Regarding the A.'.A.'.(s?) & The Great Work: What Gives?
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I've found three different organizations online claiming to be the A.'.A.'.. Two of the websites have electronic contact options but my computer will not run the email software they use. What other ways are there to inquire? It seems like Crowley did not make initial contact difficult at all. Why is there so much secrecy?
Which one/ones to join? Why are there more than one? Which one's "the best" or most "authentic"?
I'm assuming joining the A.'.A.'.(s?) is the best way to practice the Great Work. Am I wrong? Are there other, more streamlined, ways (I don't mean fast and/or easy)? Even Magick Without Tears is cumbersome, and my intellectual capacities and are way beyond ordinary, and I have a strong foundation in samadhi practice.
What gives?
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After the death of Crowley, the A.'.A.'. split into separate lineages with no central leading figure. All of them claim one link or another to Crowley, the legitimacy of their claim you can investigate yourself when it's disclosed to you(you could probably ask from the Cancellarius of whichever lineage is closest to you).
Whereabouts generally do you live?(EDIT: just saw you're in Portland, can't help ya there. The lineage I'm working with is based out of the Midwest--unless of course the traveling was possible for you, the majority of the work is at a distance anywho)
But truly, when it comes down to it, it's less about "legitimacy as the one true A.'.A.'.", there is no one true A.'.A.'., as it is about doing the work which is laid out in easily obtainable books anyway. A teacher just offers information, reflection and guidance(if that's your thing).
93's.
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@P is for Pomegranate said
"(EDIT: just saw you're in Portland, can't help ya there. The lineage I'm working with is based out of the Midwest--unless of course the traveling was possible for you, the majority of the work is at a distance anywho)"
BTW, it would be nice if CoT worked this way because today we can use tools like Google Hangout, FaceTime, Skype, etc. I still hope someday they will open online classes. Seckler was worried about finding hard-working people and teaching them face to face, today we can do that through Internet.
Some inspiration:
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During my tenure as Chancellor of the college, I doubt we ever will do that. (We might. "Never say never," etc.)
Nothing replaces direct, in-person connection. It's not about data (which you can get from books). It's about direct contact. (The occult principle is called impaction.) Ultimately, that's the stuff that matters IMHO.
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@Jim Eshelman said
"During my tenure as Chancellor of the college, I doubt we ever will do that. (We might. "Never say never," etc.)
Nothing replaces direct, in-person connection. It's not about data (which you can get from books). It's about direct contact. (The occult principle is called impaction.) Ultimately, that's the stuff that matters IMHO."
Somewhere here you said you wrote a full correspondence course. If CoT and ToT teachings never spread in non-personal forms, I hope you release that course as an alternative
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@Alan Willms said
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@Jim Eshelman said
"Nothing replaces direct, in-person connection. It's not about data (which you can get from books). It's about direct contact. (The occult principle is called impaction.) Ultimately, that's the stuff that matters IMHO."Somewhere here you said you wrote a full correspondence course. If CoT and ToT teachings never spread in non-personal forms, I hope you release that course as an alternative
"I said that I designed one. (And I wrote some pieces of it.) But I never finished it. I came to the conclusion that it just wasn't going to do the job. I switched gears, and started upping our publication production instead. Black Pearl was one result, and my intervening books.
But still, there isn't anything entry level that I can confidently refer people to. I have had a true beginners' book half done for half a dozen years, and keep thinking of making it my priority - then other things get in line in front of it. My next book (currently in rewrite and polishing phase) will go a long way, because it is broadly more accessible to people at many levels including beginners, and includes a serious introduction to the world-view called Thelema.
And the best approach is still in person. In addition to initiation and ongoing participation in Temple of Thelema, the most effective tools we have are in-person teaching. I can't afford to travel everyplace I'd like - generally limiting it to locations where we have an active Temple or Pronaos, so that the expense serves multiple purposes - but I'm open to people in a locale setting up talks for me and flying me in for the occasion. (This was successfully done in Seattle a couple of years ago, and there are "strong maybes" about a couple of international locations this year.)
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@landis said
"I've found three different organizations online claiming to be the A.'.A.'.. Two of the websites have electronic contact options but my computer will not run the email software they use. What other ways are there to inquire? It seems like Crowley did not make initial contact difficult at all. Why is there so much secrecy?
"With email, I have found that with web addresses it is often set up for a separate mail client, while I know a lot (probably most) people use webmail and don't bother with POP clients and such. Just hover your cursor over the mail to link and manually type in the email address it says into your webmail.
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@Jim Eshelman said
"And the best approach is still in person. In addition to initiation and ongoing participation in Temple of Thelema, the most effective tools we have are in-person teaching. I can't afford to travel everyplace I'd like - generally limiting it to locations where we have an active Temple or Pronaos, so that the expense serves multiple purposes - but I'm open to people in a locale setting up talks for me and flying me in for the occasion. "
Wow!
I challenge anyone on this forum in sundry locales to accept Jim's offer.
Think about how you can build community around an event like this! Putting together a presentation by Jim Eshelman--founder and Grand Praemonstratetor of Temple of Thelema--will make you a star. You can practice leadership at a grand scale, and enliven and structuralize your own network of Thelemic/occult/magical connections.
Plus, Jim is just a two-bit whore when it comes to stuff like this--he's cheap and his mission is to spread it.
What is being offered to you--and I mean YOU who are reading this RIGHT NOW--is that if you can figure out a way to cover travel, room and board, the Visible Head of the Outer Order will come teach you and your friends, in person, anywhere in the world.* Plane tickets are cheap right now. Start talking to your friends, make this happen. Go for it without lust of result. Even a failed attempt to pull it off would be good for you.
Want to practice magick? Do this. Get excited, enroll a few others and watch it gain steam. Pick a date and location. Write Jim or ToT and indicate your interest. Open the dialogue. Pull on your end and we will push on ours. It's not that hard.
Do this, and you will be the talk of your town. You'll get laid and find true love. You'll have a reason to talk to that cute guy/girl you fancy. You'll grow in wisdom, riches and power.**
There are so many ways to go with this. Who knows, it could be the seed of a local Pronaos, and soon you'll be spreading it too.
"Fear not at all; fear neither men nor Fates, nor gods, nor anything. Money fear not, nor laughter of the folk folly, nor any other power in heaven or upon the earth or under the earth. Nu is your refuge as Hadit your light; and I am the strength, force, vigour, of your arms." AL III:17.
*Gratuity not included. Prices subject to change.
**Outcomes may vary.
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@David S. I gave serious consideration to pulling around 2k from savings and trying to get Jim to ATL. He said a while ago (think it was in the events forum) that if someone would fund the trip/talk he would come do the lecture. Personally, I'd just like face time with the guy, but after I started putting plans together, I realized that there would be an audience of 2-3 people max. This is mainly because I'm a loner when it comes to my philosophy down here in the bible belt. The Dove and Serpent Oasis is in Atlanta, but I wasn't sure that they'd be interested (also I don't know any of them). Over the course of the next month, I might be having an interview with Google. If that goes well, I have heard that I am required to spend some time on the west coast, and that I can work over there whenever I want. If this happens, I want to get involved in ToT.
@in person interaction. I am currently interning as a Montessori teacher. One of the first things I have learned about is how environment/medium influences learning. Creating the most effective environment for my students is priority #1. There are several things that must be taken into consideration: learning style, subject to be learned, etc. I fully get the principle of "impaction," however, there are uses for each medium of communication. Sure, more information (and unique information) can be transmitted from in-person teaching/mentoring. However, the same could be said about audio/video versus written. Each has it's benefits and downsides. How does the saying go? "A picture is worth 1000 words"? I felt this effect and wished to start a discussion in my thread about medium of communication. With the great strides in communication that we are making as a species, I see no reason why it wouldn't be well worth ToT or any other order's time to take full advantages of the resources available. (Disclaimer I'm not saying that ToT isn't at all, I'm saying that any additional tool: Twitter, Tumblr, Podcasts, Youtube, etc would be extremely effective in reaching more people).
just my two cents
