Alex

"I" is the self. No matter how many times that "I" is sliced, diced, and made into something seemingly 'new', that tried and true self is still there, under the surface. Even if that self is a complete asshole.

That asshole may be kept at bay, and assuredly so that "I" benefits directly from doing so.

We are constantly externally driven, this drive is represented by the influences we are bombarded with every moment of the day. We take in stimuli and process it internally, and then exude our sense of self because of it.

Consider 'introspect', what is that really? Why do we want what we want? Need what we need? It's all purely selfish but even the 'self' doesn't belong to us wholly until we are able to identify it as uniquely 'me'.

YIPPEEEE ALEX is back!!!!
Missed your postings!!!!

It depends on the individuals journey and what that individual sees and or learnt when looking back to the start of that rabbit hole.

I suppose, its a matter of recognizing when your selfishness is defeating you. Don't allow yourself be beat down by 'societal norms' on the issue of selfishness, just be aware of yourself, and your environment and 'be' in the 'correct' state (see the 8 Fold Path).

VS: In the case of selfishness balanced by unselfishness, how does it balance?

Very carefully! One must make choices and decisions every day that determine that balance my friend. The fact of the matter is, you must always have your own interests at heart, even a little bit in order to survive. At the same time, that's not beneficial to the collective society in which you live which sustains you. Therefore, decisions need to be made!

Those are good documentaries. Down with Monsanto!

Month 2 is up. Check out my blog posts to see the incremental progress!

VS

Keep up the good work Venger.

Alex offers sound advice. I use this approach myself. If you can understand what her concerns are, you can better address them - rather than presenting 'arguments'. If you mean to debate and argue with her, that's not nurturing your relationship. In my opinion.

People change all the time, and when those changes are abrupt it can be disruptive to the 'flow' one has become accustomed to. Communication is key.

Even mainstream religions teach when its appropriate to keep silent, keep still, and when its appropriate to reveal.

Well as a chaos wizard, when to keep silent and when to reveal are open to debate in my case... If I do decide to "let her in", I'm thinking having an internal discussion is warranted as too much too fast is often a bad thing... These hangups about Satan are not settling well, but I will never surrender something that has worked so well for me in the past! To me, Satan is a force that contests the established systems and beliefs (adversarial) and this is the element that that sort of thing is meant for... So with that in mind, I will not falter!

"There is something about you that eludes any categorization" is actually the complaint about me that I hear most often. It annoys me to a point that should not be underestimated.

You should really look into NLP, it may help you in tandem with the Work.

Hmyeah that Nazi stuff.

"Ahhh, yes PSYCHOSIS. Ive actually been diagnosed as a functioning psychotic. * I love that title*"

This doesn't at all surprise me. It's actually pretty common a midst individuals who are recovering from drug addiction (typically, the addiction is as a result of self-medicating a condition), and choosing a particular reality.

It is when a mental health professional tests the subject to determine if he/she can differentiate between the common accepted reality, and the personally created reality that such a diagnosis is handed out.

This is why I say that there is a danger for the Occultist which allows madness to use him, vs. that madness being in use by the occultist.

"Yes, that is correct. Crowley did say through LAM
'divide, add, and multiply..." "

Actually, personal interpretation is valid. What Crowley said, was not to share interpretations for comparison, or else find yours being challenged.

In this case, I don't think this is what Crowley was referring to in Liber AL vel Legis. You may disagree with me.

Great blog post as usual, Alex.

Not only is our intellect or thoughts not us. Our feelings are not us. Our bodies are not us. Our sexual activity is not us. The human machine is comprised of various centers. There are many 'I's living in each center.

I think the higher voice Alex is talking about is Magnetic Center. For those who aren't versed in the Fourth Way, Magnetic Center is a collection of self-aware 'I's that wish to put forth the effort so that higher consciousness is reached.

VS

"Aleister Crowley, to which if a contrast was made, just how much of his experiences were nothing more than drug induced psychosis?"

I would say most of it, but then again drugs/alcohol are often used to induce transcendental states. There is a strong case for Evocations, but it's Crowley so...You just never know. :)

My sister on the phone is recommending that I look at the conflicts and simply try to decide why they exist and in so, rob them of their power... This makes a lot of sense! "We're through the looking glass people..."

Donnie,

It's sound advice. Recognizing the conflict exists is a great tool for self-awareness. Conflict-resolution may be a matter of recognizing your feelings about matters that were out of your hands. The relationship between your mother and father, was their relationship. It's not really something you should confront, it may only increase the conflict.

Place yourself in your father's shoes, with a son confronting you about matters that are not his business. You can certainly have a man-to-man to discuss it, if he's willing, but even then - this doesn't guarantee the conflict in your will be resolved. Your father may not provide you with reasons for his infidelity that you will accept.

Instead, you might just recognize your attachment to the hurt your mother felt, which you then felt. It is that hurt, that you are angry about - and you seek to blame the 'cause'. In your mind, your father may be the cause, but you must also recognize that there may be reasons in which your father felt justified based on his own needs and happiness.

Re-humanize your parents. See them as human beings, rather than the roles they filled in your life (as your parents). This may be a stepping stone to resolving the conflict within you.

There are a number of 'scenarios' in which are based on imaginings and projections, which - may be the very obstacles you must overcome in your Work.

CS

Well that's the thing isn't it? Are these two people self aware or merely machines? I suspect the latter and as such, I feel that the motives become rather obvious... In which case, I can understand the issue at hand... I however, am considering adopting a new strategy for dealing with "the monsters of my past" so to speak. Look for a new personal message from me!

You seem to be having breakthrough after breakthrough, Alex. I'm extremely impressed! Most people can't look this deeply into themselves.

A worthwhile 4th Way technique is to just stop talking. You'll want to talk, but your training tells you not too. Habit versus discipline. This is energy-creating friction.

When deliberately trying to be silent, it forces me to come up with a reason for why I want to say something. Invariably, negative emotions in some capacity is at the root of me running my mouth. By disrupting that pattern I disrupt the state. The spare energy I saved can be used to do something conscious or intentionally... to Will the Work!

VS

@DarkPrism - Glad it's being enjoyed! That's also why I'm enjoying reading different world/reality views and "self-help-ish" books from different authors. I find that sometimes five people can say one thing, and you sort of agree and understand it. Until you find someone with a similar mindset who's essentially saying the exact same thing, but with a slight twist, and it all makes sense.

Clearly our building blocks were roughly the same size and shape, you and I.

@Venger - I think it's because I've been struggling with a lot of specific issues and symptoms that I've been aware of for the past few years. So that now that I'm finding some really good tools to understand them, most notably the Fourth Way paradigm, my realizations are coming quicker because I'm finding the hidden mechanisms behind so much of my frustrations in life.

I agree on the talking. I don't always manage conscious silence, so far, but I do have a habit of just saying things. And it helps to just not say it and play it over in your head, and then you realize that the reason you wanted to say it is usually really unnecessary and mechanical and not having said it is absolutely no loss at all. Other times I give in to the urge and seconds later realize I succeeded in nothing by having done so, except to reinforce my initial counter-impulse to not bother.

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