The Apprenticeship is not the Mastership

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 21 Apr 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

jmd	21 Apr 2003
In Do words really matter??? (in rituals), a number of quite important considerations were raised - those which pertain to language in ritual are probably best dealt with in that thread, but it also made me think as to how I may better respond to the impulse behind the very worthwhile question... so here is my attempt, which may certainly lead to various disparate views... The title of the thread probably indicates my view: what is of import, is that, in ceremonial ritual, as in driving a car, or in making cabinets, the early stages are effectively learned through emulation of precise actions. Modification of these can then be done as one slowly learns to master their aspects - as one becomes a Journeyman, entrusted more, and eventually masters the various simultaneous aspects of the craft. The indications in various books to do or say precisely certain words or actions are then because of both their efficacy (in the hands of the able), and in order for the basics to become so familiar that the person may then proceed to properly utilise the tools... again, the learning of the driving of a car is a useful analogy. Of course - moving to language - the intent is important, as is the thought it strives to carry... but so is, in magic, its sound.

HOLMES	21 Apr 2003
one can see that you are refering specifically to magic and not the general terms of speaking intentions to the universe and power of postive thought. yet refering to the title of the thread, the apprenticeship is not the mastership. and broadening it to the nature of spirituality .. what is the mastership ? and how is it defined ? (a big debate in my mind the last few day ) example to be a master means to master one self on all levels of being is what i been thinking ,.. like physicality , or even karmicaly mastering one self .. (i read last night on a website that ascended master is a person who has balanced out their karma at least 51 percent )

jmd	21 Apr 2003
I suppose that, in a certain way, by having used those terms, I may have implied that one may somehow either define or give certain requirements which may somehow 'measure' the level attained - far from it! In my view, even attempting to define such terms leads one away from seeking to understand the nature of the mastery one wishes to engage in (whether it be car-driving or magic). Developing skills towards mastery, one achieves a certain base of knowledge, which permits one to ascend to its understanding, and then towards its appropriate usage ('wisdom' in the ancient Greek sense). The main point, maybe lost in the brievity of my post, is that the steps towards greater mastery often include the arduous tasks of 'doing' as shown, reflecting on what has been achieved, and doing it again... but to start, one needs to do, and to do, one needs to determine what to do, how to do it, and slowly begin to appreciate why it may be done a certain way (or ways). To attempt to give a quantified value to what is essentially a qualitative mastery may certainly assist another in somehow determining whether s/he has achieved a particular 'level', but will never be able to indicate how mastered the skills are. But HOLMES also brings additional important considerations: is mastery the mastering of oneself - and how so, and at what 'levels'? Could the question not also be replied in a way which may not satisfy another - for example, is not slow and loving mastering of the making of a maigret de canard a la framboise a step in the slow mastering of oneself? Likewise the carving of a wonderful statue... or the carefully constructed Love poem... surely each of these are steps in the mastering of the power one has as a spiritual being incarnated upon the Earth. Each skill developed has certain consequences for the totality of one's being. Each emotion, thought, action has consequences for not only self-knowledge, but understanding and the Will-to-be. Certainly we do not take with us the creative outputs of our developing masteries, but what of the ways in which these striven for skills reverberate in our being? To learn the steps of a ritual, to redo these, to meditate on the sounds produced with one's voice, on the meanings of the words they carry, and again on the very sounds and their peculiar power... to do this, guidance from those who may have walked their own path, and provided signposts as to their progress may indeed be useful... but again, reverence is so important, for without it, the mind, heart and hand cannot be opened out to the fullness of the plant inherent in its seed.

Inana	21 Apr 2003
I only want to put a short note about mastership, no matter the context. This is how i define it. Mastership doesnt exist in reality, its like perfection. A illusion of the mind, an unreachable ideal towards we walk, but we never achieve. For the other, interesting reflections.

jema	21 Apr 2003
as a beginner in ceremonial magic i agree with jmd here. to learn and to get result from such a simple thing as the LBRP takes practise and in the beginning much of it will be just going throuhg the motions so to speak. doing the movements, then when you have those, do the words, after that when it works as a whole you add the visualisations and then things are starting to happen. that is why they tell you to do it twice a day for at least 3 months before giving up. after that time it is in your marrow and in your heart and then you can focus on the effects it has. much like in learning a language you start with the structure of grammar and then words and pronounciation and it is not until a while that you truly can grasp it as a whole and know that you speak it fluently and it is not until then you can appreciate the beauty of it. ok, perhaps not the best metaphore (disclaimer) and once again - these are my views that i came to by doing the work and they are valid for me but perhaps not for everyone.

Ravenswing	22 Apr 2003
Boy, this is a hard one. First I learned which end of the screwdriver to hold. Then I learned which way to turn it (I'm left-handed, so my natural inclinations are often dead wrong) to put the screw in. Then they threw me a loop and handed me a phillips-head screw... I think I'm past the apprentice stage. (Though I'm finding it more dangerous to think now-a-days) When you realize there's a path beneath your feet and a lamp lighting the way, you're an apprentice... I guess. When you find a tool, discover its use, learn to use it, re-member a ritual, discover that you're not the only one there... and keep walking along listening to yourSelf talk. That's a journeyman. Maybe. Then something happens. I can't really explain it-- no one ever seems to be able to explain it. Maybe it doesn't quite really happen. Then again, maybe it's SO REAL when it happens... That's Masterhood. And you finally realize that you're an apprentice... fly well over and again Raven

Silverlotus	22 Apr 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Ravenswing Boy, this is a hard one. First I learned which end of the screwdriver to hold. Then I learned which way to turn it (I'm left-handed, so my natural inclinations are often dead wrong) to put the screw in. I got a bit of a laugh out of this. I'm right-handed, but my left-handed dad showed me how to us tools. To this day I do many things left-handed, or at least a bit differently then a "normal" right-handed person would. What's this got to do with this thread? Well, following precise methods laid out by others is important in certain areas, like cermonial magic and home improvement. But it is also important that you are using a method that is appropriate for you. Not everyone is cut out to be a cermonial magician, or to run a ritual, or to write one. Some of us. Becoming as master, I think, involves a lot of figuring out which what skills you have, and which you are capable of evolving. (I applogize if this makes no sense, it's a fuzzy brain day. :P )

skytwig	22 Apr 2003
Quote: The gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge. Albert Einstein :)

The The Apprenticeship is not the Mastership thread was originally posted on 21 Apr 2003 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.