The Dweller of the Threshold
The Guardian of the Threshold, or simply the Guardian, is a menacing figure that is described by a number of esoteric teachers. Often called "dweller on the threshold", it is supposedly a spectral being which must manifest itself as soon as "the student of the spirit ascends upon the path into the higher worlds of knowledge.
Description[]
The Threshold Guardian has no true identifiable form or appearance but instead manifests itself in the image of the magician's 'soul' or 'state of mind'. Edward Bulwer-Lytton states that it is the "combined evil influence that is the result of the wicked thoughts and acts of the age in which any one may live, and it assumes to each student a definite shape at each appearance, being always either of one sort or changing each time"
T.Neumann states that it can take many shapes such as it being Cerberus guarding the entrance to Hades; the Dragon which St. Michael (spiritual will-power) is going to kill; the Snake which tempted Eve, and whose head will be crushed by the heel of the woman etc.
Overview[]
The Guardian of the Threshold, or simply called the Guardian, is exactly what the name entails which it being an entity that guards the liminal space between life and death. The Guardian has no true name, but instead has many which are related to other mythological beasts and entities associated boundaries and liminals. It is a malevolent entity that embodies the sum of all darkness a person has accumulated throughout the incarnations he or she lived.
The Guardian is said act as the protector of the Threshold which may be Limbo; limbo is often the subject of a realm that acts as the border between the natural and unnatural or life and death. The Guardian's purpose is to prevent the bold and ambitious from crossing over to the Threshold for selfish gains such as seeking to obtain great power or even knowledge. Even if the conjurer is successful in completing the ritual, the end result is usually the demise of the person as they were unworthy to confront the Guardian.
However, it depends on how the conjuror presents themselves before the Guardian. According to T.Neumann, the magician will need "all the presence of mind and faith in the security of his path." This means that the magician must be exempt from fear and doubt in order for the Guardian to perceive them as worthy of its presence and time.