Re: [BardonPraxis] Re: LOVE UNCONTROLLED BY WILL

["Rawn Clark" <rawnclark@...>]

Dear Peter,

Your post was quite lovely. :) I really love what you did with the
Pattern on the Trestleboard!!!

>> Bardon's statement about Love is a complicated one to say the very
least. Showing much resemblence to Aliester Crowley's statement of "Love
is the Law, the Law under a strong will." <<

Actually, his statement in IIH was fairly straight forward. Essentially
he was pointing out that the magician must at all times (and especially
when interacting with astral beings) be in control of their own
emotions. For the magician, emotion must be *intentional*, not
reactionary, and the magician must at all times be aware of, and in
control of, that which motivates their actions.

>> This statement, I believe, relates to the last Tarot key, the World
(Tav) and is something that is beautifully simplistic and complicated
all at the same time. <<

To tie the simplicity and complexity together, one must first examine
the meaning of this word 'love'. As a *quality*, it is rooted in
*attraction*. The *quantity* -- i.e., inclusiveness vs. exclusiveness --
of attraction varies depending upon the level at which it is manifest.
The essence of 'love' is the mental realm law of "like attracts like"
which I've mentioned in the past. This law has its *manifest* root in
Chesed/Gedulah in which sequence first manifests as an expression of
degrees of similarity. It is the force which binds the infinite number
of sequentialized parts -- which each represent a degree of *difference*
from each other, along with a degree of similarity -- together into a
Unity. It is the glue of Unity at every level.

Tav represents the densest manifestation of attraction. Here the power
of attraction is so dense that the result is Malkuth. From an
initiatory perspective, Tav and The World represent the initiate's
molding of their character and reshaping of their mundane life
circumstances. In the image that I present in my "32 Paths of Wisdom
Tarot", the initiate is shown *consciously and willfully* controlling,
wielding and manipulating the forces which enter into Malkuth -- because
she has established her affinity/similarity with each of the forces
resident within her personality. Or, as it's stated in the "32 Paths of
Wisdom" document: "The 32nd Path is called the Serving (or
Administrative) Consciousness, because it directs the motions of the
seven planets, each in its own proper course."

As a glyph, the Letter Tav is composed of the Resh (the conscious
awareness) and the Vav (the universal fixative or fixator), thus
indicating *conscious and intentional* manifestation of the Universal
Laws which bind all things together

>From a magical perspective, the magician wields Tav through the
attractive power that one thing has for another thing based upon the
points of similarity that exist between those two separate things. The
*differences* are combined to form a new degree of similarity and are
the fiery ingredient which causes the unification of two things to equal
more than the sum of their parts.

Essential to this is the faculty of perception. One must first be able
to fully *see* the factors one is dealing with. Or, as the Torah verse
symbolizes it: "And Elohim *saw everything that S/He had made* and,
behold! -- it was very good."

In terms of emotional love, this means that one must be able to step
back and clearly perceive what motivates and gives rise to the emotion.
Emotional human love is really what the caution of "love *under*
will" -- not *over* will -- is referring to. It's a warning that the
magician must not be controlled *by* their strong emotions, specifically
those which attract them.

Iox asked about "true love". This is one of those phrases that is
impossible to give just one single definition to since it is such a
personal valuation. In terms of emotional love, its definition depends
totally on what *you* feel and think and upon *your* personal
experiences. For some folks, "true" love is just another name for
extreme sexual attraction and for others it is a deep emotional
compatibility and commitment -- both these definitions are equally
"true" for the individuals involved. Emotional love is not composed of
just one ingredient that can be named. At its root is attraction, but
the human psyche is so complex that "attraction" can be a quite
dysfunctional motivation.

For the magician however, emotional love, *just like any other emotion*,
must be closely examined for what it is. And its *expression* must
become a *conscious choice* as opposed to it being an emotion that one
is slave to. In this way at least *you* become *true* to love. Perhaps
it's better to question how truly one loves than it is to question the
truth of love itself. :)

>> Though I shall be sharing my understanding of this Tarot key sooner
or later. Most likely once I've sent off a draft to Rawn. <<

As always, I look forward to whatever you write. :)

My best to you,
:) Rawn Clark
17 Dec 2003
rawnclark@...
rawn@...
http://www.ABardonCompanion.com
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