A Petition on please-do-not-change-the-book-of-the-law
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@Bereshith said
"I personally lean toward accepting "fill," which is technically, but very literally in the original manuscript of the Law, as that represents the inspiration at the moment of the dictation even if technically an incorrect mental inclusion from the poetic translation of the stele."
I too lean toward "fill".
But it's not altogether clear that the word in question is actually part of the "inspiration at the moment." Although it's hard to tell from B&W scans, it does appear that the word (and associated lines) are written in pencil. Whether this 'editorial clean up' occured in the immediate aftermath of the dictation or at some later date is unknown.
Maybe Rose walked off with the pen after filling in the blanks in verse 72.
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Well, that's ultimately the point, though. What's actually there in the original manuscript is as close as it is possible for certainty to get to recovering the original inspiration. The rest is pure guesswork. That's the record, and that's what's in it. You don't get closer to the original inspiration by deviating from the actual record, even if that particular inclusion came a little later. That's still as close as you can get.
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IMVHO...
The fact that "kill" is in a non-CCXX source document matters as little to me as the fact that the name "Hadit" is nowhere to be found in
[attachment=0:1wqiumzm]<!-- ia0 -->Hadit.JPG<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:1wqiumzm] -
Does anyone else feel it is significant that this change involves a single letter? To me that's highly significant, in that the book itself seems to perfectly point to THIS particular issue. It's not a word, or a sentence or a verse number, but indeed "the style of a single letter". I say it is definitely saying NOT to change it!
What "mistakes" happened in the past that led to "fill" being used, was meant to happen, just as the Stele itself just happened to be exhibit number 666.
Divine Providence.
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@Jason R said
"Does anyone else feel it is significant that this change involves a single letter? To me that's highly significant, in that the book itself seems to perfectly point to THIS particular issue. It's not a word, or a sentence or a verse number, but indeed "the style of a single letter". I say it is definitely saying NOT to change it!"
Because you are zeroing in, with laser-like precision, in the exact applicability of this instruction, I want to mention that... the style of the letter isn't being changed. Only the letter is being changed.
(To Heru: That's interesting. How many Fs are there?)
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"Because you are zeroing in, with laser-like precision, in the exact applicability of this instruction, I want to mention that... the style of the letter isn't being changed. Only the letter is being changed."
I'm not implying this is the ONLY reason for it, and it doesn't have a wider implication, only that it definitely suits the situation perfectly. I argue that the "style" could be a word used to also mean a "different" letter. The main point was that the wording of the verse just happens to suggest a single letter, and this proposed change deals with a single letter. To me anyway, it is highly significant.
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@Jason R said
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"Because you are zeroing in, with laser-like precision, in the exact applicability of this instruction, I want to mention that... the style of the letter isn't being changed. Only the letter is being changed."I'm not implying this is the ONLY reason for it, and it doesn't have a wider implication, only that it definitely suits the situation perfectly. I argue that the "style" could be a word used to also mean a "different" letter. The main point was that the wording of the verse just happens to suggest a single letter, and this proposed change deals with a single letter. To me anyway, it is highly significant."
Well, I understand the starting point of focusing on the most precisely literal meaning.
The next lens I personally put on top of that only makes sense in referring to the original manuscript. And that's a big one. Because it leaves open the possibility of alternate printed revisions of that text, so long as the original remains unchanged and given.
But, the next lens for me is, "If not in the style of a letter, how much more so a letter?" ...even in alternate print revisions.
But it has to be said that even this is an interpretive choice for the meaning of the literal text, and then you have to consider whether it applies to printed translations of the text so long as the original is given... yada, yada, yada...
Textual variants. hurrah.
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620 "f"s with "fill"; 619 without.
Interesting, because 620 is 31 x 20 (kaph)
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From the OTO's website:
Class “A” consists of books of which may be changed not so much as the style of a letter: that is, they represent the utterance of an Adept entirely beyond the criticism of even the Visible Head of the Organization.
Class “B” consists of books or essays which are the result of ordinary scholarship, enlightened and earnest.
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@Avshalom Binyamin said
"From the OTO's website:
Class “A” consists of books of which may be changed not so much as the style of a letter: that is, they represent the utterance of an Adept entirely beyond the criticism of even the Visible Head of the Organization.
Class “B” consists of books or essays which are the result of ordinary scholarship, enlightened and earnest.
"See how simple it could be? Was intended to be? Avoids all the yada, yada, yada.
Unchanging it.... Sounds like a criticism by the visible head of the organization...
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hmm. Interesting. I finally decided to look at The Law is For All (New Falcon, 1996, 1998) and on page 166 Crowley comments
"Stanza 3 suggests the Rosicrucian Benediction:
May thy Mind be open unto the Higher!
May thy Heart be the Centre of Light!
May thy Body be the Temple of the Rosy Cross."(Later, in footnote, he writes "These are the words of the Reception of the Adeptus Minor 5°=6° ritual of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.")
Sounds a lot like "fill me" was Crowley's accepted version when he wrote this long commentary (1919-1922 somewheres).
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93,
Thanks Kasper.
On the Petition:
I would just like to say that I would appreciate any idea's, pointers, criticisms etc. that people care to make that would improve the petition.
At the moment we are reaching a saturation point in the English speaking online community. We've all been talking about H.B.'s proposed change for over a week now... or is it two? But anyway - people are starting to get frustrated which is perfectly understandable. At the same time, I'm still encountering people who hear about the matter for the first time because of the petition and are shocked. These folks are less involved in online Thelemic communities, and they need to be reached the old fashioned way.
The petition continues to gain support - slowly and surely, but our coverage now needs to be spread to non-english as a first language communities. I would appreciate any bilingual volunteers to help spread the word of the change to Liber AL and this petition opposing the change. You can contact me at: <!-- e --><a href="mailto:alra@live.co.uk">alra@live.co.uk</a><!-- e -->
Other notes.... eventually this issue is going to die down and H.B. may succeed for a short time in waiting out the storm. However - the first time a Minerval refuses to swear on a changed copy and get's turned away then its going to flare right back up again. Or the first time that a reading of Liber AL is performed and the individual reads 'fill me' and is censored for it and protests - we'll see the matter rekindled and inevitably it will carry more force and fire to it. There are a number of future potential flash-points that I can see coming so if we have to then this campaign will be continued in the long term until the issue is resolved to our Thelemic satisfaction. We may lose the initial battle only to go on and win the war. As brothers fight ye! On the other hand, Bill Breeze might take a moment, reconsider, and declare that he isn't going to change the Book after all. He could do that tomorrow and shock everyone. It is a true mark of Thelemic freedom and attainment when a person reserves the right for themselves to change their minds, without feeling any loss of face or honour. Infact - I honour those that retain this ability and right for themselves doubly so.
If that is what happens then there's no harm and no foul. There would even have been an upside to the kurfuffle, in that it has attracted the attention of new people to Thelema, and essentially that is one of H.B.'s main tasks... to promulgate the law.
Best, Alrah. 93 93/93.
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Re - bilingual speakers. Update... this afternoon we have Spanish, Tagalog and something called 'Ilongal'(?) covered. (I don't know how to spell it - but apparently it's a language of the Far East.) Thank you to our volunteers! Still looking for Italian, German, Chinese etc.
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@Alrah said
"Re - bilingual speakers. Update... this afternoon we have Spanish, Tagalog and something called 'Ilongal'(?) covered. (I don't know how to spell it - but apparently it's a language of the Far East.) Thank you to our volunteers! Still looking for Italian, German, Chinese etc."
Maybe if you translated it into Enochian, that would be sufficient.
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@Takamba said
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@Alrah said
"Re - bilingual speakers. Update... this afternoon we have Spanish, Tagalog and something called 'Ilongal'(?) covered. (I don't know how to spell it - but apparently it's a language of the Far East.) Thank you to our volunteers! Still looking for Italian, German, Chinese etc."Maybe if you translated it into Enochian, that would be sufficient."
After the Tibetan practice, I would need 6 more volunteers to chant it though.
Perhaps I ought to set up a holy order that is dedicated specifically to the guardianship of the unchanging word of the changing gospel? Give me 9 months...
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@Alrah said
"Perhaps I ought to set up a holy order that is dedicated specifically to the guardianship of the unchanging word of the changing gospel? Give me 9 months..."
I don't think Aurum Solis is using "Order of the Sacred Word" (O.S.V. in Latin) any longer.
Back in the Grady and Phyllis combat days, I used to joke that it was the war of the Gradyites and Phyllistines. I could release Fillistines for your use.
"No More Kill!" would draw millions of signators who hadn't a clue what they were signing. But really, nothing cuts through it more directly than "Kill The Kill." The K.T.K.!
(For the record, I'm joking. But it satisfied my need for a burst of fun. Working on my RockStar before we had out to see Iron Man 3. Good-morning, everyone.)
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@Jim Eshelman said
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@Alrah said
"Perhaps I ought to set up a holy order that is dedicated specifically to the guardianship of the unchanging word of the changing gospel? Give me 9 months..."I don't think Aurum Solis is using "Order of the Sacred Word" (O.S.V. in Latin) any longer.
Back in the Grady and Phyllis combat days, I used to joke that it was the war of the Gradyites and Phyllistines. I could release Fillistines for your use.
"No More Kill!" would draw millions of signators who hadn't a clue what they were signing. But really, nothing cuts through it more directly than "Kill The Kill." The K.T.K.!
(For the record, I'm joking. But it satisfied my need for a burst of fun. Working on my RockStar before we had out to see Iron Man 3. Good-morning, everyone.)"
lololol Jim. Kill the Kill it is!
Damn... there's no reason why a campaign can't be fun. But I'd like to see you in latex now...
Morning!