panpiper said:
The insistence that even after deciding that the purpose of your ritual is congruous with your True Will, you need to spend even more time making sure that said purpose is "nonviolative" of someone else's will. This is a major philosophic issue with me, the lowering of Will from what should be the place of preeminence.
Yes, I agree that does sound a bit odd. But I can see how it would be useful at lower levels of initiation. Below the level of K&C the Will is very intuitive. In the same way that you can see what you
want to see in a Tarot reading, the ego can get in the way of the True Will. A system of checks and balances to counter the possible influence of ego distortion may not be a bad thing
at lower levels of initiation.
It's a bit like some of Crowley's stuff. He makes it very clear that the Adept 5=6 needs no external guidance. But below that level it is very different. If you take a look at the bottom of the totem pole, the OTO instructions, you find that Crowley was very clear and precise. Offering lots of guidance on the nature and lawful expression of the Will. At such low levels the dividing line between Will and Want is often very blurred, and a framework is needed to stop people from getting it badly wrong.
Obviously I haven't read the book yet, but from your description it sounds like Jim Eshelman is providing that kind of safety net.