Thelemic pantheon and myth
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Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
Edward, it sounds to me like you are missing the fine traditional art of story telling, the tool of shamans and preachers for engaging circles and congregations in their traditions.
Liber Legis, I think, presents the deities almost entirely at the Briatic level. It uses words, of course (being a book), but is painting concepts and images that actuate the archetypal (Briatic) level. (That's the main reason so much of it seems obscure - it doesn't speak to reason for the most part.)
Story telling is Yetziratic. It's virtue, then, is much the same as a theurgic image of a god - to provide a medium for housing or approaching the deities at the more human-contact point. In that sense, it is really a ritual of worship and, in fact, in more primitive cultures, often actually served as the ritual of worship - the shaman sitting around the camp fire telling the story before everybody got loaded on good weed and had whatever inner, inarticulate experience they could have.
Extrapolating from that on the basis of principle leads me to the following thoughts:
(1) The old ways of worship were appropriate when awakening to a medium and higher Yetziratic state was the developmental goal.
(2) Thelema is targetted at a world with a baseline of Ruach awakening, needing only a touch of lower Yetziratic REawakening, is primarily hitting to stimulate a Briatic awakening.
(3) This doesn't mean that the old tool of story telling (myth weaving in the popular - not technical - meaning of "myth") isn't valuable. Most of the time we approach this in rituals that we write (and I most pointedly am thinking, at the moment, of the legend composition and story weaving AK and I have done in the last year with the A.L. series of rituals, and especially the III°).
But it doesn't entirely surprise me that the Thelemic scriptures don't touch that level much.
PS - On this Yetzirah/Ruach level, an interesting (to me) add-on thought. Though not the "myths of our gods" sort of thing, I've long been taken with the fact that Chapter II of Liber LXV is mostly a string of parables that are perhaps the closest thing in our source literature to traditional "story telling as teaching." What just struck me as particularly interesting - in context of the above remarks - is that it is the Air chapter - touching Yesod and Ruach themes.
OK, doorbell just rang and I've got to get out the door for lodge.
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93 Edward,
Interesting post and replies... here're my thoughts from a slightly different angle:
Not all religions have a strong mythological component. Taoism and Islam, for example, are to a certain extent actually rejecting of mythologies in favor of a path of understanding God or the Universe directly without the intermediaries of Yetziratic process. Taoism consists mainly in the conception of the yin and the yang, which emerged from the original nothingness, and of the tao, or path, one takes to understanding their dance. This is very like the Thelemic/Kabbalistic ideas of Binah and Chokmah above the abyss and the initiate's journey thereto. At the folk level, there are conceptions of Taoist "dieties" with their various stories, but they are not the center of the religion; most accounts I have read imply that these are provided for the comfort and satisfaction of the common people... Most of what I have read of Crowley and his work indicates that he aimed most of his attention toward the few who were willing and able to pursue the Work; he was not much concerned with whether or not the bulk of the people could find a friendly interface with Thelema. I see Thelema as an inherently elitist religion; not in an exclusionary way like a country club, but in a meritocracy fashion like a martial arts school or a research university.
Islam strongly rejects the application of any attributes or characteristics to God whatsoever, arguing that he/she/it is above and beyond any such descriptives.... it is a beautiful, pure, but stark conception of God... reminding me of a Japanese Zen rock garden in its austerity. Islam also rejects the idea that God could have a "son" or family of any sort. The "99 names of God" in Islamic tradition are to a large extent pairs of opposites which communicate that God encompasses and transcends all dualities and describable properties. Islam does have a more human series of stories, similar to myth, concerning the Prophet and his companions and family, but this is similar to our stories of Crowley and this adventures.
Crowley strongly admired both the Taoist and Islamic traditions and it may not be coincidental that Thelema also deals more directly with the "pure" or less mythological conceptions of God.
Another thought is that it fits, according to my understanding of Thelema and its philosophies, that as little as possible is spelled out for the initiate, so as not to interfere with each finding his/her own Will, or path. The construction of mythologies to assist the seeker in interfacting with the Divine might both ease and distort the journey of the Seeker. Ideas related to this might be the reason for the prohibition in the Comment against discussing the contents of the Book.
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Anna -
93,
Thanks all for the responses. I agree, Anna, with your specific definition of Thelema as elitist, while noting that, as JAE points out, Aspirants to Light has in fact adapted a very old myth in order to help newcomers identify with the primarily Briatic concepts presented in Liber L.
I think there is a natural tendency, regardless of our current state of evolution, to create story/myth around our insights, realisations or beliefs. It's a necessary means (in my view) of rooting them in everyday experience: a kind of confirmation of the deeper experiences we have by having a quick 'n easy reference point. There are times when I've felt very much in touch with the Thelemic sources in the sense a Taoist is in the Tao, or a sincere Muslim feels open-hearted submission to Allah. Then there are all those other days when there is decidedly, 'division hither homeward.'
Jim, I've not looked at Cap II of Liver LXV in that light before, but it seems an interesting notion to pursue. I think I've always found it a bit odd precisely <i>because</i> it does have stories, unlike so much of the other invocatory or declamatory poetry of the Holy Books.
David, you addressed my comments on Hoor-Paar-Kraat being Ra-Hoor-Khuit's shadow. Given that bringing shadow material to light is still, for all of us, a major part of the Work, I still wonder if there is in fact an elementary basis for a 'legitimate' (valid, useful, helpful) myth in this? Maybe I'm caught up in this topic because I've long found Hoor-Paar-Kraat a self-evident spiritual necessity, while Ra-Hoor-Khuit is a far tougher nut to crack. For me, there is still a division hither homeward in this, and until I can get the 'story' right, the various solutions I've worked on don't seem to resolve into simplicity.
93 93/93,
Edward -
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JAE, 93,
That is awesome in the true sense of the term, not the modern vernacular. Anubis as Jesus .. inspired! "Is a God to live in a dog?" Well yes, actually.
Perhaps you'd have found a backer if you'd pitched it as a musical, and gone after the family audience-segment...? You know, with a big production number featuring a singing-dancing chorus of the 42 Judges ("Judgement is the greatest art/Practised in the Hall of Ma'at/Here your soul comes to the crunch/Can you cheat Sebek of lunch?").
There's a lack of strong female roles in the second and third parts, though. That might be historically accurate, but commercially limiting.
Whatever - I am impressed.
93 93/93,
Edward
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Thanks
BTW, I forgot to mention that Isis plays a critical role in the third part.
"Anubis as Jesus" wasn't original, BTW - I forget the details (and don't have my library at hand at the moment) but Budge documented a legend relationship - probably in the Anubis chapter of Gods. (It's similar to the Mercury = Jesus theme that AC commonly cited, which is only partly the result of both being said to be The Word.) I just ran with it.
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Fascinating thread!
I don't know how many of the folks here have read through Ben Rowe's highly mythological Book of Seniors, found here:
www.hermetic.com/browe/index.htmlbut I've found it to create a very satisfying "story" out of many of the general ideas of Thelemic Aeon progression, Crowley's incarnations, Horus vs Set, etc. (Rowe was enamored with Achad's reversal of the Tree, though, which can make some of it harder to assimilate.)
@Edward Mason said
"Jim, I've not looked at Cap II of Liver LXV in that light before, but it seems an interesting notion to pursue. I think I've always found it a bit odd precisely <i>because</i> it does have stories, unlike so much of the other invocatory or declamatory poetry of the Holy Books. "
In a not-totally-unexpected bit of synchronicity, last night I was rereading LXV for the first time in over a year. I was struck by the rapid-fire nature of the parables which approach the top-level subject matter (K&C of HGA, I assume) in a wide range of ways. In a way, it was saying: "Okay, here's what it's like. You don't see that? Okay, here's what it's like. No? Okay, how about this?" And so on. Sometimes so densely compressed that the stories overlap, but always illuminating (or endarkening?)
Steve
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Actually, just reading it was very helpful conceptually. I have a question though. What is Anubis' relationship to Jesus? Would I be correct in assuming it has something to do with managing guilt and shame?
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All of the Mercury gods have a strong relationship to Jesus. Partly this is "The Word" thing. Especially (particularly in Medieval times) it is the psychopomp element. There are child-myth overlaps. And, of course, the name "Jesus" (ΙΗΣΟΥΣ) enumerates to 888.
Glad you enjoyed it. That's about as close to a real audience as the story will ever get LOL! (And I actually like the story arc quite a lot.)
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If I may add a twist to the above story:
We know Nephythys was attracted to Osiris and that Isis and Nephythys were twins. What if Osiris' slept with Nephythys unintentionally and fathered Anubis? Osiris is a Christ-figure insofar as he is the First Mummy to go into the Underworld and become vindicated and resurrected - completing the solar cycle. The wrapping of the body, the Opening of the Mouth ceremony, the 42 Negative Confessions, the truth signified by one being ma kheru ("true of voice") and final vindication of the soul attests to the innocence of the First Mummy.
The implication being that if everyone knew the full truth of our actions, we would not make the mistakes that we did while alive - the 42 Negative Confessions being nothing less than a disavowal of EVERYTHING.
That means Set was justified in dismembering and castrating Osiris AND Osiris was innocent at the same time.
Everybody wins (the sun appears over the horizon and new day begins).
Roll credits...
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Crucial to the story I was telling is that the Isis-Osiris love story is innocent, pure, and never compromised; also, that Set's rage is unfounded and triggers immeasuable remorse. Therefore, I reject your rewrite (unless, of course, you're offering money for the production, in which case you can cast Ronald McDonald as Isis
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AAHAHAHAHA... sell-out... {vbg}
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[Edit]
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OK, I'm going to delete my story description above. I see no reason to subject it (or me) to your repeated insults, demeaning, and general bullshit.
Perhaps you didn't realize that this was serious artistic work product. You're welcome to dislike it, but you are not welcome to fuck with it. Especially don't fuck with it by dismantling the essential elements and replacing them with your own naive or dishonest ideas about things. You're welcome to create your own art, but not to stand around pissing on mine.
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Hi Jim, you're right and I apologize (tried sending you a pm). I should focus on manifesting my own ideas and work rather than commenting on other people's works. I hope this incident doesn't hinder future discussion.
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Hi Edward,
I'm reading Psychology and Alchemy right now and have Aion and Collective Archetypes of the Unconscious sitting in wait! I think jung does a superb job laying out a solid framework of working with the contents of the unconscious. My focus lately has been on the alchemical process and I re-read Liber L. with these concepts in mind. I even found a thelemite who wrote a paper on this subject: bit.ly/uUngJD
I think assuming the role of creator and manifesting new myths based on the tri-partite of alchemy serve as a great way to affect people and awaken them to the dormant archetypes.
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@Jim Eshelman said
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93 Jim,
I hate that I missed this. Your work is a great inspiration. Is there any way you might post it again?
93 93/93
Jay
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I appear not to have kept a copy.
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I found it. I notice that when I first posted it, I didn't mention that the three installments follow the pattern of IAO.
Just over a decade ago, I roughed out a treatment for a three-part mini-series on the Egyptian myth cycle. The gist of it was this:
Part I - The love story of Osiris and Isis. Main characters include his younger brother Set and her twin sister Nepthys. Tell it like an Edenic, wonderful, majestic, classic love story, with the back story being the parallel romance of Set and Nepthys, and planting just the bare seeds of trouble as we learn Set has jealous suspicions that Nepthys is being unfaithful to him with Osiris. Climax with the wedding and the enormous feel-good promise of their lives ahead.
Part II - Open as Isis and Osiris have their first child, Horus. Continue the family-themed romance. Segment where Osiris is comforting Nepthys over some conflict with ambiguity about how far it goes. Set and Nepthys patch it up and, nine months later, their son Anubis is born. Horus and Anubis are boy-hood chums. In Act II, Set's jealousy rages, he becomes certain Osiris is Anubis' father, ultimating in his killing his brother, discovering in too-late dramatic fashion that no such infidelity ever occurred. Begin a tight character arc for Set, new struggles as he tries to redeem himself by stepping into Osiris' ruling place, but the late-teen Horus is the rightful heir and they begin a short conflict that ends in an Act III confrontation where Horus, originally backed by his peace-minded friend Anubis, ends up confronting and killing Set. Anubis turns against Horus at the horror.
Part III - Years pass. A one-eyed aging Horus rules the kingdom, his hawk-banners flying everywhere. Anubis has matured through a character arc of over-compensating little brother through ambivalencies about Horus through being almost a toady with building resentment. Setting this stage, Act I is Anubis overthrowing Horus and wounding him fiercely. In Act II, Anubis moves east and is named Jesus, and from that platform builds and expands his empire, eventually absorbing the Roman Empire. He presides over 2,000 years of mixed times, exulted as the hope of humanity but with constant shadow elements of depravity and inhumanity that he is unwilling to see as his true legacy. In Act III, Horus, recovered and renewed, reappearing from long exile, challenges Anubis in a classic battle that overthrows the wicked and flawed regime and establishes his New Kingdom to rule over a world wherein new virtues are established and humanity is primed to truly progress spiritually.
PS - Nobody ever wanted to give the money to make this
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Jim,
93! Absolutely brilliant! Thank you for re-posting this. Your kindness is appreciated.
93 93/93
J