featuring David Griffin
In reply to Lesson 1 of Core Magick, "Anonymous" yesterday wrote:
"The technique here is not meditation by any standard usage of the term. On fact, calling such techniques meditation is a hallmark of syncretic new ageism not tradition. It has many flaws, which since I am sure will be rejected will not be mentioned. To suggest that all cultures have the chakras in the same spots is bizarre. The are differences, just look at Tibetan and Indian systems for example. One of many. I suggest Leslie goes back to the books, where she obviously concocted this little process from, not from any actual teachings from adepts or wise folk."
Last night my wife Leslie said to me, "Sheesh. Core Magick is not even 48 hours out of the starting gate and we already have an anonymous troll throwing eggs!"
Chivalrous fool that I am, I replied: "Don't worry, Dear, they have been throwing eggs at me now for 20 years. I will catch the eggs for you - with my face!"
So that's how I got here this morning - on my very first appearance on the new Core Magick series - standing here with egg on my face for my wife!
But what the heck is Core Magick to begin with, any way?
Our anonymous troll friend above makes it poignantly clear that Core Magick is not "traditional." Well, if you are looking for "traditional," you are better off joining the Alpha Omega than learning Core Magick.
Core Magick is something else.
Core Magick is something else.
Core Magick is a concept that includes not one, but ALL magickal traditions united under one over-arching umbrella, and attempts to divest them of their culture specific contents, to examine and employ the core concepts and practices that remain.
That is one huge umrella!
And as a result, the Core Magick series here on The Golden Dawn Blog will be bringing you some amazing guests from an entire spectrum of magical traditions. We are working on getting Michael J. Harner here to say a few words about Core Shamanism. I don't want to let the cat out of the bag, but we have some really cool other guests coming up as well.
And as a result, the Core Magick series here on The Golden Dawn Blog will be bringing you some amazing guests from an entire spectrum of magical traditions. We are working on getting Michael J. Harner here to say a few words about Core Shamanism. I don't want to let the cat out of the bag, but we have some really cool other guests coming up as well.
Meanwhile my wife, Leslie McQuade Griffin, is our regular science geek, together with her colleageus over at the Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness, who will also be dropping by here on the series as well.
Core Magick is about the SCIENCE of magick ...
.. so it is quite important to let the science geeks have their say on this series as well.
On the other hand, when it comes to the ART of magick, there are few traditions that can compare with the Golden Dawn. There have been a number of writers and artists that have come through the Golden Dawn, which should surprise no one, since there is so much ART that permeates the Golden Dawn through and through. As a Golden Dawn Imperator, between the outer order Temple, the Vault of the Adepti, and everything that goes with it, I have half a house stuffed full of magical art.
What would happen though, if we were to drop all of the art out of the Golden Dawn? What would happen if we would drop all of the mysticism, God Forms, Divine name, etc?
What would be left of the Golden Dawn without all of the culture specific trappings?
Is there something that remains?
This is the question that Core Magick asks and attempts to answer, not only for the Golden Dawn, but for all magical traditions across the world and spanning time.
"Core Magick is a bold quest to distill the core essence out of all magical traditions and to present what remains as PURE SCIENCE."
Pure science? That's right. Pure science. Core Magick is a SCIENTIFIC approach to magick.
I can already hear you asking:
"Are you guys nuts?"
Well - Maybe. But then again - Maybe not. It certainly is a bold endeavor!
And I am not promising we are going to succeed either. After all, with Core Magick we are attempting nothing less than to reformulate magick itself, stripped of its cultural trappings - and devoid of all mysticism and religious overtones - according to a purely SCIENTIFIC paradigm!
Science is all about trial and error. We try one experiment after the other and we develop our data into a working model. There are no absolutes in science and we are bound to wind up with egg on our faces over and over. Like I did this morning.
Speaking of which, I asked Leslie about her remark yesterday, when she wrote:
"Most people are familiar with the seven basic chakra points. These points are the same in every culture."
Her answer: "Yep. That was a bone head thing to say. That was a sweeping generalization and an over simplification."
I told her not to worry, that I would clear the matter up today and she can edit her meditation lesson later. I actually have written about this before, albeit in regard to sexuality rather than meditation, over on The Great Rite website here. Here is, more or less, what Leslie meant to say:
Her answer: "Yep. That was a bone head thing to say. That was a sweeping generalization and an over simplification."
I told her not to worry, that I would clear the matter up today and she can edit her meditation lesson later. I actually have written about this before, albeit in regard to sexuality rather than meditation, over on The Great Rite website here. Here is, more or less, what Leslie meant to say:
The sexual energy awakened with techniques of The Great Rite is the same energy known as Kundalini in India and the Chinese identify with "Chi." In the West, The Great Rite symbolizes the human energy system with the caduceus of Mercury with its two serpents entwined around the central staff. In Qabala, these serpents are transformed into the three pillars of the Tree of Life: one central pillar and two side pillars. The function of this Tree of Life is reminiscent of the balancing arms of a spiritual scale with which to achieve an internal dynamic equilibrium.
In China, these pillars are seen as located in front of and behind the spine. These are called the meridian of Conception and the Regulating meridian. The first meridian acts on Yin energy that emerges from the sexual organs, the second meridian acts on Yang eneergy, flowing "along the spine, as though it were a pillar. Yin and Yang are the two spiritual principles that united together form the Tao, the Way of the balance of complementary opposites. "The vital energy of the universe, is distributed through secondary channels "that intersect with the top two and can be stimulated using other systems like acupuncture or acupressure.
In India, these two meridians are known as Ida and Pingala, the two channels on the sides and around the median channel of the spine, Sushumna, ie the path along which the "Snake" (Kundalini) rises and falls. The specific points along which the Serpents, the paths, the meridians and channels intersect, nodes correspond to energy in India are called chakras and in the Qabalah, the Sephiroth.
"All nations recognize, therefore, the existence of an energy flow that concentrates, spreads, blocks, unblocks, traveling along the spinal column and distributing itself along the pathways and centers of the nervous and endocrine systems in a system of continuous recirculation and exchange."
In conclusion, contrary to eggs thrown by our Anonymous Troll friend, Leslie does actually have a background as an initiate of traditional Hindu meditation. Leslie's adventures in India, however, are a story for her to tell, not me.
Our anonymous troll friend missed the boat on that one, but was still right about one thing. What Leslie is presenting as Core Magick is not a "traditional" form of meditation. Of course not. It is a Core Magick presentation of meditation! In other words, it was a preliminary attempt at a scientific distillation of traditional meditation techniques, stripped of their culture specific elements.
But then again, to all of the other anonymous trolls out there:
"Please DO keep throwing eggs.
This is how science progresses!"