Operation kept to

“The Sacred Magician: A Ritual Diary” is a fascinating but also slightly bizarre book, written by British spiritual teacher William Bloom. He was previously connected to Findhorn. The book exists in two different editions (or perhaps versions), one of which is written under the pseudonym Georges Chevalier. I haven't seen the other one, but apparently it contains material not found in this one (and vice versa).

As indicated by the subtitle, “The Sacred Magician” is written in the form of a diary, detailing Bloom's experiment with the ritual magic found in the medieval grimoire “The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage”. The edition used by Bloom was the 19th century English translation by Samuel MacGregor Mathers, a leading member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The goal of Abramelin's magic is to encounter the Holy Guardian Angel and receive power over the demons, who will then serve the magician. In order to accomplish this feat, the magician must isolate himself for six months, something Bloom attempted to do in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The isolation doesn't need to be total, since the magician may still socialize with his wife and servants. Bloom even entertained visitors at his house. The rituals described in Abramelin's work sound “Christian”, and in large parts consist of prayers to God for the forgiveness of sins. Conjurations of angels and challenges to the demons form the concluding part. Some of the rituals described are almost stereotypical, with the magician wearing a mysterious gown, using a magical wand, etc.

I haven't read the original grimoire, but I do get the impression that Bloom mixes the medieval magic with influences from many other sources. His view of the cosmos is based on Alice Bailey's teachings, and he even claims that Bailey's spirit-guide, the Tibetan or DK, appeared to him during the rituals. Bloom also uses the divinatory techniques of the I Ching to understand what's happening to him. At several points, the author reveals that the real purpose of the magic is to raise the kundalini from the base chakra to the crown.

Be that as it may, Bloom certainly did experience dramatic ecstasies, visions and transformations during the six months of the “Operation”. Astral travel, experiences of blissful unity with the Divine, a great white light, and a personality “split” between a spiritual component “up here” and the physical personality “down there”, were some of the effects. On the negative side were demonic attacks (including a meeting with an astral version of Hitler!), acute paranoia and intense guilt-feelings. The latter are particularly pronounced, as Bloom constantly feels like a “worm” and seeks to overcome his sinfulness and inadequacy. A few bizarre miracles also took place: Bloom's dogs placed two horns of a ram outside his cabin – presumably a message from the Devil himself. Many of the phemomena experienced by the author seem kundalini-related, including massive surges of energy through the physical body, shaking, intense headaches, sexual arousal etc. Some sections of the diary sound frivolous and easy-going, while others are more serious. I get the impression that "Georges Chevalier" was on an emotional rollercoaster ride. The only constant is his almost mantric expression "Operation kept to", which concludes every entry.

The diary ends inconclusively. While Bloom claims to have been given the power to control the eighth demonic sub-princes, he also says that he couldn't continue the ritual. What happened next, I don't know, but since the author is alive and well (and even has a blog!), I suppose he somehow survived the ordeal… Today, scholars know that Mathers' translation of “The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage” was based on an unreliable French version of the originally German text, and that the *real* ritual of Abramelin takes 18 months to accomplish, not just six. If this means anything, and if so what, presumably depends on your personal philosophy (if any) of things magical.

“The Sacred Magician” is a very narrow book, but if ritual magic, kundalini, mysticism or Golden Dawn-related material is your thing, it could be of some interest.