"Austin O Spare - The Book Of Pleasure" - читать интересную книгу автора (Spare Austin Osman)

When by the wish to believe- it is of the necessity incompatible with an existing belief and is not realized through the inhibition of the organic belief- the negation of the wish, faith moves no mountains, not till it has removed itself. Supposing I wish to be great (is not counting that I am), to have "faith" and believe that I am, does not make me great- even were I to keep up the pretence to the end . . . . it being ceremonial insincerity, the affirmation of my incapacity. I am incapable, because that is the true belief, and organic. To believe differently is but affectation. Therefore the imagination or "faith" that I am great, is a superficial belief. The reaction and denial, caused by the troublesome effervescence of the organic incapacity. Denial or faith does not change or annihilate it, but is its reinforcement and preservation. Therefore belief, to be true, must be organic and sub-conscious. The desire to be great can only become organic at a time of vacuity, and by giving it (Sigil) form. When conscious of the Sigil form (any time but the Magical) it should be repressed, a deliberate striving to forget it, by this it is active and dominates at the unconscious period, its form nourishes and allows it to become attached to the sub-consciousness and become organic, that accomplished, is its reality and realization. He becomes his concept of greatness.

So belief becomes true and vital by striving against it in consciousness and by giving it form. Not by the striving of faith. Belief exhausts itself by confession and non-resistance, i.e., consciousness. Believe not to believe, and in degree you will obtain its existence. Timeliness depending on your morality, give to the poor. If the ambitious only knew it is as difficult to become incapable as it is to become great. They are mutual as accomplishments and equally satisfying.

THE SUB-CONSCIOUSNESS.

ALL geniuses have active sub-consciousness, and the less they are aware of the fact, the greater their accomplishments. The sub-consciousness is exploited by desire reaching it. So consciousness should not contain the "great" desire once the Ego has wished: and should be filled with an affected ambition for something different, not vice-versa, the inevitable penalty of cowardice lurking somewhere: surely not an inglorious deceit? Genius, like heroism, is a matter of bravery- you have to forget fear, or incapacity somehow . . . . hence its expression is always spontaneous. How simple it is to acquire genius- you know the means; who will take the plunge? The learning of "How" is the eternal "Why"- unanswered! A genius is such, because he does not know how or why.

The Storehouse of Memories with an Ever-Open Door.

Know the sub-consciousness to be an epitome of all experience and wisdom, past incarnations as men, animals, birds, vegetable life, etc., etc., everything that exists, has and ever will exist. Each being a stratum in the order of evolution. Naturally then, the lower we probe into these strata, the earlier will be the forms of life we arrive at; the last is the Almighty Simplicity. And if we succeed in awakening them, we shall gain their properties, and our accomplishment will correspond. They being experiences long passed, must be evoked by extremely vague suggestion, which can only operate when the mind is unusually quiet or simple. To have their wisdom does not mean the necessity of their bodies- the body modifies in relation to "means" (we travel faster than the hunting leopard, but do not have its body), when it is the means it changes accordingly. Now, if we observe Nature, the early forms of life are wonderful in their properties, adaptablility, etc; their strength enormous, and some are indestructible. No matter what the desire is, it always is its accomplishment. A microbe has the power to destroy the world (and certainly would if it took an interest in us). If you were to dismember its limb, the mutilated part would regrow, etc. So by evoking and becoming obsessed or illuminated by these existences, we gain their magical properties, or the knowledge of their attainment. This is what already happens (everything happens at all times) though exceedingly slowly; in striving for knowledge we repel it, the mind works best on a simple diet.

The Key to Prophecy.

The law of Evolution is retrogression of function governing progression of attainment, i.e., the more wonderful our attainments, the lower in the scale of life that governs them. Our knowledge of flight is determined by that desire causing the activity of our bird etc. Karmas. Directly our desire reaches the stratum belonginging to those existences that can "fly" without wings- so shall we fly without machines. This sub-conscious activity is the "capacity," the "knowledge"; all other we acquire is of a negative or manurial value. The virtue of learning and acquiring knowledge by the ordinary means is in its worry and disappointment, of that degree which causes exhaustion: by that the desire might accidentally reach the real abode of knowledge, i.e., the sub-consciousness. Inspiration is always at a void moment, and most great discoveries accidental, usually brought about by exhaustion of the mind. My formula and Sigils for sub-conscious activity are the means of inspiration, capacity or genius, and the means of accelerating evolution. An economy of energy and method of learning by enjoyment. A bat first grew wings and of the proper kind, by its desire being organic enough to reach the sub-consciousness. If its desire to fly had been conscious, it would have had to wait till it could have done so by the same means as ourselves, i.e., by machinery. All genius has an hypothesis (usually natural) in the form of a hobby, which serves to restrain and occupy the conscious mind, to prevent its interference with spontaneous expression. The great Leonardo's mathematics, etc., served to "Deceive" him as such an hypothesis (and as Sigils). Our lives are full of the Symbolism of those predominating Karmas we are governed by. All ornament, useless dress, etc., are such (they please people because they feel the identification), and the means of locating them (Karmas). The symbolism of crowning a man King, is that he, resembling God (on earth), has reached the lowest strata of his sub-consciousness (those one-cell organisms if you like), which predominate as governing his functions. (Of course, those crowned Kings are never such, they symbolise the "hope," not the reality.) Hence the floral nature of and precious stones in design of the crown relate to first principles. He is King who has reached the dual principle in its simplicity, the first experience which is all experience . . . . he has no need of crowns and kingdoms.

By Sigils and the acquirement of vacuity, any past incarnation, experience, etc., can be summoned to consciousness. It may even happen in sleep in the form of dreams, but this means is very difficult. (Chapters on day and night dreaming for pleasure omitted.)

Total vacuity is difficult and unsafe for those governed by morality, complexes, i.e., whose belief is not entirely self-love. Hence this desideratum of Sigils, etc.

Know all ritual, ceremony, conditions, as arbitrary (you have yourself to please), a hindrance and confusion; their origin was for amusement, later for the purpose of deceiving other from knowing the truth and inducing ignorance; and as always happens their high priests were the more deceived themselves. He who deceives another deceives himself much more. Therefore know the Charlatans by their love of rich robes, ceremony, ritual, magical retirements, absurd conditions, and other stupidity, too numerous to relate. Their entire doctrine a boastful display, a cowardice hungering for notoriety; their standard everything unnecessary, their certain failure assured. Hence it is that those with some natural ability quickly lose it by their teaching. They can only dogmatise, implant and multiply that which is entirely superficial. Were I a teacher I should not act as master, as knowing more, the pupil could lay no claim to discipleship. Assimilating slowly, he would not be conscious of his learning, he would not repeat the vital mistake; without fear he would accomplish with ease. The only teaching possible is to show a man how to learn from his own wisdom, and to utilise his ignorance and mistakes. Not by obscuring his vision and intention by righteousness.

SIGILS. BELIEF WITH PROTECTION.

Magickal Obsession.

I will now explain their creation and use; there is no difficulty about it, how pure and clear it all is*(1). Out of love for my foolish devotees I invented it. All desire, whether for Pleasure, Knowledge, or Power, that cannot find "Natural" expression, can by Sigils and their formula find fulfilment from the sub-consciousness. Sigils are the means of guiding and uniting the partially free belief*(2) with an organic desire, its carriage and retention till its purpose served in the sub-conscious self, and its means of reincarnation in the Ego. All thought can be expressed by form in true relation. Sigils are monograms of thought, for the government of energy (all heraldry, crests, monograms, are Sigils and the Karmas they govern), relating to Karma; a mathematical means of symbolising desire and giving it form that has the virtue of preventing any thought and association on that particular desire (at the magical time), escaping the detection of the Ego, so that it does not restrain or attach such desire to its own transitory images, memories and worries, but allows it free passage to the sub-consciousness.

*(1) By this system, you know exactly what (you believe) your Sigil must relate to. If you used any form stupidly, you might possibly "conjure up" exactly what you did not want- the mother of insanity, or what always happens then, nothing at all. This being the only system, any result other than by it is accidental. Also you do not have to dress up as a traditional magician, wizard or priest, build expensive temples, obtain virgin parchment, black goat's blood, etc., etc., in fact no theatricals or humbug.

*(2) Free belief or energy, i.e., a disappointed desire, not yet an obsession.

Sigils are made by combining the letters of the alphabet simplified. Illustration*(3), the word "Woman" in Sigil form is (example) or (example) or (example) etc. The word tiger (example) or (example) etc., etc. The idea being to obtain a simple form which can be easily visualised at will, and has not too much pictorial relation to the desire. The true method has a much greater virtue, which cannot be explained briefly, being the secret of thought form, as degrees of suggestion, and what exactly is in a name. We have now agreed as to how a Sigil is made, and what virtue it has. Verily, what a person believes by Sigils, is the truth, and is always fulfilled. This system of Sigils is believed by taking it up as a hobby at a time of great disappointment or sorrow. By Sigils I have endowed fools with wisdom, made the wise fools, giving health to the sick and weak, disease to the strong, etc. Now, if for some purpose, you wanted the strength of a tiger- you would make a sentence such as:- "This my wish to obtain the strength of a tiger." (Message from person who typed up this file: In constructing the sentence of desire, beginning with "This my will," has been said by some to be more efficacious.) Sigilized this would be:-

This my wish (illustrative example of this part of the sentence)

To obtain (ditto)

The strength of a Tiger (same as said above)

Combined as one Sigil (example) or (more simplified example).

*(3) There are six methods of Sigils employed in this book, each corresponding to different strata. The one shown here is illustrative and the fundamental idea of them all, from which anyone can evolve his own system. Conditions, etc., or necessity subsequently evolve themselves. Also a person has more power of creation and originality with a limited means of expression.

Now by virtue of this Sigil you are able to send your desire into the subconsciousness (which contains all strength); that having happened, it is the desire's realization by the manifestation of the knowledge or power necessary.

First, all consciousness except of the Sigil has to be annulled; do not confuse this with concentration- you simply conceive the Sigil any moment you begin to think. Vacuity* is obtained by exhausting the mind and body by some means or another. A personal or traditional means serves equally well, depending on temperament; choose the most pleasant; these should be held in favour, Mantras and Posture, Women and Wine, Tennis, and the playing of Patience, or by walking and concentration on the Sigil, etc., etc. None is necessary to him who has (even symbolically) for a moment by the "Neither-Neither" conquered the dual principle (Conception), his Ego is free from gravity. If the Sigil is made an obsession by continual apprehension, its realization may happen at any moment, in the form of inspiration. This is done by reverting the mind to the Sigil when one is extremely worried- the time of exhaustion is the time of fulfilment. At the time of exhaustion or vacuity, retain only and visualize the Sigil form- eventually it becomes vague, then vanishes and success is assured. by the Ego conceiving only the Sigil, and not being able to conceive anything from it, all energy is focussed through it, the desire for identification carries it to the corresponding sub-conscious stratum, its destination. The Sigil being a vehicle, serves the purpose of protecting consciousness from the direct manifestation of the (consciously unacknowledged) obsession, conflict is avoided with any incompatible ideas and neither gains separate personality. It (the obsession) is either gradually assimilated and becomes organic or returns to its original abode, its purpose of illumination served. Hence the mind, by Sigils, depending upon the intensity of desire, is illuminated or obsessed (knowledge or power) from that particular Karma (the sub-conscious stratum, a particular existence and knowledge gained by it) relative to the desire, but not from memory or experience which was recent. Knowledge is obtained by the sensation, resulting from the unity of the desire and Karma. Power, by its "actual" vitalization and resurrection.

* This is not the passivity of mediumism which opens the mind to what is called external influence- disembodied energy usually having no better purpose than to rap-tables. There are many means of attaining this state of vacuity: I mention the most simple, there is no need for crucifixion. Drugs are useless. Smoking and laziness the more difficult.