PBR announcing New Aeon 50+ years before Book of the Law?
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The second age of man, generally termed the Christian, has passed the limbo of time, and the third age, the Manistic, or age of Man, has set in. During this age man's concept of his powers, duties, morality and spirituality will change completely. Man will gradually come to accept his own personal responsibility for all his activities, whether of thoughts or acts. With this will come about a change as regards his powers and potencies and he will indeed become as one of the gods. As he resumes the responsibilities to true, virle manhood so will flow to him the rewards accruing to the strong, the brave and the free. This will mean for him first, manhood, ending in godhood and the Immortalization of his being. In the past age this has been the exception; in the present age it will become general. Paschal Beverly Randolph, 'Seership, Guide to the Soul', 1850
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Very interesting! I wonder if this is where Florence Farr got (at least partially) her ideas expressed in the Golden Dawn's Flying Roll 13:
*"Our civilisation has passed through the First Empire of pagan sensualism; and the Second Empire of mistaken sacrifice, of giving up our own consciousness, our own power of judging, our own independence our own courage. And the Third Empire is awaiting those of us who can see -- that not only in Olympus, not only nailed to the Cross, -- but in ourselves is God. For such of us, the bridge between flesh and spirit is built; for such among us hold the Keys of life and death.''
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(Written some time between 1890 and 1900, I think.) -
Paschal's an interesting figure. He was writing of sex magic long before the O.T.O. or Crowley.
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Randolph has been an important figure in the western Left Hand Path. Other sexmagicians before Crowley working with this tradition could also be pointed out: Cecilia Rodrigues, Joseph Antoine Boullan, Ida Craddock.
Joseph "Abbe" Boullan incidently were of the opinion that the age of the holy ghost had dawned on earth. There were prophets before Crowley..
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indeed one could make a good argument that Thelema is a form of radical protestant dispensationism.
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@Steven Cranmer said
"Very interesting! I wonder if this is where Florence Farr got (at least partially) her ideas expressed in the Golden Dawn's Flying Roll 13:
*"Our civilisation has passed through the First Empire of pagan sensualism; and the Second Empire of mistaken sacrifice, of giving up our own consciousness, our own power of judging, our own independence our own courage. And the Third Empire is awaiting those of us who can see -- that not only in Olympus, not only nailed to the Cross, -- but in ourselves is God. For such of us, the bridge between flesh and spirit is built; for such among us hold the Keys of life and death.''
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(Written some time between 1890 and 1900, I think.)"Makes that whole Aeon thing both inaccurate AND unoriginal.
93 93/93
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@Aum418 said
"Makes that whole Aeon thing both inaccurate AND unoriginal."
Maybe, but it's still a powerful metaphor that's been firing up in people's minds over the last 150 years or so. Much like the idea of Thelema and "Do what thou wilt," Crowley built something new and unique on top of the existing antecedents.
One of my favorite manifestations of this was Nietzsche's. In a postscript to The Antichrist, he made a short declaration that September 30, 1888 is to be renamed "the first day of year one" of the post-Christian era. I think this was the date that the writing of this book was completed. (After his death, Nietzsche's sister deleted this comment in many published versions of The Antichrist, but it's often restored in more recent editions.)
Steve
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The term aeon used in gnostic texts does not necessarily refer to the time period itself but rater with the general schema or theme under which a time period is most strongly influenced. It may also be that a particular aeon only effects or centers its effects on a particular race or ethnic location.
For example the yellow school worked a different formula in the the east than the aeon of Osiris. The Taoist would seem to have followed a different evolution from Judaism. Even if all the schools were influenced by the general formula, it would seem that the formula has lesser and greater impact on different people and places, and also that other sub-aeons have an effect, perhaps continuation of previous ages formula.
Wheels within wheels one might say, the very wheels on which the virgin Mary is ripped open, with Hadit the unknown axle of each.
In a sense one might say that every man and every woman is an a mini-aeon unto oneself.
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From Magick Without Tears
www.hermetic.com/crowley/mwt/mwt_06.html"3: This note is from Crowley's commentary to The Vision and the Voice (see references in note above). Also, in a marginal note to his copy of Equinox I (5), Crowley wrote against "... or if the three schools be not one." the remark: "They are. Θηριον 9°=2°", implying that having become a Magus he now did know this – T.S."
Also, it sounds as if you're conflating Taoism with the Yellow School.
Also from MWT:
"The Yellow School of Magick possesses one perfect classic. The Tao Teh King."
"Taoism has as little to do with the Tao Teh King as the Catholic Church with the Gospel."