In this day and age of new-fangled inventions like the printing press and the world wide web, this is a very difficult oath to maintain, and the interpretations of the correct way to do so abound. Some of us prefer to keep totally silent regarding our involvement, literally invoking Levi`s fourth power of the Sphinx. Others tend to just be discreet, rather than bring too much attention to themselves in our society which is by nature not all that accepting of the differences in others, especially the oft misunderstood philosophy of Occultists. Some elect to limit their comments to only that which is already in print. Others yet prefer to keep whatever unique practices their temples may have secret and unrevealed.
Each magician's philosophy has its validity, and whatever each individual`s interpretation of this oath might be, I think we can all agree that its influence can be a thorny ethical conundrum in the mind of the modern magician. Unfortunately, now that a great deal of the system has been revealed, at least part of the decision has been made for us. There is no turning back time, what is done has been done, and there is no point trying to erase the past. By the above statements and my very presence here on the net, I may have more than tipped my hand as to which category my opinions fall. I for one, have greatly benefited from the system being placed in print by Regardie and others. While for years I have done my own `secret` group work without any pretense, along with many others the printed word was my first introduction to GD, and I will always be fond of Regardie`s books.
I propose that instead of promoting the admittedly untenable need for further secrecy, that we act and teach our Neophytes a more modern equivalent. I am of course speaking simply of respect. Respect is needed for the secrets of our mysteries, whether revealed by a book in print, or through traditional communication in a secret temple. Respect means one doesn`t profane the mysteries, for lack of a better term, by indiscriminately speaking of them among those who are not suited for such discussion. This is easily determined not by any judgment call or assumptions by us about another person`s character, but by the simple discrimination and reckoning whether the other individual under consideration will accord our mystic topics with that high standard of respect and appreciation that they deserve. What if we discover we are wrong about a person's suitability for a discussion on magic, but we have already started a conversation we would prefer to have avoided? Luckily on the Internet, like in person, we can easily choose not to reply to any of those comments that we have deemed to be beneath our dignity.
Furthermore, respect also means that we also continually defer to the higher reasoning faculties of ourselves and each other. We must grow accustomed to the concept that no matter how each of us interprets our oaths, that the willed and intentional acts of another magician were done so with the utmost care and illumination that was available to him at that time. We can learn more about ourselves and each other in fraternal communication, which is a real key to unlocking the mysteries of Hermeticism. While we may not agree, nonetheless in the modern world at the very least we can let respect and discretion take the place of where mystery and secrecy have been forever unveiled.
Each magician's philosophy has its validity, and whatever each individual`s interpretation of this oath might be, I think we can all agree that its influence can be a thorny ethical conundrum in the mind of the modern magician. Unfortunately, now that a great deal of the system has been revealed, at least part of the decision has been made for us. There is no turning back time, what is done has been done, and there is no point trying to erase the past. By the above statements and my very presence here on the net, I may have more than tipped my hand as to which category my opinions fall. I for one, have greatly benefited from the system being placed in print by Regardie and others. While for years I have done my own `secret` group work without any pretense, along with many others the printed word was my first introduction to GD, and I will always be fond of Regardie`s books.
I propose that instead of promoting the admittedly untenable need for further secrecy, that we act and teach our Neophytes a more modern equivalent. I am of course speaking simply of respect. Respect is needed for the secrets of our mysteries, whether revealed by a book in print, or through traditional communication in a secret temple. Respect means one doesn`t profane the mysteries, for lack of a better term, by indiscriminately speaking of them among those who are not suited for such discussion. This is easily determined not by any judgment call or assumptions by us about another person`s character, but by the simple discrimination and reckoning whether the other individual under consideration will accord our mystic topics with that high standard of respect and appreciation that they deserve. What if we discover we are wrong about a person's suitability for a discussion on magic, but we have already started a conversation we would prefer to have avoided? Luckily on the Internet, like in person, we can easily choose not to reply to any of those comments that we have deemed to be beneath our dignity.
Furthermore, respect also means that we also continually defer to the higher reasoning faculties of ourselves and each other. We must grow accustomed to the concept that no matter how each of us interprets our oaths, that the willed and intentional acts of another magician were done so with the utmost care and illumination that was available to him at that time. We can learn more about ourselves and each other in fraternal communication, which is a real key to unlocking the mysteries of Hermeticism. While we may not agree, nonetheless in the modern world at the very least we can let respect and discretion take the place of where mystery and secrecy have been forever unveiled.
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