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Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999], at sacred-texts.com
Footprints in the Chamber - Towards a Quantum Qabbala,
by Fra.: +0-
The Qabbala has through the ages been used as a directory towards
the understanding of the universe and man`s relationship to it.
Since former Aeons of magick have had their perceptions rooted in
the observance of simple cause and effect relationships, the Qabbala
itself, having attained its nascence in the earlier traditions, was
unfortunately bogged down by this limited apprehension of the
universe. Here mathematics as used in a more or less Pythagorean
context provide a sort of key with which to approach the
unfathomable nature of human consciousness.
To this very day there are groups which still adhere to and openly
practice the more traditional ramifications of Qabbalistic
principles which are still firmly rooted in the mire of Nineteenth
Century Newton-sewed-it-all-up-there-are-no-more-mysteries physics.
But of course, owing to the leaps and bounds acquired by a very
unpredictable but consistent quantum model of reality as observed in
our laboratories, this simplistic view is necessarily obsolete. We
no longer live, we have learned (if indeed we ever did) in a simple
cause and effect universe where the source can always be gleaned
from observable effect. For the same reasons, Newtonian-based magic
must give way to a more quantum model. Newton`s apple must now take
into consideration Heisenberg`s Uncertainty Principle. The secret
wisdom must follow suit towards quantumization.
Another unfortunate tendency of some modern practioners of Qabbala
is to continue to regard everything from the standpoint of the
Demiurge, Yahweh, which of course is the basis of the now obsolete
(and dangerous) Judeo-Christian foundation of religious thought
which has held western civilization in its thrall for about two
thousand years. Personally I find it amazing that modern
practioners, who despite no real Semitic disposition still practice
an unmistakably orthodox Jewish mysticism. It was Aleister Crowley,
that great Qabbalistic agent provocateur, who initiated the process
of liberating the Qabbala from its otherwise Judaic orientation.
(This is not anti-semitism but a necessary step towards individual
development. It must also be stated that a Qabbala had been in use
centuries earlier by the Egyptians. The Jews merely adopted it to
their own religious precepts. They didn`t invent it. The actual
origin most likely predates Egyptian history.)
Crowley emphasized that the enlightened magician must, after careful
study and application of his knowledge, develop his own Qabbalistic
framework. By virtue of this the magician has arrived at a more
chaotic paradigm in opposition to a purely empirical view. Crowley,
by adapting the Qabbala to a Thelemic context initiated that first
leap forward into the quantum age. Thus, the foundation for a more
quantum/chaotic system was lain.
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I would like now to redefine the secret wisdom in terms of
quantumization as follows:
"The Qabbala is a table of observed synchronicities wherein multi-
dimensional potentia overlap into the field of perception implying a
correlation/interaction as perceived on a three-dimensional plane."
The sum of the parts of the whole is determined by conceptual
visualization and the observer`s ostensible observation thereof. It
is therefore merely a perceptual tool for perceiving hidden meaning
in the world determined entirely by the perceived-perception of the
perciper (in the language of Satre), which will alter its form and
content (via expansion and contradiction) according to the
percipere`s own innate tendencies.
The qabbala is no longer merely a mathematical construct of an
ordered universe as conceived by divine will. Instead it becomes a
kind of computerized network of extra-sensory information. Even the
idea of a prima causa itself may be inadequate as well. This idea is
based solely upon a linear time frame and is therefore a corollary
of our erroneous perception of time whose actual nature may tend
more towards the cyclical. Primitive man, for example was very well
aware of this fact, and acted in accordance with it. (This may have
to do with primitive people being more in tune with their own
circadian rhythms. This expresses a more lunar-intuitive cycle
rather than our own solar one.) If perception of time is based upon
natural rhythms which effect the body coupled with our observance of
nature, then our concept of time is entirely contrary to what nature
itself is telling us. We are thus unaligned with a proper time
framework. Since a cycle is essentially a circle, no beginning or
ending can be found. And, it is already been theorized that there
are other dimensions of reality in which time as we know it (in a
durational, linear sense of perception) simply cannot exist.
The universe has again and again defied our attempts a definable
order upon it. Yet, mysteriously it does seem to act intelligently,
even though this cannot be grasped by a rigid point A to point B
structure. What emerges is a kind of chaotic mandala structure, and
it is the task of quantum qabbalism to apprehend, as much as is
possible, the interior of this structure. This opens the doors to
practical mysticism as opposed to impractical mysticism. The qabbala
must then be updated to accommodate this vital realization in regard
to its properties of being able to regulate perceptive awareness via
interacting forces springing from more or less hidden dimensions
whose effect is known but not the cause.
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The understanding of the intention of creation is a product of the
mind of the qabbalist himself. The fabric of reality is thereby
flexible, effected by his own experience of it, and in turn, this
experience determines his perception of it, which is altered by the
interaction of these elements, more clearly understood as a
transaction. In other words, one perceives his environment and that
environment by virtue of one`s perception of it begins to act
accordingly to the reality model which is believed to be true. This
could be described as a kind of Copenhagen Interpretation as applied
to qabbalistic principles. The qabbalist then shares a unique
position of receiving qabbalistic impressions via observable
systematic synchronicities by means of inclination represented in
his own psyche. These impressions will translate back as meaningful
data insofar as the transaction between observer and the observed
becomes enacted. His perception modifies the universe and in turn,
the universe modifies his perception. (This can serve as a
representation of the union of microprosopus and macroprosopus.) The
feedback of this required information will be meaningful to him
alone as it is a byproduct of his own psychic field. He becomes a
kind of decoder of esoteric information which he has learned to
process.
From this quantum/chaos framework the qabbala can be regarded as a
four (or five) dimensional transaction as revealed in the mundane
world, whereby an enriched quality of information provides the key
to a higher understanding of the universe and of oneself, provided
the person in question is capable of processing this information.
From this perspective, ghosts, poltergeists, and other enigmas of
paranormal phenomena can be understood as failed communication or
remnants of a highly coded system which hasn`t been solved. The
problem arises when one dimension fails to adequately "translate"
into another. You might term this the Tower of Babel Effect. The
information being received is misinterpreted due to inadequate tools
of reception and perhaps an inability to use tools properly. There
is also a basic misunderstanding of what this information means and
to what extent the source can be determined. This is a little like
trying to demonstrate fourth dimension physics by a purely three
dimensional means. The instances of paranormal phenomena as
described above, may be due to a discrepancy of overlapping
dimensions which allows for a greater margin of error which impedes
effective communication between the dimensions themselves. One is
reminded of Plato`s parable of the cave, wherein the shadows of the
things observed on the wall of the cave are mistaken for reality
itself. Granted, a shadow does resemble the object projecting it,
but it is hardly the object itself. It is the task of the quantum
qabbalist to make allowances for this margin of interpretive
miscalculation by preparing for it in advance and thus integrating
this possible glitch into his qabbalistic computer. He makes
allowances for this possible occurrence of organizational entropy and
thus he is able to use it to his advantage.
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The idea of a qabbala based upon an exploration of prima causa is no
longer valid in the quantum age. The quantumized qabbalist learns to
regard himself in the mirror of chaos. For him, the old Gnostic
dictum of "there is no part of me which is not of the gods", is
literally true. His "Tree of Life" is based squarely upon the
apprehension of his own enigmatic existence. He is more interested
in a practical application of his qabbalistic ideas and principles
for himself and others, than a cosmological game of hide and seek
wherein one searches for a prima causa "God" figure. But even for
this, he has an explanation: By careful observation of himself
within the mirror of chaos he has learned that the miracle of
creation is somehow a byproduct of his own consciousness and that he
has played an inexplicable role in the very act itself. ("Did ye not
know that ye were gods?") Joyously he has found that the tracks of
God etched across the illimitable sands of time in the accelerated
particle chambers of his own expanding consciousness. Thus has he
learned to adore the divine mystery of existence donning the masks
of creation.
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