Warm Greetings,
Here’s a little something that may interest you. I wrote it in response to what I saw as a confusion of philosophical/new-age/religious concepts these days. It’s written from my point of view as a practicing parapsychologist and ‘graduate’ of a particular school of Metaphysics. It can be found, along with other articles, at my site. I don’t pretend to imagine it’s an answer to anything other than to put forward my point of view.
Article:
This is an outline of the way my first school: the Australian branch of The Brotherhood of Light, also known as The Great White Brotherhood, and as The Hermetic Order of the Brotherhood of Light, delineated areas of Craft practice. This school was finalised in 1992.
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Towards the end of my training in the Brotherhood of Light, along with my named position of Messenger, and my ‘Ascension’ to fully trained independence (I was rigorously tested for that!), my teacher, Eddie Pielke also gave me the title of Keeper of the Flame. So that when the school was finalised, I was the one who held the seed knowledge of the Inner Circle as taught by our branch of the Brotherhood.
Since it’s now under my purview to choose when and where to disseminate this information, I choose to offer this next to you.
Some of you may have heard of a ’secret’ Inner Circle within the structure of the Brotherhood, but may not know what is taught there. I know I’ve spent the last 10 years or so on the internet looking for this information online, and offline in ‘real life’, but so far I haven’t seen or heard it anywhere.
I’ve certainly seen lots of ’spiritual’ and ‘witchy’ and ‘neo-pagan’ information during that time, but it seems either no-one has Inner Circle knowledge – as I understand it – or, if they do they’re not willing, or perhaps not allowed, to offer what they can of it.
So, as I was trained to understand and use Inner Circle information, and as a Third Level practitioner and Initiate (of 22 years) of that Inner Circle, I’m now willing to offer a small insight into those teachings. It won’t be in-depth, because it can’t be in this setting. But it might give you something to chew over for a little while…
It is of the Craft.
First of all, this Inner Circle is not the same as the natural inner circle of any group. Even though these things exist within it, this Inner Circle is not delineated by a depth of comrade-ship or other ‘inner’ knowledge gathered by a core of practitioners.
It is delineated by the kind of information taught within the Circle itself.
Also, although Inner Circle information is usually only taught to Third Level practitioners: those who have crossed the Abyss and returned, this outline does not describe those three Levels of training, which, in my practice, are something like grades starting with the first level and finishing with the third.
This outline is a description of the three main Circles, or areas, of Craft practice as understood by those of the Inner Circle.
These Circles are labelled:
The Outer Circle,
The Middle Circle, and
The Inner Circle.
The Outer Circle:
The Outer Circle is to do with the practice of the personification, and worship of natural events – usually the Sun as ‘God’ or the Moon as ‘Goddess’. This includes all religious ritual where the focus is on an external ‘being’ or ‘god/dess’, or talisman representing such, where the worshippers don’t actively study the ‘natural’ background of their ritual but base their practice on faith, and/or who take their guidance from a Priest-type person who leads them in the ritual.
These practitioners are called “The Followers of Isis” due to the principle they use of following the guidance of the priest-type leaders, and most particularly because of the act of Projected Personification Worship of The Sun, Moon or Stars. The act of religious practice they use is termed “Calling, or Drawing Down the Moon” (also often called Prayer) and is to do with the desire of the practitioner for the chosen deity to ‘bless’ or ’strengthen’ them as a consequence of their various prayers, rituals, or sacrifices – calling on the external personification’s energy to support them.
This is called an ‘Act of Faith’ and is based in either Hope or Fear.
When it is based in Hope, it’s called ‘White’. When it is based in Fear, it’s called ‘Black’. Mixing the two leans towards Black because confusion often arises as an outcome.
Using the Act of Faith principle, Outer Circle practice also includes the Casting of Spells, where an external talisman, ‘deity’ or other such personification is called upon to do the work, but only if what lies behind the natural or psychological aspects of the casting is not understood by the practitioner.
If those aspects are understood then the Spellcraft is of the Middle Circle.
The Outer Circle includes all faith-based religions.
The Middle Circle:
The Middle Circle is mostly an exploration into the understanding of, and interaction with, Natural Events.
The main practice within the Middle Circle is very much to do with transcendence of “Mundane” thought to more “Open Minded” awareness, and, in the deeper (higher) levels of this circle, with the understanding and manipulating of natural energies and events.
Depending on the approach of the practitioner this can include: the sciences – particularly physics and chemistry; psychology and the interaction of the human mind with its surroundings; cooking; farming; sex; medical practice and various other healing arts; mathematics; all art forms which create ’something from nothing’: music, art, dance, writing etc, and; mystical religious studies as undertaken by some priests who lead the various Outer Circle flocks, also Zen Buddhists, Yogis, Shaman, Medicine Men and Women, and Christian and other religious mystics.
Most particularly the Middle Circle involves the study and practice of Astronomy/Astrology, Parapsychology, Metaphysics, Alchemy, and, if the principle behind the ceremony is understood, Ceremonial Magic.
In general it’s these practitioners – Alchemists, Astrologers, Metaphysicists or Parapsychologists, and Ceremonial Magicians (where the magicians understand the principles behind their ceremonies, otherwise they belong to the Outer Circle) – who are usually called “Witches” by outsiders, and by friends on the fringe (those who don’t ‘practice’ but who are interested in visiting), and by some Outer Circle practitioners, who themselves have been called Witch from time to time, and who occasionally even choose that title.
Because it was already reasonably well known within the general community, so learning it didn’t require the joining of any specific groups or Orders, our branch of the Brotherhood didn’t practice Astrology in depth, preferring to concentrate on Parapsychology, Metaphysics, and – because my teacher, Eddie, was a silversmith, and members of the group were variously into science, electronics, art, and music – Alchemy.
However, Astronomy/Astrology is one of the major practices of the Middle Circle because, even though it includes the ‘personification’ of natural events, it involves observing (not ‘worshipping’) the movements of Sun, Moon, Planets and Stars and noticing how celestial events coincide with events on earth, and within human behaviour, and the mapping of these events and behaviours.
Parapsychology is also a major aspect of Middle Circle work. This practice involves understanding the human mind, including how humans think and use their minds to interact with, and sometimes manipulate, their surroundings using thought. It’s known as “That which goes beyond the psychological” and requires a strong understanding of the control of Emotions.
Metaphysics involves the study of natural energies contained within physical events. This study includes physics – particularly the quantum aspects of physics. It overlaps into Parapsychological areas when studying telepathy and other psychic events – inasmuch as telepathy etc is an energy caused by and contained within thought – and the mind.
The mind is where all these things meet. Open it!
Metaphysics also involves understanding phenomena such as time, ghosts, the internal and external ’spiritual’ manifestations of physical and non-physical things, and talking to the ‘other side’. It is known as “That which goes beyond the physical”.
Alchemy is basically the transmutation of ‘One thing to Another”, and can involve anything from working with metals and chemicals, to the use of naturally occurring substances and effecting their change to represent the Transcendence of the Mundane. This Transcendence, along with Parapsychological understanding, teaches some of the wisdom of the Ascended Masters, and is also where today’s science, medical and other healing practices, mathematics, geometry and art can become strongly involved.
While the Middle Circle practice sometimes includes practices – particularly in ritual – of the Outer Circle, the main thrust of the Middle Circle involves all those who practice these various arts and sciences with open-minded interest, and a sense of awe, with a view to moving beyond ‘worship’ based philosophies towards the Great Quest of Self Knowledge: “Know Thyself”.
This is sometimes called “The Great Work”.
While a thorough knowledge of each of these aspects is not required to gain entry to the Inner Circle, it’s essential to have a good understanding of them, and of ALL aspects of one’s Self.
At its core, the Middle Circle, from Second Level onward, teaches of the Law of the Paradox, which opens the door to an understanding of how things “are, yet are not”. Understanding this is the main introduction to Inner Circle work.
The Inner Circle:
The Inner Circle teachings are held as sacrosanct because they involve a deep understanding of the Law of the Paradox, and most particularly an understanding of “Creation and How it Occurs”.
Because these teachings work actively with the Law of the Paradox, they are only suitable for those who have worked extensively with Middle Circle practice, or for those who are capable of extending their minds beyond the limits of “what is already known” without hope or fear, or ‘judgement’, without losing their Balance. It is extremely rare for someone to be given Inner Circle knowledge without the supporting training involved in at least two areas of Middle Circle practice (mine are Parapsychology and Metaphysics), and a deep understanding (without fear) of the Law of the Paradox.
Even though Inner Circle understanding can be learned concurrently with Middle Circle training, achieving this level of understanding requires a specific focus which can take years to attain, and can only be done with the guidance of someone who is already an Inner Circle practitioner.
May your days and nights be blessed
Love
Leonora
http://witchywisdom.com
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Magic is all around us.
It’s time.
Remove superstition from mystery.
Open your mind
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(((Feel))) the Rhythm
