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Exploring the Teachings of Our Temple
We of the Black Synagogue of Satan are an Order of Black Initiates dedicated to the furtherance of Satan’s Will upon this earth utilizing the methods passed down to us through time from demon to initiate and initiate to initiate. We are global, yet you will see no manmade structures bearing our name. We are Satanic Mystics and therefore reject all religious doctrine which does not provide a means to experience its teachings with the senses.
Religion without mysticism is an empty husk. Mysticism can be seen as the antithesis to institutional religion and a revolt against authority and forms of orthodoxy. The practices of sorcery and divination are condemned in the bible because its compilers knew that with such practices people would not need the bible. Anything that could potentially subvert its authority is condemned and even its priests blindly follow the letter of the law not knowing that the law is a later grafting onto hidden spiritual truths. The mystic does not care about law, only truth.
Pax Romana, Priest-Kings, The Great Beast of Revelation,
And World War Three
It is time to stop killing each other and call back the Powers of old that the Pax Romana will be restored. The Pax Romana (Roman Peace) lasted for two hundred years, from 27 BCE, with the ascension of Augustus Caesar (ruled 27 BCE-14 CE), to 180 BCE, marking the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The Pax Romana brought relative peace and security to the known world. It was ruled by Priest-Kings who were the rulers of the populace and the mouthpieces of the gods. The Roman Emperor also held the title of Pontifex Maximus (Latin, “Supreme Pontif”) which meant that he was the chief high priest of the gods, the same as Pharaoh. Mystic, deeply spiritual rulers who protected their people from the Germanic hordes and maintained law and order throughout their vast empire. Roman science and architecture, art and beauty spread over vast regions of the earth. The men worked joyfully to provide a good home for their families and enjoyed wine and speaking of politics and philosophy at their leisure. The women sang and took care of their children as they laughed in the fields and the Fallen Watchers smiled as they looked down upon their charges.
With the end of the Priest-Kings came the rise to prominence of the lurkers in allies. And with their rise came down the bulwarks of the empire and the invaders from the north.
“And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over the waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit (Tehom) shall make war against them, and kill them” (Revelation 11:3-7, King James Bible).
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy” (Revelation 13:1 King James). In the ancient world seas and large bodies of water represented multitudes of people. The book of Revelation which was included in the New Testament is full of symbolism and allegory. This sea in Revelation 13 is a great multitude of people from all walks of life that are in league with this mighty beast. The Great Beast is not one but many. We will raise the Beast (The Hells/Demons) into our bodies from HaTehom and wage war on the saints. I and you, my Brothers and Sisters, we are the sea that the Beast rises up into and through from HaTehom. We unto whom that the Beast ascendeth, raising the Demons into our bodies, become the Beast that walks the earth to wage war. For we are many, yet we are one, and our number is 666.
Seven is the number of completion, of Perfection; Six is the number of imperfection, the number of Man. Six raised to the second power is the Über mensch, the superman of Nietzschean thought. Triple Six is the Trinity of Man, the Perfection of Imperfection, the Apotheosis of Mankind, Man without God. The seven heads of the Beast are the Seven Hells and its ten diadems are the Ten Palaces of Hell rising into Satanists around the world.
As long as men have walked this earth there has been war and bloodshed. These were generally isolated incidents or wars for dominance between rival armies however. And unfortunately, in the world in which we live peace cannot be gained without war. The greatest wars on this planet have all led to greater unity and global peace. The French Revolution, the American Revolution, the overthrowing of Christian or secular monarchy and giving power to the people have all increased law and order leading to greater peace. The First World War led to the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations. The Second World War led to the fall of Fascism and the formation of the United Nations.
The Shul, the Degrees of Initiation for the Black Synagogue of Satan
“The schools or colleges of the prophets are the first of which we have any account in Scripture; where the children of the prophets, that is, their disciples, lived in the exercises of a retired and austere life, in study and meditation, and reading of the law of God … These Schools, or Societies, of the prophets were succeeded by the Synagogue” (Cruden’s Concordance, “Schools”).
The shul (Synagogue) is a sacred place with a vital role in the Jewish community. It reflects the “holy” temple that stood in the city of Jerusalem and is often referred to in Jewish writings as a “miniature” Holy Temple. Why then the Black Synagogue of Satan? Because the human body is the true house of worship, the true temple, to be filled with demons in honor and in praise of Satan. It is black because matter and the flesh have often been depicted as black darkness fallen away from the light. The Black Synagogue of Satan then is the human body. Each of our initiates is a walking temple, a living church. There are no walls which contain us.
The ignorance of new age occultists no longer surprises me. Generations of armchair theorists and Google specialists have ensured the continuation of their folly. It should be no surprise therefore that they have no idea what the Degrees of Initiation really are. Contrary to popular belief it does not matter how many Enochian “angels’”names one memorizes or how well one paints a mighty cardboard “elemental tablet,” this useless knowledge and waste of energy can never confer a greater degree upon a practitioner. A Neophyte can become a Zelator by adroitly pronouncing the occult correspondences of the Hebrew alphabet? I think not. A spiritual degree is not attained by knowledge of anything. It is attained by desire. The desire to receive that one may have in order to give. The nature of the Gods is to give, an act of Altruism. Their power is put forth, their energy emanates that they may give birth to their creations. The nature of the created is to receive, to want the nectar of the gods that it may live. An act of Egoism. Thus is the order of the descent of Spirit into matter. Spiritual evolution is the act of returning to the Source, however, in order to get there one must change one’s properties. In order to reach the gods one must be as a god: Altruistic. A selfless act of surrendering.
“The desire of one who physically exists in our world, but spiritually exists in the worlds of BYA – is a desire to enjoy the Light. However, opposite these desires one has an “anti-desire,” a screen, which neutralizes his innate will to receive pleasure.
“A screen is created (appears, emerges, born) within the kli (desire, man) as a result of man’s sensation of the spiritual Light (the Creator). Therefore, all our requests (prayers, MAN, “questions”) should be about one thing only: for the Creator to grant us the strength necessary to ascend spiritually, to transform our desires or, as Kabbalah defines it, to acquire a screen. It is impossible to annul one’s will to receive pleasure. The Creator created it, and it is His only creation. All we can do is acquire a screen (counter-balance) on it, thereby ascending above creation (egoism), and become similar to the Creator! And to the extent of this similarity, to merge with Him… The entire spiritual distance from us to the Creator is divided into 125 invisible degrees, all of them named. These degrees differ from one another only by the magnitude of their screen on man’s egoistic desires” (Michael Laitman, Kabbalah for Beginners). The Sephiroth are the degrees, the 125 degrees are all the Sephiroth of all the Worlds combined, however, in practice only the ten principal Degrees/Sephiroth/Spheres of the Tree which comprises the Four Worlds ABYA are utilized as they include the 125 sub-degrees.
“One can imagine one’s path from the lows of our world up to the ultimate spiritual peak – the Creator – as a passage through a suite of rooms. In all, between our state and the Creator there are 125 connected, walkthrough rooms. Each room has its own properties, and only those who possess the same properties can be there. If, regardless of reason, man changes his properties, he is automatically moved as though an invisible current to a room that corresponds to his new properties.
“This is how one can move between these rooms: an infinitesimal inner change of properties evokes influence of a spiritual force-field upon man, and he immediately moves to his new place of equilibrium, where his inner properties completely coincide with the external properties of the spiritual field…” (Laitman, ibid). Sometime ago while conversing with one of my initiators, we were discussing the end times and I mentioned a revelation that I had about the pre-Anti-Christs and how everything Infernal has tied together through the millennia, and he said, “I think you just went down another level.” with my realization came a change of properties within me and I thus automatically attained the degree of Satanic Master. Physically I felt no different though. As you descend you will notice a change in your reasons for practicing. You will become more selfless. In the chapter on Demon Calling is provided the rite for expediting degree attainment by achieving equivalence of form with a demon from that Degree/Sphere.
The Ten Degrees of Initiation accepted by the Demons are those derived from the German Masonic Rosicrucian order, Orden des Gold-und Rosenkreuz (Order of the Gold and Rose Cross), founded in the late 1750s. This degree system was later adopted and adapted by the initiates of the Golden Dawn in the 19th century. The former however had nine degrees and the latter had eleven degrees which included a pre-initiate degree of Neophyte.
The degree system utilized by the Black Synagogue of Satan, modified through demonism, then is as follows:
Outer Portal Grades
Zelator 1°＝10⸋
Theoricus 2°＝9⸋
Practicus 3°＝8⸋
Philosophus 4°＝7⸋
Portal of the Temple Grades
Black Adept 5°＝6⸋
Black Adept 6°＝5⸋
Black Adept 7°＝4⸋
Temple Grades
Satanic Master 8°＝3⸋
Black Magus 9°＝2⸋
Black Prophet 10°＝1⸋
As one progresses through the degrees, one’s third-eye will gradually open and one’s power will steadily increase, as will one’s propensity and means for helping others.
The Five Partzufim of Heaven and the Five Partzufim
Of Hell
In Qabalah the ten degrees are further reduced to five: Malkuth, Yesod-Chesed, Binah, Chokmah, and Kether. These are the Five Partzufim of Qabalah. And these are their names:
Partzuf Meaning Greek Equivalent Sephira
(AA) Arik Anpin Greater Face (Macroprosopus) Kether
Abba Father Chokmah
Aima Mother Binah
Zauir Anpin Lesser Face (Microprosopus) Chesed-Yesod
Kallah Bride Malkuth
Zauir Anpin is the idiot god, the Yahweh of the Old Testament. Kallah is the Holy Ghost, the active force of the Enemy. These are the Partzufim in the world of Atziluth on Etz Chaim. If one were to graft a Catholic schema onto the Tree of Life, then Arik Anpin would be the Father, Zauir Anpin the Son, and Kallah the Holy Ghost.
Opposite this lovely arrangement are the Partzufim of Qliphot in the world of Atziluth on Etzmoth:
Partzuf Meaning Hell
Satan-Moloch King Adversary Sheol
Sammael Venom of God Sheol
Ishet Zenunim Woman of Whoredom Sheol
Baphomet Tzelmoth-Abaddon
Unholy Kallah Unholy Bride Gehenna
If one looks at the Parztufim of the middle pillar as a Trinity, then it becomes immediately apparent as to why Baphomet holds such a key place in the history of the occult and the symbolism of Satanism. Baphomet is the son of Satan executing His Will in the Worlds of Hell and earth. Baphomet is the partzuf of Yetzirah, the astral plane, thus Éliphaz Lévi accurately called it the Astral Light; as the Unholy Kallah, Baphomet is the feminine receptive force, the Bride of Satan, holding the same position as the Holy Ghost which is also feminine in nature. The Holy Ghost speaks with a feminine voice when happy or saddened, and with a guttural demonic voice when angered. Baphomet is also the fifth greatest power in Hell.
Mottos, Mastering Life, Practicing Satanism and
World War Three
“An important place to begin in philosophy is this: a clear perception of one’s own ruling principle” (Epictetus, Discourses, The Daily Stoic, 71). A good place to start on the path to power is a motto. We do not have “magical mottos.” We have pragmatic philosophies that guide our lives toward the accomplishment of our goals and the betterment of our lives and the lives of those whom we meet in life. What do you hold dear, what is your guiding principle of behavior? What says that this is you and your purpose for being here? My motto is “Never for myself.” I am not here for me. My life is dedicated to something more. This may seem antithetical in the practice of a religion of the self but by helping others I derive much pleasure, so in a way I selfishly help others. So why do you feel that you are here?
The key to the mastery of life is not to care. Do not care whether you succeed or fail, do not care about the consequences of your actions if in your heart you know that they are right, because your inner guide/Higher-self will never lead you astray. Strive always toward your goal and if you fail try a different means until you accomplish your ends, never caring how many times you fail nor caring once you finally succeed. Put a check mark next to it in your book of goals and move onto the next one.
Have attachments to nothing. Realize that all things in this world are transitory, even life. No one really owns anything. The new car or house that you just bought will some day belong to someone else or be destroyed. The “love of your life” will one day pass away as will the fortune that you have amassed. Maintain a calm detachment from life but enjoy what you have and endeavor to bring joy into the lives of those around you. And have in all things no fear.
Many of you will come to know me directly. The purpose of these writings is to prepare you for your best possible life and for the of Black Priesthood. You must be men and women of action, with clear goals and direction. See the future, figuratively and literally. Plan for it (the events out of your control); plan it (the events in your control); design your own future and list the means to make it a reality, then get moving. In the words of Seneca: “Let all your efforts be directed to something, let it keep that end in view. It’s not activity that disturbs people, but false conceptions of things that drive men mad” (On tranquility of Mind, 12.5)
We are approaching the end of the present cycle. Preparations have been made for the last two thousand years as none knew when it would finally transpire. I am not talking about the end of an Age, I am talking about the end of a cycle of Ages. orthodox religionists call it the End Times. Others simply refer to it as Armageddon or the Apocalypse. The armies of Hell and Heaven are preparing for War, as are the armies of the earth. There are brethren and cohorts that must be set free from the Abyss that they may participate and attack. Mankind has a pivotal role to play in this endeavor. Mankind must open the Gates. Mankind holds the Key. That is why this great sea of Darkness must open the Pit that the Beast may rise. This is how the scales of power are tipped. The Enemy also has its priests and Magi who hold the Key of Heaven, becoming possessed by angels. They are vast but most are weak. However, the angels which possess them are not. The Legions must be ready to meet them.
Your place in the ranks of Hell has nothing to do with what occupation you hold or how much money you have in the bank. Your place depends on the power of the demon which you have inside of you. Your place in our ranks corresponds to the rank of your demon in the Infernal Hierarchy. It does not matter to us whether you work at Target or are a descendant of the Hapsburg bloodline. What matters is one’s attainment. It is therefore possible for a Target employee to find him or herself commanding a Hapsburg descendant. The more that you Call, the further you descend, the greater your power and command.
Soldiers of Satan, rise with the Armies of Hell and prepare for War. We will bring it.
Core Principles of Our Beliefs
At the heart of our teachings lies a commitment to individual freedom and self-exploration. We believe that each person has the right to define their own path and seek knowledge that resonates with their spirit. Our doctrine encourages followers to embrace their true selves, fostering a community that values diversity and open-mindedness.
Our teachings also emphasize the importance of critical thinking and personal responsibility. We advocate for a thoughtful approach to spirituality, urging individuals to question norms and seek their own truths. This journey is not just about belief, but about understanding and growth.
Rituals and Symbolism in Our Practice
Satanic ritual is very powerful, both spiritually and emotionally. Simply uttering the name of Satan generates power. Calling on Satan and the Demons surrounded by black candles and Satanic ritual trappings after partaking of a ritual glass of wine is very evocative. There were times when I would combine ritual and deep meditation. I would perform a ritual then sit before the altar in prayer and contemplation. This is good for insight meditation. You will receive guidance. And at times such as these the candle flames may rise becoming very bright. Even with closed eyes you will notice an increase in illumination, like turning up the knob on a kerosene lamp. This will be the Demons our Brothers letting you know that they are present. They will always come.
Generally, if I quote another author it is only because I like the way that they say something or to give examples of other opinions. I do not quote them in order to add validity to what I am saying. Having said that, I like some of the comments that Israel Regardie has made in regard to the practice of combining ritual and meditation, in The Tree of Life: “Now, there is an important comparison between the processes of Magic and Yoga which I wish to consider. This comparison is well worth consideration, inasmuch as it has been argued herein that Yoga should not be posited in opposition and in superiority to Magic, but that these two systems constitute together what may be termed Mysticism… whereas the one system obtained results through ritual and invocation, the other obtained success through concentration and meditation” (318).
“Thoth and all his divine attributes of Will and Wisdom enters into a perfect correspondence with the Ajna chakra situated in the center of the forehead above the eyes; whereas the highest chakra of all, the Sahasara chakra located at the crown, is in complete alignment with Ptah and Amoun, the hidden cosmic essence, the secret creative center of both the macrocosm and microcosm… Now my theory is that to invoke Artemis and Chomse and to have connived to unite oneself with the Essence those names represent, for example, as to have accomplished a task of supreme importance which is identical, because of our correspondences, with the awakening of the forces of the Murlidhara chakra, thus setting in motion the Serpent Kundalini in her ascent of the Tree of Life to the crown… To have achieved through magical invocation an indissoluble identity with the supernal wisdom of Tahuti (Thoth): is to have gained the power clearly to see through the interior eye of True Wisdom, inasmuch as it is tantamount to a stimulation through meditation of the Ajna chakra, the origin of spiritual clairvoyance and Creative Will. Also to have united the individual consciousness through rites of Theurgy with Asar-Un-Nefer, and to have assimilated into his glory and ineffability, is comparable to having guided the kundalini up the Sushumna to the brain and aroused the forces potential in the Sahasara chakra.
“In Yoga proper, as may be perceived in such a work as Vivekanda’s Raja Yoga, the results of that system – in so far as concerns the formulation and vivification of the chakras – are produced almost entirely by the exercise of the Will and Imagination. Time and time again do these, and other authors, write “Imagine a flame or a white triangle in the heart” or “a lotus above the head” and so on. The arousing of the coiled splendor of the kundalini in the spinal chambers of the Murlidhara chakra is encompassed by intense concentration and the imagining of a new kind of spiritual activity in that region, causing the sleeping goddess to straighten her coils and dart up the Sushumna to the seat of her Lord. magic, while employing a tactical technique different to that of Yoga, is likewise grounded, as I have endeavored at some length to demonstrate, in the use of Will and Imagination with devices to stimulate these two faculties in a well-ordered ceremony for the attainment of the highest spiritual results” (323-324). Certain of the Sephiroth correspond to the chakras as do certain of the gods/demons as we have seen, and by using the principle of correspondences, invoking Thoth which corresponds to Chokmah which corresponds to the Ajna chakra (third-eye), stimulates and activates the third-eye, allowing spiritual wisdom and knowledge of the True Will to come through. The same results will be obtained by invoking Sammael or a lesser demon that corresponds to Chokmah. This is an aspect of ritual invocation, but we do things a little differently. And Thoth and the rest of the Egyptian pantheon incidentally are in truth Fallen Angels, but the world was not yet ready for this revelation. Nor was the world ready to see these ancient Rulers of the earth as they truly appear in all their terrible power. The ancient Canaanites may not have been so inclined to worship a powerful god (Baal) that really looked like a walking lizard. Now let the world know what my Brothers really look like. And one is not supposed to call whichever god/demon at random. At least not to inhabit one’s body. For demonic pacts or specific ritual purposes one can invoke any demon in order to utilize its particular powers but Satanic union can only be achieved with a particular demon that has chosen or has been assigned to the Satanist. The next chapter will include instructions for the creation and use of a pendulum board which can easily and effectively be used by Satanists of any grade in order to establish direct communication with the Evil Spirits of the bible and the ancient world. This will be followed by the ritual of Demon Calling. Once you ascertain through the board which demon is watching and waiting for you to Call, you next initiate the process of Satanic evolution. All things as they should.
The old occult saying that “thoughts are things” is quite true. The generation of images in one’s mind are perceivable by entities on the astral and mental planes of being, as well as by persons with psychic abilities. It is of course also possible to receive images from other entities. Now, just as demons can put images in one’s mind, such as their appearances, it is also possible through the use of symbols as portals, to break out of the material mind and see beyond this world. By using symbols as gateways during guided meditation, actual images of the spiritual world are received and seen in one’s mind’s eye. By this method and in conjunction with the names of Qliphot, the Hells are reached as is power. You will thus see Hell while still in the flesh. You will then absorb a demon’s power and bring it back into life. The Mystery Play is thus enacted nightly and you become God. This is power.
This technique is very similar to the Golden Dawn method of Tattwa scrying. There are five tattwa symbols for the five elements – earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. They originate from Hindu sources and have been used in kundalini chakra meditations such as by imagining the fire triangle in the heart chakra. Tattwa scrying is done by staring at an image of a tattwa on a white card. After a few moments a blank white card is looked at on which is seen the after image of the tattwa, such as a green triangle after staring at the red triangle of the fire tattwa Tejas. The green triangle after image would then be enlarged and passed through in the imagination in order to receive astral images of the elemental plane of fire. Sometimes the image was enlarged and one would simply stare into it like looking through a window. This technique would often be used instead of scrying with a black mirror. Tarot cards, astrological symbols, Hebrew characters, demons’ sigils, and others, are regularly used this way. We also use Hebrew characters.
If going down to the second Palace of Gehenna for example, a purple sphere is imagined. After saying the names of the hell, Qlipha, and Archdemon, the sphere is entered and a wooden door with the Hebrew character for “G,” gimel, standing for “Gehenna,” is imagined and passed through. An image of Gehenna should then be seen. But not Gehenna proper, more like an entry corridor. A throne is imagined and the demon is called to appear sitting on it. Next, one would prostrate before the throne and with every physical inhalation, breathe the demon in from off the throne. Finally, after completely identifying with the demon and looking through its eyes, one imagines exiting the hell and rising as the demon up into the physical body.
Tibetan Buddhists have a similar practice called Vajrayana (Sanskrit, “diamond vehicle”). This practice has visual, auditory, and mental components. At initiation, the new disciple is given a tutelary deity to work with and a special mantra of the tutelary deity. In Vajrayana meditation the practitioner visualizes the tutelary deity and audibly chants its mantra. Next, he or she mentally identifies with the tutelary deity contemplating that they are one but realizing that ultimately they are both empty, that neither the tutelary deity nor the practitioner really exists. Again, very similar to what we do but minus the meditation on emptiness.
The occult practice called the Assumption of Godforms is also similar. Popularized by the Golden Dawn – which the more I think about it really did have some good techniques – the assumption of a godform involves imagining a life size image of an Egyptian god from Egyptian iconography and then walking into the image and becoming it. This is done for ritual purposes. In Golden Dawn ritual the celebrant may be Osiris in the east while other stations in the ritual chamber were taken by other participants who assumed the forms of Isis, Horus, and so on. The rationale is that by becoming the god during ritual one has that god’s power and authority to effect change in accordance with will. The main differences between astral assumption of a godform and what we do is – one, they walk into the image rather than breathe it in through the portals; two, they only assume an entity’s astral form while we merge with it physically, astrally, and mentally; and three, our Calls are for permanent union rather than temporary use for particular magical ends. And when I say physical union I mean physical merging to the point of physical transformations which can, and often do happen. And these can be seen by others.
As we now know, the physical world is modeled on the etheric plane which is the manifestation of the astral and mental planes. Your body is modeled on your etheric body. By merging with the properties of a demon mentally and astrally, the etheric body begins to change which then creates change in your physical body.
The proper symbolism of the Tree of Death has not been printed. The Spheres of Etz Chaim are accurate and they represent ABYA in the positive side of creation. If this diagram is inverted, the sephiroth and the paths of wisdom, the true symbology and portals into Hell are revealed. On the Tree of Life you will see three inverted equilateral triangles, these are the Nine Angles and portals of Heaven. Turn this diagram upside down and you see three upright equilateral triangles, these are the Nine Angles and portals into Hell. Below each of these three portals to Hell you will see a sphere looking up into the world of the descendants of Adam. In Sheol the deepest hell the sphere of the Qliphotic Kether represents the Eye of Satan watching this world. This is the true symbology of the Eye in the Triangle. It is not the eye of Yahweh but of the God of this world and entry into His realms is then made possible.
The Role of Literature in Our Teachings
I wage war on Yahweh and my weapon is knowledge. In the ancient world this knowledge was held by Priest-Kings, by the Magi, by the Hierophants and Initiates of the Mysteries. It has been passed down through the ages from initiate to initiate, to shine its light against the blind credulity of the masses. Wars have been waged by the ignorance and covetousness of those seeking to extinguish its rays and spread their own false light but the torch of Lucifer is not so easily put out. It cannot be put out because the true wisdom of Lucifer is not contained in books. Written knowledge can serve only as a roadmap to get one started on their journey of discovery and self-evolution but only the actual experiences gained by following the paths and by-ways of initiation through practice can lead to the final destination which is wisdom. There therefore are levels of knowledge.
Written knowledge – knowledge contained in ancient manuscripts, sacred texts, psychology books, college physics textbooks, etc. – is the lowest level. Next is knowledge gained by direct experience of lived existence in the school of everyday life. This level of knowledge is what is commonly referred to as “wisdom,” the wisdom of the wise-old man who “has seen it all.” But age does not necessarily confer wisdom. There are aspects to existence and people in this world that books cannot teach you about and even meeting them on the street will shed no light on their nature; the last and highest level of knowledge is the direct experience of the Darkness behind the light, the hidden reality behind the visible spectrum.