@Swamiji said
"I really don't mean to self-promote, but I'm soon to have a book published that will deal with the I Ching through a focus on the Great Work and the perspective of a western magical practitioner ("The Magician's I Ching", coming out almost any time now)."
Please, self-promote away! 
I hadn't heard about your book, but now I can't wait to read it - *(http://www.amazon.com/Magicians-Ching-Swami-Anand-Nisarg/dp/1904658652:2zip7x7c)
This is awesome - thank you!
Great - thank you both
For some reason, I was prompted to study the Yi King this morning and cast coins for the first time. I worked off the instructions and hexagram interpretations in Liber 216. However, I was unclear about what role the 'moving line' should play in interpreting a hexagram. For example, I cast a 39 today (Kien - Moon of Earth), with the moving line in Line 5 (second from the top) - what are some possible ways to interpret this positioning?
*39. THE KIEN HEXAGRAM
Moon of Earth
KIEN: Incompetence and lameness; time
for the great man to aid thee in the climb.
Advance adds trouble; stillness aids thee now.
Keep struggling with no self to mar thy vow.
Advance not; seek again thine ancient clan!
Advance not; be with those united thou.
Struggle! Friends come to prosecute thy plan.
Advance not! Wait for aid from the great man!*
In Liber 216, Crowley also refers readers to another book, "Magick," where he apparently discusses the Yi King in greater depth - does this refer to the brief discussion of divination in Magick in Theory and Practice? Or is there another source I should look for? Other, non-Crowley sources would be appreciated, as well.
Edited: to add hexagram text
"The three Paths emanating from Kether are those of Air, Moon, and Mercury. The Archangels of Air, Moon, and Mercury are... Raphael, Gabriel, and Mikhael."
Fascinating, Jim - hadn't done the analysis yet. I suspect the ritual would bear much deeper investigation.
"I am placing the rule of that structure upon myself, ordering my own chaos, and, being formed into the nature of that structure, I naturally wield its authority."
I identify with this experience. For the first time, I've been doing the LBRP twice daily for over a month, and I can feel the effects changing me, subtly. I feel slightly more outgoing, more expressive, but at my core, more concentrated and condensed, like I'm wearing a bulletproof vest. Pretty great!
I finished an LBRP today, and the thought struck me: by what authority do I command the four archangels of the ritual? What compels them to manifest when I call them? These four are pretty illustrious beings - I'm sure they've got a lot on their plates already. 
Is is the performance/power of the ritual itself? I know Crowley held it in high regard: "the Medicine of Metals, and Stone of the Wise." (Palace of the World, Works Vol. 1) Or (my guess) it is related to the light that I feel flow through me in the ritual?
"Authority" itself is an interesting term to consider, as well. It obviously contains "author", emphasizing the magickal act as creative, and it derives from the Latin auctor, meaning "author" and "originator".
Great topic! I have a lot I'd love to share on this topic; perhaps I will as I continue to post on the boards.
My recovery started the spiritual experience that led me to seek a new path in Thelema, jettisoning much of the Methodist Christianity I was raised with. (Official disclaimer: I speak from my own experience, not on behalf of any group) Alcoholics Anonymous gave me a lot of hope at the lowest point of my 23-yr old life, and gave me dozens of examples of individuals who had pursued spiritual growth with single-mindedness and detachment. "Delivered from lust of result" describes a number of the mentors I found "in the rooms". The goal of simply not drinking today takes the pressure off; working all 12 steps would come in time. The self-work done in the Fourth Step is tremendous. The feeling of freedom that came from such radical honesty still encourages me to make the leap of faith today and speakly frankly with others.
For me, there are real limitations to 12-step programs, and pitfalls, too. The system exists to jumpstart the spiritual engine, but I had to go outside AA to get mine running again. You're a flooded engine (flooded with boooze!), and the AA group takes you out of the chassis, drains you, cleans you, and gives you a jump 
. What you find to fuel the engine is the next great step. The program provides dogma to drunks who don't know which way is up, but the focus on the drinking experience was thin gruel for me after a lot of time sober. I'd only drank for three years, so I was looking forward to escaping that part of my adulthood, not reliving it an hour at a time. With that said, I have almost always had a overwhelming feeling of peace in an AA meeting, like I was in exactly the right place I will meant to be at that point in time. However, towards the end of when I attended meetings regularly, I felt like I was hearing less and less that spoke to me where I was in my growth. I still have my Big Book and a meeting schedule next to my bed, should I need to go, but my self-work lately has been a satisfying substitute. 2.5 yrs later, I have not taken a drink.
On the OP's topic, I believe in so many higher powers, but I have yet to have direct knowledge of the one that has helped me stay sober. As the oldtimers say to the agnostics, "Of course you can believe in a Higher Power - alcohol was your Higher Power, and it kicked your ass, so now you're here for a different one!"
Frater Tenc: thanks for sharing! Keep coming back, to the rooms and the boards, and I would love to connect by PM.
Uni_Verse: thanks for sharing! A lot of my Fourth Step work focused on what I perceive as similar things: having my progress judged by the months I'd been sober, which was beyond my control. Always good to hear your story.
While doing some Work yesterday, I found a gematric relationship between what I understand to be three important alchemical-Rosicrucian concepts. I found these terms in an issue of In The Continuum Vol. 5.1, on Page 15, in a section on the College of Thelema's Summary of the Latin Qabalah Simplex.
ABIEGNUS, the holy mountain of the Rosicrucians = 72
VITRIOL, a notariqon? of Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem, or "Visit the interior of the earth and rectifying (purifying) you will find the hidden stone." = 94
C.R.C., initials of Christian Rosenkruetz = 22
ABIEGNUS - VITRIOL = C.R.C.
I propose subtraction because it seems to suggestion the purifying process of VITRIOL, but I would love any insight into the formula.
Also, where does Abiegnus originate? I don't recall it from the Fama. And why does the C.O.T. article describe 72 as "[p]robably the most important theoretical no. in all of medieval magick"?
Thanks for any insight or leads on sources where I can look myself. I get the feeling that simple answers on questions about alchemy are not always possible.
@Jim Eshelman said
"I remain uncomfortable with the sociological implications of "male" being linked to "hot" and "female" to "cold" - difficult for me to hear that as other than the bullshit that "guys want it, gals don't." But perhaps the Aristotelian original implications were different."
Unfortunately, my recollection of Aristotle is that he is the font of much misogyny in Western thought. Wikipedia, if you'll accept it as a source, confirms it.
I don't want to be a part of studying/using any system that carries latent thoughts forward, but the male/female duality seems to permeate so much of the teachings I've encounter so far. It's too bad we can't rename them at this point! Of course, from the little I understand about alchemy, we see all of the elemental forces present in all materia, just in different proportions - that includes individuals. So to describe all women as "cold" in equal amounts would be a gross error.
Hi all - first post on the forums!
Curious about the origins of the four elemental symbols. I have a vague sense that the direction of each triangle alludes to its nature, i.e. hot/male elements point up.
**Where do the symbols themselves originate from? Astrology? Alchemy? And when did they first come into usage?
Also, what do the lines through Earth and Air represent? And is it proper to extend Air's line beyond the edges of its triangle?**
I hope to start contributing to the forum, not just playing 20 Questions. Thanks!