wow - ok... I will bite.
Based on so many unexplainable experiences, I began my personal search for explanation in my 20s. I am 58 now. During this search, I studied every kind of religion or thought system or study of consciousness that I could. I chose to discard bias with regards to what could be considered the unorthodox or "darker" religions/philosophies. This included everything "gnostic," and Paganism, and the darker ones... Satanism and Luciferianism. While studying the ones I just mentioned, I came across the term Left Hand Path often. Most of my research was centered upon the Gnostic materials.
One associate, Mark Pinkham, who is essentially a Gnostic one day made the distinction for me between RHP and LHP. He stated simply that Right Hand Path is where "the teacher" is from without (such as a dogmatic religion, the priesthood that usually informs the congregation as to what things mean, "holy writings" such as the Bible... anything external to the being). Whereas regarding the Left Hand Path, the teacher is within. Simple enough yet as I came to research more and more, I came upon much diversity and complexity depending on the source as to what these two terms mean.
Then I came upon a book written by Dr. Stephen E. Flowers entitled -
Lords of the Left-Hand Path. Flowers explains what the two terms mean, the history of the two paths and how they came to be known by these terms... and then he examines all sorts of individuals and groups and looks at the movements that came about because of these individuals or groups and then determines (in his opinion) if each are proper representatives of RHP. The primary criteria seems to point to whether or not an external component is involved in the movement. He tells the reader early on that he is sympathetic to LHP and I appreciated his honesty. Yet soon into the book I came to the conclusion Dr. Flowers was to be taken seriously, that his work was scholarly and that he sourced his information well and made excellent arguments for his conclusions.
Having said all the above should not be construed by any reader that beyond the initial explanation of difference that was shared with me by Mark Pinkham that I adhere either way to LHP. I can say I clearly am repelled by anything RHP.
I have come to describe Gnostic and Neoplatonic thought as Left Hand Path Up... Paganism can range from LHP Up to straight LHP Out... Luciferianism can be anywhere Left (as there is "The Light" (meaning knowledge) Luciferianism and then there are the dark Luciferians who have no issues practicing black magic - and finally we get to Satanism which at its best is LHP Out but usually goes LHP Down.
I will make this statement which clearly excludes me from being a Satanist and has excluded me from being accepted into the Temple of Set (a Luciferian order). I do not have any desire to perform black magic in any form. I do not wish to impose my will in an indirect fashion where the beings which I might effect are not only
not consciously aware of what I desire but that they aren't asked first. Having said that, I absolutely believe that we can effect the experiences of others not only by our words and deeds but also (and perhaps more so) by our own energetic emissions.
When an event occurs where I find myself experiencing an emotionally charged reaction, instead of using this energy in a way that may "impose my will," I focus the energy into the hands of what I metaphorically refer to as "The Wisdom of the Universe." Then I withdraw from forming my own desired outcomes. This took me many years to learn... to make a habit, but the results have been far more amazing than anything I could imagine within my finite scope of imagination. It is as if the Universe has a most profound wisdom that is founded by the best interests of all in mind as opposed to supporting the creation of outcomes desired by the strongest wills.
This is the last thing I will share in this post -
Dr. Flowers points out the importance of defining key words he uses in his book. The very first thing he defines is "the universe."
The universe is the totality of existence both known and unknown. This is a complex model, divided into at least two components, the objective universe and the subjective universe.
It is my opinion (though I only hold this as true for "me" and true for me "now") that there is nothing objective about any aspect of "the universe." When I read the book the first time, I suspended my opinion so as to attempt to explore his writings with as open a mind as possible. I am glad I did as there's many things he pointed out about LHP which are core tenants of my own preferred world view and the paradigms this world view suggests. Consistently Flowers points out the importance of personal responsibility. This one I completely agree with and in fact I take that statement all the way to every level of my being. The adoption of this view was the single most (positively) life changing view I have ever adopted.
OK... I bit.