So, the topic of ascension was mentioned in the revelations thread, so I thought that it could be discussed on its own in this thread. In today's SoA hymns is mentioned the "climbing of stairs like the cliffs of the world mountain", and it gave me a vivid image of the pursuits of ascension as the raising of one's ontological-spiritual level. It also recalled to me the biblical saying "the city high in the mountains cannot be left unseen". It also recalled to me a dream from the past where I chose to climb the mountain with a lighted city in the top from the left side of the mountain instead of going straight up, which was too upright. I recall some Christian woman claiming in the internet that the raising of one's ontological level is Satanic, and I came to think that so it is but in a benevolent, ascending way.
But images and symbols aside, what do you consider to be the primary means of individuated pursuits of ascension besides basic ethical ladders? What is the "one thing needful" to remember when following for example the methods of the Left Hand Path/Luciferianism/Satanism?
Ascension / Raising of one's Ontological Level
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Re: Ascension / Raising of one's Ontological Level
A good continuation to the revelation thread! The Christian problems with ascension could perhaps be caused by a different view of God. In Christian mysticism God is invoked, and He comes to us, whereas in occultism we must go to Him/It. I think that ascension isn't necessarily a thing you do, but an attitude/framework by which you do things. It is no use to pray if you're not truly invested in it. But on the other hand, I think that's also impossible to just live a totally normal life if your soul is burning for ascension. There is no such thing as watching five hours of television every day with an attitude of ascension. The fire breaks the frame of normal everyday life, or it's not truly lit. Everything becomes a prayer.
- Nefastos
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Re: Ascension / Raising of one's Ontological Level
Just yesterday I once again thought about how weird it is that people are eager to "challenge themselves" and "go out from the comfort zone" in all the different ways except the one which would be the most natural and helpful: to start working for everyone's benefit, in whatever way is natural for one's individual abilities, but mercilessly, once & for all. This should be the most natural, fundamental idea of living, but for some weird reason, it's not. In case someone starts to live in this way, he no longer needs to seek escape from the comfort zone: there is no longer a comfort zone, since one sees that the world is burning, and one cannot slack away from his responsibilities as a being with a soul. But because we are always children of our cultural epoch, people attach to these ideas some or other culturally created little tags: the help should be environmental, it should be political, or whatever. The concept that the striving to help is itself sacred, the formless meaning of all, is extremely hard to grasp. And because the world seems to vast, so beyond our capabilities to change, everyone just crawls to their holes with the easiest recreation one can find and there gnashes teeth with ennui of feeling that nothing matters. Well, naturally nothing matters, in case one does not do one's best to change the world for the better, it's very true.
For me, this part of the Martian hymn is nearly always accompanied by a new spark of hope amidst the gloom & despair of living. Every week there seems to be some new glimmer of hope, even though the sought for release from suffering never comes. It is this striving, the climbing, which is the most integral part of the occult aspirant's life. Ultimately, I believe, it is what makes the diamond body, as the Vajrayana Buddhists call it: one has become will incarnate, but only after every speck of reactional (un-)living has been purged away by constant striving.
The Threefold Key...
Faust: "Lo contempla. / Ei muove in tortuosa spire / e s'avvicina lento alla nostra volta. / Oh! se non erro, / orme di foco imprime al suol!"
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Re: Ascension / Raising of one's Ontological Level
One problem that I have perceived, after overcoming and leaving behind the half imagined, half real expectations of the masses, is this blockage of selfishness - an unability to discern what part of the individuals abilities can be aligned unselfishly enough for a greater whole and what part is some of that dross that can be altered and how it can be altered to serve something greater than the self. These are extremely interesting questions to me because they redefine the philosophy of how the individual works his/hers area of expertise. And such redefinition already is part of the self-sacrificial ideas, approached in the Martian hymn discussed above, sacrificing the self serving approaches for the greater whole and for the Self to find its way to manifestation, who is then on its part another kind of pure sacrifice.Nefastos wrote: ↑Wed Mar 24, 2021 10:45 am
Just yesterday I once again thought about how weird it is that people are eager to "challenge themselves" and "go out from the comfort zone" in all the different ways except the one which would be the most natural and helpful: to start working for everyone's benefit, in whatever way is natural for one's individual abilities, but mercilessly, once & for all.
Discerning the bundle of selfishness can lead to atleast two directions both of which I find interesting and useful: 1) the right hand path way (using the RHP & LHP with a very narrow meaning here) where the abilities and work is somehow knitted in to a larger body of "RHP structures", and 2) the left hand path way where the supporting structures are replaced with other structures (for example pop culture, academia, ”secular” entities/organizations etc.) and are seen in correspondence to some divinities, making the structure meaningful in itself and bringing the structure closer to the divine ideal by the injection of working that area with the purest possible motives guiding the way.
"Would to God that all the Lord's people were Prophets”, Numbers 11:29 as echoed by William Blake
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Re: Ascension / Raising of one's Ontological Level
Nefastos wrote: ↑Wed Mar 24, 2021 10:45 am And because the world seems to vast, so beyond our capabilities to change, everyone just crawls to their holes with the easiest recreation one can find and there gnashes teeth with ennui of feeling that nothing matters. Well, naturally nothing matters, in case one does not do one's best to change the world for the better, it's very true.
This is quite understandable, though, and in our times when the world is so open and information from all the suffering around the world is so readily available it's easier than ever to feel utter hopelessness. It's also easy to outsource ones own responsibility and just think that "I'm just a human being, what can I do, it's the responsibility of politicians or experts to make things right" etc. The people "in charge" become like our collective parents who have to bear the responsibility for everything. It can be seen in coronavirus measures, for instance. I've heard more than one time that someone won't take any measures because this or that thing "isn't strictly forbidden". Another example is the cognitive dissonance towards meat eating, when people again outsource the responsibility of the wellbeing of animals to the farmers and the food industry to make sure that we can eat meat with a clear conscience. In Finland the Finnish food industry is easily thought of as somehow pure and better than food industries in other countries and some people defend it religiously.
Re: Ascension / Raising of one's Ontological Level
We live in an age of nihilism and apathy, and because "God is dead", people in general don't believe in meaning, soul or anything; it creates and has created a world where most if not everyone think only about themselves. It is only natural "to crawl into one's recreational hole" if one doesn't see the meaning (in working for a good cause for example), and especially if one is reluctant or feels utterly powerless to change anything even in themselves.Nefastos wrote: ↑Wed Mar 24, 2021 10:45 am
Just yesterday I once again thought about how weird it is that people are eager to "challenge themselves" and "go out from the comfort zone" in all the different ways except the one which would be the most natural and helpful: to start working for everyone's benefit, in whatever way is natural for one's individual abilities, but mercilessly, once & for all. This should be the most natural, fundamental idea of living, but for some weird reason, it's not. In case someone starts to live in this way, he no longer needs to seek escape from the comfort zone: there is no longer a comfort zone, since one sees that the world is burning, and one cannot slack away from his responsibilities as a being with a soul. But because we are always children of our cultural epoch, people attach to these ideas some or other culturally created little tags: the help should be environmental, it should be political, or whatever. The concept that the striving to help is itself sacred, the formless meaning of all, is extremely hard to grasp. And because the world seems to vast, so beyond our capabilities to change, everyone just crawls to their holes with the easiest recreation one can find and there gnashes teeth with ennui of feeling that nothing matters. Well, naturally nothing matters, in case one does not do one's best to change the world for the better, it's very true.