stumbling........
ah!
Salutations Kiddies and Bitties and other nim witties!
It's aboot time for another breakneck, whirlwind round of OK Spuddroker's Adventures in the wonderous world of DISNEY......err..... toyboate......ahem...... MAGIK.
Last time we gathered round the warm glow of a Computer screen (or however in Pan's name your getting this information) we input muchos data on the essential basics of our wonderous Psueper Art. Now that it's sunk in a little, I now humbly begin to expouse and expose some Techniques that are elementary and easy enough that even your god fearing grandma on her death bed can do- with the slightest of ease.
DEEP BREATH!
Ahem here i present to the essential of probably the most simple of all MAGIK, the sheer basics of
YOGA!
Now, if you read the last edition, you'll know that Yoga is alot like MAGICK in that the word itself has an excessive amount of baggage of mispreconceptions. "Yoga is the general name for that form of meditation which aims at the uniting of subject and object". So basically Yoga means UNION.
OR The definition of the term I prefer, which happens to come from one of the classic's of Indian Literature, The Bhagavad Gita, Krishna considers Yoga "evenness of mind."
Now hold on to yer hat cause that just might blow yer top. Now this has nothing to do with all the Physical Exercises and stretches (hatha yoga) that people connotate with that particular word.
THIS IS ABOUT DISICIPLINING YER FRIGGIN MIND TO FIND THEE STATE OF ENLIGHTENMENT.
This can be attained many different ways: fasting, pilgrimage, isolation, exercise (yep that too), breathing, art, music, making sweet sweet love down by the fire, sensory deprivation just to name a few.
Essentially the goal is to try to achieve detachment from the dualities (pain/pleasure, success/failure, fear/desire, love/hate, elation/depression, death/sex etc.) which is required if one is to act freely rather than merely react to events, compelled by conditioning.
So one could say "Yoga is skill in action" which sounds pretty bad ass no matter which way you slice it.
Now the mind is a tricky son-of-a-biatch that will not be put down easily, no matter how many times you think you've done it before. Mr. Crowley states the goal of yoga is to "control ones mind, to be able to think of one chosen thought for as long as one wills, without any interruption."
Now if yer like muah, yer mind moves several million miles a minute without a chance to breathe or relax for a bit of interpretation. Luckily, through practice and determined doings, I've realized how much of it is primarily the nonsensical ramblings of a paranoid mad man, which ones are incredibly shallow and negative thoughts (typically the realm of the ol black magish which i still have problematics with) and which ones are deep down my own REAL thoughts and problems. However this is the key though, that one needs to know about oneself TRULY since it if from you yourself that all magick will come forth. So give yerself a chance eh?
First things first, let's start with your Body. Now this fidgetty fumbling sack of crap is always there and always wants attention to be paid to it. O IM
HUNGRY, O IM UNCOMFORTABLE, O IM ITCHY, O I NEED A SMOKE, O IM THIRSTY. This whiny kid in the backseat well need to be silenced if any progress is capable of happening with deeper aspects of concentration.
The Answer= ASANA(posture)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So what exactly is Asana? "Any Posture which is steady and easy is an Asana;" Pretty straight forward. One could say it is the art of sitting precisely....
The most important thing to take from this is that you should find a position of posture which feels good and continues to feel good for you after a couple of minutes. Any posture will become a tad uncomfortable after a given time. The point here is to try to achieve non-movement with yourself. To stop doing anything besides breathing. NO swaying or wiggles. No shaking or minor adjustments. JUST BE FUCKING STILL. Many sources will inform you that an upright position is preferable for reasons related to breathing and energy.
Well no shitsbah sherlock. This IS different from your usual layin' about. So make sure ya keep that one in the frontal mindlobes.
Find an Asana that works FOR YOU. Millions of websites are out there with a variety of images, aspects of technique and blah blah you heard this before. Just find one that you can do that at least causes you to focus somewhat. Whilst in this position you want to aim for an amount rigidity. No im not talking about erectile disproportions, Im yakking about yer Muscles. The important thing here is not to be so friggin still that you can balance a bowl of sulfuric acid on your head and get away unscathed (though again not exactly a bad goal to aim for), it is to become aware and know what each muscle is doing, if it is supposed to be doing ANYTHING at ALL. Find yerself in a "state of brightly alert attention that is free of thoughts, directed to no object, and attached to no particular content".
Get into yer position and then focus on it. Make sure yer in the mood (preferably have an empty stomach. Tis a distraction from what yer tryin' to accomplish after all.....) Let yer muscles become sprung in anticipation. By that i mean not tense but activated, as if any muscle could perform an action immediately if you call upon it. Then just focus on yer breathing. Do it as if you were a spectator in some sort of otherworldly bubble whose only focus is to watch this young interestingly tast...uh peculiar being do its breathing.
Eventually you'll get into contact with the amazing power of breath which i'll save for another time. Some people will stumble across it sooner than others. The only statement i'll make on it right now is imagine when yer breathing in ("the breath goes in") imagine it coming up from the base of yer spine and then when yer breathing out ("the breath goes out") let that energy go into all the various corners of yer body. Imagine yerself controlling the energy with absolute certainty. That's about it. Easy huh?Hell breathing (pranayama) is whole other field/part of YOGA. Neither the time nor the place for that here but a simple poem by Rumi, the Sufi Poet of Love, will suffice for most (of course, personal research and experimenting will always contribute to a fuller understanding of ANYTHING)"
"Breathing
There is a way of breathing
That's a shame and a suffocation
And there's another way of expiring,
A love breath,
That lets you open infinitely."
Of course at this point you'll still have a voice in yer head questioning the entire process and calling you a dumb ass for listening to some elitist prig over the medium of our century for advice on a "dead" form of bodily control. Here is where you just may realize that THOUGHT=TENSION.
The key is in how conscious we can become of tension as resistance to energy and our ability to relax, regulate and regenerate our tensions.
A good constant mantra/motto to repeat to begin to overcome aspects of the process is "THINKING" however there are infinite varieties; it can even all be brought together with the rhythm of breath control. I shall save that aspect for another time or for yer own to explore(dangle). Just say it again and again to maintain non attachment to the thoughts/tension. The detachment at this point should be a complete shut off from any form consensus reality to perform some introspective work on the ol' self/s. Use music or some sort of medium to shut off the outside so you can explore the vast cavernous conundrums of yer insides. (ps also an amazing technique to gain energy if yer feeling tired. Somehow sitting still staring at a blank wall without thinking for extended periods of time makes you want to do things after. Funny how that works eh?)
To review ="SIT STILL. STOP THINKING. SHUT UP. GET OUT!"
Now just do it. Do it Everyday or as often as you can. Get into some sort of Habit. Just don't drop it.
The most dangerous problem is Success. Failure isn't a problem. Hell its a start at least. Success can get you lazy, inert, resistant, arrogant, bigoted and just a dick. Stay humble. Stay true. Keep on the path, no matter how narrow. Find out yer own way.
"In the province of the mind, what is believed to be true is true,or becomes true within certain limits to be learned by EXPERIENCE and EXPERIMENT."
"In the province of the mind, what is believed to be true is true,or becomes true within certain limits to be learned by EXPERIENCE and EXPERIMENT."
NOW
BREATHE OUT
PHEW that took a time to come out the ol' sphincter but it's out in all its glory, zits and grammactical errors intact! Next time BANISHING. Or not.... This seems like a glorious victory in wasted effort and ego boasting. Loud Yawlps of self effacing self centred toss off/ Life affirmating Mishmosh. AH Alas, I'll carry on.
To leave you i give you two books that shall prove to be another waste of time that you might desire
#1= Be Here Now by Ram Dass- Hands Duwn a startling westernized look into eastern religious/philosophical ideas that is entirely influencial and stark in its simplicity. If you don't buy it at least read it for the art. Shortest 221 pages ever.
#2= Liber MMM - THEE Handbook for Primary Beginner MAGIK from THEE man, THEE legend, Pete Carroll, who lays down the Basics in a short pamplet that ANY student can get his hands dirrrty wit.
Now do as you do,
come as you go,
and don't let the doorman hit on you
there's plenty more in store.
Owakka taKaaa Spuddroker
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