This verse never makes more sense to me than when I get a little down or discouraged and start to feel sorry for myself. It is a wretched and rather weak place for me to be. And though it happens and I go there, it is not a place to stay and wallow. It zaps my strength and my joy of this world. In times like this the verse gets me back to making the most out of life.
A very simple interruption, I admit. But sometimes life is that simple and it works.
That and what Ravenest said. We go through this once or twice a year. And no, I haven’t sacrificed any babies.
I wholly agree. I am not a Thelemite (insomuch as I refuse to commit myself to a definition) but I am a sympathizer, of sorts, and I sometimes think I live in some sort of parallel reality in that I never knew Crowley was "evil" until well into my Thoth studies, and "Thelemic cruelty" was also unknown to me. I guess it pays to be disconnected.
Anyway, that verse you spoke of is one of my favorites, and for the same reasons. I suppose one could call it an "affirmation," if that word hadn't been irreparably corrupted by New Age. I suppose you could even call me a "born again Thelemite," (theoretically, because you couldn't) because I "discovered" Thelema at one of the darkest periods of my life and it served me well in reminding me of the innate power present in everyone, whether they know it or not. Power need not entail cruelty, but it can certainly seem that way from the outside.
It is also important to understand that many concepts in the Book of Law had to be reinvented to suit the new Aeon (whether one believes that supernatural forces were involved or not, my own jury is still out on that one). When it says that "compassion is the vice of kings" it still doesn't preach cruelty, and you don't have to take my word for it, the BoL itself supports many of its doctrines in several places. Compassion implies pity, and pity implies superiority. I have no right to feel superior to anyone, hence I have no compassion. How come I'm not a deranged serial killer then? What replaces compassion, so that society can function?
I suppose everyone has their own answer for that, mine is
reverence. Every man and every woman is a star, there are seven billion gods walking the earth, each of them just as powerful as any. So powerful are these gods, that to feel compassion for them is to belittle them, to besmirch their inherent divinity. Imagine asking a Jew if they feel pity and compassion for Yahweh, the idea is absurd. And so it is with how I see Thelema. The problem is, real people feel suffering and need help, unlike Yahweh, so how is that resolved? Again through reverence. I
need those around me to be strong, healthy, capable and powerful, because their freedom is mine, and I can only be free if others share the same privilege.
Now, it would be a mistake to equate Thelema with libertarianism or any other political or social doctrine. This is seen in real-world terms in that the Christian right in the US is the economically conservative side, eschewing all forms of social safety nets. To an observer, one would think that the charitable precepts of Christianity would mean every believer would be a socialist, but this is obviously not the case. In their view, being good and charitable means leaving people in the cold, thereby empowering them to rise out of their circumstances (I both vehemently disagree with this view, as well as admit that I am being simplistic in presenting it). You can be a Thelemite libertarian, or a communist, and the ideas presented in the BoL can be directed to either of these philosophies. Just as people of all walks of life have many different opinions, I would assume not all Thelemites consider
When Atlas Shrugged a Class A document.
Like ravenest said, Thelema is difficult to understand. While I disagree with him that it can "only" be understood and experienced through participation in some kind of initiatory process, I do agree with the general sentiment. The Law is for all, and there are probably more Thelemites living who have never heard the word, than those who know all about it.
It is Thelema, not Crowleyanity, and his life is immaterial for anyone trying to practice their Wills. He did not try to present himself as a role model, and encouraged people to take their own paths. Maybe he really was an awful, sadistic person (which is another argument) but that still doesn't mean Thelema is sadism. That's just projection, and it's wrong. Jesus was a good sort, then why was there an Inquisition? How come the double standards?
Lastly, let's have some tolerance around here, hmmm? Lately Christians "detesting life" have been the target, and although I'm not accusing Abrac of anything, changing "Thelemite" to "Jew" and "sadist" to "moneylender" would have the post deleted so fast it would make ATs servers spin. There is no difference, and belittling another's faith, whatever it is, even trying to take the easy way out with "it's only my opinion" is still what it is, and let's not say
that word everybody's thinking about right now. Capisce?
