In a previous post, I reflected on my second book, Discipline or Something Else. A concept I mentioned was the Three Basic Appetites.
It wasn’t the first time, so I figured you were familiar enough. Yet, based on a comment, this wasn’t the case.
Assuming that person is not alone, in this one, I’ll cover the Three Basic Appetites and why they matter for occultists, creatives, and really anyone. This includes:
- The concept’s origins.
- Its applications for improving life quality and reaching higher states of being, regardless of your path and craft.
The Three Basic Appetites
The Three Basic Appetites come from Napoleon Hill‘s Outwitting the Devil. The book was written in 1938. Yet it was published much later due to being ‘too controversial.’ The Three Basic Appetites are those for:
- Sex,
- Food,
- Loosely Organized Opinions.
Yetzir Hara
Being what traditional Kabbalists call Yetzir Hara, Hill’s ‘Devil’ is humans’ innate drive to self-destruct, self-sabotage, and harm each other.
Lurking in the depths of the personal subconscious, it uses those to achieve its aim, which is to mess you and those around you up.
The devil is not external but part of each person.
Self-Discipline and The Three Basic Appetites
Discipline gurus often explain discipline with vague examples based on forcing yourself into things you despise:
- Waking up at 4:00 a.m.
- Not eating cookies when you want.
Hill clarifies that the basis of self-discipline and freedom from the Yetzir Hara is mastering the Three Basic Appetites. And what do you know, this is quite Qabalistic.
The Nephesh and The Three Basic Appetites
While many occultists ignore it, one of the early goals on the path is to get your Nephesh to collaborate. Not to punish it.
Residing in Yesod, the sphere of the Moon, and personal subconscious, the Nephesh includes your:
- Inner child,
- Freudian Id,
- Jungian Shadow.
Also called Animal Soul, the Nephesh corresponds to the parts of the brain some call ‘ancient’ or ‘reptilian.’ It contains instincts and primal urges.
Willpower is a Joke
Relying on willpower is the most common mistake when it comes to mastering the Three Basic Appetites. While initial decisions are essential, willpower is futile against hormones and primal urges.
You cannot decision-make your way into a long-lasting change.
If you obey the nephesh mindlessly, you’ll turn into a slob, struggle with obesity, and likely end up in trouble. If you punish it, that backfires with full force. The key, as mentioned, is to make it collaborate, which is where mastering the Three Basic Appetites comes into play.
Mastering The Appetites
Unlike the agendas lobbyists have been pushing recently, this isn’t about quitting sex or food. Quite the opposite. It’s about being a fully functioning human and enjoying all aspects of life without having your nephesh in the way. Examples include:
- Never obsessing over sex or acting based on being needy, but enjoying regular intercourse.
- Never being hungry while feasting daily.
- Not discussing topics without doing your homework.
What you want is not stuffing your face when having cravings, but not experiencing hunger. Not fighting temptations, but not having any outside of the bedroom.
More Than Coincidence
Aligning with the time of publishing the book, modern research shows us that mastering the Three Basic Appetites is quite doable and vastly independent of willpower. It really boils down to three things:
- Rewiring your brain by embracing NoFap and developing a healthy relationship with sex.
- Adopting OMAD, or another IF protocol, and controlling insulin, leptin, and ghrelin, as these are the root causes of hunger and blood sugar issues.
- Filling the emptiness with healthy, life-affirming habits like:
- The gym and building skills necessary for your Ikigai, meaning, or creative mission.
Mental Override
While Hill identifies three Basic Appetites, food and sex carry most of the leverage.
You can quit any addiction, but you cannot quit the two biggest of the three Fs.
Those who studied the book know that today’s third danger is really letting social media do your thinking, which Hill would call surrendering to the Devil.
The good news is that when you master sex and food, controlling your information diet and behavior comes naturally. Combined with the gym, these strengthen your ability for mental override, which is doing the right thing at the right time, without internal negotiation via willpower.
True Stories
Across the internet, you’ll rarely find someone who truly adopted NoFap, OMAD, and the gym and didn’t undergo a complete self-transformation.
Making a pact with your Nephesh requires a healthy relationship with your body and balancing Netzach, your passions and emotions, and Hod, your intellect and rational thinking.
Systems and reasoning only last when you are passionate and emotional about them. Appropriate actions work only when not interrupted by addictions or hormonal issues.
Magick and Creativity
Magickally mastering the Three Basic Appetites is foundational to balancing the four lower Sephiroth ascribed to the Elements, and strengthening your connection to the angel by hearing its voice clearly.
Achieving it unlocks many people’s true creativity, allowing them to sustain flow states.
Csikszentmihalyi’s autotelic self is not the Neshamah, but the Neshamah contains it. Your art and creative output are the voice of your angel.
An Invisible Order
Suppose I ran an invisible order. The members would have the Basic Appetites mastered before reaching 2=9, Theoricus. Seriously. What kind of metal melting and probability shifts would you navigate if struggling to get a hold of something as basic as your own body?
So, rather than taking nootropics, the gurus advertise, just master the basic appetites and see what happens, as a creative. As an occultist, do that first, and then study ritual and correspondence, pursuing effectiveness, not fantasies.
But that’s just my opinion. Let me know if you agree. And thank you for your time.