﻿Can you become a god? Is shifting belief systems at will a set of
beliefs in itself? Let's find out more on the Left-Hand Path.
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Hello everyone! I am Angela and welcome back to my channel,
your online resource for the academic study of magic and magic practising traditions.
Today we will talk about the left-hand path, what it is,
and what defines it. This video will serve as well as a future reference as I will be making
videos on specific traditions which fall under the umbrella of the left-hand path.
First off, it is important to say that the adoption of this label dates back to the
19th century when Western reinterpretations of Indian traditions, especially Tantra began to
spread. Although in Tantric texts, depending on the tradition, we find seven or even more
paths listed. The idea of splitting the esoteric path in two eventually emerged.
The two labels referring to the left-hand path and the right-hand path come from Sanskrit where
we find Vāmācāra or Vāmāmārga which means left-hand attainment or left path as opposed
to Dakshinācāra or Dakshināmārga which means right-hand attainment or right path. Such a
dichotomy may have taken root among occult communities thanks to the already existing
dualism between black and white magic. Also, notions of left and right were already part of
the occult theoretical framework - possibly based on biblical tradition. Whereas their association
to Indian and Tantric traditions were popularized by Helena Blavatsky of the Theosophical Society.
But what are the traits of the traditions which followed the
left-hand path? As it is highlighted in the reference academic literature there
are four principals found across the various left-hand traditions.
The first one is the ideology of individualism. The individual here becomes the centre of his
or her existential universe. The occult practitioner of the left-hand path is mostly
concerned with personal magical and spiritual development, even when practising in groups,
the self realization still remains the driving aim of the practice.
The second principle is the goal of self-deification. For someone who
follows a left-hand path the main goal is to become a God - be the creator of their
own universe this is an element found across Tantric traditions and endorsed by left hand
occultists in the West as well. In this sense, even when a practitioner works with a deity,
a demon, or a spirit - is not a worship in a monotheistic sense but a relationship established
with the aim of a progressive self-ascension in some cases to embody the very nature of the
deity. It's also important to stress that how self-deification is intended may vary,
even significantly, depending on the individual and the left hand tradition followed.
The third principle is the appraisal of life in the here and now left-hand
paths tend to focus on the corporeal existence in the present rather than
in an afterlife. All aspects of life are valued including the destructive ones and
various degrees of hedonism i.e. the pursuit of pleasure are advocated.
The fourth and last principle is antinomianism which means the rejection of social and cultural
norms. As Granholm highlights, collective religious and cultural norms as well as
personal taboos are questioned and defied in the pursuit of an individualized ethics and
spiritual evolution. In these traditions there are often intellectual and ritual exercises to
break the rules and boundaries created by the dominant culture or religion. The main
idea here is to demolish all rules, taboos, and ethical norms created by the outside
world in order to develop new ones, which are personal individualized and most importantly
founded in conscious reflection rather than passive compliance. And there you have it.
These are the four core features,
traits, or principles as reported in literature of left-hand path traditions.
In future videos we will be covering traditions falling under this umbrella in more detail.
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So this is it for today. Stay tuned, my friends, for all the coming academic fun.
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Bye for now!
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