College of Thelema: Thelemic Education

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

I take my fill and will of love as I will, when, where and with whom I will.

But always unto Nuit.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Nice to see people interested in Land, Moldbug, and all of the CCRU camp's influences here.

I don't quite grasp the fixation on doing everything one can to actualize themselves as the opposite gender, though. I personally haven't really found much of this in the works of the aforementioned, either.

Although, I have to say, I am less interested in the philosophical and political foundations to these contemporary thinkers than I am in their alternatives for moving forward; i.e. systems like Patchwork or projects like Urbit.

""Note that there are now two sexes in one person throughout, so that each individual is self-procreative sexually, whereas Isis knew only one sex, and Osiris thought the two sexes opposed. Also the formula is now Love in all cases; and the end is the beginning, on a higher plane.""

As with anything, especially with the works of Crowley (and even more especially in the post-modern hellscape we find ourselves in today), there are multiple ways to interpret things like this.

I would take a more Austin Osman Spare approach and heed this as a reference to Self-Love. If one insists on a gender-based context, I would still lean towards simple androgyny (or even masturbation) rather than a call to actualizing oneself as the opposite sex.

Not to derail the thread, but I really don't understand the recent obsession the O.T.O. and other Thelemic groups have with taking up the political gauntlet for trans people, and this thread smacks of that context.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

I am SOOOOO f*cking glad someone already did this: github.com/aj07mm/liber777json

That repo easily saved me weeks, perhaps months. Absolutely had to share for anyone else developing Qabalah software.

It helps me to put things in my own words sometimes, if only to solidify my understanding and, perhaps, making your effort a little more rewarding by demonstrating that I get it.

@Jim Eshelman said

"First of all, don't resist or deny the (). That's not the same as embracing its antithesis. If life is inherently joyful, and atop that we layer ugly reactions, and then on top of that we affirm that it's joyful, we're just making things worse, because we have two layers of lie to get past. I call this construct a Shit Sandwich, two slices of joy with a shitburger in the middle. Not recommended. Instead, own the (), start telling the truth about the things you feel that way about, and get through to the joy."

The main message I am getting here is that we must own our responses to life. There are things we can control, things we can influence with failure or success, and things beyond our control. Ugly reactions are a signal and source of resistance for, in certain ways, life just happens to us. If existence is pure joy, why should we resist anything that is truly beyond our control? While these things stand, they should simply be accepted as part of the existence of our unfolding lives. By taking responsibility over how we respond to each moment, we are that much closer to extending the ecstasy and bliss that is at the heart of life.

Also, thank you for adding your signature humor for color, haha. Very enjoyable.

@Jim Eshelman said

"I think it's just about the truth of what's so, actually and emotionally."

By actually and emotionally, that is almost to say reality and how we respond to it.

@Jim Eshelman said

"Ah, there, I think, is the error: Not joyful participation in sorrow. Rather, joyful participation in the things that cause sorrow. (By telling the truth about it, not by denying the sorrow.)"

This ties back to the Shit Sandwich point above, haha. It's the difference between trying to force yourself to enjoy sorrow and ending the sorrow by accepting its cause as a part of reality.

How do you show someone you love them? I say you do so by simply enjoying their presence, meeting them with the same affection and thoughtful attention that you would afford yourself. Same with life. Life sucks sometimes. It can be a bitch. For some of us, maybe it's always that way. But, if you can accept it and meet life with grace where others might falter, then who is the better lover?

Ah, but life is always the best lover for life always accepts us; it is other people who tend to be the problem.

As of yet, I am still realizing that I have but one Companion, even that one Companion is what I do have.

As always, thank you so much for coming to my aid, Jim. You are a true treasure.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

My Saturn Return was last month.

This year and the months leading up to it have been dramatically positive and negative. I have gained a few major achievements and suffered a few great losses. I have struggled to accept the way my life is unfolding, but I am starting to come to terms with the things I cannot change by accepting what I have previously resisted.

It is amazing how seemingly insignificant, little things about yourself can have major consequences if ignored and left unattended. There are areas in my life I have neglected to improve. In the past, I have found it suitable to trace my undesirable tendencies to their sources and excuse myself from the work. This will no longer suffice, and I have been empowered to take it upon myself to make better what is within my power.

I spent many years of my early adulthood studying the work of Joseph Campbell. One saying of his easily came to mind as I reflected on my current station in life:

Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world. We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy."

Liber Tzaddi reinforces this 10-fold with an unforgiving, uncompromising, relentless vitality urging us towards nothing less than complete bliss at every moment. I have begun to read this book from the perspective of the God, as if I Am He, and I see it as instructive of how we should react inwardly towards anything but utter rapture: with contempt, disgust, and a swift stamping-out of that which is unworthy of even a moment's attention, save what is necessary to bring about its annihilation.

In this book, it is spoken of an "abyss of depth", "hells", "the Demon", and "that Blind Creature of Slime". I seem to be missing something about this aspect of the Self; is this not where suffering, fear, sorrow, weariness, anger, discomfort, etc. reside?

I suppose any of us can be weak, timid, imperfect, cowardly, poor, or tearful, regardless of whether we are approaching Angel or Demon, but perhaps I am off by seeing the Dark as comprehensively Negative, even in the mundane/worldly sense. By this same token, is Joy not Light/Angel/Positive?

In summation, I would think that to "joyfully participating in the sorrows of the world" would be the same as achieving the wedding "to that Blind Creature of the Slime," but I think I've confused myself even further as I've made this post, or perhaps it has just become clearer that joyful participation in sorrow is a union of sorts beyond simply being drawn to the Dark or Light aspects of life.

Some are drawn to the Light and others to the Dark; the Initiated are drawn to completeness and equilibrium.

Many thanks to all of you that took the time to read this, and many more to those of you who choose to share a response.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Thank you both, this is very helpful. Those details had escaped me. It is certainly not much of a stretch at all to include circular/coiling motions, and the majority of the examples provided are rather explicit anyway.

Thank you both again. This is...wow... I can't quite articulate how much this means to me...

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

@Aion said

"When you think about that in terms of the Ancient Wisdom, it relates rather easily [to] the two fundamental spiral energies."

Strange how I've studied different religions, mythologies, Qabalah, etc. for years now, and I've never had "spiral energies" come up. I'm not being facetious at all: if either of you can point me to anywhere where I can look into this more deeply, I am extremely interested... I had a teacher in the past who always talked about a "spiral staircase", and spirals came up a lot in various places throughout his work and teachings, but I honestly haven't seen anything of the sort among more academically viable sources.

The only exception that comes to mind is, of course, the Primum Mobile...but I thought that was one, and not twain. I could be wrong, but I'm coming from the impression that there is very little written about Kether in this aspect, so I can't really confirm either way.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

@Gnosomai Emauton said

"1. Though not published until after his death, Liber Aleph was actually composed in 1918 and thus pre-dates MWT and Thoth."

Admittingly, I was recollecting that information from memory. Thank you for correcting me.

I'm glad we've at least had a fruitful exchange about this. Its been fun volleying perspectives back and forth. After reading your most recent post on the thread, I'm certainly not as sure as I was (which wasn't very sure, actually) when I wrote that post last night, so thanks again for providing further insight into the matter.

I'm not sure if you read this post by Jim on another recent thread about the powers, but I found it revealing (emphasis mine):

@Jim Eshelman said

"I know five different attribution sets of these by Crowley, in different times, different contexts, etc. I'm disinclined to give an opinion (though I have one <g>) because (1)** at a couple of key points in formal examinations the aspirant needs to struggle with this exact issue and produce an answer**, and (2) my mere opinion certainly isn't important enough to overwhelm the significant advantage of not screwing with these exams. - Source"

I suppose all of our answers lie with Liber Pyramidos and our respective Zelators, wherever and whoever they may be. Best of luck to you on your quest for knowledge, Gnosomai Emauton. Cheers.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

It seems for everything I typed above, I was addressing more astrological-to-elemental correspondences than anything else. I suppose I got a little carried away with the symbolism there with reference to the Four Worlds.

For what it's worth, I'm going with what's set forth in Liber Aleph, as it seems to be the most succient treatment on the Powers. Liber Aleph was also one of the last books that Crowley ever wrote, being written much later in his life, so I think he'd have it sorted out by then, assuming he was having trouble deciding on an attribution and the different attributions aren't in fact mistakes.

Crowley is supposedly Levi reincarnated, so we can take his attributions are improvements/clarifications on Levi's. Meral's attributions line up with Liber Aleph if you take the Eagle out of the equation. She seems to take some liberties on how to represent Scorpio, but I'm giving her a pass on that considering the array of options available.

To address the notes on Col. 38 in 777, the whole column details "Animals, Real and Imaginary", which is a very general context we should keep in mind when reading the notes. When he mentions an Eagle for the Air element, it's just that: an animal you can use to represent Air. He doesn't say "Eagle or Man is the Kerub of Air" in the notes, but just "Man is the Kerub of Air." Context is key.

I'm willing to bet that the Pentagram diagrams in Thoth, ABA, and MWT don't have the Powers listed correctly for the elements, and that it's a publishing/editing error that's been passed down through successive editions without being corrected.

Crowley described Liber Aleph as an "extended and elaborate commentary on The Book of the Law, in the form of a letter from the Master Therion to his magical son." With that kind of authority, I think it's safe to say that the Master Therion got it right.

Even more simply, Taurus implies the ox, the yoke, the work, and thus Will. Lions are repeatedly representational of courage, bravery, etc. in fairy tales and folklore. They're also quite daring hunters.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Adam (ADM, "humanity") = 45 as well...

Moving forward, I will be falling back on the astrological/Qabalistic attribution of Aquarius being recognized as an Air Sign as the crucial point of reference to designate a Man = Air attribution for the Powers. It's in Liber 777 as such, and the several diagrams of the Pentagram laid out in Liber ABA and Thoth honor this attribution as well.

My editions of Thoth and ABA, with their diagrams of attributions on the Pentagram, never list "Eagle" as the description for Water (upper-right), but only "Water Dragon". Kind of makes sense when you look at how the sign for Scorpio is drawn, and calls to mind the imagery we get from The Hanged Man.

I also think that 45 = ADM = MH (Secret Name of the World of Yetzirah) provides some doctrine for us. Yetzirah does in fact "bear the water" of Briah beause, after all, one has to have opened to Yetzirah and be able to work from it effectively in order to open to Briah. From the perspective of a Neophyte working from Assiah, Yetzirah "contains" Briah in a way, probably much similar to the way Assiah "contains" Yetzirah, if you follow me.

Interestingly, if we again return to how the signs are drawn, we can see how each Zodiac sign chosen for the Powers references the World that succeeds it. For instance, the sign we draw to represent Taurus shows that the bull's horns have a crescent shape, referencing the Moon, and therefore Yetzirah by association. So the symbol for Aquarius clearly tells us that Briah is to follow, Scorpio tells us that the Serpent wisdom lieth in Atzulith, and Leo looks compellingly like a spermatozoon to me.

It is almost as if the symbols themselves urge us to keep moving, to never stagnate in our spiritual progression.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Something I've seen Jim bring up time and time again (and I'm trying to put things in my own words here, so please correct me if I'm wrong) is this idea/experience that consciousness is essentially the first matter underpinning everything everywhere.

We've seen the friction this has caused to people who uphold the opposing worldview that consciousness is in fact a product of the mind or, more specifically, an interesting byproduct of one of the body's many organs. However, I think that by participating here on this forum, we are all agreeing to learn more about the system of Initiation provided by the Temple of Thelema as well as the specific teachings from the very wise and experienced Brother Eshelman. After all, this forum is here to serve as a platform for the propogation of those ideas as opposed to those of just any old random person who decides to register a username.

I thought it would be helpful (albeit, probably painful for Jim, as he has so painstakingly addressed this topic in so many places on the forum) to go into more detail as to how we can differentiate consciousness itself from the things that really are products of the mind, like logic, morality, etc.

Having briefly experienced states of pure consciousness in dreams and deep meditation, I personally have a hard time choosing between "pure consciousness" and "pure existence" as an accurate discriptor. I suppose consciousness implies a sentience that may not always be in the case of existence (i.e. unconscious matter can exist), but it seems more accurate to describe the only act of will taking place in such a state as that of simply existing. Especially when so many people are identifying consciousness as a product of the minds of biological creatures, I feel the terms we're using here are important (or interesting, at least) to address.

I know I posted this in the Mysticism section, but as always, I am especially open to what the Qabalah and Tarot have to say about this, and any way of explaining this issue that utilizes those frameworks.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

@Jim Eshelman said

"
@ThelemicMage said
"45 happens to be the secret number associated with the element of Air."

Well, at least of Yetzirah "

Qabalistic research like this and what's been described throughout the trumps seem to indicate that this "swapping" may in fact be deliberate and by design. The Powers of the Sphinx are encountered early on in the system as part of the Grade of Neophyte:

"He shall pass the four tests called the Powers of the Sphinx. (Liber 185)
Examination in The Four Powers of the Sphinx. Practical. Four tests are set. (Liber XIII)

To Know, To Will, To Dare, and To Keep Silent: these are the Four Powers of the Sphinx.

As quoted above, the Neophyte is given four distinct practical tests in these Four Powers of the Sphinx. These tests are designed by the Neophyte’s Zelator. Unpublished instructions clarify the basic form of these examinations."

It may very well be that this correspondence issue has to do with passing the tests, working successfully with the elements, and opening to Yetzirah. Regardless, it seems as though the Tarot and Qabalah have much to say on the matter. Perhaps it's another lesson on how everything exists at once in the Four Wolds, and it is up to us to decide what is useful to us as we go along.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Crowley on the symbology of the New Aeon:

"The child is not merely a symbol of growth, but of complete moral independence and innocence. We may then expect the New Aeon to release mankind from its pretence of altruism, its obsession of fear and its consciousness of sin. It will possess no consciousness of the purpose of its own existence. It will not be possible to persuade it that it should submit to incomprehensible standards; it will suffer from spasms of transitory passion; it will be absurdly sensitive to pain and suffer from meaningless terror; it will be utterly conscienceless, cruel, helpless, affectionate and ambitious, without knowing why; it will be incapable of reason, yet at the same time intuitively aware of truth. I might go on indefinitely to enumerate the stigmata of child psychology, but the reader can do it equally for himself, and every idea that comes to him as characteristic of children will strike him as applicable to the events of history since 1904, from the Great War to Prohibition. And if he possess any capacity for understanding the language of symbolism, he will be staggered by the adequacy and accuracy of the summary of the spirit of the New Aeon given in The Book of the Law."

-- The Confessions of Aleister Crowley, ch. 49

"

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

“Be like water making its way through cracks.
Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it.
If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.

Empty your mind.
Be formless.
Shapeless, like water.

If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup.
You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle.
You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot.

Now, water can flow or it can crash.

Be water, my friend.”

― Bruce Lee

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

This is a high quality thread. Thanks, G. E. for sharing your round up of the correspondences with us, and Aion for your common sense and knowledge on the matter.

For simpler elemental work, I can see why it would be desirable to place each kerub with the element it seems most harmonious with in the natural world. I notice that the Bull and the Lion never changed from representing Earth or Fire respectively in any of the lists you sourced, and I don't think it really requires much imagination or explanation as to why those are attributions are harmonious.

Also, if this actually is the right way of going about it, and this is all supposed to be a blind, the eagle is a dead give away for the Air element, just as Aion said. I mean, its a bird...that flies...in the air... Haha.

Interestingly, this would leave Water to be represented by Man, which I think is a win for us Thelemites. Water is the element of Briah, which is entered upon attainment of Tiphareth via K&C, the work of the present Aeon, that of the Conquering Child. We also see Man paired with Water by way of Atu XII. If all of that isn't enough to indicate a harmonious correspondence, there's always the fact our bodies are mostly made of water.

For an altogether different approach, one could look to Atu XIV for a grand appearance of the Lion and the Eagle and possible clues on how to proceed here with the correspondences. With this trump, we can see that the Lion has taken on the bluish qualities of Water and the Red Eagle that of Fire. If we take Crowley's correspondences in Liber Aleph as correct, what we're seeing here may be a representation of the alternating flow of Fire and Water down the Pillars. We would then have some Qabalistic doctrine from the Tarot to reinforce a Water to Eagle, Lion to Fire attribution. This would also go well with traditional alchemy, as Aion mentioned.

"However, on the Tarot images of the Hierophant and Universe, he has flipped the Man and Eagle so that, read counter-clockwise from lower right, the Man is now He-Water and the Eagle is now Vau-Air. "

Wow, I didn't notice that before! I also didn't notice that the Heirophant has the top two facing inwards, probably in reference to the shape of the hexagram, but it may have some bearing on what we're talking about. Lots of food for thought here... I just looked up mem, Water plus he, Aquarius (40 + 5 = 45), and there's a lot of good stuff for 45... Pairing up the cards according to the astrological kerubs to their elements has just blown my mind, particularly The Aeon with Lust.

I'm gonna be up alllll night now.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

@Jim Eshelman said

"Doesn't anybody just buy books anymore? It seems to me that the first step in becoming seriously involved in the work is to build a library. This is one of the worst effects the internet has had on the Great Work IMHO.

There is magick in physical books that you just can't find in a digital print out. (That's certainly what I sold my soul for Damn the costs, damn anything else, but put every resource into acquiring all of the books.)"

We are in wholehearted agreement here! I love my little library. Finding and collecting the rare stuff is just so much fun. As far as reading them goes, I never get as much out of reading an ebook compared to the real thing. I suppose certain things can't be obtained otherwise (old Latin manuscripts and the like) for most people, but I always get a physical copy whenever possible. Even when I can't, I usually print them out anyway.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

@Takamba said

"Funny you mention Rollins, assuming you mean Henry Rollins, as he's personally someone I would never want to be like (having personally known him in the 80s as I toted Mike Roche's gear around in TSOL). "

Wow, haha. I would've never pegged you for someone with a hardcore/punk background. That kind of music (at least the stuff from the 70s and 80s) is pretty near and dear to me. Not to derail the thread, but if you have any stories you'd like to share (maybe PM would be more appropriate?), I'd like to read them.

So if an Era is a 22 year cycle, what do we call the 484 years that make up a series of 22 eras? I wonder if there's any overlap between Eras and Aeons. This is certainly a very interesting subject. I've been meaning to dig deeper and learn more about history in general, so this is a nice backdrop to have to put those pursuits in a Thelemic context!

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Would you consider it profane to perform a ritual simply to inspire oneself? I find it very curious that there are not more people who essentially approach it as performance art, especially in light of such persistent vitriol from pseudo-rational fundamentalists who insist on beating the dead horse that is the superstitious baggage of Magick's past.

Would you say there's anything wrong with simple reverent ceremony? I understand that for those of us more advanced in Qabalah and mystical methods, these things begin take on a deeper sophistication and perhaps more exploratory qualities. However, for beginners and those of us bringing these methods and practices to outsiders, I really think it could be helpful to present it first and foremost as an artform that has it's own merits simply by virtue of itself in order to bypass that old perception that this is all about money/love spell snake oil for desperate and delusional people.

Just some thoughts. Happy to hear your's. Cheers.

P. S. Sorry for the edits--I usually get a better look at things after I submit the post, and I just can't let any glaring grammatical errors or typos sit there once I spot 'em. <!-- s:L) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/smile-l.gif" alt=":L)" title="Smile-L" /><!-- s:L) -->

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Curiously, this thread was made the day after Erwin Schrödinger's birthday.

I find it remarkable that the simple act of observation changes the behavior of the world around us. Here's a short clip about quantum mechanics that sums this up nicely: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1YqgPAtzho

And here's another even shorter clip about Schrödinger's cat, which I'm sure many of us are familiar with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOYyCHGWJq4

The implications all of this has on consciousness is probably unsettling for most people. To me, it would infer that the nature of reality is interdependently subjective. That's the best, most concise way I can describe or attempt to "make sense" of this information. Certainly awe-inspiring at the very least.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

I thought I might also add that Michael Molinos was very helpful through all of this, as well as works I consider to be focused upon relinquishing the ego, being Liber Cheth, (presumably) Liber A'ash, and the like. The following passage from Liber 333 was also helpful, and I deeply identify with what is described here:

@Liber 333 cap 34 said

"THE SMOKING DOG

Each act of man is the twist and double of an hare.
Love and death are the greyhounds that course him.
God bred the hounds and taketh His pleasure in the
  sport.
This is the Comedy of Pan, that man should think
  he hunteth, while those hounds hunt him.
This is the Tragedy of Man when facing Love and
  Death he turns to bay.  He is no more hare, but
  boar.
There are no other comedies or tragedies.
Cease then to be the mockery of God; in savagery of
  love and death live thou and die!
Thus shall His laughter be thrilled through with
  Ecstasy.

*COMMENTARY

  The title is explained in the note.
  The chapter needs no explanation; it is a definite
point of view of life, and recommends a course of action
calculated to rob the creator of his cruel sport.

NOTE
(18) This chapter was written to clarify {Chi-epsilon-psi-
iota-delta} of
which it was the origin. FRATER PERDURABO
perceived this truth, or rather the first half of it, comedy,
at breakfast at "Au Chien qui Fume".*
"

Recognizing the cosmic origin of everything was also a big help--LOL.