MAGICAL STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS:

SECRETS OF PATHWORKING

by Osborne Phillips

MODULE 1.1

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Copyright © 2002 by Leon Barcynski

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 MSC MODULES

Module 1

Unit 1: Magical States of Consciousness

Unit 2: Pathworking

Module 2

Unit 1: The 32nd Path

Unit 2: The 31st Path

Module 3

Unit 1: The 30th Path

Unit 2: The 29th Path

Module 4

Unit 1: The 28th Path

Unit 2: The 27th Path

Module 5

Unit 1: The 26th Path: initial working

Unit 2: The 24th Path: initial working

Module 6

Unit 1: The 25th Path

Module 7

Unit 1: The 26th Path: normal working

Unit 2: The 24th Path: normal working

Module 8

Unit 1: Magical Powers

Unit 2: Rituals of the Spheres

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 MSC MODULE 1

Unit 1

MAGICAL STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Archetypal sources of power

For millennia it has been recognised that there are an essential seven

archetypal powers to which all that pertains to magical or mystical power,

indeed all that pertains to human life, may be aggregated; adding to these

another three, we have all that pertains to the universe both outer and inner,

both cosmic and microcosmic, as seen by humankind.

These ten archetypal sources of power – which are by no means all the

possible archetypes that may subsist either in the collective Unconscious or in

the Divine Mind -- correspond to the ten Sephiroth, the “spheres” of the Tree

of Life.

The highest Sephirah, Kether, is the primal and unconditioned source

of all the rest. It is the initial point of positive spiritual energy in our universe,

the First Cause, in whatever manner one conceives of it. It is also, to the

individual person, that particular Divine Flame which is at once the source and

centre of one’s being.

Next, and proceeding from this primal Cause, come the two great

spiritual powers designated respectively as the Supernal Father – creative

force in action – and the Supernal Mother – formative force in action, giving

viability to, but also in some manner constricting, the energies of the Father.

To the depths of the psyche, these Supernal Parents are represented by the

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high archetypes of Animus and Anima, lesser images of which are made

manifest to the less profound levels of the personality with whatever cultural or

individual bias and detail may be added.

Thus far the Supernals: they are vital to our understanding and use of

the Tree as a whole, although we do no magical work directly with them. The

Third Sephirah, that of the Supernal Mother, has however another and more

accessible identity as the sphere of Saturn, the highest of the traditional

planetary spheres. The power of the Mother, who is both dark and bright (as

the Qabalists knew long before Freud discovered her ambivalence), is

enthroned as it were behind the figure of Saturn who is ruler alike of primeval

opulence and fecundity and of the barren rocks.

Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Venus, Mercury and Luna: these, the seven

traditional luminaries of astrology, are represented by the third to the ninth

sephirothic spheres. Their Qabalistic characters are not entirely identical with

their astrological influences, although Qabalistic and astrological

understanding can usefully supplement each other.

The tenth and lowest sphere represents this planet Earth, or,

microcosmically, our physical body: in either case it is seen to be the recipient

of the influences of all the other spheres.

To apprehend any of these spheres directly in its spiritual reality is a

work of consummate adepthood: to apprehend the highest of them directly is

to pass beyond the lower worlds of existence into the realm of that pure being

which is a continual state of becoming. Happily, however, there is another way

of proceeding, and it is the way that magical and mystical practices have ever

followed.

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 Each of the Sephiroth has its counterpart within each one of us: and

that counterpart is also a focal point for the power of the Sephirah in question,

just as that very point on a mirror that reflects the light of the sun or of a

powerful lamp will project its heat also. We can, therefore, work with these

counterparts within ourselves – and for greatest effectiveness this working

involves the body as well as the psyche – so as to come at the veritable

powers of the sephirothic archetypes.

To work thus, by image and by enactment, by calling forth within the

self the effect to be produced in the outer worlds – this, from the earliest

traces we can find of humankind, has been the method of priest and of

magician.

The Spheres

Our chief magical concern is with the seven Sephiroth that have been

designated as “planetary”: the third (in its lower aspect) to the ninth. Each of

these is the source to us of a particular type of power, distinct from the others

in character and in purpose. Among them these seven comprise the whole

range of human life: and it is noteworthy in this regard that the astrologers,

exploring the significances of the “new planets” Uranus, Neptune and Pluto,

have found that these can in general terms be regarded as higher octaves of

functions already within the domain of one or other of the traditional seven.

Magical potential and spiritual development

As a mystical or magical aspirant you need to be able, at will, to place

yourself in a state of attunement with each of these seven sephirothic sources

of power: that is to say, you need to be able to induce in yourself the magical

state of consciousness of each. Your first objective in so doing is to receive

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and to familiarise yourself with each, so as to individuate and strengthen the

counterpart of each within the depths of your psyche. Thus you will nourish

and increase your personal magical potential, and at the same time ensure

the balanced progress of your spiritual development. Then, having

strengthened those archetypal counterparts and enhanced your awareness of

them, and having learned to attune yourself readily to the powers of the

spheres, you will be able to draw upon the mighty resources of one or another

of those powers, as may be required whether in magical workings or in daily

life.

There are two great magical methods for achieving these states of

consciousness:

 There is the art of Sphere Working. This consists of techniques of

building up directly, and of magically empowering, the influences of

a particular sphere, whether for the purpose simply of meditating in

it and strengthening oneself thereby, or for the potent performance

within that ambience of some specific working.

 And there is the art of Path Working – the subject of the present

study -- which is concerned with guided meditations upon the Paths

of the Tree of life and entry therefrom into the spheres.

These two magical skills can very effectively be combined, but it is

most desirable that the newcomer to them should acquire proficiency in

Pathworking before any attempt is made in Sphere-working.

Pathworking affords a sure and exact method by which the

consciousness of even the beginner can be safely guided into the true

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experience of sphere after sphere: and it also affords an excellent psychic

toner for all, even for the most experienced student of the practical Qabalah.

For the Paths are designed to lead the person who experiences them

from the sphere at the head of a Path, through a traditional and consecrated

preparatory influence which belongs specifically to that one Path, and thence

into the integrity of the sphere which closes that Path.

The aspirant thus gains the experience of savouring the magical states

of consciousness of the Sephiroth in fully safeguarded conditions: and when

once a sphere has been gained and its particular quality is known, the

aspirant has right of entry to it thereafter by any magical or meditative means.

Experience and attainment

The distinctive feature of each of the Paths of the Tree of Life is the

special influence which is operative upon it, additionally to the influences of

the spheres at its two ends. This special influence upon the Path can be

designated in various ways, each of which opens up a new approach by

which we can understand it. One such designation for each Path is a specific

letter of the Hebrew alphabet, comprising its form and significance, its

numeration, and even a consideration of certain Hebrew words incorporating

it. Another designation is a corresponding planetary influence, zodiacal sign,

or element as the case may be: while yet another is a specific card from the

Major Arcana of the Tarot, again with its own character, significance and

associations. With each Path there are also associated its own colours,

incenses, gemstones, symbolic beasts and plants, through the whole range of

the “Qabalistic Correspondences”.

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 The planetary influence, zodiacal sign or element attributed to a Path is

often the principal factor experienced by the aspirant. The attribution can be at

first sight surprising, but it is never irrational or arbitrary: and it is precisely by

passing through the experience of the attribution that the participant is

conditioned for the transition to the culminating magical state of

consciousness, in a way that could not occur if an attempt were made simply

to transfer the consciousness directly from sphere to sphere.

Some meditative reflection upon the “why” of the conditioning

influences on each Path is likely to afford a deeper insight into the nature of

that Path than can readily be conveyed by the printed word. However, one or

two examples may indicate a fruitful approach to the subject matter.

For instance: the 14th Path, which unites Binah to Chokmah – the

sphere of the Supernal Mother to that of the Supernal Father – carries the

symbol of the planet Venus. The Hebrew letter is Daleth, “the Door”, the Tarot

Arcanum is The Empress. The significance is plainly of love, harmony,

increase, and this is what we might expect. But, in the lower part of the Tree,

what of the 27th Path which similarly unites Hod with Netzach, the sphere of

Mercury with that of Venus, the sphere of Magick with that of Nature? Despite

the greater complexity in this part of the Tree, surely we might expect to find

some almost equally harmonious influence here? But in fact, this 27 th Path

carries the sign of the planet Mars. The Hebrew letter is Peh, representing the

mouth and tongue with a connotation of anger, and the Tarot image is The

Tower Struck by Lightning. What can we learn from this?

The particular virtue of the Tower is that its inmates are thrown clear of

it. An “explosion” takes place whose effects are, ultimately, altogether

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salubrious. Without it, the persons would be trapped in the outward shell of

their situation, confused by material considerations and incapable of attaining

the Venusian peace and harmony of the resolution. From a psychological

viewpoint, it is notable that the persons are flung to safety head downwards.

To emphasise this circumstance, the tower itself is generally shown as being

deprived of its “head”, or crown, by the lightning stroke. The suggestion here

is that the harmony between Hod and Netzach is not effected by the

superficial personality but by the deeper levels. The entrapping tower seems

to be associated with a too fixed, or too materialistic, view of life. The

emotions need to find a voice, in some cases even a voice of anger, to break

the domination of this outer shell.

The attributions of the Paths can also be usefully compared with one

another in relation to the pattern of the Tree. Their positions in relation to each

other are not random, but they form a balanced pattern of a living organism

rather than any mechanical symmetry of human devising. The makers of the

Tree have explored what is, not set forth a simplistic scheme of what by

human standards should be.

Thus, when we compare the attribution of the 31 st Path (from the Earth

Sphere, Malkuth, to Hod, Sphere of Mercury) with that of the 29 th Path (from

Malkuth to Netzach, Sphere of Venus) there may at first be some surprise that

while the one is elemental Fire, the other is not elemental Water but the

watery zodiacal sign of The Fishes. Since Hod is an abode of Science (among

other things) and Netzach an abode of Nature, a reason for the more

“animate” attribution in the approach to the latter sphere easily presents itself.

In each case, however, the Hebrew letter of the Path warns us that in moving

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from everyday consciousness to the mentality of the destination, a progress

has to be made which may seem like a regression.

On the 31st Path we have the letter Shin, “the Tooth”, the Devourer.

The intending scientist and the intending magician alike must put aside that

mundane possessiveness which clings to sentiments and prejudices as well

as to material things: all the emotional and self-indulgent clutter of life is, on

this Path, only food for the hungry tooth of Fire.

On the 29th Path, that of The Fishes, the Hebrew letter is Qoph, “the

Back of the Head”. If one is to be “in the swim” with the forces of Nature, the

austerely purified intellectual force which lifts one towards Hod would be

completely out of place. On this Path one’s progress is characterised by

empathy, sensitivity and anonymity.

When we approach Hod and Netzach respectively from Yesod, the

change in the attribution of the Path in each case is at once intelligible. We

are now setting out not from the Earth Sphere, but from the Sphere of the

Moon, the sphere of imagination, even of fantasy, which rules the astral world.

The approach to Hod is now by the Path, not of Shin but of Resh: not of Fire

but of the Sun. Here we have not simply a passive purification and

reconstitution, but also inspiration and the force of personal creativity.

Similarly, in proceeding to Netzach not from Malkuth but from Yesod, we are

no longer on the Path of Pisces but on that of Aquarius: no longer of passive

immersion in the currents of natural life, but with an implication that we should

take a creative part in the interrelationship thus established.

Two aspects of Pathworking

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 A Path may be considered primarily as the way to the magical state of

consciousness of a sphere. And to enter a sphere – a Sephirah – is to enter a

state of consciousness that enables you to attain specific very wonderful

powers. Upon the Path that carries the influence of that Sephirah you are

likely to experience something of those same powers, but they are not made

available to you as in the sphere itself: for the Sephiroth open up to us

treasuries of archetypal power far beyond our personal resources.

But a Path is a different, adventurous and highly magical state of

consciousness in its own right. And the Paths belong to us in a way that the

Sephiroth never quite do. The archetypal images of the spheres are woven

into the very stuff of our lives, it is true: but the great archetypes, which cast

the shadows which are those images, stand ever beyond the limits of any

individual psyche. The Paths, by contrast, represent an integral part of our

lives, a part of our psyche that may be brought into consciousness and

savoured; a part, too, of that deeper psychic substratum of life forces that

holds all humankind in vital and interactive unity.

These two aspects of Pathworking should never seem to contradict one

another, although for various reasons we have sometimes to emphasise the

one, sometimes the other.

The vital compass

The present study does not cover the full range of the 22 Paths of the

Tree of Life. Intended as it is for practical use, it is concerned with those Paths

upon which the proposed method – that of guided meditation – is of proven,

true and traditional worth in magical practice: that is to say, on that whole

series of Paths, counting down from 32 to 24, which together lead the aspirant

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to the attainment of the magical state of consciousness of the Sun Sphere.

The opening of the consciousness of this sphere marks so salient a point in

the inner development of the individual, that a complete change of approach

in the presentation of materials for the Paths above Tiphareth is customary:

while, however, even mages and mystics of many years’ standing can benefit

from time to time by a “refresher course” in the Paths below Tiphareth, and

can always find further aspects therein for meditation.

“One of the great integrating therapies of work on the Paths consists

in the fact that, moving systematically through the Paths and the Spheres it

gives every overt or hidden component of the psyche its opportunity to speak,

in meditation or, more freely, in dream. But the outward and seemingly

disconnected happenings of life are governed from within more often than is

generally guessed. To gain control of such occurrences, for peace of mind

and serenity of life, is a motive which can particularly commend regular work

and reflection upon the Paths to the Qabalist.”

Entrance to the Magical Qabalah

by Melita Denning and Osborne Phillips

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