College of Thelema: Thelemic Education

I''ve mostly read about Kashmir Shaivism and according to my understanding Atman is Hadit but Shakti can also be Hadit, depending on the circumstances (I am the coiled serpent...) In the end, all is a manifestation of Nuit = Shiva. In Kashmir Shaivism, the universe is real and not an illusion. It exists in conscioussness and everything is a reflection or manifestation of Shiva (who is thus active), but it's still real.

I guess merging with the Holy Guardian Angel would be to realize that YOU are Shiva according to that school of thought.

Is the initiation and further grades recieved in ceremonies in a temple or lodge? Such as is the case in the OTO, within the A.'.A.'.? Or is it strictly one to one "tests" of the initiates progress before recieveing a grade? I don't understand how the A.'.A.'. works really, if meetings are held in lodges or if one can be initiated & working in the A'.'A.'. even if there's no lodge or group nearby?
What about lineages? I've read some claims that "there's but one true lineage" etc. Is there any truth to this or are most of the A.'.A.'. groups connected to a valid lineage if it's referred to by a local OTO?

@Avshalom Binyamin said

"The tradition is that Enoch is a descendent of Seth, Cain and Abel's younger brother. "

So the Magus, by being initiated into Enochian Magick recieves the mark of Cain?

"
It depends on what you mean by those terms. A really simplistic (and literal!) black and white role reversal of "good" and "evil" in the OT is probably more reflective of the anti-Gnostic polemics by people like Irenaeus than an accurate representation of any early Gnostic beliefs--which were probably a lot more subtle and nuanced."
I feel that the slaying of Abel was out of jealousy towards the attainment of the brother. So if the God interacting with the brothers it seems as an act opposing God.

There seems to be many aspects of Crowley that was similar to Valentinian Gnosticism & the Aethyrs of the Enochian system is also similar to the Aeons in this kind of gnostic philosophy.

"
Check out this paragraph from the Book of Thoth, which follows the comments about Cain and the Lovers Card:

"It is very significant that almost every sentence in this passage seems to reverse the meaning of the previous one. This is because reaction is always equal and opposite to action. This equation is, or should be, simultaneous in the intellectual world, where there is no great time lag; the formulation of any idea creates its contradictory at almost the same moment. The contradictory of any proposition is implicit in itself. This is necessary to preserve the equilibrium of the Universe."
"
Very intriguing idea that maybe also can be applied to the blessing of Jacob over Esau. Another biblical story that on the surface seems to reverse good & evil

I read Crowley's explanation of the "Lovers" card & have also stumbled across the reading of the story of the slaying of Abel & Cain recieveing the Mark as initiation? Didn't Cain also father Enoch, to which the magickal system was ascribed?

Is it correct of me to think that Crowley interpreted the Bible in a similar way to the historic gnostics who came out of Egypt? Meaning that the God of the Bible is the Demiurge?

@Jim Eshelman said

"
@Shamati said
"I wonder if anyone knows a store in the EU that sell this book??"

Amazon has it at about half price right now. If you ordered it, the shipping would probably only bring it to about the usual full price."

Ok, thanks, I'll check it out.

Did you ever think about releasing the book in some kind of digital format?

Hi,

I've been snooping around here for some time now for study & I was initiated into the OTO this weekend in Sweden

It was an unusual experience for me but I liked it very much. I had a fear that I would lose focus or in other ways destroy the experience but all in all I think it felt very good & "right"..

I will study the documents & Liber al Legis for some time now & see how it feels in a couple of months.

I wonder if anyone knows a store in the EU that sell this book??

Oh well, maybe the time has come to get one of those tablets after all

I have been accepted into the O.T.O so I am moving forward, leaving the Bhajanite system which lost my confidence that it'll take me all the way I have the capability to go. It's more of a religion of sorts where all the people (mostly women) are deep into new age thinking thinking about "laws of attraction" being used with the sole purpose of accumulating personal wealth & the yoga classess have been heavily leaning toward sets designed to tighten up parts of the body sexually attractive to males etc, instead of pranayama which I thought was going to be what the "advanced" classess was about. So i understand it is not a serious movement for this kind of work but i think it may have introduced others like ma e to look deeper into the mysteries of Kundalini and arrived at serious places

Where can i find the best and most authorative information on chakras?

Also, I have noticed a thing in my meditation which have been worrying me with a feeling that I might have lost something.
Before winter I easily got to a state of just "awareness without form" where it felt like I was just a floating conscioussness in a larger whole but lately I have been having trouble getting there again. Somehow it seems harder for me now to detach from the speculative ego and right when I can feel I'm going deeper, instead of detaching I somehow attach or identify with this part out of habit and as an effect of emotions etc. Do you know of a good meditation or excercise to practice detachment from the Ego?
This is a phenomena that had started after stress and bussiness increased in my regular working life which got me to shift my focus away from spirituality into the mundane for too long.

Isnt ejaculation emptying some of the energy? Thats what it felt like to me and many traditions say one needs to observe strict celibacy to refrain from orgasm to transmute this into the kundalini energy.
Are there ways in sex magick to retain this energy even after ejaculation?
I'm gonna keep from this part until I get to that stage of either initiation or from other work. I'd like it to be a surprise.

Thank you for your help!

@Q789 said

"Who says you should rigorously stay to the one system?

From the sounds of it to me- you are doing alright mate. Keep up the work.

Yes you may do it in your own way- it is NOT a religion. Use your own intuition to guide you- as it sounds like you are doing. Take lessons from both teachers and practice both- cut your own way through the jungle.

Just how long does it take to 'master' an asana? When I was an initiate- I had to balance a saucer of water on my head for 30 mins and not spill a drop- do it for an hour and you have mastered it. Sounds to me like you are doing well.

I like the way you said you could feel the fire energy- what else did you feel? Oh and the anxiety- you have blocked chakras.

Reguards Yogi Bhajan- perhaps you should take him lightly? Why? Because after reading a few of his web pages- first thing I noticed is he asked for money. Second is that NOT ONCE - not once at all did he mention ENLIGHTENMENT/KCHGA. This tells me something Shamati- do you know what that is?

Q"

It felt like a very hot "steam" was being released from the base of the spine that continued upwards and when it reached the brain it literally felt like I had a "brain-orgasm" that extended to my whole body. All the time it felt like the top of my head was "opened up" and energy was pouring out upwards while I felt a pressure/tingling between my eyebrows.
The heat in my spine was such that it was on the verge of painful and my whole body was trembling/shaking. I was shaking in my hands and fingers during certain positions for at least 3 months after but this dissapeared when I did yoga & meditation everyday, sort of like my nervous system was to weak to handle it without side-effects but got strengthened the more yoga I did.
Mentally I felt completely "One" with "creation" and I remember that I could suddenly feel a caring kind of Love for any random person or dog I saw walking by. It was a spiritual high.
Every feeling increased.
I later "landed" with my feet back on the ground and eventually I started feeling negativity again but I have had a couple more of these enlightening experiences during meditation (without the energy in the spine this time) that has put my mind in a peaceful exalted state for some time but I always slip back after a while.

I know that the Yogi Bhajan was probably a quack and his classess can in some places resemble sects. But after my experiences I felt I had to learn to live with this energy flowing in me and yoga was the first thing that came to my mind. Where I live you can choose to either attend a class of "Kundalini Yoga by Yogi Bhajan-class" or a more aerobics-like yoga class and I felt that at least the Kundaliniyoga class was oriented around spiritual matters such as chakras, energy etc. It has definitely worked to some degree but now I feel it's time to master some basic asana(s) and concentration which I never bothered doing.

This is because at these classess they seem to sincerely believe that when you have raised the Kundalini you are enlightened. I figured that since I still feel the same feelings of hate, greed, fear from time to time this is not true for me.
I have read some Taoist alchemy which talk about 3 stages called Air, Water & Fire and from what I have understood I may have experienced the "Air" part of this process and the next step is to transmute sexual fluids to travel upwards the spine.

Hi.
This is my first post here. I'm pretty new to thelema and magick but I need some advice on yoga and meditation.

About 1,5 years ago now I was doing some meditation exercises that involved focusing on chakras & energy etc. that was designed to raise the kundalini. I was completely new to any theory about kundalini and pretty sceptical in nature so I was pretty shocked by the actual rising of the energy through my spine. It was a burning sensation and at first I was worried and anxious about it as the following months was followed by some very dynamic shifts between a blissful state and an anxious state.

After the first few months I finally got a hold of a so called "Kundalini Yoga"-class (the founder was a guy called Yogi Bhajan), which I continue with to this day. I have arrived at studies in hermeticism (and mr Crowley) about half a year ago and I have noticed that the approach to yoga is very different from what I have learned in the class I attend and since I intend to continue my path under the hermetic and magical system I wonder how you think I should continue from here on?

I have read some of Crowleys writings and lectures on yoga and understand that its best to start practicing 1 single Asana every day until some mastery is achieved.
In the system I have learned yoga we have never concentrated on a single position but a few each set for a maximum of 2 classes. I have definitely learned to handle the kundalini and strengthened my nervous system some during these classess, but now I want to learn yoga in the way that is most beneficial for the great work according to Crowley and perhaps other masters of hermeticism, alchemy & magick.
I've recently had a "down period" in which little to no yoga has been done on a daily and regular basis.
Do you think I should continue with the regular yoga set as I have done so far or should I start from scratch according to Crowleys instructions working on One single Asana and pranayama? Any tips or experiences would be greatly appreciated

I have not joined a lodge yet, but are in the process of joining the OTO.