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All ancient traditions have developed various ways to
practice magical experiences.
Furthermore, any Religion
has a magical heritage. However, it may be hidden and buried.
There are a lot of different ways to learn these practices. On the one
hand, the teachings depend on the cultural traditions. On the other hand,
one's personal character may either fit to one or the other method.
Thus, there are different paths to follow, but, they all lead to the same
goal, in the end.
The different approaches can be grouped into the following groups:
- the path of love and devotion,
prescribed for people of emotional temperaments
who need personal guidance. This includes prayer
and sometimes self abandonment.
- the path of ceremony,
prescribed for people of emotional temperaments
who need personal guidance. This includes to attend to
ceremonies, festivals, and pilgrimages.
- the path of right action,
prescribed for people who like to always be engaged in action.
This path includes social activity, were one is committed to
change the world.
- the path of rational inquiry
prescribed for rational people.
- the path of meditation,
prescribed for intellectual, meditative people.
- the path of ecstasy
prescribed for emotional temperaments
who want to loose oneself.
- the path of unification with nature
prescribed for anybody who wants to be connected with the
Natural Powers
and who want to gain power from nature.
The most Religions favor the first three approaches.
Since this allows to gather a huge crowd which will follow without any doubt.
This will create a huge amount of power in just a few hands of some leaders.
On the one hand someone who follows the path of conviction has no doubts and may
achieve many things. On the other hand someone who rather places the
responsibility for his life on someone else is vulnerable for exploitation.
The middle path, the path of rational inquiry, is one which comes close to
our well known path of knowledge and education.
However, a true Magical Experience
can not be learned by book. Practical teaching is mandatory.
Nevertheless, theoretical studies are an integral part in any
true quest for knowledge.
The last three approaches are more personal paths which anybody
who wants to take these paths has to do so rather in solitude.
Nevertheless, there are many paths which lead to the goal
and no one has to follow a single path only.
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