College of Thelema: Thelemic Education

Well, we are talking about antarctic Nazi ufos... so 👽

It's funny how the "master race" has so many losers populating their ranks. 😆

@Frater 639 said

"

I
How about you? How do you feel about the "Who We Are" statement? From the tone of your posts, you seem to have more skeptical leanings, which I think is invaluable, as long as it is not at the expense of being open-minded to data that goes beyond what mundane science is willing to accept. Sometimes, your posts seem like trolling but I really sense a desire to cut through bullshit, which I respect when it is done respectfully."

"Cutting through bullshit", that phrase could be used as a blunt definition of the scientific method perhaps? It could also be used as a definition of Thelema.

If one is not"cutting through bullsh1t" then what is one doing in this forum?

😆 😆 😆

Seems to me that Nationalism attracts more war in spite of its reluctance to get involved. Sure, the U.S. may have the resources to go it alone, but other countries don't. Just take WWII for instance. Overtly, we didn't want to get involved, but other people wanted a piece of the pie. Seems to me that when we make ourselves indispensable to these other guys through trade, they feel much less froggy about getting into it with us.

Take China for example. They're really happy with our loan payments. Status quo is good for them. Sure, they don't like us, but they like those loan payments. Some say, "well, what if they got pissed and wanted all their money? They own us." Okay, China, we'll crank up that press and print you some dollars - like a flood. Here you go. Now, there's so many dollars, they're basically worthless - inflated into worthlessness. China would be sitting in a pile green paper saying, "Yay! Look at all these dollars!" Not worth a dime. So, like I say, they like their steady loan payments. That's worth way more than being stupid about it. Don't eat the chicken; eat the eggs. It may be ugly, but that relationship keeps things more predictably beneficial for both of us than telling them, "Go away! We don't need you." That's what lights the matches. Better to have a mutually beneficial relationship with them.

Anyway, I think Gnos is on to something. I think Nationalism, for all its warm feelings of self-reliance, ultimately makes us more vulnerable than it seems like it would. Counter-intuitive like that..

Final thought: Germany lost its Nationalist campaign when it cast out the same Jewish minds that came up with atomic fission first. Nationalism just can't escape its inherent racism, and racism fails because of its rejection of the benefits of diversity and broad inclusion of diverse minds. The organism that is humanity functions best and strongest with the inclusion of all its diverse parts

Ahh...now I can take a minute and think through a response. Sorry, was writing from my iPhone today while on daddy duties.

The reason i take responsibility for this situation is because i was the only thing that stood between going right back to her junkie boyfriend or having a safe place to stay. My parents offered but gave me final say because i said i had my reservations. My wife left it up to me because she was in a quandary as well and knows her better. So i thought, "Theres a good chance she could die if i withhold this option." and i felt like that would've been seriously selfish. So i told my wife to mention the opportunity.

I have been mulling the ideal of compassion in action and thought i would err on the side of offering an opportunity. My flaw and general naiveté is that i do not think like a junkie. I've done copious amounts of addictive drugs and could stop without thinking about it. I don't know if i can call it will power if it comes so easy to me, but thats how I'm built. So i don't understand the mindset of someone who can't keep their hand out of the baggie. I've tried for the sake of understanding but i can't wrap my head around it.

We helped her move in and i thought, "There, a nice quiet place where she can be alone with her thoughts." Helped her get some healthy food and encouraged her to go on walks in the forest. But after many late evenings talking to her it began to sink in how manipulative she is and how if its not a physical drug its an emotional one e.g. my brother. She's like a black widow. She's left a trail of men ruined by her ways. I hadn't considered the possibility she would set eyes on my brother but she did, after i warned him to avoid her. She walked 10 miles (she cant drive) to his place of work to see him. She's oblivious (or pretends to be) of her own motives but they are transparent to everyone around her.

I started to realize, she doesn't want to work at getting better; she'd rather convince people she does. It's much easier. So she would walk to my parents house and use her life story (it really does suck) to rope them in emotionally. It's very subtle but while i may have been naive that giving her a place to stay would assist in her getting her act together, i am no fool when it comes to seeing through peoples words and actions. I thought ahead about the different paths this situation could play out and the majority don't end well. I see that bad for everyone, including myself. Also, i have 3 little kids that need my attention, I didn't expect her to attempt to suck up so much time, but again she's selfish and think the world revolves around her. As a parent, I'm used to being last in line!

I made a commitment to The Great Work and part of that work i think is knowing how to express the ideal of compassion; when am i helping rather than hurting someone? Before we went to visit her i had the vision of the good samaritan play through my head. I'm just not the type that would step over someone if they are lying in the gutter. I think now i would distinguish whether that person ended up in the gutter at someone elses hand or put themselves there. Either way its in me to investigate and make sure the person is ok. So, this girl was close to death before her month of in-patient rehab, i figured it was worth a hand up in some way if the other option was going back to junk. I think theres a lesson in this situation which is why i shared it, because i respect the will of individuals and i assert that right in myself and there are many wills at play in this scenario. We all have our orbit and I'm feeling like she may need to be sent away if she doesn't get serious about self-improvement and distracting herself with manipulating people and attempting to finagle her way into a cushy life. I've been drawing The Chariot quite a bit, so I'm thinking how i can live up to that energy, or what the energy is trying to bring my attention to. I think I'm going to communicate very clear and strict parameters for her behaviour that would help her with starting over and if she tries to crash into my orbit, I'll revoke her opportunity she's been handed.

Thanks to all for the replies and food for thought.

@Gnosomai Emauton said

"It sounds like you might be coming at it from the wrong (or, should I say, non-optimal) angle. As Jim mentioned, this was published in 1902 so one should read it in a pre-Thelemic context. Trying to figure out what Crowley the Thelemite thought about Advaita from an essay written before the Book of the Law started influencing his thought might be difficult. This is Crowley the Mystic, formerly Perdurabo the Magician, attempting to marry the East and the West by analyzing religious meditation through the lens of magical mathematics (i.e. Qabalah). This is also Crowley the Buddhist before he came to terms with his realization that Buddhism was too nihilistic in its "All is Sorrow".

So, as if you were 5 (and I'm going to assume a 5-year-old doesn't hold deep understanding of advaitist dogma):

All of the different religions in the world say different things and they all say that the other ones can't be right. If we try to figure out which one is actually right, we find out that none of them are. The only thing we actually find out is "true" is that all of existence is. Since religion doesn't really help us to explain this, we can use math instead and call this is: "Zero". There's a bunch of math that we can use to show how this "Zero" actually represents all of existence but, since you're 5, you're just going to have to trust me that, when you grow up, you'll learn how to make it all work. Since we already discovered that none of the religions are actually right, it doesn't matter which one you follow in order to discover this "Zero", as long as you first realize that none of these religions are actually right. I [Crowley] tend to think that the Buddhists have the best method of realizing this "Zero". I also see the value in Western Ceremonial Magic which overwhelms the senses with a whole slew of symbolic experiences that all point to the same thing... as long as you don't muck it up like every other magician (save myself and maybe two other people) tends to do."

Bravo

@Vadox said

"In first place HGA has value of protection upon you, though it can act aggressively if you are ruined by creeps."

Yes yes...much can be written on His protection. I am secure for sure...He has issues with malicious intent...

@Takamba said

"
@The_Hawkheaded_child said
"in alignment with one's will. 😉
"

AHA! So there is a principle after all."

"You little!" (Said by Homer Simpson while trying to strangle Bart.)

😆

"Quote JAE:Jupiter is exalted in Cancer"
Slap forhead! 😱

@Mercurius said

"does that analogy work? Seems the great work involves successive stages of removing masks, each a convenient representation of a higher/deeper reality."

Well, according to Thelema, when aspiring to either Hadit or Nuit, the "aspirant" is the other one. So, one might say one is the non-ego of the other, even though they are not of their own ego, but of each other's.

I'm frying up mind-altering corn-pones. Have a good night.

@Mercurius said

"1. What kind of being was St. Anthony conjuring if we were to categorize it in cabalistic terms? Not amused it left the lord with a warning he follow christ...or else. That type of threatening is bullshit"

While they are often portrayed and put forth as a threat by the over eager, I view it as a simple statement of fact.

Follow your heart, have faith in the Christ at the center of your being and riches and happiness shall abound.

@Mercurius said

"2. It seems a lot of these christian saints are tapping into the mindset of a magician but from a type of worldview that veils them from this reality; from recognizing their role in projecting these internal forces externally. Even suggested catholics can conjure this power through a prayer (tony tony come around...) is amusing but I'm sure it can work given some of the fundamentals of reality. They're just approaching it from a different mindset."

There are many saintly figures who were used as a means of tying local beliefs or figures to the Catholic Church.

Christianity and Catholicism is very much about faith, unquestioning, unwavering belief in the Christ-Center.
We as Magicians should know well the power of belief.

Thank you for the informative reply Jim. I started reading Little Essays last night, again. It's been years and is time for review.

Yes, the "star". I was meditating recently and that line from the Rite of Jupiter came to me.

"Thrown off like planets from the Sun
Ye are but satellites of the One.
But should your revolution stop
Ye would inevitably drop
Headlong within the central Soul,
And all the parts become the Whole."

I once had a vision of "myself" as a Star (Every Man and Woman Is a Star) throwing off identities in multiple timeframes. The multiple aspects of this star were basically exploring the game of existence in eternal play so I really appreciate the 5D expression. I've had a few spontaneous visions before where i realized that reincarnation may better be termed parallel incarnations but then it gets tricky with words.

It was after this first breakthrough/resolution to the trauma of my "God Atomic" trip that I saw point-self in all. Even my cat! Ha! The feeling of currently existing in a "Matrix" of sorts takes some adjusting. I guess i ask "now what" because there is such a huge gap in how i saw myself before and now, that I'm wondering how much of this awareness carries over, into the continuity of consciousness. I suppose what's hard is we are trying to quantify extremely heavy experiences into a succinct phrase; like trying to visualize a hypercube in 2D

http://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091021131904/uncyclopedia/images/7/72/Hypercube.gif

"Hadit, unextended, has no perception of self. Perception of self requires at least 2: a point of observation and a point observed. Hadit is just going.
So: In a practical, meaningful way, what does all of this theory give you?"

Right, good reminder. Hadit reminds us of this repeatedly. I suppose the primary reason I asked was some verbal clarification because i tend to "think" in images and feeling. The discussion really adds alot of impetus to what i know deep down. I'm both curious and fascinated by the idea of dying and what occurs after especially if one knows they are most themselves at the axle of the wheel. It gives me a confirmation that I'm asking myself this question for a reason and need to let it all sink in and do some more reading also.

Another reason i ask is for some reason i have a lot of people ask me my thoughts on spiritual matters and someone recently asked me, "do you believe in the soul". And I thought Yes/No/Whatdoyoumeanbysoul? ha! I think the concept of a static soul becomes conflated with ego for many and can serve as a burden to accessing deeper insight. Prob why Buddha railed against it.
My Grandma is a hardcore xian and thinks it's sad i don't believe in a christian heaven where we all retain our identity. "Won't you miss your wife and children?" I find them no less precious just because they won't be preserved in their current state for eternity, in fact it makes them more precious to me, the opportunity i have in this life to experience aspects of consciousness uniquely expressed as my wife and children, brothers and parents. These moments are rare like gems. I said, "Grandma, this life is Heaven to me." She can't stand that. "What about all the wars and fighting!!" I usually bow out there. I don't want to get into the problem of "evil" with them. Having a greater understanding of self/soul can free people from the delusion of identity, thus suffering because one may then realize that which suffers is an illusion.

The idea of the Soul is such a loaded concept so i feel its important for me to become better at understanding and expressing it's modes because the idea has been w man so long and needs to be challenged as a simple yes/no.

As an aside, after my most recent "upgrade" in consciousness I firmly believe Crowley is a prophet, something i was wishy-washy about before. The world just doesn't get that guy.

I love the paintings. I haven't read any of the text though.

" 43. 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. "

The skeptic in me agree's that this isn't referring to a person per se but is more of a metaphor for nature itself?! That is to say if we see symmetry and balance in the natural world which is generally unconcerned with the individual but more concerned with life over all - then all life ceases if nature fails to remain objective or the symmetry balance of it is somehow disrupted.

2 cents

I haven't read it. Though a book I recently read, "Undefended Love", is really great for the depth psychological aspects of working through our projections in the context of relationships, whether open or monogamous.

@Mercurius said

"Could Adam Kadmon be considered similar or equivalent to Nuit or Hadit? The Anthropos is described as "light without vessel". I've studied Adam Kadmon from a Lurianic Kabbalah perspective but not found mentioning in hermetic Qabbalah, nor mentioning by Crowley. Maybe I haven't looked hard enough? Anyway, different sources describe Adam Kadmon in varying light but wondered if anyone here had anything to share. Go!"

I don't think those fit. Adam Kadmon ("Archetypal Humanity") is, say, Asar un-Never, or humanity as the whole Tree... meaning, closer to Ra-Hoor-Khuit.

As I view it:

One might perceive the cruder forms along the lines of the 'miraculous powers' of Yoga.
With their combined solution bringing about The Elixir.
Which, invariably something of a trap;
Do-We-Not seeks liberation?
Do-We-Not seeks return?

Imbibing The Elixir:
"HAHA! I am liberated from Gravity!"
And so never does HE go beyond the clouds
"HAHA! I am liberated from Death!"
And so never does HE ever live
"HAHA! I am liberated from Pain!"
And so ends all HIS pleasure

For the Yogi who seeks to be God
Has ceased to be a Yogi
A Yogi is greater than God
God hath made the Work possible
It is the Yogi that bears the burden
And in HIS stillness causes the Wheels
To Spin

"So, in a way 'you' as you normally conceive it does not observe that no-thing-ness."

For sure, and i definitely didn't jump to no-thing-ness. You're seeded description was well taken.

"and Buddhist proclaim the same Ultimate reality as Śūnyatā."

I think there is discrepancy between different buddhist thought, which is understandable. I was looking for clarification and realize it may be somewhat futile when we try to describe an experiential state, and lofty one at that. I read a Buddhist who opined that Nirguna isn't the same as buddhist ultimate reality, otherwise it would be called nirguna. My feeling is, they are describing the same state in different ways. I just don't have as much experience utilizing buddhist concepts in my mind and language as Advaita.

Thanks for your input, it's been helpful and I'll check out the websites!

cheers 😄