I planned on going to the Temples in Italy to not only get out of New York City, but to simply take advantage of a Sacred Space in which to do my own Spiritual Work. What I inevitably found in Damanhur was much more than I could have possibly imagined.
Of all the things I saw, experienced, and learned, what was most profound is the practical and thoroughly Magickal nature of the whole of the Damanhurian community. Am I still over the whole 'Guru gains followers and expands base of power in attempt to save/rule the world?' ... yes of course I am still over this. But while the founder Falco seems to have mixed feelings about his experiment in practical Alchemy growing into such large proportions, there is something deeper in the Damanhurian community which prevented me from reaching for a loaded wand.
In a few words, it's quite real. The Temples themselves are an ultimate Testament to this. They evoke memories of a distant past lived in other ego's ... and I don't even believe we bring ego with us as we transmigrate. But somehow, these temples pull out the experiences of my soul in past wanderings through the Earth plane. These things I rarely admit to being anything other than agnostic about, simply because the principles and applications in the Magickal community usually amount to nothing more than narcissistic fantasia. But again, maybe it was just the kool-aid; but there is something very real and very practical going on in Damanhur.
The key to realization is not in thinking it, but knowing it as something just as real as getting hit directly in the face. An example of this happening in Damanhur was not the beauty of the Temples, but in the practitioners they sent to guide us through the experience. I was most thoroughly impressed on a Magickal level by one Ornitorinco. I attended a lecture on Esoteric Physics expecting to be underwhelmed by some 'secret-esqu' pseudo philosophy. However, during the lecture; while most of my mind was completely engaged in learning from and absorbing Ornitorinco's vast intellect, the rest of it was exclaiming "Holy Shit, that's a Real Alchemist!". I freely admit it could have been his seriously sexy Italian accent ... but really it was like getting hit in the face, a real realization. In Damanhur, the shit is real. As Ornitorinco said "the universe may be an illusion, but it works!"
There is much else to be experienced in Damamnhur, such as an amazing education about self-sufficient permaculture and running a successful energy efficient eco-community. You can even learn about Art, and especially Alchemical Artistic expression. But for Magicians, the core of the community is in exploration of the Esoteric Field of research. And this means experimentation in various internal and external Alchemical Laboratories. It means a new breed of talismanic technology called 'Selfica' (not to be confused with the english word 'Self'). It also means a philosophy which is magickal, perennial, and philosophic to the core. This is not only expressed through lectures, but the temples themselves act as massive reservoirs of the True Knowledge. Anyone who has even the slightest grasp of Occult Philosophy will be completely and utterly blown open by the depth of knowledge preserved in the Art of the Temple Walls. I cannot express enough the purity of the philosophical base from which Damanhur operates. Right down to a Thelemic like emphasis on individuality, and even individuality as separate communal identities within the overall federation.
Damanhur, its philosophy, its citizens, are not a cult. They are a powerful new culture made up of people balancing a thoroughly eco-feminine sustainability and connection to Nature and Natural forces, with an amazingly masculine approach to philosophy, scientific inquiry into the field of esotericism, and the directionality to achieve the miraculous with ones own hands; in the practical realm. Fully grounded on earth, with their hearts open and minds reaching beyond the stars. As one of my companions said during the visit: "they really go through the whole spectrum here, from cleaning the toilet to talking to Aliens!" Indeed.
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