The Eleven Steps of Magic

~THE METHOD OF MAGIC~

The use of Capital Letters corresponds to the author's style.

From the Initiationof History, mankind passes down a Legacy that Teaches that it is possible to use Subtle Forces which help Man in his Life. That same Legacy, unmistakably, has also shown that a deep Change is produced in those Who take the Path that leads them to reach such Forces. In fact, He Who takes these Steps, has been given the mythical names of Hero, Shaman, Witch... and Magician.

What are these mysterious Forces that the Magician (Hero, Shaman, Witch) summons? Why do these Subtle Forces sometimes turn up as the most powerful Ally, while other times they present as the worst enemies? Is it possible to work with those Invisible and Subtle Phenomena with the same certainty as the modern man has learnt to work with the Visible and Manifest Phenomena?

These were the Questions which, almost thirty years ago, Started Our Journey. A Journey that would embark us on more than a Hundred Journeys, and which led us to the so called Iniciatic Cultures on the Planet ... to meet Those whom we were not even certain that Existed: Those Who are literally since ever Pointed out as The Ones who Know the Magic ... and who nowadays are named as The Guardians of The Wisdom.

Something in common threads with Gold Strings all what in those different cultures presents itself as Magic. As if an identical original Teaching should have been spread as Fundamental Paradigm for Humanity. In what we nowadays see as different cultures and religions ... all of them had learnt to follow the same Map.

A Map... that takes to the Most Elevated, Powerful and Sacred of the Human Being.

A Map ... that Transcends the human being, unifying him with His Divine Forces.

A Map... of Eleven Steps.

STEP I:

~The Chaos of THE IDEA~

Explanation: Where does an Idea come from?

Although what will be obtained in the Journey of the Eleven Steps is infinitely superior to any previous yearn for Result, the Method of the Magician is resorted to; in the first place, to reach something definite. And any attempt, decision, enterprise or goal to be obtained starts from an Idea. Three elements gather in That which we commonly call Idea: A Thing, An Image (or Form) and A Definition. The tendency, as natural as automatic ... and deceitful, is to believe that the Thing we want to achieve behind the Image or Form is clear, and that the Definition will not change much what we shall get, whichever words we use to define That.

If you take the Path whose Journey imposes the tremendous job of having to learn to order* all what turns up in the mind, in accordance with A Method ... you'll have the Divine Opportunity to Walk along the Path that, in every Biblical Myth and Teachings, has been Walked by "That" which we call God: a Path that brings Order where first Chaos had to be detected and acknowledged

APPLICATION:

It is only a question of Ordering the Chaos of the Universe to Iniciate The Magic of Cosmos. Yet, as with every Order ... a Method is needed to achieve it.

Let's consider any thing we would like to Achieve in our lives ...

If we have thought about a girlfriend, a family, or a god job, or health... it is quite easy to Imagine a beautiful young girl, a scene of parents and children sitting around the fireplace, a comfortable office with us inside, or seeing us jogging in a park.

But all this ... is not more than the Image, the Form** of the Thing. If we want to move towards the achievement of that Thing in the world, we must go beyond the Image. And for That, we must make use of language, by whatever means.

Without Defining what we want, that will never become more than a simple Idea, limited only to inhabit and exist in our thoughts. And whenever we want to go beyond the Idea... we shall discover that a real gap opens up when trying to get through the Image and Define it by putting it into Words which will let that Idea get out of our minds and materialize as a Thing that inhabits and has its place in the world.

What is it that Defines that Thing in itself? What defines that that young girl be my girlfriend? What does a family consist of? When is a job a good one? We shall see then that what we supposed was mere anecdote and less important will become imperious: The Word; because we need to Define the Thing behind the Image. This is how the Universe works, in any order.

Everything Starts by the Word, even if it must be said by means of gestures or by any other means and any language to be required.

If we look further ahead, we shall see that... even God is no exception to the Method to reach what He wants to reach. Having the power He has, to start the Universe moving towards the Thing He wished for ...He had to Name That which He wanted to Create; "Shall there be Light," "Shall there be Day," and "Shall there be..." any Thing He had the Idea to "find " in the Universe.

*Please note that in Spanish "Order" refers both to give an order and also put in order.

** Please note that in English there could be many words describing "Form" and the meaning it's still the same. I.E. way, manner, shape, form, etc.

STEP II:

~The Order of The Word~

EXPLANATION: What happens when we speak?

Every Teaching of Magic from the East, Middle East, and Indigenous ... all of them, Teach a respect for The Word that can only be compared to the Respect for The Divine. The Idea of the thing is a shadow, whose Light is in the Language*, in "The Verb", in the Word. Thoughts are the projection of the Word.

That is to say, concretely and surprisingly: we are not aware of the thoughts that inhabit in us until we name them. What means that if we name something different from what our Idea intended us to say, "That named"... is what is really in our minds and trying to materialize in the world.

The consequences will not delay to reveal themselves, because discovering that the Word goes in a different direction from the Idea, is discovering that our forces have dramatically divided: while with one part of our self we are trying to Create something, our mind is trying to create something else, which may be different or opposite to what we want to create. We start to speak... and under a totally occult Order (which at first seems complete Chaos), mistakes or temporary forgettings take place, which are not related at all to the Image we would like to refer to.

APPLICATION

Buda is represented with huge Ears. The Inca Chief was named "The Big-Eared" Lao Tse was known as "Big Ears." Why? Because Listening is That which in all the Teachings from the Origin of Humanity is settled as the Threshold of the Occult Knowledge. Listening to "What" we are in fact Saying in what we are Ordering, without letting ourselves become trapped by the "Idea" of what we "want to say". Some examples,

"I'm going to look for a job",

What Instruction am I giving to the Universe? To "Order" each of my days so that I do not Find a job... but I simply keep looking for it.

"I want to find a good husband",

The only way in which my Order can be fulfilled... is bringing me men who are already married, that is to say, "husbands," and, what is worse (according to the Instructions I have given) are "good husbands", and ,therefore, will never pay attention to any other woman who is not their wives. That is, I Order the Universe to bring me men who will never take care of me.

"I wish my father stopped yelling at me",

I Order the Universe that my father yells at me every day..., the only Way by which he can "stop yelling at me". As long as I do not order that "he does not yell at me, but he stops doing so, first he has to yell at me."

"I want to lose weight",

Instruction which Orders my body and my entire Universe to put on weight continuously ..., which is the logical, inevitable and necessary requirement to then lose weight, which has nothing to do with "I wish to be slim".

"I want to get healed"

In the same way, "Wishing to get healed" is not the same as Wishing "to be healthy", and organizes a Universe where getting ill is the only way of "getting healed."

* Note that here the author uses the Spanish word "Lengua" that both means "tongue" and "language".

STEP III

The Danger of The Form¹

EXPLANATION How do I do it?

As far as it is understood that the Universe has always fulfilled each one of our Orders, and that what was simply missing was that Somebody would become aware of it ... our whole personal history will be pierced with questions which vertiginously will be giving birth to one first Question, base to all the others; Who has directed my life, if I haven't directed it myself? This is another way of asking oneself: Who am I?

Meanwhile, on the other end of that same axis: when discovering that we have always got what we have Invoked² we start to Discover³ that an authentic, efficient, surprising and very powerful Magician has always been working inside us. A Magician who always obtains what we ourselves order him to do without the slightest necessity that we know The Way to obtain it.

APPLICATION:

Automatically the first thing anybody asks when they want to face a challenge, is...How do I do it? With which ... they have fallen into the trap: starting from the Form!

Had it been necessary to tell the Universe the Form, the "How" to carry out what we had Invoked when What we Ordered was lost ...? Not at all, we just gave the instruction about What to do ... and the Universe found How, that is, the Way to do it. Then, whenever we want to start by the How, or we stop because" we cannot find the Way (Form, How)" to do it ... we are simply going against the Method of The Universe.

Therefore, if it is not related to How, What is it about? Here again, just Listen to the question to reveal the answer. "What is it about?" or what is the same: it is about "what." When thanks to Listen to "What" I am really "Invoking" , I make sure that that Order given to the Universe Ordered the chaos, then, the moment simply arrived of getting yourself into action: now we have to Direct towards That ... without the need to know How to do it!

The only How the Magician is interested in is not outside but inside: How he Feels as regards the Thing he Invokes. For the Universe to get into Action bringing to me what I command I need The Command is not divided as regards the Idea and that my feelings are not split concerning what I Order. That is what Step 3 provides me with. It frees me from having to Find the Form to do ... and focuses entirely on the way I feel.

If my Emotions are Divided (insecurity, guilt, shame, or any other Emotion that is not Aligned with my Result) my Universe will divide its Movement. The Universe just needs me to Command the What... and that I polarize it by Directing myself continuously and non-negotiable towards That, feeling that the Realization of what I want is invariably... Then ... it will happen.

How? Simply by that Factor by which all Initiates, Cultures, and Teachings in the history of humanity had and has to take care of: Chance. As soon as the How appears, the Form, the way..., That will be seen as A Stroke of Luck. The Factor of "Luck"... Occulted in the Ring⁴ with which The Initiates identified themselves, as the Initiate is who Orders Luck.

STEP IV

~The Oracle of The Thing~

EXPLANATION: Am I moving towards The Thing?

If we have not justified ourselves to stop in the darkness because of not knowing the Form Way to keep moving... we will now be at dawn of a new day; and the Thing we want, will start making itself visible.

Being aware that the Thing will present itself by pure Chance ...is literally being aware of the world and to each point the world presents to us. Sparklingly, the most common routine day turns into the most thrilling adventure when we reach this Step in which we know that whatever takes place along the day (even and very especially at night, in Dreams) may be framed with the Thing we are reaching out for.

APPLICATION:

Having reached this Step, day by day we learn to more easily and quickly recognize, in the Thing that presents itself to us, the seeds of what we are Invoking ... therefore, in that same act, and that same time, we learn to recognize if what we are Invoking is the Thing we want... or if, conversely, we have fooled ourselves with the Idea that we are heading towards That, while in fact Where we are going is towards another Thing.

Now, whether the Thing has given Signals of diversion (e.g. I choose the wrong ad when I am looking for a job) as well as if the Thing that appeared has given harmonious Signs with what I wish, but then moves away when I want to concrete it, then ... more Magic is necessary.

I must Listen... because the same Invocation that Casualizes⁵ the advance Casualizes the halting. Listening, I will uncover, perhaps, that the Order I am giving to the Universe... makes the mistake of not giving a time limit for the realization of The Thing I want. "To find a job" Orders only that. And the Universe will be fulfilling perfectly and "neatly" my Word, whether I find my job now... or within ten years!

The Signals of the Thing that start to "materialize" direct us as if they were real Lighthouses along our Journey, and they will also reveal that the Journey we are starting is not only towards a Result... but to a New Life in a New Universe. That Same Thing is, externally, Showing to the inside... which is Form from Where those Steps originate.

However, such as in the external these Signals show us clues that are conditioning this particular Result that now we want to reach, the Hidden clues that from the internal world that same Thing Points at... shall condition not only this Result but our whole life.

He Who hypothetically experiences that he does not make true the job he has already "learnt to find", will find out that along his life, in every "area", "that" same thing tries to settle: each step makes itself more and more difficult until finally he gets used to not Concreting most of the Things he opens.

This Step is Teaching us then one of the Tricks we will mostly learn to take as an Ally in the Path of Magic: Reading the external as a mirror of the internal. A Symmetry that revolutionizes all our life... and dissolves the illusionary division between the inside and the outside.

Reading the external Thing as a Sign of the interior is the same function and dimension that an Oracle has: The Tarot, Milenramas stalkes or small Stones ...are Signs that reveal aspects of myself that were hidden, and which are deciding my future and conditioning my destiny.

BIPHASIC ONSET...AND THE SPHYNX

We have reached the central and most decisive moment in The Path of Magic.

On how much the first Four Steps have been respected, will the quality depend, precision and potential of the Magic that is detonated.

However, any action is opposed to a reaction. Then, the greater the impulse achieved, inevitably, the greater the "something" that will show up trying to invalidate it so as to re-establish the equilibrium. That "something" is the Ancient and Mythological Sphinx.

In much the very same way in which, mythologically, this Character is made up of a collage of all the feared figures in each culture in which she presents herself, The Sphinx who turns up in the Path of the Magician whenever he takes a Step towards Magic...will be a résumé of all "that" he has feared, what has made him fall into traps, what has made him become more insecure and what has managed to weaken him.

All the diversity of Sphinxes feared in myths can be comprised in the same three costumes. Knowing them is Knowing Then the Logic of The Sphinx.

When the Biphasic Onset has been carried out, Something decisive has been learnt by who wants to be a Magician: if my change in the position From Where I was starting the Journey, helped me to leave behind what seemed to stop me... then, never again, the obstacle which would have the power to stop me or divert me would come from outside.. If I stop in front of "that", it is because from "inside" I am "Ordering" my Universe to present the obstacle as unsolvable. To Become conscious of this reality, is to become conscious of one of the three disguises the Sphinx makes use of: if I know that nothing coming from the outside can stop me... whenever I allow myself to engage a combat outwards I would be falling into the claws of a deviation.

Now, if the Sphinx cannot stop the Magician because he does not fall into the trap of believing that the obstacle is outside, but the Magician still does not see Signs that he is close to the Result he wants....Logically, The Sphinx will try to persuade him that if he has not yet achieved What he wishes, it is because it is not the moment to do so, and therefore,... he just has to wait. If the combat towards the outside tries to stop him by an active and aggressive way, the trap of waiting intends the same yet by a passive means, if the point is to wait for the Thing to come... That is outside.

When the Magician accedes to a Reality where he has deeply learnt that neither the obstacle nor the arrival of what he wants is outside... but he still has not got That...

The Sphinx still has one more resource, to convince him that if doing whatever he does he still cannot get what he wants, That is not for him, and he is justified to stop his search towards That.

Be it Christ in the Desert, be it Buddha under the Wisdom Tree, or be it every Initiate in every culture and every myth in the history of Humanity, all of them show that they have had to combat the Sphinx in her three forms. But they do also show that if they did not stop before her three disguises, they were more strengthened after each Combat... that nothing else could even separate them from their innermost certainty that the Power of the Universe is in Each One who never accepts to place the Power outside.

STEP V

~The Magic of The Combat~

EXPLANATION: Am I progressing?

Each thing which we have learnt thanks to the Sphinx warns us and allows us to clearly see what to do whether the Thing gives unharmonious Signals or no Signals of The Thing. In both cases, we will know that if we are not closer to what we want, it is simply because we are heading towards somewhere else, and the Universe polarizes towards what we Invoke with our Word, not towards where we have the Idea that we are directing that Universe. And if we have reached so far, we also know that it is the Listening that will allow us to reveal our deviation and redirect our steps.

We will also know Something still much more valuable: all what we will unveil of our deviation is to Continue Progressing towards our Result. There is no other possible decision for he Who Goes towards Magic. And such inner Combat towards the only possible decision for a Magician... must also be carried out even when the first Signals of The Thing appear and are in perfect harmony with what I want.

APPLICATION

If I want to find a job, and the one I have found is not yet the one I want, but makes me feel secure that I am employed and have a salary at the end of the month... I am before a situation that means a serious commitment with my Ethic.

In fact, to arrive at this situation in which I must take a very serious Decision, I must (probably without realizing) already have taken two other decisions.

The first is when I have decided to go on all the same even seeing no Signals of The Thing.

The second is when I have decided whether such Signal is in harmony or not with what I want; which requires a non-negotiable Ethic of no self-deception.

Yet, the third one will force me to a higher level of demand, whose consequences will not be borne solely and specifically on achieving or not the Result that interests me... but it will also leave myself in a position on which absolutely everything in my Life will depend.

All Sphinx are embodied around us when we are before this Step: very "logical" reasoning, common sense, fears, threats, anger. As we are facing where a Moment when everything is at stake in Our Lives, everything will count for the Sphinx.

What truly and deeply is at stake in this Step is... if our Wish to reach the Destiny we want is so Great that we shall not content ourselves with the little "islands"(Signals of the Thing) which present themselves in the Journey towards That... and which look like Paradise compared to the perspective of going on sailing in an open Ocean.

Finally, if the Destiny towards which I am Going is that of becoming a Magician ... what is being tested here is if I am as reliable as for The Universe to detonate True Magic. Not to negotiate the Non-negotiable must be learnt. Exactly That is what this Step Teaches. And the non-negotiable is that The Answer, no matter what happens or does not happen...is to Keep on Moving towards what is Wished for.

STEP VI

~The Magic of THE ENERGY~

EXPLANATION: What happens with my Energy?

The Psychic directs The Energetic and The Energetic directs The Physic.

That is the order of Inter-determination of the three Levels, such as it is taught by the Paradigm of Magic, from the most Subtle to the most Dense. For That, it is infinitely more Effective to work from the Subtle, as That is what will move all The Dense.

The Energy moves the Physic, but that Energy is directed From a Subtler place still, which wishes, decides, and...Commands: "That" is The Psychic. And within that Subtle field of the Psychic, the Subtlest of the Subtlest is... the Word. That is the Subtlest point from where the Universe can be moved; which includes ... learning to move Our Energy. For That, in This Step, the Magician learns the Secrets of the most Powerful Energetic Techniques of the Planet. Those which The Guardians of Wisdom applied on their environment and on themselves, precisely, to maintain and make That wisdom grow through the millennia.

APPLICATION

Obviously, it completely transcends the possibilities of a means like this to try to develop such Secret Techniques, which The Teachers only Teach with the Deepest Care and with the Strictest Selection Criteria.

For that, it is necessary to clarify and remember very explicitly two points:

First, that anyway, The Energy is a Secondary Stage, which is only useful to Expand and Accelerate what is Commanded from The Psyche. And immediately, the Energy streamlines what we have started from the Psyche. And from the dynamics of Energy (not from its handling) - we can certainly talk here.

To see the Factor with which to boost The Energy dynamics in our Universe ... it is only necessary to look at Everyday Life through the eyes of the Magician.

Somebody feels without strength, absolutely depressed because he cannot find what he wants in life. Suddenly, the miracle takes place. The telephone rings and he is told that he has been given the employment, for example. He jumps out of bed, runs around the house, rushes to bathe and gives everybody a call to tell them the news. The Explosion of Energy is evident. But, did anything vary in the dense, in the Physic? Nothing, absolutely nothing: he still has not received his first payment. However..., His Energy, has immediately turned brilliant. Why? Simply and specifically because Something changed in His Psyche. The Psyche directed The Energetic, which then directed The Physic.

Exactly That same explosion of Energy is what happens with He Who reaches this Step in His Journey of Magic. Along with what each section has revealed, he has become aware of Something else: we are discovering ourselves in touch with a Universal Framework that connects everything and connects us with All. A State of Alert expands our consciousness, making us deal with issues of daily life which before we went past( ie, they were hidden to us) and, therefore, the Universe begins to Uncover for us. And That... activates our Energy and fills us of Brightness each time we remember it.

STEP VII

~The Magic of CHANCE~

EXPLANATION: Do I Have enough Magic?

An incomparable growth and materialization begins to be experienced by more and more Coincidences. Having reached this Step, the Magic produced will bring "Something" by chance- not only Signs or Means - that will bring us closer and, much more powerfully, push us towards the Result we wish for.

And along with the Chances, if that Magic which the Magician is now able to detonate is still not enough to achieve -in the remaining Steps to be followed- to achieve the Result he Commands... the Universe will also send to him (of course through Its Ally, Casualty) the necessary System for That. A System is an involution that will appear if necessary, by the level of Performance required, to increase the Power and the Effectiveness of Magic. Such a System can occur in this Step or in Step IX; because sometimes in the last stage before the arrival is when the greatest efforts are required.

APPLICATION

I Ching, Kybalion, Pyramids, Feng Shui, Kabalah, Astrology, Numerology, Dancing, Inciences, Wu Wei, Tantra, Marcial Arts, Yoga... and a long list of etceteras. They are all Systems of Magic; each one ddisplaying all Its Power in some area. Systems which can be very useful when one is in the condition of using them ... but a real chaos if from them we want to access to the Use of the Occult Forces of the Universe: because without a Method, all these possibilities will quickly turn into a state of loss which shall keep us bouncing among them such as the snobs of the "new age" in fashion.

In the same way that it would be ridiculous to believe that a CD with the precise data of astrological constellations can function and be useful to something without the Computer, it is qualy ridiculous, ignorant and absurd to try to use Systems of Magic without Its Method. Without a "Computer" that directs among all "that," the result obtained will be a progressive loss which- at most and the best of cases - produces specialists in studying branches of a Tree... without ever knowing that the Tree exists.

Each of the Systems which Magic makes use of, were not born to be as an end in itself..., but to do Magic. So, if you do not get caught by the mermaid's song and continue going to your Result, the Magician will grow and increasingly develop through these "systematically" and "methodically" bigger and more powerful features of Magic.

So, the more the Magician Travels the higher is what he is intended to achieve, more of the Universe shall uncover to Him and more Magic is available ... reaching levels in which the System that he needs cannot even be "learnt" but will only require to be detonated and developed: we are referring to the Potentials which hitherto remained hidden. Telepathy, Clairvoyance, Astral Travel, Expanded Conscience, Lucid Dream, or any other Potential System by which my Psychics requires to achieve what I Order to my Universe, are then present, being detonated with spontaneity

STEP VIII

~The Magic of NEGOTIATION~

EXPLANATION: What do I do with what the others want?

It makes no sense going to the ends of the Universe to Invoke what is necessary for a Result while ignoring what of every day may lead to That.. It is in the daily framework where I must interweave, profit, defend and expand what I have got through the Universal Network. True Challenge ...because it is in everyday life where the Brightness is dramatically resigned.

Before venturing into such a specific application of the Method of the Magician to the Negotiations..., Something literally fundamental should be taken into count: a fourfold Ethics premise which must never be ignored in a Negotiation, because by doing so any chance of Magic would hopelessly be hindered.

In the First Place, it is decisive to remember that the aim never tries to change the Other. That respect for the Other, is not only but the outwards reflection of an even deeper respect for this: The Respect for Myself and what I wish to achieve.

The Second Ethical Premise: whatever happens, whether the Negotiation is "won" or "lost", continuing to move forward to the desired Result. That is not negotiable.

The Third Ethical Premise is that my Result never depends on whom is in front of me in the Negotiation. Never mind how powerful it seems to me, how conditioning I may think it is for what I wish to achieve ...Magic can do more.

The Fourth Ethical Premise is: lying is a wrong method. Being willing to lie is the demonstration that "pleasing" the Other became more important than what I offer ... and than myself. In such conditions, both my product and I become disposable.

APPLICATION

When two people "interact" in a negotiation, around a Thing there is a Chaos of Ideas that develop, around which both parties only manage to make some Image... and, thus, the Negotiation will be led by he who manages to Listen to that Idea which, hidden behind that Image, uncovers what is really the Thing to be achieved.

One example; someone goes to an interview in response to a requirement for staff to take care of children at a home.. With the Listening, it is detected, for example, that the mother of the children to be looked after, feels underestimated and that the hidden Idea behind the Thing she Imagines she is looking for...is that she expects some recognition from her husband. Unhidden "that"..., I have located From Where to direct my Words. If the job applicant uses Words such as, "The people where I work are always very pleased with me", will be disqualified immediately. But, he who, instead, speaks with utterances that-without lying- points at investing the offered services with factors such as "the husbands of the ladies who hire me often congratulates their wives for the selection they have made"... will have the whole Universe of the selection polarized and Casualized on their side.

If what I say to offer my product is limited to the Ideas that come to my mind, I will obtain a Universe of chaos. Instead, if I base onthe Listening to the Words I use to make my offer, and with what I have Listened to I invest and cover my Differential Factor (what is different in my offer), I "Order" a harmonic Universe.

If this step is Key... it is because, after the Negotiation, The internal and The interpersonal definitely increased their convergence and have become Polarized into what we want. This is equivalent to being on the threshold of achieving The Realization of the Great Achievement.

STEP IX

~The Magic of CONCRETION~

EXPLANATION: Am I ready to achieve That which I Want so much?

We have before us the final stretch of the Journey which leads us to Our Result.

Therefore, it is time for a Final Exam. Just like when we are very close to passing a year in the school system, we must test What we have Learnt along the whole Journey. Only then we shall be at the height of the Great Realization.

APPLICATION

The whole Journey has Taught us Secrets of the Universe which were absolutely Hidden to us. If we have managed to get here, it is because many obstacles have been overcome. And if we have learnt to "overcome" so many obstacles which before would have stopped or deviated us... we shalll not have any trouble in facing them one and all again. Not stopping nor wandering away... but simply Going On, will be our confirmation that when "that" shows up, it has no longer any power over us. Therefore, in this Step, all the Sphinxes will come out to meet us again. One after the other, the obstacles we had had to face and overcome will show up on our way again... but now the great difference is that the Challenge... is to ignore them.

If we have the Idea that we are sure we have defeated them, but when they turn up again we must engage in combat... then we are not so sure and consequently it is not so clear that we have really defeated them. In this case, we shall bounce over and over against "that" until we free ourselves of the need to face it. But, if when the same obstacle which just a "few Steps" behind dominated, deviated or stopped us shows up, we simply go on walking... then yes! We have Defeated it because we have freed ourselves from that.

Close to the summit is where most distractions, desertions, misfortunes, and accidents happen. Why? For the same reason that that is the most dangerous risk in this Step:

what we have already faced and defeated while we were heading to our "Promised Land"... will not necessarily turn up with the Image by which we know it, nor associated directly in its Form concerning That that we want to reach..., it may present itself in any other Form and, especially, in any other area of our lives, not where we were expecting it. And most probably, where we least expect it, where we least supposed it would turn up, and where we least like it to find it. What is evaluated is whether we have actually leaked that obstacle in our lives, and not if we only can stop before "that" in any area it may show up.

STEP X

~The Magic of MAGIC~

EXPLANATION: What Did I Do to Reach the Finish Line?

The Journey reaches its Destination. The Forces have Assisted me. Now the Universe knows it can Count on Me. Ethically and Non-negotiably: I Do what I Say, and nothing manages to deviate me from That. Hence, The Universal Forces can bear in mind that I shall do as I say... and Assist me to accomplish it. The Journey reaches Its Destiny... but not Its End: Reaching the Promised Land is not a synonymous of having Conquered it.

When the Journey at last got to its Destination..., Step X just Initiates. To disembark in the port that seemed impossible to reach... but be defeated or unaccepted as soon as we take a few steps in the New Land, make having reached that place meaningless.

APPLICATION

There are more than enough exponents of people who being on the summit of their great achievement suddenly get ill, have an accident, tragically turn to addictions or simply make a mistake in their decisions what then becomes the loss of all what they have reached. What went wrong? Well, we have reached a Destination thanks to all we managed to filter. What happens with what was not filtered? All "that" which stayed as a contaminated layer, now logically intend to settle in the New Place we managed to get to.

It is he Who arrived at that New Place, who must become the guardian who will not let "that" in, which if it manages to enter, will install the worst of the previous cycle and transform into useless the Journey made. What should be done? Step X offers Its Trick, which will be a Key. The arrival at Destination must never be considered the final chapter of the Play..., but the first chapter of the Following Play.

The I Ching has a proposal for such a situation: "Meditate to anticipate the Misfortune." Meditate. But, in what? Exactly That is what the Method of Magic Teaches in This Step. We shall Listen to ourselves Answering the Three Questions that will enable us to Guard what will and what will not be allowed to enter the New Land we have arrived at.

First Question

From Where have we Achieved it? What have we managed to leak of "that" which, thank to the Journey made, we discovered that we had to filter? Paying Attention to That and making sure that what has been leaked keeps outside, is what will enable us to inhabit the New Land, and keep It "New," independently of how much time goes by.

Second Question From Where have we not succeeded?

What did we see in the Journey that we should have filtered, and have not done yet? The moments when everything was at risk, was it we who Solved it or did we depend on Chance or/and some Travel Companion who solved it again and again for us? All "that" which had already been detected and should have been filtered and has not leaked yet, must be immediately expelled from the New Land. And For That... "Trips" should be made, which can take place in that same New Territory: it is non-negotiable to set new Challenges where the only aim is to secure ourselves that we can Solve what we have left Unsolved.

Third question... And perhaps, the most exciting: What changed of My Reality for having achieved This New Reality?

There is all "that" which, from the old land and along the whole Journey, we considered normal, positive and defendable in ourselves...; all "that" which we did not even suspect we had to filter in us until this New Land begins to show it to us.

And as now The Party is daily... we shall be, perhaps even without realizing it, before The Final and Fundamental Teaching of this Step, which must be born in mind with most respect, and which, if not taken into account will immediately threaten The Achieved Goal and our stay in the Method From Where we reached it:

It is essential, non-negotiable, urgent, and vital...To Learn to Celebrate the Achievement! Every Initiate Culture shows it clearly. The dates dedicated to Rituals of Feast, Enjoy and Thanks are as important and unavoidable as the ones previously dedicated to Offerings, Requests, Work and Invocations. Celebrating so as to regain, and to Invoke New Forces with which to start what By Himself The Magician apprehended is the most Magnificent he can do in and with His Life: His Next Initiate Journey...along The Map of Magic.

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José Luis Parise is an Argentinian researcher, writer and psychoanalyst, author of the book El Otro Camino (The Other Path) among others. He founded the First E.D.I.P.O. School in Latin America, where he integrates Initiatic themes/topics with psychoanalysis. Contact: info@elmetododelamagia.es