The Mystic
Authors Experience: The Western Mystery Tradition
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My name is Robert Barnett, and I author this website with my wife, Karen. In addition to my Christian Seminary education and ordination as a Christian minister, I've also practiced the Western Mystery Tradition for approximately 44 years. This has not been a hindrance but has strengthened my belief in Jesus. I've almost always been more Spiritual than Religious. And the more I learned about "Dogma" in my many years of studying theology and world religions, the more I moved toward Spirituality.
I began my studies of the Western Mysteries at Builders of the Adytum (B.O.T.A.). Builders of the Adytum was founded by Paul Foster Case, who was a member of The Golden Dawn. Around 1980, four high-ranking officers of B.O.T.A. asked me to join them and form a new order called Fraternitas L.V.X. Occulta, or Fraternity of the Hidden Light (F.L.O.). I was initiated shortly after that and became an Adept 5=6 a year or two later. Paul A. Clark, my mentor, was the highest-ranking officer (Steward) of the F.L.O. I was the Grand Prolocutor General before my retirement on good terms after about 15 years.
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After my time in the F.L.O., I focused on Meditation and Contemplation. Paul stressed that there are usually two and sometimes independent initiations, an outer and an inner. F.L.O. had provided the outer, but I needed to go deep within to pursue the inner. I chose Meditation and Contemplation to facilitate an inner initiation.
However, I continue to study and practice the Hermetic Qabalah. In particular, I practice several forms of The Middle Pillar and The Lightning Flash Ritual almost daily. I've learned many advanced variations from my intuition and the books of Chic and Sanda Cicero, John M. Greer, and Mark Stavish. To augment my Spiritual and Behavioral Development, I work with the 72 Shem Angels, the previously mentioned Qabalistic Work, and a dedicated Christian Prayer Life.
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Related Internal Links
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Author's Experience with The Qabalah
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