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Magical Pathworking: Techniques of Active Imagination
Personality refinement is a precursor to serious spiritual work. Through techniques of pathworking (guided meditation), your imagination can shine a magic mirror on your personality. This inner landscape reveals your world as your unconscious sees it - a perspective that enables you to make dramatic changes, even to the point of rooting out neuroses and recovering from psychological trauma.
Become the ruler of your own Inner Kingdom with pathworking information that has been in the hands of the the Western Mystery schools for centuries. Nick Farrell unveils this secret material along with his own extensive research into imagination and mind magic.
Become the ruler of your own Inner Kingdom with pathworking information that has been in the hands of the the Western Mystery schools for centuries. Nick Farrell unveils this secret material along with his own extensive research into imagination and mind magic.
240 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 8, 2016
I was disappointed with Magical Pathworking not because of the information that it contained, but because of its focus. Farrell spends the majority of this book discussing direct pathworkings rather than passive ones. I find that passive pathworkings invite the practitioner to discover the unique landscape and symbolism of their own psyche rather than vicariously living and growing through the descriptions and lens of others.
Farrell goes into great detail about how to create guided pathwalks and the care that goes into leading groups through these creations. He also discusses potential pitfalls on the journey through the mind. I thought that many of these dangers were overstated. It's dangerous going outside your door and staying in... I find it less dangerous to go within my own mind. But, you know, to each his own.
Some parts I wanted to remember:
"Neurotic complexes that do so much to spoil and limit our lives have the same reality in our imaginations and, therefore, it should be possible to correct these faults using magical imagination techniques. Instead of waiting for a person to dream to hear the voice of his or her unconscious, creative imagination would enable a person to have direct access to the unconscious mind- not only two-way communication, but also a way of repairing mental faults." pg 2. Farrell and I are in complete agreement there.
"Dungeons and Dragons uses the same sorts of techniques as modern pathworking, even though the game is not conducted in the deep altered states." pg 56. For my husband, who says he can't do pathworking. He already has- sort of. Mind blown.
"As you face each trial, you will face those parts of yourself that you sought to banish from your life. In reintegrating them, you become a more complete and strong person. ... This is the essence behind the shamanic technique of soul retrieval, which seeks to make a person whole." pg 94.
On a discussion about the differences between mystics and occultists: "Ultimately, both the mystic and the occultist are looking to achieve the same thing, either by direct route in the case of the mystic or by the slower, less direct method of the occultist. Both occultists and mystics report the same essential experiences, a feeling of dying and being reborn, seeing light, experiencing union, and a feeling of total liberation." pg 165
And all of Chapter 7: Gates to the Inner Kingdom. That was the one chapter that I completely resonated with.
If you are interested in this topic and want to explore more methods of pathworking, try Paths of Wisdom: Principles and Practice of the Magical Cabala in the Western Tradition by John Michael Greer, The Art and Practice of Caballa Magic by Ophiel, A Garden of Pomegranates: Skrying on the Tree of Life by Israel Regardie, or the hilarious Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford: Dilettante's Guide to What You Do and Do Not Need to Know to Become a Qabalist by Lon Milo DuQuette. Each of those guides are very different in how they approach the same topic- meditative visions/pathwork. Hopefully, one of them will work for you. And, finally, if you want to read more passive pathworkings (since there were very few in this book), check out my blog:
https://thelightcongress.wordpress.com/
Farrell goes into great detail about how to create guided pathwalks and the care that goes into leading groups through these creations. He also discusses potential pitfalls on the journey through the mind. I thought that many of these dangers were overstated. It's dangerous going outside your door and staying in... I find it less dangerous to go within my own mind. But, you know, to each his own.
Some parts I wanted to remember:
"Neurotic complexes that do so much to spoil and limit our lives have the same reality in our imaginations and, therefore, it should be possible to correct these faults using magical imagination techniques. Instead of waiting for a person to dream to hear the voice of his or her unconscious, creative imagination would enable a person to have direct access to the unconscious mind- not only two-way communication, but also a way of repairing mental faults." pg 2. Farrell and I are in complete agreement there.
"Dungeons and Dragons uses the same sorts of techniques as modern pathworking, even though the game is not conducted in the deep altered states." pg 56. For my husband, who says he can't do pathworking. He already has- sort of. Mind blown.
"As you face each trial, you will face those parts of yourself that you sought to banish from your life. In reintegrating them, you become a more complete and strong person. ... This is the essence behind the shamanic technique of soul retrieval, which seeks to make a person whole." pg 94.
On a discussion about the differences between mystics and occultists: "Ultimately, both the mystic and the occultist are looking to achieve the same thing, either by direct route in the case of the mystic or by the slower, less direct method of the occultist. Both occultists and mystics report the same essential experiences, a feeling of dying and being reborn, seeing light, experiencing union, and a feeling of total liberation." pg 165
And all of Chapter 7: Gates to the Inner Kingdom. That was the one chapter that I completely resonated with.
If you are interested in this topic and want to explore more methods of pathworking, try Paths of Wisdom: Principles and Practice of the Magical Cabala in the Western Tradition by John Michael Greer, The Art and Practice of Caballa Magic by Ophiel, A Garden of Pomegranates: Skrying on the Tree of Life by Israel Regardie, or the hilarious Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford: Dilettante's Guide to What You Do and Do Not Need to Know to Become a Qabalist by Lon Milo DuQuette. Each of those guides are very different in how they approach the same topic- meditative visions/pathwork. Hopefully, one of them will work for you. And, finally, if you want to read more passive pathworkings (since there were very few in this book), check out my blog:
https://thelightcongress.wordpress.com/
July 25, 2018
Great book for beginners or those who work with the Golden Dawn. Explains how to do a guided mediation, how to internally work on yourself using your imagination. Magical Pathworking includes mythology and symbolism. This book also incorporates Abrahamic religions, Arthurian, and Egyptian mythology. This book would be too basic for an experienced pathworker or Pagan.
February 10, 2024
Mh honestly some suggestions and sentences are really insightful. I would suggest to not take literally all the parts about the myths and seriousness of it, and just take inspiration to build a nice inner world (I'm making it all cheerful in Disney style, for example, no classical myths)
January 3, 2020
Nick Farrell is very knowledgable person about Hermetism and Golden dawn teachings. He knows what is right, what is misinterpreted based on cross checks he performed and knowledge about capacity and power of mind. He explained pathworking in a more simple and direct way, he could have covered related chapters a bit broader though, but he probably preferred to keep topics simple and not to bore readers. I ll read his other books soon.
Want to read
November 13, 2011Waiting to be read before end of this year
June 13, 2012
One of many books that helped me direct my energy on the right directions.
May 1, 2012
a very good book for magical praxis
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews