12-26-2013, 02:47 PM
This will likely be my last post on this forum. For many months now I have studied what could be deemed “negative philosophy” in depth- those tomes written by negative adepts themselves, and the organizations they follow, in order to understand the Left Hand Path from its own perspective. (I will be using the term “Left Hand Path” as it is most commonly understood in modern Western esotericism, essentially synonymous with the “Service-to-Self” path.)What I found was shocking to say the least. I cannot say I have seen a singular accurate portrayal on this site. Dark adepts are seen as cartoon villains with shallow motives, filled with nonchalant malevolence and the most petty of agendas.
With this post I will attempt to briefly explain the most common belief system I have witnessed amongst “STS” cults, as I feel this information is desired to a certain degree. Specifically, I will attempt to correct the most common errors in perception I‘ve noticed.
1. Dark adepts acknowledge universal interconnectedness. They understand with clarity the call of the soul back to its creator. They understand their connection to other living beings, and the upward progression. In fact, they take great care to define the nature of this call and progression…so that it may be thoroughly and utterly rejected.
The dark adept looks at the universal cycle, finds it unappealing, and consciously, willingly chooses to defy it, deliberately creating a separate path in opposition to what may be deemed universal law. A state of separation is purposefully sought and continuously maintained to whatever degree possible, because the desire for unity is absent. The goal of the dark adept is not to become one with god, but to become god- to attain the power of the creator while preserving the individual essence.
The ultimate goal of the follower of the Left Hand Path is not to rule the earth or even the universe, but to bring forth their own creation, leaving all that has limited them behind. The trappings of physicality are regarded only as tools which assist in meeting this ultimate goal.
2. The Left Hand Path focuses far more on internal, personal development than on external agendas of conquest. Wealth, power and influence are often the inevitable result of the potency created by a purposefully separated self, but they are not the overall goal, and many dark initiates live solitary lives that rarely involve the outside world at all. The discipline needed to maintain a state of “separate awareness”, to continually defy the universal call, is immense, and there is scarcely time to devote to all the secret agendas society would like to place upon the practitioners of this path.
Don’t get me wrong, the exercises undertaken to solidify the personal will can easily create a ruthless, predatory personality that will manipulate anything and everything to meet its personal goals. However, the farther along the dark path one walks, the less the outside world matters. Physicality is a means to an end, and physical attachments quickly become distant and foreign. The black magician seeks to enter new states of existence and perception, dipping into other worlds, consorting with the non-physical, and should he reach the very peak of his progress, he may abandon his physical body altogether and ascend to an entirely different state of being.
Having power over one’s surroundings is a manifestation of the self mastery which is sought on the Left Hand Path. Being able to shape the world to your will is expected, for if one may not influence the mundane world around them, how could they ever hope to shape the unfathomable? However, the vast dark agendas so easily conjured by those unhappy with their current state of life are laughable, and are actually quite beneficial to true adepts because they create a stereotype that is easily manipulated.
3. The Left Hand Path operates upon a system of personal morality. There is no set of standard behaviors which are expected to be followed, save the ability to competently display a mastery of self. I’ve seen firsthand that there are some dark adepts who are indeed quite malevolent, sadistic, and bent on causing chaos. However, morality will vary greatly between individuals, as each individual is encouraged to know themselves to the degree that they can cultivate an ethics system to correspond with their highest will. The heart’s desire is the measuring stick, its pursuit the path to salvation.
To imagine that all dark adepts are inherently nasty people looking to screw someone over is an obvious projective stereotype. Likewise, there are plenty of cruel, manipulative people who have never bothered to investigate any path at all. I’ve witnessed extremely artistic members of the dark path whose one goal seems to be to inspire movements in consciousness with their creative expressions. There is often a desire to reach out and assist others who are struggling with systems that don’t agree with them- to liberate as many minds as possible, not through force, but the presentation of opportunity.
Of course, there are also those who have no qualms about ruthlessly destroying any person or organization they feel to be impeding their personal liberty, as the preservation of the self and its values is prized above all else. It would be exceedingly foolish for me to paint the Left Hand Path as one of pacifists and goodwill, but I can assure you there is no cardboard cutout personality that will alert you to the presence of one of these individuals, who are usually quite skilled in meeting the social norms they have inwardly rejected. One could have been by your side for years, and there’s a good chance you’ll never know.
Above all, this notion that such individuals have any sort of interest in your personal agenda is ridiculous. Unless you are going out of your way to stand in theirs, they could care less how much love you’re sending to the planet or how bright of a positive light you feel you are shining, because their focus is not of this reality. If you are being manipulated by a dark adept (unlikely), it is because you have proven yourself to be easily manipulated, not because of how holy you are.
4. The Left Hand Path devalues self-importance. Being ruled by the ego and living in a state of arrogant superiority are considered some of the greatest fallacies upon the path to true mastery and love of self. Initiates are taught to continually destroy themselves, to release anything that isn’t absolutely essential to their highest will, in order to maintain a fluid state of being able to constantly absorb new truths and new experience. To believe one’s thoughts to be superior is to inhibit the influx of superior thought. One must be ready to abandon everything they know themselves to be at a moment’s notice, should a new form of truth present itself. Only through brutal and continual self-examination and honesty may the self be open enough to absorb whatever power comes its way.
A great many LHP rituals and exercises are designed to identify and destroy perceptions which have been impressed by the “mold of man” or the consensual perception of the human condition. The goal is to break every barrier, every thought of limitation, and to transcend what it means to be human completely. Petty attachments will be the first thing to go, and many initiates will spend years denying themselves and putting their minds and bodies through hell in order to separate the cravings of the ego from the true desire of the will.
One of the strongest themes of the dark path is absolute personal responsibility. Everything that happens to you, everything you say and think and do, EVERYTHING is your own responsibility. There are no cosmic forces to rely on, no bad guys to blame when things go wrong, no genetic or spiritual limitations which provide an adequate excuse for not giving anything but one’s absolute personal best at all times. Feeding a grandiose sense of self importance is a tremendous waste of energy which diverts from the razor’s edge precision necessary to meet any and every challenge without hesitation.
The true separation that is seen between the “elect” and the “sheep” is between those willing to take personal responsibility, and those who desire to divert that responsibility to others, and essentially enslave themselves. Seeing the self as elite is not the same thing as saying “Look at me, I’m so superior.” It is the acceptance of absolute personal responsibility, the rejection of limitation, and the will to rise above what is seen as a vast condition of consensual slavery. The only two options seen as available are to be a master or a slave, and it is the elite who choose the burden of mastery.
5. The Qliphoth is not an accurate representation of Left Hand Path values. It is a projection of how the Right Hand Path relates to the Left Hand Path, created as a learning tool of the Right Hand Path. The Left Hand Path generally rejects the Tree of Life altogether, following an entirely different system of focus which is often deemed the Tree of Night or the Tree of Knowledge. This arrangement shares many of the themes of traditional Qabala, but is entirely separate, with its own system of correspondences and values. Some LHP practitioners will use both systems together, but the “Black Brother” and a true “Black Adept” do not share the same face.
6. There isn’t a huge amount of difference in RHP and LHP practice and theory. In fact, I’ve been blown away by the level of similarity I’ve found. The two paths seem to spend an awful lot of time condemning each other while their semantics are incredibly similar, and at times a mirror image. The main difference between the two is the focus, the LHP follower seeking to isolate their individual existence, the RHP follower seeking to merge their existence with a greater divine.
When it comes to achieving these foci, however, the methods could practically be interchangeable. Both focus on self-knowledge, the cultivation of a still and willful mind, the nourishment of the mind/body/spirit complex, the attainment of purity of focus, and the activation of the third eye to “pierce the veil” and perceive higher reality. The similarities travel right down to individual exercises. I would go so far as to say the main gulf separating the two is simply an expanse of willful ignorance.
I’m sure I could go on for pages more, but I feel I’ve said my piece. I’m not going to list any of my sources, because the last thing I want is to connect a person unstable in mind to anything regarding black magic (based on the insanity that seems to result). The information, however, is not at all hard to find if you have the desire to look. In my experience, once sought, it will present itself at every opportunity.
I feel many individuals decline studying negative philosophy because they are afraid of what they will find…afraid they will be tempted, or find something that actually makes sense. In my opinion this is a gate that must absolutely be crossed before any notion of concrete understanding may be attained. So long as there is fear in your heart, you will be bound by that fear. That is just my own opinion, though.
In my case, I’ve seen too much. Black and white polarity now seems like a trap designed to hide the infinite pathways of human development. STO and STS are essentially as meaningless to me now as the concept of heaven and hell (and basically the same thing). As much as it focuses on positive vibes, to me this forum is full of fear and projection, based around a system that encourages personal insecurity and self-victimization just as much as any dogmatic religion, in spite of so much talk about “non-judgment”.
I appreciate Law of One. It has inspired my spiritual progression probably more than any other book, but I’m off to something new now, and no longer feel capable of containing my discussions within the focus of this forum without being seen as purposefully oppositional.
I wish each of you the very best on your personal search for truth. Cheerio!
With this post I will attempt to briefly explain the most common belief system I have witnessed amongst “STS” cults, as I feel this information is desired to a certain degree. Specifically, I will attempt to correct the most common errors in perception I‘ve noticed.
1. Dark adepts acknowledge universal interconnectedness. They understand with clarity the call of the soul back to its creator. They understand their connection to other living beings, and the upward progression. In fact, they take great care to define the nature of this call and progression…so that it may be thoroughly and utterly rejected.
The dark adept looks at the universal cycle, finds it unappealing, and consciously, willingly chooses to defy it, deliberately creating a separate path in opposition to what may be deemed universal law. A state of separation is purposefully sought and continuously maintained to whatever degree possible, because the desire for unity is absent. The goal of the dark adept is not to become one with god, but to become god- to attain the power of the creator while preserving the individual essence.
The ultimate goal of the follower of the Left Hand Path is not to rule the earth or even the universe, but to bring forth their own creation, leaving all that has limited them behind. The trappings of physicality are regarded only as tools which assist in meeting this ultimate goal.
2. The Left Hand Path focuses far more on internal, personal development than on external agendas of conquest. Wealth, power and influence are often the inevitable result of the potency created by a purposefully separated self, but they are not the overall goal, and many dark initiates live solitary lives that rarely involve the outside world at all. The discipline needed to maintain a state of “separate awareness”, to continually defy the universal call, is immense, and there is scarcely time to devote to all the secret agendas society would like to place upon the practitioners of this path.
Don’t get me wrong, the exercises undertaken to solidify the personal will can easily create a ruthless, predatory personality that will manipulate anything and everything to meet its personal goals. However, the farther along the dark path one walks, the less the outside world matters. Physicality is a means to an end, and physical attachments quickly become distant and foreign. The black magician seeks to enter new states of existence and perception, dipping into other worlds, consorting with the non-physical, and should he reach the very peak of his progress, he may abandon his physical body altogether and ascend to an entirely different state of being.
Having power over one’s surroundings is a manifestation of the self mastery which is sought on the Left Hand Path. Being able to shape the world to your will is expected, for if one may not influence the mundane world around them, how could they ever hope to shape the unfathomable? However, the vast dark agendas so easily conjured by those unhappy with their current state of life are laughable, and are actually quite beneficial to true adepts because they create a stereotype that is easily manipulated.
3. The Left Hand Path operates upon a system of personal morality. There is no set of standard behaviors which are expected to be followed, save the ability to competently display a mastery of self. I’ve seen firsthand that there are some dark adepts who are indeed quite malevolent, sadistic, and bent on causing chaos. However, morality will vary greatly between individuals, as each individual is encouraged to know themselves to the degree that they can cultivate an ethics system to correspond with their highest will. The heart’s desire is the measuring stick, its pursuit the path to salvation.
To imagine that all dark adepts are inherently nasty people looking to screw someone over is an obvious projective stereotype. Likewise, there are plenty of cruel, manipulative people who have never bothered to investigate any path at all. I’ve witnessed extremely artistic members of the dark path whose one goal seems to be to inspire movements in consciousness with their creative expressions. There is often a desire to reach out and assist others who are struggling with systems that don’t agree with them- to liberate as many minds as possible, not through force, but the presentation of opportunity.
Of course, there are also those who have no qualms about ruthlessly destroying any person or organization they feel to be impeding their personal liberty, as the preservation of the self and its values is prized above all else. It would be exceedingly foolish for me to paint the Left Hand Path as one of pacifists and goodwill, but I can assure you there is no cardboard cutout personality that will alert you to the presence of one of these individuals, who are usually quite skilled in meeting the social norms they have inwardly rejected. One could have been by your side for years, and there’s a good chance you’ll never know.
Above all, this notion that such individuals have any sort of interest in your personal agenda is ridiculous. Unless you are going out of your way to stand in theirs, they could care less how much love you’re sending to the planet or how bright of a positive light you feel you are shining, because their focus is not of this reality. If you are being manipulated by a dark adept (unlikely), it is because you have proven yourself to be easily manipulated, not because of how holy you are.
4. The Left Hand Path devalues self-importance. Being ruled by the ego and living in a state of arrogant superiority are considered some of the greatest fallacies upon the path to true mastery and love of self. Initiates are taught to continually destroy themselves, to release anything that isn’t absolutely essential to their highest will, in order to maintain a fluid state of being able to constantly absorb new truths and new experience. To believe one’s thoughts to be superior is to inhibit the influx of superior thought. One must be ready to abandon everything they know themselves to be at a moment’s notice, should a new form of truth present itself. Only through brutal and continual self-examination and honesty may the self be open enough to absorb whatever power comes its way.
A great many LHP rituals and exercises are designed to identify and destroy perceptions which have been impressed by the “mold of man” or the consensual perception of the human condition. The goal is to break every barrier, every thought of limitation, and to transcend what it means to be human completely. Petty attachments will be the first thing to go, and many initiates will spend years denying themselves and putting their minds and bodies through hell in order to separate the cravings of the ego from the true desire of the will.
One of the strongest themes of the dark path is absolute personal responsibility. Everything that happens to you, everything you say and think and do, EVERYTHING is your own responsibility. There are no cosmic forces to rely on, no bad guys to blame when things go wrong, no genetic or spiritual limitations which provide an adequate excuse for not giving anything but one’s absolute personal best at all times. Feeding a grandiose sense of self importance is a tremendous waste of energy which diverts from the razor’s edge precision necessary to meet any and every challenge without hesitation.
The true separation that is seen between the “elect” and the “sheep” is between those willing to take personal responsibility, and those who desire to divert that responsibility to others, and essentially enslave themselves. Seeing the self as elite is not the same thing as saying “Look at me, I’m so superior.” It is the acceptance of absolute personal responsibility, the rejection of limitation, and the will to rise above what is seen as a vast condition of consensual slavery. The only two options seen as available are to be a master or a slave, and it is the elite who choose the burden of mastery.
5. The Qliphoth is not an accurate representation of Left Hand Path values. It is a projection of how the Right Hand Path relates to the Left Hand Path, created as a learning tool of the Right Hand Path. The Left Hand Path generally rejects the Tree of Life altogether, following an entirely different system of focus which is often deemed the Tree of Night or the Tree of Knowledge. This arrangement shares many of the themes of traditional Qabala, but is entirely separate, with its own system of correspondences and values. Some LHP practitioners will use both systems together, but the “Black Brother” and a true “Black Adept” do not share the same face.
6. There isn’t a huge amount of difference in RHP and LHP practice and theory. In fact, I’ve been blown away by the level of similarity I’ve found. The two paths seem to spend an awful lot of time condemning each other while their semantics are incredibly similar, and at times a mirror image. The main difference between the two is the focus, the LHP follower seeking to isolate their individual existence, the RHP follower seeking to merge their existence with a greater divine.
When it comes to achieving these foci, however, the methods could practically be interchangeable. Both focus on self-knowledge, the cultivation of a still and willful mind, the nourishment of the mind/body/spirit complex, the attainment of purity of focus, and the activation of the third eye to “pierce the veil” and perceive higher reality. The similarities travel right down to individual exercises. I would go so far as to say the main gulf separating the two is simply an expanse of willful ignorance.
I’m sure I could go on for pages more, but I feel I’ve said my piece. I’m not going to list any of my sources, because the last thing I want is to connect a person unstable in mind to anything regarding black magic (based on the insanity that seems to result). The information, however, is not at all hard to find if you have the desire to look. In my experience, once sought, it will present itself at every opportunity.
I feel many individuals decline studying negative philosophy because they are afraid of what they will find…afraid they will be tempted, or find something that actually makes sense. In my opinion this is a gate that must absolutely be crossed before any notion of concrete understanding may be attained. So long as there is fear in your heart, you will be bound by that fear. That is just my own opinion, though.
In my case, I’ve seen too much. Black and white polarity now seems like a trap designed to hide the infinite pathways of human development. STO and STS are essentially as meaningless to me now as the concept of heaven and hell (and basically the same thing). As much as it focuses on positive vibes, to me this forum is full of fear and projection, based around a system that encourages personal insecurity and self-victimization just as much as any dogmatic religion, in spite of so much talk about “non-judgment”.
I appreciate Law of One. It has inspired my spiritual progression probably more than any other book, but I’m off to something new now, and no longer feel capable of containing my discussions within the focus of this forum without being seen as purposefully oppositional.
I wish each of you the very best on your personal search for truth. Cheerio!
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