College of Thelema: Thelemic Education

The tumultuous personality mostly stilled, and the mind quiet, the ego finds itself accordingly "alone" in the great park of the psyche.
The green-clad ones are the personality's purified desires - clad in Venus, playing freely, bringing the mind and Nefesh together into a state of intoxication, "fairy sleep." All of the mind's thoughts are wrapped up into this pure vital expression, which is continuous through the conscious and subconsciousness minds.
All of this is swallowed up by the dawning of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel, more real than the particular forms taken by the natural energy coursing through the psyche.

For some reason, I always used to interpret this section as referring to wooing the HGA, in some way. I'm not sure why.

When I chew on it now, let it circle around my mind, it seems pretty clear that the Dolphin is Nefesh, "mighty" in all of its raw, vital power, thrashing about in darkness. The "harper of gold" is the HGA, or perhaps the enlightened ego operating on Its behalf, gradually attracting the subconscious mind through successive veils, or ways of relating to the Divine, that it can understand, that it can reach at that stage.

Also, they're referred to as "boys" - masculine ego-expressions, and not mature ones at that!

The Adept does her best, and just acts according to her understanding of True Will. This may take trial and error - and may seem like chaos to the uninitiated even when totally on the mark - but this is the path of fulfillment for the Adept. She cannot wait to have perfect understanding before acting.

Acting according to True Will also destabilizes that which isn't built correctly; Assiah trembles in response to the Adept's action.

The adept already knows that the transmitter and the receiver, the white and the black, the source and the receptacle, are the same thing. He is fully incarnated in the flesh, and fully united with the divine.
And the Angel responds - you're equipped, you're armed to the teeth for the Great Work, so why are you trying to understand every little detail? That's not your job anymore!

Each person has their own relationship with Adonai, and with the text. These relationships are living, unique, just like the people themselves, for the colors are many, but the light is one. No one person can say they understand how everyone else is connected to that light.

It may not be easy for the Adept to explain what (s)he is trying to do to the rest of the world, who aren't likely to understand. Birth and death, creation and destruction - these are all part of the plan.

Those with eyes to see, the ability to see life on this deeper level, will recognize the presence of vitality, of spiritual life, and will value it according to their nature. Those who are brave and ready will connect with it. All of this will happen as subtext, semi-consciously, through life.

Who is truly in control, you or the event/item/etc in question?
I think that defines "strength" in this and most other contexts.

People are outfitted for different things, and within the personality, different passions and drives are appropriate for different circumstances.
Some people really don't care about the big picture, and that's fine - they fit into it in their own particular way, with a necessary role. All of this is the natural behavior of the Light.
All roles are holy, so long as they are truly authentic.

Diversity is mandatory, as the manifestation of unity.
We each have completely unique natures, which spring from the same Source, and should interact harmoniously with each other.

I'm taken by how... full of life this feels, full to the point of bursting. There's a sense of intoxication, of a very present mortal perspective that has voluntarily given itself wholly to something much bigger, and is enraptured by that.

Liber 7 has been standing out in my mind lately, and despite the many similarities between the texts, this still contrasts quite a lot with that.

@gerry456 said

"How would you seek to align these two contending forces which describe the same thing?"

Realize that those remarks can only fully apply within oneself; anything else is potentially infringing the Will of another being.
Alternately - no one on earth gets to play God and decide who among them is "fit."

Just my 2.

93, 93/93.

Speaking as someone *not *in the A.'.A.'. :

@milkBoxx said

"Concerning the grade system of A.'.A.'. (or G.'.D.'.)
If a zelator has hit Chesed (in Yesod) does he swear the oath of the abyss before moving to Hod?
Or is it Binah in Yesod that he is hitting?"

I think you're confusing the Grade system here. For analytical purposes, we can view things as being related to a Sephira-with-a-Sephira, but the Grades and Oaths don't work like that. The Zelator, operating officially from within Yesod, opens to Hod, takes the Oath of that Grade, and then commences working from there. In the Zelator's personal work, it may make sense for them to analyze their progress up a "sub-Tree" within Yesod, but that is a separate matter.

@milkBoxx said

"I also recall that a Zelator cannot move to Hod without swearing it"

I've never heard that, and it doesn't make sense in the context of the A.'.A.'. system. That Oath is a very particular Oath that comes at a certain stage of the Adept's development (in theory). The Zelator isn't expected to be prepared for that.

93, 93/93.

I'm looking for advice (whether direct or just referencing a book) on the general topic of house cleansing and protection (especially of a newly-acquired dwelling), and of banishing any leftover entities/spirits/hauntings/"poltergeists" etc. I understand a "full exorcism" is a separate topic, but anything beneath that level is what I'm interested in learning more about. Basically, how to get rid of "unwanted roommates."

I would be inclined to heavy LBRP use to banish the sh!t out of the place, and maybe burn frankincense for a while to reinforce the vibe I'm trying to make, but I don't really have anything better than that.

Any suggestions? Personal experiences? Anything I should add to my toolkit?

93, 93/93

I'll take a crack at this. It's a good question.

I think of Kether as not just being Hadit, but as being the union of Nuit and Hadit in that point, if that makes any sense. The resulting emanation of the Sephiroth is the result of their union, not just Hadit extending energy. (From His perspective, it's all Nuit.)

Once anything is "extended," it's no longer Hadit by definition.

I think the Khabs falls into this category - a Star that results from a particular union of Nuit and Hadit, which Hadit can then "inhabit." Or rather, the consciousness of that Star can look inside itself and say "yeah, Hadit is in there, at the core."

I think all of these things would look different (maybe unrecognizable) from Hadit's perspective, strictly speaking - they're all from a much lower perspective, beneath the level of the Khabs, since we're instructed to worship the Khabs.

Hopefully this gave you some useful thoughts to munch on.

93, 93/93.

Wow, a lot of bells are ringing with that - not all of them, but a lot of them. (Then again, I'm not the querent.) Thank you, Al-Shariyf.

The question was, "should I get back together (off a temporary break) with my fiance?"

The reading was done during the brief separation.

93, 93/93.

You make a very good point. I wasn't thinking about that distinction at all.

93, 93/93.

Yes, all the cards were upright - I don't disturb their orientation while shuffling.

I mostly agree with your interpretations, Gerry. The Devil card captured my focus for the Neshamah row, and I wasn't really sure how to integrate the other two cards, but in general, it didn't seem like "yes, go through with this" type of row... which is sort of in contrast to the other two, in contrast to his personal feelings on the matter (which may or may not have been warped), and in contrast to what he believes his guidance is telling him.

Mostly - I'm not sure whether to interpret the Neshamah portion as being an instruction "from Neshamah," or as being a diagnosis as to how it's not being seen accurately, or something else.

I interpreted the two court cards as both being aspects of the querent that were conflicting. In the Nephesh row (where they're both present), I interpreted them as the energy from feelings and beliefs-of-self (Prince of Cups) getting tangled up with energy from Will-force (Prince of Wands).

Viewing them separately in rows, in the Present row, it seems like he's mostly being driven by what he thinks, at the personality level, is appropriate - in the Future row, it seems like accurate inner guidance will arm him to channel a deeper energy to manifest than what he's using now.

In other words, it seems to me now like the spread is advising breakup, against what he feels at a personality level.

Thank you for your responses so far

93, 93/93

93,

A few threads above this one in the Magick sub-forum, there's a topic called "Images of the Gods in Liber Resh Vel Helios" - you could look there

<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://heruraha.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2663">viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2663</a><!-- l -->

93, 93/93