A question about mysticism
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Lady Nuit is my love!
If I try to say more than that I may go on and on.
But the Goddess I invopke daily is Artemis--because she helps me be and do what I need in my daily life--at work, in other interactions. Being smaller and more specific(?) than Nuit her attributes are easier to capture--she helps me stay focused on goals and achieve them with ease and skill. She helps me remain fair, and also enables me to acquire the aid of others. She helps me retain the kind of perspective I like to keep in my daily life--and she is an open-handed patroness for those who are loyal. Of course one should keep the aspects of "Horus" in mind during the day as well. But sometimes this presence is too intense for me, and I like to give Him his proper time, away from daily worries. Phoebe Artemis works for me! (Theres a slogan!)
This is my own personal example of why other gods might be useful. In certain situations I pray to or invoke many other gods who might be helpful.
But every night I worship Her without fail.
--M
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I can see, everyone of you worships or loves a god.
But i can hardly think of one god that i like, and worship is not of me,
maybe because i'm not ready yet, and i have still that bad experience in worshiping the judeo/christian/islamic god.
I understand that the concept of god is different in paganism and thelema, and i understand this perfectly with heart and mind,
and i wanted to ask,
is it necessary to worship any god in order to be a thelemite or at least to be coherent with Master Therion teachings?
Thank you and please forgive my ignorance and profane way of thinking for i came here to be enlightened. -
@xfilesalbania said
"I can see, everyone of you worships or loves a god. But i can hardly think of one god that i like, and worship is not of me,
maybe because i'm not ready yet, and i have still that bad experience in worshiping the judeo/christian/islamic god."I think that's probably so.
There are all sorts of variations. Some people approach this work (initially) as nearly atheists. Others especially worship particular deities of their choosing. Others move smoothly among several. (Even the ceremonial magick approach, which applies a different Divine Name to each Sephirah etc., is a process of worshiping various Hebrew divine ideas according to the occasion.)
In Chapter 3, Ra-Hoor-Khuit instructs us to place all the other gods (any gods whatsoever) around him - with RHK at the center. Worshiping them is worshiping Him.
The Probationer 0=0 A.'.A.'. is taught from the very first hour that, when encountering the name of any god soever, he or she should not confuse it with any god at all except that one which is directly known to him or her.
The Philosophus 4=7 of A.'.A.'. is required to master the technique and theory Liber Astarte - which requires that some god be picked to worship which has a nature not incompatible with the idea of love. This is probably the first point in the A.'.A.'. system where worship is out-and-out required, and it is quite a way down the road.
"is it necessary to worship any god in order to be a thelemite or at least to be coherent with Master Therion teachings?"
Technically, no - not to be a Thelemite. (Though Liber L. does call for you to worship!) If by "be coherent with Master Therion teachings" you mean to follow the A.'.A.'. system, then I don't think anything below 4=7 actually necessitates it.
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I sometimes find it helpful to think of deity as that "Great Disco Ball in the Sky". It has many facets (i.e. different forms of deity--the different gods and goddesses) to reach out to, and yet they are all parts of one whole.
...Not to mention the fact that a disco ball is made of mirrors..
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93,
Xfilesalbania wrote:
"it's just that i'm not ready yet, mainly because i have to find what my true will is. "
Maybe exploring the nature of different gods is a really good way of discovering just what your True Will is?
They bring out strong reactions in you, obviously, so there must be a lot of clues about who you are in the responses you have to different gods. Knowing who we are is good first step in finding out what we are here to do.
93 93/93,
Edward
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Andie wrote:
"I sometimes find it helpful to think of deity as that "Great Disco Ball in the Sky". "
Do I hear Abba?
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Maybe exploring the nature of different gods is a really good way of discovering just what your True Will is?"Agreed! As a fumbling neophyte myself I find this top be true. If they are nothing else (and I believe the are) "gods" are the tried and tested sets of principles and archtypes upon which people have been focusing their spiritual energies for thousands of years. In my mind, because they have been shaped and focused upon by so many as sources f inspiration, gods are always essentially good. You are not going to harm yourself (in psyche or otherwise) by focusing on any god. Some are mysterious, some are angry, some are dark or strange, but they are all based on higher principles, and collections of truths observed by many in nature and humanity. I think gods are a good place to start when you don't feel you have a great understanding of yourself--one need not deal with them harshly or confidently as with a demon, but rather openly and with something like humility.
--M