The Hermetic Study Circle

On the hermetic path, especially on the path of Bardon many lone fighters are on their way. In fact there is no other possibility for spiritual development than to make it on your own. On the other hand lone fighters can join in study groups for exchange of understanding theory and real experiences from practice.

Regarding study groups an agglomeration of problems occurs, especially with the topic “magic”. When you examine the open study groups in the internet then you can find always people with big egos, negative people, insane ones, pseudo gurus and unprepared ones. Certainly some innocent and good ones are among these groups. Such a mixture of different intentions, attitudes and access cannot lead to any good. In main it leads to misunderstandings, dangers and a waste of precious time.

For some more or less useful small talk such study groups might be nice but if you want to take part in a well working study group you have to regard some points.

1. First of all there have to be created clear aims for the group activity and requirements for new members. Aims are for example to support each other as brother and sisters on the path, to serve the all-embracing love and divine wisdom, and to be an ideal for others in behavior and projects. For every member a true spiritual attitude with best spiritual intentions are required. Everyone must serve the highest human ideals and everyone has to work on the refinement of his personality. Before entering the study circle the new member must dedicate himself to the four main virtues of God. He must subordinate himself to these divine virtues. The ego has to orientate itself on God.

Clear aims and the requirements for membership are the basis for this study circle. They guarantee success.

2. The law of silence has to be kept. The circle can be visible for potential members for example in the internet but its content has to be closed. This is also valid for the identity of the members.

3. Thanks to PC´s and internet it is possible to build a good structure for the studies. A first part is the apportionment of the training exercises and steps. A second structure is the theory part and the third part is built by topics which complement Bardon´s teachings. Then should be differentiated between discussions of topics, sharing of knowledge and sharing of experiences. So in conclusion for each topic in the three categories you can start discussions, share knowledge and experiences. These activities should have a scientific character. In most groups too much verbal rubbish is posted. This is not useful.

4. It is recommendable to elect a moderator who organizes all activities and keeps the lawful function upright. In main he has to manage the administration. He is not the leader but the mediator and organizer. The circle is led by a council of all members. The members with the highest degree of spiritual maturity should have the highest weight in council matters. Decisions should been made after a clear differentiation of pro and contra on an objective basis. The council is democratic and every member has to take responsibility for his voting. For situations which require a fast action a leader should be elected who has the right to give commands until the situation is over. This can happen for security reasons or in cases of emergency.

5. Then it is necessary that every member takes part in the circle activities regularly. A weekly feedback about his spiritual studies and training should be a basis, – also a basis for discussions, help, new ideas and so on.

6. Due to the cooperation in the circle knowledge, methods and useful documents can be gathered and optimized. For example the soul mirror work with useful charts or things for training of special abilities.

7. Combined meditations and prayers are certainly also a good possibility to support each other. Here the effect of Abisheka and Satsang helps the younger ones to understand and to practice successfully.

So these were the main points for successful study circles. To include an advanced student or a master is recommendable but in reality hard to find. Students with high aims will master all steps also without any direct master.

Certainly there are also other points which have to be regarded. How should one find the fitting members? How can you be sure that all are real? And so on. From my experiences I can say that a big problem is that most people in any kind of group are up to 99% passive. No action takes place and all are waiting for the group admin to start some activity. So in conclusion the realization of such a study circle can be quite hard. But at last with the right prayers and according to the law of analogy one will find others with the same ideals. And then a real study circle will manifest itself.