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Tuesday 30 August 2011

Nagualism and Alchemy by Jeff Owrey


This essay explores the application of Nagualism as a tool for alchemical change. After a brief introduction to the fundamental concepts of Nagualism, these concepts are used to examine the appearance of alchemical principles in Chaos magic and Native American magic.

Concept of the Assemblage Point

A most useful concept for studying the epistemology of magic is the idea of the assemblage point. This idea comes from a branch of combined Meso-American shamanism and magic commonly known as Nagualism, and is described by Carlos Castaneda in the numerous books in which he writes about his encounters with the Mexican brujero, Don Juan. Nagualism views the human being abstractly as a "luminous cocoon" of awareness and defines the assemblage point as that location on this sphere where all the fibers of the universe are focused by intent into our perception of the universe. Furthermore, this location can be changed by the operation of intent. Notice that intent is the key, operative word of this definition. Indeed, if it can ever be said that the brujero Nagual uttered a magic word, that word would have to be "intent", for intent is the quintessential, indefinable term in the language of Nagualism. Castaneda describes the role of intent in the following passage from Silent Knowledge

Sorcerers, by the force of their practices and goals, refute the power of the word. They define themselves as navigators in the sea of the unknown. For them, navigation is a practicality, and navigation means to move from world to world, without losing sobriety, without losing strength; and, to accomplish this feat of navigation, there cannot be procedures, or steps to be followed, but one single abstract act that defines it all: the act of reinforcing our link with the force that permeates the universe, a force which sorcerers call intent. Since we are alive and conscious, we are already intimately related to intent. What we need, sorcerers say, is to make that link the realm of our conscious acts, and that act of becoming conscious of our link with intent is another way of defining silent knowledge.
Working together with the other three apprentices of Don Juan (Carol Tiggs, Florinda Donner-Grau, and Tiasha Abelar), Castaneda combined all the separate aspects of Nagual magic into a single, comprehensive discipline he has named Tensegrity. Central to this discipline is the idea that certain, specific practices, for strengthening and conditioning the practitioner's physical (and energy) body, prepares the practitioner for moving the assemblage point by the operation of intent.
Generally speaking, a movement of the assemblage point results in perceptual changes, the intensity of which is proportional to the magnitude of that movement. Smaller movements of the assemblage point result in alterations in the way we perceive the universe of everyday, consensual reality (and vice versa). A sufficiently large movement of the assemblage point results in the perception, however brief, of a wholly new universe - a universe in which one can "live and die". A movement that ends in a new, stable location results in the experience of either a re-manifestation of the present universe or of the manifestation of a whole new universe, depending on the magnitude of the movement. The discipline of Tensegrity is intended to prepare the practitioner to survive the rigors of the larger movement that results in perception of a new universe. Furthermore, the discipline of Tensegrity is abstract because the greater the movement, the more abstract the perceptual experience of the universe that manifests. The following discussion, however, will focus on the smaller movements of the assemblage point that may be brought about by single-minded focus on philosophical ideas, concepts and spatial arraignments. It is these smaller movements that are so important in preparing the aspirant for the larger shift that results in the manifestation of a whole new universe.

Elements in Chaos Magic



Figure 1. Elements of Chaos Magic.
Air, Earth, Fire and Water most commonly designate the four classical elements of magic and philosophy. Chaos magic adopts the tradition of the four elements and adds a fifth, postulated element, but changes the nomenclature somewhat. Derived from the physics of quantum mechanics, the elements in Chaos magic, are Time, Space, Mass and Energy. The fifth element, Ether, is postulated to represent the so-called shadow time dimension used to account for the apparent paradoxes of quantum mechanics. Figure 1 illustrates the pentagram with these elements as attributes of the four vertices and the fifth element, Ether, as an attribute of the ascendant point of the pentagram. Peter Carroll describes this arraignment of the five Elements more fully in the following passage from Liber Kaos

Matter can be conveniently divided for descriptive purposes into space, time, mass and energy… However, the consensus description on this world at least is conveniently represented by the tetrahedron… The four vertices represent space, time, mass and energy, which is the description the ancients were trying to formulate with their air, water, earth and fire analogies. When ether (or spirit) is added, a pentagram is created… The pentagram is the simplest possible map of the universe, even the Chaos from which it phenomenizes has been omitted. The pentagram is also a symbol of magic, for it shows ether and matter interacting…
In Chaos magic operations, the Elements may be seen as alternating in position around the pentagram depending on whether they are dominant or subordinate in a particular working. In some operations, space and time might be dominant, in others matter and energy. It is my hypothesis that applying alchemical principles to the quantum mechanical manifestation of the Elements forces a change in perceptual habits of how the Elements interrelate, and that this change results in a beneficial shift in the assemblage point. In turn, this beneficial shift of the assemblage point re-manifests as novel perceptions of the magical universe.

Parallels in Native American Lore

As a prelude to discussing alchemical principles in Native American magic, it is appropriate to introduce a few correspondences to the Elements in Chaos magic. These correspondences, summarized in table 1 below, are taken from various schools of thought inspired by a single, unifying alchemical principle in Native American magic. Unlike systems of correspondences that appear in other branches of magic, the correspondences in table 1 should not in any way be considered as set in stone. The reader should note that different Native American tribal groups often have their own preferred arraignments for these correspondences, especially for Color and Spirit Animal. In fact, one of the concepts found in Native American parallels to Chaos magic is the Spinning Medicine Wheel. As an aid in understanding this concept, the entries in the rows of table 1 may be visualized as written ninety degrees apart on concentric rings which may be "spun" independently of each other, as if on a pinwheel. Spinning the rings thus provides a way of randomly deriving new permutations of the entries in the table. One may ask what purpose is served by permuting the elements of table 1, other than total confusion. The answer would be that "spinning the medicine wheel" constitutes a method for forcing a change in perception, and hence is a method for shifting in the assemblage point.


Figure 2. The Native American Medicine Wheel.
Figure 2 illustrates the unifying alchemical principle mentioned above, the Medicine Wheel. The Native American magicians generally considered achieving inner and outer harmony by balancing all aspects of one’s being an ultimate, life goal. The Medicine Wheel is a symbolic representation of this balance and harmony in all aspects of one's being. Implicit in the symbolism of the Medicine Wheel is the idea that each individual aspect within the totality of one's being is itself an infinity of aspects that must be balanced before the whole can be brought into balance. In figure 2 the smaller circle symbolizes the idea that each point on the Medicine Wheel (representing the totality of one's being) is itself a Medicine Wheel (a totality contained with a totality). As P.D. Ouspensky points out, the whole being is made up of an indefinite number of individual selves, or "I"s as he calls them. The Medicine Wheel abstracts from all these individual selves a whole made up of only four, archetypal selves: the illuminated self, the introspective self, the innocent self, and the wise (or knowledgeable) self. Although the whole being is made up of a multiplicity of selves, in Native American traditions these four, archetypal selves are thought to be the most important to re-manifest in order to bring the whole into balance and harmony. The Native American author, Hyemeyohsts Storm, describes this concept in the following passage from Seven Arrows
In order to bring oneself into greater balance and harmony using the Medicine Wheel, one must shift one's perception of oneself. For example, if you are naturally an innocent person of the South, then you must learn to see yourself from the point of view of a wise person of the North. Alchemically this shift of perception results in a movement of the assemblage point. In this case the movement of the assemblage point is very beneficial because it results in a stable, balanced person, much better anchored, within him or herself, than the average person who does not know about or practice the teachings of the Medicine Wheel.

In Conclusion

We have seen how Nagualism can be viewed as an alchemical tool for self-development and personal change. These changes are the result of shifts in perception - of the world outside, and of all the selves clamoring within. These shifts of perception in turn result in a gentle movement of the assemblage point that not only prepares the individual for the crossing of the phylum implied by much greater movements, but also, in the process, produce a much better anchored and more stable person. Since the beginning of time, there have been an uncountable number of methods devised for moving the assemblage point. Yet to move the assemblage point without anchoring the individual is to cast him or her adrift on an infinite sea. The practices of Tensegrity, the use of alchemical principles in magic, and the teachings of the Medicine Wheel are but a few ways to accomplish this re-manifestation without leaving the individual hopelessly mired in an infinite universe. These few ways are not the only ways, of course, but they are among the most superlative of ways.

Medicine Wheel Correspondences

Chaos Element

Time

Space

Mass

Energy
Traditional Element
Water
Air
Earth
Fire
Ritual Implement
Cup
Sword
Disk
Wand
Compass Point
West
East
South
North
Spirit Animal
Bear
Eagle
Mouse
Buffalo
Season
Autumn
Spring
Summer
Winter
Time of Day
Sunset
Sunrise
Noon
Midnight
Color
Black
Yellow
Green
White
Medicine Wheel
Introspection
Illumination
Innocence
Wisdom
Race
African
Asian
Am. Indian
Caucasian
Racial Gift
Soul
Mind
Spirit
Technology
Racial Achievement
Rhythm & Dance
Martial Arts & Taoism
Ecology & Environment
Nuclear Fusion (?)
Table 1. Some correspondences to the Elements of Chaos Magic.








References:
Peter Carroll
Liber Null & Psychonaut, 1987, Samuel Weiser.
Liber Kaos, 1992, Samuel Weiser.
Carlos Castenada
The Eagle's Gift, Simon & Schuster
The Fire from Within, Simon & Schuster
The Power of Silence, Simon & Schuster
The Art of Dreaming, Simon & Schuster
Silent Knowledge, Cleargreen, Inc
P.D. Ouspensky
The Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution, Hedgehog Press
Hyemeyohsts Storm
Seven Arrows, Ballantine Books
Song of Heyoehkah, Ballantine Books

At birth, each of us is given a particular Beginning Place within these Four Great Directions on the Medicine Wheel. This Starting Place gives us our first way of perceiving things, which will then be our easiest and most natural way throughout our lives. But any person who perceives from only one of these Four Great Directions will remain just a partial man. For example, a man who possesses only the Gift of the North will be wise. But he will be a cold man, a man without feeling. And the man who lives only in the East will have the clear, far sighted vision of the Eagle, but he will never be close to things. This man will feel separated, high above life, and will never understand or believe that he can be touched by anything. A man or woman who perceives only from the West will go over the same thought again and again in their mind, and will always be undecided. And if a person has only the Gift of the South, he will see everything with the eyes of a Mouse. He will be too close to the ground and too near sighted to see anything except whatever is right in front of him, touching his whiskers.

Sunday 28 August 2011

This Diamond Planet Will Last Forever

          

          THE GIST
  • The diamond planet is part of a binary star system located 4,000 light-years from Earth.
  • The body is the leftovers of a once-massive star, now reduced to solid crystal-like carbon -- diamond.
  • Scientists would like to find a pulsar with a black hole companion
Astronomers have found the remains of a once-massive star, now transformed into a solid diamond five times bigger than Earth.
The object circles a pulsing companion star about 4,000 light years from Earth in the constellation Serpens (The Snake), which lies about one-eighth of the way toward the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
Astronomers noticed that the steady pulses of energy coming from the star, known as J1719-1438, were regularly and minutely disturbed, a phenomenon caused by the gravitational tug of another, smaller circling object.
By measuring the pattern, scientists were able to figure out how far away the second object circles and its mass, leading to the realization that they had found a bizarre binary system, with one partner reduced to a diamond core.
"In this case, something with the mass of our sun has evolved to be something the mass of a planet -- quite extraordinary," astronomer Michael Keith, with the Australia Telescope National Facility, wrote in an email to Discovery News.

The companion to J1719-1438 never got big enough to produce elements much heavier than carbon, so after its lighter-weight hydrogen and helium were stripped away that would leave a solid core of carbon -- diamond.
"Due to the immense pressure, the carbon will be in a dense crystal-like structure, although much more closely packed than in a diamond on Earth," Keith said.
The system is now stable, with no evidence that it will change for billions of years.
"Of course, this also means that it could well have been around for a long time, just waiting for us to find it. Since it's likely to last for longer than the Earth or the sun, I would say that in this case, a diamond really is forever," Keith said.
The diamond planet was found as part of an ongoing search for pulsating stars, known as pulsars, which scientists like to use as probes.
"We'd like to find a pulsar with a black hole companion," Michael Kramer, director of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany, told Discovery News. "It's the exotic case that tell us most about the laws of physics and what's going on in the universe."
The research is published in this week's Science.

FROM

Saturday 27 August 2011

LOTUS FLOWER SYMBOL and IT' S SYMBOLISM IN EGIPT





The lotus flower symbol has deep, mythic meaning for many cultures.
The lotus blossom has been revered, attributed to deities, and meditated on for thousands of years.
The mystical lotus bloom appears in poetry, the writings of saints and sages, on temple walls, and as a central concept in several world religions.
What is it about this flower, above all others, that causes so many to color it with spiritual signifigance?

Fascination with the lotus blossom can be traced back to ancient Egypt, India and Asia, appearing in the mythologies and religions of these cultures for thousands of years

MEANING AND SYMBOLISM

The lotus is associated with creation, the afterlife, enlightenment, fertility and sensuality, purity, and health. Many cultures ascribe different virtues to the different colors of the blooms as well as the quantity of petals on the bloom.
The lotus is also associated with the 7 chakras, Buddhism, Hinduism, Bahai, and Egyptian mythos.
Within Hinduism and Buddhism the lotus flower represents awakening to spiritual consciousness.
In Indian culture, the Lotus flower represents enlightenment, wealth, knowledge, and connection to the divine. It is associated with the goddess of wealth, Maha Lakshmi, who represents purity, prosperity and generosity. She sits on a fully blossomed lotus flower.
In Egypt the Lotus flower is called Sesen. In Egyptian mythology, the lotus flower is a symbol of the sun, creation and rebirth.
It is even mentioned briefly in the Islamic tradition, that if a person dies in a state of ihram (a purification period before embarking on a pilgrimage) that they should be washed in water that has been perfumed with lotus flowers.
With such widespread interest and spiritual signifigance attributed to the lotus, it deserves a deeper look into the symbolism surrounding it.

EGYPTIAN LOTUS FLOWER SYMBOL


The lotus flower symbol was revered by ancient Egyptians. Lotus flowers sink into water at night and emerge again in the mornings. This singular trait closely associated them with creation, renewal and rebirth

The Egyptian deity Nefertem was the god most closely associated with the lotus flower symbol.
The legend of Nefertem and the blue lotus has deep underlying meanings to it. According to the legend, at the time of creation a lotus flower rose from the water. As the sun reached the bloom it slowly opened its petals, revealing Khepri (a sacred sacarb) inside.
Khepri transformed into a young boy (the diety Nefertem). As Nefertem sat within the lotus weeping, his tears fell and created humanity.
The hieroglyph shown to the left is a depiction of Nefertem with a blue lotus flower carved over his head.

Three colors of lotus blossoms grow in Egypt; white, blue and pink. The blue lotus had particular signifigance for them.
It is the blue lotus that you will find carved into temples, heiroglyphics, utensils and spoken of in stories.
The blue lotus (pictured to the right) grew copiously along the banks of the Nile. It was used as a food source, a fragrance, and as a healing tonic.
Research into the blue lotus is now showing that it has psychotropic effects and may have produced a sense of euphoria in those who ingested it. It's ability to affect the mood of those who consumed it is most likely one of the reasons it was so revered by the Egyptian culture.

LOTUS DEPICTED ON EGYPTIAN ARTIFACTS

In this ancient egyptian art carving, Hert-watet-khet is shown smelling a blue lotus flower. Lotus blossoms were handed out at parties, smelled for their aroma, turned into perfume and ingested for food and healing properties.
It was believed that the blue lotus had strong aphrodesiac qualities, and women were gifted with the blue lotus by their suitors.
The Egyptian blue lotus flower is not a true lotus. It is from the water lily family, and as such has properties not found in other lotuses. The Egyptian blue water lily rises above the water in the morning and sinks back under during the night. True lotuses rise from the water once and stay above it until they are done blooming. A lotus also has a large flat seed pod in it's center, where a lily does not.
The differences between the two flowers is contested by botanists, but most people are content to enjoy the beauty and mystical nature of these lotus flowers regardless of whether they are a "true lotus" in the world of botany.


Introduction -Presentazione

   
Hello to everyone ! this is not going to be  a traduction of  Andromedawaked 's post (http://www.andromedawaked.blogspot.com/),  but something apart .
The themes of this blog will always concern alternative information and esoterism,but i will look for articles and material  in English and in Spanish ,in order to share with more people our interestes and knowledge.

Salve  a tutti ! Questo blog non consistera' in una traduzione di Andromedawaked (http://www.andromedawaked.blogspot.com/) ,ma si trattera' di qualcosa di differente.
I temi trattati saranno sempre gli stessi ,ma il materiale postato sara' in Inglese o Spagnolo ,cosi da poter condividere con molti altri i nostri interessi e le nostre conoscenze.

Invito tutti voi ,gia' lettori di Andromedawaked a partire da adesso a segnalarmi link,articoli o materiale dal web nelle suddette lingue ,cosi da poter iniziare al piu' presto!  
Grazie a tutti!

Ludovica