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Lunar Trance

This article was written by Carl Llewellyn Weschcke on February 02, 2011
posted under Lunar Trance

This was part of the curriculum of the G∴B∴G∴, and could be said to be more of a deliberate attitude than a traditional trance.

The word "trance" is not used in the sense of a condition where a person is in a near complete abstraction of the normal mind. Rather it is a state of willed engrossment of the mind in being absorbed in some particular facet of the emotions and feelings—even though it might lead to a state of ecstasy.

The first rule of the trance practice is that it is not a thing of a few minutes practice daily. It is an attitude to be maintained for at least a week. This may be partly imagination but it must be a willed imagination. Let us suppose that the chosen trance is joy. Then one must apply the act of concentration, fortified by imagination, which becomes a close mental application or exclusive attention to that emotion and feeling called "joy." If and when this is done there remains small room for feelings of sadness. There is just plenty of room in one's living, and attention for engrossment of the feelings in joy, so that the melancholy and sad have small chance of crowding out the willed concentration upon the manifestations of joy.

The method of the "trance," for instance a trance of beauty, a trance of joy and laughter, a trance of beatitude, was to see that quality in everything throughout the entire days and nights of a given period. In the trance of Beauty, one sees beauty in everything that touches one's consciousness, allowing no feeling or idea of ugliness to enter. In the trance of Laughter, one should imagine, feel and see life and living as a Divine Comedy without intrusion of any element of the Divine Tragedy. In the trance of Beatitude, the breeze caresses one, the birds sing to one, every person that crosses one's path has a most friendly glance or smile for one, etc.

A different kind of trance can be used for attaining the knowledge of one's Totem. In most cases the trance is for only a few hours—never more than one day. There is a very real correspondence between animals (and animal deities) and facets of human individuality. The technic is to think about some essential characteristic of oneself in relation to the Great Work and to identify with that animal of like basic character. Naturally this is progressive and as one advances in the Great Work one may be impelled to change the totem just as also one may change (progressively) one's magick name. To possibly aid one in this, the nature correspondence of the animals is given in the Table of Tree of Life Correspondences. There is great magickal value in having a totem and in being guided by it—precisely just what value is impossible to say because each individual is a different unique case. "Every man and every woman is a Star"—unique and travelling in one's own orbit and direction.