Title: The Initiatic Doctrine of Immortality: Beyond the Illusion of the “Soul”
Tags: #Tradition #Initiation #Immortality #Self #Karma

1. Rejection of the “Immortal Soul” – The religious notion of an inherent “immortal soul” is illusory; true immortality is a possibility, not a given.
   
2. Eternal Principles ≠ Immortality – Even if eternal principles exist in man, without conscious activation, they are irrelevant to the Self’s immortality.
   
3. Self as Consciousness – The Self is consciousness; when consciousness extinguishes, the Self ceases, regardless of any surviving “principles.”
   
4. Atman vs. Empirical Self – The human “self” is merely a reflection of the transcendent Atman; death is the reabsorption of this reflection, not survival.
   
5. No Continuity in Reabsorption – Reintegration into the Absolute is tantamount to dissolution—only initiation bridges the gap consciously.
   
6. Karma as Impersonal Residue – What survives death is not a “soul” but karma, an impersonal force shaping future formations within samsāra.
   
7. Flame Metaphor – Karmic continuity is like one flame lighting another—no identity persists, only causation.
   
8. Superior Principle Manifestations – Multiple existences may be attempts by a higher principle to perfect itself, not “reincarnations” of the same self.
   
9. Assault Waves of the Army – Like waves in a battle, each existence is a separate attempt; success belongs only to the one that achieves reintegration.
   
10. The Awakened One – Only the being who achieves initiatic reintegration transcends the cycle, becoming the “perfect button” cast from the failures of prior forms.
    No consolation, no religion—only the hard doctrine of the Self.

The Initiatic Doctrine of Immortality: An Evolian Perspective

Critics argue that denying the common religious notion of an “immortal soul” goes too far, insisting that eternal principles exist within man regardless of conscious realization. However, from the initiatic standpoint, if these principles remain unrealized—unactivated and unassimilated by the Self—they are, for all practical purposes, nonexistent. This is no different from the materialist’s consolation that, though the soul perishes, matter endures.

The Self is not an object like a table, which exists independently of awareness. The Self is consciousness; its very being depends on self-awareness. When consciousness extinguishes, so does the Self. What persists—whether eternally or materially—is no longer that Self.

Doctrinally, we acknowledge a transcendent Self (atman, purusha), of which the human “self” is but a reflection. The dissolution of the individual “soul” at death can thus be understood as the reabsorption of this reflection into its source. Yet, without conscious reintegration—the very aim of initiation—this amounts to annihilation, for there is no continuity between the reflected and the absolute Self.

As for post-mortem survival, what remains is karma—impersonal forces within samsāric existence. Karma is not immortality; it is the causal residue of actions, generating new beings without preserving self-identity. Like a flame igniting another flame, the fire is the same, but the flame is not.

A more meaningful initiatic perspective considers multiple existences as successive manifestations of a single higher principle striving toward perfection. These are not reincarnations but distinct attempts—like assault waves in battle, each advancing or retreating until one achieves the goal. The perfected being, the “Awakened One,” represents the culmination of this process: the reintegration of consciousness with its transcendent source.

Metaphysical part:

The Two Paths in the Afterlife

Traditional teachings distinguish between two possible destinies after death: one leading to true immortality, the other to dissolution into ancestral forces. Unlike the modern belief in universal soul-immortality, Tradition recognizes a hierarchy in postmortem existence, corresponding to the spiritual stature of the individual.

The Naturalistic Order: Dissolution into the Totem

For ordinary men, death brings the disintegration of the ephemeral personality, leaving only a “shadow” destined for eventual dissolution—the “second death.” The vital principles return to the ancestral manes, lares, or totem—the subpersonal, chthonic force behind a bloodline. This force, often symbolized by the serpent or the genius (generative power), binds individuals to the cyclical rebirth of their stock.

In this inferior path, the deceased become sustenance for the manes, perpetuating the natural order rather than transcending it. Greek myths (the Danaïdes, Ocnus) and Vedic symbolism (the lunar, ancestral path) illustrate the futility of this existence—a meaningless repetition of mortal life.

The Heroic Path: Olympian Immortality

A higher destiny awaits those who conquer death through spiritual transformation. The “heroes,” demigods, and sacred kings achieve an incorruptible body (sahu, “body of glory”), escaping dissolution. This immortal body, forged through sacrificial rites, embodies transcendent power, uniting soul and form in divine permanence.

This “solar path” (deva-yāna) leads to the Olympian realm—Valhalla, the “House of the Sun,” or the Vedic “door of the sun.” Unlike the chthonic fate of Hades, it represents triumphant immortality, symbolized by crowns, myrtle, and the Roman dies natalis (birth into divinity).

The Ritual Struggle Against the Infernal

Traditional civilizations upheld rites that liberated men from subjugation to ancestral forces. The aristocratic cults—opposed to telluric, lunar worship—oriented the soul toward supernatural victory, breaking the cycle of rebirth. Neglect of these rites meant regression into the “way of the Mother,” binding man to the infernal and the collective.

The sacred fire, central to Indo-European cremation rites, symbolized this transformative power—consuming mortal remains to awaken the “fulgurating form” of the immortal. Thus, true Tradition preserves the heroic imperative: to dominate the totemic forces and ascend to the divine.

The phrase “theos ek petras” holds significant meaning within the magical tradition. On one hand, it signifies the descent of the “heavenly light” into the dark, earthly realm, a process that is both degenerative and transformative. On the other hand, it represents an opportunity for the spiritual element to individuate and actualize itself. The human body, as a sophisticated organism, harbors a nucleus of qualified energy. Magical initiation does not aim to dissolve this nucleus into the undifferentiated flow of cosmic life but rather to strengthen and integrate it. Thus, initiation involves advancing this nucleus, not regressing it. In initiatory thought, the spirit is not something separate but immanent, requiring elevation from the depths of human reality (the “rock”). This reality is inherently divine, not by grace but by nature, hence the concept of the “generative rock” (akin to the Hermetic-Alchemical idea of the “material required in the Opus Magnum”) and the attribute of petrogenos (born from the rock) ascribed to Mithras, the Man-god, who emerges from the Earth rather than descending from Heaven.

The doctrine centers on the relationship between magical integration and the pursuit of immortality. Its premise aligns with positivism (as articulated by Kremmerz), which argues against the survival of personal consciousness. While certain elements of the human composite may survive or even reincarnate, the true personality, or soul, is seen as dissolving into a homogeneous mass upon death, akin to air dispersing in air. This view is shared by figures like Gurdjieff, who posits that most individuals lack a true personality even in life, existing as though already dead. Magical analysis, predating psychoanalysis, reveals that what is commonly called “personality” is merely the historical individual—a collection of tendencies, memories, and habits, largely unconscious and impersonal. Meyrink likens this to a “coral-like rock,” shaped by inherited instincts and thoughts. This perspective leads to the conclusion that the “soul” is often a mirage, and the spirits contacted in séances are not what they seem. Éliphas Lévi describes an abyssal current, driven by an eternal impulse, through which souls cyclically return and evolve until the emergence of the awakened man, the mage. These ideas echo traditional teachings on life as appetitus innatus, cycles, and spiritual yearning.

While these premises may appear materialistic, materialism is a necessary foundation for understanding the “supernatural” task of magic. The central question is: What lies beyond the historical individual? The problem of the “hereafter” is already present in the here-and-now. As Meyrink states, those who fail to see in this life will not see in the next. Immortality is equated with awakening—an interior growth beyond death, independent of external impressions and internal heredities. The “Awakened” are the true “Living,” free from the illusions that bind others. Meyrink further asserts that in the afterlife, none who were blind in life will see.

The magical perspective distinguishes itself by focusing not on the universal or divine but on the realization of the true personality. This aligns with Gurdjieff’s teachings, where magical discipline liberates the individual from collective influences, forging an independent spiritual form. This form is central to the esoteric pursuit of immortality. Kremmerz describes the initiate as emitting, at death, not an amorphous spirit but a sculpted, immaterial self—an eternal and indestructible being with integrated powers. Spiritists, he notes, mistakenly believe this transformation occurs naturally for all. Meyrink adds that true immortality belongs to the fully awakened man, who transcends gods and stars, existing beyond layers of illusion.

Magical ascesis involves progressively shedding the elements of the historical ego, with each detachment contributing to inner formation and growth beyond the ego. Kremmerz emphasizes “conscious neutrality”—a state of serene, balanced awareness, free from instinctive reactions and ancestral influences. Éliphas Lévi similarly advocates isolating oneself from earthly currents and enduring trials that test one’s mastery over elemental forces. The goal is to form an “extranatural agent,” a principle echoed in ascetic and initiatory traditions, including Buddhism, stripped of moral or religious trappings. This process of denudation and regression leads to the elimination of psychic strata, culminating in the awakening or “vision” that transcends human individuality. At this stage, the incorruptible core of the superpersonality emerges, potentially manifesting in a transformed corporeal form, no longer bound by nature.