College of Thelema: Thelemic Education

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

Some argue survival IS adaptation.

I see this was posted a few years ago, so I’m sorry if this doesn’t have the same relevance; but just in case &/or for others,

I’v felt this same plea many times. Or at least, your words bring up recurring feelings I relate to. Not only have I always felt a sense of being at-odds with my environment; I’v moved quite a few times, wondering how to adapt. So I can’t help but share.

Currently in Oregon, US, I live in a valley higher(ish) in elevation, against forested mountains. The towns have populated and grown into each-other so is pretty urbanized, not “out-there.” And this is the first time I chose to move solely based on circumstance. Iv always had (relative) difficulty with finances; chasing breaking-even.

Adaptation is an alchemical process I personally liken to gardening. My spiritual practices–next to this physical correspondence I can engage with in the same world I am questioning–is how I have coped, now & in the past. They give immediately, material to observe & work with; adaptation becomes the side-effect. Did the whale really “try” to lose its limbs and push its nostrils above its skull? We can definitely say the cetacean tried to swim & never stopped.

There are great anchors and vistas through the path when perseverance heads the course–
–and as many have attested; Pearls of Wisdom (James Eshelman) has some particular nuggets of sheer gold that never cease to surprise. Meditations, practices, rituals, the breakdown of human-nature in relation to ritualistic value. These spiritual practices ground & sharpen my senses & concentration, my imagination & passion; and these are all we really have to interact & effect our universe about us & within us.

A famous principle of Permaculture:
“The Problem is the Solution.”
I.e. I have legs for land & no mammal can swim far, but the most food freely swims in the ocean; to freely swimming, I become the largest, undisturbed mammal ever to live.

Generally I only see a magickal act, or expression of my will, as an intentional action which produces a beneficial result–usually near or right in line with my intent.
And so the adaptations necessary come to light next to the unintentional (“unmagickal” if-you-like) actions.
Adaptations that supply security and fulfillment are definite expressions of my will. Habits and experiments are lessons to be learned from.

Love is the law, love under will.
L L
L L

The mind is formed by way of underlying tendency. Vasanas they are called in Sanskrit. The mind is like an ocean and thoughts are its body and the tendencies are the laws that create change and sway it. This is why concentration is vital to yoga practice whose aim is nirvikalpa samadhi. It silences the tendencies, though that takes discipline and perseverance. The nature of the magical circle is silence. I've said before that silence is the safeguard of all magical and mystical work. Choronzon functions by way of belief ("I am I"), its medium is the substratum of the Abyss (Da'at, knowledge). Silence bypasses all of that, for how can belief take form where there is no means to do so?

This is why all good mystics are aware (note the pun) that their own beliefs are ultimately false or counterfeit. They are but an inferior derivation of the divine intuition, who speaks not in words; the Neschama. Just don't mix the planes! 😉

@Hermitas said

"Universal military draft? Or, what’s the intent there?"

Para-military.
The intent to bring every individual together, in service to the State ;

@SHH! Manifes said

"
For the betterment of humanity, whether you like it or not !"

As, according to the "Dolphin"

@SHH Manifes said

"To the State, there is ONLY:
Citizen, Non-Citizen, Child;
A persons individual identity
is secondary to their service
to the people,
who as Sit-Zen-Tree-
provide the conditions
for its existence
"

That is to say, less poetically, a persons identity and survival as an individual being entirely reliant on the existence of a "Society" serving it should be their utmost priority.

❤

@Vadox said

"So we have one type dominant in us, we are against one type, and we pursue one type "

I dance,
with every one
crowd shifts
you stand before me
I am thee
(another shift)
who is three ?
thou that be
I dance.

@Jim Eshelman said

"It's an excerpt from AHA, a much longer epic poem."

AHA! Now we are getting somewhere. 😀

Thanks.

I wouldnt see it as having it wrong.. it is still filtered through your personality, your time, and culture and the treasure chest of words and images stored in your mind.. it's that storage of words and images that needs constant feeding and expansion if you are to continue to grow as a magician and human being.
It teaches new words, new images, new thought patterns, new ideas, possibilities and realities.
I feel the sacred magician focuses as a lens or conduit, reflecting or refracting power through himself to something beyond, that importance should be attributed the forces that work for and around him, not just an inflexible storage cell.

So yeah, i wouldnt see it as a bad idea.

There are quite a few people out there with heightened psychic ability, who manage to meet up through unspoken means and assist one another in attempting to "play" with or somehow wire others' energy in a way that would benefit them, sometimes seeming as simple as to give the unsuspecting party bad dreams, but usually reeking of undertones as darkly obvious as some drunken South American Brujos.

A relationship with the entire Datura plant, from seed and flower to leaf and root, will help one understand these occurrences.

Just don't fall down the path of the hallucinatory "black brother", and attempt to throw people into subway trains and take over their body to cause a ruckus.

Plant teachers are powerful.

We all pick up on this shit, right? I mean, I always keep my aura as vibrant as the Crown, (obviously diffused into some color as I am human,) and as thick as a brick of condensed eternal Light, (thank you, Albert Hoffman,) and only pay minor attention to this kind of thing.

Take it easy, and I don't mean sleazy.
Balls out.

93
93/93

Frankie

@Uni_Verse said

"
A must have in my opinion is the original Hebrew,
Preferably on the opposing page to the English
"

I found this and have been using it so far www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0.htm

This is why I stick to jokes and poetry
When I get serious people run away scared 😛

RAWR

@Patthana Gati said

"
@chris S said
"It's relevant in the points of contention.. I could label myself white, therein my black brothers will say "hey, you know you're a nice guy and quite heroically well adjusted." 😜
My Buddhist background says nothing is sacred.. Hell might as well call everything sacred. 😄"

My yellow school background asks 'is Chris a Sagittarius?' 😆"

lol.. no Aries. 😉

Great.

I have often debated this within myself.

@Uni_Verse said

"Recently I have been exploring the idea of THELEMA as the Word upon the final breath of the British Empire in my poetry. It has turned into a lengthy piece, and sparked a desire to share the notion to hear what others might think.

At the core is a comparison of the moralistic view the British had of their Empire and the philosophy expounded through Thelema.
One may argue that from the perspective of the British it was their moral duty to spread the concept of law to the "undeveloped nations." Just as Crowley saw it as his duty to reveal the Law to all the peoples of the World.

This lead to the formation of an Empire expressely British, that faced especially British problems and evolved as opposed to falling apart as is the case with most Empires.
The British Empire eventually 'crumbling' not necessarily due to outside forces,instead a collapse of the British Will to rule and spread "Law."
For, Britain, very much like a parent saw it as their duty to develop the countries under their steward ship:
Beginning as colonies, evolving towards semi-autonomous states, members of the Commonwealth and eventually entirely independent nations within a "family" of nationalistic states with common roots in British law and ideology.

The subsequent appearance of Crowley, along with "the Law" in many ways part of the natural evolution of the Empire from a material ideal (of a single nation ruling others) to that of a spiritual one ( numerous, separate distinction nations joined together in brotherhood beneath a single ideal ).

This can be seen in many ways. One distinct example is how the colonies "grew up," learned to "speak" (English), eventually granting them the ability to express their desires (via the English Word) and use the very ideas manipulated by the European powers against them.

Crowley and Thelemas distinct place in this drama upon closer examination. Becoming a manifestation of both the most positive and negative aspects of the British Empire. With the people eventually projecting their Shadow onto him, wishing to ignore his symbolic representation of the Empire with all its glory and faults on display.

OK, this post is starting to get really long and I have not even finished my research/writing. However, the topic has caused me some excitement, so I thought to share some of my thoughts so far. Has anyone else considered this? Have some ideas, thoughts or insights to share? Eventually, I need to finish my poetic piece, till then I was hoping for an intellectual exchange."

...On the inspiration of a whim my desire to elaborate may stem from the fact that I am British born, however ideologically, as far from British as possible, in that I am not a monarchist; if that is what the essence of "Britishness" means ultimately? to cut a long story short. Thelema is the last relevant contribution of the British empire in my opinion(And there is nothing humble about it) as far as the poetic.." last breath" well i suppose that is up for anybody's personal interpretation. As far as British Colonization the effects are extremely complex and far reaching, whereby if you overstand that language is the extension of thought(and it is) then we see represented by various "broken-English" or "Pigeon-English"dialects in commonwealth countries, the evidence of an assimilation of a foreign thought process into the English language or vice versa in it's manifested metamorphosed(or fragmented) state.

@Angel of Death said

"It is a pleasure to know you Universe,
And a pleasure to know you better.
I didn't see this when you first posted or I would have already responded.
I just finished a nice book that really laid out some cool ideas for me in regards to my own pattern of behavior which has to do with what is called Harm Avoidance. Your latest post seemed to me similar to me with that issue so I thought I would share the term.
👼"

I held off replying to this at the time as I figured "I will do it when I add more to it"
Latter though all ready in my mind, though I did not think it would take this long!
Any way:

I have appreciated and greatly enjoyed our interactions on this forum.
It has been a true honor and pleasure to share your company, in even so little a way.

😄

This time I thought to go a little deeper into the history of my practices,
A sort of meditation and remembering,
For it is so easy to forget, that - THAT experience was mine!

Before having "discovered" magickal and mystical practices,
I do not recall having ever experienced bliss, true contentment
At least not of the sort that they have granted me
Though it has been a long road with many ups and downs...
Learning not to jump into the fire, for my sake and yours 😀

While deeply inspired by The Book of the Law
As well as the Book of Lies (I forgot to mentioned I ordered that with the Book of the Law)
I had no real practical knowledge of how to pursue the path
There was also a good deal of time before Intiation arrived!

I decided to do what ever felt natural,
Rather what seemed "right" when it came to meditation
Sitting my self in full lotus, despite all the pain
I was hardcore ! (stupid that is )
Clearing my mind by pure force of WILL
Years would pass before I could even begin to describe what I experienced

I was diligent in my studies of the Hermetic sciences
Building up slowly over time, sealing myself completely and utterly away from the universe
My practice having become yogic in character
Rejecting society, along with it my self , all the negative thoughts and emotions I could not control
That tortured me on a daily basis

Magick only came into play upon the attainment of Enlightenemnt
Enlightenment, to me, being a state where a being seeks only the Beloved
Where in I began to feel Selfish, I was still a horrible person (obviously not really enlightened?)
As I had gained infinite wonder, pleasure for my self
What of all the other people ?
What about those who still suffer from my previous actions?

Whether this thoughts preceded performance of Magick ritual
Or was the result of my doing so, I am unsure
I do know I did not begin reintegration into society until after I began regularly practicing the LBRP

An idea long stuck in my head is something akin to a Thelemic Monstary...
While in my fantasy it is off on a mountain top, tucked in a forest
I have recently had a more "realistic" vision one nestled into a city street
A place of learning where Seekers of all types are welcome to stay a while and share their ideas
Or even perform, where it be their practices, hyms, what ever they wish
Essentially create a Thelemic community within, at the heart of humanity

The type of place EVERY ONE loves to go (two)
Yet NO ONE ever admits they did 😀

Circle run by Selena Fox used to have something
As did
Oberon Zells Church of All Words.
I thought Starwood had some sort of permanent thing.
Foxfire people are nice I have heard
the Farm has many paganesque peoples from time to time
Ashrams abound the east coast

If you are looking for hard core Stone walls sort of ridged, we have Trappist Monks down the road who MYOB, but they are catholic so you prolly would like that much.

@Jim Eshelman said

"Not sure what that means. It's actually the Tropical zodiac that's moving, not the Sidereal."

I have not gone that deep into Astrology.
In my limited understanding I very well may have misunderstood something.
I also have a tendency to reverse things o.O

The jist of what I am getting is that this is a dead end?
Astrology being a weak point of mine, I thought to start here work my way to other possible methods of exploration.
Thank you for the informative replies 😄

Personally, I associate the Reaper with Key 13, Death, which symbolizes transition.

And also this:

"34. Thou seest yon petal of amaranth, blown by the wind from the low sweet brows of Hathor?

(The Magister saw it and rejoiced in the beauty of it.) Listen! (From a certain world came an infinite wail.)
That falling petal seemed to the little ones a wave to engulph their continent. So they will reproach thy servant, saying: Who hath set thee to save us? He will be sore distressed. All they understand not that thou and I are fashioning a boat of mother-of-pearl. We will sail down the river of Amrit even to the yew-groves of Yama, where we may rejoice exceedingly."

The strong brown reaper is the version of you that acts to change. He is contrasted with the wise man version of your who refrains from acting to change. In both cases, change is considered tragedy. One brings death to the current form. The other maintains the current form. My take anyway.

Gemini versus Libra,
Both Moon in Pisces.

As for me, the Libra:

I can satisfy no more calculating conclusion.
I can calculate no more satisfying conclusion.
And I would be concluded.
And I would be satisfied.

"The strong brown reaper swept his swathe and rejoiced. The wise man counted his muscles, and pondered, and understood not, and was sad."

"Reap thou, and rejoice!"

@Angel of Death said

"Don't know what happened to the original post there Uni...."

Hm, me either.
Seems a bit weird.

@Angel of Death said

"But I sure love your poetic way with math....."

Reminds me I was suppose to seek out some Indian poetry about Maths...
Read it while nomm'n on a pi that never ends 😀

It was my hand that wrote it, from whence it came I can not say.

My tendency is to perform the ritual around or close to solar noon. Perhaps I will try around midnight.