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Quasi-Masonic Initiations: Ordeals or Purifications?

To: alt.magick.tyagi
From: 333 
Subject: Quasi-Masonic Initiations: Ordeals or Purifications?
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2003 05:20:26 GMT

50030622 VIII om Pisces-Age-Y2006 [??]

>>> ...who are the "company of the elect"[...?]



> It was I who asked what "elect" meant several days/weeks ago.  
> In a subsequent post, someone mentioned that a sayin goes, 
> that the company of the elect are scum and villiany or 
> something like that.  

not usually. usually the Chosen are Very Special People to
some god or other (e.g. Nuit, Yahweh, Allah, etc.).

> I was supposing it meant what we usually see as "elect", 
> as in this mock democracy in the world today, or a high 
> school clique group election or something along those 
> lines.  the reference was generally election by the 
> masses, as it were.  

nah, it seems a Jewish/Christian/Muslim/Crowleyan thang.
 
>>> what does "elect" mean, 
>>> and if they are the people who went through their ordeals, 
>>> and came up from their own sort of grave like that 
>>> proverbial weed, did their egos get purified, or what? 
> 
> this was a musing as to the real purpose of initiations.  

there's only one for all initiations? that seems odd.

> surely if one's self-schema gets bumped around in them 
> some osrt of purification must occur.  

not if it's a gateway ordeal (whether commencement or
some kind of transformation of consciousness).

> It doesn't have to, but surely it puts it at some strain. 

I don't follow the logic. if you'd like to elaborate, I'd
enjoy that. :>
 
>>> if so, what is the deal?

333: 
>> granted the special case of ordeals serving this purifying
>> function, this would mean that they are correctly designed
>> for the purpose of providing both inspiration (in order to
>> persist and not be stopped by the barrier) and restriction
>> (for the purposes of discipline that facilitates purity).
> 
> how then do we explain so many individuals ignoring this 
> inspiration and not doing any discipline then attaining 
> some sort of higher positon then, 

hm.
	ignoring the inspiration -- not everyone is grounded
	        enough to integrate inspiration

	not doing any discipline -- not every has enough willpower
	        to engage or sustain discipline; sometimes the
	        activities described as disciplines may have
	        different effects than advertized (enlarging or
	        enhancing one's ego, for example, rather than
	        rarefying or honing one's humility)

	attaining to high position -- sometimes being at the
		right place at the right time allows passage;
	        plus it may be the case that that inspiration
	        and purification doesn't actually occur; that
	        was *your* premise, not mine, and I'm not 
	        sure I've ever heard of initiation ordeals 
	        considered to have a purifying effect; as I'd
	        explained, this is more a matter of daily 
                or routine disciplines of an ascetic or some
                kind of observational character, like Resh or
                LBuRPs or something.

> in a supposedly enlightened hierarchy?

who is supposing this? not I. I don't have the evidence.

OTO hierarchy is necessary to faciliate the promulgation
of the Law of Thelema, as I understand it, and it also
incorporates a mystical organizational structure such
that membership at these degrees can use this to their
benefit. but let's not confuse the (c)OTO with the AA
or with the GD, whom the AA is supposed to replace.



> ...one can only hypothesize that all the info is not in.  
> which speaks to the lack of wisdom of secrecy.  

I don't know how you drew these conclusions from my text.

> does one want one's organization/group to be forthright 
> and open, 

even a secret society? sometimes these function better when
they are underground.

> therefore helping to prevent and clear up accusations, 
> questions, and perhaps fomenting more involvement?  

perhaps these things are less important now.

> as an astrologer, I'd say that this age of aquarius 

it's started already? 

> is not the time for secrecy.  not that no secrecy is 
> ever necesary, sometimes it is.  some secrecy is a 
> leftover from old aeon requirement.  I don't think 
> it's oneof the bases on which the new one is built on.  

I tend to agree and thus make very well-known my
involvements, the character of the orgs with which
I have trek, and the fact that my will is 
unfettered by oaths of secrecy. ;>

333

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