College of Thelema: Thelemic Education

93,

@Kingsolomon said

"I dont know, The oto tells me you can do anything with magick, "

Not a criticism, just an observation:

As someone who's been hanging around magical orders for a while, let me give you quick suggestion to avoid confusion in the future. Please recognize that "the O.T.O." isn't telling you that. (At least, not so simplistically). Some people you know who happen to be in the O.T.O. are perhaps telling you that. Don't confuse what some members say (even high degree members) with organizational policy or doctrine, no matter what Order you belong to.

Note that I am not commenting at all on what was said, just the general principle of how to interpret certain kinds of comments.

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David

93

When I last touched base with the owners (around 2004), it was still in the hands of the MacGillivray family. Ronald MacGillivray died in 2002--his illness was one reason the family shut down the B and B--but I believe his wife Annette still owns the property. As I understand it, they are the descendents of the Lovat and Fraser clans who were the ancestral owners of the property. My current understanding is that the house is NOT open as a B and B at this point.

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David

93,

What posture are you using for meditation? If you are using a sitting or standing position, you might experiment with lying flat on your back, hands at your sides, to see if that makes a difference. Also, if you are
using a sitting or standing position, make sure that your head is facing straight forward, so that if your eyes were open you would be staring straight ahead. There is a tendency for people to roll their head backward slightly, creating a muscle tension that can cause the effect you describe. (Residual tension in the shoulders can also cause this feeling.)

Once you've tried these things, let me know if you still have the tingling. Meanwhile, if you do have the tingling, I'd suggest that you don't try to channel it "down the spine" as you describe.

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David

@Uni_Verse said

"During my meditation, I often get a tingling sensation in the back of my head (for lack of a better explanation).

Recently, as I meditate, it reaches a point that is almost painful and causes discomfort. As a result, I have begun channeling the energy downward along my spine.

The result has been shorter mediation periods, however it feels more "satisfying."

My question is as so:
Are there any precautions I should take when doing something like this?
Or suggestions."

93,

Here's an example of a situation in which knowledge of the color scales might come in handy. Say you've decided to do some astral scrying, and you want to explore the sephira Hod. Using whatever technique you prefer, you arrive at a landscape ablaze with orange hues. Since you know that orange is the the color of Hod in the Queen scale, you have one bit of evidence that you may be on the right track.

Another example: You're designing a ritual to invoke the energies of one of the Sephiroth. By using the four color scales in conjunction with corresponding Aztiluthic, Briatic, Yetziratic and Assiatic names, you can more effectively (with practice) move the energy down through the 4 Worlds.

There are probably thousands of other techniques I could list where the color scale are useful. I just wanted to give you a couple common ones.

And a general tip: I'd suggest that for now, you let go of ideas about what you "should" find in your astral exploration, and just experiment a bit, taking good notes! Some Tarot meditations might be another good way to begin to attune yourself to the various colors and their attributions.

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David

93,

@phoinix93 said

" But when rising on the plains should all the colors be of the same scale if you have a definite destination? would it be possible to get diferent scales of the same sphere? or am i doing something wrong?"

Which specific technique are you using, and what is your goal?

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David

93,

@phoinix93 said

"93 Everyone,

My question is this, what is the significance of the color scales such as the king and queen scales ect? Do these colors hold a certain level of importance? Say if things of the colors of the king scale in the sphere of Jupiter where more prominent than those of the queen scale?"

The color scales, King, Queen, Prince, Princess, represent the Four Qabalistic "Worlds" of Atziluth, Briah, Yetzirah, and Assiah, respectively. Simply put, these Worlds describe the progression of Creation, from the most ineffable (Atziluth) to the most physical, manifest realities (Assiah). Most of us probably don't think of the Color Scales in terms of "importance", one over the other. It's more about selecting the scale that corresponds to our intended magical purpose.

You can find out more about color scales in "The Golden Dawn", and many other books that discuss the basics of Qabalah and the Tree of Life.

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David

93,

@SophiaLux said

" Does anyone have a way that they go about overcoming deeply-rooted, but essentially unhelpful ideas about what "should" be done in order to take specific action. "

You've certainly gotten some good advice already, but I thought I'd throw in one more thing about unraveling the "shoulds": Ask yourself what it would mean about you as a person if you did the "right" thing, and what it would mean about you as a person if you did the "wrong" thing. Don't censor yourself when answering these questions--let the "automatic" responses come. By doing this, you may expose (and therefore understand, and possibly begin to heal) a deeper level of identity-clinging, shame, fear, and so on.

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David

Kenneth,

93

@Techpries said

"
Mein question is, what is a good way to get the mind to accept the symbolic system of qabbalah as it's own symbolic roadmap? Tell me your experiences, advice, etc."

In my own experience, corroborated by the experiences of those I've observed, this is a gradual, progressive process of assimilation. It's a combination of intellectual study, meditation on the spheres and paths of the Tree of Life, and most importantly, consistent and long-term application of all the above to our own life experiences, inner and outer. To me, it's less about "making the mind accept" the system, and more about living with the system so that its truths become self-evident.

Crowley has some useful suggestions, in Magick Without Tears IIRC, such as the practice of classifying all our day-to-day experiences into one or another sphere or path on the Tree. Orange leaves draw our mind to the sphere of Hod, the moon reminds us of Yesod, the angry guy on the freeway is associated with Geburah, and so on. It's the "Qabalah as filing cabinet" model.

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David

93,

Everyone will have a natural "slant", of course, and accordingly, they'll bring their own ingenuity to the situation. However, the A.'.A.'. system will require them, at least, to cover the materials already in the system. Any "outside" practices will be done in addition to, and not instead of, the core curriculum. This has a balancing effect. That is, they will be challenged to experiment with certain practices that might fall outside their natural interests and strengths. Otherwise, there would be a danger of becoming more imbalanced by enhancing one's strengths and ignoring one's weaknesses. The most striking example of this is the co-existence of ceremonial work and yoga. Many people will naturally prefer one over the other, but to advance through the grades, everyone has to experiment with, and display some degree of mastery over, both of them.

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David

@Halcyon said

" What I'm considering here is the idea that this seems allow th student the chance to personalize the work to themselves in a way that many other systems don't. This seems a powerful concept as it should allow people to "slant" their approach to those methods they find the most natural - be they hermetic, ritual, what have you."

Dear Halcyon,

93

Quick answer: There are some places where mastery of the result is required, and others where one clearly needs to be well-versed with a specific technique or other material from an official Liber. Regardless, I can't imagine a situation where anyone would be discouraged from experimentation with "outside" materials, as long as the criteria described above were met.

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David

@Halcyon said

"Hi,

I have a question regarding the A. A work for someone who knows about such things. Each grade has certain tasks and tests that the student must master, and for each grade certain texts (the various libri for example) are recommended. I'm curious to know if the student is in any way constrained or discouraged from choosing texts and techniques from outside this body of work? I.e. am I right to assume that the student can follow his/her own intuitions/judgments in selecting particular non-crowley derived techniques to work at so long as they lead to the mastery of the tasks required for their grade?

For example Astral Projection could be approached from the method in Liber 0, or using something akin to the "Llewellyn Guide to AP", or the student might devise their own approach.

This understanding seems in line with Crowley's comments regarding his approach, but I'd be interested to hear peoples views.

Regards,
Joe."

93,

Interesting points.

It seems to me that if we consider the full set of "deities" in the Thelemic pantheon, as described (or maybe "embodied?) in Liber AL, we get quite a range of psychological material to work with. That is, (obviously oversimplifying here) we get Nuit's gentle lovingness, Hadit's brisk assertiveness, and RHK's fiery passion. Taking just these as an example, we've got pretty much a full spectrum of behavior accounted for. In other words, I think there's plenty of Ego-side as well as Shadow-side material here! It just depends on the individual. One person might have suppressed their RHK-like qualities, and thus their Shadow is more like "him". Another might have disowned or ignored a softer, nurturing side, and thus their Shadow is more like Nuit. I agree with you that HPK embodies plenty of "opposite of RHK" qualities as well.

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David

93,

Let me pick up on one particular aspect of your post--the "solitude" of the Hero's quest, or the ascent of the Tree.

I think you may be overlooking the inherently social and "evolutionary" quality of the seemingly solitary Hero. Sure, he goes on the Quest by himself. But then he returns to ** better** society with the fruits of his efforts, e.g. the "gold" he has retrieved from the faraway land, etc.. I see it as the story of human growth and evolution, pure and simple.

Furthermore, we are IMO creating a mythic environment in our group magical work, in which we strive together to undertake the Hero's quest. We have symbols (and specific myths) relating to trials, dangers, allies in the quest, maps of the "journey", and so on.

None of this is intended to invalidate your own subjective experience of the "coldness" of apparent myth-lessness. I guess I just feel it differently.

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David

93 Edward,

I'll bet you're just shocked that I chose to respond to this particular post.

Consider a broader (or maybe more vague?) definition of "myth". For example, we have a fairly well developed "mythology" about the aspirant's process up the Tree of Life. It's a virtual retelling of the basic Hero's Journey (Parsifal et al). We have the "mythology" of the reception of Liber AL itself, echoing many other stories about the reception of holy books. We have "stories" about the interaction of gods and humans, spelled out in places such as Nuit's speech behind the veil in the Mass, to name one prominent example.

Ancient myths (as we now call them) were originally perceived not as fables, but as realities. The gods were real beings, actually guiding and interacting with humanity. A thousand years from now, someone will be looking back at us and will clearly see our "myths". I argue that our present task in myth-hunting in Thelemic culture is to look at those processes we take as very REAL (e.g. the psycho-spiritual realities embedded in our understanding of the Tree, the HGA, etc.) and stand back far enough to see the stories taking shape.

Besides all the above, I also would argue that many of the classical myths, such as those of the Egyptian deities with whom we work, are quite effective in stimulating engagement with the mysteries.

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David

@Edward Mason said

"I'm currently reading Jung's 1950 book <i>Aion</i> which, in rather dense prose, explores the Christ figure as an archetype of the Self: the whole and realised being or Beingness that, for Qabalists, emerges in the experience of Tiphereth. Jung being essentially a gnostic, he has some fascinating ideas on the dark side of God to expound here.
What strikes me is that the Thelemic deities, unlike those of any other faith, have no myths. Myths create a doorway for us as a means of entering into the truths they embody. That is, there's a story with which we can identify, and which thus enables us to establish our own contact with the deity or deities.
We can invoke them, either by simply reading Liber L or by more elaborate ritual means, but we don't have a more straightforward means of accessing their energies. In the end, I imagine, we end up living out the myths simply by attuning ourselves over long periods to Ra-Hoor-Khuit, Nuit, et al, but this seems an emotionally cold process until the realisations have truly kicked in.
If there's a story, as there is with a myth, then there is a point of identification for us. The Thelemic gods, though, are just there - take 'em or leave 'em. The related Egyptian myths (Horus beating Set, or the tales about Nut/Nuit) are usually discounted as only partly applying to the characters in Liber L.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?

In L.V.X.,
Edward"

93

@ar said

"

He did once, in reference to the scheme of the Tarot in the Book of Thoth. "

Where? It's not ringing a bell for me.

" 777 also lists them in reference to their positions on the zodiac."

Here, as with many of the surrounding columns, Crowley is just listing traditional correspondences. I am not aware of him ever using these (meaning the Mansions, specifically) in a practical sense.

"I guess what I'm getting at is, how do they fit in the scheme of the Qabalah/Tarot? Are they valid at all? Or are they like the planetary hours in that they don't reflect a verifiable part of astrology?"

I'm not aware of any empirical data on the use of these, either ritually or astrologically. Of course, "validity" in our line of Work can be somewhat subjective. And again, I don't use them, nor do I use the planetary hours, because in my opinion, they are of highly questionable merit.

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David

93,

I don't use them, nor do I recall anyone ever telling me they did. I don't think Crowley ever referenced them either.

So, while I'm not aware of any broader data on this, my sense is that this is a little used system in modern occultism. This is not necessarily because of the Aeonic changeover, however, which your question seems to reference.

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David

@ar said

"Magick, at least in the West, seems to be far more Solar than Lunar. I've been reading up on the Mansions of the Moon and I'd like to know what role, if any do they play in the Western Mysteries, post 1904?

Dan"

93,

IMO, any gentle shuffling will do, followed by a mindful cut. Some traditions prescribe a specific method of cutting. Also, keep in mind that Crowley and others generally did readings with all the cards upright--no upside down cards in the layout--determining "malignant" effects of the cards purely by their being "ill-dignified" (placed near cards with energies not harmonious with their own, etc.)

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David

@Malaclypse said

"Excuse me, but how should one shuffle the deck? When I found out the cards had different meanings if they fell face down or up I started to first shuffle them in my hands and extended that to also rotating them in a mess on the floor before me before I picked them up. Is that sufficient? I'm asking mostly because I don't want to ruin my wonderful Thoth deck."

Hi Sasha,

93

I never used that specific practice. I just began the "standard" pranayama exercises in a very gradual way to ease into them. For example, beginning with easy timing of inbreath and outbreath, and no holding of the breath. I would say that exercises of the sort you describe can't hurt, and might help, depending on the specific individual's constitution and overall readiness.

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David

@Sasha said

"Vivekananda recommends a sort-of pre-pranayama exercise in Raja Yoga (page 24). It involves 3 or 5 alternate-nostril breathing cycles 4 times/day in order to purify the nerves, which should occur within a month of practice.

I began this practice some time ago, seeing as how I wasn't yet sufficiently advanced in asana to start pranayama proper.

Has anyone else practiced this? If so, have you gained any benefit from doing so? Or have any advice on this practice?"

93,

@Her said

"The story of the reception is almost a matter of faith because you have to take Crowley's word for it. That's hardly scientific. "

Keep in mind, though, that Crowley went to great lengths (see Equinox of the Gods) to demonstrate what he considered to be the "scientific" (or otherwise empirical) evidence for the authenticity of the process of the reception of AL, e.g. explaining the statistical unlikelihood of the chain of events, the numerical correspondences and apparent "predictions" in the book itself, and so on.

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David

93,

@Fraterdeen said

"1. Can you confuse subconscious with different symbols?"

I’m not sure I understand your question. Can you please clarify?

"2. Is there any symbols sets that conflict with each other?"

Sure. It is usually best to choose an internally consistent symbol system for meditation, especially when you’re just getting started. The good news is that we have some good options for this! (Tarot, QBL, etc.)

"3. What is a god form?"

God-forms are images of deities that are used to “overlay” the physical body in magical ceremonies, in order to increase your identification with the desired energy.

"4. Can you use the Atus as types of god forms by backing yours self in to the images and letting your consciousness take there shape?"

I’m not sure I’d use the term “god-form” in this case, but regardless, it is certainly one technique that has been widely used as a means of exploring the images of the Tarot.

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David

93,

Note: Nothing I'm about to say should be taken to imply any positive or negative judgment about the people or lineages mentioned.

While I haven't met anyone personally claiming this, there seem to be some initiates out there claiming descent from C.S. Jones and from Grady McMurtry. There are also a couple living individuals claiming their own lineages, possibly related to those mentioned above, but it wouldn't be appropriate to "out" them in a public forum.

I'm not aware of any living lineage(s) descended from Frank Bennett. He seemed to drift away from Thelema (or at least from "active duty") after his return to Australia post-Cefalu.

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David

@Kiyohar said

"93

How many lineages are there? i was reading "The eye in the triangle" and it made me realize that only a handful of Crowley's students were able to make any real progress.
So far i can only think of Wolfe and Motta lineages. Did Frank Bennet make one?

93 93/93"