Protocol for Instruction in Magic, Alchemy and the Occult through the Oral Tradition

Abstract

In the same way as it is impossible to derive experience by simply reading a book, it is equally impossible to obtain that depth knowledge and understanding upon which all success in Magic, Alchemy, and the Occult are founded, if a tutor or mentor is not available. This was recognized millennium ago with the founding of the Egyptian and other Mystery Schools. It must be remembered, that even in those early times, forms of writing existed; writing that enabled the transmission of knowledge through the written word. Yet these schools were founded, since it was understood that the living energy needed to vivify the Teachings could only be obtained by the transmission of this knowledge from the breath of one living being to another. Thus the Oral Tradition in the Secret Arts and Sciences was established, and is carried on to this day.

For it is only through such one-on-one instruction that the individual can consciously and therefore volitionally fully effect their subconscious state of Subjective Synthesis. And it is only through this well-developed and polished unconscious structure that the various interior psychic and spiritual powers can flow unimpeded, in order to effect—and thereby consciously change—not only the interior world of the individual, but their outer world of physical form as well.

Eventually, after serious growth and development is achieved by the individual, their link with their own Holy Guardian Angel (HGA) can then be consciously and purposely made. A link that will take over where the outer Teacher must leave off; a link that will unerringly lead the individual to the Summit of the Magical, Alchemical, or Occult Mountain Top. For the three are not the same, and in the beginning the individual must choose one of these Paths to tread, and in the process, develop themselves accordingly.

Purpose and Intent of Personal Instruction

There are many teachers in the world today. Some hold seminars, form groups, lodges, orders and the like. But the very structure of these organizations makes it virtually impossible for the individual to obtain that one-on-one, consistent tutoring that they need in order to progress. As in ancient times, such targeted attention can only be obtained by having a private Teacher. One who not only builds a personal rapport with the aspirant, but who—because of that personal association—is able to guide the aspirant to the threshold of the HGA.

This is my purpose: to assist those whose inner promptings are for such focused instruction. By necessity and of design, the relationship that develops between the individual and myself will become intense in a psychic and spiritual way: the same way it was between Regardie, Frater Albertus, and myself. This is why sporadic or ‘intermittent’ contact and tutoring is not possible; not if the individual is to make genuine progress, improve their lives immeasurably, and finally arrive at the realm of their HGA. ‘An hour or two a month when I feel like it or have the money’ will not work here. This is the “New Age” mentality, and I will have nothing whatsoever to do with it as you so well know by now. Such casual contact—always taking the form of ‘oh, I have a question here and there’—inevitably leads to more questions, each more confused than the original, incomplete communications as to the nature of the individual’s situation being discussed, an absolute lack of rapport (you can’t get to know someone in an ‘every so often’ fashion), with the Teacher inevitably getting the blame for the individual’s ultimate failure. If this is a disappointment to the reader, then so be it. For the pursuits of Magic, Alchemy, and the Occult are much too serious to be taken lightly and treated in an even lighter vein.

Categories and Conditions of Instruction

Owing to what has just been given above, there are only two possible categories of instruction that I can legitimately offer:

1. Full Time Instruction
2. Part Time Instruction

In 2004 and 2005, I allowed myself to be goaded into offering private instruction ( I had such a service in earlier years.) However this time, the individuals being tutored absolutely insisted on choosing their own number of hours per month due to their financial restraints—in short, they would call whenever they felt like it—and be as ‘loose’ in their questionings as they liked. I thought this more ‘modern’ approach might work. I was dead wrong. No one learned anything. It degraded into a New Age question-and-answer session, people trying to receive more time—at the expense of others—because “…I need your help desperately! I got myself into this trouble with my Magic, I can’t get out of it, but I can’t pay your fee! But you just must help me anyway!” And I went along with all of it for far too long. This is not to mention the promises of being paid later, assurances that the check was in the mail, and attempts to give them more time for their money. I had one student tell me, “I just got back from a 2 week Bermuda vacation! I can’t possibly afford your fees now! How about cutting me a price break, because I have Magic to do!” Imagine that. After four months of this, I cancelled the program, refunded each participant the entire sums of money each paid, and swore it would never happen again. For not only did the above scenario make my private life a living hell, but my scientific research suffered to no end, and many personal projects had to be either shelved or outright scrapped. Such will never happen again.

Now however, my books have taken off, and the need for genuine, consistent instruction in the Magic of the Old System, in Alchemy, and in the Occult, has risen once more. After due consideration and analysis of the past situation and the mistakes I made—and after a barrage of earnest requests from serious students—and after having learned from my own hard, bitter experience—I resurrected an Instructional Program—as offered here—that will work for all concerned, just as it did when I first used it in the late 1980s. It also assures that each individual receives exactly what they need, without taking time away from those others I am mentoring at the same time, and without driving me to the brink of madness.

As you read the “Terms and Conditions of Service” that follow below, you will clearly see that this mentoring protocol has been designed to keep far away all those except the most determined and true of heart. All others will find one reason (excuse) or another to stay away and continue to work on their own, and most of these, to their detriment to which their present circumstances attest. And this is exactly how I want it to be for the sake of all of us concerned in this Program of Instruction.

• The Full Time Program will consist of 4-8 hours of telephone instruction per month (it is impossible to study and practice Magic on a full time basis in less than 1-2 hours per day. Such intense work always generates questions and concerns which must be addressed and answered quickly, lest the individual fall into doubt, extreme confusion, or develop nugatory ritual practice techniques.

• No email will be allowed for discussing any magical matters, except as noted below. This not only complicates and confuses the issues being discussed, but as experience has shown, results in the individual needing more telephone time than would normally be required.

• The Part Time Program will consist of 3-4 hours of instruction per month (the same comments regarding emails above apply here as well.)

• There is only room for a maximum of 8 students (Full Time and Part Time combined.)

• There are no “sign-up” fees.

• There are no “dues.”

• There are no “Oaths” to take or “Allegiances” to swear to. You are your own person at all times and devote yourself and all your Magic, Alchemy, or Occultism to one and one supreme goal only: the Attainment of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel (Attaining to the K&C of the HGA.) And to do so implies that the affairs of your mundane life, e.g., physical, mental, and material, must first be set in order through the proper application of your magical, alchemical, or occult work.

• Whether a Full Time or Part Time participant, you are to feel free to make progress at your own pace. Frater Albertus use to say before each class period, “The longer, the slower, the better!” No one is going to force or demand you do this or that at any given time. The roses of Spring open at their own leisure; in their own good time. If the God of Creation does not force them into blossom, why should anyone—you included—force your own glorious dawning upon the world before your interior nature is ready?

Participant Responsibilities

Those select few who decide to undertake this Program of Instruction will be required to make the following commitments and provide the following written material before we begin the mentoring:

• Make a commitment for at least 3 months of mentoring, whether it be for Full Time or Part Time instruction. If at the end of the 3 month period, if the individual is satisfied with the mentor relationship and the progress they have made, they can then commit for an additional 3-12 months of instruction. Equally, I must be satisfied with the rapport developed between us, and the overall progress made by the individual. I am very serious in this ‘special condition.’

• The fee for any three month (or longer) period does not have to be paid in full, in advance. It can be paid monthly, in advance, each month. Under this scheme, payment for each month’s instruction must be made by the 1^st of each month for that month’s mentoring.

• If an individual defaults during any of the quarters, this is their decision and I will respect it. However, I will not resume work with that person under any circumstances. Progress in anything—and Magic is no exception—requires dedicated study, practice, and guidance. It is not an ‘on-again-off-again’ matter; at least, not as far as I am concerned. If I did not take Magic, Alchemy, and the Occult so seriously, I would not have devoted the past 42 years of my life to it. This is why I take the attitude that I do toward those who say they truly want to learn.

• Individuals who wish to apply for this Program of Instruction must first submit an autobiography of their magical, alchemical, or occult background by email to me at [email protected] . This self-portrait must be written in Microsoft Word and be no longer than 5 pages in length (in this way, your ego will be undercut, allowing the individual to cite and weave the essentials into an ordered whole.) As such, this self-assessment should be clear, concise, and detailed.

For instance, it could contain how the individual was initially attracted to Magic (or to Alchemy or the Occult), what steps they took to educate themselves in the Theory and Practice of Magic (or Alchemy or the Occult), the experiments they conducted, the results of those experiments, the books they studied along the way, and their current view of where they are at in their development: Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced Level. A statement or two as to their satisfaction with their life in general, and what they desire to receive from Magic, would also be most welcome. They must be ruthlessly honest with themselves here: there are far too many who imagine themselves to be at the Intermediate Level but who cannot bring down force from a simple Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram performance, and even more who fancy themselves to be at the Advanced Level, but who cannot evoke a demon to physical manifestation and interact with it on their own terms. In this class, there are even those who believe they are ready for the Abramelin Operation—an absolute exercise in utter disaster for those who have deluded themselves to this point.

I will then study each of these autobiographies very carefully in order to determine which students I think I can benefit. It will be those then, that I select for mentoring.

• Prior to each telephone discussion, the participant must write out their questions/concerns in order to use the discussion time responsibly. These notes should not be extensive, but should allow for threads of discussion with possible variations of a given theme. For instance. One may note: “Discuss Tarot. Which deck is preferred and why. What if I feel drawn toward a certain deck? Is this a legitimate reason to use it? Should I experiment with others? What about card interpretations, both mundane and spiritual? Should I rely on this book or that, or are there others? Do I need to perform a ritual before casting a spread? And if so, which one? If not, why?

A copy of these notes would be sent to me by email before the discussion (I will give those I am working with one of my private email addresses.) I would use them to prepare in advance so as to maximize the participant’s time, while making certain the answers I provide are as complete as possible (You can see how much is involved in serious consulting.)

• Please be aware, that no discussions, questions, or advice concerning New Age books, authors, ideas or their conjectures, will be answered by me. Those who enter into this Program of Instruction will be—by nature of entering into the program—quite astute in these matters, and will certainly be aware of those books and authors that are New Age. Clearly, the bulk of such authors fall into that period from the year 1900 onward, the year the original Golden Dawn Temple in London collapsed. The only exceptions to this period are the works of: A. E. Waite, Israel Regardie (including the Golden Dawn as originally laid down by him) Frater Albertus, Stephen Skinner, Francis King, Donald Tyson’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy and TETRAGRAMMATON, and a few other scattered works, including occult encyclopedias (John Michael Greer) and reference works (David Godwin.) While in fact I hold no special grudges against a number of New Age authors per se, taken as a collective unit, the misinformation and confusion created by many others of the New Age class have skewed the field so badly, as to make it impossible to separate the wheat from the chaff. This is why I rail against it to such an extent.

Fees Schedule

$60 per 30 minute period

$100 per 60 minute period

Methods of Payment

As you are probably aware, since launching the ^8^th Matrix Press website on February 1, 2006, we have made enormous strides quickly, offering many features such as the extensive Author’s Response to Readers’ Questions column, the equally extensive, Magical Thought for the Week column, not to mention trusted Supplier and Publisher lists, links to recommended readings and bibliographic sources from my books, all for our readers convenience. We are now looking into adding a credit card gateway that will allow participants to pay for this consulting service (and later books and special CDs on Magical Instruction) easily and conveniently using Master Card, Visa, Discover, and American Express. Unfortunately, due to government regulations, this takes time, owing to our being a “new business;” a term they now use to designate all new websites that offer services or products. To offset this temporary problem, we can only accept payment made through PayPal, or by US Postal Money Order (an address will be furnished to those choosing this latter method.) If you are going to use PayPal, please contact my webmaster for further details.

In all cases, once payment is received, we will contact you by email in order to set a schedule of time(s) for your instruction. You will also then be given a special telephone number that will enable you to reach me directly, so you can call at the times scheduled for your Oral Tradition instruction.

Please be aware however, that a money order will slow things down since we will have to receive payment before scheduling our Oral Tradition sessions. We apologize for this sincerely, but such is the state of legalities in this day and age.

If you have any further questions regarding this consulting (or actually, Mentoring service) please feel free to contact me. Simply drop a note to me at [email protected] and I will reply from another private email address in order to answer your concerns.

If I sound like a tyrant in laying down these ground rules, all I can say is I know from bitter experience what works and what doesn’t. I have always been honest, direct, and thorough in my books and in helping others through my website. Those same attitudes and determination applies here as well.

Dr. Joseph C. Lisiewski