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From The Maze Where Realities Converge - the psychedelic encyclopedia of reality from The Ultimate Comment
The Great Work (or magnum opus in Latin) refers to developing powerful consciousness, gaining wisdom, intelligence, psychic influence and magickal ability. It is what followers of all kinds of gnosticism practise.
To do anything, you must be in the right frame/state/mood/mindset to do it (a fact ignored almost entirely in our workplaces and schools). You can't juggle, play guitar or do kung fu if you're angry, frustrated, tired or otherwise distracted. So our control over our own consciousness allows us to do stuff better. Now, if what you want to do is discover ultimate truth, solve all philosophical problems and gain mastery of the earth, you've set yourself a particularly tricky task, so you must be in a pretty super-duper state of consciousness to do it. Gnostic paths aim to find dharma/moksha/tao/enlightenment/truth/veritas/God/Allah/dhyana/gnosis/ The Ultimate Comment not only by philosophical discussion, but by cultivating the sort of consciousness that allows such gnosis.
Metacommentology is used in The Great Work.
Alchemy is a system using the physical sciences as a metaphor for the psychic sciences, so in alchemy the phrase 'The Great Work' refers both to perfecting the soul, to become one with God, and perfecting matter to become The Oil of Aphrodite (which grants eternal life) and The Dust of The Grand Wazoo (which turns lead into gold).
See also
External Links
- Yoga for Yahoos. Aleister Crowley gives some instructions.
- Liber E. Aleister Crowley gives some instructions.
- Liber III vel Jugorum. And again.
- The Yoga sutras of Patanjali
