The Mark of Cain, 'Gnostic', Thelema?
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I read Crowley's explanation of the "Lovers" card & have also stumbled across the reading of the story of the slaying of Abel & Cain recieveing the Mark as initiation? Didn't Cain also father Enoch, to which the magickal system was ascribed?
Is it correct of me to think that Crowley interpreted the Bible in a similar way to the historic gnostics who came out of Egypt? Meaning that the God of the Bible is the Demiurge?
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The tradition is that Enoch is a descendent of Seth, Cain and Abel's younger brother.
"Is it correct of me to think that Crowley interpreted the Bible in a similar way to the historic gnostics who came out of Egypt? Meaning that the God of the Bible is the Demiurge?"
It depends on what you mean by those terms. A really simplistic (and literal!) black and white role reversal of "good" and "evil" in the OT is probably more reflective of the anti-Gnostic polemics by people like Irenaeus than an accurate representation of any early Gnostic beliefs--which were probably a lot more subtle and nuanced.
Check out this paragraph from the Book of Thoth, which follows the comments about Cain and the Lovers Card:
"It is very significant that almost every sentence in this passage seems to reverse the meaning of the previous one. This is because reaction is always equal and opposite to action. This equation is, or should be, simultaneous in the intellectual world, where there is no great time lag; the formulation of any idea creates its contradictory at almost the same moment. The contradictory of any proposition is implicit in itself. This is necessary to preserve the equilibrium of the Universe."
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@Avshalom Binyamin said
"The tradition is that Enoch is a descendent of Seth, Cain and Abel's younger brother. "
So the Magus, by being initiated into Enochian Magick recieves the mark of Cain?
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It depends on what you mean by those terms. A really simplistic (and literal!) black and white role reversal of "good" and "evil" in the OT is probably more reflective of the anti-Gnostic polemics by people like Irenaeus than an accurate representation of any early Gnostic beliefs--which were probably a lot more subtle and nuanced."
I feel that the slaying of Abel was out of jealousy towards the attainment of the brother. So if the God interacting with the brothers it seems as an act opposing God.There seems to be many aspects of Crowley that was similar to Valentinian Gnosticism & the Aethyrs of the Enochian system is also similar to the Aeons in this kind of gnostic philosophy.
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Check out this paragraph from the Book of Thoth, which follows the comments about Cain and the Lovers Card:"It is very significant that almost every sentence in this passage seems to reverse the meaning of the previous one. This is because reaction is always equal and opposite to action. This equation is, or should be, simultaneous in the intellectual world, where there is no great time lag; the formulation of any idea creates its contradictory at almost the same moment. The contradictory of any proposition is implicit in itself. This is necessary to preserve the equilibrium of the Universe."
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Very intriguing idea that maybe also can be applied to the blessing of Jacob over Esau. Another biblical story that on the surface seems to reverse good & evil