Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.


Since the last weekend of August 2008 I've been diligent in not keeping a journal of my personal work. Some of the reasons could be obvious. Others more closely resemble excuses.

'When the Magician laughed he laughed; all as a
man should do.'
Liber LXV, Ch. IV., v. 18.02



However, and due to reasons beyond the scope of this post, the general underlying impetus for such actions are more Dionysic in that, well, you never see that God depicted with a library strapped to his back. Although, Silenus could be construed as such. What I mean to say is that my progress had once again become more like that of an Artist than a Scientist. Fine. Besides, certain things should simply be kept under wraps for various reasons.

Anyway, here's several things I've learned in that time. In the bodymind sense of learning in contrast to simple intellectual comprehension. The inspiration for this post arrived in the form of a co-worker asking me questions about yoga and meditation. I really had to pare it all down to the quickest, most economical set of guidelines for beginning a basic practice. The statements below are not exactly what I said to him. Neither are they to be construed as anything other than my experiences and should be considered only in the context of responsible research according to the methods of science and academia in general.


Meditation: The Quick Start Primer:

1) Get over it! I mean it. Get off first. I don't care how. Just get the horniness out of the way before the session.

2) Keep it simple. Any asana (posture) will do. Frater Perdurabo was right: The spine should be allowed to rest in it's natural curvature. BTW, lying down is not a super idea since some people might tend to sleep. My co-worker specifically asked about that.

3) Keep it simple. Close your eyes.

4) Keep it simple. A simple mantra wouldn't be a bad idea. Make it a short phrase with a handful of syllables. If it means something profound to you, so much the better says I. However, be open to new mantras that may come your way through various means.

5) Keep it simple. Start with a few minutes. 2-6 minutes. Everyday add a minute. Set an alarm. Cell phone alarms are great in that they're small, portable, and usually allow you to set several alarms at once.

6) Keep a simple journal. Yeah. Break all the rules, and keep them at the same time. Don't worry about thoughts, or fidgeting, or anything else. Simply log them as breaks and move on.

7) Keep it simple. The Qabalistic Cross can also be done. It's not unheard of to do it in asana as well as the standard standing position.

Keep it simple. Consider researching the Cube of Space.

9) Keep it simple. Eventually learn a banishing ritual.

10) Study the Emerald Tablet of Hermes. It's short, simple, and to the point. Well...sort of. My point is to not be overwhelmed by the incredible number of books and resources out there. You'll get to the one's you need.

11) Stop trying so hard. This isn't a goddamn race. In fact, it's the opposite of goddamn.




Love is the law, love under will.


Frater LA'AL

93!
Excellent advice...and well said.
I know for myself that I hit The Wall occasionally (well, more than I would like)--there are times I have had to break down my practice as such:

"Well, can you meditate?" "Naaah"
"Can you do Resh?" "Naaah"
"Can you remember when it's noon?" "Maaaybe."
"Can you cross your arms over your chest?" "Yeah"
"Can you face the window?" "Yeah"

Some rough days, that was my daily practice:/ However, I found that even breaking it down into tiny pieces helps. Tiny pieces make more things aware, at least for me.

Besides, I find that breaking down into little means you can get back into the bigger things too...so keep up the Great Work:)

93 93/93

93, Sister!


Good to have you here.

I often think of Lon Milo DuQuette's story of Milo (and how he came to take that as a magickal name) when assessing my current attitudes toward my personal progrees (ie. carrying the calf every day until you are carrying a full grown bull).

93s,

Frater LA'AL