How to appreciate Crowley?

ravenest

DING! The bell rings, Umbrae and Aeon tag out and go to their corners, Similia and Ravenest take their place. Whats this? They are just standing their talking ... the crowd is starting to boo ... :laugh:

similia said:
I think is really true, we are all attracted to what best sits with the predjudices we already have.
Yes! And here begins the difficulty of achieving some type or form of balance. I am (was) an Xtremly lunar type. Most of my work was lunar. When I joined the OTO I was somewhat derided by SOME ' self-appointed peers'. THEY didnt need anybody telling them what to do. ( I had previously come to the later male opinion that I was NOT the supreme centre of my universe and that there were things ' beyond and above' me - I wasnt that smart after all!) Part of my curriculum was to do Liber Resh, a very Solar based meditation. I would never have thought to do that myself. Even others in the order didnt do Resh with the reason that it wasn't their thing. (A bit like signing up to do a karate course but refusing to learn footwork and body placement ... sorta). I didnt know! I just did it. After a while the solar started to balance my lunar and I started to become more in balance. I guess it's like a scale, once it starts to tip the weight is more on that side, it starts to slide and increase the force on that side and before you know it the inertia and momentum has become v.difficult to stop or change.)

similia said:
Many things appeal to me so I focus on them, many don't and so I discard them. One thing I've been thinking about about lately is the time of some of Crowley's writings. Like any body of work there is change that comes with time, the opinions of elderly Crowley, are not the same as the writings of young Crowley.

Ah yes! Is their any one here that has NEVER developed or changed their opion? Indeed, they do not 'drop out of the sky' fully formed (unless you find it in an old German manuscript stuck between the pages of an old book in an old and mysterious bookstore ;) ). The same thing is in magick. Some ideas that seem in conflict are actually models of understanding your reality when you are at a different stage. Eg. It may be best to protect and contain yourself when starting out with magical work with an LBR or even just a magic circle. It can be a safe little place where the nassties cant get in and get ya. A bit like a fence to keep the nasty dogs next door out of your yard and out of your face. As one develops there is a different formular. One's circle is equilibriated by OPENING each quarter to the varient elements and balancing them with their opposite. One is a formular of devision, the second union; fear and love (note hate and love ;) ). That's when you beam love at the 'nasty' dog next door, after a while, you treat it like a balanced magician ... you are its master, but actually it is just a part of you that can be absorbed by love. They will flop and go legs up for a rub (given enough time patience and love) as long as you are clear and centred in yourself ... and pure ; "Brethren! Purify your hearts!" (Rite of Saturn). One formular is banishing sorta like LBR the other is like Liber Reguli.
similia said:
So some of us will be attracted to his earlier opinions, and some of us his later. I think finding consistency in anyone whose approach to life was to meticulously record and publish each thought is an impossible feat.
You are about to dive into his scattered attempt. ;) It appears to me his magick was a 'work in progress'.
similia said:
I've was reading an article from Poke Runyon this week, and he carries on rather a lot about Crowley's published experiments with the Goetia (obviously, Runyan being all about the Goetia). runyan focusses on Crowley's early failure to bring a spirit to visable appearance, as a sign that Goetic work is hypnotic; and also Crowley's introduction to the Goetia (where he identifies the spirits as portions of the human brain) as justification for a psychological approach to Goetic work. Both stories contradict Crowley's later published work where he claims success with the methods, and says it really doesn't matter if the spirits are real or imagined.

WOW! Look how much time and effort and navigating blind alleys he saved you! :laugh: of course, you might want to explore those alleys yourself and come to the same of different conclusions. Some get it from reading a book, some from life expereince ... the REALLY thick ones (like me) need it all spelled out, acted out, with magical drama, incense, regalia .... bang, bang, bang ... hammer the point home into BOTH conciousnesses.
similia said:
Maybe the key for some people to find value in Crowley, is to focus on one particular "era" of his work. His later work would more easily fit with the tarot as that is when the tarot was created, so comparing it to his early writings is bound to cause conflicts.
Perhaps, but I think we all (in one way or another) agree that it is all developmental. Make the human however you want ... just dont change the bone structure too much or you might end up with a dog (perhaps this is Aeon's 'complaint' - I mean WHAT you are trying to point out as a negative Aeon, not that you have some type of unbalanced or pathological condition ;) ). Also, how far can you go along WITH AC's development? In the degree structure of many magical socieites one may find you hit the ceiling ... you find your level of evolution, in relation to your lifes mission (or true will). Sure you can do the rest of the ceremonies but people often find a lot of it is easy, done before, know that ... until WHAM! You come up against it. Either work / punch through (or absorb with love :) ) - however thou will and can or work on it for the rest of the incarnation.

The TIME and location that influenced much of Cowley's early work and the result of that may be irrevelent to a lot of us, we might go straight to the Tarot, but some might want to know how that particular clock tics and pull it apart right back to his birth.
 

Rosanne

I never metaphor I didn't like!

Religion is probably, after sex and before science, the second oldest resource which Humans have available to them for blowing their minds. Sontag I think?

Took your advice Ravennest and am practicing Liber Resh. Use a slightly different wording so I do not feel like a prat. It is sure making me more disciplined- and not liking the man anymore than I ever did. Maybe the balance will come lol.

Enjoyed your words as always.

~Rosanne
 

Grigori

Moderator Note

Hi everyone,

I would have liked to have split this conversation out into a new thread, but it seems too interwoven with previous posts to do so without damaging the discussion. So instead I will leave the posts as they were.

I've removed a few posts that were soley directed at individual participants, rather than the topic itself. As the thread continues, please try to direct your posts towards differences of opinion/understanding regarding the discussion and your own reasons for your opinion, instead of directing discussion at other posters. I think you can get your point across very well by focusing on "I" and forgetting about arguing against "you".

I'll remove entirely further posts that are confrontational in tone, even if doing so necessitates the removal of useful information also, which I think we all would have rather preserved.

Thanks everyone for your input, and please do contact me if anything is unclear :)

Regards
Similia
 

Rosanne

Ravennest suggested starting a Solar based meditation exercise called Liber Resh vel Helios.

So here is The Man's Liber Resh.

Hail unto Thee who art Ra in Thy rising, even unto Thee who art Ra in Thy strength, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Uprising of the Sun.
Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm.
Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Night!
(What is Hathor doing in the Boat?)

This is done facing east at dawn. Very Catholic Liturgy of Hours so no problem!
In the Psalms we find expressions like: "I will meditate on thee in the morning"; "I rose at midnight to give praise to thee"; "Evening and morning, and at noon I will speak and declare: and he shall hear my voice"; "Seven times a day I have given praise to thee"; etc.
So we are talking about the celestial Heavens and the main mover and shaker the Sun- but I can still call it Lauds (sunrise).

When I read The Liber Resh- I figured he had it wrong- Ra is midday Sun.
The language ritualistic- but so it should be in a way. Problem No 1.
I cannot have Mary Greer in the prow- so I use Thoth instead. Problem 2. It is Khepri the Dung beetle who is the Sun at dawn- so out with Ra and in with Khepri. "Abodes of the night" ?? Lets keep it Egyptian all the way Darkness is Ket and Kauket. My dog barks- so I will call the morning sunboat it's name 'Matet'

Not re-inventing the wheel mind you :shhh:
Here is my dawn meditation. Lauds to the Sun.

Welcome you who are Khepri at Sunrise.
With Strength you journey in Matet.
Horus at the Helm, Thoth who dances with Joy at the Prow.
Welcome from the arms of Ket and Kauket.
May Ma-at who guides you, guide me also this day.

*Ma-at= Justice, Harmony,and Truth
* Thoth = Knowledge and sacred words
* Matet = Morning Sun bark/Barque/Sunboat
*Khepri = Dung beetle who starts the ball rolling.
*Horus= Falcon headed God of the Sky
* Ket and Kauket = Mr and Mrs Darkness

So that is dawn. Do not know if I am supposed to be saying these out loud- so I do, it helps to concentrate on the message. Feels a bit odd doing a dead mans directions- but I am pleased I can. Have not missed dawn once since I began. Lunch is another thing.
~Rosanne
 

Rosanne

Whilst I find verses as aid to memory good- I find these sorts stupid.
From the Book of lies
The early bird catches the worm; and the twelve-
year-old prostitute attracts the ambassador.
Neglect not the dawn-meditation!

The first plovers' eggs fetch the highest prices; the
flower of virginity is esteemed by the pandar.
Neglect not the dawn-meditation!

Early to bed and early to rise
Makes a man healthy and wealthy and wise:
But late to watch and early to pray
Brings him across The Abyss, they say.
Neglect not the dawn-meditation! (The Book of Lies)


The sunboats that carry Ra in his forms across the sky take twelve hours day/ twelve hours night.
Six Hours in Matet as Ra gets stronger from his fight the night before
Six hours in Semktet as Ra grows weaker but his helpers grow stronger.
So who is the Ambassador? The Dawn is not the start of the journey, it started at sunset or Dusk the night before. The Ambassador? The Moon?
Plover eggs= Easter eggs? Resurrection? Who is the Pander? Cannot believe Crowley is talking about chasteness/Chastity.
I find this gobbly gook- is it supposed to be?
~Rosanne
 

ravenest

Okay ... I guess Resh is on topic (how to appreciate AC).

One freaky zone thing I discovered after a while is that one of these 4 meditations is going to break your sleep cycle. How will you deal with that?
 

Rosanne

ravenest said:
One freaky zone thing I discovered after a while is that one of these 4 meditations is going to break your sleep cycle. How will you deal with that?
Not only your sleep cycle- but ones life cycle. 5 weeks and enough is enough.
I am doing the Dawn meditation and the Sunset meditation. The other two will spasmodic if and when the cookie crumbles. I am impressed with 5 weeks- but it is possible this is why I am extremely cranky- which is not the intention I am sure.I bet ya the Man did not keep this up for a very long period. Or he lied.
There is another solution of course- which is somewhat historic. I could pay someone to do the other two. :D
~Rosanne