The Book of the Law Study Group 2.38

Aeon418

8th, 9th, and 10th of April.

Of course there are some people who question this date. Kenneth Grant :rolleyes: insists that the reception took place on April 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of 1904. Some people agree with this due to the fact that the Catholic church celebrated Easter on April 3rd in 1904, and the symbolism of the dictation of the R.H.K. chapter on the same day as the Resurrection is quite striking.

But Crowley was in Egypt at the time. And the number of Roman Catholics in Egypt has always been quite small. Orthodox Christianity is more popular in that part of the world.
And, oddly enough, the 10th of April 1904 was Easter Sunday according the Orthodox church.
 

Grigori

Ah nifty :D

I'm wondering when we say "feast", just what is intended. Is any old feast suitable, is there some standard, or anything else that is done on these days by groups like the OTO or AA or Thelemites in general?

And can there be a tree, and presents, and a holiday from work, and snowmen, and.... ;) })
 

Aeon418

Grigori said:
I'm wondering when we say "feast", just what is intended.
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Celebration. Commemoration. How is up to you.

The word "feast" is a little misleading because it seems to automatically imply some sort banquet. It can, but it doesn't have to. If you look at the Catholic church there are loads of "feast days" all throughout the year. The vast majority of them are feasts of saints. Special services are held in their honour.

For the Three Days of the writing some people organise get togethers and hold groups readings. But there's nothing mandatory about this. It's perfectly acceptable for individuals to simply take time out to read and reflect on the appropriate chapter on each of the three days.
 

Grigori

I see this as one of the biggest challenges for Thelema in terms of a "movement". Unlike many other groups, there is little defining group identity or festivals even that serves to defines it's membership/community and strengthen their ties to each other. I can see why it would be attractive to have a body like the AA that is really a string of paired individuals based around actively working on your individual goals, and also why the need for a social community like the OTO is present.
 

Aeon418

Grigori said:
I can see why it would be attractive to have a body like the AA that is really a string of paired individuals based around actively working on your individual goals, and also why the need for a social community like the OTO is present.
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The A.'.A.'. is an esoteric order. It is for the "few and secret" who have the ability to do the work. In Crowley's day very few people made it through the Probationary period. And even fewer made it beyond Neophyte!

In contrast the OTO is basically a church for the laity. The attainment of spiritual experience has no necessary connection with advancement in the order. In fact Crowley says in the Confessions that merely being a gentleman will get you further.
Being a purely temporal institution there are no prohibitions regarding money. Like any other social club it raises cash through dues. This can used for printing books and promulgating the Law.

The difference between the A.'.A.'. and the O.T.O. is very clear and simple. The A.'.A.'. is a sempiternal institution, and entirely secret. There is no communication between its members. Theoretically, a member knows only the superior who introduced him, and any person whom he himself has introduced. The Order is run on purely spiritual lines.

The object of membership is also entirely simple. The first objective is the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. The next objective, omitting considerations for the present of the 6=5 and 7=4 degrees, is the crossing of the Abyss, and the attainment of mastership of the Temple. This is described very fully especially in Liber 418. Much less is written about the 5=6 degree, i.e., the Knowledge and Conversation, because it is too secret and individual. It is impossible to lay down conditions, or to describe the experience involved in detail.

The O.T.O. has nothing to do with this, except that the Book of the Law and the Word of the Aeon are essential principles of membership. In all other respects, it stands by itself as a body similar to freemasonry, but involving acceptance of a social and economic system which is intended to put the world on its feet. There is also, of course, the secret of the IX° which is so to say, the weapon which they may use to further these purposes.

To show you the difference, Theodor Reuss was Supreme Head of the O.T.O., but was not even probationer of the A.'.A.'.
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ravenest

OTO groups also hold many eclectic traditions; Voodoo, Wicca, Maat Magick, Norse stuff, within their local groups so as well as these Thelemic Feasts Days they may celebrate special days and events in these traditions.

Feast generally = food and booze up :laugh: in my experience. A feast every night, I'll leave to your imagination.
 

Aeon418

ravenest said:
OTO groups also hold many eclectic traditions; Voodoo, Wicca, Maat Magick, Norse stuff,
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I suppose now that Crowley and his writings are viewed as an "optional extra" within OTO, there has to be something else to fill the gaping void.
 
Just got my first Thoth deck! The Book of the Law Study Group 2.39