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To: thelema93-l now @egroups.com
From: nagasiva@luckymojo.com (nigris (333))
Subject: Great Work in Angel-Demon Negotiations (was Goetic Spirits...)

49990808 IVom Hail Kali! Hail Satan!

a correspondent wrote:
#># ...you have a King of Light, HGA and a King of Darkness, your
#># Demon.  The secret to success is getting both to get along
#># and to work with them so that everyone evolves.  So many magickians get
#># stuck on working on either HGA or with Demons and wonder why they're
#># unbalanced.  They neglected that aspect of themselves which needs
#># addressing.  Balance is the key to all magick that includes Goetia
#># and the K&C of HGA.

the same correspondent wrote:
# ...magickians or witches ...tend to ignore one of the 
# basic component of self, which is unfortunate.  

it is sometimes difficult to shine the flashlight at itself,
to get the finger to touch itself. unfortunate perhaps, and
yet it may require a certain ripeness or readiness that can
not come to pass without specific self-transformation. it
may also simply require a familiarity with divination.

# Uniting that which is above to that which is below is the 
# responsibility of the path and the essence of the Great Work.  

agreed. I contend that these are already united in a very 
important sense but that we must come to understand this 
unity (as well as their DISunity!) in order to comprehend 
the mysteries.


# The trick is getting your Angel and your Demon to get along.  
# They don't seem to have much respect for each other and even 
# at times seem to hate one another.  

this seems to vary depending upon the aspirant. in my experience
I call Kali my Angel and Satan my Demon. I can't remember a
time when the two indicated that they hated or disrespected one
another, though early on when I didn't distinguish them or had
not yet made a blood pact with the Demon they might have been nasty 
to one another. I can't help associating them with Jungian concepts
of Anima and Shadow. how often does the Angel resemble the Anima
(or Animus for women)? does this fit neatly into Jungian notions of
self-actualization? I haven't discovered this yet. perhaps what 
element of the personal psyche we identify with the Angel 
determines its relation with the Demon and with oneself? 

my own appear to be operating cooperatively, but perhaps this is
a function of having dedicated myself in worship of the Angel
and in service to the Demon? I have many times understood that
the Demon is the Angel's power (roughly parallel to how a
goddess in some Indian godstories is the god's 'power' or shakti).
the Demon is the wild aspect (of myself, other) which I do not
control and profit from not attempting to dominate. others may
need to attempt this control in order to progress, though I have
not yet seen that complete domination as described in typical
Solomonic practices has yielded valuable results long-term for
anyone I knew to be engaging it. they always fanned their own
flames of fear eventually.
 
# However pointing out in very concise language that if we don't 
# work together, we don't evolve so we must get along and work 
# together.  Everyone must be ready to take that step together 
# or so it seems.  Ah the beauty of union!  

so you (as ego) enter into the relation as a peacemaker. this
is a very wonderful initiation of the Solve et Coagula formula
as I see it. so often the mage sides with one against another
in some kind of fearful or self-righteous battle (self against
self). I think I have done this in my past but didn't truly
understand it when it happened (based on my diaries/reflections).

the shift seems to have been between Angel-vs-Demon dualism
(love/fear spectrum) and Yin-and-Yang polarity (cautious
negotiation with both). I reflected this in writing in a
play where the roles were identified by colour or font, and
the players transformed as the play progressed, revealing
themselves and their relations, eventually settling from a
simplistic Knight-rescues-Princess-from-Dragon motif into a
Lovemaking-Romp-Betwixt-Yin-and-Yang. I called it 'Dowsing
for Nothing' and gave the original to my Initiatrix (Scarlet 
Woman?) at the time as much to see where she was as to 
submit it to the AA as I knew it. this is not a work that I 
have spoken of very often, though it is included in 'Mountain 
of Myst', a largely unpublished compendium of poetry and 
prose I constructed as a second draft on a first book (one
contains items incommunicable by ASCII by virtue of graphics
and diagrams. some of it has withstood the test of time (the 
first two poetic works I have discarded as of poor quality 
and unworthy of publication generally). this was the first 
and only play I'd ever written, and it came out of me like a 
gunshot vision under the influence of LSD (many of my 
visionary texts have at least had their *conception* when I 
was in this condition on holidays in ritual). often I will
later run over them with an eye for editing details. 

I haven't really been sure what to make of the play beyond 
knowing it was very important to me personally. you have 
helped me, with your reflections, to recognize its place in 
my life, thanks.
 
# Although this is just my opinion and my workings, everyone 
# seems to have their own ideas and workings.  Curious of 
# yours and others take on this subject.

we appear to have some parallels in our approach to demonology
and the Great Work (at least with respect to mysticism). I do
appreciate your sharing of this and would love to hear more.

I'm curious whether you consider the Great Work something that
only Thelemites engage -- if one has to be in some sense a
Thelemite in order to begin or be successful in it. perhaps the
discovery of and/or adherence to the true will is necessary for
its initiation or completion?
 
# 93, 93/93

E666
blessed beast!

nigris (333)