"What the Left Hand Path is to Me": a collection of interpretations of the LHP

[1137]

Hey Sutekh, your the second person on RF that has told me my story is similar to their own experience. For me it wasn't a matter of converting to Satanism but rather finally recognizing and fully embracing That which I Am. Which I think is a common theme amongst many Left Hand Pathers.

Gnothi Seauton!

I'm the first?

 

[Adramelek]

I'm the first?

Yes... Hail, Brothers of Darkness!

Gnothi Seauton!

 

[Adramelek]

What is a Left Hand Path School of Thought and Magickal Initiation?

One such school is the Temple of Set; a LHP religious institution and Initiatory School of the Black Arts, dedicated to the accumulation of the knowledge of the Prince of Darkness. It is not a social club or a internet forum. It is for the serious minded and dedicated student and practitioner of the Black Arts. One enters the Temple as a First Degree Setian, receives the first of the Jeweled Tablets of Set that is the "Crystal Tablet". He/she then begins a rigorous study and practice of the teachings of Setian Magick and LHP philosophy contained in the "Crystal Tablet" and other inner-temple documents, including the Temple's suggested reading list, in their own individual ways.

The First Degree Initiate also begins to work closely with an Initiate of the Setian Priesthood III* in a student/mentor sort of relationship or just an observational one with very little Priesthood guidance. This first working magickal relationship is designed to teach and help guide the beginning Setian Initiate as they get to know the Temple and the Temple gets to know them, and towards the Degree of Adept II* which is recognized by the mentoring or observing Priest/ess. There is a two year time limit to this process, during which time the I* Setian is required to demonstrate whether or not he/she is a good fit for the Temple, whether both can contribute and benefit from one another, and the new Initiate is a competent, effective Black Magickian.

The Degree of Adept is known as the Degree of Freedom and Mastering of Life. There is nothing more to prove to the Temple; just live your life in accordance with your Will and the glory of your own unique Setian Being, and for ever...

Xeper and Remanifest.

 

[crossfire]

My first understandings of Left and Right came from Taoism: On the Right is the Strong General as the active, contracting, Yang principle. On the left is the more subtle, Wise Counselor as the passive, expansive, Yin principle. Taoism most definitely prefers the Left to the Right (using its own definition of Left and Right.) The Right, the Strong General is only used as a last resort, and with deep mourning, as it is considered to be a failure at mastering the situation, it does not result in change that lasts, and it wastes a lot of energy. The Tao itself is considered to be inherently Yin. Many of the principles of Taoism are counter-intuitive and contrary to what humans might naturally think.

From Buddhism: like Taoism, the Right is associated with the Active, masculine principle of Skillful Means and Compassion, and the Left is associated with the Passive, feminine principle of Wisdom and Emptiness (& expansion of possibilities.)

The apophatic approach of anatta in Buddhism separates self from the objective universe through neti-neti: this objective thing is not my Self, that objective thing is not my Self, progressing to ever more subtle levels of separation.

Another feature of Buddhism is the resistance to the herd mentality and collective cultural egregore of Māra. Self-control, resisting indulging in what is unprofitable to liberation, yet not engaging in neglecting ones needs is the path that develops the mind and brings insight and discernment--as you have to think and judge for yourself instead of following the herd mentality. You reject what is not beneficial, and accept that which is beneficial to developing your mind. You have to take care of your self first, and heal your own mind before you can skillfully help others. You have to find and understand your dark side--your mental hang-ups--and heal them before you can hope to be liberated.

Being a Western Buddhist, of course I looked towards a compatible Western tradition. I saw a striking resemblance to Western Luciferian lore and the story of Buddha's own awakening, sitting under the eastern side of the Bodhi Tree, being protected and shielded from the elements by the Serpent Muccilinda, and finally awakening to understanding upon seeing the Morning Star rise during the third watch of he night. The idea of resistance and rebellion against the herd mentality and harmful and or delusional aspects of the cultural norms, thinking for yourself, and liberation through your own efforts also resonated with me. Finally, Buddhism's regard for sentient beings (beings with a subjective mind) and my own radical individualism resonates with Luciferianism. While the apophatic approach to Self is not really common within Luciferianism, it is quite common within Western Chaos magic. I supplement my Buddhism, Zen and Taoism with Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell, alchemical transformational principles, qliphoth workings, and other activities within my Order, (and some outside of my Order.)

I would love to watch Chang-tzu slap Plato silly in a philosophical discussion.

 

[Adramelek]

The Path of the Left is the Path of Darkness which leads to enlightenment. What is the significance of darkness? Darkness is much more than just the absence of light. It observably envelops the entire Cosmos. It symbolizes the mysteries, the unknown, the secret knowledge, that which is hidden, the infinite potential of self-aware being, and that which is not yet manifest or the is-to-be in the realms of Black Magick. As Don Webb once wrote about the Path: "In this darkling universe there are no lights save for those you create through your hard work, your spiritual rebellion, your seeking after the mysteries of your own choosing. When that light dawns, it will by its very nature not only give you moments of clarity about the things in your life closest to you, it will likewise show you new horizons -- horizons for you and you alone to explore."

 

[crossfire]

Conclusion thus far . . .
It would seem that many of us see little if no distinction between the so called "eastern" and "western" Left Hand Path, while others see them as totally different.
Historically the term Left Hand Path falls into one of 5 categories:

1. Original Left Hand Path, usually Tantric, from religions like Hinduism and Buddhism.

I wouldn't say "original," as the Tao Te Ching (and its interpretation of Right/Left and decided preference for the Left) was written more than 1,000 years earlier than Tantrism was formalized. (Not that it really matters. *ugh*)

 

[EtuMalku]

I wouldn't say "original," as the Tao Te Ching (and its interpretation of Right/Left and decided preference for the Left) was written more than 1,000 years earlier than Tantrism was formalized. (Not that it really matters. *ugh*)

Where does Taoism mention anything about Left / Right Hand paths?

 

[crossfire]

Where does Taoism mention anything about Left / Right Hand paths?

The Tao Te Ching mentions the wise counselor on the left, and the strong general on the right, and the right should only be used as a last resort and should be approached with great mourning.

 

[crossfire]

The Tao Te Ching mentions the wise counselor on the left, and the strong general on the right, and the right should only be used as a last resort and should be approached with great mourning.

Using the Right Hand should be approached with mourning, and "treated as a funeral" probably to safeguard your conscience, imo.

 

[EtuMalku]

The Tao Te Ching mentions the wise counselor on the left, and the strong general on the right, and the right should only be used as a last resort and should be approached with great mourning.

This verse is speaking about war and peace, hardly the same as Vamachara
Some scholars place the Tantric schools as the original school of Hinduism, before Theravada

 

[crossfire]

This verse is speaking about war and peace, hardly the same as Vamachara
Some scholars place the Tantric schools as the original school of Hinduism, before Theravada

No it's not the same as Vamachara. The only thing it has in common with Vamachara is the yin/feminine on the left and the yang/masculine on the right. Tao has no obvious Vedic influence, at all, from what i can ascertain. (They had the Confucianists to contend with, instead.)

 

[crossfire]

This verse is speaking about war and peace, hardly the same as Vamachara
Some scholars place the Tantric schools as the original school of Hinduism, before Theravada

Theravada (Buddhism) is Shramanic, not Hindu, and is classified as Nastika.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Āstika_and_nāstika

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

If you stand facing east, where the sun rises, the south is to your right. ‘Dakshina’ translates to ‘south’, and thus can be translated as right hand practice.

Interesting, because in Aztec religion, the direction North is associated with the Underworld and is ruled over by the Death God, Mictlantecuhtli. I've liked Him for a long time.

As for egalitarianism:

 

[crossfire]

This verse is speaking about war and peace, hardly the same as Vamachara
Some scholars place the Tantric schools as the original school of Hinduism, before Theravada

Are you gonna contend that the Heyoka, who are obviously LHP to me, are gonna have to conform to Vamachara?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heyoka

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

As for me, being LHP is to explore the taboo, the forbidden, the misunderstood and the unknown without judgment, in a quest to understand, gain knowledge and reach a state of wholeness. This has led me to hold various extreme viewpoints at different points of my life and to look into stuff and even be into stuff that borders on being illegal (I won't go into detail, but I'm not in trouble with the law - just sayin'). When I bring some of it up, it leads to accusations of ASPD. Lol.

Because of this, I've become a nihilist and have come to hold a view of non-dualism. As for certain antinomian or "extreme" acts like killing people, cannibalism, necrophilia, etc. I haven't done those either because I don't feel like it or for other reasons. (I can't go into too much detail here.) I will say that I have a certain fondness for blood, violence and death and leave it at that.

Besides, I was fascinated by the "extreme" aspects of life and culture from a young age. I used to fantasize about the Cenobites from Hellraiser coming to take me away. So it's just a natural aspect of my personality. My supreme deity is Kali, since She is the best spiritual embodiment of all these things, to me. I suppose I'm a Death worshiper (both in the metaphorical sense of the concept and in the literal sense). But by venerating death, you are also venerating life because the two can't exist without each other.

 

[Kapalika]

My supreme deity is Kali, since She is the best spiritual embodiment of all these things, to me. I suppose I'm a Death worshiper (both in the metaphorical sense of the concept and in the literal sense). But by venerating death, you are also venerating life because the two can't exist without each other.

Om Kreem Kalikaye Namah! Goddess of Death! Mother of black; embrace us in your timeless darkness!

I worship my Mother Mahakali as the blood of demons flows from the severed heads into the skull; as her arms swath in fury at her foes as carnage, gore and blood spews across the battlefield!. Praise be to Bhairavi!

May your walk on the Left Hand Path always be true, Frank.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Om Kreem Kalikaye Namah! Goddess of Death! Mother of black; embrace us in your timeless darkness!

I worship my Mother Mahakali as the blood of demons flows from the severed heads into the skull; as her arms swath in fury at her foes as carnage, gore and blood spews across the battlefield!. Praise be to Bhairavi!

May your walk on the Left Hand Path always be true, Frank.

Thank you. May the Dark Mother grant you infinite blessings, as well.

 

[EtuMalku]

This verse is speaking about war and peace, hardly the same as vamachara

Are you gonna contend that the Heyoka, who are obviously LHP to me, are gonna have to conform to Vamachara?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heyoka

Keep in mind that the criteria for a Western LHP is 1) Antinomianism and 2) Self-Deification
It would be interesting to do a study on American Indians

 

[EtuMalku]

This is part experiment, part education, part ice breaker. Things have been tense here to the point where all we do is bicker over definitions and histories rather than ideas, methods, and goals. I'd like all of us to simply post here what your understanding of the LHP is. What are your goals, your methods, where does your tradition stem from? I'd even like to explicitly keep it subjective, meaning who care if the tradition is entirely authentic or original, this is just about looking at the paradigms of others. I'd also like to avoid all debate on these topics in this thread. This is a thread meant for teaching and learning, asking and answering.

As I'd like this to be rather in depth please take your time. I will be making my post after work. I also know we've all elaborated on this through out the forum, but it would be great to collect all that data. Feel free to copy and paste, ramble, anything you need.

I'd like to directly address the OP in regards to how my Western Left Hand Path Order 'Herald of the Dawn (H☿D)' define the WLHP. I'll try to convey the general tenets without going into the 'how' and 'why' of them for simplicity's sake.

The criteria for the WLHP according to H☿D tenets and philosophies are:
1) The understanding that what religions refer to as God, Absolute, All, etc. is nothing more than a mechanistic process of creation and destruction we refer to as the Objective Universe (OU) to which Mankind has assigned specific meanings to.
2) That each of us are the physical manifestation of our Individual, Individuated, Isolate Intelligence referred to as the Higher Self or just Self (opposed to self)
3) That Mankind in general assigns meaning to the OU through their Subjective Universes (SU) which are unique to each person and can be many.
4) Antinomian practices which assist in the experiencing and embracing of this Self
5) The active participation in bringing the Self into one's everyday existence

 

[Satans_Serrated_Edge]

Keep in mind that the criteria for a Western LHP is 1) Antinomianism and 2) Self-Deification
It would be interesting to do a study on American Indians

Don't you find that a little glib? I mean, those two things could be argued as tools one might use to pursue the path, but as 'criteria' it seems a little short to me. It's like saying doorhandles and windshield wipers are the criteria for being a car.

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