Left-Hand Path and Right-Hand Path

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The terms Left-Hand Path and Right-Hand Path are a dichotomy between two opposing philosophies found in the Western Esoteric Tradition, which itself covers various groups involved in the occult and ceremonial magic. In some definitions, the Left-Hand Path is equated with malicious Black Magic and the Right-Hand Path with benign White Magic. Other occultists have criticised this definition, believing that the Left-Right dichotomy refers merely to different kinds of working, and does not necessarily connotate good or bad magical actions.

In more recent definitions, which base themselves on the terms' origins amongst Indian Tantra, the Right-Hand Path, or RHP, is seen as a definition for those magical groups which follow specific ethical codes and adopt social convention, whilst the Left-Hand Path adopts the opposite attitude, espousing the breaking of taboo and the abandoning of set morality. Some contemporary occultists have stressed that both paths can be followed by a magical practitioner, as essentially they have the same goals.

The Right-Hand Path

The Right-Hand Path is commonly thought to refer to magical or religious groups which adhere to a certain set of characteristics:

They adhere to social conventions and avoid taboos.
They divide the concepts of mind, body and spirit into three separate, albeit interrelated entities.

They adhere to a specific moral code and a belief in some form of judgement, such as karma or the Threefold Law.

Esoteric groups that could be considered to be RHP include Theosophy, the New Age movement as well as various Neopagan religions such as Druidry, Wicca, Kemetism, Celtic Neopaganism, Slavic Neopaganism, Germanic Neopaganism, and certain traditions of Thelema such as the Ordo Templi Orientis and the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica, or the Gnostic Catholic Church. Right-handed Tantra is also included. Some esotericists also consider the non-magical Abrahamic religions such as Christianity and Islam to be RHP, although the terms are rarely used outside of magical groups.

The Left-Hand Path

The historian Dave Evans studied self-professed followers of the Left-Hand Path in the early 21st century, making several observations about their practices:

They often reject societal convention and the status quo, which some suggest is in a search for spiritual freedom. As a part of this, LHP followers embrace magical techniques that would traditionally be viewed as taboo, for instance using homosexual sex magic or embracing Satanic imagery. As Mogg Morgan wrote, the "breaking of taboos makes magick more potent and can lead to reintegration and liberation, [for example] the eating of meat in a vegetarian community can have the same liberating effect as anal intercourse in a sexually inhibited straight society."
They often question religious or moral dogma, instead adhering to forms of personal anarchism.

They often embrace sexuality and incorporate it into magical ritual.
Under these definitions, various esoteric groups, often with widely differing beliefs, could be considered to be followers of the LHP. These include various forms of Satanism, such as LaVeyan Satanism (which is organised through both the Church of Satan and the rival First Satanic Church) as well as Theistic Satanism. Other Western LHP philosophies include Luciferianism, Setianism, The Open Source Order of the Golden Dawn, the Typhonian Order, Chaos Magic, Feri, and magicians who deal in demonology, as well as groups like the Dragon Rouge and the Order of Nine Angles. Several eastern philosophies could also be viewed as adhering to the LHP, including forms of Hinduism such as Aghoris and Vamachara and forms of Buddhism like Dugpas.

History of the terms

Vamachara

Main article: Vamachara

Vāmācāra (pronounced: vāmāchāra) is a Sanskrit term meaning "left-handed attainment" and is synonymous with "Left-Hand Path" or "Left-path" (Sanskrit: Vāmamārga). It is used to describe a particular mode of worship or 'spiritual practice' (Sanskrit: sadhana) that are not only 'heterodox' (Sanskrit: Nāstika) to standard Vedic injection, but extreme in comparison to the status quo. These practices are often generally considered to be Tantric in orientation. The converse term to Vamacara is Dakshinachara (Sanskrit) (glossed 'Right-Hand Path') which is used to refer not only to 'orthodox' (Sanskrit: Āstika) sects but to modes of spirituality that engage in spiritual practices that not only accord with Vedic injunction but are generally agreeable to the status quo. That said, left-handed and right-handed modes of practice may be evident in both orthodox and heterodox schools of Dharmic Traditions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism and is a matter of taste, culture, proclivity, initiation, sadhana and Dharmic 'lineage' (Sanskrit: parampara).

More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-Hand_Path