Mystically speaking there are two ways of working - the Right hand path and the left hand path. By RHP and LHP I do not mean this nonsense about being an isolate intelligence vs seeking oblivion by re-absorption into the pleroma or some crap like that. That is a false choice.
No, by RHP and LHP I simply mean how you deal with the passions of the mind: lust, anger, pride, lust (did I say that twice?). As they manifest normally, these things are an obstacle to realization. They keep one embroiled squarely in the material consensual reality.
The right hand path treats these poisons as most people would treat a poison - you avoid it, and warn others to do the same. This is the path of the majority of mystics in both the east and the west.
The left hand path treats the poison as a doctor might: they alchemically indulge the passions and use them as the path itself. This path is exemplified in the east in the many Tantric sects, and has appeared in the west at various times as well. The Carprocratians are an ancient example, Thelema would be a modern one.
Though you do personally kind of have to pick one approach or the other for yourself, at least until you can transcend the whole shibang and deal with causality as such, there is no reason to slight the people on the other side. Both are valid choices.
In the east there are many examples of Ngakpas and Tantric Yogis whose students became monks, and vice versa. There are many examples of friendships between teachers of these two approaches.
The RHP is slower, but safer. It is easier to maintain your ideas of purity and purify yourself by them. Society in general will look kindly on your efforts. Even if you remain a lay person and engage in acts of intoxication and lust - as most people do - at least you are not treating them as sacred. That is just a bot to much for most people.
The LHP is faster, but way more dangerous. Each of the passions has an immense amount of energy behind it - which is increased to such a size that is bigger than the ego that gave birth to them. You see the inherent purity of all existence. The problem is when you blow those passions up to cosmic proportions it is easy to blow your neurosis up as well. I was reminded of this this morning listening to the story about Elizabeth Smart's testimony. Her captor clearly had some kind of LHP trip, and indeed her testimony about his theology was eerily similar to the Carpocratians - that you needed to experience every low type of human experience to eventually experience the high's. The thing is that no one should ever be forced to undergo those things against their will. In fact, it completely defeats the point.
People on the LHP that cannot see the validity of the RHP would do well to keep this in mind. Clearly a lot of people that walk the RHP have a lot of ideas about Good and Evil tied to these concepts, but that doesn't mean that you should as well. Just because your path involves sex magick and religious intoxication and the indulgence of the passions - this doesnt make it a good choice for everyone. Indeed its a terrible choice for most.
