FOREWORD
The Great Arcanum
The nine charts of virtues
and passions included in this new edition of Franz Bardon: Questions &
Answers — The Great Arcanum, in accordance with the four elements, the
Yod-He Vau-He, explain cause, effect, and consequence in the good (positive)
sense and in the bad (negative) sense, as well as qualities and quantities
in their active-positive and passive-negative forms.
All
ailments, physical and astral, originate from our carnal desires, which are
the cause of all our failures, because they are passions. Translated,
“passions” means “sufferings,” therefore, the cause of all failures and
sufferings occur when we follow our passions. Pride is the most destructive
passion, love the most constructive virtue. Not only does this apply
individually, but also to families, groups of people, nations, and to an
even greater extent to our planet. Whatever applies to the microcosm, our
body, soul, and spirit also applies to the macrocosm, our planet.
Through
passions, mankind is also responsible for our weather and related
catastrophes by making changes in nature, e.g., deforestation causes severe
storms, rain, etc., and activities such as drilling shafts into the ground
for oil and gas eventually cause fires that cannot be contained and which
level entire areas, populated and unpopulated. The weather is also subject
to the four elements as is everything else.
If you have
attempted the exercises in the Franz Bardon books, and tried to succeed again and
again and you stopped and started the practice, you will find the causes for
your lack of success in these charts.
An
imbalance [ailment] of the soul is caused by passions; this imbalance can
cause a person to become a murderer, a thief, a liar, etc. If we made the
effort, then those people who are afflicted with these ailments of the soul
could be healed. But instead of being helped, they are punished. That is why
thousands of years ago judges were appointed to help these people, and not
to incarcerate or dispense death sentences to those whose souls are ill. Any
person or nation that possesses pride is always at war and is therefore
afflicted with the most severe soul-ailments possible.
The following is an
excerpt from Initiation into Hermetics by Franz Bardon, which points out what is required by
our body, and which also applies to the macrocosm.
Our entire
life depends upon the continuous supply of burnable substances, that is,
from nourishment and through breathing. A supply of various kinds of
nourishment, which contain the fundamental substances of the elements is
advisable, so that every element receives the necessary substances for its
preservation. If we were dependent throughout our entire lives upon one kind
of nourishment, our bodies would definitely become ill; that is, a
disharmony would be caused in the body. Through the decomposition of
nourishment and air, the elements are supplied with the substances that
maintain them, and their activity is also sustained in this manner. That is
the natural way of life for a human being. Should one or another element
lack the necessary energy-substance or fuel, there would be an immediate
reaction. This lack manifests itself in the functions, which are affected by
it. For example,
when the Fire element in the
body reaches a higher level of effectiveness due to a lack of nourishment
among other elements, we feel thirsty;
when the Air element becomes
more effective, we feel hungry;
when the Water element
becomes more effective, we feel cold; and
when the Earth element
becomes more effective, we feel tired.
A satiation
of the elements in the body calls forth intensified effects in the
particular area. Should there be a preponderance: of the Fire element: the
body feels a yearning for movement and activity ensues; of the Air element:
the body curbs the intake of any food; of the Water element: the process of
elimination increases; an the Earth element: manifests itself in the aspects
of one’s sex life, but it does not necessarily express itself through the
sex drive in the carnal sense. It can manifest externally, for example in
the elderly mostly though an urge for increased physical activity or
creative work.
*******
Therefore, if
you want to be in control of your body and soul, you must be in control of
your passions and eliminate the worst one, otherwise, you will not have the
energy to do the exercises in Bardon’s works, and you will fail repeatedly.
The very least you must do is to have your passions in the proper order, as
for instance, the Fire element 21 negative attributes, Air element 20, Water
element 19, Earth element 18. In other words, you must purify and cleanse
yourself of your passions.
The negative
character traits reflected in these charts are the cause of all of mankind’s
ailments and woes, individually and collectively. Replacing them with
positive character traits will eliminate all ailments, which are considered
curable or incurable, as well as all other problems and predicaments.
This can be
accomplished quite easily if and when an individual, or a nation, spends his
time productively on getting well, rather than embracing and maintaining his
or her ailments by administering poison; everyone who is ill would get well,
because there is only one way a person can kill himself or be killed, and
that is through passions.
However,
nowadays the entire focus of individuals and nations is directed toward
remaining sick by embracing ailments instead of health. The reason for this
is that health is not profitable but illness and death are. That is why
truth has the smallest audience, but plenty of enemies.
In conclusion,
Franz Bardon provided these newly-found charts to his students in Prague.
For every student to use them effectively requires no further instruction or
explanation, as everything has been thoroughly explained by Franz Bardon in
Initiation into Hermetics.
