THE
ARCANE
ARCHIVE

a cache of usenet and other text files pertaining
to occult, mystical, and spiritual subjects.


TOP | SOCIETIES | THELEMIC | ORDO TEMPLI ORIENTIS

Demonstrating the Law

To: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.magick,alt.thelema,alt.pagan.magick
From: 333 
Subject: Demonstrating the Law 
Date: Tue, 04 Jun 2002 06:30:02 GMT

50000428 IVom

>I rather doubt Crowley performed the Mass more than a few dozen times 
>in his life, and I think that an Order focus on Mass is dangerous in 
>that sense that it attracts mainly religious people. Which, I suppose, 
>is ok if that's what you want, but I think it's clear a religious 
>oriented order will not appeal to those not likewise oriented.

maybe the EGC and its Mass is a device for lapsed Roman Catholics
who, not finding some role for themselves or their values in this
bureaucratic and now conventional organization. it may be geared
quite specifically for the bhakti-oriented, as you note, and those
who feel good about ecclesiastical authority. and yet this is only
one aspect of (c)OTO. as it becomes emphasized so the order will
wither and die, but if it remains only a portion, then it may serve
those with servile fetishes.

>Bhakti yoga is perhaps most suitable to most types of characters, 
>but for some the practise isn't the way to go. I see the same problem 
>with the centrilisation of Liber XXX, which, according to Crowley's 
>own account, isn't a suitable guideline for every type of character. 
>In practise these types of characters will probably be [t]old that 
>'Oto is not for them' and frankly, I find this whole disposition
>positively absurd.

as they are told this, so the order limits itself and decreases its
potential to promulgate the Law to the world. instead it will
alienate the intellectuals, at worst mutate into a Jim Jones clone.

>I don't understand what the deal is with people somehow failing to 
>comprehend that for example 'missionairy work' is not everyone's 
>cup of tea. I don't care about that stuff at all and anyone trying 
>to work on my guilt complex for 'not spreading the law of thelema', 
>or some equal pascalian slogan, can kiss my turds.

:> are people really asking you to venture out into the world and
convert the millions door-to-door? beyond this, don't you think
that living by the Law spreads it?
 
>>Personally, having been a Thelemite for a 1/4 century, I only saw the
>>Mass about a year ago - once. I still don't need it, and don't have much
>>time for it's 'secret message' (the medium is fine - it is a well
>>crafted ritual - I just don't have the same take on sexual occultism
>>that Eddie did).
>
>And on the other hand the focus on sexual magic is in itself not 
>everyone's gock of glee. This might be philosophical, but it interests 
>me as much as sexual poetry, sexual paintings, and sexual plumbing 
>usually does.

my impression is that the sexual aspect of the order is much like
the aspects of secrecy and power -- these are intriguing fetishes
which draw attention (Crowley's activities were in many ways
experiments in attention-drawing) as teasers to the understanding
and adherence to the Law (true will, a principle of nature).

in a world where anonymity and powerless are growing day by day
(or at least the appearance of such), apprehending the taboo,
the forbidden, and that which is relegated solely for the Elite
is an incredibly tantalizing lure. this lure entices support,
alliance, and loyalty. oaths may secure this through contract.

if you do not feel that lure, then your place with respect to
the cult is as an outsider, perhaps an unacknowledged member of
the true elite whom many of the social attention-getters will
attempt to emulate or pretend to be. if this is so, then your
every expression is an instruction to the Herd, regardless of
whether you intend it, and your example is itself a
promulgation of the Law manifested unto those who witness you.

blessed beast!
______________________________________________________________________
(333) nagasiva@luckymojo.com; http://www.luckymojo.com/nagasiva.html
I don't read everything here; cc me if you absolutely want a response.

The Arcane Archive is copyright by the authors cited.
Send comments to the Arcane Archivist: tyaginator@arcane-archive.org.

Did you like what you read here? Find it useful?
Then please click on the Paypal Secure Server logo and make a small
donation to the site maintainer for the creation and upkeep of this site.

The ARCANE ARCHIVE is a large domain,
organized into a number of sub-directories,
each dealing with a different branch of
religion, mysticism, occultism, or esoteric knowledge.
Here are the major ARCANE ARCHIVE directories you can visit:
interdisciplinary: geometry, natural proportion, ratio, archaeoastronomy
mysticism: enlightenment, self-realization, trance, meditation, consciousness
occultism: divination, hermeticism, amulets, sigils, magick, witchcraft, spells
religion: buddhism, christianity, hinduism, islam, judaism, taoism, wicca, voodoo
societies and fraternal orders: freemasonry, golden dawn, rosicrucians, etc.

SEARCH THE ARCANE ARCHIVE

There are thousands of web pages at the ARCANE ARCHIVE. You can use ATOMZ.COM
to search for a single word (like witchcraft, hoodoo, pagan, or magic) or an
exact phrase (like Kwan Yin, golden ratio, or book of shadows):

Search For:
Match:  Any word All words Exact phrase

OTHER ESOTERIC AND OCCULT SITES OF INTEREST

Southern Spirits: 19th and 20th century accounts of hoodoo, including slave narratives & interviews
Hoodoo in Theory and Practice by cat yronwode: an introduction to African-American rootwork
Lucky W Amulet Archive by cat yronwode: an online museum of worldwide talismans and charms
Sacred Sex: essays and articles on tantra yoga, neo-tantra, karezza, sex magic, and sex worship
Sacred Landscape: essays and articles on archaeoastronomy, sacred architecture, and sacred geometry
Lucky Mojo Forum: practitioners answer queries on conjure; sponsored by the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
Herb Magic: illustrated descriptions of magic herbs with free spells, recipes, and an ordering option
Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers: ethical diviners and hoodoo spell-casters
Freemasonry for Women by cat yronwode: a history of mixed-gender Freemasonic lodges
Missionary Independent Spiritual Church: spirit-led, inter-faith, the Smallest Church in the World
Satan Service Org: an archive presenting the theory, practice, and history of Satanism and Satanists
Gospel of Satan: the story of Jesus and the angels, from the perspective of the God of this World
Lucky Mojo Usenet FAQ Archive: FAQs and REFs for occult and magical usenet newsgroups
Candles and Curios: essays and articles on traditional African American conjure and folk magic
Aleister Crowley Text Archive: a multitude of texts by an early 20th century ceremonial occultist
Spiritual Spells: lessons in folk magic and spell casting from an eclectic Wiccan perspective
The Mystic Tea Room: divination by reading tea-leaves, with a museum of antique fortune telling cups
Yronwode Institution for the Preservation and Popularization of Indigenous Ethnomagicology
Yronwode Home: personal pages of catherine yronwode and nagasiva yronwode, magical archivists
Lucky Mojo Magic Spells Archives: love spells, money spells, luck spells, protection spells, etc.
      Free Love Spell Archive: love spells, attraction spells, sex magick, romance spells, and lust spells
      Free Money Spell Archive: money spells, prosperity spells, and wealth spells for job and business
      Free Protection Spell Archive: protection spells against witchcraft, jinxes, hexes, and the evil eye
      Free Gambling Luck Spell Archive: lucky gambling spells for the lottery, casinos, and races