College of Thelema: Thelemic Education

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

The first question, I think, is whether a given celebration of the Mass is being construed as a magical ritual, a religious observance, some combination, or something else.

If it is being performed as a magical ritual, then reasonable magical protocols should be used. If it isn't being worked as a magical ritual, then other considerations may outweigh.

Personally, I believe it should be done. This does not, however, mean that it necessarily should be done before profane witnesses. I have sympathy with the "it isn't in the script" point of view - but only to a point. In 11 years of performing monthly masses, I would always perform a Banishing Pentagram ritual before Mass - but completely out of sight of those attending (either in the room before anyone else was admitted, or behind the veil while they were convened out front - depending on the arrangement).

The official Temple of Thelema mass calls for preparation of the place (including a Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram and other prep) before anyone is admitted to the space, and then a Lesser Invoking Pentagram Ritual during the mass itself.

@Forever93 said

"I'm wondering if Jim (or other folks who had contact with Phylis and/or Jane Wolf) has any info on whether banishings were performed before Mass at the original Agape Lodge in AC's day; whether there is any reason to think that AC had a specific opinion in the matter; and whether it is practiced today within TOT, which as I understand it does celebrate the Mass."

I have no information on what was done either in Cefalu or Agape Lodge - I never thought to ask. If there is something, say, in Phyllis' biography of Jane, then I've forgotten it over the years.

"I'm also wondering, peripherally, about the role that Mass plays within TOT."

It's one of several public rituals that a warranted Temple is entitled to perform. The C.O.T. corporate by-laws describe it as "an official rite of religious celebration performed within the Temple of Thelema." It is related to the formal ecclesiastical hierarchy of Temple of Thelema and is part of the larger circle of sacraments which Hierophants and Bishops are entitled to administer.

I really don't have any other information that would be useful in confirming this. The provenance issue never really mattered to me one way or the other (and, actually, I can't think of a reason it matters to me now) - so I tossed in what I know, but am not likely to spend any more energy on it.

@Forever93 said

"Either version of the story would have it that AC was in some sense inspired by a performance of an Orthodox Mass, which he would've had the opportunity to do when he was touring in Russia with the "Ragged Ragtime Girls""

Exactly. And we know for sure that this is specifically when he was inspired to write the Gnostic Mass.

"OTOH, it seems that while he may have been inspired by an Orthodox Mass, AC largely based the actual structure and wording of the Gnostic Mass on the Tridentine Mass -- ie, the Roman heresy's pre-Vatican II liturgy."

I hve a note that St. Basi's form of the mass contains both Tridentine Mass and Mass of the Catechumens structures.

[quiote]Before studying the Tridentine Mass, I made myself a little crazy trying to figure out how AC could have derived Liber XV from any of the "St Basil's Liturgies" that I'd seen; the idea that he had seen such a Mass but was working from a more readily-available text of the Tridentine Mass seems the most reasonable conclusion."

I think the key is that it is not from a liturgy prepared (or even alleged to hvae been prepared) by St. Basil, but rather from the mass as practiced at St. Basil's in Russia.

"No. The chakras have always been locked into the underlying Masonic system (just consider the penal signs of the three Craft Degrees for starters)."

Seems like a little bit of a stretch, or simply a desire to read one symbolic set onto another, but I can understand the interpretation.

"With respect to the O.T.O., Crowley wrote the degree correspondences to the chakras in his personal copy of The Equinox and those marginalia (having been typed up by Germer) became the basis of 1970s attention."

I remember reading that Crowley found attributions but that he hadn't left anything in the way of details. Interesting to know that he had done degree attributions.

A bit rambling, but I am also very tired... that having been said; I am quite involved in Lurianic (which is actually "Zoharic") Kabbalah (albeit in its more radical and heretical forms) and would emphasize that in ALL the Lurianic Writings, the Holy ARI ("The Lion" and also the ONLY Kabbalist ever given the monicker "Alohi" as in Alohi Rabbi Izaak, i.e. ARI... later changed by the Orthodoxy ,i.e. the "Erev Rav" to Ashkenazi Rabbi Izaak to downplay his Angelic Nature), OBM, without fail; indicates that any use of Images to express the sexual interactions between the G_dly forces are strictly to "suit the eyes" of the student, just as the use of Words is only intended to "suit the ears" of the student. The Holy Ari, OBM, strongly warns that the higher concepts can only be alluded to by these Finite methods of communication based in the Physical Human senses. They are ONLY used to "foster understanding" in the student.

One should consider that the very "Shattering of the Vessels", or "Death of the Kings of Edom" coincides with the blasphemous attempt at limiting that which is boundless; by the Creation, Formation, and Actualization of Words and Images which occurred with the blasphemous utterance of the Ineffable Name "by the Divinity itself". So, yes, I am saying the Creative Fiat was a Left-handed action. The Lurianic writings most surely indicate that the Sexual Potencies are in no way dependent upon any Imagery whatsoever; but that the Secret Doctrine of said Potencies often requires the use of such Imagery to be even remotely understood by the student who has not directly experienced "Unifications" (Yehudim) with the Forces via the various "Couplings" (Zivvugim) symbolized by the interactions between Partzufim, and the various components of Holy Writ, per se.

"True" Lurianic Kabbalah is far more akin to Tantra (One of the "Gifts" given to the "Children of Keturah" by Abraham... "We are all related") than is commonly perceived. The conundrum is the usual assumption that the Religious Orthodoxy promotes the True Lurianic Kabbalah. We know that the holder of the Luyrianic Writings or "Kitvei Ha'ARIZAL" (Schmuel Vital) was directly involved with the Chelebi Raphael Joseph who received some of the first letters from Nathan of Gaza, OBM. Schmuel Vital read and voiced no opposition to "The Prophet" who was considered the reincarnation (Gilgul) of the Holy ARI, OBM... and the Holy ARI, OBM was considered the reincarnation of Schimeon Bar Yochai, OBM; the composer of the Zohar or "Spiritual Oral Torah"...

Thus, Schmuel Vital, OBM, was involved directly in the Sabbatian inner circle surrounding Nathan the Prophet, OBM. The Orthodoxy and particularly the Hasidim ignore this...

This circle felt strongly (as did the majority of the World's Jewish population) that Shabtai Tzvi housed the "Messiah" within his Physical Vehicle, and that Yeshu (Jesus) had been the "Qliphah of the Messiah". The paradigm promoted by the Messiah speaking through Shabtai Tzvi (AMIRaH), before he was occulted away to Tifaret, and later absorbed into the Sefirotic configuration; was the Talmudic maxim, "Mitzvah Ha'Ba'ah Ba'Averah" or "The Violation of the Law is its (True) Fulfillment" (semi-translated by Scholem as "Redemption through Sin"), and the related Theology developed by Nathan the Prophet, OBM; concerning the multi-level Aeonic Progression termed "Shemitah" becomes quite interesting in a Thelemic context...

P.S. My mother's ancestors were Polish Believers (Ma'aminim) or 'Frankists' that quite successfully hid their ancestry and beliefs behind a veneer of Catholicism, but were later assimilated. In Frankism the Potencies/Partzufim assumed Physical Form in the Body of the Believers, and this was the basis for some of the Sexual Rites. If it were not for such Rites I would not exist. So, there are many levels to the Partzufim.

Dennis

"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law."

Being very much a Lodge guy myself i am also a firm believer in Initiation.
In my eyes there is a big difference between keeping things private to acomodate futere Initiates into whatever Mysteries a Lodge might provide, and being secreteve about things in general.

When i got my Minerval and Man of Earth Degrees (i got the I:st the day after) i was affected fully despite having been Initiated into no more than 11 Orders (including Esoteric ones) of all kinds before that.

Despite the fact that i was fully aware of how Lodges (Magical or no) in general function the detail of the Ritual at hand where still unknown.

The way i see it Initiation to a large extent (even "non Mystical"...if there is such a thing) takes place at Neschama level, above the abyss if the tree is applied to the Psyche, and thus hidden to Ruach.

Hence you walk in blindfolded (and in some Orders tied) into a world largely unknown to you, in wich you can hardly act.

The Lodge / Temple room with its officers / furniture and so on can be symbolically applied to your psyche, Esoterically to Cosmology and on a lot of different stratas.

In my eyes it matters not (to much) if the Mysteries are screemed out in open. They can not fully be taken in without Initiation at some (not necessarily official) level.

A Mystery is a Mystery and must be experienced, it cant be told.
Besides, Orders often rewrite Ceremonies and in other cases have several versions of them (like Masonry).

Still, the element of surprise, of being unable to perform or say whats expected is taken away as well as the altered state of mind if the Ceremony is known beforehand.

One part of me think it´s good the GD material is out there, another think it´s deplorable. Yet a third will always think it´s not the same to do the LVX signs without prior Initiation into the GD. The symbolism might be there but the conection to the 5-6 Degree is not.

In short, if there was an Order created that tought only GD material exactly as it´s published but had worked out a formula by wich to Initiate original to themselves (= a Degree system and Rituals that was theirs but compatable to the material) i think its members would benefit.

The big secret after all is Initiation, not some strange "new and unknown" thing tought AFTER Initiation (in most cases).

I also think a successful Initiation goes on indefenetly in the Initiates life.

In short, even if you learn nothing new on a rational level becoming a Master Mason, you still benefit from having the Degree of Master Mason incorporated into your psyche.

Transmission, succsession, liminality, if thats not enough reason to get Initiated i dont know what is.

"Love is the law, love under will."

PS: Nota bene, i´m not saying Orders are for everyone. "Do what thou will".
"Every man and every woman is a star" and thus has a path peculiar to it self...even regarding Initiation. DS

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Two interpretations of 3, 5, 7.

First, the Paths on the Tree of Life valued at 3, 5, and 7 and those three - Gimel, Heh, and Zayin - which connect the three Supernals to Tiphereth.

Second - and more relevant to those instances where there are 7 steps taken, with pauses or parsing on the 3rd, 5th, and 7th - there are 7 steps up the Middle Pillar counting Paths and Sephiroth. Therefore, with the first step being Malkuth, the 3rd, 5th, and 7th are Yesod, Tiphereth, and Kether.