Psycho's and Liber AL
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Liber AL seems to attract the crazies or perhaps its the other way around. In any case, I thought I'd bring attention to a more "high profile" case of an individual studying AL and going batshit insane.
Some of you may have heard of Aaron Donahue. He proclaimed himself Crowley's successor and sold himself as the reputed "chosen one" who figured out what rsptoval means...Annyway, he had a mildly popular internet radio show and claimed to be in contact with "Lucifer" and used a secret cipher in AL to predict lotto numbers. Sounds like a movie eh?
But now he's on the run, has killed innocent people's animals and are fleeing across the U.S. His parents believed in their son and even ran a webpage devoted to their "remarkable" son: erdurabo10.tripod.com/theuglytruthaboutaaroncdonahue/index.html
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I think all religions attract nutcases. If they are trying to fix their issues and without proper understanding and preparation and maybe even some professional help, they are going to go on the trip to crazyland.
Happens all the time. It's what leads Christians to blow up abortion clinics. -
True.
I know this isn't very scientific to say but just judging from my personal interactions with other thelemites, there seems to be a disproportionate amount of yahoos compared to xians. Honestly I think you have to be unhinged to take any religion that serious but thelema so far has proven to me that it's good at breeding elitist, "chosen one" fools.
Besides all that, I've been watching this Donahue for years after he first appeared on Art Bell and his interview that night made me sit up and say, "this dude is potentially dangerous". Now some 5 years later he's killing animals and proclaiming he's the Shia messiah - AL-Mahdi.
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Well, like I say, the word of Sanity is "Frater."
No matter what states of consciousness you achieve, everyone else is capable of the same. EVERY man and woman is a Star, or you are insane.
Equality or Insanity: You choose...
Thelema tends to draw out the unbalanced, IMHO, because it's the only group whose mystical texts (expressing incredibly heady states of consciousness) are open to the public to work out their own insanities against.
But it's just a tool. People use it as they need to use it in order to work out what they need to work out. It's a poison people drink in order to heal. But some people are simply poisoned...
What do you do?
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Oh I agree with your position. I wouldn't argue that I'm necessarily sane. Perhaps unsane would be more appropriate. I guess I'm referring to over inflated ego's when I speak of the nutters. Yah know, people with such an inflated idea of self that they can't recognize that everyones a "star" for the life of em. Diving into the mystical is sure to do that to many people, myself included, but I've never had a tendency to want to hurt others. I found that the higher you move up the tree it becomes easier to identify the ego with the expanded spiritual territory one is covering, that is until you reach the great divide where those illusions need to be checked at the door/daath. It's inevitable that thelema or any form of Gnosticism attracts more nutters than fundamentalists and this is probably a weak point for thelema because balanced, head strong people are rare let alone coupled with trying to evolve and merge with the ALL while at the same time keeping ones head on straight? Pretty sure why Buddha played down the mystical and promoted the rational so as to avoid such a future mess.
What do I "do"? Well I'm a syncretist you could say and agree w/ much of what Crowley taught; more so than any other teacher in the past. However I now draw the line at identification/objectification w/ any system and, as Jiminy Cricket said, let my conscience be my guide.
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@Silenci said
"True.
I know this isn't very scientific to say but just judging from my personal interactions with other thelemites, there seems to be a disproportionate amount of yahoos compared to xians. Honestly I think you have to be unhinged to take any religion that serious but thelema so far has proven to me that it's good at breeding elitist, "chosen one" fools.
Besides all that, I've been watching this Donahue for years after he first appeared on Art Bell and his interview that night made me sit up and say, "this dude is potentially dangerous". Now some 5 years later he's killing animals and proclaiming he's the Shia messiah - AL-Mahdi."
I think that when it comes down to it most of the Christians I have every met or known were way more effed up. The difference is that their religion doesn't necessarily approve of some of their activities so they are better at hiding it. At least with Thelema they feel open enough to express it so you know them before they can jack all your shit.
There have only been a couple of instances that I know of where someone was booted from the OTO and it was for conduct. It wasn't because they got caught after 25+ years of child molestation. It was for behavior that would impede another persons free will. IMHO that with the Christian equivelant it isn't too much of a comparison.
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Back when I was active was when Sekhet Maat, Panurge and Adonis Apophis were splitting offshoots of the Portland Camp. I was initiated in Portland Camp back in '93.
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@Silenci said
"Liber AL seems to attract the crazies or perhaps its the other way around. In any case, I thought I'd bring attention to a more "high profile" case of an individual studying AL and going batshit insane.
Some of you may have heard of Aaron Donahue. He proclaimed himself Crowley's successor and sold himself as the reputed "chosen one" who figured out what rsptoval means...Annyway, he had a mildly popular internet radio show and claimed to be in contact with "Lucifer" and used a secret cipher in AL to predict lotto numbers. Sounds like a movie eh?
But now he's on the run, has killed innocent people's animals and are fleeing across the U.S. His parents believed in their son and even ran a webpage devoted to their "remarkable" son: erdurabo10.tripod.com/theuglytruthaboutaaroncdonahue/index.html"
Crazies will be crazies and they will use the language of hteir time to justify their craziness. Thelema is no different. I think its wrong to say Thelema attracts crazies: it attracts social outcasts is much more accurate
IAO131
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@Silenci said
"Ok, we'll go along with your assertion that it attracts social outcasts. Why do you think that is?"
Because A.C. is tied to countercultural figures like Timothy Leary, the Beatles, Black Sabbath along with figures youd probably come across if you are a Christian outcast like occult people Regardie, A.C. himself, Gardner, LaVey, etc. That's probably why... Chances are social outcasts are the type of people who have the chance to hear about AC as he is not prominnet in mainstream anything
IAO131
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I think you're making a weak analysis. Is Walmart mainstream enough for you? Saw Chemical Wedding in the new releases.
[IMAGE REMOVED BY ADMINISTRATOR]Also, TOOL, grammy award winning band, make no secret of their usage of Crowleys teachings both on their website and at their shows. Why, the last show I attended bore a huge Star of Babalon projected on the stage.
[AN OVERTLY PORNOGRAPHIC IMAGE WAS POSTED ABOVE. THIS IS AGAINST FORUM POLICY. WE HAVE NOTHING AGAINST PORNOGRAPHY, BUT WON'T BE PERVAYORS OF IT ON THE WEB. WARNING APPENDED TO POST AUTHOR'S PROFILE. - Administrator.]
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@Uni_Verse said
"Exceed! Exceed!
(is what they read)
But ever unto Her
(is what is ...forgotten)"Great post.