College of Thelema: Thelemic Education

@Peacedog2012 said

"Hello all,

Being new to the Western traditions I am looking for information on rituals involving mercury, sulphur and salt as the major focus. Can anyone recommend any books, or other points of reference, to research this? I am primarily interested in ritual work and not really all that interested in alchemical preparations such as tinctures and other laboratory prepared compounds.

Thank you,

Peacedog"

The following is excerpted from Ch. XX of Crowley's Magick In Theory & Practice

@Crowley said

"The Eucharist of three elements has for basis the symbols of the three Gunas. For Tamas (darkness) take opium or nightshade or some sleepy medicine; for Rajas (activity) take strychnine or other excitant; for Sattvas (calm) the cakes of Light may again be suitable."

...& see the excerpt below from The Book of Thoth, which I include simply as an explanatory note to the above:

@Crowley said

"The Gunas are represented in European philosophy by the three qualities, sulphur, mercury and salt..."

@Meletiros said

"Is there any correspondence between these ancient decans and the paths and images of the Thoth Tarot?"

The decans correlate to the 36 pip cards when the court cards are excluded. For a Thoth deck spin-off which places more emphasis on the decans see Liber T: Tarot of Stars Eternal.

@Jim Eshelman said

"
@Zafero Berr said
"If a candidate who is **joining the masons **(that's the title!!) requests *The Book of the Law *as his VSL, which edition would you use if you had a choice and where would you open the Book at for the ceremony?"

Personally, I'd pick the hard cover Holy Books of Thelema."

seconded!

@RobertAllen said

"If the notion of suppressing orgasm as a spiritual practice is something you want to learn more about, you might want to check out the writings of Ida Craddock. Some important essays and pamphlets of hers can be found at:

www.idacraddock.com

love and will"

While celibacy did indeed form part, it was not the defining element of Craddock's system. For instance:

"But asceticism should never be an ultimate aim. It is useful only as furnishing a gateway to higher, purer, more refined and more spiritual, as well as more enduring, sense-pleasures." (Psychic Wedlock)

Craddock prescribed a 3 degree system which consists of celibacy followed by suppression of ejaculation & finally prolonged orgasm.

I presented this same problem to my music partner who is a professor of literature. He said that Tolkien condemned his contemporaries who employed metaphor & analogy in their work. Apparently he was primarily interested in producing what he considered a creative masterpiece with no intentional double-meaning, but it is also possible that in his attempt to do so he gave voice to several classic Archetypal motifs from his own unconscious within which the entire western world might find meaning.

729

@JPF said

"Think of it this way: we don't live on the sun."

"In order to get this mental picture of the ever-shining Sun, what did you do? You identified yourself with the Sun. You stepped out of the consciousness of this planet; and for a moment you had to consider yourself as a Solar Being."

hermetic.com/browe-archive/achad/misc/Stepping%20out%20of%20the%20old%20aeon.htm

729

I haven't done much work with runes, but in the little exposure I have had to them I do recall, IIRC, that to each rune is attributed Norse deity. Following the lead of 777 it shouldn't be too difficult allocate them to the Tree.

"for who doth not understand these runes shall make a great miss" - L. II:27

729

@Jim Eshelman said

"If you also found one on The Hierophant, I'd be impressed! "

Its on the roof of his mouth.

729

www.amazon.com/Tree-Life-Chayyim-Introduction-Kabbalah/dp/0979597102/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284387307&sr=1-1

I've been reading the Menzi/Padeh translation of Chayyim Vital's introduction to Luria's system, Etz Chayyim, & while reading the section on Olam ha-Nekudim I was struck by the similarities between Vital's description thereof & Crowley's Vision of the Star Sponge ...anyone else think there might be a plausible connection there?

729

Thank you for the informative posts as well as your encouragement of my career with the Craft.

Do you know if there are any legitimate Memphis Misraïm bodies still extant & conferring the degrees?

729

93,

On the summer solstice of this year I took my Entered Apprentice degree at Tupelo Lodge 318 & last night I was passed to the degree of Fellowcraft. In the next month or so I'll be raised to the degree of Master Mason & as I approach that event I grow ever more interested in the Rites that will be open to me following it.

I am quite familiar with York & Scottish Rites & fully intend to take their degrees once they become available to me, but about the 92 degrees of the Ancient and Primitive Rite of Memphis Misraïm I can find very little, & my brethren at the Lodge seem to know less about it than do I.

It is my hope that some of the participants here might have some past experience with the Rite or knowledge thereof ...any input is welcome.

729

93 93/93

@Jim Eshelman said

"
@Arsihsis said
"I am curious to know the sources for columns CXLIX, CL, & CLI in *Liber 777 *(The Magical Images of the Decans). Also, rows 11 & 17 of column CLXXXI (Correct Designs of Tarot Trumps) are particularly odd designs for Atu 0 & VI. I'd be interested to know their origin as well."

Golden Dawn papers."

Did they inherit the images from S.R.I.A. or did the images originate with the Golden Dawn? As far as I can discern they bear little resemblance to the Egyptian images of the same.

729

I am curious to know the sources for columns CXLIX, CL, & CLI in *Liber 777 *(The Magical Images of the Decans). Also, rows 11 & 17 of column CLXXXI (Correct Designs of Tarot Trumps) are particularly odd designs for Atu 0 & VI. I'd be interested to know their origin as well.

Thanks in advance for any help.

729

@Malaclypse said

"What does it mean in a magical sense?"

...probably not what you're seeking but 52 is the gematria of Tetragrammaton spelled in full.

729

The Greeks attributed the seven planets to the seven modes:

Sol = Dorian (modern Phrygian)
Luna = Hypodorian (modern Aeolian)
Mercury = Hypophrygian (modern Locrian)
Venus = Hypolydian (modern Ionian)
Jupiter = Lydian
Saturn = Mixolydian (modern Iocrian)

729

The following link discusses the degrees of O.T.O. up through P.'.I.'. & their relation to the chakras:

www.oto-uk.org/OTO-membership.ph

729

this is different!

lib.oto-usa.org/agape/agape.9.3-4.pdf

...see essay Cakes of Light and the Buzz about Beeswing by Sister Beth Kimbell on page 8

729

It might be helpful to note that A.'.A.'. is a *work before *system meaning that the Work of the Grade is done before it is conferred. The Path of Tau leads one into the Grade of Zelator which opens one up to *Yetzirah *& therefore more fully to the Astral Plane. To my understanding this is why mastery of the Astral is required before one is more or less permenantly opened up to it.

729

www.amazon.com/General-Principles-Astrology-Aleister-Crowley/dp/0877289085/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275765614&sr=8-1

729