Franz Bardon Books

Comprehending the books of Franz Bardon

What is clearly distinct in any one of Franz Bardon’s books is his dedication to the work including Hermetics. Hermetic refers to knowledge that is in correspondence with the conduct of the Universe. The books concentrate on the substance of the work, supplying beneficial and functional information for the student to be guided by. What establishes his books apart from the majority of his contemporaries, is that nowhere will you discover peacock assertions regarding him, his success, or achievements. Bardon did not appear to be seeking to develop a legend regarding himself. The only self-references in his works are irregular attestations that he had himself used this or that procedure.

Bardon’s works are uncommon in that they have relatively small theoretical sections, and are for more focused on the application of the concept together with exercises. They were written to enable students who wanted to practice the work to do so if unable to study with the tutelage of an expert, teacher or master.

The prescribed intention for every one of his books, was to offer the serious student one of the most complete and effective possible guides accessible outside of an occult lodge without the advantage of a personal instructor. In this regard, this aligns closely with the objectives of The Life Force Institute, as we aim to make knowledge of the energies of life and their application in everyday life, more readily available. The Life Force Institute continues to work on approaches to make the information readily available, to ensure that students who do not have the benefit of participating in courses or have individual tutelage, will still have access to this source of learning.

Throughout his writings, Bardon reveals topics in a very practical way, without all the flowery language so widespread in occultism. It should be apparent from the outset, Bardon wrote from lengthy and deep experience as opposed to off the top of his head. The depth of his experience can frequently be tough for the reader to understand, for he usually wrote from the perspective of somebody who has actually done every item of the work for himself. In this way, he typically conveys the principle that all which he details, is achievable.

Every one of Bardon’s books, originally written in German, suffer from readability difficulties, which are commonly caused by translation problems. Often the concepts were challenging to convert into another language, as the translator may not have had a suitable sensitivity for the topic. Translational difficulties aside, something which makes an enduring impression is Bardon’s evident sincerity. He insists frequently that he is doing as much as possible to document the work to aide in the development of a serious student. In line with this, he also frequently reiterates that he has actually carried out each routing, ritual or procedure. This is a really important element for any kind of comprehensive training. Those who write the work, should have embarked on the activities, tasks or procedures themselves.

One should consider for a moment that knowledge is not wisdom. Knowledge depends upon the growth of the intellectual capabilities of the Life Force. Wisdom, on the other side, requires the equable development of all facets of the Life Force. For that reason, knowledge is a mere ideology, which on its own can make an individual neither awake nor informed. A learned person will have the ability to talk a lot regarding a topic, such as the life force, astrology, the Quaballah, and so on. However, they will never have the ability to comprehend the complete aspects of the subject. Hopefully, you can start to appreciate the distinction between a philosopher and thinker, compared to someone who would be considered a true teacher or a sage. Through his works, Franz Bardon was a true teacher of the work.

The mental exercises Bardon prescribes, such as one-pointedness, watching the roaming of consciousness and so on, are commonplace in yogic and other occult works. Indeed the same principle of Ekagrata is an important cornerstone of activities conducted through The Life Force Institute.

The approach to Ontology revealed by Franz Bardon, starts with the book, “Initiation into Hermetics” and is expanded upon in the subsequent volumes. In his works, Bardon postulates an energetic representation of the universe adapted from Taoism and Hindu cosmology. He identified a concept of electric and magnetic fluids which complement each other in the same way that Yin & Yang do. Bardon informs us that each part of the body is regulated by the electric force, the magnetic force, or neutral forces. He indicates that illness is frequently created through imbalances in these energies.

The highest element described by Bardon is the Akasha, which gives rise to and binds the four elements of earth, fire, air, and water. Much of Bardon’s training calls for a student to overcome the imbalances in these elemental aspects within you. Only after balance is achieved can you advance spiritually. As such, prior to the student becoming a master of the elements, they needed to balance, harmonise and control the manifestations of all the elements within their being.

Bardon on many occasions emphasised that you can only establish an understanding of yourself and the universe within the extent of your very own awareness, understanding and spiritual maturation. The energies of life and the universe are an important factor in all of the work from The Life Force Institute. We concur with aspects from Bardon that the more balanced, more evolved student has access to a more comprehensive reality.

Initiation into Hermetics

The initial publication by Franz Bardon released in 1956 was “Initiation into Hermetics”, known in the original German edition as “Der Weg zum Wahren Adepten”. This work can be of interest to many in the fields of philosophy and theosophy, as well as metaphysics. Bardon writings do not include any religious doctrine, which makes them attractive to a broader audience than some other authors.

Despite the title, this book is not a course towards fantastic riches nor power over others. If these are the objectives of the reader, then they will certainly not meet with success, as these aspects are not aligned with the concepts of metaphysics and ontology espoused in this publication. If you are to take up this work by Bardon, then it would certainly be considered a good idea to start considering your reasons for undertaking this responsibility.

The book itself is a blend of theory and exercises separated into ten steps. Within each of the ten steps, you are going to discover three types of exercises pertaining to the different aspects of: mental (non-being spirit or mind), astral (frequently labelled soul) and also the physical. These exercises in each of the ten steps were expressly developed to complement each other and should not be embarked upon in isolation. As the reader advances through the book, they will carry out the current mental, astral and physical exercise during each period of work or meditation. The intent is to cultivate each of the three areas of the self concurrently and in a well-balanced means, to ensure that the overall stability of your entire form can be maintained.

Mental exercises for the abstract mental being start with directly observing the mind and progressing from there, with each succeeding exercise building on the previous ones. While the astral exercises focus on methodically cataloguing the positive and negative facets of the self in connection with the emotions. Later on, the astral exercises build upon these experiences enabling the reader to transform unfavourable aspects into positives. While the physical exercises of the body are aimed at developing the observation, integration and use of the physical body within the material world. Throughout this book, Bardon leaves the experiential side of the equation up to the individual, as it ought to be.

The outcome of these practical exercises is the advancement of an understanding of facets of metaphysics and just how energies and different aspects control your life. Keep in mind that Bardon purposefully will leave every student to puzzle some points out on their own. This is an essential component of any kind of path to self-realisation and empowerment, as it permits you to start the process of thinking and exploring for yourself, as opposed to simply adhering to some prescribed doctrine. This is what will enable the reader to advance beyond knowledge into a fuller perspective of wisdom.

Some have certainly found that a hasty, indiscriminate, intellectual study of the theory and techniques has the potential to bring about considerable damage to the nervous system, the mental and physical bodies, as well as leading to psychiatric problems or various other conditions. This is why in his publications, Bardon indicates that students need to proceed gradually through the activities at their own pace.

There is no typical duration for someone to progress through the entire ten steps in Bardon’s first book. In actuality, it does not matter how much time it takes you to finish this work, but rather one must progress at a pace suitable for your own development. This also aligns with guidance from the custodians of The Life Force Institute regarding awakening your inner Life Force, as this is a continuous process and one which must not be rushed.

The Practice of Magical Evocation

Franz Bardon’s second book, “Die Praxis der magischen Evokation” also published in 1956, was translated into English as “The Practice of Magical Evocation”.

This book offers a more contemporary examination of unequivocal contact with universal teachers. The major motivation for undertaking the material in this book is the pursuit of universal knowledge and the development of a student’s awareness into the many aspects and possibilities of Ontology. In his book, Bardon details a glimpse of several of the hierarchies, from the spirits of the four elements to those of the various planets, and even to the Zodiac.

All too often students have been enticed by the glamour and enchantment of evocation into picking up this work before them being appropriately prepared to do so, and this, as Bardon consistently advises, results only in very dubious and potentially harmful experiences. Without proper training, it is practically impossible to comprehend the deeper significance. Typically, the unprepared student will believe evocation to be wondrous or purely symbolic. In doing so they will certainly evoke absolutely nothing greater than images from their very own psyche or subconscious, rather than entities that have actual presence independent of the human mind.

By means of the application of prescribed techniques (termed evocation), students of this book might learn to discover the various other realms or spheres of existence. Bardon instructs how each aspect of the ritual must be personalised and empowered according to the students own understanding and requirements.

With the aid of the teachings in this book, where the individual has embarked upon the prerequisite training, then they are capable of keeping control throughout the entire procedure (evocation). If one is to follow this path, then it is always prudent to constantly be kind, respectful and sincere, and never attempt to compel another being against their will.

While substantial parts of the work by Bill Edwards deal with Ontology, at often a more detailed level than Franz Bardon, The Life Force Institute has chosen to focus on the work relating to you as an individual. In this way the information and activities presented by The Life Force Institute deal with the component parts of you, how you how you function as an energy being, and the steps you can take as an individual to progress and awaken your Life Force.

There are many reasons why we have chosen to focus on this one aspect, but the most significant is that we have found that the progress as an individual is often more successful if you do it yourself. The custodians of The Life Force Institute have observed that on many occasions when students work with specific beings from Ontology that they can become stuck, because the student starts to rely on one individual, and they do not have the motivation or aspiration to achieve beyond that level. Always remember that the hallmark of a great teacher or guide, is that they always desire for their students to grow beyond their own capability, anything less is the ego of the teacher.

The custodians also noted significant challenges, as did Bardon, with the unprepared student. Without due preparation and diligence, a student may inadvertently believe that an evocation has been successful, but in actuality, they may have attracted some other entity from a lower level masquerading as a more important being. Finally, the custodians have also witnessed that students can often abuse the rights of evocation. Often students may evoke a being for some insignificant reason, such as a proverbial stubbed toe. Consider for a moment, that if you were some important person such as the head of a large department of a multi-national company, how would you feel if the maintenance person continually contacted you every time they found a lightbulb needed replacing. It is for these reasons that The Life Force Institute focuses on you as an individual, and how you can progress through knowing how you function as the universal Life Force being which you are.

The Key to the True Quabbalah

The third and final volume published in 1957 by Bardon is “The Key to the True Quabbalah”, or “Der Schlüssel zur Wahren Quabbalah” in the original German title.

Throughout the ages, adepts of every time and place have achieved higher levels of an awakening of their Life Force through the understanding of colour and sound as a fundamental key to the energies of life. Hidden within many aspects of the Kabbalah are the keys to accessing such energies through the combination of sound, colour, number and vibration.

The concept of the true Kabbalah, is not some mantic practice, but is a carefully constructed method of empowering the letters of the alphabet to create energetic effects through their combination. Bardon in his work referred to the Kabbalah, by name of “Quabbalah”, as he also linked many of the original aspects of Kabbalistic practice to that of Tantra and other similar Eastern practices. In this book, Bardon details understanding of colour and sound as a fundamental key to the energies of life without any religious overlay. Due to this different unorthodox approach, many students of Kabbalah have not encountered Bardon’s book, “The Key to the True Quabbalah” as being related to Kabbalistic practice.

The Key to the True Quabbalah teaches each individual a series of techniques and keys which will enable them to access new energy levels through the creative language of Kabbalah. A Kabbalistic formula is a one, two, three or four-fold key which does not depend upon words in the traditional sense. It is formed through intent and in accordance with the flow of energies within the universe.

In the more advanced activities available from The Life Force Institute, we leverage the concept of multi-fold keys in a similar nature to that of the Kabballah. Many of our activities build an understanding of colour and sound as a fundamental key to the energies of life. Through greater mastery and control of such energies, you can bring greater balance and control into your daily life; this is the fundamental of the true Kabballah.