Re: Doubts about the path

["Peter Reist" <preist@...>]

David,

>>>So I'm begging for answers to my questions:
Isn't a path like Hermetics, strewn with many possibilities for power
and abuse of power, also prone to abuse of self and self-delusion?
Doesn't it focus unnecessarily on methods of control rather than
methods of communion? Would it not be simpler to give up the power
and focus on experiencing the Divine, with paths like Buddhism?<<<

Every path, be it the path of the Hermetic, Shaman, Buddhist, Daoist, 
Kabbalahist, Christian, has the potential to lead to an obsession 
with power, the potentiality of self delusion and so forth. 
Typically, however, there are a number of safeguards woven into the 
fabric of that tradition that *sometimes* help to aleviate these 
problems to a certian extent. The guru being the primary one 
throughout most mystical traditions. Though, of course, that 
potentially leads to all sorts of problems in and of itself.

Within the Hermetic tradition of Franz Bardon the primary safeguard 
is the radical self honesty that is needed to undertake the soul 
mirror work of step one and two. In addition to the fact that if you 
don't do this work it is rather hard, if not downright impossible in 
some cases, to move onwards to some of the more advanced work of 
creative visualization and so forth.

As far as the issue of control is concerned, I don't think so. And 
yes, there are a number of exercises throughout IIH that involve 
communion. In fact, one could say that the whole purpose of Hermetics 
is communion with one's Holy Guardian Angel, one's own personal god. 
Or, in other words, Hermetics, Kabbalah as well, *is* all about 
experiencing the divine.

Love and Live well,
Peter Reist