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Longevity/Health, Mysticism and Magic

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Subject: Longevity/Health, Mysticism and Magic (was A Question)
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From: xiwangmu 
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50021112 VII

"Baphomet" :
>I am currently reading through Israel Regardie's books, and have read
>through books on hermetics and other books on magick by some high profile
>and gifted authors. All talk about the things you can do for your health,
>mind and enhancing yourself, but they all die like normal men from normal
>illnesses at normal ages. 

this is not restricted to the Hermetic mages. it also seems to be the
case for mystics the world over -- even those who maintain that they
have created some kind of fabulous "Pill of Immortality" or a "Stone
of the Philosophers" or "Universal Medicine". usually these are 
described as the result of some arduous and sometimes dangerous 
mystical practice and almost all the success stories are to be 
found too far back in time to be confirmed in any reliable way.

being a conservative schooled in materialistic agnosticism, I began 
my studies from a standpoint that I have not seen fit to alter since 
my research took strange courses Newage, Neopagan, neoneo-taoist and 
Hermetic: the stories about immortality and enhanced health due to
mystical practices are speaking only of interior states and their
import to the modern mystic is as regards what their symbolism
implies about the character or quality of the mystic's experience.

>Has anyone used their powers to do anything remarkable with regards 
>to their health and longevity?

from what I can tell, this is the promise of practical endeavours
enshrouded in secrecy, cypher and symbolism explained away by the
devout as a necessary hook to ensnare indisciplined converts to
the Way of the Divine or as some kind of Lost Science only an 
Elite has the privilege to practice properly (usually with 
meager results that have little to do with longevity). 

instead my studies lead me to presume at present that what is being
described with any sincerety by these fantastic accounts is a 
mystical experience in which the world takes on a certain appearance
during life -- life itself opening out or broadening to a kind of
'immortal' expanse, a 'timelessness', or 'eternal quality', while 
the biology of the individual remains largely unchanged. 

the brief glimpses of success toward this end I have found in
applying philosophic and mystical principles and practicing the
rudimentary disciplines I've found consistently valuable give 
me reason to think that my initial supposition may be accurate
and that this is the only real value of mysticism (other than 
social integrity in the form of hip orders and cults).

not only this, some aren't cut out for mysticism (i.e. YMMV).

xiwangmu

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