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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!"
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."
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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.
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 imperator@flojapan.org
The Japan Times: Sept. 11, 2004
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