Note to update: the addresses and phone numbers in these issues of the Thelema Lodge Calendars are obsolete since the closing of the Lodge. They are here for historic purposes only and should not be visited or called.
Thelema Lodge
Ordo Templi Orientis
P.O.Box 2303
Berkeley, CA 94702 USA
November 1987 e.v. at Thelema Lodge
Announcements from
Lodge Members and Officers
Into a bowl of deepest night it peers | |
And probes the utmost nature of the vast | |
Eternal marches of the suns, to cast | |
With esoteric glyphs the path of years. | |
Steel forg'd prongs grip fast the adamant | |
And jumbled crags of charred obsidian | |
Strew close the base where, twined ophidian | |
The space washed girders gleam and twist aslant. | |
And to this rock, this deathbound airless world, | |
It seems the tomb of gods whose questioned Why | |
Has stripped them of their lone divinity | |
Come strange marked men who seek a knowledge furled | |
In deeper space. Who train this monstrous eye | |
To gaze forever. On infinity. | |
Q. Where can I learn about "Merkabah"? -- from TX
Ma'aseh Merkabah is one of the two traditional divisions of Qabalah. Most
of the more important literature is quite old, and there is a great deal of
it. Despite Mathers' and others' theories, traditional Jewish Qabalah is not
divided into Practical and all those other types. Just the two: Ma'aseh
B'ereshit and Ma'aseh Merkabah. Ma'aseh B'ereshit includes Gematria, the
general study of literary criticism that produced the Four Worlds and the Tree
diagram, Temurah and the other technical studies. Ma'aseh Merkabah (the Way
or Path of the Chariot) is the active form of Qabalah with visions, 7 Hells
and Heavens, 9 Palaces, 50 Gates of Understanding, the Vision of Ezechial and
the use of the names of Angels and Demons. About all that you get in the
popular books is tree climbing and a hodge-podge of names and correspondences.
The real stuff is mostly in scholastic works. The Sepher Yetzirah and the
Zohar include both types; the former is mostly Merkabah disguised under
obliquity, and the latter comes with a kitchen sink -- so why not Merkabah?
Books to start with:
Kabbalah by Gershom Sholem, The New York Times Book Co., 1974. -- this
will turn you on to some of the basic ideas and vast masses of references.
Sholem is excellent for where to look, but weak in details and analysis.
Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition by Gershom
Sholem, The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1965. This is your best
bet for overview and orientation, but it's a bit prejudiced against Gentile
precursors and parallel literature. Note that Merkabah is sometimes called
"Hekhaloth Mysticism", especially in reference to the older works.
The Sword of Moses translation and Hebrew, M. Gaster, out of Samuel
Weiser Inc., 1970. This is later derivative, perhaps 6th to 9th century. It
is a treatise on the Magical Sword, and should be considered a link between
Merkabah and later, fragmentary approaches.
The Secret Garden anthology by David Meltzer, Seabury Press, 1976. This
is probably the best reader for gaining a perspective on Qabalistic
literature. Starts with very genuine Merkabah and tends to follow surviving
lines of it down to the 17th century.
The Bahir translated by Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel Weiser Inc, 1979. This is
attributed to the 1st century, but that is not likely. It provides some
Merkabah and is difficult reading because of the style.
The Path of the Names edited by David Meltzer, Trigram Tree Books
(Berkeley), 1976. This is small collection of Abulafia, with his technique
for making the letters work. It should be considered a parallel development
or attempt to recover the Merkabah intensity. 13th century, after the
original methods had become confused in available literature in Southern
Spain.
The Book of Enoch the Prophet, translated in 1883 from the Ethioptic by
Richard Laurence, Archbishop of Cashel, Kegan Paul (London) originally, but
out of Wizards Bookshelf in the 1970s. This is pure Merkabah, and the
morality is only a veil. It is not comprehensible without prior study. Scans
as nuts otherwise.
The Book of Enoch, Charles translation from the Ethiopic, Oxford at the
Clarendon Press in 1912, but in print out of Health Research. Again, pure
Merkabah, and purely difficult. The footnotes gibber and mislead a good deal.
Most of the drastic descriptions in the Book of Enoch are guides and tropes
for visions. Most Christian scholars tend to take these descriptions too
literally, and that's where the footnotes blow it.
The Book of the Secrets of Enoch Charles translation from the Slavonic
fragments. Condensed Merkabah, but big holes in it. available also from
Health Research.
In general, it helps to be familiar with the Theban Book of the Dead
before attempting to read Merkabah literature. The Egyptian material has the
same traditions, with boats in place of chariots and all the same themes and
situations. Islam also uses the traditions, with Mahamet traveling through
the seven heavens on his horse. There are more distant affinities in Tibetan.
Most of the Golden Dawn Pantheon is drawn from Merkabah fragments. The
names of the Spirits and Intelligences, for instance, are probably survivals
of the guardians of the two leaves of the doors to the hells.
Serious scholars should look to Bibliotheca Magna Rabbinica by
Bartoloccii, 1665 e.v. It was reprinted by Gregg Press Inc. of Ridgewood, New
Jersey, 1965 e.v. This work is in Latin and Hebrew and comprises six volumes
of close to 1,000 pages each. The last volume is smaller and lists the
Renaissance Gentile writers. Every work known to the Vatican Library, from
the earliest to the 17th century, is listed if it pertains at all to Jewish
thought. Much is Qabalah. Each entry summarizes the work of one author, and
there are extensive essays included on mystical topics. Large university
libraries often carry this monumental study, including the University of
California at Berkeley.
"Crossing the Rainbow Bridge", A ritual for the Transformation of
Consciousness based on the book Wheels of Life: A User's Guide to the Chakra
System. Sat. Nov. 21 at 8:30 PM and Sunday Nov. 22 at 2 PM. Women's
Building, San Francisco. 3543 18th St. near Valencia. Advance Tickets are
still available at a discount until November 14. Highest price ticket $15.
Reservations (415) 322-7450.
If you remember Sr. Selene from 1977 e.v., you can see an old friend dance
the Kundalini Serpent through the Chakras. Childcare available.
The Women's Spirituality Forum still has some events remaining on the Fall
Schedule. Call (415) 444-7724 for information:
November 15th, "Visions of Empowering the Female Self". Presented by Melissa
Farley, Ph.D.
December 19th and 20th, "Winter Solstice Retreat at Isis Oasis". Presented by
Z. Budapest, Marianna Gentile-Evans and Leigh Ann Hussey.
Covenant of the Goddess/Susan B. Anthony Coven No.1
11/1/87 | Yoga at the Lodge, Noon every Sunday | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/1/87 | Gnostic Mass at 8:00 PM | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/4/87 | Luna Ritual for the full moon 9 PM | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/5/87 | (actual full moon in Taurus 8:46 PM) | |||
11/8/87 | Temple and Yard clean-up 11:11 PM | Thelema Ldg | ||
(come and help out) | ||||
11/8/87 | Yoga at the Lodge, Noon every Sunday | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/8/87 | Gnostic Mass at 8:00 PM (East Bay) | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/8/87 | Gnostic Mass at 8:00 PM (SF) | local O.T.O. | ||
11/10/87 | Thelema Lodge Meeting 8 PM | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/11/87 | Class #7: Qabalah Series | Thelema Ldg | ||
Chesed (attainment) 8 PM. With Bill. | ||||
11/13/87 | (Last Quarter Moon) | |||
11/14/87 | Minerval Initiations (Call) | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/15/87 | Yoga at the Lodge, Noon every Sunday | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/15/87 | Gnostic Mass Class 4:18 PM | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/15/87 | Gnostic Mass at 8:00 PM | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/16/87 | Ist Degree pre-initiation class | Thelema Ldg | ||
8:00 PM (Call for details) | ||||
11/17/87 | Dramatic Reading at 8 PM | Magick Thea. | ||
"Silly Beast/D'Est Plays" | ||||
11/18/87 | Class #8: Qabalah Series | Thelema Ldg | ||
Binah (Merkabah) 8 PM. With Bill. | ||||
11/20/87 | New Moon Ritual 9 PM | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/20/87 | Couples' Massage Class (call) | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/21/87 | Ist and IInd Degree Initiations | Thelema Ldg | ||
(at the Gopher Hole in Marin) | ||||
11/22/87 | Yoga at the Lodge, Noon every Sunday | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/22/87 | Sagittarius' Birthday Party 12:30 | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/22/87 | Gnostic Mass at 8:00 PM | Thelema Ldg | ||
(Sun enters Sagity 12:30 PM) | ||||
11/23/87 | "Secret" meeting by invitation only | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/24/87 | Enochiana Class with Dave, 8 PM | Thelema Ldg | ||
"Survey of True and Faithful ..." | ||||
11/25/87 | Egyptiana Class with Ebony, 8 PM | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/26/87 | Dramatic reading of "Alice, Thru | Thelema Ldg | ||
the Looking Glass" 1:11 PM | ||||
11/26/87 | Pagan Thanksgiving Pot-Luck 4:18 PM | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/27/87 | (First Quarter Moon 5:51 PM) | |||
11/29/87 | Yoga at the Lodge, Noon every Sunday | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/29/87 | Gnostic Mass at 8:00 PM | Thelema Ldg | ||
11/30/87 | Class with Nick on Colors 8 PM | Thelema Ldg |
The viewpoints and opinions expressed herein are the responsibility of the
contributing authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of OTO or its
officers.
Note to update: the addresses and phone numbers in these issues of the Thelema Lodge Calendars are obsolete since the closing of the Lodge. They are here for historic purposes only and should not be visited or called.