On the "Hermetic Sciences" Article, Purportedly By Franz Bardon
© 2003
>> The following is an excerpt from an article written by Mr. Bardon. <<
Although Merkur presents this as being *by* Bardon, the only thing known for a fact is that it came from the estate of Bardon. I have to agree with Dieter Ruggeberg that this article was most likely written by Otti Votavova (Bardon's secretary and author of "Frabato"). The heavy reliance upon the concepts of "quantity" and "quality" keys is indicative of Otti's writing style, more than it is of Bardon's. It's language also doesn't contain the clarity of Bardon's work and often sounds like a poor paraphrasing of other things Bardon did write.
This segment titled "Methodology" has nothing in fact to do with *introspection*. It concerns the methods one employs during the Step Two character transformation work.
>> "You must bring all your negative characteristics, which of course correspond with the four elements, to a level, where all your negative characteristics are equal in numbers. Attributes which are present the least must be turned into positive attributes." <<
This is true *only* of the initial Step Two work of character transformation. In IIH, at the opening of Step Three, Bardon states that the student must *at least* have mastered their major negative traits and have attained this rudimentary "equipoise" or balance. This balance of negative and positive traits is *NOT* the "Elemental Equilibrium" itself -- this is only a preliminary state of relative "balance". With Step Three, the work toward *Equilibrium* continues until all of the negative traits are transformed and a complete positivization of the personality is achieved.
>> "1. By combating the negative passions the intensification of the individual fluids (electric, magnetic and the electromagnetic) is achieved and the dynamides (synamically) are strengthened. (This applies to all the elements.)" <<
This is just a rather oblique way of saying that fighting your negative traits increases your will power. Compare this with what Bardon wrote in IIH, Step Two: "3. Attention and Volition. By using this method you will not allow for any outbreak of the passion, fighting it right in the bud. Evidently, this method is the most difficult and appropriate for people only, disposing of a good deal of volition, or willing to achieve a strong will-power by fighting against their passions."
>> "2. By practicing autosuggestion the negative passions are eliminated through the withdrawal of time and space. However, this does not become a reality until the desired positive attribute has become a habit; up to that point the negative attribute can still attack that person. Only when the positive or good attribute has become a habit in its entirety has the negative passion been eliminated. Hence it can never attack that person again." <<
By the "withdrawal of time and space", the author means that autosuggestion is not a "fighting it right in the bud" method, but rather, occurs at a time and place when the negative trait is not immediately manifest. The rest of the statement is merely saying that with autosuggestion, a bad habit is not *eliminated*; instead, it's *replaced* with a new, positive habit.
>> "3. The capacity of the quantitative power is always raised through transmutation. If the positive attributes that belong to particular elements are too weak, you must increase the strength of the positive attributes by transmuting the existing negative passions." <<
This again, is a complicated way of saying something fairly simple. Namely, that if the positive aspect of an Element is weak, that Element can be strengthened by transmuting negative characteristics pertaining to the same Element, into positive ones, thus increasing the overall positivity of the Element in question. Compare this with what Bardon wrote in Step Two: "2. Transmutation of passions into the opposite good qualities attainable through auto-suggestion or respectively through repeated meditation on, and continuous assurance of the good qualities."
>> "4. Isolation. Should you not want employ any of the above-mentioned methods or if you are incapable of so doing, you can always revert to isolating your negative passions. This is accomplished by withdrawing all your attention from your negative passions. Through this you do not accomplish anything quantitative i.e. you surrender yourself to destiny." <<
In other words, instead of directly confronting and changing your negative characteristics, you simply withdraw from them when they arise. If you get angry, you ignore your anger and turn elsewhere with your mind or you remove yourself from the situation that incited your anger. To my mind, this is a major cop-out and is not, in and of itself, an effective method of self-transformation.
All in all, the "Hermetic Sciences" article is poorly written, confusing and a very poor substitute for what Bardon wrote in IIH.
My best to you,
:) Rawn Clark
07 Jan 2003