The Great Work and the True Will
The belief in mystcisim is one that straddles the world; in every culture and in every religion it has a place, and has manifested itself. Among the Muslims, the Sufis seek a closer relationship with Allah. The yogis of Hinduism seek freedom from the eternal cycle of rebirth (samsara). The Rabbis of Judaism seek an understanding of God through the ancient wisdom of the Kabbalah. Modern Wicca is also a mystical path. Let us begin by first defining what we mean by mysticism.
Mysticism refers to spiritual paths that essentially seek a closer relationship with the Divine. Although this is also the function of exoteric faiths, such as Christianity, mystical paths explore the hidden depths of what it is to be human. Certain beliefs are common within mystical paths from around the world. For example, the idea that there is a Higher Soul within all of us--that is, a divine spark, a level on which we are all a direct part of God--appears in Hinduism as the Thousand Petalled Lotus Chakra, in Kabbalah as Tiphareth and then Kether upon the microcosmic Tree of Life and even in modern psychology as the Self. Mystical teachings show us that we have buried our divine natures beneath layer after layer of banality and materialism. Through attatchment to the world of illusion we have hidden our true selves beneath masks of ego and the appearances we put forth to the world at large. Once adulthood is reached, we find it difficult to begin to shed these layers and cast them aside in order to reveal our true selves.
Ultimately, each of us is a divine being, a piece of God, with all the inherent powers of creation and destruction implied therein. Each of us has a personal path we follow through life, one that is set out before us; a Path that ultimately leads us back to our source--the divine. It is the goal of mysticism to sacrifice the ego--that which we believe ourselves to be--in order to attain re-unification with the universal consciousness of the Godhead. Aleister Crowley refered to this personal path in Liber AL Vel Legis, the 'Book of the Law' in Chapter three, verse three: "Every man and every woman is a Star". By this Crowley meant that we all have a personal path, an orbit, that is individual and personal, leading back to the divine. This teaching, that of mysticism, is also found in the Bhagavad Gita of Hinduism.
This act of striving towards the divine, of the attrition of the ego, is called the Great Work. This term is borrowed from the mystical chemistry of the middle ages, Alchemy, where it was written in the Latin: 'Magnum Opus'. To enter into a long treatise concerning the Great Work is impossible for it is truly the work of a life time, but one of the first steps is the discovery of the True Will.
The term 'True Will' comes from the writings of Crowley, though he was certainly not the first to put forth the idea. Its definintion is as follows. Each of us, man, woman and child, has incarnated upon this earth for a reason. There is a grand purpose that drives us, a raison d'etre, a true reason why we have manifested in the flesh here and now. Some of us may have come as bringers of compassion, others as great warriors. Some have a lofty goal, some a mundane one. This path, the true reason for our being, is our True Will. Lest this seem simple, remember that every aspect of our being, every thought, every movement, every event is part of our Will. The difficulty arises in trying to discern the mundane Will of the mortal from the sublime True Will of the Immortal.
It has been said by Aleister Crowley that 'A true magician is brought forth as such from his mother's womb; it is folly for any other to try.' This is an example of True Will. If one's True Will does not lead one into the Art Magickal, one will not profit from it. The same author has told us in 'Magick in Theory and Practice' that when one is performing one's True Will the inertia of the universe will assist him. What this means is simple. Think of your True Will as a channel through which water flows. This water is your every action. Outside the channel is dry, arid soil. When your actions are in accordance with your True Will, the water flows speedily and powerfully through the channel. The laws of the universe (physics here) have aided the one operating within their boundaries. But, if your actions are contrary to your True Will, the universe resists. In our example this means the water (action) has tried to flow outside the channel (True Will). The dry and arid soil soaks up the water; your energy is absorbed, and any movement in your chosen direction becomes exceedingly difficult. The laws of the universe have resisted and have worked against the mundane Will. Knowing your True Will, and doing it, will make one truly a 'child of the universe'. This is what is meant by Crowley's famous dictum 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law', found in Liber Al Vel Legis, 1:40 for it is not an invitation to universal license as many have assumed.
Discovering what our individual True Will is has never been an easy task.It is a fundamental task of all mystics, and indeed should be the task of all persons. How many times have we heard asked 'Why am I here? What is my purpose?' Understanding of the True Will answers these questions and more. The Mystery Schools of ancient Greece taught that you must 'Know Thyself'. This is the greatest task before us, for in true understanding of our own natures we will realize our True Will. But how to start? A good beginning would be to cast and explore one's natal chart (astrological freeware may be downloaded to aid you in this at the astrolog site, though personal exploration of the science of Astrology will aid you immensly). Once the fundamental basics have been established, the building blocks of your psycho-spiritual make up, a study of psychology will benefit the Seeker greatly. The writings of C.G. Jung are recommended, as those of Freud are simply not in accordance with any mystical mindset. Now, the Seeker will understand the basics of his own make up and how it relates to the essential make up of humanity's mind as a whole.
The next steps are often personal ones. The late Israel Regardie suggested in his excellent book 'The Middle Pillar' that all mystics should begin with some form of psychoanalysis to help free up psychic energy bound up in repressed memories and tendencies. He was correct of course, but this also deepens the personal understanding of the Self. One may also wish to consult the book 'The Master Game' by Robert S. de Ropp, as this will also help.
The next steps must be discovered by the Seeker himself. One may find clues and aids in the sacred writings of the world. The Bhagavad-Gita is an excellent mystical text, and the Noble Qur-an that inspired the Sufis is also of use once the quality of discernement has been gained. Consult also the writings of mystics from throughout history. Crowley, Pythagorus, St Cyril of Alexandria, 'Abd al-Kader, Patanjali, Lao Tzu, Joseph Campbell, Gershom Scholem and many others will aid you. At the bottom of this page is a list of links to other mystical sites that will shed light on this quest.
As each of us works towards enlightenment, slowly working towards the ultimate goal of the Great Work, we gradually take the rest of humanity with us. The magical and mystical writings of many throughout history have told us that the body is purified along with the soul. As every atom in our bodies is replaced ever few months, spreading out over the universe, our quest for attainment slowly takes the entire universe along with us. All things are connected and the Universe itself has also a True Will and travels towards its own completion of the Great Work Each of us is akin to a cell in the body of the Universe, part of the Kabbalistic Adam Kadmon. When his education is complete, when man as a species has attained the Oneness of dissolution in the bornless, eternal Light of the Divine (Kether, Samsara, Nirvana, etc) so too will we carry the universe along with us in a blinding symphony of light. Then, finally, will Creation be as it was intended: a jewel of perfection.