[Opinion] Impatience or a fair idea?

[Diluculo_DelFuego]

As many know, I am working through "Kabalah, Magic and the Great Word of Self-Transformation" by Lyam Thomas Christopher, which uses a secondary required textbook, "The Golden Dawn (7th Ed)" by Israel Regardie, edited by John Greer.
I received "The Middle Pillar" by Israel Regardie, and "Modern Magick" by Donald M Kraig for Christmas.

So, the reason I wanted The Middle Pillar is for the psychology aspect of Magic, as I have phobias I am trying to work through, and the reason I wanted Modern Magick was for certain rituals as well as grade exercises that I thought would be useful.

As both Kraig and Christopher are based loosely off and reference Regardie, would it be a fair idea to work two books at the same time, or a better idea to work one at a time, but perhaps pickup the other at a lower grade version while in an upper grade in the primary text as a fair idea (essentially in a higher grade but redoing the previous grade from the other for a more solid foundation by Portal)?

Post automatically merged: Dec 31, 2023

Sorry its a bit confusing. My point for working through both Kraig and Christopher are threefold:
1. Different rituals to do
2. Different LRH rituals
3. Different Grade exercises

All in all to have a strong foundation for all grades up to Portal.

 

[stratamaster78]

I tried to work from both when I first started as well as 'Self Initiation into the GD Tradition' by the Cicero's and I quickly became very overwhelmed.

Though what you are suggesting may be doable.

As long as you keep One as you Main course of study I don't think it would necessarily be a bad idea to reference another to find extra rituals to practice or to tweak or replace rituals that suit you better.

But also I kind of think you need to stick with a certain Grade at a time.

If you have fully completed your Earth work for example and have moved onto Air or Water you don't really want to go 'backwards' so to speak or mix and match elements in different stages of completion.

It's probably best to master each element 1st as outlined.

But if say you are doing Air work in Kabbalah Magic and you are doing that for 3-6 months or whatever and feel like you are 'stuck' or something then sure take a peak at Kraig's Air syllabus or someone else's and work it some and see if that gets you unstuck.

You just don't want to set a foundation in one book and then hop around and get distracted and abandon it or get overwhelmed by trying to do too much.

But off the top of my head I can say I've swapped rituals between books so I see what you mean wrt to that part.

I personally don't like how LTC uses the Unicursal Hexagram for ALL Hexagram rituals.

I've just always had a problem trying to visualize that shape and draw it.

I do much better with the Original standard GD style 'Star of David' Hexagrams.

Anyway I was kind of all over the place and hope that makes sense.

 

[Lemongrass00]

Definitely one at a time, multi tasking often leads to less overall progress in my experience

 

[Diluculo_DelFuego]

True. I made a commitment to Christophers book first, so will go through that first. The grades repeat anyway, so will use the additional exercises and try the four forms, but leave Modern Magick alone until after Portal out of Chistophers book.

 

[pixel_fortune]

I think it's going to come down to individual personality.

So I think Stratamaster is right

As long as you keep One as you Main course of study I don't think it would necessarily be a bad idea to reference another to find extra rituals to practice or to tweak or replace rituals that suit you better.

And I think there are two types of people:

Person A sets out to do this, they include some extra ritual variation, and then life gets very busy and so they drop all the Kraig stuff for a while. They slip back into it a few months later (skipping whatever areas they've already covered in LRC in the intervening months)

Person B PLANS to take the same approach, but in fact they have unconsciously started to treat the Kraig stuff as a commitment, and when their life gets busy, they find it very hard to drop the Kraig stuff - that feels like it would be a "failure" to them, even though intellectually they know it's not. They try and do both and end up with burnout.

Whether you are Person A or Person B is something you probably already know about yourself, based on your history, it doesn't have anything to do with magicianship. Are you someone who tends to take on responsibilities they technically don't need to, and feel them as deep obligations? Do you feel like you've failed if you start something and don't follow through, even when you didn't intend for it to be a commitment?

If yes, I think doing both is a risk. If you know you're pretty mentally flexible and don't tend towards self-judgement for things like that, I think it's fine

 

[Diluculo_DelFuego]

I am re reading chapters 3-5 of Christophers book which goes through Zelator, and Lessons 1-3 of Kraig.
I am going to integrate the exercises and non conflicting rituals that can only help.

Another way I could go about it is stay steady on Christophers course and integrate the elemental exercise from Kraig in order as mastery of Malkuth.

But that latter option would delay my moving into chapter six of Christophers book.

Quite frankly, aside from the hexagram rituals there isn't a whole lot of difference.
Shrugs
Really, within the Golden Dawn system there are the following rituals in order of element directions and grade progression:
Qabalistic Cross Ritual
Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram
Middle Pillar Ritual
Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram
Rose Cross Ritual

 

[Roma]

I am not sure that starting with rituals is always the best entry to inner plane workings.

In my case, apparently from nowhere, I started to meditate and shortly after went to an organization that taught transcendental meditation - the mind is transcended. I was strict in my twice daily practice.

About 4 years later I was occasionally pushed into energy situations and prompted how to act. An early occasion was unblocking a planetary flow.

So, from my perspective, all my "rituals" were processes to improve landscape situations. Later, when I understood more about what I was doing, I would occasionally offer help to fellow spiritual travelers

In retrospect, as I learned to control my personality I was pushed into more intensive situations

And it turned out that I had a sponsor standing in the solar system keeping an eye on me.

 

[Diluculo_DelFuego]

Got through Christophers reading up to Neophyte, and reading Kraigs first lesson, then Neophyte and Zelator material from each tonight.
Will be doing the exercises I should have been doing during Neophyte that I somehow glossed over. Most likely because I went straight into rituals. So, will be integrating Neophyte and Zelator exercises for the next three months, which will be challenging as Im not terribly stable in walking, at least distance walking and still have a morbid fear of heights. I live or am currently living right now anyway, on a mountain. So likely will be challenging.