Ye shall gather store of women .
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93,
In all this - I just re-read the whole thread - I liked Alrah's suggestion the best:
"If you take the time to try and understand each woman you meet, to mirror their cognition, to reflect upon their nature, to try and see a small part of the Goddess in every woman, and to store each woman in your memory, then the full essence of the Goddess will emerge."
I always took this passage of Liber L to refer to experiences, not possessions. I've simply never had the budget to wear rich jewels, let alone exceed the nations of the earth in splendour and pride on a physical level. So, I take the reference to women to mean experience with, and of, lovers in general, just as 'spices' is a word forming a neat simile for non-sexual, sensual experiences. That would include food, wine, good beer or spirits, fine art or furniture ... and anything that might constitute 'the spice of life.'
Someone who has truly savored and absorbed all the things that come his or her way would then have a particular glow, a notable aura, and would thus seem to 'wear rich jewels.' The most accomplished among such people would 'exceed the nations of the earth in splendour and pride,' and therefore would come closer than most of us to the joy of Nuit.
I just finished re-reading Hesse'sNarziss and Goldmund. Goldmund in the book is like this - he has gone through the world, and savored all it has to offer. His mentor, the ascetic Narziss, recognizes this quality in him, and sees how it enables Goldmund to create the beautiful wooden carvings that are his form of art.
Goldmund is also a devotee of the Mother throughout most of the book.
93 93/93,
Edward -
93 93/93
"I always took this passage of Liber L to refer to experiences, not possessions. I've simply never had the budget to wear rich jewels, let alone exceed the nations of the earth in splendour and pride on a physical level. So, I take the reference to women to mean experience with, and of, lovers in general, just as 'spices' is a word forming a neat simile for non-sexual, sensual experiences. That would include food, wine, good beer or spirits, fine art or furniture ... and anything that might constitute 'the spice of life.'
Someone who has truly savored and absorbed all the things that come his or her way would then have a particular glow, a notable aura, and would thus seem to 'wear rich jewels.' The most accomplished among such people would 'exceed the nations of the earth in splendour and pride,' and therefore would come closer than most of us to the joy of Nuit.
"I am blowed away by this. It just seems soooo right to me
There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt.
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@AliceNui said
"I had thought that it meant that one had to gather women as if women were chattel. "
That's certainly how I like to interpret it.
@AliceNui said
"So the women are in charge of the goods and the spices, OK, that makes more sense and I feel better about it. "
Yep, she looks after the kitchen, I look after the tool shed. Just like the good old days.
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93,
For some reason this makes me think of a part in the Book of Lies:
The Brothers of A.'.A.'. are women, the Aspirants of A.'.A.'. are men.
Something like that anyway. I think it is Cap 3.939393
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93 93/93
@FiliusBestia said
"93,
For some reason this makes me think of a part in the Book of Lies:
The Brothers of A.'.A.'. are women, the Aspirants of A.'.A.'. are men.
Something like that anyway. I think it is Cap 3.939393"
Well, the MAAT is a woman and the Magus is a man...
There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt
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What does BOTL mean? And the simpliest way of saying what I meant is Binah/feminine.....Chokmah/masculine.
Edited: never mind. I figured out you meant the Book Of The Lies
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"Ye shall gather goods and store of women and spices"
Is this about gathering the sort of goods that women buy...including spices?
I mean the idea that this passage is only addressed to the fellas so they try to become sultans in charge of harems doesn't make any sense. Why? Within the context of the woman being girt with a sword, as oppose to be being like submissive 2nd class citizen.
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I don't think it's necessary to try to ameliorate the passage.
It's quite possible to read it as a slip into misogynistic rambling, by either Crowley or Crowley posing as Aiwass, or an evolved entity that used to be an Assyrian priest (or whatever it was Aiwass was supposed to have been) speaking through Crowley, and ... DISAGREE.
Any "commands" in Liber AL - do you have to obey them?
If so - absolutely and without question, or contextually? (It's the same problem with all religions - literal readings vs. metaphorical or mystical readings, etc.)
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I never saw any need to reinterpret it. I take it at face value - talking about acquiring women and other stuff as property. But I take it in the context of the entire sentence.
"Ye shall gather goods and store of women and spices; ye shall wear rich jewels; ye shall exceed the nations of the earth in splendour & pride; but always in the love of me, and so shall ye come to my joy."
Is that not self-evidently true? She isn't ordering us to do any of these things, just commenting on what happens when we do.
The key is in, "but always in the love of me."
As a technical opinion, but not an endorsement, I think she could have said, "Go slaughter half the next town, throw acid in their faces, fuck their mothers in front of them, shit down their daddy's throat, piss on a DaVinci original, and have your buddy keep punching you in the nose until you choke on your own blood... but always in the love of me... and so shall ye come to my joy."
The state of living within the love of Nuit is a state of joy.
