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Work


Abramelin

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" All of you have complaints with life as you find it, and in weak moments

some of you even theoretically suspect that the fault lies within, not

without.

All of you have looked for answers and solutions, which you believed were

to be found in the remembered words of some respected and departed teacher

or guru. You have all tried in your day and time to be religious, as

directed by those profess to know. But all has been in vain.

And now many of you have come to the proverbial place where you begin to

take the idea of secret-knowledge quite seriously.

You read books on some past master whose words and deeds seem to indicate

a certain unusual and superior knowledge. But as you tried to understand

the practical significance of his remembered words, something seems to be

lacking.

You search for groups and orginizations who claim to be the keepers and

translators of the remembered words, but you soon learn that they

understand no more than you. And yet, through it all, runs an elusive

thread, a hidden promise.

A sincere seeker becomes convinced that there is certain knowledge still

available, a knowledge that is unknown to humanity in general; a knowledge

that is unique, and satisfies the questions that ordinary man's intellect

finds unanswerable. But even when a man becomes so convinced, this is not

the end of his struggle. For when a man becomes thoroughly convinced that

there is another type of knowlegde that has been known by a very, very

few, then this man is already an outcast; he has already taken a step away

from the normal flow of human activity.

When a man has taken this ungodly step, he begins to believe that help

will be forthcoming.

His imagination tells him that he has become one of the chosen few, and he

believes that some great teacher or unrecognized superman will suddenly

appear at his door in the night and whisk him off to the mountains of

Tibet, or to a secret cave in India where he will be instantly instructed

in all forms of secret knowledge and mysticism. This, however, is not the

case.

Most man who reach this point never go any further. They wait and dream,

they dream and wait.

When help is not immediately provided, they become upset, irritated, and

progressively deluded. They normally end up joining some self-proclaimed

mystical organization, or else following some enigmatic, self-appointed

teacher, both of whom promise infinite personal development by simply

abiding by their rules and regulations with no further effort required.

By following such pursuits, a man can go safely back to sleep while

dreaming that he is making real progress, and should he ever doubt it, his

teacher and fellow members will unhesitatingly reinforce his dreams; and

thus they all snooze in safe serenity.

The real Work is always among man, but it is not a club that can be

joined, and it is not the comforter of the self-pitying. The Work and its

teachings have been called secret, and this is true, but not in the sense

that ordinary man understands.

The teaching of the Work is secret and hidden for the simple reason that

it is beyond the intellect's capacity of conception.

The Work is a direct struggle against the normal-state-of-affairs. The

Work is a danger to the mechanical progression of nature, and the Work is

a slap-in-the-face to your own imagined god.

I call it the Work, but the name is of no importance. I call it the Work,

because that it is, work.

This is no system of mere theory, nor is it a series of pleasant promises

of future days to encourage further dreams.

The secret teachings of the Work are the answer to all man's cravings, but

this does not mean that all men are ready for the Work, or that all can

become a part.

The study of the Work in all its forms has but one purpose, and the

correct study of any Work System is not to teach a man about the system.

Ordinary man unfailingly makes the mistake of confusing the vehicle with

its cargo and the appearance for the intention. A particular system is but

a vehicle, and the correct study of the system is not to make a man an

expert regarding the system.

The system is but a temporary framework, one that is used for a particular

time and place. The system, to be of any benefit, must take into account

the particular inner structure of its students. The reality of the Work

continues, while the individual systems come and go.

A teacher's particular system is his and his alone; and when he dies the

secret value of his system is buried with him.

Thus, the system I employ is the one suitable for this day, and this

place. "I am me, and none other"; and the system I use is not a system you

have read about in a book.

The superior and secret knowledge of the Work is not to be had from books,

nor from the contemplation of dead men's words. There are no true

Christians or Buddhists since Jesus and the "Enlightened One" died. Books

concerning their work are but dreams for the dead; and if you find

imagined comfort and direction from books and the contemplation of dead

men and their equally mortiferous ideas, then I speak not to you.

After a teacher dies, invariably a would-be group will spring up around

his memory. Those who were never a part of the inner group and did not

understand the difference between the vehicle and the real Work will

insist they are carrying on his work, (and this is the place where most of

you belong; sitting around with others equally deluded, reading and

discussing the words of dead men. Such activity is quite safe, for the man

who used the words is no longer there to correct you).

There is no Work without a teacher -- one who knows. All else is merely

clubs and organizations for social intercourse.

All of you believe you are seeking the Work, but not knowing what it is or

who can direct it, you are as children lost in the woods. You have been

searching for the Work, but it is not what you believe it to be.

Most of you are already convinced that you know what you need, and until

you abandon this foolish position, neither I nor the Work have anything to

offer.

Should a desirous man ever locate the Work, and be accepted, he enters

into it with many preconceived ideas; from his readings and foolish

interpretations thereof, he believes that the Work is either this-or-that.

But I tell you now that whatever you believe the Work is, is incorrect,

and everything you believe that you are searching for and ned from the

Work is equally erroneous. I will be more specific and tell you what the

Work is, and is not.

The Work of the inner-core of all religions, and what you know of their

accepted saints and teachers is but the knowledge of children. Within all

religions originally was a secret message for the very, very few, and this

message was the Work.

The Work is the possessor of the so-called secret-knowledge that

tantalizes and torments men's minds.

The Work has been the vehicle that has preserved and transmitted certain

knowledge from generation to generation, and has been the unrecognized

force behind the unnatural progress of man as an intellectual being, and

the periodic, inexplicable leaps in his forced march onward.

The Work is the sole source of understanding, as opposed to ordinary

relative knowledge.

Whenever you speak of god, destiny, life, fate, understanding, love,

compassion, consciousness, and justice, you are speaking of the domain of

the Work. Everything that is beyond ordinary comprehension is the Work.

Even though I say that such things are the Work, these are mere words, and

as such they are lies; but they are also signposts.

As to what the Work is not: it is not the conveyer of dreams. It is not a

kindergarten to teach children to believe in the impossible. It is not a

course in magic or instant mysticism, and it is not a comfort station in

life for the weak and foolish. It is not simply a new course of additional

beliefs and opinions, but rather the destroyer of such. It is not a

science or religion, but is science and religion. The Work is not a game,

or sport, as is your present unsatisfying existence. The Work is not a toy

or prize to show off and discuss with fools. The Work is not man's natural

duty or holy obligation, but is rather unnatural and blasphemous. And

finally, the Work is not whatever you think it to be.

As should be obvious to all but the sound asleep, this was not written to

encourage, but I assure you that the displeasing statements I have

directed toward you are nothing. From the viewpoint of the Work, you are

all fools of the first order; some are sqared and some are cubed, but all

are fools none the less. You are fools to the Work, but not in your

imagined sense of the word.

You are fools regardless of your education or sophistication. You are

fools foremost because everything you know is relative and incorrect!

If the proper study of a particular system of the Work is not to teach a

man about the system itself, what then is the purpose?

The foremost task of the Work is apparently so simple that it too has

aided in the Work remaining hidden. My presentation of the Work concerns

itself first, with a problem that ordinary men will say does not exist.

This unrecognized problem is simply that an ordinary man does not know

what he is! The majority of men will vehemently deny such an assertion,

and to them, I have nothing further to say, for they are normal men

playing out their ordained role in the game and natural scheme-of-things.

They are just as they should be, and will always remain strangers to this

Work. But an ordinary man, in truth, is as much a stranger to himself as

is his imagined deity.

Ordinary man will insist that he is quite familiar with himself; he will

state that he has always been rather introspective and self-conscious of

his feelings and thoughts. But this itself is a display of his foolishness

and ignorance, for if a man truly knew himself, he would not be so filled

with displeasure on a useless journey.

Once a man truly begins the struggle of the Work and begins to Awaken, he

will see how near was the truth and reality of the Work all along. But he

will at the same time, realize that the simplicity of its message was also

part of the reason that he could have never seen it for himself.

The life of man, as an intricate part of the Great Machine, is arranged in

a most beautiful and balanced manner. It is arranged so that humanity in

general lives out their few days, fulfilling an unrecognized purpose; they

live a life of complete and total captivity, and are kept peacefully in

their servitude by being made to believe in their innate freedom.

The foremost bond of servitude is that man believes he is fully conscious

and knowledgable about himself, when in fact, the opposite is true.

When I say that everything you know is incorrect, the

intellect-of-personality finds this idea most distasteful, and will insist

that it is all foolishness, or else obscure allegory. But with a man who

does not have the full, impartial knowledge of what he really is, all of

his so-called knowledge is but fragmented, distorted opinion and belief.

Such a man does not see that what he foolishly calls his "I" is no more

than an accidental conglomeration of beliefs and opinions, fostered and

encouraged by his predecessors and contemporaries, all possessing no more

understanding than himself.

Thus, a man is born into a world of delusion, is raised and instructed by

the blind, reaches his rightful day of maturity, and joins the ranks of

the sleeping, while knowing no other existence. This is the way it should,

and must be for humanity as a whole. From this accidental basis of

personal development, you must realize that all of the beliefs and

opinions that a man calls his knowledge is perforce, also accidental and

fragmented.

The Work says that a man can be more than merely a bundle of conditioned

reactions; it tells certain men that they can find individual freedom from

the illusionary frustrations and imaginary suffering of normal life, but

first it is required that a man see for himself the impartial truth

regarding his present position.

If a lion is born and raised in captivity and knows no other life, how can

he understand the joys of freedom? What can be said to him about life in

the wilds?

So too, if a man never tasted the full, rich bouqet of real wine, he can

be served the raw, unfermented juice of the grape and be made to believe

that is the real thing. It is simply a matter of, he who tastes not, knows

not.

And as you are, you believe that life, as you live it, is the only

possible existence; and you have faith that the knowledge you have is the

only knowledge available

Due to unrecognized forces of the Great Machine, and its need to keep man

in a certain position for certain purposes, men have been made to believe

that there is no knowledge that cannot be put between the pages of a book;

he has almost abandoned the belief in any other kind of knowledge, but

this is not to say that such knowledge does not exist. The end result of

this has been to make such knowledge more difficult to find, and almost

impossible to comprehend.

Just because you believe that you are ready for the Work does not mean the

Work is ready for you; and should you decide that you wish to align

yourself with its activities does not mean that I share your sentiments.

I do not hesitate to discourage even the most sincere and anxious, and I

will tell you immediately that the Work is the most costly, difficult and

exasperating task a man can undertake. All -- all of life is arranged to

keep you from the Work, and should a man become truly involved in the

struggle, he will find that all of life is against him in his effort.

Before you attempt to give any further thought to what the Work may or may

not be, consider this one idea; in the Work everything in life is against

you. In the beginning it seems as though the Work itself is your

adversary; the Work assaults your normal senses and insults your very

being. The Work immediately tells you that you are a fool, and that

everything you know is wrong.

The Work hides and is elusive; it does not seek converts, nor does it

accept all who apply. The Work does not need you -- but do you need the

Work? "

J.M.C.

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NA i havent got time. Im too busy playing calvin ball, as a metaphor for life.

Hobbes might give you a hand.

Na, sorry. He's busy cataloguing the relativistic nature of cumulo nimbus clouds and monarch butterflies, in an attempt to further quantify the chaos effect.

Edited by Mr Walker
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NA i havent got time. Im too busy playing calvin ball, as a metaphor for life.

Hobbes might give you a hand.

Na, sorry. He's busy cataloguing the relativistic nature of cumulo nimbus clouds and monarch butterflies, in an attempt to further quantify the chaos effect.

Indeed, you "haven't got time".

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Indeed, you "haven't got time".

My reply wasnt entirely facetious. I at least took the time to read your whole post(twice) Once for content and once for meaning.

However, without any hint of context, or your expectations, a detailed and thoughtful reply would be meaningless You dont say if this is your own work, and your life's reflections or the words of a "guru" with which you agree.

It is deliberately esoteric and ambiguous, like all "great mysteries," but to get people to take an interest, you either need a better "hook" or at least some accompanying statement /rationale. That is one HUGE chunk of "philosophical musings" to expect anyone to take time over.

It is quite fluently written, and the actual words, and even "outer meanings," are clear, as they need to be. But the way it is written in posing an "inner meaning", mystery, or question, can only work if you can get people to actually read it all and take time to reflect on it.

My reply was actually also philosophical in nature. I have a life statement about life and how I live it. It largely hangs around the concept that life is a game; a game we ultimately cannot win, but which we should play hard , to the best of our abilities, and with a sense of humour.

It also states that we set the rules for our own game of life, and that we should play by our rules not anyone elses( stick to ones own ethical moralities)

One can "cheat" one's own rules without harming anyone else, and indeed that can add flavour to the game of life. And in calvin ball, "cheating" on our set rules, (or creative innovation) is not just allowed, its a rule in itself.

In many respects it fits the classic game of calvin ball, and i think the writer of Calvin and Hobbes is not just a genius, but a very keen observer of life and people. So my response was, while i respect your game and your right to play it, (and to disseminate its rules) I will continue to play my game according to the rules of calvin ball.

My second paragraph was not just an observation on the intellectual prowess and deep metaphysical musings often displayed by hobbes,(calvin's "toy" tiger) but an illustration of how one can use words (as you have done) that appear, on the surface, to make sense, but without further explanation actually do not; or may have ambiguous purpose, dependent on the reader's understandings.

Edited by Mr Walker
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  • 2 years later...

This is the cover of the book I quoted from:

JCox.jpg

And the book was written by Jan Cox.

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Gurdjieff, I should have known. I read about half of that just like I read about half of Beelzebub's tales to his grandson...I mean you can find truth in it but it is just too much work, like 900 pages of: listen my boy, back on mars in the good old days before we had to live in this space ship...and on and on and on. My first guess was Sri Aurobindo but his mega poem is more concise and makes your head spin if you read it too fast.

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Gurdjieff, I should have known. I read about half of that just like I read about half of Beelzebub's tales to his grandson...I mean you can find truth in it but it is just too much work, like 900 pages of: listen my boy, back on mars in the good old days before we had to live in this space ship...and on and on and on. My first guess was Sri Aurobindo but his mega poem is more concise and makes your head spin if you read it too fast.

No, not Gurdjieff, it's Jan Cox.

But he wrote a book about Gurdjieff.

I must say I prefer to read Jan Cox' work.

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  • 1 month later...

Indeed, you "haven't got time".

Busy rereading Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching", and I found this gem:

“Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time,' is like saying, 'I don't want to.”

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You know, it is much better to take the time and post a link, than to post all that copy write materal and post what you want discuss about it.

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Interesting thread. I think my post has some relevance to the OP.

This is kind of like a little story I wrote wherein a man has only one question he wants answered. He searches a great library for the book he believes contains the answer to his question. The book is entitled "LOLA", and it contains one true answer to some unknown question. He hopes the answer in the book matches his question.

The book does exist, but of course he searches his whole life for this book in the library without ever finding it. Before he dies, the man consoles himself with the thought that at least he has dedicated his life to finding the truth, and that his resolve never wavered.

I think oftentimes we may become lost in the search itself, and that becomes the purpose of our life. And if we did happen upon the answer to our question we would be dissatisfied with it, and continue the search, hoping to find what we imagine the answer to be.

I consider the OP is correct in the sense there are only signposts, and we must discover the Work for ourselves in a personal way. Knowledge may be part of a signpost, but knowledge is not the Work, in my view. The Work itself is not out there in some book, it is hidden within. It may be stumbled upon at the most unexpected moment.

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You know, it is much better to take the time and post a link, than to post all that copy write material and post what you want discuss about it.

There is no link: I copied it from the book I have.

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Interesting thread. I think my post has some relevance to the OP.

This is kind of like a little story I wrote wherein a man has only one question he wants answered. He searches a great library for the book he believes contains the answer to his question. The book is entitled "LOLA", and it contains one true answer to some unknown question. He hopes the answer in the book matches his question.

The book does exist, but of course he searches his whole life for this book in the library without ever finding it. Before he dies, the man consoles himself with the thought that at least he has dedicated his life to finding the truth, and that his resolve never wavered.

I think oftentimes we may become lost in the search itself, and that becomes the purpose of our life. And if we did happen upon the answer to our question we would be dissatisfied with it, and continue the search, hoping to find what we imagine the answer to be.

I consider the OP is correct in the sense there are only signposts, and we must discover the Work for ourselves in a personal way. Knowledge may be part of a signpost, but knowledge is not the Work, in my view. The Work itself is not out there in some book, it is hidden within. It may be stumbled upon at the most unexpected moment.

The "Work" is always not what we assume it is.

Our prejudice concerning what is truth or not hinders us in the search for real truth.

And we don't really know what we are looking for, but we all know we are looking for something.

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