Re: Question about requirements for beginners

["Chuck" <seawinder@...>]

Patrik;

I agree with William Mistele's assessment, and Rawn Clark asserts the same as 
does Franz Bardon himself in his book Initiation Into Hermetics. The idea is to 
let the aspiring student see from the beginning that this is all or nothing, a 
very high ideal for a path, accessible, yet very difficult. Costing no less 
than everything. 

After Step 1 exercises the Magician is actually a very highly, finely tuned 
individual. As to losing the energies accumulated by the Bardon methods... if 
it is done daly, as a habit, then the battery is kept charged, and you 
intuitively know when to recharge it if you use it up in some way. 

The path is inward. If you mess up and lose your way, especially during the 
first 3 Steps others are here to try to assist you. We may have gone through 
the same things. Who knows. You are at an advantage to some as you already have 
some of the Eastern metaphysics/philosophies down pat and are actively 
practicing. The human system being whole and the same in the east as the west 
of course only has the same pieces to connect up with each other and to charge 
and maintain in certain ways. Bardon, and other hermeticists generally suggest 
that at least Pranayama accompany the hermetic practice/path.

Rather than looking at the coin as standing up and facing you, so large and 
huge of a proposition... to have mastered the abilities of Step 1 at the 
beginning, rather a beginner would benefit viewing the coin from the side, it 
is much thinner at that angle. At each day of honestly applying oneself to the 
Step 1 exercises the practitioner is building up the body. Exercise, building 
up the spiritual muscles. You certainly do possess a part of the listed 
abilities after putting in some time with Step 1. 

I will admit that there is a place where you can let loose of the stranglehold 
of the black and white soul mirrors, intense self reflection. A month is 
suggested I believe. But for some three months, a year... it is ok. Why, 
because along the way the effort is taken up again, in a slightly different 
way. Finally later, the effort is continual and daily, weekly as a bad 
character trait arises for instance, I wiggle my fire finger, burn the dross 
from what is acceptable and transmute with wiggling my water finger the root 
character trait and affirm it's existence, assuage it with love/affirmation. It 
is now changed. But one hardly could not begin at the beginning thinking that 
one can not put to good use the beginning quantities of the internal spiritual 
elements accessed and built up with actually applying the practice of Step 1.

I hope that clarifies some of what you are asking.
I wish you well,
Chuck


--- In BardonPraxis@yahoogroups.com, "Andy Llewellyn" <andy.llewellyn@m...> 
wrote:
> Hi Patrik,
> 
> I believe this is what is expected from an advanced Magician.....not from a 
> beginner.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Andrew
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Patrik" <patwe77@y...>
> To: <BardonPraxis@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2004 2:33 PM
> Subject: [BardonPraxis] Question about requirements for beginners
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hi!
> 
> I've studied a little William Misteles advises for beginners or
> those
> who wish to go the hermetic path of Bardon. Right from the beginning,
> mastering the first steps (before moving on to higher steps), there
> is to achieve gradually:
> 
> 1. The mental clarity of an advanced Zen master.
> 2. The concentration and artistic imagination of Stephen Spielberg.
> 3. The ability to understand personal problems from a universal
> perspective as one or two Ph.D.s in transpersonal psychology might
> impart.
> 4. The level of vitality and chi possessed by a sixth don aikido
> sensei or
> a fourth generation tai chi master.
> 5. The qualities of a successful individual in any profession
> (endurance, hard-work and love your work ..)
> 
> This sounds quite challenging in a positive way.
> Well, although I've done practising martial arts and qi-gong for
> some
> time, I have to confess that I do not see a quick way manifesting a
> chi level of a qi-gong or kungfu master. Above all, even after some
> days of intensive training and improved vitality (even without
> comparing to others and just to myself), it does not seem as easy to
> * keep * and maintain a higher level of vitality without loosing it
> within struggling times of daily life.
> 
> An important question here, arises: Are the hermetic standarts of
> requirements and concerning mastered progress rather internal or
> external, rather inward or outward?
> 
> The other, even more challenging thing Mistele points out for Bardon
> beginners, is to somehow find (not the perfection of course) but
> having a deep commitment and identification with the highest light of
> Divine Providence and finding within the sources of the divine
> qualities like absolute faith/commitment (fire), all embracing love
> (water), sense of wonder for life and detachment from personal
> problems (air) and silence and hard-working endurance (earth) -
> to
> get free access to all those sources even in some way * before *
> beginning with the first Bardons exercises. ("I suggest, then, at the
> very beginning of practicing with Bardon that the student take stock
> of what his own individual sense of the sacred and of transcendence
> is." W.M.)
> 
> And those, last requirements, really seem to me a quite difficult
> thing to fulfil right away, honestly!
> It's one thing to have high ideals and pursuing perfection, step
> by
> step. Another thing is to fully have access to those sources
> manifesting and living them in daily life right away.
> 
> So, what do you think about Misteles requirements for Bardon
> beginners?
> 
> Pat
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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