I. VAMA MARGA Foundations Of The Left-Hand Path - staticfly.net

The Sinister Current In The West
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IV.
In The Beginning Was The Word
Decoding The Language Of Western Magic
If language is not used rightly, then what is said is not what is meant.
If what is said is not what is meant, then that which ought to be done
is left undone.
- Confucius
What cannot be articulated can't be realized.
- Order of Sekhmet Statement
The Logos Of The Left-Hand Path
Before we turn our attention to the history mechanics and praxis of left-hand
path sex magic in the Western world, a preliminary examination of the wider
magical context in which the sex magician performs his or her operations is
necessary. The magician who attempts to clarify these basics of magical
practice is immediately faced with the need to come to terms with the
archaic, often opaque language traditional of the Black Arts. Throughout this
book, we have already made frequent use of the words "magic" and
"magician", "sorcery", "theurgy", "initiation" and "initiate", "daemonic",
"workings", and the "psyche."
All too often, these elementary elements of the magician's
vocabulary are applied without precision, necessitating this lexicon, which
aims to keep later misunderstandings to a minimum. Although all of these
words are drawn from the ancient Graeco-Roman Mediterranean magical
culture, they are rooted in the same Indo-European family of languages that
gives us most of the Sanskrit words used in the Tantric left-hand path
teaching of erotic initiation. Not the least of these, as we shall sec, is the word
"magic" itself.
For the beginning magician, who may first be orienting him/herself
to the sometimes bewildering and contradictory maze of esoteric
terminology, this chapter will help develop useful habits of utilizing the
magical vocabulary in a conscious and deliberate manner, rather than
unthinkingly appropriating terms out of convenience or mental lethargy.
Some stale magical phrases are embraced simply due to a received mystique
that may be associated with them, much like the allure that a proven brand
name exerts on a consumer. As for the more experienced magician, analyzing
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the magician's familiar vocabulary through fresh eyes can only add accuracy
to one's existing magical approach. In the left-hand path magician's work to
seize more power in the inner and outer worlds, a discriminating and
judicious methodology of word usage is an essential aspect of reconstituting
reality according to desire.
One of the most common archetypes of magic in folklore and legend
is the magician who performs miraculous feats by uttering the correct
magical word at just the right time. Whether it is the well-timed enunciation
of "Abracadabra!" as taught in ancient magical texts and popularly adopted
by stage magicians, or Aladdin's "Open Sesame!", the informing principle is
the same. Of course, the accomplishment of one's goals is never quite that
easy or predictable. Nevertheless, there is a grain of truth in this legendary
prototype: using words correctly and with full cognizance of their meaning is
a magical power of the first order. It's a skill that too few magicians attempt
to master, perhaps because it seems less glamorous and romantic than other
branches of the Black Art. An astounding measure of human perception and
creation of reality is composed of the weaving and manipulation of the