Temple Magic

Temples serve the purpose of providing a sacred space for communities to elevate unto higher states of consciousness. They have flourished in places like ancient Egypt and Mexico, but now only the ruins remain. The magic of the ancients is lost to our modern world, but the fire hasn’t completely vanished. Many attempts have been made to rekindle the sacred fire, but corruption and the lust for power has kept it limited and almost inaccessible. Temples are portals leading to higher worlds and higher knowledge, they are mental gyms for our imagination, and our spirit.

A temple priest is the custodian of the mysteries, and his role is to bestow the teachings unto those who are called upon to receive them. Books may be available, but commentaries are necessary to understand them. The temple initiate—either a priest or priestess—offers guidance and mentorship which facilitates the initiation process. It’s rare for a student of the mysteries to ascend through the stages of wisdom all on their own, hence the purpose of a support group. The support of a community, teachers, and the books of wisdom, become an essential source of inspiration for the student’s process of initiation.

There are two styles of temple teachings: public “exoteric” teachings and private “esoteric” teachings. Similar to a university style system in which the foundations of a particular field are established before introducing the intermediate level courses, a proper foundational understanding of the mysteries is first necessary, otherwise, the advance level esoteric teachings become misinterpreted and distorted.

There are many genres of mysticism, for there is a wide variety of personalities in the world, each requiring different approaches for transmitting the mysteries. Languages and images may vary across space and time, but the essential underlying ideas are the same. Regardless of whether one finds inspiration in a cathedral or a park bench reading an illuminating text, the temple is ultimately in the mind. External conditions simply serve as tools to focus the mind and facilitate immersion into the inner worlds. Sacred objects play a vital role in temple rituals, but they are just aids for the mind to ascend unto the higher planes of consciousness. The key is finding a genre of mysticism which one finds appealing enough to investigate and grow from.