Most Important Practice
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93,
So, I'm remembering Crowley's comment that Thelema is first and foremost a path that requires the utmost in self discipline.
In light of this, I am wondering if anyone would like to share what they view as their most important/crucial/helpful spiritual practice. The one that they would give up last after all others (should you somehow be required to give up spiritual practices.)
I'm assuming we all have very different personal spiritual disciplines, so I expect answers to range from meditation, to yoga, to prayer, reciting the TBOTL, chanting, LBRP, etc. I hope this explains why I chose to post here instead of in the mysticism or ceremonial magick section. Hope that's ok with the moderator.
Love=Law
- C
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@ThatNarrowFellow said
"In light of this, I am wondering if anyone would like to share what they view as their most important/crucial/helpful spiritual practice. The one that they would give up last after all others (should you somehow be required to give up spiritual practices.)"
I only get to pick one? Well, in that case it has to be: The diary.
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Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law
on one plane, i'm totally with jim on this one, if i had to pick just one. keeping the diary every day is a discipline like No Other. there's just no substitute for it.
it's haaaaaaard, too! but very useful!
on another plane entirely, if you're serious about the discipline of the Great Work, the most important thing you can do is restructure your entire life so that everything within it points towards that goal. build your temple, learn your magick, learn your cabala, carry out the charges in liber Al vel Legis, do your yoga, get into the circle two, three times a day, do your pranayama, do your sun and moon adorations, master the astral, do your asana, keep your body in shape, take the breaks you need to take to keep yourself fresh and no more! - make your entire life an expression of your will towards the great work.
so, on that plane, the one spritual practice that i couldn't do without is...
...life!
Love is the law, love under will
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"
on another plane entirely, if you're serious about the discipline of the Great Work, the most important thing you can do is restructure your entire life so that everything within it points towards that goal. build your temple, learn your magick, learn your cabala, carry out the charges in liber Al vel Legis, do your yoga, get into the circle two, three times a day, do your pranayama, do your sun and moon adorations, master the astral, do your asana, keep your body in shape, take the breaks you need to take to keep yourself fresh and no more! - make your entire life an expression of your will towards the great work. "Do you think that this is the path for every thelemite to find his/ her Will? To build a temple and practice Crowley's magick?
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@ThatNarrowFellow said
"In light of this, I am wondering if anyone would like to share what they view as their most important/crucial/helpful spiritual practice. "
Persistence.
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@Wilder said
"
"on another plane entirely, if you're serious about the discipline of the Great Work, the most important thing you can do is restructure your entire life so that everything within it points towards that goal. [Etc.] "Do you think that this is the path for every thelemite to find his/ her Will? To build a temple and practice Crowley's magick?"
No. (There is no one path for every thelemite -- that's the whole point of thelema.) But intentionally restructuring your life is very powerful magic, and unless you're already a Magus following the path of your True Will, you will have to do that anyway.
One good restructuring technique is to write down a list of the things you are doing in your life (or want to do) that are important to you, then devote all your efforts to just those things (going to school, hanging out with friends, doing your job, running for president, watching TV -- whatever your list is). If something is not on your list, then cut it out of your life; or if you can't, then put it on your list. It's a "living document" and as you find out more about yourself and what you really want, you add and delete items.
Another technique is to figure out something you want (to get a new car, to publish a poem -- anything) and devote all your energies to achieving it. First thing in the morning, say "I will devote all my energies to doing XYZ" -- this energizes the conscious mind. Just before going to sleep, repeat the same -- this gets the subconscious involved. Not only does this work just as well for "practical magic" as dancing around a circle in funny clothes waving a baton, but more importantly, it brings you face to face with yourself and begins to work inner transformation.
In modern Greek, "thelemo" (with an "o" on the end) means "I want". Like "I want some ice cream" or "I want to watch a movie." That's a good place to start in thelema (with an "a" on the end).
Metaphorically, of course, you are building a temple. But "there are means and means" as far as how you do it.
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Initiation.
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@Wilder said
"Do you think that this is the path for every thelemite to find his/ her Will? To build a temple and practice Crowley's magick?"
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law
no, but like i said, if you're serious about the Great Work (not to be confused with thelema itself) you need to focus all of your efforts on it - make it the keynote of your existence.
Love is the law, love under will
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"Love and do what you will."
If you truly love, you can make no error.
CACL
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93
Thanks, DavidH, for reminding us that LOVE is the prerequisite! Go with what your hearts says opposed to Do whatever you want to call your will, or Do as you are told by others with no contemplation. Neglecting love in practice makes thelema a contradiction in terms when refering to discipline...
Know Thyself!
I will never give up my intuition and question everything as to how it relates to why I am here. Might be rebellious but ultimately it's up to me to know My True Will, each and every moment, by keeping a diary to acknowledge mistakes of the past (usually second guessing or selfish intentions) and confirm all successful navigating erasing any doubts, certainty not faith...
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Jim wrote:**"I only get to pick one? Well, in that case it has to be: The diary."
Asraiya wrote:
"Thanks, DavidH, for reminding us that LOVE is the prerequisite!"
**YES!! LOVE your Magical Journal!
It is the Pearl of Great Price and it is the Gems of the Equinox!
And, yes....Love is it's Law!**
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I'd say meditation.
Of course I've heard the diary is tremendously useful but having kept one daily for ONLY 6 months I have not seen the slightest use for it so far. I'm sure it will make itself apparent later on but right now it seems a waste of time. Ah well Perdurabo -
93 Anchorite,
Yes, sometimes it seems useless as you do it, but when it really makes itself known as important is when you go back and read entries several years old and see how your thinking has changed, what progress you've made, and your views have become deeper. I have read my journals from 12 years ago or so and always get amazed. You'll also see recurring themes and problems over long periods which tell you really what a core issue may be.
Also, writing down your dreams on a daily basis actually make you remember them and after a dedicated period of doing this, it may also bring on lucid dreams.
LVX,
David -
DavidH wrote:
"...but when it really makes itself known as important is when you go back and read entries several years old and see how your thinking has changed, what progress you've made, and your views have become deeper. I have read my journals from 12 years ago or so and always get amazed. You'll also see recurring themes and problems over long periods which tell you really what a core issue may be. "
**Thank you, David. **
I believe that the *meat and potatoes *of the Magical Journal truly earns its keep after the first couple of years -- and like fine wine it becomes a rare elixir of genuine insight after 10 or more years.
It is truly a marvelous tool and a method of seeing where the Angel has guided you...
AUM HA!
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let me give a tip, recently I went back to some journals from 14 years ago.. i found that i always wrote down my experiences, but never exactly what i did to create those experiences, the formula i used persay..
which made my journal rather useless from a scientific point of view.. how the hell do i recreate those experiences?
moral of the story - write your journal as you would a scientific record, record exactly WHAT you did.. not just the result..
definately a little lesson for me...
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Thanks all for the insight.
I think I'm keeping it correctly, so I'll just add the dream diary then wait and see. Should be interesting ! -
@Jonathan said
"li found that i always wrote down my experiences, but never exactly what i did to create those experiences ...
moral of the story - write your journal as you would a scientific record, record exactly WHAT you did.. not just the result."I have rather the opposite experience. I rarely perceive any results, and my record is mostly a dry account of what I did, when, and for how long.
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Everyone will be different but here are the things I try to record in my diary:
Day
Date
Moon Phase
Weather
Drugs/medication:
Emotions:
Diet of day:
Exercise of day:Days events:
last nights dreams:
Readings:
Practices:
Insights/Thoughts:
This way I have recorded the factors I think most important to why I may feel a certain way (drugs, diet, etc.) and can relate my experiences / practices to those to see any connection or change.
Hope this helps. Its just one way amoung thousands.
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Thanks David for that example. Does other people have other examples of magic journal entries? This concept is new to me.
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The Sun and Moon positions in the zodiac are supposed to be helpful too I've heard.