Ophiel's FIRST CORRESPONDENCE COURSE IN THE FOUNDATIONS OF OCCULT KNOWLEDGE (Less 1-3)

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Ophiel's FIRST CORRESPONDENCE COURSE IN THE FOUNDATIONS OF OCCULT KNOWLEDGE (Less 1-3)

Post#1 » Sat Mar 18, 2023 4:59 pm

Ophiel's CORRESPONDENCE COURSE IN THE FOUNDATIONS OF OCCULT KNOWLEDGE

First Course

Copyright C 1967 by Edward C. Peach All rights reserved. No part of this course of lessons, in part or in whole, may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any other information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the holder of these rights, except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address the publisher.


Lesson One

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Dear Student,

Welcome to studying with Ophiel! In Lesson One of this Correspondence Course in thee Foundations of Occult Knowledge you will find a great deal of information that is preliminary to the Course itself. Don't be disappointed that Lesson One does not give you any startling revelations of Occult "secrets." Certain things have to be taken care of in a certain sequence, and you will find all the Occult Knowledge that you can handle as you progress in your study-work.

Lesson Two begins the study of the "planes", and goes into detail concerning the Physical Plane, our relationship to the Physical Plane, and the necessity for starting our Occult Work on the Physical Plane where you are now. You will also begin your first practical work with Occult Symbols.

Lesson Three carries you on to the study of the Etheric Plane and its relationship, and control over, the physical Plane, and continues your practical work with Occult Symbols, And each lesson carries you one step further in both the acquiring of Knowledge and the practical work that brings to you the Inner Meanings of your studies.

If you are registered under either of the automatic plans, you will receive your next lesson around the 15th of the month. And each lesson will come to you automatically every 1st and 15th day of each month for one year. If you are under the single lesson plan, make a note in your calendar now to send for Lesson Two in about two weeks, and make additional notes so that you send for a new lesson every two weeks or so. We do not feel that you work any faster than this as the Course is designed to allow certain underlying growth to occur. If you wish, however, you can fill in your background knowledge between lessons by studying the suggested books recommended with each lesson. Now, we want to wish you every success in your Occult study-work. Remember, Ophiel's Course, is designed to be put, to practical use to make your life better. As you study the lessons you will see how this is done.

Sincerely,

THE GNOSTIC INSTITUTE

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LESSON I - Preview of the Course and
A Personal Message

This first lesson is preparatory to the entire Course, and your reading and understanding of it will be important to your study and assimilation of all of Ophiel's work. I want you to pay particular attention to the following points:

1. As students, you should know that on, and of; the study of the Occult there exists no real standard, for a student, whereby a definite value can be set up and an Occult Course judged thereby.

2. The "OCCULT WORLD" is full of self-styled teachers, each with his own ideas and standards, and each claiming that he is the Only one" teacher that is right and all others are wrong.

3. I in my searching-work over the past thirty years, have contacted every system I ever heard of; and as far as getting out good basic OCCULT KNOWLEDGE that could be "used" to obtain results of a definite nature here, on this Physical Plane, they were all of a negative nature and of no real practical value. However, do your own testing! Maybe a new one, or one that I have overlooked, will come along and be highly satisfactory in every respect --but I have come to doubt it.

4. In this Course that you are now pursuing, you will be given the very best OCCULT KNOWLEDGE I possess, which knowledge came from sources connected with meditation work upon the "purest" Occult System we have, the Qabalah.

5. This first foundation course contains OCCULT KNOWLEDGE. You can do nothing unless you know what you are doing, and this is why this is called a "foundation" course. It is upon the foundations that all your occult work and life are built.

6. The second foundation course will contain OCCULT PRACTICES based upon the Knowledge gained in your study of this first course. This second course will not be released until a certain number of students have completed the first course and satisfactorily demonstrated their grasp of the principles of occultism.

Upon completion of the two foundation courses you should be able to accomplish some degree of CONTROL OF, AND OVER, MATTER.

There are a number of preliminary things concerning these lessons that I would like to take care of in this first lesson - so that I will not have to refer to them again, and you and I can both rest easy concerning them from now on. These matters are both personal and general.

8. In any kind of teacher-student relationship there are all kinds of opportunities for misunderstandings to arise. Should any misunderstanding arise between you and Ophiel, you are to address your complaints direct it to Ophiel and then wait for an answer. This may be slow in coming because Ophiel is 1) very busy teachings and preparing new material, 2) swamped with letters from all over the world, 3) may be away on a trip of importance to this occult work. Ophiel travels constantly looking for new sources of knowledge and for other reasons connected with the Occult School. Patience is just as important to all your occult work and study as is application and persistence.

It is to be understood by you that Ophiel assumes no responsibility for the loss of monies and/or checks sent to hum unless he cashes them personally. You should never send currency through the mail unless you register the letter. In the past, checks and money orders have been stolen out of Ophiel's own mailbox, and his name forged and the checks cashed. To protect some other innocent victims, Ophiel paid -- in the past -- all the monies back, but now new safety procedures have been set up so that Ophiel is responsible only for what he receives himself personally. If your money is lost in the mail you are to hold the Post Office responsible, BUT DON'T FILE ANY COMPLAINTS WITH THE POST OFFICE OR ANY OF THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAUS, IMAGINED REAL THOUGH THEY MAY BE. AGAINST OPHIEL! Ophiel, as worldly goods go, is well off and does not have to steal your money, or deal under-handed with you in any way, shape, form, or manner.

Therefore anyone so filling such a complaint against Ophiel is instantly cut off from any further communication of an Occult nature. The student's immaturity, in so filing such a complaint, is plainly evident, and he obviously is not ready for Occult Knowledge and Training. The whole matter is also referred to Ophiel's attorney who is retained by the ear. Please read the above over until you understand it thoroughly.
This is the way matters sometimes work out between a teacher and a student who are not ready for each other, and Ophiel wishes to minimise the "wear and tear" on himself. He must do this so that he can keep up the Work.

11. In the lessons in this Correspondence Course, and in the books and pamphlets written, and still to be written, by Ophiel, you are going to find a different kind of appearance than is usual in most books. You will find "heavy" punctuation, the use of italics, and lots of CAPITALIZATION. There is a reason for this! And you will always find a good reason for everything Ophiel says and does. The reason here being that when Ophiel capitalizes and punctuates a word he does so to call your attention not to the casual, usual, familiar meaning of the word, but to A DEEPER, UNDERLYING AND HIDDEN, INNER MEANING FOR THE WORD. Therefore, when you coma across such punctuation and capitalization, take another look and strive to get a DEEPER meaning to the word.

The reason we must do this is that in the English language there are no real "spiritual" words – words, which carry deep, hidden, in-trans-cen-dent meanings. Therefore you have to "look" and probe for a deeper, inner meaning when you deal with Occult matters, and the heavy punctuation and capitalization is your cue to do so. You must also get hold of a good dictionary and check, look-up, the etymological meanings of words; especially those capitalized and punctuated words. For example, take the above word - etymological. A search in the dictionary, a larger one, shows that this word comes from a Greek root word, etymon, which in turn means TRUE, REAL. Thus, etymological means to hunt for the "true" root word which gives the meaning to the word itself. It is only in this way that you can truly progress in the Occult, or, indeed in any other line of endeavor. Now we will take up another subject of the Occult that we hear so much about, and that is the "danger" of Occult studies and work. How much danger is there, really?

In all my years of Occult work there are just two "dangers" that I have found to be somewhat real and to be looked-out for. There are, first, plain over-doing of Occult work, exercises, and so on. Too much intense concentration will have the same results, however, so this is not something confined to the Occult alone. And this is especially true in the beginning of your first real Occult study and work. Later you can carry on heavy concentrations and all that quite easily, but for he start you must make haste slowly and not let enthusiasm interfere with your self-discipline - any more than at some later time can you let laziness or disappointment interfere with the program of work and study. And the second thing is the fluctuating Astrological, forces. The whole Physical Universe is made up of Forces, or "vibrations", which we "receive" somewhat like a radio set does. These forces ebb and flow, back and forth, strong and then weak. Your Occult training-study will make you sensitive to the reception of these forces, and when some depressing or adverse set of forces come along, in the daily course of astrological events, you will feel it and it will definitely affect you. This has happened all your life, but you were not sensitive to it before. Now you will be!

When these astrological forces are waxing you will feel strong and powerful as you respond to their increase. When they are waning you will feel weak and depleted. There is another matter, which I should also mention at this point. The chances are that you will not encounter what I am about to describe until you are far advanced in your Occult work - so for God's sake don't be suggestible and imagine you have this problem before you actually do. And it may never happen to you at all. A time can come, in the life of an Advanced Occultist, when one of these, ‘ebbings’ does occur that is almost a complete withdrawal of all forces for a period. This may not sound like much to you now, but there then exists an empty feeling that is quite unique and one that I do not want to experience again for a while. So you see that an Occultist's life is not a bed of roses at all. So those are the so-called "dangers" Be warned!

I must say a word about Astrology, which concerns the ebb and flow of the forces above noted. Astrology is part of the Caballa, but only a part. You can learn a great deal of how to deal with the Physical World in a day-by-day awareness of the positions of the astrological forces, and this awareness of their daily effects. But, do remember that the effects spoken of apply to a great number of people and cannot be easily applied specifically to individuals as such, and especially to yourself alone. The way to use these Astrological Forces is to become aware of them in the background - to concentrate on the ones you want to affect you and to negate the ones you do not want to affect you. This concentration and negation is Magic and the true use of occult Knowledge.

So learn the general knowledge about Astrology if you don't know it. The annual MOON SIGN BOOK and the STAR BOOK ASTROLOGICAL CALENDAR published by Llewellyn Publications are both quite valuable in this respect and much of the work is already done for you. They are all you will need for a long time. Find your birth-sign and read all about it in the MOON SIGN BOOK. Then read about and study your planetary ruler. One of the Occult projects you will be going later is to make a birth talisman, to paint it, and learn to INVOKE it, i.e. to in-voice-in-call it. This will be an early part of your advanced course work. I have not given too much "Occult" in this first lesson, and I apologize for it, but I wanted to get several other matters out of the way - and especially the matter of any possible future misunderstandings with your teacher, Ophiel.

Many people expect the "Occult" to be something other than what "it" is and are greatly disappointed then they become very angry at the/a teacher and raise, ‘hell’ with him or her, or become discouraged with Occult study and spend the rest of their lives being superficially interested in various "new thought" - "eastern" - "metaphysical" - etc., philosophies and cults without ever having that which first brought them to the Occult satisfied. That is what I am trying to avoid in advance, now, at this time and place in this Course of Occult Study - to spare you this disappointment and discouragement, and an adverse reaction between you and Ophiel. There is no need for you to become disappointed or discouraged if you are willing to use common sense and to be patient and apply yourself to the practices and study to be described in these Courses. There is an "Occult". There are Occult "Powers." "Things." Can be done by Occult Means, I will teach them to you as best I am able.

Now! Whether you can receive these "teachings" or not is beyond my personal influence. I do believe that every student can get something out of these teachings; but the amount of degree of this something depends also on you and your aptitude and work at it. Maybe you cannot all become Occult "big shots" and conquer the Occult World by storm, but you should all learn something - and enough to benefit yourself in living your life in this "hard" Physical World. This will conclude the first lesson. Much of the following lesson material will be given in an informal, personal manner, rather than in the formalized style usual with correspondence and self-study courses. Do not be misled by this informal manner of presentation. Remember that there is a reason for everything thee Ophiel does in his teaching.

On the next page you will find a few questions. Some lessons will have such questions and some lessons will not. - Answer these questions. Study the MOON SIGN BOOK and the STAR BOOK ASTROLOGICAL CALENDAR daily. You will also find a few books for suggested background reading. They are in no way necessary for your completion of the course, but you may wish to undertake some supplementary reading.

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QUESTIONS

1. What is your birth sign?

2. Do you like your birth sign?

3. Who is your planetary ruler?

4. Do you like him or her?

5. How closely do you resemble the characteristics of your sign? (Be honest!)

6. Did you note that some signs were called, "Fire.” "Air." "Water." and "Earth." Signs? Do you know what this means? Did you wonder what it meant? What do you think it means?

Save your answers until asked for them.

SUGGESTED READING

1. The annual MOON SIGN BOOK. Also the annual STAR BOOK ASTROLOGICAL CALENDAR.

2. HOW PLANETS AFFECT YOU, by Llewellyn George. This book explains how the Sun, Moon and Planets actually do have influence on your mind, body and emotions, and how they affect health, plant life, business cycles, and shows how we can exercise FREE WILL despite the appearance of FATE.

3. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ASTROLOGY, by the American Federation of Astrologers. Answers questions about the relationship between astronomy and astrology, the place of astrology in modern science, and how astrology works, what a horoscope says about a person and about the "future," etc. Illustrated.

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Ophiel's CORRESPONDENCE COURSE IN THE FOUNDATIONS OF OCCULT KNOWLEDGE

First Course

Copyright C 1967 by Edward C. Peach All rights reserved. No part of this course of lessons, in part or in whole, may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any other information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the holder of these rights, except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address the publisher.

Lesson Two

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Dear Student

Here is the Second Lesson in your Correspondence Course in the Foundations of Occult Knowledge. In this lesson you are starting your basic work with Occult Symbols. You will see that you are required to secure some simple drawing and painting materials. As pointed out in this lesson, these are available in more stationary and artist's supply stores - but if you live in a area where you find difficulty in buying these supplies, Ophiel will supply a set for you at the current cost of $8.00. Just ask for the BASIC SYMBOL DRAWING SET.

Occasionally students ask if they cannot receive all 24 lessons at once, and proceed with the Course at their own speed. The answer is no, as much as we want to encourage your own initiative in Occult study this Course is not prepared in that way. First, we believe that a certain "inner working time" is needed between each Lesson, and that is why we space the lessons about two weeks apart under the automatic lessons plan, and recommend that the single lesson students proceed at this pace also. Second, this Course is not printed in large numbers of lessons. Each lesson is printed only in relatively small quantity so that lessons can be revised to meet the students' needs. We want you to think of this series of lessons as a real COURSE OF INSTRUCTION, and not just as a set of booklets. You will gain the greatest value from it by following the planned combination of study and practice. In occultism, even more than in other fields of study, self-discipline is important - because you are working at the inner level as well as the outer.

In Lesson Three you will study the Etheric Plane, and do more symbol work. Don't neglect answering the questions at the end of Lesson One and Two just because you are not being asked to send them in as yet.

Sincerely,

THE GNOSTIC INSTITUTE.

** END OF LETTER **

I trust that, without feeling yourself to be under any amount of pressure, you have accumulated a little store of the Basic Knowledge from your first lesson work and study. I am going to make a statement here, which will pertain to all the lessons, and work that you will undertake in this course. So consider this statement as applying to all further lessons without any further repetition. The following knowledge is very important to your future growth and advancement, and you must make a strong effort to understand, master, and “use it" without, however, as said before, working under a feeling of pressure. Advance at your own speed, and pleasure.

All your future Occult work depends upon your personal understanding and mastery of Occult Knowledge. Without your knowledge, of this Occult Knowledge, understood completely, you cannot accomplish anything of any value along Occult lines. When some projected ideas of this work were given out in advance for comment and criticism, I was advised to hold back some of the Knowledge, and to give the Knowledge out in dribs and drabs, and to charge more for the lessons.

But my answer to this was! The subject is so vast that a hundred courses like this will never put a scratch
on the surface! So much for that!

The Knowledge I am going to give you for some time is bone-basic. If you read my books, and take other lessons from me, you'll find this basic Knowledge coming up again and again. But you will also find something is added each time. So learn each basic knowledge-bit, and watch for the additions. This Occult Knowledge is a growing knowledge and is not standing still. Fit it into your life and let it grow from there. So, to proceed: At the outset, I will tell you the one and only Great Secret: ALL IS (comes) (from) ONE! Now, from ONE (no-thing) to ALL THINGS is quite a jump, and that jump concerns - contains all the occult Knowledge that exists. (Everything that follows is connected with that statement, so look for the connection.) So, it its along this line, in this way, that we will make a start to master the foundations of Occult Knowledge.

The Physical Plane, the plane we are no on and which we know best, is the, tail-end, of an entire series of "planes," which series ends "here," as aforesaid, "HERE." Again, I repeat, all Occult Knowledge, as well as all other knowledge that exists, consists of descriptions of the effects of the descent of these original "upper" Forces on their way "down" to these planes, from above to "here". All that is only what the physical plane IS!

In the next lessons immediately following this one we will attempt to study these Inner Planes and trace some kind of connection between them, and also attempt to notice the Forces in their descent. (Knowledge of this leads to all the magick powers there are.)
We begin with the Physical Plane!

The outstanding characteristic of the Physical Plane is.' Hardness - not-easy-to-change-ness - not-easy-to-move-ness, you think of some other words that describe this characteristic of the Physical Plane, such as Inertia, Stability, etc." Here," as you know, "We" "Occupy" a physical "Body". Apparently we are supposed to have something called a "Soul". (What is that? I have never seen one, have you? I have seen glimpses of other "bodies", but no soul, so-called.) Also there is something funny about this soul. It is supposed to be easily "lost" (!!?!!) It is something like a little "YOU"-shaped, balloon-like, appendage attached to the physical body by a sort of string, and floating over you???!!!

This "soul" is obviously not a physical object - it is alien to all things physical, and yet is "attached" to a physical body and is forced to live in and deal with a solid physical plane-world. (Doesn't this seem strange to you? Well it is darn strange. This whole world's ideas are all strange when you think of it.) So, to proceed further, ‘Being,’ that physical Be-ing is a fact there must be a reason for it. Although, we may never know what it is - not while living here on this plane. The only possible reason for our physical existence is that we are "here" for some Reason, and this Reason is not connected with our personal Wills and Desires. This is a guess of mine, but if you can make a better guess let me know about it. Therefore, I repeat (for clearness), it is the object of these lessons to start your Occult work now, on the Physical Plane, where you are now, and work "back up".

I mean, you must master the Physical Plane first, and then work to understand, and master, the Inner Planes "back up" each in turn. However, there is another matter connected here at this point that you should know and understand thoroughly, and which is still another reason why you have to start here, and that is, there seems to be a Law that YOU cannot control any one plane unless you control the plane above that one. Thus, according to this Law, you will not be able to control-handle the Physical Plane without first, handling controlling, the plane above the Physical, the Etheric Plane (which we will begin to study in the next lesson.)

But, as aforesaid, the first part of your Occult Work will start on the Physical Plane. You must learn all you possibly can about YOUR Physical Plane. None of us do. Remember, the object of your control work is to master Physical Matter, not let it master you! To gain this Physical Plane Control-understanding you must use all approved physical methods first, such as concentration, attention to details, learning to master the use of at least one physical tool!!! By, hard physical application, all these and whatever special physical requirement applies in your life-situation. Notice and study the basic structure of the Forces you bring to bear on Physical Things.

Now, in preparation for you first practical work. As a large part of your necessary practices for learning about the Physical Plane it will be necessary for you to develop skills in drawing and painting symbols. And, when you reach the point when you will want to create magical Talismans for Magical uses you will need this knowledge and skill very much. Now, don't get all worried that you are going to "fail" this Course if you are not an artist - the important thing is to do your best, be neat and clean, measure accurately, and draw carefully. You will surprise yourself at finding it is easier than you thought.

Here is a list of drawing materials you will need:

1. A simple drawing (or drafting) set consisting of both a pencil and an ink compass, and two pointing compasses for transferring measurements, and a good ink drawing pen. Drawing ink, or "India" ink.

Watercolour paint set.

Some good paint brushes, small ones.

Mixing pan.

A good ruler. You will save yourself a lot of disappointment if you invest in a geed metal ruler with a non-slip back.

A good artist's eraser.

Some paper to practice on, and some artist's white drawing card board cut to size 4 inches by 4 inches square (10.2 cm x 10.2 cm).

If you live in a large or medium sized city you'll have no trouble getting these things and in any quantity you desire. Just go to any good stationary or artist's supplies store, or to most any large department store. For those of you who do not live in a large city, I will try to carry a set of materials for your convenience. Try to obtain them locally first, but if you have trouble, write me and I will advise you the cost of a set.

The following directions pertain to all the symbols. There are many ways to draw - make these symbols. If you are a professional draftsman, and have all the professional instruments and skill, you will make these drawings differently than the student will who follows these instructions. As most of you are not professional draftsman and are without expert drawing skills, I have devised the following step-by-step instructions for your guidance. If you first set up the drawings described in this lesson and the following lessons in pencil and then ink them in several times you should be turning out good work in a reasonable time. But follow the instructions step-by-step! Practice until you acquire the necessary skill. Ophiel had to do them many times and he still spoils a drawing occasionally. Developing a drawing skill is part of your first Occult Training, and it is something you must do for yourself. “HOW TO DRAW THE SYMBOL OF THE ELEMENT OF EARTH.”

First of all study the diagrams at the end of the lesson. Take your practice paper and draw a 4" x 4" square (102 mm x 102 mm) with your pencil and ruler. You can make a square by measuring along the top edge of the paper and the bottom edge and in each case marking the centre with a pencil dot, and then draw a straight line with your ruler between these two dots. You now have a line down the centre of the paper. Now measure along the two side edges of the paper and make dots two inches on each side of the centres, and then use your ruler to draw two lines in pencil across the paper from edge to edge. You will have two lines parallel to each other and 4 inches apart now. Now, starting at the point where each of these horizontal lines cross the vertical line, measure two inches out towards each side and make a mark. Join these two points together with two vertical lines that will be four inches apart parallel to each other, and you have a perfect square. These instructions may sound a bit complicated, but you will find that it is easier that you at first think. And after drawing a few squares you will probably find other ways to do it. The point is, make your squares as near perfect as you possibly can.

Next, with your ruler draw a line in pencil from each corner of the square across to the other corner. Take your pencil compass and setting it to the distance shown on the diagram (a radius of 1 3/4", or 45 mm), make a circle with its centre at the intersection of the two cross lines (which is also the centre of the square). With ruler and pencil connect together the points where the circle's circumference, and you will have a perfect inner square. I suggest that you make a number of these practice diagrams until you get them perfect. You must develop this skill; no one else can do it for you.

After you have developed your skill so that your squares are perfect, take, or make, a 4" x 4" square of white card board, draw the cross lines. Make a pencil circle and draw the inner square. Then take your ink pen and heavily ink the two squares - inner, and outer along the edges of the cardboard. You may have to make several of these cardboard squares before you have a perfect one. Erase the pencil lines. The last step is to use your water colour set and paint the inside of the inner square yellow, and the space between the outer squares a deep blue. Do a very careful job, and bring the point of the brush just up to the black ink lines.

You can see now what you should use small, fine pointed, brushes. If your finished symbol is not perfect in your eyes, then you must do it over until you feet and know it is a good job. These symbols - all of them that you will do in this lesson and the following lessons - must be as perfect as you can get them. Later on you will make these symbols on parchment, and parchment is expensive and can't be wasted. Practice the painting and drawing work until the next lesson. You will not regret the time taken in increasing your drawing skills. To close this lesson, I will give you some material to ponder over.

The symbol you make in this lesson is the symbol off the Element of Earth (not physical earth). Physical Earth is the representative reality of the Symbol of the Element of Earth.

There are four of these Elemental Forces Symbols that you will make and use. They are Earth, Fire, Water, and Air. Actually there are five elemental forces, but the fifth one is not going to be used by you for some time and you will make it last, and then only for knowledge rather than use. This fifth elemental force is named Akasha (or Akasha). Ether (not the anaesthetic used to put you to sleep before an operation, which is ethyl oxide) is the nearest English name for this Force. I repeat, Akasha is not used except by the highest type of Occult worker, and then only for a very special kind of work. You must learn to think of these Forces as Elemental Forces or the Powers named, and not as the actual physical existence-realities themselves of actual Air, Fire, Water, and Earth You must also learn the Hindu names for these forces as Occultists use them quite frequently. Air - Vayu, Fire -Tejas, Water - Apas (or Ap) and Earth - Prthivi. Learn these names, and learn them well!

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QUESTIONS

What do you consider to be the difference between your "personal understanding and mastery of Occult Knowledge" and mere book learning about the Occult?

Why do you think that, "without” your knowledge, of this Occult Knowledge, understood completely, you can not accomplish anything of any real value along Occult lines?"

Why must we begin our Occult study and work with the Physical Plane?

Do you understand the difference between physical earth and Elemental Earth?

Why do you think perfecting your skills in drawing and painting the Elemental Symbols be so important in your Occult work?

Save your answers until asked for the PRACTICES

Practice drawing the Symbol for Elemental Hearts until prefect.

Learn the Hindu names for the Elemental Forces.

SUGGESTED READING

ASTROLOGY, HOW AND WHY IT WORKS, by Marc Edmund Jones. The basic factors of horoscope analysis are explained and illustrated in terms of everyday experience so that you learn as you read.


** END OF PAGE **

Ophiel's CORRESPONDENCE COURSE IN THE FOUNDATIONS OF OCCULT KNOWLEDGE

First Course

Copyright C 1967 by Edward C. Peach All rights reserved. No part of this course of lessons, in part or in whole, may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any other information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the holder of these rights, except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address the publisher.

Lesson Three

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Dear Student,

Here is Lesson Three of your Correspondence Course in the Foundations of Occult Knowledge.

Now that you have reached this point you probably are already accumulating some questions you want to ask, you have the questions you yourself have answered at the end of each lesson, you have notes that you have made as you read the lessons and supplementary readings, and you have the Lessons themselves that you want to keep in good order. We would like to suggest that you buy a two or three ring loose-leaf notebook binder and an inexpensive hand punch at any stationary store, or most drug or variety stores. And that you punch the pages of these lessons as you receive them and keep the lessons in numerical sequence in the notebook binder, and that you add additional sheets of paper upon which you keep your notes and questions to insert next to the lessons.

We don't sell these notebooks, and we are not trying to get you to spend money on anything that's not needed, but you will find the keeping of a notebook very helpful in your studies. For one thing, you will find that it becomes both easy, and somewhat automatic, for you to occasionally review the earlier lessons and your own notes. And you will find that you will benefit a great deal by this natural review. And you should realise that all study - of whatever subject - is a personal systematisation of knowledge and data, and a notebook is a very basic help along this line.

Lesson No. 3 is one of the shorter lessons, but you are introduced to a number of very important concepts for your study of the Etheric Plane. You are again expected to draw one of the symbols, and to add this to your growing collection of Occult symbols on the 4" x 4" white cardboard squares. And again there are some questions we want you to answer, but to continue holding these answers rather than sending them in at this time.

The Gnostic Institute.

You will recall from Lesson Two that I said that you could not control, or even understand, ant Plane unless you understood, and controlled, the plane above the plane you were trying to control. This is shown in the esoteric side of the myths and legends that form part of the history of the civilizations that make our cultural heritage and individual psychological backgrounds. In the Greek myths the God System is set up as a family. Each God has a Goddess as a sister or wife who is his opposite counterpart. Thus, in effect, each God is positive male to the Gods below and negative female to the Gods above him/her. Read this again and think on it. Much practical wisdom is hidden in this ancient lore, nut it has to be modernized and brought up to date to be understandable to us today.

The plane we are going to examine in this lesson is the "Etheric Plane". It is usually said that this plane is the plane next "above" the Physical Plane, and so it is. I am constantly XXXXX in writing these lessons as to what, among the endless amount of material available, to put down here at this time. What I am trying to achieve is to give the necessary occult information so that you can start to use this knowledge as quickly as possible. We must save the "deeper stuff' for other lessons - much as I wish I could give it all here and now - (of course, there is no "all") I am sure, too, that you realise that your progress in Occult Work is not just a matter of getting information about all things Occult, but also the balanced inter-relating of various facets of information with your own background experience - and this takes a certain amount of time even though you are not consciously aware that there is a process of "psychological digestion" going on in the meanwhile. Now, to start over again, the next plane to this ‘Physical Plane,’ is the ETHERIC Plane. The word "Ether" comes from the Greek word meaning to “Burn" (But not, ‘Fire burn’) or to, “Glow," which is a description of its appearance to psychic sight. (All things/appearances on the Inner Planes are, ‘Light-glowing,’ i.e. full of light - and that is why it is called the INNER LIGHT.)

Here I must move cautiously. There are really, ‘Two Ethers.’ There is the original, ‘Ether,’ that is the, ‘Elemental Ether,’ (For want of a better name,) and there is the, ‘Etheric Plane Ether.’ They are related, but they are not the same thing. Be sure you remember this distinction, for the confusion of concepts that result from ambiguity of terms has been one of the difficulties on Occult study. We are dealing here with the, ‘ETHERIC PLANE ETHER,’ and not the, ‘Element of Ether,’ or ‘Akasha.’ (Remember, in ‘Lesson Two’ I told you that there is a fifth elemental force in addition to the elemental forces of Earth, Fire, Water, and Air.) On the Etheric Plane (Lower down "near" the Earth Plane.) There "exists," the ‘Etheric Plane Counterparts,’ of all physical things. Higher up is the reflecting ether of the storage house of all images ever conceived of on earth since the beginning.

It is with the Etheric Counterparts that we are now to learn to deal, but you cannot "Command" them as of now. You deal with, not “Command!” But in learning to deal with the “Counterparts,’ you are achieving a tremendous step forward by understanding them. And your understanding is in part achieved, in the ‘Psychological Growth,’ process related to your work on the, ‘Symbols,’ so don't neglect it. The 'material" of the Etheric Plane is more plastic than the material of the Physical Plane. Being plastic, in its peculiar way, it is subject to manipulation by both semi-physical and quasi-mental means. Most of you have my books THE ART AND PRACTICE OF ASTRAL PROJECTION and THE ART AND PRACTICE OF GETTING MATERIAL THINGS THROUGH CREATIVE VISUALISATION. Some of you have some of my Sealed Lessons in Occult Power.

All my work deals with inner plane/outer plane controls. I wrote them for you. I'm sorry they're not free but all material work and supplies necessary to produce the books cost material money just to produce the physical part of the books - and this takes in no account the years of study and work practices, and the personal sacrifices necessary to acquire the knowledge in the first place. Both the books and the lessons deal with the subject of - Etheric work cooperation - work to compel the Etheric and the Physical to cooperate. This cooperation can greatly help you through life - and that's the understatement of the year!

Now, as each of the elements has a symbol, also, in a very definite sense, each elemental "FORCE" has a "plane", which plane it rules by "governing". (By governing we ‘Mean’ to make the, ‘Laws’ which "Govern" the immediate lower plane.) Also, each Elemental Force rules its plane by virtue of the emanations of its own peculiar "FORCE", which force is rampant-supreme of that plane. I can add here, and you will be given more of this later in Lesson No. 10, that each element also consists of "parts," in some degree, of each of the other elements, all combined in a natural manner according to certain rules. (Which is all I now know about the matter, except that it is so!) I will also mention here that man is a four-fold creature - all four elements are therein combined in man, and equally. This is the reason that, ‘MAN IS THE REAL RULER OF THE PHYSICAL WORLD.’ When he learns how to grasp the powers of the Elemental Forces, and rules them instead of allowing the Forces to rule him.

There is THE Elemental Force, back of the other Forces, which is called, as you will recall from Lesson Two, AKASHA. You will not use this force at first, and then not for a long time, but keep it in your memory-background. (This is how much of your real learning takes place - by keeping a new concept in the background you begin to surround it, so to speak, with other bits of knowledge and experience in a natural way.) Akasha is the basic original Force of all the other Forces and into which they all change back into, back and forth. The Hindus call this changing Akasha the "bowl" into which all the others are poured and also poured out of. In "back" of, "above," the first Elemental Force of Akasha is still another "First" substance, called in Hindu PRAKRTI. The English translation-definition of "Prakrti" is undifferentiated Cosmic Matter. Now this undifferentiated Cosmic Matter is pretty "thin" stuff, thinner than the "Stuff dreams are made of.” You will hardly ever be called upon to use this Knowledge in practice, but I do want you to think about it once in a while.

To complete this Lesson, you will now make your personal symbol for the Etheric Plane, the symbol of the Element of Water. Note: Even though this drawing is a symbol of the Elemental Force known as the Element of Water, it is sometimes referred to a merely "Water". Don't be confused by this. Remember always that it is the Element of Water, which is referred to, and not actual physical water itself

HOW TO DRAW THE SYMBOL OF THE ELEMENT OF WATER

Make your 4" x 4" square as instructed in Lesson Two.

Measure off and make a line vertical down the centre of the square.

Using your measuring compass make the dots as shown in the first illustration. Set your pencil compass and make the half circles as shown.

Ink in the outlines so that you now have a "half moon".

To paint, leave the half moon white, and make the rest of the space on the card black. You can use black ink with a brush for this, but don't forget to wash the ink out of your brush before it dries.

XXXXXXX ILLUSTRATION 30X

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QUESTIONS

Does the statement in this lesson Each God has a Goddess as a sister or wife " really mean that there is a Goddess for each God, or does it mean that both are aspects of the same God?

What is meant by a, ‘God or Goddess,’ being positive or negative?

What do you think "God" or "Goddess" means in the context of this lesson?

What, is meant by the "Inner Light?"

Where, do you think the ‘Etheric Plane is?’

What is meant by "Etheric Counterparts" as used in this lesson?

How can, Etheric "Things" be manipulated by Occultists?

Why is Man the "ruler of the physical plane?"

Save your answers until asked for the PRACTICE

1. Practice drawing the Symbol for Elemental Water, and then make a perfect one on your 4" x 4" square of white cardboard as you did with the Earth Symbol.
SUGGESTED READING

HOW TO CREATE A FAMILIAR, by Ophiel. Shows you how to, ‘Create a Being,’ out of the Etheric and Astral Planes that works as an extension of yourself, and as a means to your attainment of mastery over this physical life.

‘THE PULSE OF LIFE,’ by Dane Rudhyar. Astrology as dynamic life process. Rudhyar shows how the birth-signs reveal how consciousness and cosmic purpose are being fulfilled in your life, and how you can effect the, ‘CREATIVE RELEASE,’ of Spirit in your life through recognising and responding to planetary cycles.

THE ETHERIC DOUBLE AND ALLIED PHENOMENA, by A.E. Powell. The Etheric Body is the vehicle between, man's physical and his astral and the "inner" worlds. It is of the utmost importance in health and healing, and the study of the, ‘Etheric World,’ is truly the study of man's energies - including Prana, Fohat and Kundalini, or the "Serpent Power". It is the, ‘Etheric Body’ that is employed in "Magnetising" objects, in various psychic phenomena, telekinesis, materialisations.

THE ART OF TRUE HEALING, by Israel Regardie. Mind discipline and magic that can be used in almost any circumstance of daily life, including the visualization and vitalisation of the psychic centres. This book, however, is not a rehash of Eastern Yoga, but is soundly based on the Western Magical Tradition and upon the Qabalah. Shows how to use psychic force in healing, the principles of prayer, sound vibrations of the voice, etc.

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The Original Sorcerer
Stop by my website: http://www.molochsorcery.com
You cannot let things happen on their own if you desire changes to occur in ways which satisfy you.



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