IIH guidance, thoughts

[Lucriu]

Hi,


So I´ve been following the neophyte curriculum in the book Kabbalah, Magic and the Great Work of Self Transformation for over 6 months and due to space/famaly issues I am unable to set up an altar to continue on to Zelator grade. I asked for a path that did not require any form of altar and I have come Across Initiation into Hermetics and I am going to give it a go. I would like to know if there is a member within this forum that has advanced through this course that would be kind enough to guide me with typical questions that arise when a new curriculum is being practiced. If anyone can point me in the direction of a part time mentor that would be great.

[Rin]

Hey. A few members here have worked with IIH to one degree or another. I worked through the early stages (Steps 1 & 2, and bits of Step 3) before changing direction in my studies, but I'd be happy to give my thoughts on anything concerning those if you want it.

I believe Shinichi has taken IIH quite a bit further, you'd have to check with him though - I'm not sure if he's still active here.

There are a few public figures who claim to have made significant progress through the IIH training. Probably the most reliable of these (in my opinion) is Martin Faulks, who has his own website (http://www.martinfaulks.com/) and recently started a curriculum of online meditation seminars.

There's also Rawn Clark, who has written a popular "companion guide" to IIH - his website can be found here: http://www.abardoncompanion.com/

The third is William Mistelle, who writes extensively on his experiences with elemental spirits and can be found here: http://www.williammistele.com/

There's also a public forum specifically for the discussion of IIH here http://fbf.hermetics.com/ , but like all forums, you have to take what you read with a grain of salt (to be blunt, I'm fairly sure there are several members there who claim to have achieved more than they have, but it's still worth keeping an eye on).

Good luck

[Lucriu]

Thank you so much for your reply and offering a helping hand Rin. So it´s settled, in the future if I have any questions regarding steps 1-3 I have someone to turn to. THANKS AGAIN!

[RockDemon]

Hi I practice IIH currently. I'll be happy to help you if I can. And you can find here many topics by me regarding IIH.

[Lucriu]

Hi I practice IIH currently. I'll be happy to help you if I can. And you can find here many topics by me regarding IIH.

[thumbup] I´m guessing that you´re past step 3 so I´ll for sure contact you once I get past the steps that Rin has studied. Thanks so much guys, its great to see such great support from this forum [grin]

[fraterai]

If you have a question related to this book I suggest just posting it instead - the point of the book is that you don't need a teacher, most of it needs to be worked out on your own. In this sense it would be better for you to start a conversation and get everyone's feedback and then come to your own conclusion. If someone just "tells" you something, they are just restating Bardon's words in one way or another (hopefully with their own experience involved, but you shouldn't blindly trust that this is true). This is fine but is only a fraction of what you will get from multiple angles of the same thing. You have more than one source so you don't become to reliant on a guru. Who knows, you may spot a bad habit or two of their own, or find someone that resonates with your experiences, which might then be a good time to reach out to individuals. Also, by not posting your question to the entire forum you are possibly cheating another (in the present or future) in the same boat as you. Just trying to encourage you to use the forum in the best way possible

Also, there are tons of questions already asked about this book and while searching is a bit hectic sometimes you will find info on this book right here in the forum archives.

If you really want to be successful with this book, study the theory section hundreds of times over, and do step one, two, and three like your life depends on it. Lastly, don't think in terms of weeks or even months on how long to spend on a step. I really wish Bardon just said "step one takes a year" because it would have had about as much truth/fact as "step one takes a month" and has a more positive effect on a student (meaning more realistic, it will discourage the "quick fix"ers, forces a strong foundation that is MOST OFTEN overlooked in the occult world). You can certainly finish these three steps in a quicker time frame, but my point is to worry more about your day to day, the future will be here before you know it.

It is a great book. Study it, work it, but make it your own.

[Arahant]

I actually came here for a similar reason, Im interested in starting the IIH.. Iv read through alot of it to get an idea of what im getting into, and I like most of the practice/exercises, and can see how they could be very beneficial(probably alot more then i know). But I was hoping I could get some feedback from people that have actually gone through it.... how well did it work for them, how long approximately did it take?

I havnt added it up and it seems like hes saying the length to learn some things will depend on the individual, but it seems like it could easily take a year to go through the book step-by-step without pushing yourself faster then your actually developing, or maby even longer.

Has anyone made it through it, did it take a long time, and did they continue on with hermeticism or branch off into something else? One thing that worries me is the book was written a decent amount of time ago and im wondering if there is more modern material out now that is more efficient or something that has evolved.

[fraterai]

Give up on the length of time thing. Seriously just give up on it. You are already at a "step" somewhere in that book, and it is not necessarily 0 or 1, but you will never know if you don't go through the exercises step by step. The only times that matter in the book are that the student should not move on from step one until they can do a solid 5 minutes of "void" meditation as described in step one. Each step has similar guidelines. Ignore the "it will take X months on average". How long will it take you to get to this 5 minutes of perfection? This is just a silly question. You need to practice it until you can get it as perfect as you possibly can. Some days (even after years of practice) you will have a bad time of it and not even get through one minute. Others you will seem to sit for 30 minutes without any effort at all. But after all of these things you should know your average, you should know why certain days are worse than others (did you sleep? eat? have sex? too much coffee? not enough coffee?) we are all individual and you need to understand that these time frames mean nothing whatsoever. All that matters is the results, such as 5 minutes of perfect void meditation on average. If you have any doubts about the next step or think you may be misinterpreting it, continue with the current step, read the theory, ask questions, and meditate on all of this before moving on.

Any other system out there will (should) be teaching the same foundations in the beginning with possibly more tools/symbols (probably not less, and that is the beauty of this book, but i'm sure there are examples). I guess you can certainly learn all the meditations without touching on the 4 elements, which would be "less", but not comprehensive in terms of developing the self physically, emotionally, and mentally. You should use the system that resonates most with you and makes you want to practice and study. This will be the "most efficient" as no one system is perfect for everyone.

[Rin]

Has anyone made it through it, did it take a long time, and did they continue on with hermeticism or branch off into something else? One thing that worries me is the book was written a decent amount of time ago and im wondering if there is more modern material out now that is more efficient or something that has evolved.

That's really not worth worrying about - the training in IIH is very fundamental to pretty much any system of spiritual development. Even if you move on from IIH to something else in the future, you'll have benefited enormously from any effort put into the IIH system, since the skills transfer more or less universally.

That said, there are works out there which complement the training in IIH very well. There are a few in particular I would highly recommend. Firstly, Robert Bruce's N.E.W. (New Energy Ways - or the published version, Energy Work, although I feel that in some ways the free version is better), which gives very solid, practical and in-depth instruction for approaching energy work from a direct sensory methodology, as opposed to relying on visualization and the imagination. His method makes energy work far easier to engage with and achieve results from.

Another is Daoist Nei Gong: The Philosophical Art of Change by Damo Mitchell. Although the book contains it's own complete and separate routine of development based on Daoist principles which may not interest you, it also has sections with extensive guidance on subjects such as posture, energetic anatomy, the nature of energy as it relates to emotion and consciousness, and (most importantly, imo) properly working with your breathing and aligning it with your thoughts and energy (something which is almost totally absent in IIH, which I feel is one of it's largest flaws). All of this can be applied to any system of meditation, but which feels, to me, especially compatible with IIH, and should enhance your IIH practice considerably (again, especially the section on breath work, which he calls Sung Breathing).

Finally, I'd recommend seeking out instruction on basic Buddhist mindfulness/vipassana meditation, since this will make the meditation training and personality work in the first few steps easier by orders of magnitude. I can't recommend any books here personally, but I've heard a lot of good things from multiple sources about the works of Joseph Goldstein.

On that note, while I know that IIH is a "self-training manual," I'd highly recommend seeking out some in-person training in complementary practices. Unless you live somewhere rural, you should be able to find classes in mindfulness & basic meditation, as well as a body based meditation system like yoga, qigong or taiji, fairly easily. Even if you hold with IIH as your core curriculum, having physical, in-person guidance on the basics will help you tremendously, as will taking up some kind of body-based training. IIH is a great book (although not perfect), but there are things which simply can't be taught in books but which will none the less help you enormously with your progress.

Anyway, I'm rambling on a bit, so I'll leave off. Hopefully some of this advice will be useful.

[Arahant]

Thanks guys for your thorough responses, it does help me. I will have a look at some of those books you mentioned, although i am feeling abit overwhelmed by all the potential material out there.. so im going to try and not stretch myself to thin.

It helps to know that some people have either done the book or atleast are far enough along in their development that they can see from skimming through it that its basically the same as most of the main systems.

I agree very much with the thought that i would beneficial to have some personal human interaction with some sort of mentor, even if its not related directly to the IIM or hermeticism. I am really not sure yet what kind of community exists in my area, thats something ill have to look into. I have found a website where there is someone who mentoring people either in person or via skype, and iv seen his website mentioned on another hermeticism website(which doesnt seem to have any posts in it within the last few years), and the website seems like its up to date and quite cheap tbh.. so thats something im definitely considering.

I am coming more from a scientific background, ideologically... which is why i kinda like the IIH because it seems to more full of practical exercises to hone your discipline/concentration/imagination, which are things iv always been interested in even outside spirituality(maby not imagination). I also found a companion manual for the IIM that im going to use, that is sort of a modern update/companion.

I know i have alot of work ahead of me, i cant wait to start seeing the fruits of my labor. Thanks again for the responses.

[Shinichi]

I only went up to about step four before I had to choose paths and focus on other work, but I have a special care for Bardon and I have gained various insights into things as I've made progress in my present training. I can probably answer most questions that most people would have until they reach the point where they can answer those questions themselves - which doesn't take that long, you just have to learn how to practice, conjecture, and test yourself. All things you can do long before you establish contact with the guardian spirit or other spirits.

The most important part of the whole thing, and of most good systems for that matter, is the first few steps. That is your foundation, which is extremely important to your future attainments. A house built on a weak foundation will crumble with the shifting sands, but a house built on a strong foundation will stand steady even when the earth trembles beneath it.



~:Shin:~