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ecosophia
As mentioned in an earlier post, I've decided to make the teachings of the Octagon Society, the first of three levels of the Order of Spiritual Alchemy, freely available here. If you didn't read that post, please do so -- it explains what the OSA was and is, summarizes its history, and explains what the teachings are meant to accomplish. You can also find all the earlier OSA posts here. Since the lessons are meant to be done in sequence, if you're just joining us now, please go back to the beginning and start there. The tools you'll need for this work, as explained earlier, are a notebook and a pen, along with patience and privacy. One piece of advice: read the whole lesson from start to finish at least twice before you begin the work. It was quite common for people back in the day to read only part of the lesson, misunderstand it, and either get the instructions scrambled or fly off the handle completely. We are dealing with emotionally difficult issues here, and it's worth taking the time to be sure you understand the instructions.
The papers below will give you plenty to work on. Next week, I'll post the work that will qualify you for the third degree of the Octagon Society, the 3/8.
*****
THE OCTAGON SOCIETY
1/8 Instructional Papers
Congratulations. You've accomplished a great deal. You've completed the first step of your journey and entered the First Gateway on your spiritual path. You've begun the work of accepting yourself just as you are, and accepting the other people in your life just as they are. You've attained the rank of 1/8 in the Octagon Society.
The Law of Acceptance is the First Gateway to adeptship, the first doorway we need to enter to follow our spiritual path and become the person we want to be. It is only in accepting ourselves and all others that we are able to pursue our spiritual goals.
The First Gateway is the first great secret. The secret is that accepting ourselves and all others is a requirement for changing ourselves and becoming what we want to become. Accepting ourselves and all others is a requirement for transformation. Accepting ourselves and all others is a requirement for creating the Philosopher's Stone. Self-acceptance and the acceptance of others—this is the first great secret of our work.
Going through the First Gateway takes us down a spiritual path leading to illumination, enlightenment, and rebirth as a new person. The Key to the First Gateway is called the Bronze Key and the First Gateway is the Bronze Gate of the Ancients. The Bronze Key is acceptance of yourself and all others. Use this key and you open the gate. Use this Key and you can pass through the First Gateway.
Historically, only about twenty percent of those who start down the path of spiritual alchemy attain the rank of 1/8. It's easy to think we want to improve ourselves. It's hard to change. Those of us who have traveled this path before know the amount of pain and suffering you've had to process to reach this point of your journey. We know how difficult it is to accept others and ourselves.
So when we congratulate you on attaining the rank of 1/8 in the Octagon Society, we really mean it. Congratulations! As a 1/8 you now have access to our lessons for the first two laws: the Law of Acceptance and the Law of Happiness.
The Second Law: The Law of Happiness
Happiness is not only healthy, it's indispensable on the path of spiritual alchemy. Unfortunately, most people who are tied down to materialism in this physical universe are not happy. They're sad and unhappy with themselves and the people in their lives. Sadness is more common than happiness in the lives of most people.
The secret to happiness is found in the Second Law, the Law of Happiness. This is the Law of Happiness: Happiness is a decision we make at every moment of our lives. That's right, we choose to be happy or unhappy. No one and nothing can make you happy or unhappy. because happiness and unhappiness are not the results of what happens to you. They are the results of what you think about what happens to you.
That bears repeating. Happiness and unhappiness are the results of the way you think about what happens to you. They are not the thoughts themselves, but they are set in motion by the effects of those thoughts. You don’t have to let other people, places, and things fill you with unhappiness. You can learn to change your thinking so that you can separate yourself from the negative emotions and still honor the people, places and things around you.
You can do this by remembering events from your past that made you sad or unhappy, and dealing with the leftover emotions from those events. Especially in childhood, it can be so difficult to deal with events that cause sadness and unhappiness that we hide from those feelings. If we do this the feelings remain with us. They influence our thinking thereafter, drawing us toward sadness and unhappiness, until we face them and resolve them.
You'll never be able to eliminate unwelcome events from your life, nor should you. That's not the goal. The goal is to learn how to remain happy in situations that previously caused you to feel sad or unhappy.
You increase your happiness by doing things you love to do. The more things you love to do the greater your happiness in life. The greater your happiness in life, the greater your enthusiasm for life. The greater your enthusiasm for life the more other people are drawn to you and the more you can help them find happiness in their lives. In this way the work you are doing brings happiness to others as well as yourself.
No matter how happy you are, you will face events and circumstances for which your natural reaction will be sadness and unhappiness. Recognize these situations and allow yourself to feel sadness when it's appropriate to do so. You can nonetheless spend most of your time in a state of conscious happiness instead of sadness and unhappiness. You can minimize the number of situations in your life that cause you to feel sad or unhappy, and maximize the number of situations in your life that cause you to feel happy.
The Law of Happiness has eight separate and distinct steps to be practiced in order to attain the rank of 2/8. As you work your way through these tasks, set aside for the moment the knowledge that nobody else can make you feel sad or unhappy.
• List the things your father did to you that made you feel sad and unhappy
• List the things your mother did to you that made you feel sad and unhappy
• List the things your children, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and cousins did to you that made you feel sad and unhappy
• List the things your aunts, uncles, grandparents, great uncles, great aunts, and all your ancestors did to you that made you feel sad or unhappy
• List the things your spouse, lovers, friends, fellow students and fellow employees did to you that made you feel sad or unhappy
• List the things your enemies and antagonists did to you to make you feel sad and unhappy
• List the things all other persons whatsoever did to you that made you feel sad or unhappy
• List the things you do that makes you feel sad or unhappy
1. Step One is to list the things your father did to you that made you feel sad or unhappy. Make this list as complete as possible. This is the first task and it can be completed in the same manner as you approached the First Law, the Law of Acceptance.
The second task is to consciously decide how you'll handle these same situations in the future regardless of the people, places and things concerned. Your decision is not specific to your father but general to all other situations similar to the events you've listed in regard to your father. Think through how you will remain happy in many situations that previously caused you sadness and unhappiness. You may find it useful to imagine yourself in each situation, and then imagine yourself doing the things that will make you happy instead of unhappy.
Once you've completed both tasks to your satisfaction, move on to the second step.
2. Step Two is to list the things your mother did to you that made you feel sad and unhappy. Make this list as complete as possible. This is the first task and it can be completed in the same manner as you approached the First Law, the Law of Acceptance.
The second task is to consciously decide how you'll handle these same situations in the future regardless of the people, places and things concerned. Your decision is not specific to your mother but general to all other situations similar to the events you've listed in regard to your mother. The decision is how to remain happy in many situations that previously caused you sadness and unhappiness.
Once you've completed both tasks to your satisfaction, move on to the third step
3. Step Three is to list the things your children, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and cousins did to you that made you feel sad and unhappy. Process these items and complete both tasks in the same manner you handled the first two steps. When you've completed both tasks to your satisfaction, proceed to the next step.
4. Step Four is to list the things your aunts, uncles, grandparents, great uncles, great aunts, and all your ancestors did to you that made you feel sad or unhappy. Process these items and complete both tasks in the same manner you handled the first two steps. When you've completed both tasks to your satisfaction, proceed to the next step.
5. Step Five is to list the things your spouse, lovers, friends, fellow students and fellow employees did to you that made you feel sad or unhappy. Process these items and complete both tasks in the same manner you handled the first two steps. When you've completed both tasks to your satisfaction, proceed to the next step.
6. Step Six is to list the things your enemies and antagonists did to you to make you feel sad and unhappy. Process these items and complete both tasks in the same manner you handled the first two steps. When you've completed both tasks to your satisfaction, proceed to the next step.
7. Step Seven is to list the things all other persons whatsoever did to you that made you feel sad or unhappy. Process these items and complete both tasks in the same manner you handled the first two steps. When you've completed both tasks to your satisfaction, proceed to the next step.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-02 05:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-02 06:43 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-03 01:49 pm (UTC)Btw, in 0/8 I notice that the step 3 heading is missing "children", which are included in step 3 in the sort-of intro list. It caught my eye since I have feelings towards & about my children that I'd never allowed myself to acknowledge before this work.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-03 11:24 pm (UTC)TSW
Date: 2021-09-02 06:17 pm (UTC)I just wanted to note stuff has started to happen. TSW. First in my dreams, I'm seeing all kinds of old friends and family members appear in them in ways that seem connected to this work. Other things are happening / have happened too. People from past turning up unexpectedly. Someone I suppose I had some resentments and blame towards. Anyway, it rattled me, but I'm letting it go. Hopefully this is all part of the process of healing.
Re: TSW
Date: 2021-09-02 06:43 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-02 07:38 pm (UTC)What does this mean when it's applied in step 8? I can decide to respond differently to someone else, but when the person making me unhappy is me, is this asking me to come up with something else to do, or how I will respond once I've already arrived at the situation where I have done something to make myself unhappy?
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-03 02:55 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-02 08:59 pm (UTC)Tamar
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-02 09:41 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-03 06:42 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-03 02:55 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-02 09:41 pm (UTC)Am I going about this the right way in parsing out shame versus embarrassment? Or should I lump them together?
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-03 02:56 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-03 09:15 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-03 11:29 pm (UTC)If you mean any of the individual exercises of the system, though, I don't recommend this. The whole system is fairly carefully designed and shouldn't be chopped up.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-06 07:42 pm (UTC)Amend for a Curse
Date: 2021-09-03 01:23 pm (UTC)Do you have any tips for making ammends for someone and their partner-at-the-time that I cursed?
This not only hurt the people I did this to as a stupid teenager who thought he was involved in some "witch war" but was really just jealousy. They had been friends before this. I didn't have much training at the time, but I suspect natural talent, and it really hurt one of the people in a very physical way, and the other by her concern for him.
They knew about what I did later, and at senior prom, the one who suffered the most from my magic and I had a talk, and he actually forgave me. Yet, I still feel ashamed of having used magic this way. I haven't cursed anyone else, so that is one amend I will continue to make, working with blessing, not cursing.
I too suffered from the raspberry jam effect which was a lesson in itself, and I've wondered how long the effects have lasted. It was a learning through mistake experience. I know I am forgiven by the Divine, but was just curious if you had any ideas for making amends? I have no idea where these two people are now, nor do I really wish to be in contact with them. I would like do make some kind of act in reparation though.
Thank you.
Re: Amend for a Curse
Date: 2021-09-03 11:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-03 02:20 pm (UTC)My father is eager for change but I'm afraid the Druid Magic Handbook copy I got for him is out of reach for the moment as he goes through a phase were the required dedication is not available. These lessons however seem to be a good start in any path of self transformation.
Can these things be meditated on? When I write I feel I am pouring and opening the gates and when meditating I feel I am digesting and integrating, it's a subtle difference but I don't feel like the same. I certainly did already and something curious happened. After writing extensively trying to follow our previous exchange of opposites, lateral and vertical I proceeded to do the LRP, colorless breathing and meditation. While doing the colorless breathing two new spots appeared in my head, one just above the hairline and another on the right side of my head, moving up and down in a comfortable way. Perhaps the Octagon Society material cleared a blockage that was manifesting on my aetheric body? My meditation proceeded smoothly and the sensation of an activated center is still there.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-03 11:31 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-03 03:32 pm (UTC)So, a few weeks ago, I accidentally locked my cat in a dresser drawer for a day, ruining my baby's entire wardrobe. I almost killed the cat. It felt like a lesson I needed to learn. I think it did help me to start to forgive him.
-Radha
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-03 11:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-05 07:44 am (UTC)a data point
Date: 2021-09-06 05:12 pm (UTC)I thought you might want to know that some? of us started 'late' with the preliminary lessons, and so are playing catch up. Anyhow, I offer this as a data point if you are keeping some sort of score.
For my part some other practices needed to be moved around to give this proper attention. It is not exactly a course that you 'run' through if you get what I mean.
At this point I am merely printing the more recent lessons out and putting them away with the others for easy reference later on, while I work my way forward.
Thank you sincerely for putting this out.
- Mint Fragrant Ouroboros
Re: a data point
Date: 2021-09-06 05:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-10-09 11:58 pm (UTC)Would you consider adding to this "List the things all other persons whatsoever did to you that made you feel sad or unhappy" an additional clause about conditions or situations that are not caused by persons but that still make you unhappy? For example, I'm not particularly happy about where I live (and that feeling tends to dominate when I walk out my front door). Now, I live here and not elsewhere because of another person's influence, yes, however my unhappiness with him is distinct from my unhappiness with the situation, the place (and what I perceive as its deficits)...
So, just a thought to add one option that's not so human-centric.