Magick WITH tears.
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I think he's implying that sitting in a chair and meditating is basically the core of what Crowley taught as far as Yoga - it's Raja Yoga, Union by Will. What mainstream society understands as "Yoga" isn't really what Crowley was talking about. What he was talking about is closer to what we would call "meditation."
I personally do recommend reading Crowley's "8 Lectures on Yoga," because, although they can be kind of unclear at times and they're not exactly a step-by-step instruction manual, they are good at conveying the essence of his teachings about Yoga and about the intended hierarchy of practices. (This is intended to lead to this, and this is intended to lead to that, etc.)
(Also his humor is rather comprehensible in that series of lectures for whatever reason - it's like he finally perceived that not all of his readership would be able to follow his jokes and he simplified them and made them a bit more obvious.)
I would personally agree that sitting in a chair and meditating is the "better" way of doing Yoga, if the goal is spiritual attainment. If the goal is something else, then maybe not. Nothing wrong with so-called Hatha Yoga (or what the mainstream understands as Yoga), but it's not intended to get one to any particular attainment, and is rarely what Crowley is talking about when he says "Yoga."
(These views come from the East, by the way; what we got in the West is a rather watered-down McDonald's version of what was taught in the East.)
93, 93/93.
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93,
Pff, thanks, it's a bit of a relief to know that I don't have to be worried about not being able to fold my leg behind my head or something. I did find the poses in which you sort of stretch out and meditate (such as the Antenna Pose and Extended Child Pose) working a lot better than all those complicated muscle-ruining things. Meditation works great for me.
93, 93/93
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@Elmida said
"93,
Also not sure about the tone in your last sentence.
93, 93/93"
You said you're concerned about your parents or whoever being upset about you doing "magick." Well, I was saying yoga is a lot more acceptable. It's pretty innocuous to find someone sitting in a chair.
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@Escarabaj said
"
@Elmida said
"93,Also not sure about the tone in your last sentence.
93, 93/93"
You said you're concerned about your parents or whoever being upset about you doing "magick." Well, I was saying yoga is a lot more acceptable. It's pretty innocuous to find someone sitting in a chair."
Very true, yes. I've been doing yoga and meditation for a while and nobody has ever made a remark on that.
And no, Vlad, I can't! There's quite a lot of fat in the way, heh.
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Double post, but still, little update: I've found a Thelemite in the Netherlands that can also offer me great help. It helps a lot to be able to communicate with something about these things in my own language. He was able to tell me that he's only met two or three other Thelemites and that they too had little contact with others.
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@Elmida said
"Double post, but still, little update: I've found a Thelemite in the Netherlands that can also offer me great help. It helps a lot to be able to communicate with something about these things in my own language. He was able to tell me that he's only met two or three other Thelemites and that they too had little contact with others."
This developement has got me thinking.. Since you've made this contact, has that feeling of outsided-ness and intimidation diminished some? If so, maybe what I was confusing is that it's not so much an 'understanding' that has to be obtained, but rather a sense of belonging/fellowship to help rid that initial anxiety.
Just a thought.
-ANEA
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I suppose it's also a part of it, but what the guy basically told me that there isn't really a Thelemic society in the Netherlands at all. It's kind of hard to feel like I'm part of something that isn't actually there. To be honest I feel more connected to you guys than to any Thelemite here, because I'm actually talking to you.
But yet, the thought that I'm not alone and that there are others who get what I get is a big help. And speaking to them in your native tongue is an even bigger help. I never knew how to phrace "Do what you Wilt shall be the whole of the Law" in Dutch, but now I do and that feels much better. It's more 'understanding' than 'belonging', but maybe that's also because I've finally managed to drop the thought that I HAD to join the A.'.A.'. or OTO. You can't join what's not there, and I've managed to realize that I can do it on my own too.
I hope that answers your question.
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Rather interesting thread.
"I dunno, at least for myself, I've been quite chubby and quite thin, masturbated compulsively and abstained, and I've observed no correlation between the frequency of masturbation and body weight."
Likewise.
"I have, however, observed a very direct correlation between diet/exercise and body weight."
Likewise.
To the originator of this thread: it sounds to me like Magick and the literature of Thelema aren't for you. Thelema differs from Christianity in the sense that there aren't hordes of Thelemites scouring the streets, systematically bothering humanity in the hopes of converting a few ignorant souls. It is your task to find a way. The first step is understanding the basis of your True Will, which is somewhat akin to saying "your destiny." In this case, your True Will would be to lose weight, learn to study rather than read, and overcome what appears to be a rather massive inferiority complex. I'm not saying this to be mean, but "many are the called, but few are the chosen," if you catch my drift. Magick isn't for everybody, and while there are many who will be more than happy to offer you advice and encouragement, in the end it is up to you to free yourself from the delusions and conditioning of your environment.
"One last thing: men ARE bastards."
I would like to sincerely thank you for contributing to the misunderstanding and ill-will that exists between the sexes. We men are all ignorant prigs, whose sole aim is to thrust our seed into unsuspecting virgins, leaving them to raise the child while we continue with our sexual conquests.
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Elmida,
I'm sorry, I didn't mean for my last post to come across as a question so much as a thought I was just putting out there. However, your feed back was enlightening. Thank you.
Mephisto,
@Mephis said
"It is your task to find a way."
It appears that Elmida has already came to this conclusion:
@Elmida said
"I've managed to realize that I can do it on my own too."
Also, having troubles making an initial connection to material that you are completely unfamiliar with doesn't necessarily mean that it "isn't for you." It just means you have a hell of a lot more studying to do. People like Elmida and myself were simply looking for a solution to our feeling of outsided-ness and lack of connection (undersanding). Ash confirmed what I had already suspected earlier in the this thread, and that's that understanding is something that slowly "creeps" it's way to you. We just have to be patient and push forward diligently. Obviously there's still a drive there to continue studying despite our discouraging circumstance.
-ANEA
Try thinking about it this way - maybe someday you guys can be the ones that newbie Thelemites go to, so that they can remark to you,"wow, I thought I was the only Thelemite in the Netherlands!"