College of Thelema: Thelemic Education

Thanks much, Jim. Your suggestion to get the answers from the angels themselves is probably the best bet.

I'm wondering about col. 412, 'Angels Ruling Signs' (col.CXLII in 777). Crowley lists these angels as pertaining to the houses. I wonder if Crowley misattributed them, or if they do indeed pertain to the houses rather than the signs. I'd be interested to know the source of these names (I have a feeling I have it somewhere on my shelf - though a moderate search hasn't turned them up).

Also, regarding cols 414 & 415, 'Angel Lords of the Triplicity' (by day and night) - do these angels rule over all 3 of the decans for each sign? I'm thinking maybe they rule the decans as a phenomena, by day and night, per sign, as opposed to a specific decan or the sign itself? I'd love to know the source of these names too, if possible.

Thanks much in advance to anybody that can help me out with these questions.

This is totally out of left field, and doesn't represent the work of any existing order or anything like that, but I've put up a log of some visionary/astral workings I've done with the 15 Behenian stars here (Blogspot sorts descending, so the first entry is at the bottom):
bookofsapphire.blogspot.com/search/label/behenian%20star

The workings referred to above definitely took place on the Yetziratic level. The "voices" of the stars are compiled from the results of several astral workings over a number of years. I post these simply as an example of some of the results of one person's work with a particular set of fixed stars.

@kasper81 said

"Herr Meow , and everyone else. maybe you have found your limits and you are a 15 30 man?. For the rest of your life 15 30 is your limit? Is this so bad? is it a problem?

I want to know because this relates to all of us where physical problems may occur at a certain breath count. Isn't itn our ego which wants to push further? Does it matter?"

I'm not sure that I would be the one to ask about that. My plan is simply to continue at a lower rate with an eye to traces of strain, and see what happens from there. As to whether or not there's a physical limit, I wouldn't know until quite a few more years of practice at least (even then, who knows, maybe a breakthrough could come after a decade or more).

@kasper81 said

"i'm not a yoga-master but

1. is it possible you have a bit of tooth decay and a nerve is exposed?

2. maybe it's not tooth decay and maybe if you just continued it may cease ie it's a hurdle to be faced

3. how about consulting your inner "guide" via divination. Pull ONE card out a Tarot spread then post it here"

Hmm. Tooth decay. I suppose it's possible, though it seems unlikely - no pain in the jaw or lower face or anything like that.

Done plenty of work with #3 (which is a good suggestion, BTW), and have received much guidance, but generally more along the lines of spiritual direction rather than direct practical instruction (OTOH, just asking seems to open whatever doors are needed - such as the thought occurring to me to post my questions on this forum).

@kasper81 said

"
@Herr Meow said
"After a year or so of consistent pranayama practice, I'm starting to get headaches after sessions of 16 in, 32 out (no khumbaka). S."

Actually shouldn't it be out in not in out?

Not telling

Asking"

Yup. For whatever reason, I record it in the journal as in, out, and transcribed it thus here.

@Jim Eshelman said

"The main avenue to move down is this, I think: Pranayama should be without strain. As you increase the rate, I suspect you introduce some level of physical strain, meaning, that the prior level isn't yet "perfectly steady and easy.""

That sounds right, given that the issues don't occur when I maintain a slightly lower rate. I'll look for the points at which strain is introduced at the lower levels. Thanks again, JIm.

@Jim Eshelman said

"
@Faus said
"I would ask if you are releasing the air too fast or if you are forcing your lung to hold too much air (maybe to increase the retention period)."

Yes. Do you get any dizziness with this?"

Never had any dizziness at any point during or after practice, no.

@Jim Eshelman said

"And you didn't have it checked while doing pranayama. [...]"

Thanks for the replies. Interesting - it definitely sounds as if that could be it. That could explain the gap between pranayama and the headache (blood pressure slowly returning to normal).

@Jim Eshelman said

"Do you, for example, also have headache after an unusually intense orgasm?"

Not at all. Intense orgasms are generally followed by blissful periods of relaxation.

@Jim Eshelman said

"Depending on age, family history, current water retention (blood pressure is like water pressure: a factor of how wide the pipes are vs. how much volume is being pushed through the pipes), weight and weight fluctuations, etc. - it just might be that your BP is starting to destabilize a bit. Or, it may be that you need to refine your method of pranayama."

I definitely plan on looking further into BP related issues. I'm especially curious to see what happens if I do a blood pressure reading during, or immediately after, a few rounds of pranayama. Do you have any specific recommendations as far as refinement goes? I would think added retention periods (at a lower rate at first) would be the next step.

@kasper81 said

"I trhink he meant the blood-pressure is causing the headaches

nothing to do with pranayama?

pranayama is good for plasma and all the organs so maybe it's cholesterol and your diet"

Ah, could be. The strange thing there would be that, when I back off from the pranayama (at 16, 32), the headaches disappear completely. Could still be coincidence, despite the fact that I've experimented with it relatively extensively (without ever pushing it too far) over the last couple of months.

As for medical advice, standard medical opinion would consider my current BP numbers (128/76) within the "normal" range, though I like them to be significantly lower. Medical follow-up is definitely in my near future (if for nothing else, to continue monitoring my numbers).

@kasper81 said

"do you smoke tobacco or anything and how much alcohol do you drink a week? i'm guessing btw seek proper medical advice"

No tobacco (or anything else inhaled) and very moderate alcohol, regular exercise, reasonable diet - generally, I'm at low risk for high blood pressure.

@Faus said

"I would ask if you are releasing the air too fast or if you are forcing your lung to hold too much air (maybe to increase the retention period)."

I'm not retaining the breath at all between inhale and exhale, but it is possible that I might not be quite squeezing all of the air out on exhale. Definitely worth looking at.

@Jim Eshelman said

"How is your blood pressure... now and historically?"

Just stopped in and got my BP checked with the naturopath - 128/76, which is definitely higher than it used to be (looking through my records, as I've been seeing this naturopath for a few years, I started around 122/72, then managed to get it down to something like 112/70 during the period in which I was merely practicing an hour of asana per day).

OK, Jim, you've certainly got my attention I'd love to hear any ideas you have as to why (assuming it's linked) the pranayama might be affecting my blood pressure, and any suggestions you might have regarding further practice. (And thanks much for alerting me to check my BP in the first place - at the very least, I plan to hold off on further higher-rate pranayama, and monitor my BP until I get it closer to where it used to be).

@Angel of Death said

"My initial thought was that the cause of the headache/inflammation might be in your posture, or how you are holding yourself during the practice. If the spine, especially the upper atlas vertebrae are even slightly off alignment, over time the practioner can develop serious side effects."

Seem to have good posture - but then, it's certainly possible that my subjective impression could be off Practiced asana for about a year before adding pranayama (technically more, as I've been using the same position for meditation on and off for quite a few years). While I find that a book can sit balanced on my head without wavering for quite some time, I wouldn't absolutely rule out a kink in my posture somewhere.

@Angel of Death said

"I personally would recommend that you attend a class on Iyengar Yoga at the Center in Seattle."

Not a bad suggestion. I'll try it out.

@Jim Eshelman said

"How is your blood pressure... now and historically?"

Haven't had it checked for upwards of a year or so, but historically it's been normal (somewhere around 120/75 if I remember correctly). I'll go have it checked again, haven't done so since I began regular pranayma.

After a year or so of consistent pranayama practice, I'm starting to get headaches after sessions of 16 in, 32 out (no khumbaka). Strangely, if I go back to the rate of 15 in, 30 out, the headaches don't occur. They never come during the practice itself, rather they tend to come on a few hours afterward. The headaches aren't extreme, but they're definitely a concern, enough to cause me to roll back to 15, 30 until I figure out what's going on. If I push it a little (ie: continue to practice at 16, 32 after a day or two of minor headaches), I get a feeling of heat and pressure in the upper head (usually right near the crown, but often extending down toward the neck/face).

Aside from the headaches, practicing at 16, 32 results in feelings of bliss all throughout the body as well as a definite increase in concentration (quite notable - as if the mind were a smooth mirror reflecting itself back at itself, for lack of a better description). All throughout my practice (starting with 8 in, 16 out) I've regularly had instances of pleasurable energy rush up my spine throughout the day - this doesn't happen when I'm practicing at 16, 32, but it comes back if I go back down to 15, 30.

Haven't had any respiratory problems or anything like that. I've taken great care to pace myself, never pushing further if the breath isn't steady and easy, stopping at the slightest shortness of breath, etc. I have had a fair amount of experience with Kundalini phenomena as a result of both ritual and meditation, nothing major but definitely I'm no stranger to energy rushing up and/or down the spine.

My short term solution is simply to continue to practice at 15, 30 for now, though I'd be very grateful if anybody had some insight as to why the higher rate might be causing headaches.

One of the keys (IMO) to understanding the elemental attributions of Hod and Netzach (as well as to the other Sephiroth, ultimately) is in the contractive nature of water and the expansive nature of fire. All of the Sephiroth on the Pillar of Severity tend towards contraction, limitation, and definition (the latter being a primary attribution of Hod), whereas the Sephiroth on the Pillar of Mercy tend towards expansion. The expansive pillar would continue to expand indefinitely were it not for the contracting, limiting, and defining nature of the contractive pillar, and the middle pillar mediates between them.

I'm partial to the Pritzker edition:
www.amazon.com/Zohar-Pritzker-Vol-1/dp/0804747474/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330570234&sr=1-7

While I can't personally vouch for the accuracy of the translation, word is that this one is the best. The only drawback is that only 6 volumes (of 12) have been been released so far.

"(v. 81) 15. For I am perfect, being Not; and my number is nine by the fools; but with the just I am eight, and one in eight: Which is vital, for I am none indeed. The Empress and the King are not of me; for there is a further secret."

One in eight brings to mind Kether "in" Hod. The Hebrew name for Mercury (attributed to Hod) is Kokab, which also means "star", again giving the idea of Hadit, as Kether, within his house, the Khabs. This seems to fit quite nicely with the correspondences outlined above.

@Jim Eshelman said

"What other examples come to mind? (And wouldn't today be a magnificent day to practice them?)"

Refine the senses! Sit with an apple for a few minutes, smell it, feel the texture of the skin, fruit and core, run your tongue all over it, then, when you desire the fruit withthe whole of your being, bite into it. (These and similar techniques can be applied to other things which are much more sumptuous than an apple, of course). Nuit gives us so much through our senses, and we typically ignore 98% of it.

Refining the outer senses, I've found, helps us to refine the inner senses as well. The ability to "hear" on the inner planes, for instance, can be aided significantly through the cultivation of a greater appreciation of music and sound, the training of the ear, etc. All of these things, especially if done mindfully and joyously, are by their very nature, in my opinion, done "unto Nuit" - all the more so if we keep Her in mind while we're doing them.

5. Now is the Pillar established in the Void; now is Asi fulfilled of Asar; now is Hoor let down into the Animal Soul of Things like a fiery star that falleth upon the darkness of the earth.

On the one hand, I agree with Robert's attribution of the Pillar in the Void to the Middle Pillar of the TOL, especially insomuch as it spans the Abyss, joining the lower part of the Tree with the Supernals. On the other hand, I think there's something more to it that that, something more to the point.

The void is our perception of emptiness, nothingness. In one sense, this is the inability of our Ruach to perceive the Supernals. NOX appears at first as total darkness, a complete absence of light, but in reality it's simply a higher vibration of LVX - it is total light. The perception of a higher type of light where there appeared to be only darkness before might be poetically expressed as a pillar being established in the void.

Pillar is to Void as Asi is to Asar - above the Abyss, opposites exist in harmony with each other, even fulfill each other. When Asi is fulfilled of Asar, ie: when the vastness of the unconscious comes together in union with the conscious mind, the higher is bridged with the lower, and Hoor, the Angel, descends into the Nephesch like a fiery star. This is shown in the symbol of the Hexagram with the Sun in the middle - two opposing triangles coming together to create a solar child.

6. Through the midnight thou art dropt, O my child, my conqueror, my sword-girt captain, O Hoor! and they shall find thee as a black gnarl'd glittering stone, and they shall worship thee.

Midnight (true midnight) is the point right between sunset and sunrise - it is the darkest hour of night, and here could represent the deepest, most unexplored parts of the unconscious.

The stone in this verse is such an interesting image - what was once ephemeral and far too subtle for the senses to grasp in any way is now a solid stone, glittering with the Light of the Supernals. I suppose this could be another instance of a pillar (stability, solidity) being established in the void (where nothing is stable or solid). The image brings to mind the fixation of Mercury, or the vessel of Quicksilver.

Aside from all analysis, this is simply an awe-inspiring sequence of images, perfect for meditation.