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One of the long-term aims of the Dark Tradition is to bring to consciousness for the majority the reality of the Force that is Satan. This 'dis-covering' will result in the upward evolutionary surge known as the 'New Aeon'.
A magickal Order, such as the ONA, is only one of several forms by which Satan is presenced - and presenced in the most undiluted of ways, without the obstruction of mortal fears. In one sense, all genuine sinister orders are an invokation to Satan: they constitute in themselves a magickal ritual, with each member understanding the conditions required if the long-term goal of the rite is to be attained. This magickal ritual, being founded upon the uncompromising principles of Nature, contains within it spontaneous or unknown factors which defy the imposition of abstract dogma. By this magickal ritual the unique creativity, the uniqueness of Being possesed by each Adept, is allowed to develope of itself.
But that uniqueness of Being is also the Will of the Cosmos itself, and thus certain types of individual creativity are Life made manifest during its course of Evolution - this is to say, in esoteric terms, that certain types of creativity presence the acausal. In essence, the creativity/magick that marks Adeptship is nurtured and expressed by individual defiance - the uniqueness of Being which is Satan.
Because genuine acts of magick presence the acausal, the relationship of magick with 'the world' can be said to be "wholistic": a relationship where the difference and diversity of Nature and 'forms' exist to enable the spirit (or Being) of the Cosmos to thrive and evolve - ultimately there is nothing which exists external to this continous flow of Change; nothing which can be influenced or changed in isolation. A genuine Adept understands this, and begins to embody in their individual life, this most natural of esoteric paths: the way of empathy. As all genuine sinister magickians are quick to point out, this apprehension currently exists at odds with conventional esotericism. A well-quoted example is the qabalistic approach (as sickeningly influential today as ever) which involves the magickian - or more accurately 'sorcerer' - in viewing the forces of Nature as separate, often barbarous material to be dominated and manipulated for personal ends.
A highly evolved esoteric Order would not be characterised by this 'grimoire' approach, since such an approach lacks a binding purpose, a great and clear vision which would enable members to transcend the personal and become the organic whole of a true magickal order - an order which is the life of the Cosmos manifested in a conscious way, and pertinent to a particular moment in causal time. A profusion of this latter type of magickal Order would be one such result of the New Aeon made manifest.
In other words, what could be described as conventional occultism is that which is swayed by abstract theories over observation and intuition, whilst the genuine Western Way - for which read 'the Septenary System', Traditional Satanism, and so on - is concerned with what actually exists beyond limited personal forms. In real magick, there is an initial attempt to mimic the flow of natural forces, until an integration is achieved and with it, large-scale Willed Change - that is, conscious aeonic evolution. Via this process of magick - still the provence of the select few (Satanists of course!) - the Cosmos can progress to its next stage of existence: to live consciously via its manifestations; to evolve from childhood to adult existence. This is the secret of The
This path of genuine magick does not involve however the slavish following of some 'cosmic doctrine'/mandate, or any other such dogma. It involves the individual in freeing themselves from all influences in order to live, or become, the reality of the forces of Life itself. Thus the purpose of the Seven-Fold Way: to guide its Initiates towards the attainment of self-insight, where the 'personal' exists as a method to express the Cosmos, and not as a hinderence - through projections - of the apprehension of Life as a unified whole. The reality can only ever be experienced anew by each Initiate, since this apprehension of Life is a way of Being, and can only, as yet, be partially described by abstract methods. Thus each new Satanist - and genuine Satanic order - is a new manifestation of the living essence: thus there is Evolution.
A magickal order such as the ONA is not motivated by trends in contemporary thinking, although it may on occassion manipulate 'fashion' to provoke an appropriate outcome. All forms - from magickal systems, to 'Art,' to revolutionary political organisations (etc.) - have a finite life-span, but the criteria by which present-day Occultists judge forms as 'useful' or 'outmoded' is most usually influenced by temporal trends, by the status quo; little though this is consciously recognised.
One type of essential form so judged is the archetype. As discussed in Order MSS relating to Aeonics, the life-span of an archetype is not tied to 'linear time', or effected in any way by fleeting trends in society. At the very least, archetypes die when the civilisation to which they are bound dies - when a new aeon becomes manifest. Thus, they are subject to an aeonic/'alchemical' mode of time rather than the abstracted form by which we tend to live our personal lives, since 'time' is simply a measure of the change of Cosmic matter and energy.
But even on the cusp of a new aeon, an archetype may spawn offspring - or rather, it may continue to change according to its nature and particular mode of time. This occurs when the ethos of one aeon is continued and evolved into the next, as hopefully will occur during the transition from this present Western Aeon to the next 'Galactic' one.
In order to really understand such things as archetypes, one must attain through self-effort, the aforementioned liberation from all contemporary influences - and from those influences which lie outside temporal forms. Most who do not follow the Seven-Fold Way will not achieve those stages beyond 'individuation' because the present concept of 'liberated thinking' or occult understanding is still in itself dictated by the influences that engineer this present society/culture. With regard to implementing the practical, 'magickal' purpose of archetypes, personal 'like' or 'dislike' of one form or another does not necessarily validate or invalidate the reality of that form, and should not provide the basis for making a reasoned judgement of what is, or is not, of aeonic significance (this is particularly true of 'politics' ...).
In general, archetypes exert influence upon the unconscious, with mostly indirect results. However, Satan (or perhaps more accurately Satanas) is a numinous symbol, a living, Earth-based manifestation of the acausal. As such Satan is that force made conscious, and the gateway through which we as sentient Beings become the Will of the Cosmos.
Thus, Satan is the word, "image", vibration, chant and deed of Cosmic
evolution itself. The 'magick' of Satan and the Dark Gods in general are
for us the keys to that Evolution. How present (or past) cultures view
Satan is not entirely relevant, and should not be seriously considered
by those attempting to form a judgement. Again, the reality has to be experienced.
A Sinister organisation [and Satanas is the epitome of the Sinister]
possesses that reality and seeks to increase the Cosmic Tides via its works
in the 'real world'.
Thus, the "chaos" trend of viewing all causal forms as merely means towards the 'Occult' attainment of some 'thing' is mistaken, because in this, a purely causal frame of reference - particularly in terms of 'time' - is used to judge that which actually possesses both causal and acausal components.
Not all forms by their causal nature express limited understanding of acausal forces. While some methods are practical tools by which the individual may attain various magickal levels (as in some Insight Roles), others are those forces made manifest in the causal world: that is, the form so created is not a nexion to channel or presence the essence - it is the very essence itself; the essence evolving as it must evolve in causal time and space. This is so because such manifestations possess the greatest capacity to presence the continuous flow of Change that is Life [and significantly, do not always conform to coventional 'Occult' expectations: they are viewed as 'exoteric']. That some forms may express things that are culturally understood as 'plebian', primitive, or "Old Aeon" is absolutely irrelevant to their capacity to cause aeonic Change. This discernment requires the Satanic qualities of insight, knowledge, intuition and reason.
For those unique individuals whose Destiny is tied to such a form, there is no living of that form while hiding the "esoteric reality", the esoteric wisdom - the occult aspect. There is no clever deceit, no skilled manipulation, because the form created is the reality, is that esoteric wisdom made real and practicalhat . This is the domain of Vindex, that much misunderstood embodiment of creative Change. Vindex does not really need 'the Occult' in conventional terms, to presence, or access the numinous ideals that s/he represents. Such things, in this case, only obscure the essence of Change, of evolution - as they can often distance a person from the creative numen which can and does provoke such an evolution.
Because of the nature of human consciousness, we possess the capability to extend and create symbols and forms (such as language, or more simply sound) which could describe the essence itself. Not all abstract symbols [whether mathematical, magickal or other] need inherently and ultimately obscure the essence; and neither is it in their nature - or in the nature of any form for that matter - to presence the acausal by purely intellectual procedures. In this we need to understand and integrate with existing numinous symbols in order to spawn completely new forms - this initial confrontation and then synthesis of 'opposites' (in terms of the psyche) allows the necessary organic (and latent) relationship to develope between human life and symbols and other forms.
The majority are still swayed by archetypal forces conventionally described as "light" and "dark". That there exists a reality beyond such opposites does not mean that those opposites, for the majority, do not exist. They exist and exert influence until they are confronted and transcended. A magickal Order understands this, and thus seeks to guide its adherents towards the realms 'beyond opposites' via appropriate ordeals/Grade rituals - that is, via the fires of experience. That some (and they are very few) may attain this transcendence does not mean that such archetypes cease to exist for others, or that the realms beyond opposites are any more 'real'. Each realm, from those symbolised by Initiate to Magus, expresses a reality in the process of Evolution, and cannot be accurately comprehended in linear terms. In one practical sense, what is "good" and what is "evil" may be said to exist, since these are the concepts, at this point in time, by which a society views the world - by which life, for the majority, is still influenced. That the definition of moral absolutes may alter over the ages does not itself alter the essence by which they effect the process of human living.
This bifurcation still exists because that is the nature of our species at present, as it has been for centuries, despite the many external changes that have occurred, and despite the intellectual musings of philosophers and occultists alike. This is unlikely to begin to change significantly until the emergence of the next aeon - some four hundred years from now. Thus a rite such as the genuine Black Mass still possesses real magickal purpose for individuals at a certain level of their development, as well as contributing to the necessary, broader aeonic changes. Such a rite accesses Nazarene/Magian energies and then re-directs them in a sinister way - and, as has been stated elsewhere in ONA MSS, the Satanist does not believe in the reality of "God", or the 'divinity' of the Nazarene, only that others so believe. Thus, there is still great relevance in promoting and practising a system of genuine "Black" magick which aims to counter the works of those who promote and practise magick of the "White" variety: in terms of the psyche of the West, a cosmic battle must still be played out if a synthesis is to be achieved by civilisation as a whole. In esoteric terms, this is to say that our civilisation has not as yet evolved to the stage of Adeptship. The goal of the Sinister Initiate is to aid this aeonic synthesis, and the methods by which they achieve this for the majority will differ in many instances from those which enabled this achievement for them as individuals.
In reality, both an esoteric Black and White Order do exist, but the form that is now conventionally understood as "evil" is instead the way that will allow the necessary transition to take place, and thus prevent the stagnation and decay that would result from the triumph of Magian forces [as presenced by the "White" Order]. In the most profound sense therefore, it is the Sinister Path that enshrines 'divinity', little though this would be understood by the majority - but such an understanding by the majority is neither relevant, desirable, nor possible at this time.
In this very real Cosmic battle, Satan does not feature as some Judaeo-Nazarene device to oppress 'the Folk', but as a numinous symbol for our civilisation, of all that defies the counter-evolutionary force of the Magian. What is rarely expressed, however, amidst the rabid cries for a Ragnarok, is that such counter-evolutionary forces are part of the process of Cosmic Change, part of the Wyrd of Western civilisation. For without such opposition there is no real evolution, no Triumph of the Will - and no Life. Thus to oppose such counter-evolutionary forces is to positively aid aeonic evolution and bring the intergration with Nature so often sought by those who follow an Occult way.
As practitioners of magick, we must have the understanding to allow those numinous symbols which presence - or 'order' - the wyrd of the aeon to which we are bound, to evolve unhindered according to their own mode of time; to flow with, and consciously become those forces, rather than aid counter-evolutionary powers by allowing limited personal ideas and projections to dominate.
Real practitioners of Aeonic magick do not project their own understanding onto the society of their time, as they do not seek in their practises to elevate the understanding of their contempories by willful self-expression. Changes in the collective psyche will take much longer than one lifetime, and will instead swell in waves, over Aeons. Thus, a genuine practitioner of Aeonic magick works with the raw materials and possibilities that characterise the society of their time: they do not work beyond practical boundaries. And in this, importantly, an Aeonic magickian is not swayed solely by the desire to witness the fruits of their understanding in their own personal lifetime; they plan for centuries ahead, and embody in their Being the slowness of evolution, the Wisdom of Ages ...
For the Present, we exist in a society characterised by a 'supermarket' approach of choice and consumption, where individuals no longer create history, but look backwards and study, and romanticise - and distort. The realm of the Esoteric is no exception to this, and thus it is vital that we as Occultists, as creative individuals, cease to waste our time delving into the folk-tales and legends of past, dead cultures - this includes those of the Norse, Celtic, Saxon, and whatever else passes for conventional esoteric interest.
Because to derive esoteric inspiration from the dim and distant deeds of an archetype is an utter waste of the magickal opportunity that exists now, with the people who exist now and the potential that they can embody in the future. To create and perform rituals based on a dim and distant fireside tale - or employ the symbolism of a past communal life-style - is a counter-productive [in aeonic terms] indulgence. A 'culture' is, magickally, unimportant. What matters is civilisation - or more precisely, the living, evolving force that moves a civilisation forwards, and which is in itself embodied by that civilisation. In this, the creativity of an associated culture is only of relevance if it presences this living, moving force.
When we enter a place of enigmatic 'historical interest', such as an old settlement or stone circle, we do not need to psychically unravel - or seek to re-enact - the secrets of a past community: we who live now are those secrets, we are that enigma. We must only tap into the genius of our creatvity and flow forwards, leaving the monuments, the ruins - the dead shells - where they belong. If there is a message locked within the unknown dolmen, it is this.
However, to use the form of an ancient or old archetype for the purpose of doing something with that archetype in the world is another matter. But this implies re-presenting such an archetype as the hero of a new mythos - a mythos entirely representational of the current aeonic phase, and by that token one which allows the next phase to be reached.
Thus, a new mythos would feature an established archetype committing great acts of nobility (and great acts of terror), the nature and form of which would inspire and liberate the 'modern masses'. The magick of the archetype would be in its living now in the real world, rather than having existed in some ethereal realm of the past; a past when the manifestation of Human life was, in many respects, very different to today. These differences lie in what is and what is not practically needed in order for the people of modern 'Western' society to feel inspired towards overcoming the problems, self-imposed and otherwise, of their day-to-day existence.
Thus, the deeds of this archetype could be a re-presentation of those acts committed by a real-life, modern day hero (such as a Satanist) - or the creation of a new legend, the practical basis of which has yet to occur, therefore inspiring individuals to bring it to life in the causal world ... The ways and methods of this powerful magickal technique are legion.
And so in this, and in other ONA writings, the practical meaning of Magick is explicated - all that is now required of sinister esoteric Orders and individuals is the Will to make the meaning a reality. Thus, in conclusion, the magickal aims of a genuine sinister organisation should be as follows:
1) To continue to maintain the existing Tradition by diseminating the various teachings and methods [as published in MSS such as Codex Saerus, Naos and others].Though many will dismiss it because they do not have the courage to try, the Way of Satan remains, amidst the myriad of 'paths' the essence of the Great Work. Experto credite.2) To practically aid those 'exoteric' forms which will bring the New Aeon.
3) To extend the Tradition by creating new forms of the sinister. These would include Artistic [musick/images/writing]; 'Magickal' [new ceremonial/hermetic forms]; and practical, numinous ways of living [as in the creation of an esoteric rural community, or communities].
And when the works are complete, a Satanist disappears from sight - toward the next stage, leaving astonishment, disbelief and many questions in their wake. And then the failures begin their campaign, of distortion and lies. Just occassionally, they may hear our laughter.
Copyright, Christos Beest 1998eh