questioning what one has inherited from their culture. Still, a complete overhaul can take time (see the above comment on the former Protestant who thinks initiation will lead to all the things his grandfather wanted for him). Of course, rejecting the handbooks largely leaves a moral and ethical vacuum for LHPers. I say largely because an ethical principle has come into play in that, as in the Faustian bargain, the LHPer has elected in favour of their desires and, therefore, themselves. After this point, ethical questions are approached with the single principle of the Left Hand Path in mind; "What will strengthen me?". Some go for what they think will strengthen them and if that's coupled with unbalanced dispositions it usually doesn't end well. Others, through study and observation, create a set of values for themselves. For my part, after a time of hedonism, I discovered what truly strengthened me wasn't dissipation but virtue and I've written about virtue ethics (and how they're disincentivised in the emerging global society) a bit in my professional life.

I find all paths virtually identical after the neophyte stages varying only in method and presentation of principles

Your perceptions are, of course, your own and, while I wouldn't dismiss this out of hand, I would urge extreme caution so that it doesn't become a dogma. Different paths emphasise different principles and, even on the most shallow level, that will lead to the initiate behaving in different ways. Behaviours, engaged in over many years, form character. Some principles are incompatible (compare "turn the other cheek" with recommending standing up for oneself) and so they will lead in different directions. I don't believe that the differences in paths are only aesthetic and, if they were, I'd probably be back in church.

However, I do think that maturity tends to create respect and empathy between people further down different paths. One may conceptualise their path leading towards metaphysical individuation, the other to absorption by God, but both initiates have learnt a great deal and have known something of the loves and losses that come with life. That often creates an empathy that might not be expected by those at the shallower end. Unfortunately, these mature initiates are in short supply on all paths. I am reminded a little of Crowley's schema for initiation where all paths are the same until the end point, when one enters the "City of the Pyramids" or is reborn as "a brother of the Left Hand Path". The implication is that both are doing the same thing until that critical stage.

Any thoughts on "The Book of Five Rings" and how it would relate to excellence or LHP?

My knowledge of Musashi is lamentable and, though The Book of Five Rings has been waiting in my "to read" case for some time now, I haven't yet read it. My cursory understanding is that it and the training it describes are an excellent tool for a LHPer provided that both are used to further individuation and self-cultivation rather than self-negation. You may have inspired me to bump it much further up my priorities list.

 

[darangal]

My knowledge of Musashi is lamentable and, though The Book of Five Rings has been waiting in my "to read" case for some time now, I haven't yet read it. My cursory understanding is that it and the training it describes are an excellent tool for a LHPer provided that both are used to further individuation and self-cultivation rather than self-negation. You may have inspired me to bump it much further up my priorities list.

I was hoping you had read "The Book of Five Rings".... My understanding of the principles from the text are admittedly second hand. The core concept that I believe applies in this context is when one achieves skill, excellence, perfection, or something similar in one field one understands how to achieve that quality in other fields as well as recognizing that mastery, so to speak, outside of one's chosen discipline(s).

I believe that LHP has core principles that extend outside of it's general scope so far as a holistic connections of effective actions relate to seemingly disconnected fields. In that sense, I don't find that LHP possesses greater or lesser value than any other philosophical or theosophical perspective. It's merely a method of perception. Truth is relative and given sufficient imagination and will reality can be warped to meet the beliefs of virtually any model.

I refer to LHP and all paths at large. We life within the confines of time and as such schools of thought are prone to change in quality, quantity, and cultural dominance. Occult information pertains to magic and science alike obscuring the complete pictures to varying degrees to the masses.

I find the pursuit of excellence universal. The necessity to conform towards another set of ideas (or lack of ideas) is born less out of the value of those ideas than it is from the effective changes to community , distancing oneself from mediocrity, complacency, or laziness. The nature of the human condition is such that unless otherwise conditioned will adapt our disposition to suit our environment. When we change our environment to allow cultivation of more efficient actions, productive and growth oriented behavior, and social activities that help achieve our desired goals or aspired values.

Legitimate LHP pursuits cannot be pigeonholed into that label because the nature of the left hand path defy the limits placed upon it by words and do not require in any form whatsoever the detachment from RHP communities or pursuits. Language is more of a barrier to spiritual enlightenment and excellence than any other because our comprehension and ability to communicate with others be they fellow creatures of the flesh or entities outside is limited by our attachment to and our lack of understanding regarding language and the nature of communication and connection.

Your perceptions are, of course, your own and, while I wouldn't dismiss this out of hand, I would urge extreme caution so that it doesn't become a dogma. Different paths emphasise different principles and, even on the most shallow level, that will lead to the initiate behaving in different ways. Behaviours, engaged in over many years, form character. Some principles are incompatible (compare "turn the other cheek" with recommending standing up for oneself) and so they will lead in different directions. I don't believe that the differences in paths are only aesthetic and, if they were, I'd probably be back in church.

However, I do think that maturity tends to create respect and empathy between people further down different paths. One may conceptualise their path leading towards metaphysical individuation, the other to absorption by God, but both initiates have learnt a great deal and have known something of the loves and losses that come with life. That often creates an empathy that might not be expected by those at the shallower end. Unfortunately, these mature initiates are in short supply on all paths. I am reminded a little of Crowley's schema for initiation where all paths are the same until the end point, when one enters the "City of the Pyramids" or is reborn as "a brother of the Left Hand Path". The implication is that both are doing the same thing until that critical stage.

Nothing wrong with church in general.

Some are better than others, keep an eye out for pedophiles. Something about organized religion tends to snowball into debauchery. Humans are herd animals with natural leaders coming about because of assertiveness or clearly visible gifts and abilities. The former produces large groups of what are essentially retards who do little but reinforce mainstream values and act as fuel for mobs.

I think the keyword here is "maturity".
Real adults, those who grow up and learn from life can communicate with other members of their class with minimal errors of communication whereas the children in grown up bodies are treated with a pseudo respect extending only so far as their capability and behavior allows actual adults to respect them. There is a clear distinction between a lack of ability to grow up, a desire to stay a child indefinitely, and a lack of opportunity.

I hope I contributed some juicy food for thought. I had some trouble recognizing all of your references. My preference is to speak conceptually. It is typically easier to communicate effectively when there is a shared knowledge base, cultural context (religion, country, type of neighborhood, method of upbringing, family dynamics), and sincerity.
I have a personal attachment to sincerity, I am working on getting over it but it's a hard hill for me to climb.

 

[Xenophon]

I was hoping you had read "The Book of Five Rings".... My understanding of the principles from the text are admittedly second hand. The core concept that I believe applies in this context is when one achieves skill, excellence, perfection, or something similar in one field one understands how to achieve that quality in other fields as well as recognizing that mastery, so to speak, outside of one's chosen discipline(s).

I believe that LHP has core principles that extend outside of it's general scope so far as a holistic connections of effective actions relate to seemingly disconnected fields. In that sense, I don't find that LHP possesses greater or lesser value than any other philosophical or theosophical perspective. It's merely a method of perception. Truth is relative and given sufficient imagination and will reality can be warped to meet the beliefs of virtually any model.

I refer to LHP and all paths at large. We life within the confines of time and as such schools of thought are prone to change in quality, quantity, and cultural dominance. Occult information pertains to magic and science alike obscuring the complete pictures to varying degrees to the masses.

I find the pursuit of excellence universal. The necessity to conform towards another set of ideas (or lack of ideas) is born less out of the value of those ideas than it is from the effective changes to community , distancing oneself from mediocrity, complacency, or laziness. The nature of the human condition is such that unless otherwise conditioned will adapt our disposition to suit our environment. When we change our environment to allow cultivation of more efficient actions, productive and growth oriented behavior, and social activities that help achieve our desired goals or aspired values.

Legitimate LHP pursuits cannot be pigeonholed into that label because the nature of the left hand path defy the limits placed upon it by words and do not require in any form whatsoever the detachment from RHP communities or pursuits. Language is more of a barrier to spiritual enlightenment and excellence than any other because our comprehension and ability to communicate with others be they fellow creatures of the flesh or entities outside is limited by our attachment to and our lack of understanding regarding language and the nature of communication and connection.

Nothing wrong with church in general.

Some are better than others, keep an eye out for pedophiles. Something about organized religion tends to snowball into debauchery. Humans are herd animals with natural leaders coming about because of assertiveness or clearly visible gifts and abilities. The former produces large groups of what are essentially retards who do little but reinforce mainstream values and act as fuel for mobs.

I think the keyword here is "maturity".
Real adults, those who grow up and learn from life can communicate with other members of their class with minimal errors of communication whereas the children in grown up bodies are treated with a pseudo respect extending only so far as their capability and behavior allows actual adults to respect them. There is a clear distinction between a lack of ability to grow up, a desire to stay a child indefinitely, and a lack of opportunity.

I hope I contributed some juicy food for thought. I had some trouble recognizing all of your references. My preference is to speak conceptually. It is typically easier to communicate effectively when there is a shared knowledge base, cultural context (religion, country, type of neighborhood, method of upbringing, family dynamics), and sincerity.
I have a personal attachment to sincerity, I am working on getting over it but it's a hard hill for me to climb.

I have read The Book of Five Rings, and yes, one of Musashi's key points is that skill in one field or on one level transfers over to other fields and levels. The book's author, of course, was an artist in both painting and metalworking as well as the sword. At least some translations carry photos of his work which is exquisite.

On the other hand, Musashi's teaching seems open to counterexamples by the score. It's a truism that a commander at one level often enough fails miserably when promoted. Witness the careers of John Bell Hood and Richard Ewing before and after promotion. Likewise, excellence in one field often enough does not carry over. Ernst Udet was one hell of a fighter pilot in the Great War. Then he completely ballsed-up aircraft production for the Luftwaffe in the next conflict. What to say? That such ones were mere technicians and not masters to begin with? Maybe, but that quickly degenerates into what looks to be circular reasoning.

Still and all, there seems to remain a core truth that the attitudinal gains in one discipline aid one in mastering others, and that mainly because one has mastered himself.

Post automatically merged: May 26, 2024

A complicated combination of both but mostly the former. Evola's thoughts correspond with a particular kind of alienation from the world and a deep yearning for excellence in a time when such is rapidly becoming stigmatised. Unfortunately, because of the potency of his thoughts, they draw close to Nietzsche's insight about how in chasing monsters one can become one too. Awareness of just how horrific is our condition can blind one to the beauty and excellence that are still around us. More generally, I think Evola attempted to create a kind of science of quality (very Enlightenment, Signore Medievalist!) but the truth is simply a mystery. We can notice broad trends but we cannot really know why some show themselves to be high quality souls while others, despite having all the elements in place, turn out to be poor quality (yes, I am talking about Prince Harry, this is a call out). The major lesson I draw from Evola is that there are standards, that quality does look like a different order of thing and that the brave/noble soul holds to that.

Yes, but it's irrelevant. The first steps on the Left Hand Path in any cultural context involve precisely rejecting the various "guides to life" which the environment hands to us. In a sense, that is what is going on in some of those early rituals I discuss above such as the Pact or the Black Mass; it is an exterior, dramatic expression of the psychological differentiation which occurs when one says "I don't know what comes next, but I know I am not accepting any of this". In my observation, those and similar rituals (and maybe in this jaded time Satanism needs to be replaced by something more antinomian) do speed up the process of questioning what one has inherited from their culture. Still, a complete overhaul can take time (see the above comment on the former Protestant who thinks initiation will lead to all the things his grandfather wanted for him). Of course, rejecting the handbooks largely leaves a moral and ethical vacuum for LHPers. I say largely because an ethical principle has come into play in that, as in the Faustian bargain, the LHPer has elected in favour of their desires and, therefore, themselves. After this point, ethical questions are approached with the single principle of the Left Hand Path in mind; "What will strengthen me?". Some go for what they think will strengthen them and if that's coupled with unbalanced dispositions it usually doesn't end well. Others, through study and observation, create a set of values for themselves. For my part, after a time of hedonism, I discovered what truly strengthened me wasn't dissipation but virtue and I've written about virtue ethics (and how they're disincentivised in the emerging global society) a bit in my professional life.

Your perceptions are, of course, your own and, while I wouldn't dismiss this out of hand, I would urge extreme caution so that it doesn't become a dogma. Different paths emphasise different principles and, even on the most shallow level, that will lead to the initiate behaving in different ways. Behaviours, engaged in over many years, form character. Some principles are incompatible (compare "turn the other cheek" with recommending standing up for oneself) and so they will lead in different directions. I don't believe that the differences in paths are only aesthetic and, if they were, I'd probably be back in church.

However, I do think that maturity tends to create respect and empathy between people further down different paths. One may conceptualise their path leading towards metaphysical individuation, the other to absorption by God, but both initiates have learnt a great deal and have known something of the loves and losses that come with life. That often creates an empathy that might not be expected by those at the shallower end. Unfortunately, these mature initiates are in short supply on all paths. I am reminded a little of Crowley's schema for initiation where all paths are the same until the end point, when one enters the "City of the Pyramids" or is reborn as "a brother of the Left Hand Path". The implication is that both are doing the same thing until that critical stage.

My knowledge of Musashi is lamentable and, though The Book of Five Rings has been waiting in my "to read" case for some time now, I haven't yet read it. My cursory understanding is that it and the training it describes are an excellent tool for a LHPer provided that both are used to further individuation and self-cultivation rather than self-negation. You may have inspired me to bump it much further up my priorities list.

Re: Evola's attempt at a "science" of excellence. Evola strikes me as at his best when he's sniping snarky or waxing poetic. His book on mountaineering exemplifies the latter like nobody's business. The "science" part? I am reminded of Gilbert Ryle's characterizing moral goodness as "a non-definable, non-natural property." Which pretty well obviates writing about ethics, though he and the Bloomsbury Group continued to do so at considerable length (and inconsiderate tedium.) Trying to dissect excellence runs into similar danger. Either one gets it---after some sustained exposure--- or he doesn't.