Interview with Merkur Publishing Inc. on the Works of Franz Bardon
Interview conducted by Martin Faulks
Feb 9, 2007
Q: What inspired you to promote Franz Bardon’s magical system?
A: Even though your choice of words is quite to the point, it does not really depict how we came to be in this position. It was quite a gradual process and we found ourselves, quite naturally, in the position of translating the books by Franz Bardon . As far as promoting Franz Bardon’s magical system, this is the first time that someone brought up the word promotion. We never thought of it in those terms; to us it was a pleasant duty fraught with many challenges. It is true, however, that we never dreamed that we would be doing what we are doing, and even after many years we are still overwhelmed by the position we are in, and we are grateful for it and consider it a great blessing.
Q: What disappoints or saddens you about your career promoting the works of Franz Bardon?
A: We cannot say that we experienced really any disappointments, but we did have our share of countless challenges. In his books Franz Bardon makes the statement: ‘We should be happy about the good things in our lives and learn from the bad things.’ What saddens us somewhat is that few people realize that they have the sacred sciences (the Holy Mysteries) in their hands, and in many instances they are not treated with the respect they deserve. The Hermetic Sciences are not dead letters but are actually the living word. And most people do not take the valuable time that is given to them to study the works of Bardon for the benefit of others. And if they do not want do to it for others they should at the very least do the Bardon exercises for their own benefit. In Initiation of Hermetics, Franz Bardon writes in the epilogue: “Anyone who seeks the path to God, (and the path of magic or perfection is the path to God) should take Christ’s words to heart, the great Master of the Mystics: ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ These words should be the sacred command for every seeker who is on the spiritual path.”
Q: What pleases you the most about your career promoting the works of Franz Bardon?
A: That we have been given this great opportunity.
Q: Many people have mentioned darker forces trying to prevent these methods from being revealed. Have you ever experienced this?
A: Do darker forces exist? Yes, they do. Franz Bardon mentions some of these forces in his biography, Frabato the Magician. But as to their abilities that depends on one’s belief system. If you believe that the darker forces have the ability to prevent these methods from being revealed, then they have been given this ability by you. If, however, you do not believe that they can do this, then they will not be able to prevent it.
Q: As progress can be slow and hard work. How many people do you believe have the potential to advance beyond the first book of the Franz Bardon system?
A: Only very few people have the answer to that question. Because those who have succeeded would not break the seal of silence. Breaking the seal of silence would mean also loosing everything you have gained. Therefore, we do not know how many have succeeded or how many are progressing toward that goal. However, there should be considerably more now than in the past, otherwise these books and the knowledge they contain would be in vain. Anyone who is serious, and who follows the instructions exactly, acquires the necessary virtues and eliminates his passions and does not waste his time with other meaningless endeavors, has the potential to master the exercises in Initiation. Any person who wishes to succeed on the path to God requires the necessary virtues, because they give him the strength necessary to accomplish this; whereas his passions consume the energy he requires. When these books were not available to the world at large, the number of people who reached the level described in Initiation of Hermetics were about four in a billion.
Q: What do you think is the most common characteristic that holds a student of Hermetics back?
A: Pride.
Q: How can the previously mentioned characteristic be overcome?
A: By turning it into love, especially love for thy neighbor and above all for God, and then turning it into humility without losing the virtue of love. This of course is a task that requires a strong will. But a person who has pride has no will of its own, and such a person is completely controlled by his passions. However you can regain your will through love.
Q: Are there texts either in English or in German that you think would be of use to those following Franz Bardon’s system?
A: Yes, there are. Once you have worked through the maze of available literature on this subject, including all the well-known authors, there is only one which emerges — the writings of Jakob Lorber. He received his information through the Inner Word, which means directly from Divine Providence or God. Everything that has been taken out of the Bible is now available again through his writings. His first work, The Household of God contains in detail information that was/is not contained in Initiation into Hermetics. Besides that it contains historical information from Adam to Noah, and for those who are interested in the exact location of Atlantis, which in those days was called Hanoch, this too is available. Jakob Lorber’s books, twenty-five in all, contain details not contained in the Bardon books. We have assumed that Franz Bardon was aware that these books existed. And of course it is up to the seeker of truth to find them. If you spend your time on other literature in this field you have to expect that you will experience many dead ends.
Q: Many people ask about the source of the Bardon system. Everyone has their ideas about which tradition he drew from. Can you shed any light on this?
A: There is only one source and Franz Bardon mentions it several times. Divine Providence!
Q: It is mentioned in an article by Franz Bardon called “Hermetic Sciences” that when we perform our exercises to develop ourselves (microcosm) this also causes an equivalent change in the universe (macrocosm). Can you explain this more?
A: If you can imagine, on the physical level, if our lives were curtailed or extended, what kind of consequences our presence or lack of presence could cause. This also applies when we rid ourselves of our negative characteristics. Not only does this change in us affect the people in our surroundings, but also the spirits we attract and those we reject. From there it is a chain reaction, and it affects everything. This is very briefly the explanation and if you meditate on that you will find more variations and also the deeper meaning of the above statement.
Q: What would be your advice to those following the Franz Bardon system?
A: We get many calls asking for help with the exercises. This help cannot be given until all the preliminary work has been done by the student. Most of the callers expect results without adhering to the instruction given in the Franz Bardon books on Hermetics. The exercises in Franz Bardon’s books do not require a teacher in the earlier stages, which is mentioned in the instructions. Most students, however, do not even seem to have read that portion of Initiation. Before anyone begins with the practice the theory has to be studied to the point that it is completely committed to memory. And later when a teacher is needed, Divine Providence will provide one for the student. Failure will be imminent when the student is convinced by someone else, that they need a teacher or initiator at the earlier stages of their development.
The negative characteristics have to be completely eliminated or a least to be brought into some kind of a balance. For example: 21 negative characteristics of the fire element, 20 negative characteristics of the air element, 19 negative characteristics of the water element, and 18 negative characteristics of the earth element. What is of the utmost importance as a student of Hermetics or to the aspiring magician is to keep silent about your personal progress, otherwise you cannot be or become a magician. These are the basic rules to succeed.
Q: In Questions and Answers, by Dieter Rüggeberg, Franz Bardon recommends that the student pray before he performs his exercises. He also talks about magical prayer. Could you explain a little about this and perhaps recommend a prayer that the student could pray before his exercises?
A: If we want to succeed in our spiritual development, we are really on the path to God, becoming one with God. Therefore we have to ask Him for guidance, and that He help us to be obedient in every way to Him, and only to do His will. We must ask God to bless our food before we eat, thank him after we have eaten, ask Him to bless our home, because all the instructions in the Bardon books are divine laws belonging to the divine order. Therefore, any student who is not within this order will not succeed. And remember: with God all things are possible, without God nothing is possible.