~ May 16th - 22nd 2009 ~
Friday May 22nd 2009 – 1:40pm Boy, the mountain from The Book of Lies is truly inspiring! Its getting a rise out of everyone!! Frater Orpheus just sent me an email, subject: "93! More Mountain Stuff...On Dreams really!!!" ... He adds -"Because you mentioned it I had to look into it...here is some stuff On Dreams..I wrote it all straight out so excuse any Grammer..I've had way to much caffine today..." and then he writes:
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law
Lets consider John-A-Dreams… “Dreams are imperfections of Sleep”…Dreams are images presented in the Minds eye thru the Sub-conscious Waters… but they are still in the mind…Still tainted by Self. So where do they come from and how do we use them. Crowley writes that “Truth is Unknown“. As we have already discussed Chokmah or Hadit is never Known, he is the Knower…but where do we seek this Truth…in the Well and where does Binah lead but to our Path of Cheth or “sexual imagination”.The problem is still that damn Ruach. But guess what, while in the body you will never destroy Ego but instead must learn to use the Ruach, to open up our Chakras and allow the Kundalini forces may traverse the Tree unhampered.Consider this while it is true that the power of Man is greater then that amoeba “because he has specialized the functions of the protoplasm of which he is composed”, yet Man lacks the amoeba’s tendency towards absolute dissolution in the ALL. In other words with the body comes the Ego while the amoeba, who has no consciousness of “Body” is also free from ”Ego”. But Man is still the individual protoplasts of which he is composed. (You may have had Psychedelic or Yogic experience somewhat similar to this before) 1= 10 and 10 = 1; Kether is in Malkuth and vice-versa. Remember that Crowley wrote that he was once mistaken to believe the Spirit greater then the Soul or the Mind greater then the body when in Truth they are all equally Divine and essential. It’s all a matter of perspective, remove any Sepheroth from the Tree and the whole thing collapses…it’s a delicate balance. So what am I saying…simple we are trapped in our Body and our Ego; both are on the Microcosmic Tree and must therefore have its counterpart on the Macrocosmic Tree. Simply said we are connected to the Divine in every way and we must simply put the lower ego and persona under “control” as dictated by the libido. Why the Libido? Simple if we are in “Silence” then the Libido images are ‘true”. “This inner Silence of the body being attained, it may be that the True Will may speak in True Dreams; for it is written that He givith unto his beloved in Sleep”. (Crowley, Aleph chpt. 17)Since these Dreams are tainted by the mind then how can we understand them and use them? Even better how does the Angel display, guide or communicate thru these dreams? We must refine our art of interpretation. We must learn to speak “The language of our Angel”. Hillman gives us the excellent advice of when working with dream Images, he suggest that we do not rush to define or interpret the Images. But instead understand that these images have a life of there own and a source that is not necessarily you. Our dreams are tainted by our thoughts but not necessarily driven by them, especially if you have mastered the art of Silence. These Dreams are a place where the Microcosm and the Macrocosm meet. It is here where the Angel will often speak in metaphor to gently guide us forward but we interpret what is being communicated…“those who have ears to ear it”. Hillman suggest that you at first approach your Dreams like a scientist and simply record all the events and images etc…but not to go as far to interpret them. Instead he suggest that you allow these symbols time to grow and leave the interpreting for some time down the road. Consider this is this task of interpretation, or learning the language of his Angel, not just one way the Magician raises himself to unite with the Macrocosm? The Magician will understand the Gold hidden in there rightful interpretation. This rightful “Interpretation” has more to do with “Silence” or that ability to allow the image to display. Crowley writes, “Every Dream or pageant of Fancy, is therefore a Shew of Will; and Will being no more prevented by the Environment or by Consciousness, cometh as a Conqueror. Yet even so he must come for the most Part throned upon the Chariot of the Exciting Cause of the Dream, and therefore is his appearance Symbolic, like a Writing in Cypher, or like a Fable, or like a Riddle in Pictures.” (Aleph chpt.11) Note that Crowley Capitilizes each word he chose for this “Image” drawing attention to its divinity…and didn’t he mention the Chariot and the Conqueror? Ring a bell? (For more I recommend you read Liber Aleph Chapters 7 thru 18).Love is the law, love under will Frater Orpheus
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11:10am I want to remind everyone that there is an Open House at my apartment tonight; the lecture being a discussion on The Book of Lies, what we learned and why we need to learn it .... it begins at 6:30pm; bring something to drink. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11:08am I like it when you guys teach me a thing or two and so far today everyone is opening up interesting thoughts for me to ponder. Great! I wanna learn stuff too!!! ... anyway Mick writes:Jerry 93,
Crowley assigns the number 32 to the lie he names The Mountaineer. The number thirty-two calls to mind the ten Sephiroth and twenty-two paths of the tree of life. Equally important, the title itself “The Mountaineer” suggests a cognate image of attainment – The Holy Mountain. Together, the two appellations suggest a common theme; as the Eastern Taoists might prefer to call it: “The Way of Skillfulness.” Crowley uses the image of the mountaineer as a metaphor for an initiate aspiring to skillfulness. This is because he was a skilled climber of mountains himself and understood the metaphoric resonance of the mundane order with patterns of the initiated path (Tree of Life).Similar metaphors for the path to skillfulness arise while acquiring any class of ability. Malkuthian life itself informs us of the initiate’s path if we look at its patterns in a certain way. That is to say, if Tiger Woods had written this he might have named it something like “The Golf Pro” or maybe a bad Crowleyian pun like “The Putter.”I suppose if I had to write on this theme I’d end up calling it “The Judoka.” When I was in high school I spent most of my evenings and weekends involved in the amateur sports scene in my region. I was a Judo guy and I practiced any time I got a chance. My instructor Mark used to pick a few of us up on different nights and we’d drive all over the county practicing at different Judo clubs. In those days it wasn’t a business for anyone. Even the Senseis were in it for the love of the sport.In those days Judo practice was extremely intense and a handful of us would often practice for two hours straight - hard going - without a rest. Not surprisingly, most of our practices consisted of Uchi-komi which means “Fitting-In.” We repeatedly applied a single technique literally hundreds of times at high speed in the course of a single practice. After practicing this way for over three years with thousands upon thousands of repetitions of the techniques, something happened to me that had never happened before.I was fighting this older student who was a body-builder; considerably heavier and stronger than I was at the age of fifteen. In the heat of contest something happened and my opponent suddenly went up in the air and landed soundly, with appreciable force, on his back at my feet. At that point, Mario, the host instructor at that club stopped us. He asked me, “What did you just do?” I was nonplussed. Not only could I not explain what had just happened, I couldn’t even say for sure which technique I had applied.Mario chuckled and said, “That’s Judo, Chad. We practice by repetition over and over until one day the whole thing disappears and we do the thing without doing it.” He went on to emphasize that when we practice with great intensity until we’re exhausted, it’s precisely at that point we begin to really learn the technique. At the moment of exhaustion, our body’s will to force the technique becomes useless and the interior part of our learning begins. The result is the technique begins to come from the other-than-conscious or subconscious rather than being a case of one fighter willfully applying the technique against another. In skillfulness the fighters vanish and the Judo happens. The ego vanishes in that moment of skillfulness. Judo, by the way, means “The Gentle Way.’Consciousness is a symptom of disease.This odd phrase becomes clearer here and can be taken to mean more precisely “self-consciousness or awareness of the “I” is a sign of being not at ease or at rest. That “mind is a disease of semen” also suggests that mind or the “I” is the result of thought (semen) being not at rest. This is meditation 101: The meditator stilling the mind doesn’t lose consciousness and become comatose, but rather loses (however briefly) the consciousness of self as an entity called “I”. Pure awareness occurs without a subject. Samadhi. The Judo parallel here was always to exhaust the body by rigorous repetition. In this way the body (ego) becomes useless as an instrument of force and ceases to be an obstacle to the fighter. Once the body is loose, relaxed or too weak for the use of force, that is “at ease”, the technique internalized through thousands of past repetitions takes over without intentionality or will.All that moves well moves without will.All skillfulness, all strain, all intention is contrary toease.I would argue with Crowley’s choice of the word skillfulness. In this passage “skillfulness” reads as the pejorative sense of a person’s learned tool box tips and tricks. It could be a trick too I suppose, but the use of the word “skillfulness” is misleading here given the common use of the “Taoist” definition. The Taoist sense of skillfulness is the way I use it here because I think that’s what the “mountaineer is about.Frater Perdurabo is archetypally the initiate who endures until the end:Thus spoke FRATER PERDURABO as he leaptfrom rock to rock of the moraine without evercasting his eyes upon the ground.This passage gives a demonstration of the Mountaineer’s skillfulness. Moraine is defined as the accumulated earth and stones deposited by a glacier. No doubt the moraine is a difficult and treacherous climbing ground densely littered with piled boulders, rocks and rocky soil. The one who endures the rigors of practice is able to move from Sephirah to Sephirah without looking down just as the mountaineer is able to cross the moraine. There’s no need for the eye (“I”) at these altitudes. Having stepped this way a thousand times in practice, the mountaineer’s feet and body skillfully know the way - at ease and without thought.The earlier stages of repetitive practice always reflect the patterns of the “skillful” application that come later. This is as true of interior skills such as traversing the Tree of Life, as it is of mundane skills like crossing the moraine or pile-driving an opponent into the tatami. The experience of skillful ease without “consciousness” or “mind” is the result of practice. When I was fifteen and just promoted to brown belt, I experienced it for the first time. What’s really intriguing and also very telling here is that Mario, my instructor that night, was able to spot it at the moment and recognize what was happening. Mario was good teacher. He knew his stuff. He’d certainly crossed the moraine of skillfulness many times before to be able to do that.On a lighter note, on those rare occasions someone would actually get “in the zone” and toss Mario to the mat, he would always spring back up, with a big toothy grin and remind us that even monkeys fall out of trees every once in awhile.Mick93 93/93 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7:00am I should like to throw in my two-cents; which is actually worth about three cents now due to the inflation of copper prices; but anyways, regarding The Mountaineer, Crowley states - "This chapter should be read in conjunction with Chapters 8 and 30." ... We have already discussed chapter 8 'Steeped Horsehair' fairly in-depth but no one has bothered to really comment on Chapter 30 or John-A-Dreams. The title is derrived from an old slang given to anyone who daydreams and becomes more inactive than not. It would do my students well to at least consider this chapter and while you are at it, consider the first lines to these three chapters:8 - Steeped Horsehair - Mind is a disease of semen.30 - John-A-Dreams - Dreams are inperfections of sleep; even so is consciousness the impurities of waking.32 - Mountaineer - Consciousness is a symptom of disease.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:55am Dave Solina from Florida writes - "I love the 333 meditations. However I am going to have to say Merc-retrograde has my teeth holding my tongue in a vice. :) ." ....... Reply: I understand. Luckily it goes direct on the 30th.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:40am Frater Shiva, the author of the now classic book - Inside Solar Lodge, Outside The Law; True Tales of Initiation and High Adventure (The Teitan Press 2007) sent us this brilliant right-to-the-point interpretation on The Mountaineer. He writes - "Hi Jerry 93:"The Mountaineer" touches upon a principle that is well-known in the Oriental Martial Arts. Our mountain-climber says, "Practise a thousand times, and it becomes difficult; a thousand thousand, and it becomes easy; a thousand thousand times a thousand thousand, and it is no longer Thou that doeth it, but It that doeth itself through thee."But rather than invoking the 1,000,000,000,000 [one billion!] times mentioned in Ch. 32, the Japanese merely say, "Do it one hundred times," and this motto is posted in dojo all around the world.The idea is that if one is engaged in combat, and one has to actually slow down to think, then one is going to get injured or worse! Through repetitive practice, the [re]action becomes "natural" and "automatic." Technically, an attack is perceived by the brain and the response is routed directly to the motor nerves - without taking the more leisurely route through the rational, thinking area.Of course, this principle is applied in many areas: Learning to walk, riding a bicycle, driving a car, and learning to flawlessly perform any other task. After struggling through the first few times wherein basic coordination must be rationalized, one is expected to "Leave your Mind at the Door!"! Will/Love, Shiva ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5:20am And Frater Orpehus sends us his understanding of The Mountaineer from The Book of Lies. Wow! All you guys are getting better and better; or at least the ones of you who have stuck in there week after week. This practice of meditating on chapters is really forcing you all into areas of your Ruach not normally traveled. I like it. ... Anyway, here is what he wrote:Jerry, Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the LawMy thoughts on the Mountaineer…“Mind is a disease of semen.”…and…”Consciousness is a symptom of disease”The five physical senses, in the sacred design of Man, allow us to “perceive” the world around Us. They bring us colors and add “richness“ to the experience we call life; yet place boundaries upon that which we may perceive. “Self” is limited to the circumference of its knowledge and experiences. Only in the minds Eye, thru Inspiration or Imagination, are we able to grow our understanding of Nature, whether She be of this world or the next. We all have an Imagination and at times may “feel” Inspired - yet we may struggle to divine its source or harness its full creative potential; save for those moments of Divine Inspiration, of the “discharging the Lyden Jar of Genius”, as Crowley puts it. IT moves thru Us, yet is not Us. This “invisible” force may lay just outside the boundaries of our physical perceptions, even when part of us; and In the case of our WORD, or that True Will unassuaged of purpose, it really couldn’t be any other way; because its source is Divine… Birthed from the sacred rivers in the Garden of Eden and yet is “Us”… a greater part of Us then even We are. While what we regard as “Consciousness” remains rooted in Self, the exact opposite of our Word; hence why we blot out the mind as not to destroy IT. (Not that Consciousness is all bad, I recommend a couple hours a day, minimum) Consider the Myth that Man must be made as a child before the face of God. Children are innocent and free from shame but also lack “language” and “experience” and so must rely greatly upon Imagination to navigate their Universe. Yet even in the child’s imagination we find traces of the Acorn. As the “Imagination” is but a bridge for our Word and especially so when freed from the “disease of the Mind’. Clearly if this were a “conscious” act then children would be ill prepared and we would all have to sit around and “manually” guide the Psychic energies throughout our bodies, but we don’t… its all taken care of for us. But how?… How can we Understand the Divine?… maybe use your “imagination“? How do we control the Divine?… You don’t. As Crowley already pointed out “Mind is a disease of semen”?Now consider this: Crowley wrote, “except in the case of an Adept, man only rises to a glimmer of the universal consciousness, while, in the orgasm, the mind is blotted out."; and as previously discussed, Cheth is the path of the “sexual imagination”, where the procreative force of your Word is birthed below the Abyss. This is the power of the blotting out of the mind and that moment of orgasm called Hriliu.The raising of these forces is not a conscious or logical process but instead an “automatic” subconscious one whose inertia lies within. The Seed of which is carried in the Grail of the Charioteer and is the Dew Drops of our High Priestess, whose essence is found in the Bull of the Hierophant. If we drag this out into the light of day or bring IT to the forefront of our conscious minds then we will Earth out its full creative potential. (though there is a time and place for everything) Simply said the Angel and the Libido exist in the land of the Sub-conscious and not the conscious. The Daemon is a pure elemental force given to us by the Gods to guide us in this incarnation; but also in our spiritual growth, just as the Angel is said to guide the Spirit into the Body so may she guide it out. Our ‘genius’ is fixed and inseparable from the sexual libido which, according to Carl Jung, is a psychic energy that expresses itself through “symbols“. The Magician will understand that within his Libido lies that inspirational drive of the creative forces within. So will strive to understand the inner workings of his libido and learn the “Mythic language” of his Angel, while blotting out his Mind from corrupting its images. In a nut shell he must give himself over to the universal Will and put his lower ego and persona under “control” but as dictated by his libido. (Now reflect upon your sexual proclivities) He must then still is body and his mind so that the word may descend unhampered. But how? How do we use this subconscious doorway to discharge “the Lyden Jar of Genius”? In this chapter Crowley discusses Mantra Yoga which simply means Union through Speech. Its essentially the practice of saying something over and over again until it is no longer an act of the logical mind but instead becomes rooted in the subconscious and hence the power of Mantra in planting Seeds. Mantra is successful then when the Speaker and the Word are made as one. In this we can see that Mantra is an act of union (it is yoga) that “destroys the world” and Samadhi is attained. In Book 4 Crowley writes that Mantra is, “A practice to attain union with God by repetition of a sacred sentence.” But if there is no God but Man then what is it that he unites with but his own sacred Word? Crowley gives us this example of how when scaling the mountains he is on “automatic pilot”, no longer conscious of even where his feet shall land… but instead guided from within, without any conscious effort. Most of us who have spent any real amount of time steeped in a “creative” or even repetitive process can identify with this concept of the “auto pilot”. It’s a Natural part of all of us. This quality of Yoga or union is true in other repetitive practices not just Mantra. Consider this in light of the daily practice of Resh . Eventually this practice gives way and a subconscious seed is planted and we simply begin to recognize a Solar connection rooted within, continuously and subconsciously. Crowley writes “..a thousand thousand, and it is no longer Thou that doeth it, but it that doeth itself through thee.” In other words we have given ourselves over to a Creative energy of which our Angel but a guide… so who is really steering the Ship? I don’t know…(how could I?)… I’m just enjoying the journey.Love is the law, love under will Frater Orpheus
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5:15am For the history buffs: The writer who created Sherlock Holmes , Sir Arthur Charles Ignatius Conan Doyle, was born on this date in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1859. Although he created the character many authors have now written stories which incorporate the world’s greatest detective Sherlock Holmes. As an example consider the book titled The Case of the Scarlet Woman, Sherlock Holmes and the Occult (1999) by Watkin Jones. There is a good description of the story on the back cover: “A haunted house, a mysterious kidnapping and a poet’s demonic visions are just the beginnings of three connected cases that lead Sherlock Holmes into confrontation with the infamous black magician Aleister Crowley and, more sinisterly, his scorned Scarlet Woman.” Also, of note, most modern ‘Conspiracy Theorists’ who contrive plots being hatched and formed in the shadows of every tree should remember the immortal words of Sherlock Holmes, “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday May 21st 2000 – 3:54pm I have added over a hundred new and rare items of Crowleyanity and the occult onto my ForSale catalogue. Click HERE to check it out ... and I still have lots more items to come over the next week or so.
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2:01pm Miguel sent in this very interesting observation worth sharing. He writes - "93, Br. Cornelius, A wordy diatribe from one sailor on the "sea of systematic and often over-academic knowledge ramblers." :-) . . . :-/As has been previously established the Grades of Thelemite have been communicated as being triadic defined in the Book of the Law chapter I verse 40, I as “the Hermit, the Lover, and the man of Earth.” The McMurtry lineage of A.’.A.’. has been reconstructing itself to reflect the Thelemite’s “Hierophantic task” as passage through these Grades. These three stages have precedence in historically related traditions such a Hellenic Gnosticism and Indian Tantra. Along with these, one also finds a relationship to the Christian philosopher and Saint Bonaventura’s “three eyes of the soul” giving the following analogy between the schools:Thelema Gnosticism Tantra Boneventura ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
man of Earth Hylic Pashu(animalistic) Eye of the fleshthe Lover Psychic Vira(hero) Eye of reasonThe Hermit Pneumatic Divya(divine) Eye of contemplationIn connection with interpreting inspired verse such as these related to Liber 333 the analogy to Bonaventura’s categories of perception suggest that interpretation is quite different as the Thelemite moves through the Hierophantic task associated with each Grade. In that this exercise of interpreting the verses of liber 333 has been already referred to as a practice of the Lover Grade within the McMurtry A.’.A.’. lineage; Cf. Bloggeria, Sunday, May 3rd, 2009. It seems appropriate in connection to this Grade’s association with Boneventura’s eye of reason to appeal to Liber AL :II:32 in that in this verse reason is specifically associated with lies and words are implicated as being misleading or inaccurate due to the “factor infinite & unknown.” Liber AL associates reason with the word “Because” which is cursed as a process that gets in the way of the expression of the Will ; Cf AL:II:27-33. Reason is also associated in Liber AL with the animal totem of the dog. AL:II:19 ask “Is a God to live in a dog?” giving the answer “No” and then suggesting that there are Thelemites who are beyond reason indicating the “friends”of Hadit or Hermits referred to in AL:II:24. This Grade has been associated with the traditional Magister Templi grade and in the originating documents of the A.’. A.’. initiates of this grade are defined as being “free from internal contradiction and external obscurity” that is to suggest that their actions are removed from the conditions associated with the other grades in association with this I reference AL:II:24 again which suggest that the lower grades reflect the workings of the higher. As such our most unconscious thoughts and actions contain within them indications of our soul’s code. This is clearly discussed in Liber Aleph and elsewhere in Crowley’s philosophy. In connection with chapter 32 of Liber 333 regularity of practice is presented as a condition for success in manifesting the tendencies of the Will. A significant question to ask in regards these discussions is exactly what are we practicing? Let’s not forget that the study of these verses are connected to a specific instruction connected to Crowley’s work on the VII degree of the O.T.O..The dog is associated in 777 with The High Priestess and the Art card, but in G.’.D.’. based tarot the dog is often pictured as the companion of The Fool. The dog has been suggested as being emblematic of faithfulness and symbolic of companionship and loyalty. As such this suggests that the reason can be trained/domesticated in service of the Will. In relation to the above noted Atu and their association with the sephira of Tiphareth once again one is confronted with the Hermetic axiom “one you control while the other controls you.” In further association with the discussion of Liber 333, chapter 32 and its association with chapters 8 and 30 (others as well) the body and mind easily attributed to the sephiroth Malkuth and Yesod and therefore the work of the man of Earth, are implicated as needing to be placed under discipline. A note should be made here concerning path 32 of 777 associated with the Atu of the World or Universe defined in the Sepher Yetzirah as the “Administrative Intelligence .“ It is so called because it directs the operations of the Ruach. 93 93/93Miguel------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1:55pm In regards to my reply to Jerri's 6:20am posting; she writes - "93 Jerry, Thank you :) It's interesting to me...that it was the Charioteer that really helped me figure out this thing that I have been noticing...this manner in which we travel upward, "finding ourselves" and discovering "what we are made of," to only lose ourselves to the Divine. Now, considering how we descend...thinking a bit about the Glow Worm...inspired by the Charioteer and the Word...How the path upward is simply a mirror of it's descent, a child is born of both, yet it is the perspective from which that child is born that is the "difference." ... Hmm...I love this practice!!! I am learning much and having fun in the process. Hugs and Love to you!!! 93 93/93 Jerri ." ... Reply: you are precious. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:00am For the history buffs: Tragically, the author Ronald Firbank died of pneumonia on this date in 1926. His real name was Arthur Annesley. He was born in London England in 1886. During his brief career he achieved some recognition as an innovator in satiric dialogue and narrative techniques. His books reflect his own legendary, eccentric, if not personal life, with all its bizarre characters and laced with sophisticated wit. He wrote such novels as Vainglory (1915), Inclinations (1916), Caprice (1917), Valmouth (1918) and The Flower Beneath the Foot (1923), but his most famous is probably Prancing Nigger (1924) which was originally published in England as Sorrow in Sunlight. His last novel, The Artificial Princess, although written circa 1915 was released posthumously in 1934. He is one of those British authors who apparently became strongly influenced by the writings of Aleister Crowley, but very little survives to tell of the full extent of their relationship. ….....… and on May 21, 1960 Jeffrey Dahmer, the notorious serial killer who murdered seventeen men and cannibalized parts of their bodies, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Once the police entered his apartment they found a grisly array of trophies. Like photographs of dismembered human bodies, a head sitting in the refrigerator with a penis and three more heads were stored neatly in plastic bags and tied with plastic twisties in the freezer section. In the closet they discovered a metal stockpot that contained decomposed hands and a penis and on the shelf above the kettle were two skulls. On November 28, 1994 Dahmer was killed by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver at the Columbia Correctional Institution, Portage, Wisconsin. ……... and to continue, it was on May 21, 1969 that Truman Bethurum, the man who often made contact with UFOs, died quietly in his bed on this date. His contacts began between September 16th and November 2nd in 1952 put Bethurum in touch with beings called the ‘scrow’ from the planet Clarion. With each new visit, Bethurum learned more about the culture and customs of the Clarionites, and each time they promised him that he could visit to their distant world, although this trip was always inexplicably postponed until the scow’s “next visit.” In preparation for his flight Bethurum to invite six trustworthy friends, all men, and he was then told to make sure they all brought “sturdy shoes.”------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday May 20th 2009 – 6:20am Well guys, Jerri has again set the bar high when it comes to discussing a chapter from The Book of Lies. She writes:
Hi Jerry, 93 It seems simple for us to understand the nature of practice described in The Mountaineer. How practice makes perfect. How it is that we lose ourselves through stilled action and how through that loss of ego we become the vehicle of our Divine Will. It flows through us, unencumbered by the ego that creaketh “I.” This is the Charioting, as described by Steeped Horsehair. But, the only purpose of the Charioteer is to bear the Cup of Our Lady Babalon and although we have discussed the nature of the Charioting, we have yet to touch upon the manner in which he bears this Cup and what it represents. As this is his only function, I feel it is important to explore its significance and its relationship to the chapter(s) at hand. We have established that “Cancer also represents the path which leads from the great Mother Binah to Geburah, and is thus the influence of the Supernals descending through the Veil of Water (which is blood) upon the energy of man, and so inspires it.” [Book of Thoth, pg. 85]. So, what does this mean to me? Blood is Life or Prana. It is the lifeforce and the Dewdrops of the Moon. These Dewdrops are “the Quintessence and the Elixir of his being.” Not only is the blood comprised of our complete nature, is the Father and the Seed, but it also is our fountain of youth and nectar of the Divine. Whether we are male or female, our path when traveling up the mountain must be solar and phallic by nature. What do I mean by this? We are taught in the Gun Barrel, “Mighty and erect is this Will of mine…Mighty and erect is this Phallus of my Will.” We also know that the Phallus is the sole viceregent of the Sun upon the Earth. This solar aspect has nothing to do with our physical sex. We have the entire Tree within us at all times. As shown by the Charioteer rather, it is the active aspect of ourselves. We pours that active Will into Her Cup, the passive aspect of our silent selves. Emotionally, it is through our love and dedication, desire for and lust of Her that we are inspired to give our all to Her thereby losing ourselves within Her. I keep thinking about what it takes to practice something so much that you lose yourself to it. What inspired madness is it that possesses one to do this, let alone to do it successfully? We must know, will, dare, and keep silent. The Charioteer fills the Graal with his own Will upon a Chariot of stillness which is the body or ego that is lost in that practice of Willful focus. It is all for Her, so it must be through his bloody sacrifice that the Charioteer bears Her Cup.The fruit of our practice or labor comes to its fruition while we are lost to in it’s doing-it is now unassuaged of purpose, and we are delivered from the lust of result, so it is every way perfect. Through that sacrifice, or the giving of our all, She bears us through the seas of eternity and we bear a magickal child of Her...Every one of these chapters so far deals with the unification of the microcosm and the macrocosm in one form or another. All demonstrated in varying metaphor…all to be crystallized in some grand fashion in my mind unfolding like a flower that will take years to bloom. A thousand thousand times a thousand thousand hours perhaps?93 93/93JerriReply: It has been said that one cannot truly claim progress while climbing up the sacred Mountain until you’ve learn how to turn around and offer a hand to someone behind you. You must learn to teach, and make severe the ordeals. Here is a classic example of someone being able to take a rather complicated subject from The Book of Lies and bring it down to Malkuth in a way that is simply matter-of-fact without being too over analytical or intellectually dropping of facts. Yes, men and woman teach differently. Yes, Jerri is a gem amongst a sea of systematic and often over-academic knowledge ramblers (of which I include myself). She teaches from an ‘angle’ often obscured in the male mind. Yes, we can learn alot from this one :) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:10am A piece of trivia: yes, if you're looking for an Aleister Crowley connection in an old X-FILES TV show then you must hunt down Episode No. 14. It's on a DVD called Season 2 Volume 10 which contains Episodes 13-16. Episode Number 14 is titled 'Die Hand Die Verletzt' and it takes place at 'Crowley High School' in New Milford, New Hampshire. At one point the Parent Teacher's Council meets and after discussing typical school affairs they conclude the meeting with a satanic prayer. At about the same time a group of high school kids go out into the woods at night to perform a black magick ritual but the experiment causes unexplainable things to happen, such as fire erupting from the ground, rats swarming and the very next day one of them is found dead and horribly mutilated; ah, the plot thickens as agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully are called in to investigate the strange happenings at Crowley High! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:00am For the history buffs: On this date in 1920 Adolf Hitler unveils for the first time the new emblem of the German Workers Party, the Swastika. …...... and on this date in 1996, in Tres Coracoes Brazil, a biology student named Ildo Gardino was driving to Varginha when after a sharp bend in the road he saw a creature, slightly bent forward, trying to cross the road in between a pasture and the woods. As he slowed his car the headlights hit directly on the creature and Ildo noticed that it was covered with dark brown hair and that it had large red eyes that glowed as if reflective. In a protective manner it covered its face with its hand and crouched down at which point Ildo could make out little horns on the creature’s head. When the car approached closer the creature blotted toward the woods where it had first come from.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday May 19th 2009 – 9:45am Dave Miles writes - "Don't know if this is just a sick coincidence but...."
2007 - Chinese year of the Chicken - Bird Flu Pandemic devastates parts of Asia2008 - Chinese year of the Horse - Equine Influenza decimates Australian racing2009 - Chinese year of the Pig - Swine Flu Pandemic kills hundreds of pigs/humans around the globe.It gets worse because next year is :
2010 - Chinese year of the Cock .... what could possibly go wrong?Reply: I pray that it has something to do with Roosters! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9:00am I have updated the FOR SALE pages of my website; if you have the old link as a 'Favorite' the link will no longer work. I have returned to adding photos of the books etc. I have hundreds of items I hope to be adding over the next few weeks.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:45am The article from 1977 which is titled HOW ALEISTER CROWLEY CAME TO BERKELEY has now been aded to this website; check it out! ... Thank you Ben! ... [see yesterday's 3:00pm posting] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:00am For the history buffs: On this date in 1536 Anne Boleyn was executed at Tower Green. She spent several years of her childhood at Blickling Hall, Aylsham, in Norfolk, England and those days left her with some of her happiest memories. So much so that every year on the anniversary of her death, as the legend goes, a phantom coach is said to convey her ghost, carrying her head on her knees, towards Blickling Hall, where the coach and horses are seen to drive very slowly to the front door and then vanish. There are even witnesses who have claimed to see the coach. …...…. And I’d be negligent if I didn’t mention that Albert Fish was born on this date in Washington DC in 1870. He was electrocuted in Sing Sing on January 16, 1936 for numerous ‘Vampire and cannibalistic’ murders which he had committed. Shortly after he murdered ten year old Grace Budd in 1928 he sent the police an unsigned letter claiming, “How sweet her tender little ass was, roasted in the oven.” It took him nine days to eat the entire body and he almost choked according to his own testimony when drinking her blood from her severed head because he gulped it down too fast. ….....… and speaking of birthdays; Ninette Shumway’s child name Isabella Isis Selene Hecate Artemis Diana Hera Jane, something simply called or Isabella Fraux, was born on this date at Cefalu in 1923. Her father was Baron La Calce, the landlord of the Abbey of Thelema. …..…. And to continue honoring people born on this date; James Donald Walters is an American who was born on this date in Rumania in 1926. In 1948 he joined Self-Realization Fellowship in Los Angeles, changed his name to Swami Kriyananda and actually lived with and became a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda during the last years of its life. After Yogananda’s death Swami Kriyananda left SRF and established Ananada Village in Nevada City, California. He has written over seventy books and over four hundred pieces of music. Kriyananda is world renowned as a singer, composer, and lecturer and he teaches how to apply spiritual principles to art, music, education, business, relationships, and much more. …....…. But with every birth comes a death and on May 19, 1943 at 11:30pm Arthur Edward Waite, English Christian mystic and writer on Masonic and occult subjects, died. …...…. And finally, on May 19, 1946 the seven foot, four inch, André René Roussimoff, better known as Andre the Giant, was born in a small farming community in Grenoble, France. He died of a heart attack on January 27, 1993. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday May 18th 2009 – 3:00pm I have uploaded the 'scans' of an article which appeared in December of 1977 in a now defunct newspaper called the Berkeley Barb released its Joy of Sects issue (No.643 Dec.9-15th 1977) which was subtitled A Mystic Eye View of Krishnas, Crowley & Guru Ma. On page 7 there was a full-page article which interviewed Grady that was titled How Aleister Crowley Came To Berkeley. It was a rather good article, very informative and gave the basic history of Crowley’s OTO and who Grady Louis McMurtry was in relationship to the whole Thelemic world. In this article it discussed Grady being the Caliph and it pointed out “since Crowley considered himself a ‘prophet’ then naturally his successor would be a ‘Caliph’.” The article ended with explaining the circumstances revolving around the recent feast of Crowleymas held on October 12th and the signing of the official OTO Charter stating, “Like a phoenix rising from the flames, Aleister Crowley’s Ordo Templi Orientis appears to be reborn, thanks to Bay Area occult know-how and a little divine help.” ... I know it is almost impossible to read the scans of the article but it is being computer entered by Benjamin Hance and as soon as he gets it to me, I'll post it. Hopefully, any day now! :)
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9:00am Ed Wormuth sent in this gem regarding The Mountaineer. Great advice; Ed's starting Monday off with a bang of an interpretation; the bar has been set high. Who's next? Anyway, Ed writes - "93 Jerry, At the risk of being too alert to the obvious here are my comments on the present chapter of the "Book of Lies".In learning to do any physical activity, one conceptualizes the task, be it walking, a tennis stroke, operating an automobile or traversing a moraine. Then the brain consciously operates the physical body to acheive the desired effect. i.e. taking a step, striking a ball, driving down a road or hopping from rock to rock. The conscious mind orchestrating this process is an awkward and slow method until enough repetitions allow the muscles to remember these specific actions. When the brain allows the ganglia [which are much faster] take over the process the actions become more fluid. After repeating the actions correctly, over and over [in the instance of tennis, this is known as grooving a stroke] it becomes more automatic to perform the function desired.It is only after the preceding is done that it is possible for the task to seemingly happen "by itself" [in tennis circles this is called "being in the zone"] and it doesn't happen all that often even to the Pros. [You may have seen Roger Fedderer or Raphael Nadal have moments like this where there tennis seems effortless and 'impossible shots' happen. If asked about this they will likely tell you that they were not "thinking' about their actions, but rather they were "in the moment" and it was just "happening".Walking across rocky terraine such as a moraine is a tricky business at best requiring the knowledge of how to attack such a landscape, a good sense of balance, as you are basically "hopping" from rock to rock, and being able to "let go! ". [focusing on your feet, or where the next step must be too closely is the "kiss of death" for such an operation. { the attitude of "The Fool" [check the picture] is much more appropriate.I am reminded of A.C. talking about "inspired poetry". One must write constantly, know all the rules of rhyme and meter, [learn them well, the better to break them when necessary]. you may write a lot of drivel or merely "workmanlike pieces, but when the inspiration comes-the tools are there!*that being said, I wish I followed this directive 'cause , my poetry sucks... and there is so little of it.
Enough!93 93/93, Ed------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7:35am Joe from Beverly MA, writes this thought on The Mountaineer - "IT reminds me of a statement by one of my favorite Painters, Phillip Guston- in which he described the perfect day in the studio- He stated, that, on a good day one begins to paint, and along with you in ones's studio, are your peers and your heroes, and you speak to them as you work on your art- and as you do they leave the room one by one- until there is only you left- that being a good day ... He went on to stated that on a GREAT day- This also occurs, except the Artist doing the artwork also leaves the room." ....... Reply: Nice. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:40am For the history buffs: According to some historians, Elias Ashmole, healer and philosopher, died on this date in South Lambeth (virtually London) in 1692. Others place the date of his death as the 19th. Ashmole was a chemist and antiquarian and some sources credit him as being the first person whose name is recorded as having been made a speculative freemason; this being on October 16, 1646. …...…. And I should also point out that Ralph Metzner was born on this date in Berlin in 1936. He worked with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert to rewrite the Tibetan Book of the Dead as The Psychedelic Experience (1964). He also wrote Maps of Consciousness (1971), Know Your Type (1978), Opening to Inner Light (1986) and The Well of Remembrance: Rediscovering the Earth Wisdom Mythology of Northern Europe (1994). ….....…. And on May 18, 1941 Louis T. Culling joined the O.T.O. at Agape Lodge in southern California; taking both Minerval and First Degree. He became known as Frater Aquila. ….......… and I should mention that Aleister Crowley wrote in his magical diaries on May 18, 1943 “Evan wrote, inviting me to Tredegar Park” and later he wrote on June 17th, “Arr{ived} Newport about 3. Taxi to T. Park. T. put me in the Oak Room-the best in the house.” Crowley is referring to Evan Frederic Morgan the Welsh poet and aristocrat born in 1893. He was the last of the Morgans to live in Tredegar House, the old family mansion. The first Viscount, which is a title referring to British nobility ranking between and earl and a baron, was Godfrey Morgan. He rode into ‘the valley of death’ at the Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War. He was succeeded by a nephew, Courtney Morgan. When Courtney died in 1934 his son, Evan, became the new Lord Tredegar. Evan has been called “a great eccentric,” a regular at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant in Percy Street, London along with his friends Augustus John, Aldous Huxley, Ronald Firbank and others like Nancy Cunard, Dylan Thomas, Peter Warlock, Walter Sickert, Nina Hamnett, Thomas Earp and the Sitwells. Nancy Cunard spoke fondly of this restaurant, calling it “our spiritual-carnal home.” When Evans became Lord Tredegar in 1934, and Lord of the estate, he began holding wild weekend parties attended by a curious mixture of the famous and the entirely unknown such as HG Wells, Marchesa Casati, Aleister Crowley, Prince Paul of Greece and Lord Alfred Douglas to name only a few. His menagerie of animals at Tredegar included a boxing kangaroo, a honey bear, baboons that stalked the gardeners, an anteater, pigeons, birds of prey, which were often sent after suspected Nazi spy pigeons, and a parrot named ‘Blue Boy’ who would sit on his shoulder. His problems leading up to why he invited Crowley to Tredegar Park began during World War II when he worked for British Secret Intelligence in an organization known as MI8. The problem began one afternoon, after having lunch with a pretty young girl, Tredegar decided to show her around the office where he worked. This of course meant his office at the top secret branch of MI8. It was a sort of personal guided tour. This was not a smart career move on Evan Morgan’s part because he was immediately arrested and thrown into the Tower of London for treason. In the end, another branch of British Intelligence called MI5 intervened on his behalf and got him released but he was forced into retirement. Tredegar did not go happily and one author wrote, “Tredegar was outraged by his arrest and threatened dire consequences. He retired to his country seat, Tredegar Park in South Wales, and invited Aleister Crowley, the renowned occultist and magician, to prepare a spell. Coincidentally or otherwise, Tredegar’s arresting officer fell painfully ill shortly afterwards and nearly died.” ….....…. And on May 18, 1957 Anna Martin, 68, of West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was found incinerated in her apartment, leaving only her shoes and a portion of her torso, a classic case of spontaneous human combustion. The medical examiner estimated that temperatures must have reached 1,700 to 2,000 degrees, yet newspapers two feet away were found intact. ….....…. and finally, on this date in 1980 the catastrophic eruption of Mount St. Helens occurred at 8:32am. It was triggered by a 5.1 earthquake that was centered beneath the mountain; a mountain which is located in southwest Washington state. It disrupted the lives of thousands of people and changed more than 200 square miles of rich forest into a grey, lifeless landscape; this sounds exactly like my previous marriage.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday May 17th 2008 – 8:40am I am amused – the headlines reads – “Robber Had Banana 'Gun,' Cops Say” and the article goes on to say – “WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (May 16) - Authorities say a North Carolina teen who was thwarted as he tried to rob a store with a banana ate it before they could arrive. Winston-Salem authorities say 17-year-old John Szwalla held the banana under his shirt when he entered the store Thursday, saying he had a gun and demanded money. Owner Bobby Ray Mabe says he and a customer jumped Szwalla, holding him until deputies arrived. While they waited, Mabe says the teen ate the banana. Mabe says deputies took pictures of the banana peel. Forsyth County Sheriff's office spokesman Maj. Brad Stanley says deputies joked about charging Szwalla with destroying evidence.”
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7:50am Ok, I'm going to have to throw this out about The Mountaineer because I don't think you guys will ever go here. First of all; if this new chapter, no 32, is a compliment of chapter 8 which rules the sign of Cancer consider the fact that Cheth, the Hebrew letter which rules Cancer adds to 418. Also, 'Cheth' in English Qabalah (C/8,H/5,E/5,t/9,H/5) equals 32. ... And Eight itself, which is not only the number of the previous chapter (Steeped Horsehair) that we reviewed but it is also the number which refers to Cheth and in English Qabalah 'Eight' (E/5,I/10, G/3. H/5,T/9) equals 32. ... In magick we’re taught that nothing is mere coincidence. There is a great quote by the FBI profiler Ed Sulzbach regarding this subject. He writes, “There really aren’t many coincidences in life. And to call coincidence after coincidence after coincidence a coincidence is just plain stupid.” However, besides this Qabalistic ramblings, the main thing I want to point out is that if you guys and gals are true Mountaineers you'll realize that there are ten Sephiroth on the Qabalistic Tree of Life and 22 paths or major Thoth cards; both totaling 32. And is not the Tree of Life also a metaphor for the sacred alchemical mountain of Abiegnus? Climb away oh student but bring lots of water and snacks, its a long journey and watch out for Castle Anthrax along the way and especially keep away from Zoot - "Oh, wicked, bad, naughty Zoot!" She is always setting alight to a beacon above the Castle which is Grail-shaped which can lead a good mountaineer off the path. Damn Kundry! Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it probably isn't true. And finally, if Zoot's friend tells you, as she once told Sir Galahad, "Oh, wicked, bad, naughty, evil Zoot! Oh, she is a naughty person, and she must pay the penalty -- and here in Castle Anthrax, we have but one punishment for setting alight the grail-shaped beacon. You must tie her down on a bed and spank her!" ... Run Away! Hummmm, this almost sounds like a basic lesson about Steeped Horsehair and how looks can be deceiving, no? So I guess, if you're not fooled, you can spank Zoot first and then run away!!! :)- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:45am I have posted another chapter; a really, really easy chapter from The Book of Lies above that I'd like us all to discuss for the upcoming week; it is the 32nd which is titled - The Mountaineer. Aleister Crowley's COMMENTARY on this new chapter is as follows - "This title is a mere reference to the metaphor of the last paragraph of the chapter. Frater P., as is well known, is a mountaineer. This chapter should be read in conjunction with Chapters 8 and 30. It is a practical instruction, the gist of which is easily to be apprehended by comparatively short practice of Mantra-Yoga. A mantra is not being properly said as long as the man knows he is saying it. The same applies to all other forms of Magick."My comment: "For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect." - Liber AL vel Legis I:44This is the only chapter of the seven theoretical pieces required for study by a Seventh Degree OTO Initiate which does not have any obvious Tarot or planetary attributes; this is because it is pendant to Steeped Horsehair and to know one is to know both. Be that as it may, the previous chapters talked alot about aspiring to a specific mental state; now it is time to practice! First, read Book 4 by Aleister Crowley, Chapter II “Pranayama and its Parallel in Speech, Mantrayoga” and note that in the Glossary he adds that Mantrayoga is - “A practice to attain union with God by repitition of a sacred sentence.” ... "There is no God by man." ... I’d also recommend looking in the Index of Magick Without Tears for references to Mantras; as well as other Crowley volumes, or see J. F. C. Fuller's book YOGA pg. 42. As a practice: we know that the Kundalini lies coiled like a snake in the Muladhara Chakra at the base of the Sacred Mountain in the sphere of Yesod. Sit comfortably in a chair with a good back, feet on the floor, hands gently resting on your knees. Lets climb a mountain; relax, breathe deeply inhaling and exhaling and meditate by putting your focus on your Crown Chakra on the top of your head [1=10] and use the repetition of the Muladahara chakra which is LAM [Open mouth for LA starting in the back of the throat, closed lips M]. Do this for ten minutes. This will not only ground you but it will open up blockages in the lower body and it will allow the energy to flow. Let's start practicing this today for a week. Keep a journal. O golden hawk! O lidless eye! BeholdHow the grey creeps upon the shuddering gold!Still I will strive! That by the striving brokenI may exhaust this me! That thou mayst sweepSwift on the dead from thine all-seeing steep -And the unutterable word be spoken.Mantra Yoga ( poem) by Aleister Crowley ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:15am Regarding yesterday's 6:25am and 7:00am posting Luna wrote me an email late yesterday. She writes - "Cappy 93! Ahhhh! Yes, they did indeed jump the fence, rather than grabbing my keys and unlocking the gate. Rufus emailed me and wrote: "When Casey says 'jump', I ask 'how high?'". David aka Rufus has a long long week, but he did end up on his feet in all manners. All is well, and the Malkuthian Mundane was wrestled out of the manes of both Leigh and Rufus, and though they looked like shite the next day, they are better off for it. Though I assure you, this will not be the norm in the future!!!!" .... and then she adds - "One the other thread "Brother Noah", I Googled the lyrics, but am not sure if I got the lyrics that the kid's father refers to, which I must say, is an amazing letter that you posted on the Blogeria, and I thank you for posting it. I spent last Wednesday with a Second Grade Class of 18 Kids at the Metreon's "Zeum" learning Clay-Animation, and for those of you who may forget....7-8 years olds are very sharp tacks!!!! I do not know if these are the lyrics that our Kid had to endure, but if they are, I can clearly see that any child of this Kid's age, would not like to see their classmates washed away for no reason, other than that their friend's parent's are not in the favor of "The Lord". I may not be thinking clearly right now, and I may have chosen the wrong lyrics to criticize, but, having spent the day with Domino's second grade class, these Kids were great. They worked as a team, and they watched out for each other, and none of them would have let another drown just because the parents of their friends was seen in a better light than anothers. My hat is off to our/that Kid and her/his parents....for listening, all of them, listening to the subtle inuendos of the song, and what it might be implying. Though lyrics are not "the problem" it is good to see that someone is thinking...and it would behoove the teacher of that class to hold an open forum, of the lyrics chosen, to listen to what the Kids have to say....allowing the classroom to discuss the lyrics beforehand. And, I will take this even further....because it is near impossible to teach ART in school, whether it be music, graphic or dance....because it is near impossible to grade Kids on ART....it would at least behoove the teachers to hold an open forum to get feedback as to how the chosen piece evokes/affects the people before performing it. It is all about listening.....but, apparantly we have no "budget" for listening, let alone for ART....and the brainwashing continues.....All Hail those who speak out...for it is not about making problems, it is about slowing down the Malkuthian plane so that we/they.The Kids can get a grasp on what is going on.I ramble......on that note: Domino pulled out her ATM card and treated the class to two rounds of Carousel (the original PlayLand carousel) that is now at The Metreon....She and I and others leaped laughing onto the Carousel Goats and rode 'round giggling. The Kid that worked the Carousel was a Student of the Circus School/Academy in S.F. . He did handstands, and balanced his hat on his chin while we rounded 'round on our Goats with beautiful gold lame' painted saddles!It Takes a Village ov KIDS to point out the Idiots Mentality!R!93sThee Mother Ship, )O( ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:00am For the history buffs: Guido von List died on this date in 1919. It was his writings on the divine nature of the Germanic race, along with Lanz von Liebenfels, whom Adolf Hitler read avidly in the journal titled Ostara. List also published the book titled The Secret of the Runes. ….....…. And it was on May 17, 1964 out in Brown’s Gulch, about fifteen miles from Butte, Montana, a group of Boy Scouts were awakened about 4 am in the morning by odd noises. Upon peeking out their tent they observed a gigantic Bigfoot rummaging around their camp, which fled they second the boys screamed. It left behind tracks almost twenty inches log by seven inches wide. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday May 16th 2009 – 9:30pm Jerri has not been well this week; been kinda under the weather but still a tropper, she thought about Steeped Horsehair and writes - "93 Jerry, I'm doing ok. Well, really. I've had Malkuthian stuff at the forefront these days ... I am frustrated that I haven't had the mental capacity to think much about Steeped Horsehair...I can't seem to focus much, but hopefully I am starting to snap out of it!!! I think today I am starting to feel more inside myself. As I look back at the past few days, I've been rather outside of my own body....floating almost as in a dream. ... I did read the Magick Without Tears letter regarding our only 2 thoughts processes. Interesting...I interpreted the two thought forms as ascension and dissension. Addition is unifying, thus is an ascending influence. Subtraction on the other hand, is separating...thus energy descends. Simple it would seem, yet...fascinating to me...as one breaks down Malkuthian things on an anatomic level, everything is comprised of the same materials, and they never disappear. They may get smaller and smaller...but...still...they always remain...ever more minute versions of the same materials that they always were. This is another example of infinity... Well, I think today or this evening will be a good time to consider this chapter more in detail, and I will be able to send you something regarding it's import...Love you, 93 93/93 Jerri." ............. Reply: Dont fret too hard; the main thing for you is to take it easy, keep better and we all send you smiles and astral hugs.
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7:00am A dear and close friend sent me a copy of a letter that he sent to his son's principle. I have omitted all the names in the letter because, in truth, they are not important. The reason that I am posting this letter is because its an unbelievable Thelemic gem. Rarely, if ever, do we see thoughts about raising our children Thelemically in a restrictive society and this letter offers brilliant insights. Monday, April 20, 2009
To: Principle --------------
From: --------------
Dear Principle --------------,
My name is -------------- and I am the Father of --------------, a 3rd Grader in Ms. --------------’s class. Over this past weekend my son came to me and expressed his concerns over a song he is expected to sing in Mr. --------------'s music class; “Brother Noah” (?). He understands where this story/song originates and is clearly disturbed. He finds this song to be offensive and no longer wants to be put in a situation in which he is expected to sing it. I assured him that he would not. I spoke with his mom and she informed me that he had mentioned it to her as well and she is equally as concerned as I.A little background on us as a family; clearly we are not Christian but this however does not mean that we are not “Spiritual” because we are and we have raised our children to be very open minded and tolerant of others point of view and to be quite honest this “issue” is not my own, but his. In other words if he himself did not have an issue with this song then neither would we his parents even though it very much conflicts with our own personal beliefs. I have always felt that we do not teach our children tolerance of others by refusing to expose them to the beliefs of others, (quite the contrary). You will note that I am not pulling the religious card or asking that the school cease this practice in its entirety regardless of the fact that the Law is very clear on keeping religion out of the school; but instead I only ask that -------------- not be expected to participate in a situation in which he clearly is uncomfortable and finds offensive. This, I expect, will be handled in a manner in which -------------- is not in any way reprimanded or ostracized from his fellow classmates. In other words he should not feel discriminated against in any manner. But instead his ideologies and the culture of his home should simply be respected. He has suggested that it would be fine for him to continue to participate in the class as usual but simply not sing the song in question which I find to be a completely reasonable solution.-------------- intrinsically understands that every human being has the right to “Do what thou Wilt” or believe in whatever they choose; this however does not in any way give them the right to push their views upon others. -------------- is unusually strong in his own convictions for a Man of his age and as an understanding father I must lend him my full support. What gets me most about this entire situation is that --------------’s feelings are absolutely real and come from a place of absolute sincerity. We often underestimate our children and undervalue their positions but in this case my sons words carry more weight then he may realize. -------------- ultimately could care less what others choose to believe in but is truly upset by the fact that he was made to feel “different” and forced to sing a song that he identifies as Christian, which he clearly is not. Maybe the question we should be asking is why is this even happening? Maybe this song should have been pulled a long time ago? Are there other families or parents who may be equally offended? Should not the school simply have adopted a policy which would have removed the possibility of any of this?I now leave this in your hands and am confident that it will be handled appropriately.If you would like to further discuss this issue please contact me in my office at --------------. The best time to reach me is between the hours of 2-3pm most days or simply leave a message with the secretary or on the voicemail and I will return your call shortly thereafter; Otherwise I will assume that this matter is closed. I truly thank you for time and appreciate all the work you and --------------’s teachers do, including Mr. --------------, despite our differences of opinion on this matter and feel blessed that my son is fortunate enough to attend school there. Sincerely yours, --------------
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6:45am It was a decent gathering last night at our OPEN HOUSE here in Berkeley. As usual, we talked about everything from our astrology charts, New Aeon Magick, to reincarnation and we rambled on from one topic to another often faster than the mind was able to grasp all the data and facts. But what do you expect in a Crab's apartment? Besides some of the locals who regularly stop in we met a few newcomers; Xochitl and her boyfriend Maurice. A really nice couple; great energy, good questions. The evening lasted way past eleven and finally, feeling a bit stretched, I threw everyone out. Anyway, the next OPEN HOUSE in Friday May 22nd, same time or at 6:30pm. I'll try to get a Lecture together ... any suggestions? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:35am Frater Orpheus finally surfaces. People are beginning to look forward to his views on these chapter from The Book of Lies and we were worried that he wouldn't submit anything this time. But the Gods came through. He writes - "93 Jerry... sorry I haven't responded to your last couple of emails but I’ve been off line for about a week now.. but up and running again...I will do my emails tonight. In the mean time here are my thoughts on this chapter and the whole thing can really be cut into two separate pieces... but I wrote it as one so sent it that way but the first 3 pages or so deal with the chapter specifically and the rest is more of an elaboration which builds upon everything I’ve written so far. It's on the third page were I shift gears and start going into Abrahadabra and the Ruach etc 93 93/93." Jerry,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the LawWe are discussing extremely archetypal concepts even in Cabala land; none the less, hopefully the following lies will provide you some food for thought…On “Steeped Horsehair”.“Mind is a disease of semen”… that says it all in a nut shell. Semen is the seed of the True Spirit in its manifested Malkuthian form. It is a substance wherein just as Crowley states “All that a man is or may be is hidden therein.” All seeds are the Charioteer of something greater then itself just as WE are the Charioteer of something greater than “Self”. If one wishes to unite with that Macrocosmic Self which is greater then “Self“, then he must loose “himself in the Charioting.” This is accomplished within, and thru silence, free from the disease of the mind or that Ego which creaketh “I”. “Therefore is Man only himself when lost to himself in the Charioting.” (AC B.O.L. chpt. 8)Mind is the disease of Semen because it is always vomiting from a Malkuthian or an egotistical point of view; it can’t help it, hence the necessity for the complete “blotting out of the mind“. As Mind is always coming from the point of view of “I” when we are looking for “THAT” which is beyond “I”; THAT which is Omnipotent - Omniscient - Omnipresent. As already well established this chapter is directly related to Cheth and the path of the Chariot. This path is the link between the Supernals and that which lies below all the way down into ‘Manifestation‘ via the 418 Pillar of Abra Had Abra. Classically referred to as the “House of Influence”, this path is often attributed to a special aspect of consciousness, the personality. In another sense this path may be seen as the “House” or place where “Images” and the Libido “Influence” the which eventually manifests below.Crowley writes that this path represents, “The influence of the Supernals descending through the veil of Water upon the energy of man, and so inspires it.” Case calls this path the “Conquest of Illusion” and as JC already pointed out, that it teaches us how to control those powers manifested thru (O) Ayin, the illusions or Maya of the Devil card. Note that the Devil card and Chariot card are polar opposites (Cancer/Capricorn) and therefore “balancing” forces.In another sense this path demands an awareness of the limitations and origins of our manifested personality as well as the “True Self“. This Personality we call “Self” is that enclosing quality of the “fence” Cheth and this Water path is key in understanding how the Word emerges from the subconscious waters and into actual expression.The Charioteer is the inner self; the reigns the mind and the Chariot the body. When lost in the Charioteering the “Real Self” is allowed to guide the personality “He is throned in the chariot rather than conducting it, because the whole system of progression is perfectly balanced. His only function is to bear the Holy Grail.” (A.C. B.O.T.) This Holy Grail contains the Blood of the Saints and the Seed or Word of Chokmah. These Seeds move thru Daleth to “impregnate“ Binah where we find ourselves in the womb of our great Mother Nuit extended into Babalon. Simply put, the pro-creative powers of Chockmah have moved into Saturn and from there will move through the watery path of Cheth and down into Mars. These two planets then are key to understanding this path.Let us Consider Saturn which sits atop our Pillar of 418 and is both our Mother and also Senex or Father Time…Hillman wrote that, “The Lead of Saturn is the downward and inward pull of gravity into Subjectivity”. He is the great teacher of Astrology and also a God of fertility said to have invented agriculture. When negatively aspected Saturn has a tendency towards materialism rooted in Earth. These Earthly qualities of Saturn can be understood in relation to the myths of his Daughters. However for now it is only important to note that Saturn involves himself in the affairs of Earth. Recall the Legend of Kronos/Saturn who castrates his father Uranus and then with his left hand flings his testis into the sea. In other words, the pro-creative powers of Uranus are now in the hands of Saturn. Myth has it that this single act generated several off-spring. From the blood that was spilt upon the Earth a race of giants, the Erinyes and the Nymphs of the Ash Tree were created. And, in due time the Testis afloat at Sea created a “foam” from which Venus arose. Yet these “Testis” were not of a Man but of the sky God Uranus and in no way Malkuthian in nature but instead signify some divine aspect of that “Creative force”. This may be seen as the unconscious powers latent within the Kundalini forces. Or in more mythical terms, the Sexual “imagination” which inseminates below the subconscious waves, ‘creating’ even when detached from ‘Self”.MARS is said to be the planet of Physical energy and War; as well as the “Sexual Energies”. This “energy” depends exclusively upon the actions of the Magician to be utilized in a constructive manner or not. Mars is “Manhood” yet recall his weakness is that He falls victim to the charms of Venus. In regards to this Crowley wrote, “For all men must resist Kundry, or Lilith, or Venus - in whatever form she may appear - in order to attain mastery of life.” (AC Astrology) This Martial “energy” is powerful and descends from on high via the path of Cheth. The Magician seeks to control this and must remain diligent in this task. “Avert your glance for the fraction of a second from the eyes of your antagonist -- whether it be courage or attention that fails, it matters not -- and is rapier slips past your guard. Let your wrist weaken -- whether from insufficient training or from exhaustion through a breach of Will -- and the glittering point is in your heart”. (AC Astrology) This Path of Cheth may then be seen as a transitional phase uniting the “Procreative Powers” latent within Saturn to the “Sexual Energies” latent within Mars. A true intermediary stage between that which is above to that below. Now let us try to Understand this path in relation to the formula of the Aeon, ABRA - HAD - ABRA. Cheth, which adds to 418 when spelt in full, is also 8. recall that Nuit said “Nothing is a secret key of this law. Sixty-one the Jews call it; I call it eight, eighty, four hundred & eighteen.“ (Al I:46) Well 61 = Ain, 8 = Cheth, 80 = Peh and 418 = Abra-Had-Abra; so you may ask how is Nuit 418? Consider this… 61 or Ain is Nu in her highest sense, true “Nothingness” yet Nu is the hiding of Hadit. She extends into the Ain Soph Aur (414) where that first whirling motion becomes Had/Kether. “Had! The manifestation of Nuit.” (Al I:1). This point extends in two Mercurial directions; Aleph representing that pure Will unassuaged of purpose that becomes the “Seeds” of Chokmah. This Seed then moves through Daleth (4), the “Door” and Nuit is extended into Binah our Mother Babalon and the Supernal triad is complete. (418)It all starts with Nu61 Ain Nothing triple negative 000353Ain Sophboundless double negative 00414Ain Soph Aurboundless Light single negative 0418Ain Soph Aur + 4 Daleth = 418 & Nuit is extended unto BinahAbra-had-Abra and 418 are generally considered Masculine formulae and on this plane or below the abyss this is true. But, what of Nuit’s association with this number? Could there be a time where she is the “active” and Hadit the “passive”? Is this not the word of the New Aeon? Maybe just as the poles switch from pillar to pillar as you rise up through the planes, so do the formulas reverse polarities on either side of the Abyss. In other words on this plane Male is positive and Female negative but in the Supernals Male is negative and Female is positive. Note that Chockmah and Binah are atop Pillars opposite to what you might at first expect in relation to Mercury and Venus below.Divine providence of the 418 pillar and our formula of Abra - Had - Abra are reflected in the structure of the Tree itself. Tradition has it that the 22 Hebrew letters themselves are divine symbols figurative of how everything is created. These are given as three mothers Aleph-Mem-Shin; seven doubles or the 7 planets and 12 singles or the signs of the Zodiac. How these all work together, as we all know is a complicated thing that may appear as pure madness but the Magician understands the divine providence of these symbols and that they are just that… symbols. Archetypal representations of the currents within our Psychic bodies. At the center of our Universe (Psychic bodies) is our Star/Tiphereth; surrounding it are the planets which compose the Ruach. The most important reflections of the Magician are those about self. When he delves into the nature of his Star. This “Nature” is a complex interplay we Cabbalist have mapped out on out Tree of life. This quest for Understanding has led us to Soul and that which we call the Ruach and Psychology simply calls the Self; in either case it is considered dual fold in Nature and labeled the Higher and the Lower Self or Ruach. Even Animus and Anima are part of this dual fold interplay. Hillman wrote that, “Each Anima figure projects a sort of Animus figure & vice-versa”. (Anima)Note the classic struggles between these central planets. Mars and Mercury are War and Love; Chesed and Hod or Religion and Science; or the seemingly complimentary associations between War and Science and Religion and Love. The myths and interactions of these 4 planets and the 8 paths that connect them to your Star, can be understood as the forces constantly at play, pushing and pulling upon “Self”. In their interplay lies a whole myriad of symbols and myths rich in imagery and are simply your tools to understanding self. The divine providence of these paths is only understood in their totality as they all form “You” and your universe.
If you were to take every path attributed to these central planets of the Ruach you will see that they total 666, the number of Man or the Light of your Star projected. You will notice that none of these planets bare any influence over the paths on the 418 Pillar. If you took the totality of the influence of all the planets then only three paths remain untouched; the three mother letters or Alchemic principles. Co-incidence?So why do I digress to the Ruach…simple its all interconnected. Upper to Lower Self, Upper Self to the Divine etc. Or in other words, all of this must be placed in “balance” for that pure descent of Spirit, from Kether all the way down to Malkuth…where just like Us, it may follow the path of the Sun to live, die and be reborn. This we achieve by the formula of ON which is also Abra-Had-Abra and BABALON.Love is the law, love under will
Frater Orpheus ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:25am Last Wednesday a group of Thelemic locals go together at Luna's and Leigh's house. She just sent us an update of the event - "Cappy 93! An extra place setting was accidentally prepared at our Open House supper table on Wednesday night, here at The Sanctuary...and I dedicated it to you. We had a fantastic time. Present and accounted for: Ben, Tristan, Jay, Arden, Casey, Paul, David, Leigh and I. ... Tristan turned me onto a fantastic online game, and a fabulous postmodern cyberpunk book. ... Everyone enjoyed looking at the boxes of Shadow Igiturs xeroxed books and manuscripts, and the big box of overflowing OTO newsletters he'd accumulated since 1996 (?). ... I ran a cine'ma ve'rite'. People asked "why?". I said: "In twenty years you will LOVE to see yourselves, and say 'my goodness, I was one good looking kid back then'." ... Ben, Tristan, Jay, and Arden left around 9:30pm........and the remaining crew don't remember much past midnight. (Actually Casey and I do, but our lips are sealed). ... Casey and I previewed the ATA "blow gun dart" performance from the 80s....and she busted out in a hilarious story of her own which got me giggling... (I still am, actually). Soror Cummings told me of a piercing play party ..... long long ago, where a guy would not stop pestering her for attention....[" i need, i need, i need, Mistress Casey, pay attention to me to me to meeee..."] Casey said that she got so irritated and distracted by this bloke that she just shoved a play piercing needle up his nose, and through the top, and corked it off with a red cork...he was cursed to walk around the party the rest of the night like a clown. I laughed so hard that I shook the bed enough to cause Rufus (my nickname for David) to fall off ov it....he was passed out. ... BART was no longer running and Rufus was no longer with us, so I tucked Casey and Paul into a bed on the floor and put on the film "V"....rolled Rufus to the couch and locked the front gate. ... ....in the morning we found all of them gone. Leigh asked: "How the hell did they get OUT?" (we had locked the front gate's padlock). Leigh continued....."they could have woken us up to unlock the gate....??" I said: "Mistress Casey was in charge of the group, and I bet you that she commanded them to hop the fence...she is the Thelemic Boy Scout Troop Leader, you know...." ... Yes, they had to hop the fence to get out of The Sanctuary...and Rufus made his flight back to Anita Bryant Land..jest in time." ... ....we are in the preparation of creating a "remake" or "sequel" to the ATA performance...... ....the Best is Yet to Cum(mings) ........Love and 93s )O( (and Leigh)." ...... and her email was immediately followed by a second email - "..... typo ... Rufus.. though "no longer with us' ....this brought out the best of him, and upon his return, soon, we will tap into this relaxed persona of his in the future and collaborate on some art...we now know his 'secret side". Leigh, actually became "no longer with us" early on in the night....and though we had some nice 'regular' chairs in the office....we could not access them , and two guests. Paul and Rufus, had to sit high up on tall bar stools, making them appear like Late Night Show Hosts...towering above us at the supper table. (film at Eleven)." ............. Reply: Ah, it sound like it was a lot fun of . Sorry I missed it. We can never say we Thelemites are a dull crowd! Ben told me last night that Dave looked like shit when he arrived back at his apartment in the morning. He was not functioning well as he tried to get ready to take a flight back to Florida. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:20am Miguel sent in a rather good piece well worth reviewing on Steep Horsehair. He writes - "93, Br. Cornelius,As the challenge of interpreting these versus of Liber 333 progresses I note the awareness of a reluctance to just go with first impressions (of course you suggested against this already); especially so in this case because it is becoming clearer that what is being used to interpret is in fact the very thing being interpreted. The reluctance also relates to the lessons that have been taught on the way during these discussions, so as the content of these chapters begins to synthesize into something very personal, as eloquently relayed by Mick, Cf. the Blog Friday, may 8th 7:10am., taking time to let the chapter simmer in mind a little might produce a snake of knowledge and delight rather than one that eats the sun whole. In that the Chariot is assigned to cancer via the Sepher Yetzirah the image of this creature scurrying across the ocean floor seems just as appropriate a metaphor for that being referred to as the chariot in the Atu. The crab is an armored warrior who fights not only for his mate but also his hiding spot. The fact that this Atu connects Binah to Geburah seems to reflect the ocean imagery(Binah) and the Warrior mythos of the Crab (Geburah). This warrior is prominently displayed as the armored Knight within the chariot. However, neither the armor nor the chariot itself are the truth of the Atu they merely represent the shell within which the truth travels. In this way too the crab also relates to the scarab and or stag beetle in that it carries truth through darkness. Some older astrological text use this beetle as well as a lobster to characterize Cancer. Older G.’.D.’. inspired Tarot decks often show a lobster in the Atu XVIII The Moon. The tendency to hide, or keep something hidden that is associated with these creatures is symbolically associated with silence. For a truly exceptional explanation of exactly what this silence is see Crowley’s Little Essays Toward Truth. This silence is also that second type of faith to which Crowley seems to refer in MWT Ch 67 and which is referred to as Charioting in this chapter of Liber 333. In connection with all this I recall that verse of Liber AL which states “But she said: the ordeals I write not: the rituals shall be half known and half concealed: the Law is for all. AL:I:34 this verse has been referred to in the Epistle On Changes within Our A.’.A.’. in the section on the grade of the Lover.
It is to also be noted that in the Atu of Toth the princes of the court cards are Charioteers. These are assigned to the sphere of tiphareth suggesting that the Charioteer of Atu VIII is particular reflected in that sephira. As such this charioteer has three specific reins which provide his ability to direct the lower Ruach as depicted in the Atu’s of the Devil, Death, and Art/Temperance. Of these three it is only that of Art which depicts the Angel synthesizing seemingly contrary forces into the elixir of life.93 93/93 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:15am For the history buffs: The infamous trial of the Theosophist Charles Leadbeater began on this date in 1906. He claimed that his clairvoyant examination of little boys enabled him to know when the children were having ‘sexual difficulties’ and where in need of ‘special’ advice. The prosecutor argued that his advice was merely an excuse to masturbate little boys. …....…. And it was on this date in 1934 that a body washed up on shore near the island of Guernsey in Portelet Bay in England. The body was fully clothed and had cycle clips around the bottom of the trousers with all its pockets filled with stones. It was obviously a suicide. The body was later identified as Aleister Crowley’s student, Norman Mudd. CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY
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