Simplicity and regularity in daily practice

 Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

The idea to write this entry came to me this morning, as I thought it would give a glimpse into the simplicity and regularity which has become a staple of my life in recent years, to show that despite the complexities of the A.'.A.'. as a system, at some point all that gives way to something quite different, if the initiate in question is constituted that way at least.

All the way through the Outer College grades I worked hard at each task, spending hours on it most days, memorising texts and readings, writing and performing complex rituals and trying my best to stick to a rigid routine of ceremonial and Raja Yoga based meditation, and I don't mind saying that it was an uphill slog that took years to complete. I rarely do anything like that now, and quite possibly the most outwardly occult thing I get up to is daily meditation, which I like to make more or less formal.

(Frater Pertinax in zazen)

Daily routine

I usually first stir around 4 or 5 in the morning, depending on the time of year. I get up, have a wash, make a cup of tea, before putting on the robe and settling down into zazen. My method is simple, a four-fold breath for perhaps 5 minutes, perhaps 4 or 5 seconds for each inhalation, exhalation and pause between the two. After the body has relaxed and the mind quietened down I will then count the inbreaths through the nose in cycles of ten breaths, usually between 3 and 5 sets, taking anything between 10 and 30 minutes, although I am not strict about this. The first few cycles I focus my attention on counting the inbreaths, feeling the cool of the breath on the inhalation, and may then switch to a focus on the outbreath for the final couple of cycles. By that time the mind and body are nicely unified and relaxed, I am wide awake and utterly calm. I usually finish up with the first sip of tea (just out of shot).

Following this, most recently my routine has been to perform a star ruby (Liber XXV), and Liber Resh, and may then read for a while, often one or another Holy Book; perhaps the Thelemic canon, Hindu or Buddhist, even Christian texts, usually the more mystical ones and I also enjoyed reading from the desert fathers recently so occasionally dip in to the sayings and stories of those old hermits.

Once the body has warmed up I will do some exercise, single person exercises for Aikido, some Tai chi (Yang style). If the weather is mild I will head outside for this, but often I will practice indoors. These are really moving Yoga so can be regarded as an extension of meditation.

Following that, breakfast, another cup of tea, checking the news, emails etc., and getting ready for work. I try to maintain a meditative and attentive attitude throughout the day, for which Aikido and Resh are perhaps the most useful tools for regular re-centering and focus.

In the evenings things are pretty normal, a couple of days per week I might go out to the park with wooden weapons and practice sword and staff (bokken and jo) forms for an hour, maybe more Tai chi, before coming in to make dinner and probably watch something on Netflix or Youtube, I prefer a good horror film, albeit the supernatural, creepy kind rather than slashers which I don't see the point of. I will also make time through the day to study, play violin or engage in either vocation or hobby related activities. I may have a drink or two on the weekend, or rarely during the week and very rarely to inebriation, I find it best to be moderate about this.

The day is usually finished with a walk in the evening, around sunset, more meditation, reading for leisure before bed at about 8 or 9 at night. As for diary entries, I reserve this for occasional reflections on the path or for interesting turns of events. Mostly daily life is quiet, rhythmic, uneventful, and not worth writing about so I may go weeks between entries. I am not looking for 'results' from my practice, I do it these days only because it is in my nature to do so, and not in order to obtain some result. My main 'task' at the moment is the harmonising of the gunas, and this kind of quiet, focused life suits that aim well enough. Meditation has become like brushing my teeth, it's just something I do in the mornings and I don't feel quite right until I've sat, even for a short period.

The key here I find is regularity, harmony and rhythm, as a car runs best on a smooth road with a measured hand steering, so in life, no impatient revving, pumping the brakes, or other disruptive behaviour from the driver, and as much as possible a clear road and clean windscreen. 

I don't have much in the way of rules, mostly it is just a case of being natural. One rule however is that I don't use any sort of social media between 6pm and 6 am, and don't use any internet at all after about 9pm. This means that the night hours up until dawn are hours of silence, rest and reflection. Before I instigated this I found it was much too easy to disrupt the silence and recollection by checking for messages or emails. Anything from the world that I feel has no place in contemplation and should be limited to the hours of normal human interaction. The result here is that rather than automatically going online and getting lost for hours scrolling through inane material, which was sometimes a problem before, I now simply get up and get on with the morning routine. Once my morning meditation is done, then I allow myself other pastimes.

And there it is, utterly mundane and stripped of all mystical pretense. No grand mystical experiences, no ecstasies or visions, no astral work and no profound spiritual insight, and I am not writing books on occultism or teaching. I just sit on my mat and breath, or else get on with my life in as quiet a way as possible. So, what's the point you might ask? Now there's a secret I don't quite know how to articulate.

Love is the law, love under will.