Mark Stavish
Mark Stavish
[i] Presentation by Jean Dubuis, at the 5th Annual Philosophers of Nature Conference, Colorado
Springs, Co. May 20-24, 1996.
[ii] For a very effective and simple approach to awakening the psychic centers see: Wisdom of
the Mystic Masters by Joseph Weed.
[iii] Kundalini, Evolution and Enlightenment, Edited by John White. Anchor Press, Doubleday,
Garden City, New York. 1979. P. 83.
[iv] The Sword and the Serpent vol. 2 of The Magical Philosophy by Melita Denning and
Osborne Phillips. Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN. 1988. P. 188 and 189.
[v] White. From The Restored New Testament by J.M. Pryse. P. 432.
[vi] The Middle Pillar by Israel Regardie, Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN. 1991. P. 113.
[vii] Ibid. p. 116.
[viii] A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism by Gareth Knight. Samuel Weiser, Inc., York
Beach, Maine. 1978. P. 102.
[ix] Ibid.
[x] Ibid.
[xi] Knight, p. 105.
[xii] Knight, p.111; Dubuis, 1996.
[xiii] The thyroid is a secondary sexual organ.
[xiv] Awaken Healing Light of the Tao by Mantak & Maneewan Chia. Healing Tao Books,
Huntington, New York. 1993. P. 223-34.
[xv] See: Kabbalah of the Golden Dawn by Pat Zalewski, Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul,
MN. 1993. P. 15-36 and p. 187-223.
[xvi] Qabalah Lesson Number 65, PON, Wheaton, Il. Copyright 1989.
[xvii] The True Art of Healing by Israel Regardie. Edited by Marc Allen. The New World
Library, San Rafael, Ca. 1991. P. 32.
Follow Up to the Lucid Dreaming Project
Crowley states that the 24th Path is attributed to the Goddess Kundalini in 777. Knight has the
caduceus with the sign of Scorpio at the bottom. Scorpio is the sign of the 24th Path.
Square breathing is to be done with the exercises whenever possible. On the inhale, pull the
energy down from the crown; hold in the feet, earth, and/or base of spine; exhale to head; hold
on the exhale. Repeat. This adds a great deal of energy to the exercises and limits the amount of
time they can be done in any one sitting.
Each sphere has its own Tiphareth, i.e. Great Star, uniting the smaller spheres within a sphere
on the Tree of that particular level. Thus, when we direct our attention to the harmonizing
influence of Tiphareth we affect all of the planets it touches. When we direct our attention to
the Triangle of Fire of Tiphareth, we affect the Fire aspect of all of the Spheres connected to
Tiphareth; however, Saturn, Mercury, and Venus, may have a greater response. This of course
means, karma (Saturn), creative energy (Venus), and intellect/energy conduits (Mercury).
As such, it then is easier to regulate planetary energy with the hexagram than the septagram.
The hexagram regulates energy via Tiphareth, the septegram via Netzach.
In alchemy, Fire and Air are the matrix of Energy; Water and Earth are the matrix of Matter.
Earth energy is essential for sustaining health; Water for sustaining initiation; and Fire for
initiation itself; Air makes Fire accessible.
Salt is the lower yetzirah and assiah; Mercury is Higher Yetzirah and Lower Briah; Sulphur is
Higher Briah and Lower Atzilooth.
Salt is prone to lunar impulses. Mercury is prone to solar impulses. Sulphur is prone to zodiacal
and Cosmic impulses.
References
Kundalini, Evolution and Enlightenment, Edited by John White, Anchor Books/Doubleday,
Garden City, New York. 1979.
Serpent of Fire: A Modern View of Kundalini by Darrel Irving. Samuel Weiser, Inc., York
Beach, Maine. 1995.
Energies of Transformation, A Guide to the Kundalini Process by Bonnie Greenwell, Ph.D.
Shakti River Press, Saratoga, Ca. 1990.
The Doctrine of the Subtle Body in the Western Tradition by GRS Mead. Solos Press,
Shaftesbury, Dorset. No date. First published, 1919.
The Middle Pillar by Israel Regardie. Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN. 1991.
Kabbalah of the Golden Dawn by Pat Zalewski. Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN. 1993.
Experience of the Inner Worlds by Gareth Knight. Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach, Maine.
1993.
The Most Holy Trinosophia of the Comte de St. Germain, Introduction and Commentary by
Manly P. Hall. The Philosophical Research Society, Inc., Los Angeles. 1983.
The Philosophers of Nature, 125 West Front Street, Suite 263, Wheaton, Ill. 60187. Kabbalah
Lessons:
Alchemy Lessons: .
Psychic Energy, Its Source and Its Transformation by M. Esther Harding, Princeton University
Press, Princeton, N.J. 1963.
The Gathas of Zarathustra from the Zend-Avesta, ed. by Raghavan Iyer.
Zarathustra, The Transcendental Vision by P.D. Mehta
The Zoroastrian Tradition by Farhang Mehr
Oriental Magic by Idries Shah
[1] See: Magical States of Consciousness by Dennings and Philips; Inner Landscapes by
Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki; or The Philosophers of Nature, Qabalah Lessons 35 through 44.
[2] Mysteria Magica, vol. 3 of The Magical Philosophy by Melita Denning and Osborne
Phillips. Llewellyn Pub., St. Paul, MN. P. 57-59, and 69-73; or, The Philosophers of Nature,
Qabalah Lesson 62.
[3] See: Problems on the Path of Return: Pathology in Kabbalistic and Alchemical Practices
by Mark Stavish, M.A. The Stone -The Journal of The Philosophers of Nature. Issue 19,
March-April 1997. Included as an appendix to this article.
[4] See: A Kabbalistic Approach to Lucid Dreaming and Astral Projection by Mark Stavish,
M.A. The Stone The Journal of the Philosophers of Nature. Issue 20, May-June 1997.
Included as an appendix to this article.
[5] Kabbalah by Gershom Scholem. New York. Meridian. 1974. P. 186.
[6] The Jewish Alchemists by Raphael Patai. Princeton, N.J., University Press.1994.
[7] Saint-Germain is also said to be the author of La magie sainte revelee a Moyse (The Holy
Magic of Moses Revealed). No date is given.
[8] PON Qabala Lesson 63, suggests that the sounds be resonated in the heart, solar plexus, and
perineum. Regardie make no attribution of the IAO sounds in The Golden Dawn (5th ed.), and
omits them in The One Year Manual.
[9] For the Elemental Grade Signs of the Golden Dawn, see: Regardie, p.134-135.
[10] This will be explored further in an upcoming essay on The Diamond Body in Western
Esoteric Practices.
[11] The Kabbalah of the Golden Dawn by Pat Zalewski. Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN.
1993. P. 89-125.
[12] This list of planetary correspondences is taken from The Philosophers of Nature, Spagyric
Course Year Two, Lessons 32 and 45. .
[13] Taken from a painting by Johann Georg Gichtel, a student of Boehme, of man in his
corrupt state after the Fall from Grace, prior to any spiritual initiation.
[14] Kundalini, Evolution, and Enlightenment, ed. by John White. Anchor Press. Garden City,
New York. 1979. Article by James Morgan Pryse, pgs. 418-440. See: The Apocalypse
Unsealed.
[15] See: Experience of the Inner Worlds by Gareth Knight. Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach,
Maine. 1993. Pages 1-119. Or see, PON Qabala Lessons 12 through 16.
Mark Stavish, M.A. holds degrees in Theology, and Counseling, and has been studying and
practicing esotericism for over twenty years. He is the current Director of ORA, the Occult
Research and Application Project of The Philosophers of Nature, and his writings have
appeared in numerous occult, New Age, and magical publications. The author welcomes
responses, comments, or criticisms, of this articles, as it is a "work in progress". Personal
experiences are most welcome. Also individuals who would like to participate in research
projects involving alchemical, kabbalist
How Long Does It Take?
By Mark Stavish
for The Wyoming Valley Society for Esoteric Studies<
Copyright 1999 Mark Stavish, M.A.
The familiar question So, how long does it take before I see results? is often heard in an
esoteric lodge or group, after explaining an esoteric technique to a newcomer to the Work. By
asking How long does it take? the student reveals several things that are endemic to modern
esotericism.
Lack of Patience: Quarterly Reports and Annual Earnings
Many folks approach esotericism as if they were looking at a business plan: short term
thinking, quick returns, minimal investment, and regular reinforcement through dividends
(paranormal phenomena) seem to be the areas of focus. This lack of long term investment
strategy short changes their teachers, fellow lodge workers, and most importantly themselves.
The truth is real, inner growth takes time! If it takes a minimum of eight to twelve years to
become a doctoral candidate in the arts or sciences, how can we expect it to take any less to
become proficient in esoteric practice? Note that the key word here is proficient, not expert, or
master, but technically capable with dependable results. Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki, a student of
the later W.E. Butler, and co-founder of Servants of Light (SOL), stated in one interview that it
takes nearly ten years to become skilled in magical techniques. Jean Dubuis, founder of the
French alchemical society, The Philosophers of Nature, has often stated that it can take up to
twenty years of serious esoteric practices to develop a working dialogue with ones Inner
Master.
In the Rosicrucian Manual published by the Rosicrucian Order (AMORC), there is a section
devoted to the topic of psychic illumination and the attaining of Cosmic Consciousness. The
article, written by the organizations founder Harvey Spencer Lewis, makes several points that
are worth restating.
1. The most progress is often made by those least concerned with it.
2. Psychic development is uneven, and often only manifests itself in times of great need.
3. The length of time for Mastership is unimportant.
Looking at it broadly, the five or six years required to bring the average member to the very
threshold of Mastership, as compared to ones whole cycle of incarnations, is like a pencil dot
on a line a mile in length. But how we can magnify that dot and lose site of the line!
Yes, in five or six years it is possible to bring a student to the very threshold of Mastership.
Yes, the threshold, but not across! In the Golden Dawn, the first three and a half years were
spent practicing only one or two rituals. The next few years involved learning core techniques
which many schools now take for granted. Thus, five or six years of intense and specific study
was required to learn the necessary techniques to bring one to the inner point where they might
actually become an Adeptus Minor (i.e. inner initiation), and not just in theory.
Very few students ever progress inwardly that quickly, but along the way they have the interior
experiences that drive them onward to that point, where one day, they will cross the threshold
into true mastership. This crossing may be in this incarnation or in another. The relevance of
time is important only to the ego, and not to the soul. If your desire is truly soul inspired, then
time will be unimportant to you, and the domain of service will be important.
If you seek to grow, then serve, and serve anonymously, from behind the adepts veil. Then you
will be in good company and the crossing will not be far off.
All esoteric exercises are designed to repair our psychic vehicles from the damage they
incurred in the taking on of incarnation. Since they speed up the process of repair, or
reintegration, on the cosmic scale their effects are nearly instantaneous, it is only to the time-
space of Earth that makes it appear long or short. However, some ideas are worth keeping in
mind when doing exercises.
It has been stated to the author by both Jean Dubuis, and Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki that it can
take up to 18 months for an esoteric process to work itself through. In addition, exercises aimed
at the lunar world, of which most are, can take several months for integration, but, we find they
are most powerful in relationship to lunar cycles. Thus, we may be doing an exercise everyday
for several months, but find that it is most effective for the days of lunar strength during the
month. Although we are not sensing it, the effects are accumulative, but the power is expressed
most easily during the full moon.
Other exercises aimed at Briah take even longer, as they can be effected in their initial stages
by the effects of the solar year. Thus, a minimum of an entire year may be needed for these
exercises to be established within our psyche. Like the lunar exercises however, once they are
in place, or their function re-established, we are no longer dependent on astrological cycles for
their functioning, it is always available to us.
Concentration: or Why System Junkies Fail
Concentration is one of the key fundamentals to success, visualization and meditation are the
other two. But concentration is not just a mental faculty, it is also an attitude, an approach to
ones inner life. If we spend all our time looking for the right system or combination of
techniques that will give us the experience we are seeking then more often then not we defeat
ourselves. Pick a system and set of daily practices and stick to them! Good solid basics give
more results than the most complex of magical endeavors. Accumulating initiations and
techniques from diverse sources takes us away from what really matters the initiation into
our Heart, and conversation with our Inner Master. It is better to chant OM everyday for the
rest of your life and nothing else than to technically know a half dozen systems of magic and
end up with nothing but psychic indigestion. Keep it simple and direct, like the flight of an
arrow, and then you will hit your mark.