The Flambeau Noir International Left Hand Path Conference

The Flambeau Noir International Left Hand Path Conference is taking place this year in Cyberspace. Due to the travel restrictions in place it would be impossible to do a proper International event in person so we decided to replicate the experience in a virtual environment.

This event is also open to the public and entirely free!

Date: January 29 to 31

Where: https://www.youtube.com/c/JeremyCrow

For more information, and to see the complete list of presenters,  check out the website http://www.flambeaunoir.org/

THE BLACK TORCH

About the Black Torch by Jeremy Crow

The quintessential function of a Torch is to bear a flame for the purpose of illumination. Since time immemorial light has been a symbol of knowledge, and darkness has been a symbol of that which is hidden or unknown. Somewhere between the two is the esoteric concept of Darkness Visible. We see this term in Freemasonry where the member playing the role of Hiram Abiff, chief architect of the Temple of Solomon, is symbolically raised from the dead and then informed that the light of a Master Mason is actually darkness visible. Another important historical reference to the term can be found in the epic poem Paradise Lost by John Milton. In that story Lucifer leads a rebellion against the ultimate authority figure in a bid to win his freedom from servitude and to attain equality with his father. Being temporarily overcome by the resistance of the majority he finds himself in the underworld, which is described as one great furnace with flames that don’t give off light, but rather a darkness visible.

At first glance the term Darkness Visible appears to be an oxymoron but we can begin to discern its meaning by contrasting it with the more easily comprehensible concept of Blinding Light. Light typically illuminates and thereby facilitates the ability to observe that which has been illuminated. However, in some cases too much light can obscure perception. Of course it is well known that if we are exposed to a strong enough intensity of light it can literally blind us. A less obvious example of this would be the obfuscation of the stars in the sky by the light of the sun during the day. We even speak of “light pollution,” meaning an overabundance of artificial light which makes it more difficult to view the stars at night.

On the flip side, the darkness of night allows us to see stars and other celestial bodies that aren’t visible during daylight hours. Taking a less literal approach, sitting quietly without distraction allows our mind to confront and contemplate information that we may not otherwise have processed. Going even further, if we can become aware of the illusory nature of phenomenal experience itself it becomes possible to unveil the underlying reality. The knowledge (or gnosis) of this underlying reality, sometimes referred to as the ground of being, puts us in touch with the ultimate creative force of the multiverse which is at the core of our being.

In modern esotericism, especially Western traditions which brand themselves as Left Hand Path, this divine creative force underlying and beyond the multiverse is sometimes referred to as the Black Flame. It is the force which perturbs the abyss and gives rise to all forms. The Black Torch therefore is the bearer of the Black Flame. There is also the connotation that we can pass the torch to others, or at least share the flame by igniting other torches with our lit torch. To embody the Promethean Archetype is to become a Black Torch or “Flambeau Noir.” There are those individuals among us that feel inspired to become a bearer of the hidden wisdom and forbidden knowledge and to be a source of illumination for others in their own quest to emancipate and empower themselves. Are you one of these individuals?