A good example of a person who pursued the esoteric, but who denied the spiritual, was Aleister Crowley. He maintained that mysticism was not supernatural.
“We do not believe in any supernatural explanations, but insist that this source may be reached by the following out of definite rules, the degree of success depending upon the capacity of the seeker, and not upon the favour of any Divine Being.” From ‘Preliminary Remarks’ in Aleister Crowley’s book Magick.
Crowley despised Christianity. He was intelligent, greedy, arrogant, and a showman, and he could be humorous. All these aspects of character are shown in his writing. Indeed, one of his books is titled “The Confessions of Aleister Crowley: An Autohagiography”.
Whether or not Crowley disbelieved in the supernatural or not, it seems clear to me that, nevertheless, he was serving Satan’s interests. There is no doubt in my mind that Crowley tapped into reality, but what he sought was his own self-aggrandisement by all means necessary, including at the expense of other human beings. He attempted to use the real to serve himself, instead of serving God. He was not the only one. I am sure that powerful figures use similar methods today.
To be a mystic does not necessarily mean that you automatically serve the good. At some point a decision has to be made, and you choose either the left or the right hand paths. With the left hand path, you serve yourself, with the right hand path, you serve God. Crowley chose the left hand path. It is a temptation that all must face if they follow a mystical path.
A good example of a person who pursued the esoteric, but who denied the spiritual, was Aleister Crowley. He maintained that mysticism was not supernatural.
ReplyDelete“We do not believe in any supernatural explanations, but insist that this source may be reached by the following out of definite rules, the degree of success depending upon the capacity of the seeker, and not upon the favour of any Divine Being.”
From ‘Preliminary Remarks’ in Aleister Crowley’s book Magick.
Crowley despised Christianity. He was intelligent, greedy, arrogant, and a showman, and he could be humorous. All these aspects of character are shown in his writing. Indeed, one of his books is titled “The Confessions of Aleister Crowley: An Autohagiography”.
Whether or not Crowley disbelieved in the supernatural or not, it seems clear to me that, nevertheless, he was serving Satan’s interests. There is no doubt in my mind that Crowley tapped into reality, but what he sought was his own self-aggrandisement by all means necessary, including at the expense of other human beings. He attempted to use the real to serve himself, instead of serving God. He was not the only one. I am sure that powerful figures use similar methods today.
To be a mystic does not necessarily mean that you automatically serve the good. At some point a decision has to be made, and you choose either the left or the right hand paths. With the left hand path, you serve yourself, with the right hand path, you serve God. Crowley chose the left hand path. It is a temptation that all must face if they follow a mystical path.
Motivation is everything.
It certainly is a great deal but perhaps not everything. Good intentions and all that. We need wisdom and discrimination too.
ReplyDeleteThe right motivation, and the wisdom to discriminate between good and evil. Yes.
ReplyDelete