Dogs in the Temple:
The "dogs" were MALE Canaanite temple prostitutes (normally
eunuchs, as I understand it), with whom male worshippers had
intercourse in order to obtain various boons from the gods, of which
the fertility of themselves, their herds and their crops were the
chief. A "dog"'s earnings couldn't be contributed to
Yaweh's treasury. (Nor could that of a FEMALE temple prostitute!) Now
if they were doing the Great Rite with male priests way back when TO
make things more fertility, why should Stewart Farrar have a cat over
gay men and lesbians being involved in the Craft now?!? (Although, in
fairness to him, I'll bet he's never thought of it that way! He
strikes me as a reasonable man, all in all ... )
As for the Paths:
Meditation is the first and -- in my opinion -- the most basic, because you use
it to get to or enhance some of the other Paths.
Trance work is the second, which includes astral projection exercises.
Perhaps it's the most important, because it gets us where we go to
exercise the power or obtain the wisdom that we want to.
Dancing is a Path that I personally can't use because I'm lame; but I've
been told by able-bodied Pagan friends that it's great because it
engages the whole self -- and especially it helps you be grounded AND
Elsewhere at the same time. Binding with cords and other forms of
sensory deprivation are good for helping the mind travel beyond the
body's limits because one wishes to escape the tedium and discomfort
of them. (I'm sorry, but even a flotation tank gets uncomfortable
eventually!) Scourging and other repetitive acts also use tedium as a
release but are more stimulating than being bound or floating in a
tank. (They do NOT use pain. If they're being done THAT intensely,
they're being done incorrectly ... )
Chanting and mantras use repetitive sound and the inherent nature of some
sounds to produce altered states of consciousness.
Drugs (which normally means incense and MAYBE alcohol but NOT
hallucinogens and such) variously stimulate, relax, disinhibit or
otherwise change one's mental state.
And that brings us back to the Great Rite and other forms of sex magick,
which attempt to involve all levels from the physical to the Divine
Within at one time. That's VERY thumbnail; but if anyone
wants to know more, I'll be glad to elaborate on the ones I use or
have seen used. Oh, and I can -- and should -- add that the various
Paths can be used in combination as well as separately, that there's
some variation from one tradition to another as to what the Eight
Paths are, and that not ALL traditions have Eight Paths per se!
Bright blessings!
Granny Spider