How to appreciate Crowley?

similia said:

I've never found myself laughing while reading Crowley (maybe an occaisional snicker ). Clearly I have a long way to go.

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Fully belly laughter at/with Crowley comes after the 2-3 year of study [at least in my case] -- I laughed to tears when I read that in Crowley's own words that he was sacrificing hundreds of babies [a Crowley inside joke] -- I thought to myself I wonder what the wannabes & noobies are gonna make of this!!

.... And then of course there is his poetry -- which IMHO is only good for a laugh --- He actually believed that Yeats was jealous not only his Magickal skills but his talent as a poet -- ROTFLMAO!!

Mac22

Oh my god!

I just read this whole thread...

I spell so badly without a spell checker!

I can't believe I wrote some of that stuff.
It's just too funny!!!

Sometimes I should just take my head out from up my backside and shut up!

Good god.
I cant believe it.
I'd never write that stuff today.
Who the hell did I think I was????

Lillie said:

Oh my god!

I just read this whole thread...

I spell so badly without a spell checker!

I can't believe I wrote some of that stuff.
It's just too funny!!!

Sometimes I should just take my head out from up my backside and shut up!

Good god.
I cant believe it.
I'd never write that stuff today.
Who the hell did I think I was????

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Hmm... just a guess -- a sojourner on the path of knowledge...
Perhaps you've learned a few things - maybe even gotten a spell checker

Mac22

I think back then I actually cared.

In the intervening years I have stopped caring about anything.

Hopefully I will never be that serious again.
It was a waste of time.

Funny to read it back though.
Like it even mattered!
What a joke!

similia said:

I have just finished reading "Do What Thou Wilt" A Life of Aleister Crowley by Lawrence Sutin, and would like to hear some others opinions on how "Crowley the man" affects your use of the Thoth deck.

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Doesn't worry me, he was honest in that he displayed his defects openly and explored them magically, unlike many other teachers and creators. I dont care when the guru's get exposed, only angry if they were pretending some type of perfection. I gave Rajneesh some credit ... he was honest about his rip-offs and sex with devotees and 98 Rolls- Royces (and he still got away with it ... until ).

I like to know and understand AC's character a bit; sometimes in text and tarot, he is deep and mystical and enlightened, other times he is joking, universally, or specific to his time and place. Sometimes he is having a diliberate go at one's 'sore spots'.

Kiama said:

I would have liked to have met Crowley though - just for lunch maybe.
Kiama

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But not at your place, you would have to make, devilled kidneys, grilled yorkshire sausage criss-crossed with slivers of anchovies, minature pork pies, 2 doz oysters, Russian caviar, some wine, port, brandy and sherry (and absynth) champers with a pinch of cocaine, Morrocan hashish and little cream cakes from the lady down the street that owns that little corner shop next to his tailors .....

.... (can I come too?)

Babylon_Jasmine said:

The book of the Law offers a very merciless philosophy that I myself could never go along with

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We aren't asked to 'go along with it' ... we arn't asked anything, Horus doesn't ask ... he tells! he tells us how it will be ... see it as a prediction, then have a look around (globally and throughout the last 100 years). The trip isn't to be like that (unless you want to be a fascist opressor) ... fortunatly Nuit offers a solution. Unless you are saying you cant go along with that either (beautiful women, jewelry, incense, starlight, enjoyment and love)?

similia said:

Of course just because you use the Thoth deck, doesn't mean you need to subscribe to Crowley's ideas. But you do need to understand them I feel.

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Aside from my comments above about knowing when he is serious, joking or ripping into you, to UNDERSTAND why one would do those things AND write about them is a deeper trip and takes one along a path of deeper knowledge and initiation. You have to jump in yourself. EG. his 'psychotic personality breaks' where he exhibts different behaviour couold be seen as the meditation in Liber ... (damn, forgot name) but you change the ring on your hand to the other hand and create two seperate identies and personalities that take presidence depending on hand has the ring ... its a 'meditation'

Babylon_Jasmine said:

Then you have not read Crowley's notes on the Law. Want and Will are not the same. Do as Thou Will is not the same as do as thou want. Crowley believed very strongly in a personal higher nature and a true will of each person. Often you don't want to do what you are willed to do. And he also specifically says in the book of the law to be without mercy.

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But he teaches something entirely differnt in the initiation ritual he wrote for OTO II degree - life - magician. Dont confuse yourself by thinking AC wrote the BoL ... he didnt even like what it said and found much of Ch. III abhorrent ... it probably made more sense to him after seeing two world wars

Lillie said:

Oh my god!

I just read this whole thread...

I spell so badly without a spell checker!

I can't believe I wrote some of that stuff.
It's just too funny!!!

Sometimes I should just take my head out from up my backside and shut up!

Good god.
I cant believe it.
I'd never write that stuff today.
Who the hell did I think I was????

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You were Lillie frog ... of course . What I wanna know is who is THIS person pretending to be you? It nearlly sounds ... well, apologetic. Where is Lillie?
What have you done with Lillie?

We want our Lillie back !

PS, its even more fun to go over old resurrected posts and repond to all the issues