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# Re: first mental exercises

#### Message 03782 of 3835

- To: <BardonPraxis@yahoogroups.com>
- Subject: Re: [BardonPraxis] first mental exercises
- From: "Rawn Clark" <rawnclark@...>
- Date: Wed, 20 Apr 2005 10:02:30 -0700
- References: <d42gsv+357b@eGroups.com>

    Dear Patrik,

    >> Many systems do suggest beginning first with concentration on
    breathing or focusing on an external single point, candle etc. If I do
    (have practised) this, it's quite easy for me to concentrate right a way
    anytime quite quickly. Bardon does first begin with observing thoughts,
    and concentration (although internally) is just the third step - are
    there specific reasons why Bardon did not begin with concentration? <<

    Focusing your attention on an external point, candle, etc., and focusing
    it upon your breathing only serve to distract and divert the surface
    mind. This does not lead to self-knowledge. It teaches you nothing
    about how your surface mind functions and it does nothing to increase
    your ability to directly discipline your surface mind. All it does is
    teach you how to distract your surface mind, thus leaving an untamed
    beast always lurking just out of your control.

    "Know Thyself" is the most important tenet of Hermetic initiation and is
    an absolute necessity for true magical practice. If you do not know
    yourself then those parts of yourself that are unknown will always
    affect you and affect your magical practice in ways that you cannot
    control. Therefore, Bardon's system is designed to *directly* confront
    every aspect of self, including the surface mind.

    The surface mind is *directly* confronted in the first mental exercise.
    The student focuses upon what is happening *within the surface mind*,
    instead of distracting the surface mind by focusing upon something else.
    Thus the surface mind becomes a known aspect of self that the student
    can then master fully.

    >From an initiatory perspective, directly confronting the mind in this
    way is no different than directly confronting the personal character
    through introspection. Both are practices in which the student
    confronts *self* and both are practices that lead to self-knowledge and
    self-mastery.

    >> a) Would you suggest (without any external focus exercises) that
    *intensifying the amount of times* practising only the first mental
    exercise, if possible even three times a day (at least twice 10 minutes
    as Bardon requires, of course) is enough breaking through that blockade
    of the Ajna Chakra? <<

    It's worth a try.

    >> b) And provided that I will successful with (1), the concentration
    part afterwards, is it important then, only to focus on daily concerns
    (2) first and *not* doing any specific exercise of observing thoughts
    (1) anymore or internal focus exercise (3) *meanwhile*, till there is a
    well mastered all daily time focus? <<

    I suggest that you re-read exactly what Bardon wrote regarding the first
    part of the second mental exercise, especially the sentence that reads:
    "Having obtained a certain skill in this exercise, you may turn to the
    following one." In other words, it is not required that you be able to
    focus exclusively upon what you're doing *all* the time, before moving
    on to the second part of the exercise. As soon as you have attained a
    "certain skill" with the practice and feel that you understand it
    sufficiently that you can do it whenever it seems appropriate, you may
    then move on to the second part. It does not require months and months
    of practice to attain that degree of skill.

    >> Just the *crossing or transition* from 1 to 3 is not yet clear to me,
    because I am anxious losing the intensity of (1) when doing only (2) for
    months, not practising any "specific" mental exercise else in the
    meantime. <<

    All of the subsequent mental exercises employ the ability to distance
    yourself from involvement with the busy surface mind and all are rooted
    in the self-knowledge gained from the first exercise, so there is no
    reason to continue the first exercise in its original form.

    My best to you,
    :) Rawn Clark
    20 Apr 2005
    rawnclark@...
    rawn@...
    http://www.ABardonCompanion.com
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BardonPraxis
    http://E.webring.com/hub?ring=arionthebardonwe

- Follow-Ups:
  - Re: first mental exercises
    - From: "David Yeh" <ldreamr@...>
  - Re: first mental exercises - emotional tone?
    - From: "Patrik" <patwe77@...>
  - A few last questions
    - From: "David Yeh" <ldreamr@...>

- References:
  - first mental exercises
    - From: "Patrik" <patwe77@...>

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