IAO And The Dip
The Mechanics of Being Stuck
Recently, self-helpers and optimizers have been bombarded by gurus with explanations of why they feel “stuck,” and why their discipline hasn’t produced the results expected after years of grinding.
Using this as an opportunity, let’s bring some clarity by leveraging modern research and ageless esoteric principles to explain why being stuck is an essential part of the process, regardless of your systems and discipline.
IAO and the Ancients
In the Western esoteric tradition, few formulas carry as much layered meaning as IAO. Alongside the Gnostic INRI, IAO encapsulates the myth of Osiris. The eternal rhythm of birth, death, and rebirth.
Long story short: Osiris was murdered by his envious brother Set, cast into the underworld symbolized by Apophis, and ultimately resurrected by his wife Isis.
It’s a complete cycle mirroring not only mythology but every creative, spiritual, and personal transformation.
Each letter in IAO distills a stage in this process:
I – Isis: Birth, Life, Thesis.
A – Apophis: Death, Destruction, Antithesis.
O – Osiris: Resurrection, Rebirth, Synthesis.
Aeonics
Western Magick recognizes three aeons, ascribed to different deities.
The aeon of Isis and the era of the great goddess and Matriarchy.
The Aeon of Osiris is related to patriarchy and monotheism.
The aeon of the child, Horus, representing the reconciliation of the two previous.
The first key detail is that, more than abstract deities, the aeons mark stages in humanity’s development. While Thelemic books cover aeonics extensively, let’s focus on the era we currently live in: the aeon of the child.
The Child
The second key detail is that while in previous ages ‘adepts’ and ‘mystery knowers’ believed that IAO is a one-in-a-lifetime event, in the current one, the cycle happens repeatedly, many times throughout one’s life.
Makes sense, as modern researchers like Carol Dweck advocate adopting a growth mindset as a formula to navigate life in our era.
It is also what the child symbolizes, permanent growth achieved through ‘conquering‘ the obstacles of life. The principle of self-reinvention, which inevitably includes moments of being stuck and even considering quitting.
The Dip
This brings us to another echo of the IAO formula: Seth Godin and his book The Dip. Godin describes every meaningful pursuit as passing through three inevitable stages. It is the IAO process in entrepreneurial language, creative endeavours, mastery, and skill acquisition. In such a way, the Osirian myth becomes a psychological map for the mechanics of being stuck.
I - Isis: The spark. The excitement of starting something new: writing a book, building a brand, learning a craft. If you don’t feel somewhat unstoppable, you at least find your endeavour perfectly doable, at this stage.
A - Apophis: The valley of despair. Set enters the picture, reminding you that you are not ‘unstoppable’ and the endeavor is not exactly as ‘perfectly doable’ as you expected.
You face reality, realizing you grossly underestimated ‘whatever it takes,’ overlooking but a few aspects that turned crucial. Goggins and Gary Vee scream: ‘Do whatever it takes,’ but it doesn’t necessarily help, as everything looks messy, uncertain, maybe even pointless. It’s writer’s block, burnout, or doubt; this is where most give up.
O - Osiris: The resurrection. The light in the tunnel. Eventually, you find that while it may not be as easy as you expected, this too is figureoutable. Now, knowing what it actually takes, you take the necessary steps. You emerge from the Dip not as the person who started, but as someone transformed: a new you! Kudos!
You’ve integrated the lesson.
You’ve mastered the skill, the system, the discipline.
Got your business off the ground.
Etc.
Initiation
The Dip is where most people give up. Those who don’t are the true self-reinventors and initiates. They resurrect as something new, as you’ll see in a moment. So next time you hit that point where everything feels pointless, remember: you’re not failing. You’re just in the A of IAO, the necessary Dip before rebirth. Now, a few reflections you might find interesting.
Set and Nuit
Magick systems, especially the Left-Hand Path (LHP), regard Set, the Devil, the adversary, as the initiator. More so, as the actual element enabling initiation in the first place.
Qabalistically, Set is attributed to Binah - Saturn, which, among other things, rules restrictions and limitations. Binah reflects in Yesod, hosting the animal soul (Freudian Id, Jungian Shadow), which, for those who never took proper care of it, often presents limitations.
The True Adepts
Binah is also Nuit, all potentialities and forms. So it may be helpful to think of it like this: Actualizing/materializing the possibility/form of succeeding in your endeavour inevitably includes a checkpoint with Set. Nuit, Binah is also reality, so the Dip might be viewed as reality’s own device of pre-selecting its true adepts.
So, when ‘mystery knowers’ and ‘spiritual bros’ rave about how “the journey is the reward,” healthily recall that there’s no journey or reward without Set.
Storms and Dread
Set is not there to destroy you, but to test whether you’re ready to rise again. Set is the god of storms and the desert. Binah also rules dread. Depending on your aspirations and starting point, or I stage, the A stage may feel both stormy and dreadful. Given that, is it really now an optimal moment to embark on a new journey?
Sand Castles
There’s no better time than now. And more often that is the case. However, simply figuring out how to succeed with something is not always enough to make it an intrinsic part of your identity. Also ruled by Binah, this is where the question of time and sustainability enters the picture.
You may be doing great with something, but if that thing contradicts your core nature or drains your life force, then maybe it wasn’t for you in the first place.
Esoterically, it’s not part of your True Will or Ikigai.
Experiments
This is where the research and experience of neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff help. Ann-Laure committed to weekly YouTube uploads for a year, gaining 20,000 loyal fans genuinely interested in her expertise. Clearly, she figured it out and went beyond the Dip. However, every time she had to record a video, she felt drained, stressed, and unable to do anything else. So, pushing videos never felt sustainable.
Inertia
Crowley taught us that those following their True Will (life purpose which has many branches and expressions), have the inertia of the Universe to assist them. Call it inertia or momentum, at some point in or after the Osirian O stage, the inertia of the Universe (Saturn) must kick in.
If it doesn’t, maybe it wasn’t for you in the first place. So start new things, sure. But commit to them as curiosity-driven experiments, not lifetime obligations.
Enough is Enough
We live in an era where not giving up, even when that kills us, is encouraged as a badge of honor. We also have cutting-edge biohacking and behavioral science to help us build all kinds of habits and discipline.
So, no, I don’t think today is that difficult to figure out how to do anything, going beyond its Dip or A stage. What most people need is permission to say enough is enough when and if it really is.
Sometimes the chips are stacked against us.
Other times, we start things for the wrong reasons.
In the third, the timing may not be right, like in the current era of algorithms, geo-fencing, and localizing creators to their immediate physical environment. So the return on investment is not enough.
The reason gurus started giving explanations for why you’re stuck is that more and more people are waking up from the dream that everything is about hustling and grinding hard. There are times to step up, others to push back. It’s the law of Nature, the law of the universe, which the self-help world seems to ignore.
Active - Passive.
Build - Destroy.
Etc.
Failure is Information
Even if we ‘fail’ during the period of experimentation, ‘getting at it’ with full force (for a period) can only enrich you and expand your horizons and self-knowledge. It’s the feedback reality provides so we can course correct, toughen up, or do something entirely different based on circumstance. Like Anne-Laure, focused on her books and Substack. Conversely, mindless discipline, fanboying, and mental rigidity can kill us.
Either way, the choice must come from within. Not gurus, not archetypes, or Secret Chiefs. So we’re kinda back to Frankl (again), although I am not quoting him this time. Take care.
— POTB
Another excellent article.