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To: thelema93-l@hollyfeld.org From: tyagi@HOUSEOFKAOS.ABYSS.COM (nigris (333)) Subject: Thelemite and Thelemic (was Magick & Liber AL) Date: Mon, 9 Sep 1996 14:55:50 -0700 (PDT) 49960909 AA1 Hail Satan! (thelemites, thelemic) E6 Rev JB Bell: #...can one be a Thelemite without accepting parts of the Book of the Law? that trash-binding is absolutely bypassable in regards the Law of Thelema. in context it can provide a valuable tool to apprehend this Law, but on the whole it is often more an obstacle within the Thelemic religious community than it is a boon. this is the problem with the Religions of the Book, as I see it. too often the tool by which people wish to fabricate some glorious new Body of God is merely used as another enslavement device. here is the value of the Comment: burn your damned holy scriptures when you've got what you needed from them (Crowley), throw away the net when you've caught the fish (Lao Tzu), cast aside the dualistic needle used to pluck the dualism from your body (Gautama Buddha), etc. # ...simply saying "I think Crowley was suffering a major brain fart when # he wrote AL:III:67-90." ...I must agree with Tim [the wizard] Maroney's #implication that torturous "interpretation" is simply not that #intellectually honest. But then if we unhook the idea of Thelema from #Liber AL, what is left? "the idea of Thelema" may apply in many ways. usually when people talk about the 'idea' of something they can mean a principle relating to the term in question or a philosophical construct which underlies it. in the case of Thelema you could be talking about the religion or the philosophy (and I do see a marked, unfortunate, divide in this regard despite exclamations to the contrary from Nexist). as regards the religion of Thelema, I'd say that the Evil Book is rather a cornerstone of it, especially as it was so important to the man Crowley who functions as this religion's prophet. there is still some value of the Religion of the Book and the skill of prophesy, both longstanding elements of popular Western religion. as regards the philosophy of Thelema which is at times *applied within this religious context*, the Evil Book (as well as other prophetic works) is entirely omissable. Thelema as a philosophy pertaining to particular concepts of ethics and social politic need not include the thematics and mythos of the Crowleyan expression, prophetic or no. I would even suggest that many of Crowley's *other* works, inclusive of his Commentaries on this same Evil Book, are of more value to the tradition of philosophic exposition on this Law. what the Evil Book does seem to offer is a complex variety of assertions and divinities, symbolizing and exemplifying syncretism and ecclectic collage, as well as the blatant Egypt-worship and cross-cultural controversy of the Hermetic tradition of magico-religion. # So, what makes a Thelemite a Thelemite? How is that different from, # say, a Libertarian? I prefer to use the term like that of 'sage' in Chinese religion, an ideal appellate in relation to how I feel about an individual and/or their actions and activities (examples: 'the wizard' which I apply to Tim or the 'Rev' I accept for you on account of my respect for the content of your writings and their relation to my experience -- comparing favorably -- or 'Mystress' for Peggy). more often I use the term 'Thelemic' as an adjective comparable to 'sagacious' or 'wise' as regards ethics or activity, reflecting my feelings about how a word or deed resonates with my heart and will. typically this relates to courage in the face of social opposition, a willingness to be outspoken or assertive where unpopular, to be resolute where there is a great degree of pressure to conform, to be respectful yet persistent as regards one's own principles, whether this includes cooperation or direct adversarialism, done when possible with what I'd call 'tact' (Crowley's 'rules of art'). as I typically consider it, a Thelemite cannot be said to hold particular political or theoretical stands, these varying amongst the smattering of Thelemites. I usually assocate 'Thelemite' with a particular attitude toward social interactions and individual integrity. 'Thelemic' includes a variation of behavior of a range from self-assertion to social resolution, always respectful of the wills of the people involved, even while opposing them ("as brothers fight ye!"). as with any label, there is a gradation of usage associated with it, and 'Thelemite' does not escape this, typically associate with any individual who affiliates with Aleister Crowley and his favorite ideas, texts and social systems (once again pointing toward the religious as compared to the philosophic aspects of its meaning which I've heretofore been trying express). E6/6/6 nigris (333) tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com
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