Advice please?
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Greetings, all -
Aside from my initial introduction, this is my first post to the forum, and I am hoping to get some constructive answers and/ or advice from anyone who feels the urge to answer my inquiries below. I have been reading the forum posts for months now, and will admittedly say that a good chunk of the discussions are simply above what I can currently comprehend. While most of the topics are fascinating, I know that in order to better comprehend them, I need to start with understanding the basics of Crowley and Thelema in general.
I am a friend of a fellow member of the forum. He introduced me to a few of Crowley’s works, and to Thelema in general in 2006. Since then, I have been immersing myself in books about/ by Crowley, as well as other recommended texts on the Qabalah and Magick (Fortune’s “The Mystical Qabalah”, Regardie’s “The Tree of Life”). All of these texts have been fascinating to me. I feel, though, that while the information in these texts is invaluable, there needs to be some sort of cohesive order that should be followed in discovering them. I feel that I progressed into areas that are way above my comprehension out of pure interest, when I should have concentrated on the foundation texts of Thelema.
So, with this being said, where to start? Other than “The Book of the Law”, what are the fundamental Crowley “must reads”? Or, the fundamental must reads by anyone else that can help further along my solid understanding of Thelema in general? Any recommendations would be thoroughly appreciated. Thanks.
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@Pendragon said
"So, with this being said, where to start? Other than “The Book of the Law”, what are the fundamental Crowley “must reads”? Or, the fundamental must reads by anyone else that can help further along my solid understanding of Thelema in general? Any recommendations would be thoroughly appreciated. Thanks."
93 Pendragon,
Since you've already been exposed to Liber CCXX, you would do well to now read Libri XC & X followed by Libri LXV & VII.
www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib90.html
www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib10.html
www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/Liber65.pdf
www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/Liber7.pdf
729
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For fundamental Crowley works, I'd start with Crowley's comments on the Book of the Law (The Law is for All is a handy book in this regard). If you can track down a copy of Magick Without Tears, that's another book which can lead you deeper into some practical aspects of Thelema.
The documents Arsihsis mentioned are valuable and interesting, but perhaps a bit esoteric for someone new to Thelema.
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@Pendragon said
"After scouring the web, it appears that finding a relatively cheap copy of Magick Without Tears is virtually improbable"
www.hermetic.com/crowley/mwt_contents.html
729
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I got me a cheap copy a few years ago off of Amazon. It's a really good book since it delves into a variety of subjects.
Joe
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Most of Crowley's best-known works are available on the Web in PDF format. Two added benefits of PDFs are the Find and Search features.
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@Ankhhape said
"I think Pendragon (nice nick choice by the way) wants to know which books in what order would be most beneficial towards understanding Thelema, as I would also be interested in?"
The only text I'd add that I didn't include in my original response would be Liber CDXVIII.
www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/Liber418.pdf
729
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That's kinda graduate work, doncha think?
I essentially never recommend Magick in Theory & Practice, Book of Lies, or Vision & the Voiice until someone is solidly grounded and well established.
My recommendations depend entirely on what someone's real interest is. People get drawn to Crowley's work from a variety of points of view. But the work he specifically created for beginners - one of the few where he really wrote to and for beginners, and the most mature expression of his thought - was Magick Without Tears. That, and one of the good editions of his commentaries on Liber L. (preferably the Regardie edition of The Law is For All if you can find it somewhere; but more or less any edition) gives the most approachable access to Thelema and to Crowley's magical perspective that I know.
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93,
Thanks Jim, and to all the rest of you for your tips! I look forward to discovering these works. Any questions that may arise during my reading will be posted for discussion, as your input can only help me to better understand the basics of Thelema and Crowley in general. Much thanks!
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Diving straight into thelema may be unwise, I suspect the basic theory of hermeticism and ritual magick in general are best learned from other authors.
The chapters in book 4 on the weapons and furnitiure of the temple are suitable to beginers. But the Kabbaah and the tables from 777 and number theory are almost inpenatrable. Especially learnig basic kabbapah first is a must. I recomend The witches Qabbalah, as a very simlpified explination of the tree of life, and a way to employ it in practice. Also the Kabballah unveiled by elizabeth claire prophet, its not thelema to be sure, an understanding of the Kabballah ans esoteric christianity do feed into Thelema. I would also recommend Promethius Rising or undoing yourself by Christopher hyatt, and liber kaos by petter caroll, not to mention a broad base of different esoteric systems, learn basics of hindu, buddhism, gnostic christianity, and sufism. And learn the teaching of chaos/discrodianism, That truth is relative, beliefs are tools not ends in themsleves. (this can be applied to the tree of life, every sepheroith has a belief paradigm thatmay well contradict of conflict the others, the middle pillar sythesizes and transcends opposite paradigms.)
Any way once all that is very well established in your mind, you can almost understand what Crowley is talking about, most of the time, until he drops abscure names, riddles, and poems form his time, or just plain talks all around what he means but will not come out and say it.
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@Jim Eshelman said
"That's kinda graduate work, doncha think?
I essentially never recommend Magick in Theory & Practice, Book of Lies, or Vision & the Voiice until someone is solidly grounded and well established.
My recommendations depend entirely on what someone's real interest is. People get drawn to Crowley's work from a variety of points of view. But the work he specifically created for beginners - one of the few where he really wrote to and for beginners, and the most mature expression of his thought - was Magick Without Tears. That, and one of the good editions of his commentaries on Liber L. (preferably the Regardie edition of The Law is For All if you can find it somewhere; but more or less any edition) gives the most approachable access to Thelema and to Crowley's magical perspective that I know."
93,
Im not sure why so many people say this - if anyone actually takes the time to read Magick Without Tears there are just as many if not more obscure references to other parts of his works, obscure texts, etc. Also the topics he covers are usually tangential and unrelated to just abotu everything else in his work (Vampires, for example) and so gives a strange sort of spread of what Crowley cared about. In short I dont think its a good beginner's book! Also its format lends it itself to pointless rambling which happens often - sort of amusing but not the most informative. Really, theres just as much point to give someone Book of Lies than Magick Without Tears - I am sure 90% of both will go straight over their heads but the little they do glean will show them theres something worthwhile to be studied.
IAO131
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The first book I ever read from Crowley was "Magick in Theory and Practice"; I must say the book. especially the theory part, immediately resonated with me! maybe because he spoke in a technical language I found appealing, this is probably what most attracts me to Crowley's work.
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" Diving straight into thelema may be unwise, I suspect the basic theory of hermeticism and ritual magick in general are best learned from other authors.
The chapters in book 4 on the weapons and furnitiure of the temple are suitable to beginers. But the Kabbaah and the tables from 777 and number theory are almost inpenatrable. Especially learnig basic kabbapah first is a must. I recomend The witches Qabbalah, as a very simlpified explination of the tree of life, and a way to employ it in practice. Also the Kabballah unveiled by elizabeth claire prophet, its not thelema to be sure, an understanding of the Kabballah ans esoteric christianity do feed into Thelema. I would also recommend Promethius Rising or undoing yourself by Christopher hyatt, and liber kaos by petter caroll, not to mention a broad base of different esoteric systems, learn basics of hindu, buddhism, gnostic christianity, and sufism. And learn the teaching of chaos/discrodianism, That truth is relative, beliefs are tools not ends in themsleves. (this can be applied to the tree of life, every sepheroith has a belief paradigm thatmay well contradict of conflict the others, the middle pillar sythesizes and transcends opposite paradigms.)
Any way once all that is very well established in your mind, you can almost understand what Crowley is talking about, most of the time, until he drops abscure names, riddles, and poems form his time, or just plain talks all around what he means but will not come out and say it. "
Thanks for the title suggestions - it seems that with my admitted inexperience, understanding these basic theories may be a more realistic place to start.
So far, I do find that Magick Without Tears is pretty intelligible to Crowley "newbie"; not nearly as cryptic as some of his other works I have attempted to read. This, along with the other suggested works, will keep me busy for quite a while. Thanks again to all of you for the advice.