Be Yourself: A Guide to Relaxation and Health

When the Rosicrucians of old announced themselves to the world in 1614, they described their primary mission as healing. Dr Israel Regardie 1907-1985 remained true to that purpose. He wrote several books on healing, thereby distinguishing himself from most other practitioners of the Western esoteric tradition at least those working within the Golden Dawn and Thelemic magical currents he so eloquently promulgated in his numerous writings. Dr Regardie brought somatic consciousness to the forefront of his work in the occult community. He shared his philosophy of the necessity of physical health as part of ones spiritual discipline. His teachings gradually spread among more and more people and yoga and diet have become important parts of modern spiritual practice. The utility of relaxation is based on the simple premise of economics. If you are filled with unconscious tensions that inhibit the flow of blood to your vital organs, you cannot possibly make full use of your body s energy. Magick presupposes a link between the physical and the spiritual. As above, so below. What Regardie is telling us is that if we can learn to overcome the tensions of our social world and the daily stress of life born of the fight for survival and the restrictions of our upbringing and cultural conditioning we can free ourselves to be vital, powerful, functioning people living up to our true potential. In Crowleys words: that in us may be health and wealth and strength and divine pleasure according to the Law of Liberty.