Selections from the
Flying Rolls
Golden Dawn Instructional Letters
Flying Roll No. I
A Subject for Contemplation
(Dr. Westcott)
To obtain magical power, one must strengthen the will. Let there be no confusion between will and desire. You cannot will too strongly, so do not attempt to will two things at once, and while willing one thing do not desire others.
Example: You may at times have passed a person in the street, and as soon as passed may have felt some attraction, and the will to see him again; turning round (you) may have found that he also turned to you. The will, although untrained, may have alone done this. But if you, untrained, walk out again, and decide to make the experiment of Willing that he who passes you shall turn round, and try it, you will fail. Because the desire of gratifying your curiosity has weakened the force of your will.
Flying Roll No. II (part I)
A Subject for Contemplation
(Dr. Westcott)
Before even strength of will, you will must have purity of body, mind, intellect and of emotion if you hope for magical power. The spiritual powers will flourish only as you starve the animal soul, and the animal soul is largely dependent on the state and treatment of the animal body. The animal man is to be cared for and protected, kept in health and strength, but not petted. Be moderate in all things human. Extreme ascetic habits, are to you here, a source of another danger, they may lead only to a contemplation of your own Heroism, in being abstinent. To be truly ascetic is indeed to submit to discipline and to curb unruly emotions, thoughts and actions. But, who is a slave to his animal soul, will practice vice in a Forest; while he who restrains himself among the crowds of a city, and passes through a busy life unpolluted, shows more resistance and suffers severer discipline, and shall obtain greater reward.
Remarks upon Subject for Contemplation
By V. H. Fra Levavi Oculos
Spiritual power results from the transmutation of the gross animal nature. The various centres of sensation in the human body can be harmonised by the equipose or circulation in the contrary forces of attraction and repulsion -- or, on the other hand, the vehicle of excess. If 'Our God is superlative in His Unity', analogy must follow between the greater and lesser worlds. One of Danton's clairvoyants once described a lake of gold in the centre of the earth, and we have the injunction 'visita interiora terrae, etc.' The primum mobile of even a commonplace vessel is placed in the centre of the ship. Now, the place of power and seat of equipoise is in numbers; the number 5 as has been pointed out: - 1234 5 6789. That is the Sephira Geburah 'Where there is Gold', whose lineal figures traced with the single point uppermost is the most powerful continuous symbol there is.
By the sign of the Microcosm is the symbolized the athanor of the Alchemist - at everybody's hand with out their knowing it. 'A strong and decided will', says Levi, 'can in short space of time arrive at absolute independence'. The condition of equipoise is therefore necessary before the manipulation of the will is even possible; and will is something more than the ascending of our higher desires over the lower, being a kind of electric force, the executive of desire. In this light it is the creative power, which fashions according to the ideal form or subsisting types. It is therefore through the agency of the will that the hidden becomes manifest, whether in the Universe or Man. The student has to learn to arouse those forces within him or her self. This masterly indifference is the great theme of the Bhagavada Gita and the Indian Yogis - in fact both East and West unite in teaching us to preserve that equal mean between two extremes, which is the law of immortality.
Three Suggestions on Will Power By S.S.D.D.
Head 1. In studying the nature of the will force we are aided by our Minutum Mundi scheme. Mars, Geburah, Fire, Aries, each expressive of the will force on different planes, are all red in colour. The Red Lion was used as a symbol by the Alchemists to express the highest powers of the Adept. The whiteness of purity having been attained, the heat must be violently increased, until by the redness of perfection strength manifests itself.
Head 2. Now the danger which attends out labours arises from attempting to exercise this will power, before we have purged ourselves of ignorance and darkness. Until we know we must refrain from doing. This sounds as if the case was pretty hopeless; but we have each in our own persons all the materials for experiment, and as long as we desire light, and do all we know to obtain it, we are not likely to do ourselves permanent harm; but at the same time we cannot be too careful in applying the very superficial magical knowledge we have at present to others, especially to those who are uninitiated. The danger I have found is that though the first step is most difficult, I mean it is extremely difficult to gain control over another's will so as to alter their natural tendencies; yet this is done the force you have set in motion becomes almost uncontrollable, the other individual seems sometimes to only live in your presence, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. This is a noticeable feature in the cases of those who have been cured by faith healers; or professional hypnotists.
Head 3. Having explained these dangers, the method I advise for cultivation of will is, to imagine your head as centre of attraction with thoughts like rays radiating out in a vast globe. To want or desire a thing is the first step in the exercise of Will; get a distinct image of the thing you desire placed, as it were, in your heart, concentrate all your wandering rays of thought upon this image until you feel it to be one glowing scarlet ball of compacted force. Then project this concentrated force on the subject you wish to affect.
Flying Roll No. III
(administrative instructions; obsolete)
Flying Roll No. IV
An Example of Mode of Attaining to Spirit Vision and What was seen by Two Adepti-- S.S.D.D. (Florence Farr) and F. (Fidelis, Elaine Simpson) on Nov 10th 1892
Secure for an hour or for longer absolute freedom from interruption. Then alone, or with one or two other Adepti, enter the vault, or private chamber. Remain in silence and contemplation for several minutes.
Rise, and perform the Qabalistic Cross and prayer. Then proceed to contemplation of some object, say a Tarot Trump: either by placing it before you and gazing at it, until you seem to see into it ; or by placing it against your forehead or elsewhere, and then keeping the eyes closed; in this case you should have given previous study to the Card, as to its symbolism, coloring, analogies, etc.
In either case you should then deeply sink into the abstract ideal of the card; being in entire indifference to your surroundings. If the mind wanders to anything disconnected with the card, no beginner will succeed in seeing anything spiritually.
Consider all the symbolism of the Tarot Card, then all that is implied by its letters, number, and situation, and the paths connected therewith.
The vision may begin by the concentration passing into a state of reverie; or with a distinct sense of change, something allied in sensation to a faint, with a feeling urging you to resist, but if you are highly inspired, fear not, do not resist, let yourself go; and then the vision may pass over you.
If you have anything occur or disturb you, you will come to readily enough-- or as from a doze; otherwise the vision ends of itself, or some can check it by will, at any stage, others can not, at first, at any rate.
Flying Roll No. V
Thoughts on Imagination
By V. H. Frater Resurgam (Dr. Berridge)
The
uninitiated interpret Imagination as something ‘imaginary’
in the popular sense of the word; i.e. something unreal. But
imagination is a reality. When a man imagines he actually creates a
form on the Astral or even on some higher plane; and this form is as
real and objective to intelligent beings on that plane, as our
earthly surroundings are to us. This form, which Imagination creates
may have only a transient existence, productive of no important
results; or it may be vitalised and then used for good or evil. To
practice magic, both the Imagination and the Will must be called into
action, they are co-equal in the work. Nay more, the Imagination must
precede the Will in order to produce the greatest possible
effect.
The Will unaided can send forth a current, and that
current cannot be wholly inoperative; yet its effect is vague and
indefinite, because the Will unaided sends forth nothing but the
current or force. The Imagination unaided can create an image and
this image must have an existence of varying duration; yet it can do
nothing of importance, unless vitalised and directed by the Will.
When, however, the two are conjoined—when the Imagination
creates an image—and the Will directs and uses that image,
marvellous magical effects may be obtained.
The following instances may serve to illustrate the operation of magical projection, which I have practised myself, and partly taught. But here a caution is necessary—though this method became known to me by study and reflection before I was initiated into the G.D., so I only deemed it safe to entrust the process to two others, who I knew could be trusted.
It must never be forgotten that an occult process, which may be used for good may also be used for evil. A black magician possessed of this knowledge might strengthen himself thereby, and protect himself from the danger of the recoil of his own evil actions on the occult plane, and so become energised for further evil. Added to which—one knowledge leads to another, and a single clue may lead to further important discoveries.
The more I reflect on the matter, the more I feel convinced that this knowledge should not pass beyond our Order.
First Illustration
A few years ago, I noticed that invariably after a prolonged interview with a certain person, I felt exhausted. At first, I thought it only the natural result of a long conversation with a prosy, fldgetty, old gentleman; but later it dawned upon me, that being a man of exhausted nervous vitality, he was really preying upon me. I don’t suppose that he was at all externally conscious that he possessed a vampire organisation, for he was a benevolent kind-hearted man, who would have shrunk in horror from such a suggestion. Nevertheless, he was, in his inner personality an intentional vampire, for he acknowledged that he was about to marry a young wife in order, if possible, to recuperate his exhausted system. The next time, therefore, that he was announced, I closed myself to him, before he was admitted. I imagined that I had formed myself a complete investiture of odic fluid, surrounding me on all sides, but not touching me, and impenetrable to any hostile currents. This magical process was immediately and permanently successful—I never had to repeat it.
Second Illustration
A lady, hoping to develop herself spiritually had allowed herself to become passively mediumistic, and her health began to fail. On one occasion, feeling very weak, she asked me to mesmerise her. I availed myself of this opportunity, and while apparently only making mesmeric passes over her I occultly surrounded her with a protective aura as in my own case. The result was successful, she improved in strength, and, as a well-known student of occultism observed to me, ‘she looked more human’; and with all this, her mediumistic experiences ceased. Had she followed my advice, and held herself positive; I believe she would have fully recovered her health and strength; but she again drifted back into her former condition of passive mediumship, her health broke down, and after a lingering illness, she died. I had not been initiated into the G.D. then, or should have afterwards used the Banishing Pentagram for my own protection. About two weeks after, I had a vivid dream that I was endeavouring to evoke an elemental, which attacked me, causing a sudden choking in the throat, and an electric shock in the body. The dream had an astrological meaning; and at the same time I believe it had a physical basis and that same vampirising spirit which had been preying on its victim, determined to attack me, in revenge for having thwarted its designs.
Third Illustration
A lady asked my occult aid against a man whom she often met, whose presence invariably made her exhausted and ill. He had bad health, and I judged it to be another case of vampirising. I obtained a description of this man, but without telling the process, or when I would undertake it. First, I imagined they stood facing each other; then I interposed a shield of defence. I then formed round her a complete investiture of odic fluid I also made the ordinary Invoking Pentagram upon her for protection. The injurious effects which she had formerly experienced never returned and she remained ever completely passive to him.
One further caution may be made in conclusion. While it is always lawful, and often advisable, to consult with some higher Adept before commencing any important magical work; yet, in every other direction, absolute secrecy must be maintained until the work be done. If it be talked about to others it tends to decentralise it, and so dissipate the force, besides running the risk of meeting with inharmonious currents from their minds. If it be mentioned to the one on whose behalf the work is done, it tends to disturb his equilibrium by causing a state of nervous expectancy, which is unfavourable for the reception of the Occult good intended.
Supplementary Remarks
By C. H. Frater N.O.M. (Dr. Westcott)
Imagination must be distinguished from Fancy—from mere roving thoughts, or empty visions: By it we now mean an orderly and intentional mental process, and result. Imagination is the Creative Faculty of the human mind, the plastic energy—the Formative Power. In the language of Esoteric Theosophists, the power of the Imagination to create thought forms is called kriya shakti, that is the mysterious power of thought which enables it to produce external phenomenal, perceptible results by its own inherent energy when fertilised by the Will. It is an ancient Hermetic dogma that any idea can be made to manifest externally if only, by culture, the art of concentration be obtained; just similarly is an external result produced by a current of Will Force. The Qabalah taught that man, by his creative power through Will and Thought, was more Divine than Angels; for he can create—they cannot. He is a step nearer the Demiurgos, the Creative Deity—even now that he is encased in matter—nearer than the Angelic Hosts although each Angel is a Spirit only— and not tainted with matter. Even the orthodox conception of an Angel is that of a being who executes commands and not of one who originates, creates, and acts ‘de novo’ [anew].
Flying Roll No. VI
Concerning Flying Roll No. II
A Note by G. H. Frater D.D.C.F.7 - 7°=4° (S.L. MacGregor Mathers)
With regard to the admirable note by V. H. Soror S.S.D.D. on Will Power and Use—I would suggest that: Before bringing the scarlet ray into such intense action in the Heart, as is explained by her, that the Adept should elevate his thought and idea to the contemplation of the Divine Light in Kether, and considering Kether as the crown of the head, to endeavour to bring a ray from thence, into his heart—his Tiphereth through his path of Gimel and then to send the scarlet ray into action; the effect will be powerful and the process safer: otherwise there is a risk to the heart, and a risk of fever, if it be frequently done.