This is who WE are
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Temple of Thelema is a mystery school providing ceremonial initiation; structured training; and regular group work in conformity with the principles of The Book of the Law. It is the primary instructive and initiating vehicle of College of Thelema in addition to study groups, published instruction, and other means.
Our first name is "Temple." Our last name is "Thelema." That really tells the story of who we are.
FIRST, we are most fundamentally a school of spiritual matters. SECOND, we use the Thelemic worldview (received and developed by Aleister Crowley throughout his life) as our framework. Phyllis Seckler (Soror Meral) founded a system devoted foremost to awakening people encased in the illusion of their mortality to their immortal, spiritual natures. I happily continue and expand on that foundation.
This forum is an open classroom of College of Thelema. Primarily, it exists for asking and answering informational questions, for general discussion by people with an interest in the subjects of magick, mysticism, initiation, Qabbalah, and Thelemic philosophy, and for building and expanding a community of colleagues. Though the forum is moderated, wide latitude is given for discussion. The key boundary to this wide latitude is that we expect a respectful level of communication that makes this forum welcoming to new participants. As a participant, you should expect to be treated respectfully and hospitably by the forum as a whole.
(We fine-tune the details on this as we go... life is in motion. We intend to have some fun along the way, and people who know each other do tend to rib and nip at their actual friends from time to time. You know how that goes, right? Accept some smack talk from your friends but not necessarily from a stranger? You'll see some give and take from people who have gotten to know each other here or in person. Generally, though, you should expect to be treated respectfully and hospitably.)
REQUEST: I ask that you keep discussion on-topic to the original post. It is natural that, in conversation, we wander a bit off-track. Often the shortest distance between two ideas is a curve (or a loop or a figure 8). But please, bring it back to the original topic quickly. If you want to start a new topic, start a new thread - don't highjack an existing thread.
Similarly, I ask that you keep subjects and posts on-topic to the forum as a whole. As you probably can tell from the sub-forum descriptions, this is a very, very broad range.
GOING FORWARD, I am narrowing this definition just a bit, at least for a while. I'm doing this because the forum, for the last year or so, has swung way too far to one extreme and it's time to bring it back on-track to our real purposes here. To bring it back in balance, I need to weight it heavily the opposite direction from where it has gone throughout 2013 and early 2014.
The boundary is this: On a forum devoted foremost to spiritual, magical, mystical things, it is off-topic to the entire forum to come from a place opposed to or dismissive of spiritual, magical, or mystical things. Makes sense, right?
Nearly all the energy of this forum for over a year was devoted to people struggling with a couple of people's strong, articulated antipathy to a spiritual world view. This was a valuable phase. (I was politely asked in advance if someone could pursue a certain line, and I said yes.) It's good (essential!) to occasionally confront positions exactly opposite those you hold most dearly. And this challenge came at exactly the time we needed most for the walls to shake, in the year of transition from a 22-year cycle devoted to The Emperor (intellect, rule, structure, order, assertive individualism, materialism) to a new 22-year cycle devoted to The Hierophant. (If you know your Qabbalah: It was the transition from "Tav Year of The Emperor Era" to "Alef Year of The Hierophant Era.")
There's no more effective form of black magick than to absorb someone's attention with a distraction so that they stop paying attention to their own True Will - their own Path - their own Way. The year of shakeup and shakedown is over. Now, back to business.
Our first name is "Temple." Our last name is "Thelema." That really tells the story of who we are.
Which brings us to why you are here, perhaps? Welcome! Let's get back to work. Our purpose is, first, to train all to know and do their True Will - as a starting point for deeper work beyond that. Welcome!
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Pin Topic?
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The bit of a mire the forum has been in over the last year has taken its toll.
Though I do not see it as the fault of the "instigators" - as much responsibility is on the shoulders of those who bit.
I also do not believe anyone has been disingenuous.
Regardless - lets get this new era rolling !