God of Foreign Lands
Translated by Prospero
In our search to become powerful immortal essences in the universe we utilise the role model of Set, the Principle of Isolate Intelligence. One way to maximise self-deification is to emulate Set on a divine level in all Its aspects. It is to take a lesson from children and how they learn through imitation.
One of the roles ascribed to Set is as a god of strangers and foreign lands, representative of the unknown that can invade and disrupt "normal life" as part of the process of Initiation. I would like to explore one or two facets of travel in general as an extension of Self, and as a tool for seeking - and finding - Self knowledge as a Setian Act.
In a former issue of the Finnish Hyperborean Codex Priest X wrote an absorbing article with notes on liminality in travel ("On Conclaves and Travelling"). Although written mainly in the context of attending international Temple gatherings these words have a potentially wider meaning and application. To quote at length:
The concept of liminality is used in comparative religious studies to
mean thresholds, states of transition between profane and sacred. Rites
of passage are famous examples of the use of such thresholds in various
cultures. In addition to rites of passage also travelling can be seen as
a ritualistic transition from profane, work-a-day, a usual time and
space - category to a sacred space (holy day > holiday).
Travelling is a concrete transition from familiar surroundings, physical
order, to a space that is less familiar, that potentially represents
Darkness, potential change, a space where the divine manifests itself. A
Setian who travels to a Conclave (be it regional or international), or
even to see her grandparents in the next town, can symbolically approach
travel as a transition to Darkness where as yet unmanifested aspects of
Being are pursued.
Set was and is a neter of borderlands, of extension of existence. That
is our job as well, and Conclaves are not only geographical borderlands
to our everyday world but much more than that.
A certain strand of evolutionary theory maintains that the desire for travel is natural to the human species. We were a migratory nomadic species before the advent of agriculture, which in turn lead to permanent settlement, commerce and thus civilisation. Whole races moved across the surface of the planet. The original urge was for food, resources and an expansion of living space which in time transformed into planned expansion i.e. colonisation and war. Nowadays the rigid political division and demarcation of land has eased whilst standards of living have increased enabling us to indulge our natural urge to travel more freely and in our own unnatural way. This goes hand in hand with the negative results repressing this instinct has on urban humanity.
Travel is generally done for two reasons, whether nationally or internationally, known or unknown:
1} to escape something: the weather, familiarity, or jail.
2} to find something: to discover new places, get that tan you wanted or dig in tomb 212. To make a business trip, go to an academic conference or meet one's obligations (such as mundane work).
Why you travel tells a lot about you: what you Need, what you Want and what your sense of Mystery is. Travel is Becoming, Being in motion. I always carry a notebook with me on trains, planes, walks. Travel is physical and psychological movement, and movement is Change. The psyche changes its mode of expression, its frames of reference to create a Change of perspective that has the potential to be life-changing i.e. initiatory, depending on if and how it is utilised.
The Initiate can intelligently chose a destination with a view to its impact on them. You can either consciously or unconsciously choose a place 'right for you', that is physical and cultural surroundings that mirror an important aspect of your internal situation or one that will stimulate the revelation of a new facet of Being. This allows the act of travel to be an objective projection of subjective initiation. It makes seeing yourSelf easier and makes the world around you work the way you want it to, by a magical change of perspective. Where and when you travel tells a lot about you.
Set is the god against the gods. What you Do when you travel and how you approach it is revealing of your (un)nature. How many people go abroad on holiday and waste potential sunning themselves and doing what they know? And how many people travel abroad taking photographs to capture the experience and not really living it to the full or visiting every tourist trap to feel a sense of achievement? Where is the REAL Mystery here? Do these people feel it beyond conventional profitable avenues? Such people lack continuity of self - the dreamlike experience does not affect them, because they are not truly open to the reception of new ideas. Their whole unconscious world view is carried with them in their ignorance.
In contrast, even when an Initiate visits another there is immense potential for Change. This applies to travelling to the next town, just as readily as the other side of the world. The guest sees a greater dimension to the Efforts of his host and a new environment, bringing a new perspective to that environment. There is a magical change of perspective: the host sees his surroundings with fresh eyes, just as the guest views the panorama with foreign eyes (it is no coincidence that in Greek guest also means foreigner). There can be only one result of such a conscious exchange: transformation of being, and its understanding and interaction with its niche.
How you travel tells a lot about you. This is as true for nations as individuals. With their homogenised culture, and even for the traditional British reserve, a challenge presents itself in foreign language. It takes Effort, which naturally, is not for holiday but 'work' thanks to the UK educational system. To enter a culture you consider foreign and expect it to conform to your idea of culture is tyrannical, whereas converging and expanding your frame(s) of reference to an other from an Isolate perspective allows greater freedom of movement, opening new realms of Self expression and emphasis. It is also an isolating factor in itself.
Without travel the Black Magician is literally not going to go far. Knowing our reasons for travel, the experience of the journey itself, and what we seek / want to find, will enhance our godlike perspective as we move and extend within the time and space of Here. As highlighted by Priest X the Prince of Darkness is more than a bushy-eared red figure with a Tcham - he is almost a patron of travel and its rewards as an extension of existence to the extent that he is a major figure in the Hermetic corpus.