Will and Imagination

It was explained very well and in detail. Always feel like I am sitting behind a desk again, when reading your stuff. Can almost here a professor and smell the chalk dust. lol

Hermeticism is such a beautiful school of philosophy. Probably why I love reading your contributions.

ANother great post Arc.
You are so ful of great info! I agree, i do enjoy reading your posts:)

Any more on hermeticism, will be greatly appreciated!
Will

I love your posts they are very well thought out and explained, i really enjoy reading them. More?!

thank you so much guys:) yes i have a ton more to come, i am going to try to link each one to the last so the information flows a bit better it is easy to get lost in the minutia of hermeticism.

Now that we understand the immense importance of having an imagination free of fantasy and a will free of ego, we can begin to discuss the techniques that can be utilized to increase the operators proficiency of will and imagination. The techniques that i propose here are ones that i use or that i see the value in personally. Let it be known that the techniques of making will and imagination potent are infinite in number as well as degree of quality. as i stated before the extremely personal nature of hermetic magic dictates one follows their own path within the philosophies presented.

The only true exercise in will is one of self-denial. The adjective "ascetic" derives from the ancient Greek term asksis (practice, training or exercise). Originally associated with any form of disciplined practice, the term ascetic has come to mean anyone who practices a renunciation of worldly pursuits to achieve higher intellectual and spiritual goals.
These acts of will can vary greatly in degree. One example from Isreal Regardie's "The Tree of Life" states someone could deny themselves a subconscious habit, such as crossing the right leg over the left, or itching your ear. For each transgression one would take a razor and cut the forearm or leg. This pain consequence of the subconscious mind and body disobeying the "Royal Will" of the magi would train all aspects of the mind, from conscious to sub, to be reflections of the will of the operator. this practice could be seen to many as self mutilation, and i would not recommend letting this practice be known to those around if you choose to utilize it. i have tried it and it is very potent, although i used this when i was first beginning to understand that i really had no control over my will and i wanted an extreme solution.
Another great technique is fasting. This can vary greatly in degrees of severity as well, from denying oneself soda or meat for a period of time, to not eating or drinking water at all while the sun is up. this is all a personal choice and one should endeavor to create their own will training exercises. also one should always be vigilant in changing these practices where need may arise. if you have mastered not eating cheese, it may be time to step it up a bit and really entertain the thought of pursuing loftier goals.
Also, when beginning the pursuit of the knowledge of your true nature of being, an important step is to create a regimen of meditation and ritual. adherence to this increases willpower exponentially.
Now to the imagination. most of us here are aware of the plenitude of visualization techniques used in magic work. let it only be stated that the complexity of the imagery used(complexity in terms of visualization not only refers to the visual representation of your image, but the way you interact with this thought form in all its aspects. you should be able to touch hear smell see and taste your visualizations. you may even be able to utilize sensory input not normally recognized in your waking life)is directly related to the complexity of the skill gained when using said technique.
There is one particular visualization technique that we will talk about here, because it is of vital import to the operator of any high magical rite. the creation of the astral body. one must take their time, weeks or months, to create this image in your mind, for one is required to place their entire consciousness into this "body" to be able travel through the astral, recognize and record their travels, and bring them to waking life with the intent of utilizing them in their working. in hermetics astral travel is not a skill used for pleasure or for the sake of the fact that it exists. it is used for the sole purpose of gaining insight to the true nature of ones being, and to contact the higher self for reunification with your true nature.
so one would dedicate time in their daily ritual to reaching a meditative state, and creating a tactile mental body, observing in great detail all aspects of this body.
That being said, daily exercise of the will through the techniques mentioned or ones that are discovered on your own, as well as daily meditation and visualizations are important tools used to hone the all important WILL and IMAGINATION of the operator of HIGH MAGIC.

arca i think its realy nice of you to let us into your realms of thoght thankyou for sharing

As i said before, this really gets you thinking!! What a great topic. Thanks again Arc!!

Thankyou for makin it easier to understand. I really enjoyed this post. I was thinking , Hmmm.
" I got a wondeful creative imagination and great will" and from then on Im thinking this is something I can really comprehend much better. Thanx

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