Magic of Western traditions is unveiled in East

[jadedsage]

By ANGELA JEFFS

Stand by for magical moments and happenings in Tokyo's Ogikubo next Sunday. All manner of wizards, occultists and sages -- barring Harry Potter, who is otherwise engaged -- are coming to town for Japan's first International Symposium of Western Inner Traditions. According to the Tokyo-based organizer, Inward Bound (an event management company promoting well-being and personal development), the symposium will launch "the most interesting journey of your life!"

Paul A. Clark, founder fo the Fraternity of the Hidden Light and author of "By Names and Images: Initiation in the Western Mystery Tradition," will be the keynote speaker at Japan's first International Symposium of Western Inner Tradition.

Thinking people are tired of dogmatic religion. They no longer accept truth based on faith or science alone, but seek answers to life's mysteries -- why are we here, what is the purpose of existence -- and a personal and practical approach to spirituality. In response, exponents of ancient Western inner traditions will gather publicly to explain esoteric theories and practices passed on verbally from teacher to student over thousands of years.

As quantum physicist Fred Alan Wolf is quoted as saying on the symposium's flier, "As smart as we are in the modern world, we apparently can never pass behind the veil which divides the seen from the unseen, except by engaging ourselves in the way appointed by the Ancients -- the Mysteries."

Not so ancient but strongly leaning to the mysterious is international authority Paul A. Clark, who will give the keynote speech at the symposium, followed by bilingual lectures and workshops on hermeticism, kabbalah, magic, alchemy, sacred tarot and healing.

Paul says he is "just one of those folks who came into embodiment with a sense of the magical." Born in Tulsa, Okla., into a large, loving and stable farming family, he has no idea why he was always so different. "I've just always known that we're here to serve our fellow pilgrims, and to find the flame of truth at the center of our being."

He was, however, a "change-of-life surprise" for older parents. Being 10 years younger than his nearest sibling, he felt almost like an only child, with plenty of time and space for self-reflection. A mystical experience led him to books in the library that few had read, with snatches of imaginary memories of organizations dedicated to assisting the evolution of humanity behind the scenes for centuries. "Imagine my delight when I discovered this to be true."

A normal active teenager , he was 12 when he entered initiatory training with an esoteric order called Builders of the Adytum (the Greek word for a sanctum.) "My teacher once joked I'd entered training early because I had so much to learn, or maybe I was a slow learner. Prior to our prolocutor general passing on, she chose me as as the first of seven stewards, and prepared me for special work in the tradition."

Asked to explain magic, Paul says he's often asked to speak on the subject and has two favorite definitions. "I describe it as the art of producing effects, initiated by changes in consciousness, by directing or aligning with the secret forces of the cosmos." He also quotes fellow author Gareth Knight: "Magic is the skilled and objective use of the imagination, both as an organ of perception and manifestation."

While not an initiate of Asia's traditions of magic, Paul believes the Eastern tradition places an emphasis on sensitizing the individual so he or she can be aware of higher, subtler forces. More often than not, this requires retiring to a special community or an environment, such an ashram, to devote many hours in pursuit. But the emphasis of Western tradition is on living in the world.

"Because we can't afford to step back, or out, we've developed techniques that can be used by an individual in the lodge to strengthen the signal of subtle forces -- by ritual, for example. We learn how to open up and close down this sensitivity so that we can function in the everyday. This will be seen as an advantage by many because we can bring our spiritual insights into the daily life of the marketplace. Such revelations can be more thoroughly grounded because they are anchored in our interpersonal relationships."

Magic, Paul believes, helps improve our concentration and the focus of our attention so we can better appreciate being totally present in the miracle of the moment. In addition, it teaches us the reality of the inner states of consciousness and their importance. "Consciousness creates!"

Magic is relevant because once we understand that we are each responsible for our experience of the universe around us, we quickly realize the gift of becoming a cocreator. We give up the lie that outside forces affect our choices and can reclaim the creative power of self that lives within. "The magical viewpoint," he concludes, "gives us the awareness of the great adventure because it deepens our life experience and provides us with the tools to realize our goals. Most importantly, it influences our world for the better."

The best way to learn more, he advocates, is to come along to the symposium, check The Fraternity of the Hidden Light's Web site (he founded his own order in 1982), and read his next book, to be published in spring: "By Names and Images: Initiation in the Western Mystery Tradition." This deals with the why and how of the function of esoteric fraternities.

Human beings are an inquisitive species. We all share a thirst for knowledge and self-awareness that underlies our makeup. As Dan Brown's best-selling novels ("Angels and Demons," "The Da Vinci Code") prove -- fictional story lines loaded with inescapable truths about ancient wisdom -- there is much to be learned from the mysteries of the past, whether lost, suppressed or simply guarded.

Seekers of truth and maybe even the simply curious should make a note in their diaries: Sept. 19, Museum Sacred Space, 2:30 to 8:30 p.m.

For further enlightenment concerning the seminar, see www.inwardbound.info . The fee of 3,500 yen includes a signed copy of Clark's "Book of the Rose."
Fraternity of the Hidden Light: see the Web site www.flojapan.org or e-mail [e-mail]

The Japan Times: Sept. 11, 2004