College of Thelema: Thelemic Education

@Asraiya said

"93

Can anyone give me some advice on selecting a dagger/knife/sword to use in rituals like the LBRP (not representing air). I'm afraid the specifications are so trivial that I'm at a loss entirely! I know it sounds silly.. but using a pocket knife from my toolbox or a bread knife from my kitchen seems profane. I feel like I should acquire a new blade for this purpose exclusively since extending my Will is no small thing.. but where does one buy such things? A magic store? Heh.. I don't think a special edition fantasy piece with a wizard holding a lead crystal is right for me. I'm no fool for novelty items plus my finances require sensibility.. but a dollar store purchase seems like it wouldn't be significant enough. Help! Any suggestions or resources appreciated "

What makes a dollar store knife less significant than any other knife? The only significance is the significance you attach to it. For the LBRP I use a letter opener that I got from my wife's grandmother as a christmas gift.. It came from the Stella Solaris cruise ship and is pretty cheap. It works great.

To me this sounds like the right moment for you to experiment with using different tools during the lbrp. Try all of them. Then go outside of the box, and try using various things like: a pencil, a dry piece of spaghetti, a pair of scissors, a pen, a feather. Make sure to keep a record of all experiments. This way you can contrast and compare your results.

So many books have influenced me so much :

A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
Ecstacy- Irvine Welsh
TImequake and Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut
Myths to Live By - Joseph Campbell
Twilight of the Idols- Nietzsche
A Man in Full and Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe
The Works of Dr. Suess and Shel Silverstein
On the Road and Desolation Angels - Jack Kerouac
Junky, Queer, Wild Boys, Naked Lunch and selected correspondence w/ Allen Ginsberg - William S. Burroughs
Tales of Ordinary Madness - Charles Bukowkski
Fight Club, Survivor, and Choke - Chuck Palahniuk
The Bible- Various
The Koran
Open Heart, Clear Mind- Thubten Chodron.
The Book of the Law, Konx Om Pax, MITP, Magick Without Tears, and The Law is for All -Aleister Crowley
Norse Magic- Conway
The Dark Tower Series, The Stand (everything else) - Stephen King

@Jim Eshelman said

"A couple of examples from my own life that might give some insight (or at least a chuckle!).

(1)
When I was a Probationer, I customarily did Tarot readings with a preliminary invocation over the deck that would include a phrase referring to "my Holy Guardian Angel, whatever be Thy Name." One day, on inwardly reciting this, a voice clear as can be instantly responded: "Abaddon." - Well (I thought naively and ignorantly), this is something! I wrote it up in the diary, and I sent a letter about it off to Soror Meral, who soon responded with three or four typed pages of details about Abaddon and appropriate warnings. OK lesson reinforced and better banishings before invocations to boot..."

Abaddon has relevance to my own experiences. Can you share any of the details or appropriate warnings you were given?