It is a strange fate, I think, that the abhoration of concepts is usually the womb and foundation of a great many doctrines. Reading Austin Osman Spare's "The Book of Pleasure: The Psychology of Self-Love", he speaks a great deal about all religion and occult doctrines being inherantly flawed. What caught my eye was when he said "Their criterion for enjoyment-death!", then goes on to speak of how "Only he who has attained the death posture can apprehend this new secuality, and its almighty love satisfied". The death posture he speaks of is a stance which he coined in where the entire body is strained to its utmost limitis, constricting breathing and expelling all conscious thought to reach a state of Gnosis where the subconscious is at its most receptive state to initiate a magickal working.
Many ways he speaks of attaining Gnosis is in a manner similar to such. Which brings me back to my origional thought of how it is strange that he detests the thought that there can be pleasure found within death, yet his own system is based quite laregly at the symbolic attainment of such a state.
I do agree with him that symbolic death is quite a usefull tool. I would engage in battles with an archeotype of mine on a regular basis, sometimes out of practice so that I may test my newfound limits, and sometimes to find an answer (i.e., should I stick by a friend who has wronged me, or should I show them my utmost contempt at their actions?). I would take one side while my archeotype would take the other, and it always worked out that whichever was fighting for the most virtuious path (MY type of virtue; that which holds mySelf as the one to be considered in the highest regard) would come out as the winner. At times, it was I who was wrong, and I would be "killed" for my stance. The pain was as real as if I'd experianced the actual event, and the rebirth which came after the experiance always left me with a newfound resiliency and strength. Quite a wonderfull thing to experiance really and I highly recomend others trying something similar in their own way.
-Me- |
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