For any one who may be interested here is a second helping of thoughts, quotes and pictures set to music.

Enjoy …

Recently I have had more requests to share the list of quotes used, some being mine and some adapted from far more dynamic and relevant sources.

This is where YouTube came to the rescue…

So for all of those of you who may be interested here’s a short video of the material used as an introduction to my workshops and talks…

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I was revisiting some of my more ‘mystical ‘ diaries over the last few weeks – those which relate directly to my interest  in transpersonal psychologies, and re-discovered some terms that I had been exploring several years ago. The terms Techno-Mage, Cyber-Mage, Psychomancer and Neuromancer …

Like very word we utter is a construct representing some element of what we seek to understand, the words that appear in public domain can be used for personal reflection and exploration. The more abstract or even ‘woolly’ the word the more fun our conscious and unconscious selves can have with it.

Techno-Mage was a term I heard used to describe a particular group of hi-tech sorcerors, who used magic and technology, in the superb Babylon 5 science fiction series.

As Arthur C Clarke has been quoted as saying: – “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” (“Profiles of The Future”, 1961) – and the idea of a Techno-Mage seems to me to be an extension of this idea.

Cyber-Mages, by the same token, can be considered in those who have mastered ‘cyber-space’ in order to manipulate it in accordance with their desires and will… and that is the definition of magic. The ability to bring about change in accordance with will.

Psycho-mancers and Neuro-Mancers, following the same logic then, would be those individuals who are acquiring skills, knowledge and understandings about the nature of the mind. Hence we are firmly in the realm of Mind Magic, and hence the domain of transpersonal, interpersonal and intrapersonal psychology.

Mentalism, is not simply a branch of the conjurors art, but a philosophy which espouses the notion that the mind exists as inner personal states (in a way not fully explained or defined by substance dualism) and a psychological approach which focuses on mental perception and thinking.

If you have read any article on this site; attended any of my more esoteric workshops or engaged in discussions of NLP or Transpersonal Psychology you have been engaged in neuromancy.

Affirmations and Positive Thinking become magical acts and behavioural modelling can be thought of as aspects of ritual.

Now if you find yourself reacting strongly to what I have just suggested ask yourself if your emotional response is a product of your beliefs and attitudes surrounding words like ‘magic’ and ‘ritual’ rather than your understanding of the words in the context they are being used. More to the point, if you are reacting to what I have written, then you are responding to a ‘spell’ I have cast upon you – my intention, my will, to provoke an emotional response.

A Starting Point….

As human beings we are isolated within our skin. Our senses allow us to receive information from the outside world.

Our minds (conscious and unconscious selves) process external information seeking to identify, relate to and understand what we perceive.

Our inner perception and understandings are driven by our cultural references (which include beliefs) and these processes may well effect the way our senses respond to external stimuli.

If this were all there was then perhaps there would be no desire to explore our individual connections to each other…. since whilst we may be ‘alone in our skin’, our physical selves interact with others in the world. These others are  ’attracted’ to us by our attitudes and behaviours… and some we enter into intense emotional and physical relationships with. We feel, we touch, we respond…

If this were all there was then perhaps there would be no desire to explore our individual connections with the cosmos…. many feel that there is ‘more to life’  and so have a sense of the ‘spiritual’ dimension. For some this is reflected in their sense of awe and w0nder in the natural world. For others there is the need to postulate a creative ‘Parent’ figure – for others there is simply the recognition that there are others ‘aspects’ of self which may be internal (unconscious) representation of internal desires (dreams, aspirations, fears) as well as a something (sometimes called soul, or spirit, or avatar) which has a closer connection to the Cosmos and is beyond the ‘self’ – it is transpersonal.

In this clumsy description we can find, perhaps, a metaphysical framework which could include religious symbols like angels and spirits but does not require them.

In this clumsy description there is a starting point for modern day neuromancers to consider the logical connections between ‘magic’ and ‘personal development’; ‘ritual’ and ‘therapeutic intervention’.

In this clumsy description there is the hope that we can explore the limits that our spiritual labels place upon our shared understandings.

Alan

Flow (psychology)

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Remember that it is the BEHAVIOUR that results from your internal drives (motives) which produce or limit success. Your behaviours are measurable, observable and outward expressions of what your conscious or subconscious priorities.

Well ahead of my next video-posts have a look at this…..

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They agreed it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them in to the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The students laughed. He asked his students again if the jar was full? They agreed yes, it was.

The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. “Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this is your life.

“The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children — anything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed.

“The pebbles are the other things in life that matter, but on a smaller scale. The pebbles represent things like your job, your house, your car.

“The sand is everything else. The small stuff. If you put the sand or the pebbles into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks. The same goes for your life.

If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, material things, you will never have room for the things that are truly most important. Pay attention to the things that are critical in your life. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal. Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just pebbles and sand.”

Written by Celia S Hecht

Sometimes we believe we are full of ideas, knowledge and beliefs when it is the space between the filling, the gaps which ache for recognition… the pain and the inability or lack of desire for change.

Is there SPACE within your perceptions and beliefs for new ideas?

Alan

Enjoy

Alan

The question that comes to mind must be… “Magic – Really??”

OK – well let me first say that as a Rational Mystic, I see the power and usefulness of ‘walking between worlds’.

There is the ‘rational’, ‘objective’ world where we can really question processes, cause and effect …

Then there is the ‘personal’, ‘subjective world’ in which we experience life and ourselves – it can have a decidedly mystical or magical flavour if so desired.

The skill is, I believe, finding ways to navigate the inner (personal) world and the outer (rational) world.

Magic is more than metaphor – perhaps it is psychology in action?

The Magician has always sought to engage in philosophy, science and ritual practice to bring about change in accordance with will. The purpose of their operations has been to ‘transcend self’, to ‘understand the divine’ and hence themselves.

It could be argued that this is the same journey we take as people – from understanding ego, personal to self.

Magical ritual is a formalised approach to creating a mental, physical and ‘spiritual’ focus of intention.

“Low Magic” has tended to be magic aimed at the material world – health, wealth, love and so on.

“High Magic” has the focus of attaining ‘oneness’ with the divine.

I think that some of the esoteric practices, when framed in a psycho-spiritual way, are worthy of exploration.

The immediate reaction to such a statement from modern folk will stem from their observations of the New Age Space Cadet who, in my opinion, is not only unbalanced but is simply playing in a shallow, superficial way, with some of the magical ideas that have been picked-up from vacuous, popularised sources.

It is my contention that by seeking to understand magical and mystical traditions we can learn more about ourselves and our inner worlds. That does not mean, however, we have to forgo the world of the rational or engage in scientific exploration with a keen sense of sceptical and critical thinking…

On the contrary for if we are not to loose ourselves upon our self-referential mystical journeys such grounding is essential – hence Rational Mysticism.

Alan

This book is an eclectic mix of comments, mini-essays and provocative opinions on topics such as Near Death Experiences, Witchcraft, Qabalah, Neurology, Psychology, The Secret, Spiritualism and the Paranormal in general.

Written so that you can dip in and out of the pages as you wish and with the express intention of offering an explanation of Rational Mysticism – what it is, what it implies and how to treat yourself if you catch it – this is the ideal coffee time read.

Depending upon your particular persuasion (sceptic or believer) you will probably find yourself provoked, annoyed and challenged by some of the things in these pages.

But that’s the point… As Alan says “Playing Devil’s Advocate can provoke thinking and discussion. But if that bothers you just remember that EVERYTHING in this book is a LIE!”

You can buy the book here or check out the download..

So many of our behavioural responses are generated from a mixture of conscious and unconscious processes and we rarely take the time to think about just what is going on in the ‘black box’ of our mind.

We accept the apparent behavioural choices which pop up in our consciousness when present with a particular situation and assume that they are the options we have – they are the basis of our free will.

This, of course, is not the case.

In so many ways what we are consciously aware of is the result of what our unconscious has already processed – so we consciously respond to only a limited set of choices.

Of course our unconscious is largely on our side so in most cases it’s filtering process is effective.

It is possible, however, that our unconscious has learned some limitations; that it has developed some protective mechanisms which are out of alignment with who we are, who we think we are and who we aspire to be.

In such cases talking directly to the unconscious might be of value.

Therapeutic Hypnosis, which is based upon the work of Milton Erickson, is an approach which allows for such a conversation.

There are many forms of Trancework, indeed some conversational change patterns in NLP require a degree of trance and dream re-entry techniques, SAR etc also utilise a trance work to a greater or lesser degree.

Therapeutic Hypnosis uses story and metaphor to engage the unconscious mind in considering how it does what it does.

It is a dynamic way to engage in personal change.

For those interested innlearning about the process InspireNLP offers an 18 taught day Diploma in Therapeutic Hyonosis.

The next one starts on the weekend of the 8th and 9th October 2011 and then runs for 9 weekends, roughly once a month. This particular training takes place in Penzance, Cornwall and further details can be obtained from:

alan@aljones.net