College of Thelema: Thelemic Education

93

Sorry to bump this behemoth back into life, .... but I've been digging into this whole mess lately, and would like to take a stab at summarizing this in as clear a manner as possible (and to verify I have this correct in the first place!)

1: Prior to the Golden Dawn, the generally accepted trump order was that of Eliphas Levi (I won't bother detailing the earlier arrangements), which has the curious quirk of placing '0 - the Fool' between XX and XXI,

"
To make it quite clear to initiates that they did not understand the meaning of the card called The Fool, they put him down between Atu cards XX and XXI, for what reason it baffles the human imagination to conceive. They then attributed the card number I, the Juggler, to the letter Aleph. In this simple yet ingenious manner they got the attribution of every card, except The Universe, XXI, wrong.
-- Crowley
"

2: Golden Dawn makes two key changes; '0 - the Fool' is promoted to the first of the trumps, advancing all other cards by one letter (which also brings the letter=zodiac attributions in line with the Sepher Yetzirah), and 2: Mathers swaps the ATU images around for Strength (Fortitude) and Justice to 'fix' their images with the zodiac, which pretty clearly depict Leo/Libra. The Roman numbering is preserved by natural order of the cards.

3: "Tzaddi is not the Star", and here we are. Crowley swaps the Emperor & the Star cards, keeping the roman numbers IV & XVII attached to them, and additionally 'restores' the original numerals of Justice as VIII and Strength as XI (his reasoning undoubtedly reinforced by his Qabalistic interpretations of these numbers). It is this arrangement of the 'original' roman numerals, when the zodiac cards are ordered by their hebrew letters, which gives rise to the infamous 'double loop' pattern.

It should be noted though how this change was made, for Crowley has not moved the hebrew letters around for the Tzaddi switch - as HEH remains on path 15 and TZADDI on path 28 - but he has swapped all the other attributes of the Tarot cards: the ATU, roman numeral, and associated zodiac sign. In switching the zodiac signs with his change to IV & XVII, however, he has broken with the Sepher Yetzirah attribution of TZADDI=Aquarius and HE=Aries, and created a one-sided 'loop' in the zodiac.

Situation sound about right?

This is most clearly illustrated as a whole; (see attached image);
center -> out: path#, hebrew letter, zodiac, atu, roman numeral

@nigris said

"having got them all, can you briefly detail which versions of the Book of the Law are covered, included, analyzed, or described within the Red Flame Volume 8?"

Sorry, I was speaking to the OP's original list of 3 commentaries; I do not have the Red Flame vol. 8 - but will ever be keeping an eye out for it

I've got them all, and I personally, prefer 'the Magical and Philosophical' commentaries - it's unfortunate that this edition is somewhat prohibitively rare and expensive. It is a nice book though.

I'd love to see an updated hardcover 'complete' commentary....

Yes, I too, love the look, feel, and 'smell' of an old volume

I don't understand how it can be even considered an option to change anything here.

This circumstance is directly prohibited - not once, not twice, but three specific injunctions to basically "NOT CHANGE A DAMNED THING".

To top it off, the whole debate should be squashed by the fact that there's already - oddly enough - exactly 220 K's in a book we call liber 220.
As if the author included an overly obvious qabalistic answer to this question before it ever arose.

Of course, it could all just be 'coincidental', right?

VERY interesting........

Can you sketch up the FULL table of numbers for us, just so there's no ambiguity ?

Now, if such 'number games' can 'easily be made to pull out whatever number you desire', it should be simple then, to pull 111,418, and 666 out of a similar-but-different 'game' of your own devising? I've played around a bit with my own theories and 'games'. It's not as easy as you'd think. Sure, you can maybe get one thing to add up here and another there, but more often than not, things DON'T just 'line up' on their own.

I think your method makes sense (somewhat), you seem to have started with an insightful idea, 0-25 for the 'order and value of the english alphabet', and the results look promising.

"But what can you do with it"?

Also of noteworthy interest, according to the ALW cypher:

i:23 s:5 i:23 s:5

ISIS = 56 (11)

And:

b:20 a:1 b:20 a:1 l:2 o:7 n:14

BABALON = 65 (11)

For the longest time I read at least one of the chapters daily. Now, maybe not as much, mostly snippets here and there. I'm feel I'm due for another full reading soon.
The appreciation of the sublime beauty of the words increases every time

AFAIK, the various names of Horus, and variations thereof, were very popular and commonly used. Unlikely any direct Thelemic connections.

@Frater Potater said

"A lot of thelemites I know seem to believe in some form of reincarnation.
I don't ... The main reason I feel this way, is because there isn't a lot of scientific evidence to suggest there is much more to it than that."

Have you looked into the work of Ian Stevenson ? Very interesting stuff, indeed.

"in scores of cases Stevenson could find no alternative explanation for the phenomena he recorded. One boy in Beirut described having been a mechanic who died after being hit by a car. According to Schroder, witnesses said the boy offered the name of the driver, the location of the accident, and the names of the dead man's sisters, parents and cousins. The details apparently matched the life of a man who had died before the boy was born, and who, Stevenson was told, was unconnected to the boy's family."

give up the Law of Liberty in exchange for the Islamic dogma and the suppression of individual will? No thanks. But of course, 'to each their own'. I would not shackle myself thusly for a woman.

Curious though, what would happen if you ever got 'found out' for being a closet Thelemite. I'd say... no good can come of this.

Imagine if someone came along and said something like, "Do what thou wilt - but only sometimes." It would be a tainted interpretation of the law. Or perhaps they'd have issues with some particular part or phrase, and for personal reasons they may wish to edit or obscure the original to suit their personal tastes and, willingly or not, the end result is an 'alteration of the law'.
The charge to 'accept without wanting to change' ensures that the original is preserved in full, which is very important for future generations of Thelemites...

from the wikipedia page on AC:

Elaine Simpson ... a fellow occultist who had been his colleague in the Golden Dawn ... fascinated by The Book of the Law and the prophetic message that it contained, something he had been ignoring, and together they performed a ritual to invoke Aiwass once more. The ritual proved successful, and Aiwass provided Crowley with the message that he should "Return to Egypt, with same surroundings. There I will give thee signs." Nonetheless,** Crowley ignored the advice of Aiwass**, instead heading off to America.

...

Stopping off at the Japanese port of Kobe along the way, Crowley had a vision which he interpreted as meaning that the great spiritual beings known as the Secret Chiefs had admitted him into the Third Order of the Golden Dawn. Subsequently arriving in America, he found no support for his proposed mountaineering expedition, and so set sail to return to Britain.

...

Upon arrival at Britain, Crowley learned that his daughter Lilith had died of typhoid in Rangoon and that his wife had begun suffering from alcoholism.

I can't help but wonder about this. Why did Crowley ignore Aiwass? Why would he? What could have transpired differently... what message was (possibly) missed?

Also, with the death of his daughter Lilith, and the downfall of Rose, can that be considered a 'fulfillment of prophesy' as contained within the pages of Liber AL?

Let the Scarlet Woman beware! If pity and compassion and tenderness visit her heart; if she leave my work to toy with old sweetnesses; then shall my vengeance be known. I will slay me her child: I will alienate her heart: I will cast her out from men: as a shrinking and despised harlot shall she crawl through dusk wet streets, and die cold and an-hungered.
-- AL III:43

But exceed! exceed!
Strive ever to more!

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law!

Set up my image in the East: thou shalt buy thee an image which I will show thee, especial, not unlike the one thou knowest. And it shall be suddenly easy for thee to do this.

First off; I am in no way affiliated with the artists/items I'm about to mention. However, having just received my copy of the excellent poster "Thanka of the All Beneficent Ra-Hoor-Khuit", and noticing they've already sold out of the 1st run (now offering '2nd quality' versions, available through concrescent.net), I though I'd mention it here in the hopes of drumming up interest so they see the need to print more!

Additionally, I'd previously ordered the Crowley/Baphomet poster from madametalbot.com, which I also highly recommend... these are both stunning in person.... if there's any other Thelemic artworks available, let me know!!

Advance the Aeon!

http://www.concrescent.net/sites/concrescent.net/files/imagecache/product_full/RHK-18x24-RGB-Brdr-72dpi.jpg

www.concrescent.ne

http://vigilantcitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/crowley11.jpg

www.madametalbot.com/pix/posters/crowley.htm

93!

I'm somewhat artistic.
However, I havn't really drawn or painted much in the past 15 years. - Until I discovered and read Liber AL.
Immediately thereafter and ever since, my 'artistic side' has been re-awakened and 'on fire'.

So with thy all; thou hast no right but to do thy will!

I'd say a lot has changed since 1904

For one, Christianity has certainly lost much of it's 'death grip' on the mindset and morals of the general populace...

Consider then, the progress of science and our ever-increasing understanding of the world (universe!) around us.

How is this NOT the Aeon of the Child, as marked by our technological progress and rapid self-discovery?

strange drugs!

may help to unseat your consciousness.

23. For perfume mix meal & honey & thick leavings of red wine: then oil of Abramelin and olive oil, and afterward soften & smooth down with rich fresh blood.

24. The best blood is of the moon, monthly: then the fresh blood of a child, or dropping from the host of heaven: then of enemies; then of the priest or of the worshippers: last of some beast, no matter what.

25. This burn: of this make cakes & eat unto me. This hath also another use; let it be laid before me, and kept thick with perfumes of your orison: it shall become full of beetles as it were and creeping things sacred unto me.

26. These slay, naming your enemies; & they shall fall before you.

27. Also these shall breed lust & power of lust in you at the eating thereof.

28. Also ye shall be strong in war.

29. Moreover, be they long kept, it is better; for they swell with my force. All before me.

Hey guys. You'll have to forgive the newb questions here...

but herein we seemingly have a very clear 'recipe'. I'm just curious if anyone has done this to the point of the appearance of 'creeping things'... and has anyone ever eaten the beetles - as it seems to suggest?

"

10. Get the stele of revealing itself; set it in thy secret temple -- and that temple is already aright disposed -- & it shall be your Kiblah for ever. It shall not fade, but miraculous colour shall come back to it day after day. Close it in locked glass for a proof to the world.

11. This shall be your only proof. I forbid argument. Conquer! That is enough. ...
    "

Just curious; has there every been any 'before and after' comparisons of the colors of the stele?
Seems that if it's 'the only proof', someone would have examined this claim by now?