More Magely Goodness - Spoilers and Leaks
May. 23rd, 2005 12:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fiat_knoxThe Awakening
From time to time, everyone has moments of clarity in which they're able to connect the pieces of the larger pattern and, if only for a moment, understand. For one brief, shining moment, their minds are open to all the universe has to offer, ready to reach out and touch the greater mystery.
A soul, once stirred, is either sent into a dream or ecstatic vision onto strange astral pathways, or plunged into a "mystery play," a hallucinatory experience whereby the common, mundane phenomena of the world are transformed into highly symbolic and meaningful ciphers. A person experiencing an Awakening is called a seeker. Many seekers think they're going crazy, and in a sense they are. The insane sometimes perceive meaning in random events, but the mage sees how no event is truly random in a vast tapestry woven by consciousness.
The ultimate end of both a mystery play and an astral journey is to deliver the soul to a watchtower for initiation. The Awakening is sometimes named "the call." It's the watchtower that does the calling. The soul, hearing its name whispered from the supernal world across the infinity of the Abyss, either responds and enters the trance of Awakening, or refuses the call and remains in sleep.
In a mystery play, the watchtower can be nearly anything in reality: a skyscraper, a phone booth or a grove in the woods. Its true form is evident to the seeker, but to no one else. It is the archetypal castle perilous, the tower of testing, before which the seeker might be found wanting. If he passes the tests - by proving his perseverance throughout the Awakening - he is admitted into the tower, where he sees a multitude of names carved onto its walls.
With a knowing beyond reason, he recognizes the empty space for his name and begins to write, carve, or will his name onto the surface. Even the illiterate know how to do this, for the process of writing is an archetypal image, not a literal act of writing. It is the Awakened one's first spell, the declaration of his true self and his right to stand in the supernal world. By virtue of this name and its expression within the watchtower, the Awakened soul gains sympathy with the supernal realm in which his name is written.
Again, this process is archetypal and can take many forms. In a mystery play, the seeker might write his name into the ledger at a bank, although the clerks there might believe that he is merely signing up for a safe-deposit box, unaware that he now claims a much greater treasure than all the assets within the bank. Or he might instead sing his name outside the window of a lover he courts, initiating a marriage of his soul to the supernal. The permutations are endless; the symbols mean the same: a divine initiation.
Once he has established his name in the heavens, the seeker returns to bodily awareness in the "real" world, no longer a sleeper. He is now a Mage.
The Paths
A Mage's Path represents his innate magical connection to a higher reality ...
Acanthus: The Path of thistle, Watchtower of Lunargent Thorn, the realm of Arcadia, kingdom of Enchantment, abode of the fae, ruled by the arcana of Fate and Time. Enchanters epitomize the tarot trump of "The Fool" relying on luck and intuition to guide their way.
Magistos: the path of scourging, watchtower of the Iron Gauntlet, the realm of pandemonium, Kingdom of Nightmares, abode of daemons, ruled by the Arcana of Mind and Space, Warlocks epitomize the trump of "The Devil" exulting in unfettered will.
Moros: The Path of Doom, Watchtower of the Lead Coin, the Realm of Stygia, Kingdom of crypts, abode of Shades, ruled by the arcana of Death and Matter, Necromancers epitomize the tarot trump of "Death" remaining steadfast through a challenge.
Obrimos: The Path of the Mighty, watchtower of the Golden Key, the Realm of the Aether, Kingdom of the Celestial Spheres, abode of Angels, ruled by the Arcana of Forces and Prime, Theurgists epitomize the tarot trump of "Strength" pursuing a divine mandate.
Thyrsus: the Path of Ecstasy, Watchtower of the Stone Book, the realm of the primal wild, kingdom of Totems, abode of Beasts, ruled by the Arcana of Life and Spirit, Shamans epitomize the tarot trump of "The Moon" following the allure of passion and impulsive action.
From time to time, everyone has moments of clarity in which they're able to connect the pieces of the larger pattern and, if only for a moment, understand. For one brief, shining moment, their minds are open to all the universe has to offer, ready to reach out and touch the greater mystery.
A soul, once stirred, is either sent into a dream or ecstatic vision onto strange astral pathways, or plunged into a "mystery play," a hallucinatory experience whereby the common, mundane phenomena of the world are transformed into highly symbolic and meaningful ciphers. A person experiencing an Awakening is called a seeker. Many seekers think they're going crazy, and in a sense they are. The insane sometimes perceive meaning in random events, but the mage sees how no event is truly random in a vast tapestry woven by consciousness.
The ultimate end of both a mystery play and an astral journey is to deliver the soul to a watchtower for initiation. The Awakening is sometimes named "the call." It's the watchtower that does the calling. The soul, hearing its name whispered from the supernal world across the infinity of the Abyss, either responds and enters the trance of Awakening, or refuses the call and remains in sleep.
In a mystery play, the watchtower can be nearly anything in reality: a skyscraper, a phone booth or a grove in the woods. Its true form is evident to the seeker, but to no one else. It is the archetypal castle perilous, the tower of testing, before which the seeker might be found wanting. If he passes the tests - by proving his perseverance throughout the Awakening - he is admitted into the tower, where he sees a multitude of names carved onto its walls.
With a knowing beyond reason, he recognizes the empty space for his name and begins to write, carve, or will his name onto the surface. Even the illiterate know how to do this, for the process of writing is an archetypal image, not a literal act of writing. It is the Awakened one's first spell, the declaration of his true self and his right to stand in the supernal world. By virtue of this name and its expression within the watchtower, the Awakened soul gains sympathy with the supernal realm in which his name is written.
Again, this process is archetypal and can take many forms. In a mystery play, the seeker might write his name into the ledger at a bank, although the clerks there might believe that he is merely signing up for a safe-deposit box, unaware that he now claims a much greater treasure than all the assets within the bank. Or he might instead sing his name outside the window of a lover he courts, initiating a marriage of his soul to the supernal. The permutations are endless; the symbols mean the same: a divine initiation.
Once he has established his name in the heavens, the seeker returns to bodily awareness in the "real" world, no longer a sleeper. He is now a Mage.
The Paths
A Mage's Path represents his innate magical connection to a higher reality ...
Acanthus: The Path of thistle, Watchtower of Lunargent Thorn, the realm of Arcadia, kingdom of Enchantment, abode of the fae, ruled by the arcana of Fate and Time. Enchanters epitomize the tarot trump of "The Fool" relying on luck and intuition to guide their way.
Magistos: the path of scourging, watchtower of the Iron Gauntlet, the realm of pandemonium, Kingdom of Nightmares, abode of daemons, ruled by the Arcana of Mind and Space, Warlocks epitomize the trump of "The Devil" exulting in unfettered will.
Moros: The Path of Doom, Watchtower of the Lead Coin, the Realm of Stygia, Kingdom of crypts, abode of Shades, ruled by the arcana of Death and Matter, Necromancers epitomize the tarot trump of "Death" remaining steadfast through a challenge.
Obrimos: The Path of the Mighty, watchtower of the Golden Key, the Realm of the Aether, Kingdom of the Celestial Spheres, abode of Angels, ruled by the Arcana of Forces and Prime, Theurgists epitomize the tarot trump of "Strength" pursuing a divine mandate.
Thyrsus: the Path of Ecstasy, Watchtower of the Stone Book, the realm of the primal wild, kingdom of Totems, abode of Beasts, ruled by the Arcana of Life and Spirit, Shamans epitomize the tarot trump of "The Moon" following the allure of passion and impulsive action.
