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From: nagasiva@luckymojo.com (nigris (333))
Subject: Re: 93! and The New Thelemite (was Of Cheesecake...)
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1999 14:58:06 -0700 (PDT)

49990809 IVom Hail Satan!

a correspondent wrote:
# Greetings, felicitations, and 93!

E6 and Fuck You!

333: 
#> sure, you can follow the cult and put a "93!" at the beginning
#> and a "93=93, 93/93" or the corrupt "93 93/93" at the end, but
#> what could "93" at the end mean? why do you bother at all? why
#> not make *every* act intentional? 

# ...using '93' variously in greeting and closing, or even 
# greeting with 'Do what thou Wilt shall be the whole of the Law'
# and closing with 'Love is the Law, Love under Will'  is an 
# accepted neutral greeting among professed Thelemites.  93 makes 
# for an easy abbreviation for what many consider to be a rather 
# long phrase to type in every greeting and closing. 

I've rarely seen '93' at the end except by those who are 
uninterested in anything but slogans (compare 'aloha'). 
typically the 'Thelemite' will provide at least the bare
appearance of understanding what they are doing by using
'93 93/93' as I mentioned above to indicate 'Love is the
law,' (apparently substitutable by '93', but even this is
stretching it) 'love under will.' (the 'under' translated
in division by a slash or fraction line).

# 'Neutral' is the operative word here, because obviously there 
# are other possible salutations that might be used, but would 
# betray adherence to factions or sects not held in common.   

then perhaps the convention is changing, since I'd understood
that the insipid disintegration of the important discipline of
Thelemic Greetings had stabilized into a rudimentary shadow of
its past glory.

where does the notion that group membership ought be indicated
by a particular stock greeting arise? do ALL Religions of the
Book practice it? Islam has 'assalam alaykum', Christianity
(some at least) has 'peace be with you', I think Judaism has
the roughly similar 'shalom alechem' though I don't know if
this is taken to indicate cult membership. now you have told
us some others:

# For example, those of Golden Dawn traditions frequently use 
# 'Care Frater' and 'Cara Soror' in greeting 

I've seen this amongst the Orderly 'Thelemites' also. apparently
Crowley was a Goldawnian at one point and may have picked it up
(or perhaps it preceded these folks from freemasons?).

# and LVX  (light or light of the Cross) in closing.  

this does appear popular amongst the Goldawnians and some Rosicrucians.

so we have:

	CULTISTS 	GREETING 		CLOSING
	----------------------------------------------------------------
	Judaism		Shalom (Alechem?)       
	Christians      Peace be with you.      
			 (re: And also with you.)
	Muslims         Assalam alaykum.        
			 (re: Alaykum assalam.)
	Buddhists				In metta, (epistles)
	Goldawnians	Care Frater (epistles)	(IN (epistles)) LUX
	Crowleyites (1)	Do what thou wilt....	Love is the law....
	Crowleyites (2)  93			93 93/93

these have all become conventions. could someone help me fill in the
blanks and add more that you know from cults of which you are aware?
now you are saying that the convention is shifting to:

	Crowleyites (3) 93			93

this would seem to indicate a further disintegration of the
community masquerading as 'Thelemic' into cultishness and the
foibles of religion with only surface significance (not unusual).

# However, many Thelemites I've run across DESPISE everything 
# overtly connected with the Golden Dawn, 

despite the fact that their prophet loved the Goldawnians.
despite the fact that their prophet got much of what he passed
on from the Goldawnians. this strikes me as unfortunate 
religious rivalry.

# and so it would be something of an indiscretion to use it in 
# predominantly Thelemic company, such as this list.   

here I must point out the spectrum of usage for Thelemic Greetings:
from the iconoclastic heraldry described in Letter 18 of MWT to the
discrete announcement of cult-conformity as displayed openly by
countless Crowleyites today (apparently *initiated* by the 'Master'
himself). I find it sad and unfortunate that more do not use 
"indiscrete" and even "objectionable" greetings amongst their 
kindred, especially where these indicate important principles about 
their life and magick (thus my 'Fuck You' at the head of this letter,
which displays my connection to adversarialism and sex magick).

# The TGD in particular certainly seems to be an org held in low 
# regard here, at any rate. 

all 'Thelemic' individuals are welcome here, including those from
the Thelemic Golden Dawn. those who spew their vitriol about this
organization or its membership are merely displaying their bias.
I hope that all organizations will be criticized for their faults.
 
# If the purpose of an e-list such a this one is to discuss a 
# belief held in common (Thelema),  

perhaps 'Thelema' isn't a belief at all. the purpose of this
particular forum is a discussion of Thelema by *any* meaning.
you are encouraged to construct new meanings for us to consider.

# then other beliefs of list members while valid, are not 
# necessarily pertinent.   

a typical presumption of the cult, yes.

# Also, because Order poltics takes up so much time for rank 
# holding members, comments are frequently viewed with an eye 
# to their possible underlying political agenda.   

we are trying to encourage organizational issues which do not
have an overlap with a discussion of Thelema to be taken up in
private email so as not to burden us with irrelevant data.
 
# Making every act intentional is supposed to be understood 
# in saying '93'.  

and this I call HYPOCRISY!!!!  do you really think that mimicking
others demonstrates individualism? do you really think that routine
and pre-programmed interaction demonstrates intentionality? I can't
*imagine* a more perfect counter-example of these principles than
conformity to a standard. only those who are irrepressable rebels
demonstrating adherence to a norm would constitute what you are
describing, and yet until we know that they are rebellious, we can
never be sure of their intentional act. at least where there is
noncomfority inside a cult we can distinguish genius, originality.
thus I have sometimes conjectured that Crowley wished to foster a
cult of Crowleyanity so that true Thelemites might become obvious
(not because they adopt the label, but by their fruits ye shall
know them).

# It's prolific use should not be construed as diffusing it's 
# meaning or validity.  

even though it flies in the face of it??? 'pay no attention to
the man behind the curtain.'

# By the way, I notice when not using 'blessed beast',  you use 
# 'Invoke me under my stars.'

watch and you will see that I am responding to those who address
me or the public in a manner simultaneously suitable (I invented
'E6' as a direct protest against this '93' CRAP, along with E666)
and reflective of my response to their sentiment. call and response
in religious and/or musical endeavors might be comparable. I have
at times towed the conventional line for discipline and at others
intentionally attempted to destroy this or oppose it with intensity.
over time I think you will see that my Thelemic Greetings are of a
quality which displays intentionality quite well, and I hope to
convince you that the conventions in use by Crowleyites today are
as much a trap as is the Evul Book.

# Why is that?

the two are:

	Satanist		Hail Satan!		Blessed Beast!
	Thelemite		The word of Sin....	Invoke me under....

of course 'The word of Sin is Restriction' is in response to 'Do
what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.' the idea is that
there are so many cultists espousing the 'thou = Ateh' interpre-
tation that I must underscore liberation by quoting the subsequent
line in the Evul Book for their displeasure. 'Invoke me under my
stars' is a suitably egotistic line which I preapply to 'Love is
the law, love under will' because it, too, provides the type of
context to which we ought pay heed when considering its meaning.

# "Every man and every woman is a star."  I:3

every boy and girl is a star.
		"The Big Golden Book of the Law", I:3.
 
# Iadnamad Devi

om nama kali ma

blessed beast!
______________________________________________________________________
(333) nagasiva@luckymojo.com; http://www.luckymojo.com/nagasiva.html