Nexus of Life: David Myatt and The Acausal

Nexus of Life:
David Myatt and The Acausal

There are many theories and speculations concerning the life and philosophies of the English esotericist David Myatt. These are often concerned with trying to reconcile his apparently diverse religious and political explorations, and with attempting to discover what he 'really' believes, what his 'real' intentions are. What is usually overlooked is that he is responsible for articulating a particular theory of life which is consistent with, indeed, fundamental to, all of his professed and alleged explorations. This theory of life concerns the concept of the acausal.

In what follows we will be assuming, as many others do, that Myatt is responsible for authoring the ONA documents attributed to Anton Long. It should be stressed that Myatt has always denied that this is the case. We will, however, continue with this assumption for the sake of convenience. Ultimately, whether the articles considered here were written by a single individual or by more than one individual is not important; what interests us is how an understanding of the nature of the acausal allows us to perceive a consistency of approach behind what are apparently quite distinct, or even contradictory, ways of life.

The Acausal

Myatt starts from the premise that life is distinguished from inert matter by virtue of the fact that it possesses an additional "something".

"All life implies 'ordinary' matter plus an extra "something". Our own human life possesses more of this extra "something" than other life. Thus do we and we alone of all life that we know have 'consciousness', an awareness of our surroundings, and 'the desire to know'." (Acausal Science: Life and the Nature of the Acausal)

Life is also distinguished from inert matter because it changes, grows, or evolves. Whilst it is possible to explain how these changes in organisms are provoked by physical or chemical stimuli, the cause of change, or movement, itself requires further explanation. For Myatt this primary cause lies beyond the causal.

"The cause of movement itself must be a-causal, that is, "beyond the causal". The 'prime mover' - or the being of the cosmos itself, the 'cosmic Being' - is thus acausal. Movement, and thus change, are causal. It is the acausal which causes, or drives, the movement of the causal, of ordinary matter. Furthermore, we can say that it is this acausal which is the extra "something" which life possesses. That is, life is a contact, or intermingling, of matter with the acausal - or expressed another way, life is where the acausal continuum is manifest in the causal continuum." (Acausal Science: Life and the Nature of the Acausal)

This "acausal continuum" is the cause of change in the "causal continuum", and is thus the ultimate source of life. In addition, the acausal is somehow present in the causal through some form of intersection, or perichoresis. Life can then be defined as matter plus "acausal charge", where acausal charge is understood to be that element in matter, or associated with matter, which derives from, or participates in, the acausal. This acausal charge is what enables life forms to disobey the second law of thermodynamics, that is, life forms do not demonstrate an increase in entropy, but instead demonstrate an increase in order.

"This change toward more order may be said to be 'powered' or caused by the acausal energy of acausal charges. The causal energy changes in organisms, which can be described by ordinary chemical reactions between elements and molecules - that is, in terms of chemical energy - are produced or caused by acausal charges. In effect, such chemical reactions are one of the physical manifestations of acausal charges in the causal continuum. Being 'alive' means ordinary physical matter is re-organized, or changed, in a more ordered way. A living organism possesses the capacity, by virtue of its acausal charges, to create order, to synthesize order from the less ordered physical world. Life implies an increase in order in the causal continuum." (Acausal Science: Life and the Nature of the Acausal)

It is this insight, that the acausal is the source of the ability of life forms to produce an increase in order, which lies behind so much of Myatt's quest.

We will now consider how this notion of the acausal has been applied to various ways of life followed by Myatt. These ways of life comprise the ONA, National-Socialism, the Numinous Way and Islam.

Order of Nine Angles

Fundamental to the apprehension of Magick, as propounded by the ONA, is the belief that there is more to reality than can be experienced through the five senses. All living beings possess "magickal energies", and the apprehension and manipulation of such energies is one of the aims of magickal training. These "magickal energies" equate to acausal charge.

"According to the septenary tradition, these "magickal energies" possessed by things and 'life' derive from what it is convenient to describe as the acausal – that is, every living entity is a point or region where acausal energies manifest in our causal, phenomenal, universe, the amount and type of this energy being dependent on the type of entity. These acausal energies…may be said to derive from a parallel acausal universe which intersects our causal universe at certain places." (Naos, Part One, Chapter 0, A Theory of Magick)

By virtue of the fact that life possesses acausal charge it is possible for human beings to consciously act as a gateway between the causal and the acausal, and to draw acausal energy from the acausal universe. This energy can then be consciously applied for a variety of purposes. This process requires a structure of symbolism in order to be carried out successfully.

"To draw upon such energies it is usually necessary for the individual to use some form of framework or symbolism, and techniques of external magick use such symbolism to bring both apprehension of the energies and their control. Various systems of symbolism exist – most denoting types of energy by gods, goddesses, spirits or demons." (Naos, Part One, Chapter 0, A Theory of Magick)

One aim of the ONA is to aid individuals in drawing acausal energy into the causal, and the use of magickal techniques is one way in which this is achieved. But the outward trappings of magick are always seen for what they really are: an outward form that can be used to presence the acausal. For the ONA it is crucial to distinguish between these outer forms and the source of energy itself, that is, the acausal.

Another aim of the ONA is to participate in the shaping of a new aeon. The ONA regards aeons in Spenglerian terms as organic entities which come into being, live, change and die. As such, the evolutionary force which drives aeons comes from the acausal. The ONA propagates a sophisticated system of aeonic magick. This aeonic magick is used to draw down acausal forces which are then directed toward the creation of a new aeon.

"One immediate aim is to presence acausal energies in a particular way so creating a new aeon and then a new, higher, civilization from the energies unleashed...The fundamental immediate aim [c. 1990 eh - 2020 eh] here is to actively presence the energies of the next aeon and channel these, via various nexions, forms, structures, 'ideas' and so on, to create the next higher civilization. The former means accessing the acausal [in the simplistic term sense 'returning the Dark Gods' via various rites] and creating those forms/structures necessary to channel the energies so accessed. This will take several decades." (The Aims of the ONA)

National-Socialism

Myatt has arguably done more for post-war National-Socialism than anyone else. His emphasis on the ethical and honourable aspects of National-Socialist philosophy enables that philosophy to remain a viable ethos for a small number of people today, and keeps alive the hope that National-Socialism might one day be viewed with more objectivity by larger numbers of people. Central to his explication of National-Socialism is the notion of honour. Honour is perceived to be a means whereby man can achieve greater order in his life, and contribute towards a further evolution of the species. This evolution is the ultimate purpose of National-Socialism.

"For National-Socialism, the meaning, the purpose, of our lives is to further evolution: both our own, and that of our folk. This is so because according to National-Socialism we are not isolated individuals, but rather a nexion - a connexion between the past and the future. We can, by our life and deeds, make a difference: aiding evolution, or not aiding evolution. That is, the perspective of National-Socialism is the perspective of Nature, and the Cosmos beyond, for we are regarded as part of our folk, our folk is part of Nature, and Nature part of the Cosmos." (The Theology of National-Socialism)

For Myatt, National-Socialism is a means for individuals to experience a perspective beyond their own individual lives. It enables us to gain this higher perspective by promoting a sense of duty to the race, the belief that we are a part of a greater organic being. Ultimately, National-Socialism is based on the apprehension that all life is an emanation of the Cosmic Being, and is thus interconnected and numinous. It is the rational understanding of this reality that enables us, through upholding the principles of National-Socialism, to presence the numinous, and to progress our evolutionary Destiny.

National-Socialism enables us to understand that principles such as honour and duty are civilizing and evolutionary. This is so because putting such principles into practice causes an increase of the acausal in the causal.

"In one sense, our consciousness - our awareness, our rational apprehension - may be likened to the awareness of the Cosmic Being, just as honour is regarded as a manifestation, a presencing, in us and our world, of evolution: of those forces which enable us to live in a noble, civilized, way. That is, honour is one way in which the Cosmic Being is incarnate - or can be incarnate - in us, as human beings. In a very simplistic way, the Cosmic Being is an increase in order from random chaos - or, more correctly, an increase of the acausal, a manifestation or manifestations of the acausal in the causal." (The Theology of National-Socialism)

Viewed from this perspective, it can be seen that the discipline of National-Socialism, that is the upholding of honour and duty, is a means whereby the acausal can be presenced in the causal.

Islam

In 1998 Myatt converted (or 'reverted') to Islam. Whilst this bewildered, and continues to bewilder, many people, it is interesting to consider that, for Myatt, an understanding of the acausal is fundamental to an understanding of Islam.

"In essence, Islam asserts - or more correctly, reveals - that Reality is much more than what we perceive, or may perceive, with our senses. That is, we should conceive of reality as containing both a causal aspect and what we may call an acausal aspect, both of which are parts of The Unity." (The Knowledge of Islam)

According to Myatt's description of Islam, the acausal is equated with Being (in a Heideggerian sense), or Allah. [See Editorial Footnote 1 ]

"The Muslim belief is that there is not only our lower, physical and thus causal Time, but another higher or 'acausal' Time. This acausal Time is the Time of Being itself. This is the metaphysical reality which Heidegger strove to express, albeit obscurely, beginning with his work 'Being and Time', although he studiously avoided using the word 'God'…The Muslim view or belief seeks to place and define us, as individuals, in relation to Reality - in relation to Existence, to Being; that is, in relation to Allah and the whole cosmos." (The Basis of Islamic Science)

The Cosmic Being of National-Socialism and the Allah of Islam are both defined in terms of the acausal. [See Editorial Footnote 1 ]

The purpose of life, for Muslims, is to obey the will of Allah. This submission entails living life as a Muslim, and attempting to be true to one's Muslim nature. This Muslim nature is the real, inner being of an individual, contrasted with the sensible, outer being. The inner, true, Muslim being is acausal.

"All beings in the physical world are both causal and acausal. That is, they exist in both the causal realm and the acausal realm, and a causal being and an acausal being. Their causal being is their physical existence, their 'outward' appearance or form which can be observed and quantified. Their acausal being is their inner Muslim nature. By apprehending this Muslim nature we can understand and know them as they truly are and thus understand and come to know their Creator, Allah. Thus, from a knowledge of beings we are led to Being - to Allah." (The Basis of Islamic Science)

For Muslims, then, to live in submission to the will of Allah is to live in accordance with one's true being. The purpose of life for a Muslim is to seek to obey the will of Allah, and in so doing achieve an immortal existence in the acausal.

"Our purpose is, like other beings, to obey the will of Allah, our Creator - to consciously acknowledge our true Muslim nature. If we do this, and live as Muslims by following the way of Islam, we can transcend after death to those realms which are beyond the phenomenal world with its limited causal time - we can proceed to the realms of acausal being, which Islam accepts as a fundamental reality. If however we choose not to be Muslim - not to obey the will of Allah by not living in an Islamic way - then we will have destroyed our chance to transcend to the acausal realm, the realm of 'Heaven', of Paradise, of an eternal existence." (The Basis of Islamic Science)

So the mortal life of a Muslim is, in a sense, a test, and to pass the test he must dedicate his life to the acausal Islamic apprehension which reveals his true Muslim nature, and prepares him for Paradise (the acausal).

The Numinous Way

The Numinous Way grew from Myatt's exploration of ethical National- Socialism, and has much in common with his later exposition of that philosophy. It is distinguished from National-Socialism in that it attempts to eschew any abstract concepts, such as "nation", and seeks to avoid any sort of ideology. It could be argued that The Numinous Way is Myatt's purest way of life thus far, in the sense that he attempts to describe how a person, or a small community of people, can best live so as to experience the Numinous, and presence the acausal, directly in their lives, through the faculty of empathy and the upholding of personal honour. Empathy and thus compassion are for The Numinous Way essential to evolution, based as they are on the realisation that all of life is a Unity, a network of causal and acausal matrices. The acausal is therefore fundamental to the philosophy of The Numinous Way.

"Thus, The Numinous Way conceives as all life - everything that lives, that exists, in the Cosmos - as connected, as part of The Unity, of which causal and acausal are a part. Being aware of this Unity, of how we are connected, of ourselves as one nexion, is the beginning of understanding the meaning, the purpose, of our own lives." (Frequently Asked Questions About The Numinous Way)

The apprehension of this Unity brings about the realisation that all life is connected, and that all life is, in some sense, the Cosmic Being, or a manifestation of the Cosmic Being. This sense of the immanence of the Numinous, of the presence of the Cosmic Being in our own being, and in all life, leads us to perceive that all abstraction is a limiting of life to the merely causal. All abstract concepts are seen as describing causal forms, and are therefore limited in their application to life as a whole, understood as both causal and acausal. It is only through personal honour, not through abstract concepts, that we may develop our faculties of empathy and compassion. These faculties then allow us to develop an apprehension of life in its entirety, both causal and acausal. Thus do we begin to appreciate that we are the Cosmic Being, and that we can assist the further evolution of this Cosmic Being by accessing and presencing acausal energies.

"That is, the Cosmic Being is manifest in us, because we are a nexion. Furthermore, we can aid this Being - contribute to its increase in consciousness, its awareness, its evolution - or we can in some ways harm this Being, for this Being is not perfect, or complete, or omnipotent. It is us - all life, everywhere in the Cosmos - existing, changing, being, evolving. We aid this Being when we access acausal energies through such things as honour, compassion, empathy - and especially when we change ourselves, when we become more self-aware, when we develope our understanding, our own consciousness, our reason, and when, at our causal death, we move-on, into the acausal, bringing with us the acausal energies we have "collected" during our causal existence. We harm this Being - and the evolution of the Cosmos, and the aspects of this Being presenced as individuals, as Nature, as other living-beings - when we contribute to suffering, or cause suffering, or do what is unethical and dishonourable, for such things remove acausal energy from us, or distance us from acausal energy." (Frequently Asked Questions About The Numinous Way)

The purpose of life, according to the Numinous Way, is to presence the acausal in the causal. This is achieved through the practice of personal honour, and through the faculties of empathy and compassion.

"The Numinous Way understands this physical life of ours as a means - never to arise again - whereby "we" can evolve toward the acausal. We can do this by strengthening the acausal within us while we exist in causal Space-Time. This involves us in cultivating honour, compassion and empathy - in using our will to restrain ourselves, to do what is right, honourable, and compassionate. Why do these things do this? Because they do or can presence acausal energies, and so we can access certain acausal energies through them, and so change ourselves, so "evolve" thus acquiring for ourselves more acausal energy." (Frequently Asked Questions About The Numinous Way)

This will to evolve, and thus to acquire more acausal energy, can be seen to be the fundamental and underlying motivation lying behind all of Myatt's extraordinary explorations.

Conclusion

Each of Myatt's ways of life presents a different means of presencing the acausal and experiencing the numinous. They are all intended to encourage the individual to experience life from a higher perspective, and to discover the authentic self which is both causal and acausal. Each individual is a nexus who is capable of drawing down the acausal and experiencing the numinous. Myatt has shown several ways of achieving this.

FenrirHel88
January 2009 CE

Editorial Footnote:

In his essay Allah, Islamic Science and the Nature of the Acausal, Myatt wrote:

"It is important to understand that Allah, the Supreme Being, is beyond not only the causal and acausal, but also [beyond] the unity of acausal and causal. That is, Allah is not this unity of causal and acausal.

While an understanding and apprehension of the acausal is important for Islamic Science - and a way to Allah - Allah is not manifest in this acausal, and its beings, as He is not manifest in the causal and its beings, such as ourselves. Allah is beyond every-thing and every being, whether the thing is causal, acausal, or both causal and acausal, and whether the being is causal, acausal or both causal and acausal. There is no-thing, and no-being which can be likened to Allah.

Allah cannot be conceptualized by us: not in causal terms; not in acausal terms; and not in terms of any combination or union of causal and acausal. Allah is separate from all of His creation - from the realm of the causal, from the realms of the acausal, and from those realms where there is a joining of, or a manifestation of, both causal and acausal."

His articles dealing with Islamic science - which articles include (1) Islamic Science; (2)The Basis of Islamic Science; (3) Allah, Islamic Science and the Nature of the Acausal; and (4) Concerning Angels, Jinn and Paradise - were all written by Myatt in the two years immediately following his conversion to Islam.

However, Myatt - writing as Abdul-Aziz ibn Myatt - later (in 2004 CE) admitted that these articles contain, from a Muslim perspective, some errors and many omissions, which errors and omissions arose due to his lack of detailed knowledge concerning Al-Islam. He also stated that he would, after sufficient years of learning, and study of classical Islamic texts, revise or otherwise rewrite these particular articles, something he has yet, it seems, to do.

Myatt subsequently withdrew all these articles about Islamic science, pending rewrites.