How do you define the LHP? (a carry over)

[ktf]

The LHP could broadly be defined as the quick path to various levels of enlightenment and reality manipulation/programming. The original distinction of LHP comes from the tantric traditions of India. The tantric LHP adept was a person who worked to deprogram themselves from all of the behavior, thoughts, and beliefs about reality and self that are programmed from birth into a member of society. The LHP adept is generally working from the paradigm that appearance and belief, thought, interactions, responses, emotions, behaviors etc. are all rooted in illusion. The illusions are various and varied, and depend on the individual and social constructs. The LHP adept seeks to strike at the root of the illusions, tear it down, and see what is left afterwards (initiation). From this point it is assumed that the LHP adept will then begin to restructure and create realities based on the realizations uncovered and incorporated through the process of initiation.

Because the LHP adept is attempting to strike at the heart of illusion, they must use any and all tools that are available to them. One of the most readily recognized tools of the LHP is antinomianism. Antinomian can be translated as, “against the law”. This can be and has been interpreted in many different ways. Perhaps the basic concept could be described as going against the current of the consensus reality of the society in which one lives. Even more than that, the true antinomian breaks the laws of that current. Since the LHP adept is attempting to reprogram themselves, they must discover their current programming, and its laws, and then break them. There is no one fits all prescription for this type of technique it will vary from individual to individual.

Another key tool of the LHP is the inherent danger of it. To clarify, the LHP is not dangerous because it sometimes takes on the trappings of spookiness, blackness, Satanism etc. The LHP is dangerous because it requires the utter destruction of illusions and limitations. The LHP is dangerous because it is akin to walking on a tight rope without any sort of safety net. The LHP is parkour. Any mistakes along the LHP could prove fatal to sanity, social position, freedom, and even life. The LHP adept will use intense meditation, sexual taboo, social crime, drugs, physical danger, intellectual extremism, whatever is helpful to destroying illusion and limitation is a valid tool for the adept of the LHP. The antinomian LHP adept immerses themselves in the things that society views as dangerous, unclean, immoral, and illegal. The original LHP adepts of India performed their meditation and ritual in cremation grounds, sitting atop corpses, eating human flesh, playing ritual instruments made of human bone. They made their living as prostitutes, criminals, and beggars. They cultivated the image of insanity and danger. All of this was a technique, a LHP method that served to sever these adepts from the illusions of consensus reality that create the Black Iron Prison in which most of us live as inmates. If one wants to know why the LHP is dangerous, look to the lives of the past tantric LHP adepts and then ask if you would be able, or even want to recreate the experiment. Today, most people who identify with LHP, and then revel in the dangerousness of their “path”, really never do much to break through the prison walls of consensus reality and will quickly condemn anyone who has actually engaged in antinomian practice within the current social structure.

The LHP is known as a quick path because historically the “spiritual” understanding in the East where the LHP originated held that enlightened states of being could only be achieved after life time upon life time of refinement and study. The dominant wisdom held that a student must learn various prescribed methods of meditation, various codes of conduct and study and master various philosophies. The RHP student was generally expected to renounces worldly activities, and if not able to complete renounce them then to at least control them to a great degree. The LHP on the other hand was developed as a method that could be applied by one completely emersed in the activities of life. It was thought that by using the fuel of all the passions and desires and emotions that one could rocket themselves into higher state of enlightenment in one life time. The LHP adept uses everything as fuel for their journey.

 

[Valor]

Excelent thread and very well thought out. I agree with you concerning the breaking of barriers. Its true, we must learn to not forget, but rather "unlearn" the behaviors and habits society has programmed into us in order to fortify our foundation for the process of Initiation. Initiation can not begin, or i should say excell, untill we rebuild ourselves in accordance to our goals. As a lhp practitioner and adept magician, i can speak from experience.

This does not make Initiation any easier just knowing we must tear down the social fabric that hinders our becoming, no, it is the conscious act of refinement where we gain the beneficial aspects of Initiation.

I will thread my opinion of what the path sinister means to me tomorrow. Forgive me, but its 3 a.m.

Again...great post KTF.

 

[Daelach]

Very good post, ktf! I wholeheartedly agree (something which I write seldomly *g*).

I would like to add another aspect, some words on the so-called "Western LHP" and "isolate intelligence" stuff.

In the Satanic Bible, Lavey wrote some things of LHP vs. RHP; it boils down to a hedonistic approach to the LHP while he regards the RHP as some whitelight-sheeple-stuff. Where does this misunderstanding stem from?

Basically, as you said, the terms LHP and RHP came from East India and were not common in the West for a long time. It was Blavatsky who imported them (at least I don't know of earlier, broad propagation). She completely misunderstood the point and the dualism of the two paths.

While in the East, these parts are not seen as opposing (in the sense of being enemies), rather they are complementing each other (as contrary paths). It is the typical Eastern logic of "as well as" which also figures e.g. in Taoism. Blavatsky, however, got that all wrong in the Western logic of "exclusive-or". Basically, she lumped everything she misliked together in her consideration of the LHP, with a strong moral accent. She did to LHP exactly the same the Xtian churches did to the character "Satan" (that is the connection to Satanism).

From there, the misunderstanding continued to Crowley and Lavey, only that Lavey reversed the moral judgement of Blavatsky. (Sidenote: while Crowley rejected the LHP in his writings, he really lived it in practice). From there, Blavatsky's stuff continued its way to Aquino, and that is why we have the TOS presenting something as LHP which actually has nothing to do with LHP.

The very point of both paths is that they have the SAME goal, only the means are different. Nothing with isolate-intelligence-stuff. In most RHP schools, the Ego gets diminished until it doen't exist anymore, that is the unification with the All. On the LHP, however, the Ego is widened (that is where the misunderstanding arose) until it eventually will comprise the All. The result is the same, being All, only the way thereto differs. So in both paths, the point is to overcome the limitations of the self which don't stem from imperfection, but from the sheer existence of said self: Each thing only has a meaning in contrast to other things it doesn't comprise; that means, from its borders.

So widening one's existence is NOT the opposite of reducing one's ego, or at least only at the very beginning of the path where the two ways lead away from each other. But at the end, they will meet again.

If we now consider the LHP means (which you have presented very well), and judge so-called LHP-organisations by whether they employ such means or not, we will find that most of them completely rest within the comfort zone society finds acceptable. That means: NO LHP! And no dangerous path. All the gobbledeegook of the LHP dangers is just a laugh with such a safe way. Now I don't like the ONA too well because of its self-contradicting dogmas, but if they really exist (which I cannot verify), they are using true LHP means. Which is the reason why they don't run a big, shiny website with official addresses and such.

Now there are many good reasons for choosing the safe path, the RHP schools are no fools (contrarily to what some pseudo-LHP adepts may say). The point is just that the LHP adept values speed over safety. If someone values safety over speed, there is nothing wrong with that, and this is a completely valid spiritual path. However, it is just not LHP.

 

[ktf]

Concerning groups.

There are a few groups out there that claim the title LHP. As is true for probably all aspects of the LHP, the only way anyone will know whether or not these groups can provide hints and help is to investigate them for one’s self. That being said, there are a few things that should be kept in mind when investigating LHP groups and I will offer a few of my opinions concerning LHP groups.

First of all it is important, critically important to your LHP development that you do not become a follower or a believer. It is also crucial that you not buy into any b.s. (belief systems) unless you are consciously doing so as a technique. Be wary of anyone claiming any sort of mandate from beings from the great beyond. Be wary of anyone or any group claiming to be the holder of ultimate Truth. Be wary of secrecy for secrecy sake. Occult group games can be fun and entertaining to engage in but when doing so it is important that you keep in mind that you are doing just that. Be wary of those who take themselves and their titles too seriously. Be wary of staying in one group for too long and definitely avoid those who make a career or religion out of their years of membership. This is likely stagnation. If you find that multiple members of a group tend toward a certain “party line” it is extremely questionable whether they represent a legitimate LHP. A “party line” i.e. dogma, is generally an indication of religion, which has nothing in common with the LHP. What is the groups relation to the feminine? The “divine feminine is a key ingredient in traditional LHP practice. Lastly, test the people you meet. Do these people exhibit qualities that you would like to manifest in yourself? Do these people actually operate on higher, more enlightened (i.e. less programmed) states of being? Judge this by observing them in multiple setting, under multiple stresses, and if possible intoxication. You can learn a lot by watching someone who claims a high degree of initiation or adept hood.

If you are new to the LHP I would suggest looking to the East, with a big dose of salt. I am not suggesting you go in for eastern trappings or culture but research the origins of the LHP and those origins are in the East. There are still a few genuine LHP manifestations in Vajrayana Buddhism and Bonpo. This is a good place to start for the westerner. The Chaos Magic people (check out the I.O.T.) are in the midst of creating a western/eastern LHP synthesis and one would benefit greatly by investigating here. Dragon Rouge seems interesting, again a blend of western magic and some eastern tantra. The writings of Robert Anton Wilson and Christopher Hyatt are genuine western tantra (i.e.LHP) and a vital source for the aspiring adept. Check out the Extreme Individuals Institute for more on Hyatt and the Maybe Logic Academy for more on R.A.W. (and much, much more). There are certain trends in Thelema that are beneficial for the LHP student, particularly Kenneth Grant’s Typhonian OTO and the writings of Jack Parsons. Stay clear of the religion though. The Temple of Set has been adequately explained by Daelach. They claim the title of LHP but do not appear to manifest much. However, the writings of Don Webb are of interest and should definitely be examined.

As advised above, when you explore these groups keep your wits about you. Some of them truly are LHP schools of initiation while others are religions masquerading as schools. It is up to each LHP practitioner to figure out which is which.

 

[ktf]

Concerning the Self

Much is made in the Temple of Set’s version of western LHP regarding the apparent difference between the dissolving of the Self and the exaltation and divinity of the Self. It is claimed by this group and some others that the distinction between the LHP and Right Hand Path is that the RHP seeks to dissolve or merge the Self into something greater whereas the LHP seeks apotheosis of the Self.

Daelach has discussed this issue in this thread and other places and he does a very good job clearing up some of this misunderstanding. Here, I would like to add a few thoughts of my own.

The distinction is not between merging or not merging or some such idea, rather it is a matter of technique. The goal (and I should point out that the idea of “a” goal is quite limiting) is the expansion of what we consider to be our self. The idea could be understood that the concept that most of us have of self is in fact based on illusion. Most of what we normally experience as the self is composed of social and cultural programming. Once the practitioner begins to tear down the cultural and social programming they can begin to experience what lies beneath, or, according to another theory, they can begin to create something new. Either way, the central point is that most of what the average person considers to be self, is actually an illusion. The idea also holds that at the time of death, great confusion is experienced and most people’s illusion of self dissolves, in other words, it has no permanence. The various schools of tantric Buddhism and Bonpo contain very detailed instructions on how the practitioner can experience the impermanence of this self.

The sense and experience of dissolving the Self and exalting the Self are both the result of technique. These are experiences that are available to the properly trained adept. Neither of these experiences should be seen as more “real” than the other. They are simply experiences that the trained adept is able to accomplish. Each one has its own set of benefits both mystical and practical. These are unique to each adept and can only be grasped through experience.

One of the goals of the path of magic is to discover what the Self actually “is”, if it “is” anything at all. It is important that the LHP practitioner does not start his path with answers regarding the Self. What is needed is sincere and burning questions, and Holy Doubt. To start with answers is religion. To start with someone else’s answers is definitely religion. To start with questions and doubt is philosophy and this is necessary to the LHP.

There is a story about a Zen monk who every night sat in meditation on a boulder, night after night searching for the answer to the question, “What IS This?” Each day, as the dawn would rise and he had no answer to the question he would pound his fists against the rock, tears of frustration running down his cheeks. This is Holy Doubt. This is the rocket fuel of the LHP. Do you have it? Do you even really want it?

 

[Valor]

@KTF.

I think these last two titled posts deserve their own threads. Could you make this happen? This way we can reply to the individual threads.

P.S. the reason i can't reply to your texts is because im having international phone problems....im in Italy, staying with family. Im replying from my aunts laptop. I guess i need some international access # to calibrate my phone. My wife and i split up...so i took off.

 

[no-body]

what about the old gnostic belief that since everything is sacred, even sin is a form of worship?

I'm not interested at all in the occult but the philosophy side sounds interesting.

 

[Vasilisa Jade]

I have to comment on the breaking down of illusion by extreme means. This part of the lhp is why I think that sovereignty of self is so important. Unfortunately to grow that sovereignty sometimes mistakes must be made... but anyway...

I practiced this barrier breaking all through out my childhood and didn't even know it. My friends and I always pushed limits. We practiced the art of gaining knowledge through experience and we didn't realize what we were doing.

At age 10... I think, we realized that soon we would have boyfriends and they would want to kiss us. We were worried we wouldn't know what to do... so we practiced on each other.

We stole from stores in various ways, we broke into houses, and they even stole a car once, at age... 14 or 15, and they stole it to go get drugs.

I am not advocating this or what we did. What we did was, I crawled in through the doggy door and opened the door from the inside so the alarm didn't go off (this was before the alarm systems got so sophisticated). We nibbled on snacks which were in ridiculous abundance (rich neighbors who went on vacation for months at a time) and we watched tv. We didn't steal a thing, break or mess up a thing and we tried to not even leave a fingerprint. It wasn't about taking or hurting, it was about the thrill and the skill. The car jacking was a little careless. I wasn't part of that, but likewise, nothing was hurt. That could have been a disaster.

We snuck out all the time and went skinny dipping in neighbors pools at midnight while they were gone.

We did steal from stores, but not very often, and that was like.... whatever. It wasn't a progressive thing. It was just to see if we were good enough and it was small things.

My bestie and I both have great jobs. We have never been arrested and have a clean record. Neither of us break the law now. As children we were sly enough to assume that because we were so young, we should take advantage of our age and the fact that if we did get caught it would have been a wrist slap. Oh and finally, neither of us have any addictions.

It is possible to break limitations and cause minimal harm with minimal risk if played out in the right ways at the right times.

This is one of the things I found so interesting about lhp practitioners in general... they are rebels with consciences.... consciences better formed than a lot of other do-gooders I come into contact with on a daily basis.

 

[ktf]

Good post Tigeress. I would like to add a few words of my own as I think the idea of antinomianism is an important one to understand for the LHP and is often misunderstood.

From a historical/traditional perspective the LHP adept generally engage in behavior that created a permanent rip between the adept and the dominant culture. The Aghori for example would purposefully engage in behavior so shocking to the dominant society that it would be impossible for that adept to ever return to a normal, respectable life. The adept would then be forced to progress on the Path, carve out her own existence, or fall by the roadside. This is why the LHP is dangerous, or at least this is one of the reasons why the LHP is dangerous.

It is still this way today. I will use myself as an example. I spent 6 years in prison because of antinomian activity. I consciously broke laws because I was attempting to carve out a Path and an existence that was counter to the dominant culture and consensus reality. As an ex-con I am branded for life in this culture. I can never re-enter polite society (and have no wish to) but instead have guaranteed a place on the fringes and wastelands of that society. To me, this is an example of the LHP idea that once one seriously enters the Path there is no turning back. Initiation takes one to places from which there is no return….for good or bad. Interestingly, one of the best places to look for early reports on LHP practitioners in India (in English) are in prison logs of the British. The LHP adepts simply did not care about colonial law or social convention and the arrest record shows it.

Now, I am not encouraging anyone to go out and break the law simply for the sake of breaking the law. I am often invited to speak in university classes about my prison experience and about the reality of prison life vs. the media portrayals of prison life. In my lectures I always work in ideas about initiation and the ability to shape and mold “reality”. One of the catch phrases I enjoy using is, “I do not recommend heroin addiction and prison for everyone…but it worked for me.” And it did Work for me. Drug addiction and prison were huge elements of my LHP initiation, elements that are priceless in my estimation because they came at such a high price. But this path is not for everyone and it definitely is not safe, nor should it be.

However, if one is determined to actually practice the LHP one must practice antinomianism, and not just safe antinomianism behind the closed doors of home or ritual chamber. There is no half way or part time with the LHP and the things that you are thinking that you are not willing to risk are the very things that you must risk…if you choose to hack out a trail on the LHP.

 

[ktf]

A response to No-Body,

Yes, I think this gnostic idea could and should play into an LHP praxis. We should strive to make the profane sacred and the sacred profane in a constant, interwoven mesh.

In my opinion the main thrust is to challenge existing b.s. (belief systems) in yourself and in consensus reality. A key way to do this is to find things that are repugnant to you and repugnant to consensus reality (we can call these sins to fit the gnostic paradigm) and then exhalt these sins into forms of worship (again, using a phrase that fits the paradigm).

I too was largely attracted to the occult because of philosophy. There are some very interesting things to discover and create in this regard. In my opinion one of the key philosophies concerns the plasticity of "reality". Once you get a intellectual handle on that concept you can begin to put it into practice, and this is where the magick comes in. It is amazing to expereince your own ability to cause change in so-called objective reality (I doubt very seriously that such a creature exists).

 

[Daelach]

good points, ktf. Antinimianism is not only about THINKING, thinking some thoughts other people are not thinking. It is about doing things, things outside whatsociety approves. In fact, about also doing things society has forbidden. The aim is becoming "complete" in one's experiences, not limiting thm to whatever culturally approved frame we were born into.

Concerning prison, I have never been there because I think I have so many opportunities outside it, in freedom. In fact, you will not have entered it on purpose. But like you, if it happened, I would draw as much of it as I could, making the best of it - a valuable experience.

With the substances.. yes, the danger is obvious. But for a Setian, this is not a problem. Not because of his strength, rather because he cannot be un-Setian. Any substance only is useful until a certain level. Beyond it, it has no Setian use anymore, it is only hedonistic fun (which is where addiction glooms). The point is that the fun will wear off, even the inital thrill of being somewhat addicted will wear off. I had a white nose for some time, felt even the craving and the subtle attacks of the white dragon, as I called it, which I had underestimated because of its subtelity. But it got boring. What I longed for was something new, and taking stuff for the first times satisfied me - but since I am addicted to curiosity and new things, doing the same thing over and over cannot give me what I am longing for. Addiction will get boring, and that is the point where a Setian just will quit it.

Being a Setian is a blessing, a gift because one can walk. But it is also a curse because a Setian cannot not-walk, cannot stay. Staying would get boring. This can be used to walk into places where normal people would want to walk away, but would not be able to do so.

Now if someone gets into addiction and stays there, which is a risk, then this proves that he has never been a Setian, he only was thinking so. It is an ordeal. Whether one will pass this ordeal is something he will never know until he actually tries it. He could indulge in phantasies, imagining that the ordeal is unnecessary or even harmful, but where is the proof? Belief is no proof.

 

[Adramelek]

Anybody who truly walks the LHP can not come to any real Understanding through primitive two-dimensional thinking. One must explore for themselves all the multi-dimensional angles of the Black Arts. It takes real passion, dedication, and hard work to achieve any real Understanding. Of course book smarts is important, however, is far from being enough. True knowledge and wisdom comes from within the individual Self. Plato knew this, though it took him his entire life to come to this realization.

It is the restlessness of Heart that is both a blessing and a curse derived from partaking of the Venom of Set. The Path of Darkness is an eternal one; as one continues to Xeper and Remanifest they expand the horizons of their own Initiation towards absolute Self-hood. It is the Black Flame (Runa) which energizes ones Will to Come Into Being, and with each Mystery one uncovers, upon that newly expanded horizon lies an even deeper Mystery, and beyond that another and another, ad infinitum. So you see even though there are plateaus in Initation, the Work of the Setian Black Magician is never done - it is true, there is no rest for the wicked. :bat:

Xepera - Xeper - Xeperu= "The Self-Created god Creates Creations."
/Adramelek\

 

[Vasilisa Jade]

Lol. All this talk about antinimianism is interesting cause I've never heard it talked about before. I am so glad I did so many of the things I did when I was young. But even now, you know that's why my "religion" up there is Undercover Do-Badder. My dad taught me that safety and stealth is paramount, even if he wasn't trying to. If I fessed up I got a "talkin' to." If he busted us I was in trouble. If we got busted by someone else my *** was grass. The way he saw it, if we were careless enough to get caught we were careless enough to get hurt, hence his utmost focus on teaching us how to be safe... so we could have the freedom that we well... took (lol). He knew we'd take it one way or another sometime somewhere.

I am currently on a tattoo and piercing kick. We are not allowed to have them at work, so I am honing those undercover abilities at the moment. In fact I just saw one of my customers outside of work today... my "pirate customer" I distinctly remember, and he didn't recognize me.

"When you're at work you seem like such a good girl! I don't remember that tattoo on your neck or the lip ring."

Yeah.... lol.

I just got my labret pierced. I can't wait to post pics of that and my tatts.

This phase won't be over for a while...

 

[Vasilisa Jade]

Oh I forgot to mention. In case someone is wondering how I'm not going to get fired for breaking dress code...

I got it pierced at the beginning of vacation, and a clear retainer is going in there before I go back.

Timing is everything

My next plan is going to be, getting just a bit into better shape. I'm not that out of it. I just need a little toning. Then I've decided on exploring some undercover stripping...

I can't wait to see that world. We'll see how it goes.

 

[Mr. Cage]

A very powerful and moving thread. Extremely accurate and well laid out. Thank you KTF, sincerely.