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
September 1992 e.v. at Thelema Lodge
Announcements from
Lodge Members and Officers
From a surviving partial typescript of Crowley's The General Principles of Astrology:
From Astrology: Your place Among the Stars, page 439:
Both these Adams-Crowley works are available from Grand Lodge on IBM PC 5 1/4 diskettes. Write to O.T.O., P.O.Box 430,
Fairfax, CA 94978 USA and request a copy of "Texts Available" for computer. This material is made available for research only. {Note to Web edition: These are no longer available on diskette, but they may be obtained by email file attachment and on various Web sites}
Let's have a look at what Crowley says concerning a few placements in his own birth Chart.
Crowley's birth chart and charts of other important crises in his life are to be found in The
Equinox of the Gods and in Equinox Vol. I, No. 10. It is very clear that he drew on his own
life for many of his examples on Astrology, as he did also on the lives of Rose Kelly, Victor
Neuburg and others mentioned in his writings. In these selections, only the surface has been
scratched to provide "Crowley on Crowley -- Out of School".
Birth of Edward Alexander Crowley at Leamington Spa, England on 12th October, 1875 e.v., 10:52 PM, according to his published chart (as he understood the placements).
ASC 0.3°
II 16° :
19°
III 6°
IV 4° :
19°
;
24°
;
7°
;
13° 20'
V 14°
VI 27° :
22°
VII 0.3°
VIII 16° ;
19° 30'
IX 6° ;
20°
X 4° ;
28°
XI 14°
XII 27°
From Astrology: Your Place in the Sun
Sun (and Venus) in Libra:
"The most mysterious people in the world are the Chinese, who are ruled by
Libra. When Sir Robert Hart, after fifty years spent among them, was going
home to England, he told a young friend, who had just completed a walking tour
through the country, and who sought assistance in psychological interpretation
from the man whose very life had depended for half a century on his just
estimate of the character of these people, that he now knew pretty well what a
Chinaman would do in any given set of circumstances, but had not the least
idea why he would do it. This type understands the all-important,
psychological truth, that no one can defeat your purpose, except by some
accident, if he does not know what that purpose is."
"...He is very sensitive; a disruption like war gives him the most terrible
agony of spirit. He finds his consolation in one single consideration. He
says to himself that the old civilization was lopsided, hideous, productive of
ugliness and misery, and that, in order to change, to rebuild, the building
must be razed to the earth; nay, more, that the foundations must be laid anew.
His final judgment in the matter, therefore, is that the war is the necessary
spiritual preparation for the establishment of a new era which shall be
founded according to the true laws of beauty. ..."
"...You will often find a native of this sign taking a highly unpopular
attitude; one such, for example, might say that he thought Germany entirely
right in her invasion of Belgium, but he might nevertheless fight for England
on the ground that he was English by birth, thus making a complete distinction
between his moral and his social being."
"...As a rule, he is very strongly and very highly developed on the plane
of sex, and this is marked sometimes by his possession of a nature
intermediate between male and female, sometimes by the possession of two
temperaments, one almost extravagantly masculine while the other is intensely
feminine. Possessing such a range of understanding in this matter, it is
natural to find the Libra native a great expert in all matters of love."
"These qualities often make the Libra native a good deal of a varietist,
and under certain planetary combinations there may even appear a strain of
homosexuality. This is not to be attributed to any real predilection, but to
the fact of the delicate poise of the Libra nature between the two sexes....
It is true that he may perform acts of an incredibly gross nature, but his aim
is never the satisfaction of a lust.... It is, of course, exasperating to the
native of Venus in Libra to find himself thus ill comprehended or ridiculed,
but he will feel a singular pride and security in the idea that his soul is
safe from the contamination of what he considers the vulgar."
From Astrology: Your Place Among the Stars:
Moon in Pisces:
"...Taken by itself, there is great danger that the person with this position may receive totally false impressions through the senses. There is an excessive tendency to optimism and romanticism; Don Quixote must have had the Moon in Pisces. Among real people we find it in the horoscopes of Shelley, Goethe, Petrarch, and Stevenson. This position accounts for their extraordinary refusal to accept things as they are. The outside world came to them through such colored glasses that everything appeared bathed in a luminous mist."
Mercury in Scorpio:
"...They make admirable vivisectors on every plane, and they are usually quite unscrupulous in their methods and careless of what pain they may inflict. Furthermore, they are intensely secretive; they hate to commit themselves to any positive statement, but their capacity for insinuation and innuendo may well be described as infernal. They make the most dangerous enemies, and in some cases (though, fortunately, this is rare) there is something of the snake in their temperament, and they may turn suddenly and treacherously upon their antagonists. They make excellent secret-service men. They are capable of long continued dissimulation and, the imagination being exceedingly vivid, they are well fitted to deceive others. With all these qualities, goes an intense skepticism, an intolerance of the opinions of others whom they regard as inferior, and a supreme contempt for those who disagree with them. On the other hand, the secretive side of the sign may sometimes develop as mysticism or some profound interest in secret societies (particularly, of course, when Mercury is in the twelfth house) or in hidden and obscure matters of one sort or another..."
Mars in Capricorn:
"...His fierce energy is tempered to obstinacy by the earthy and Saturnian nature of the sign, but, on the other hand, the leaping Goat lends additional power and élan to his activity. He becomes tremendously magnetic and commanding, but also dour and tenacious. A striking instance of this quality expressed in the world of action is Theodore Roosevelt. One has only to contemplate his method to understand the full effect of Mars in Capricorn."
Jupiter in Scorpio:
"If Jupiter is strong in this sign, we find people with a positively
fanatical faith in themselves. God is omnipotent, and He abides with them;
how, then, can they ever falter on the path? The effect of ill-dignity -- say
an evil aspect to Jupiter from Saturn or Mercury -- would be to upset the
mental balance in this respect and to give evidence of deep-seated
perversion."
Well, what to you think? Do we see a little Al in there anywhere? For others, I think you could probably reconstruct Rose's
entire birth chart from the digs in these two books about alcoholic women.
Letter, 1st November, 1985 e.v., Kenneth Grant to Bill Heidrick.
Re IX°: During my stay with Crowley (1944-5) I wrote, at his suggestion, various papers, one of which happened to be an essay on sexual magick. He was very impressed by it and admitted me to the IX° on the strength of it. In 1946, David Curwen (IX°), on Crowley's instructions, completed my initiation into IX°. A year after Crowley's death, Germer insisted on regularising the situation and issued me with a Pledge Form for IX°. This was countersigned by Gerald Yorke on 5th October, 1948. |
David Curwen was a IXth Degree and brought the elixir Amrita to Crowley, according to Crowley's 1946 e.v. diary. It is
possible that what Grant mentions here is an incident in the preparation of the medicine. Otherwise, it is difficult to
understand Grant's reference to Curwen "completing" the initiation.
The IX° pledge form includes agreement to conform to the Constitution of the O.T.O., with penalty for failure being reversal of
any attempt to operate the secret. - ED.
From the Manifesto of New Isis Lodge O.T.O., by Kenneth Grant:
A Brother who foolishly takes it upon himself to withdraw from the Sovereign Sanctuary incurs his own magical death and this is entirely his own responsibility. For such links as he will have forged by the pledge demanded of him on his admittance to the Sovereign Sanctuary, and the Rites whereby he is bound to the Current which vibrates at the core of the Lodge are indissoluble and may not be undone by any so simple a Rite as the destruction of his Magical Name.
Crowley Royal Court Diary for 1945 e.v., Memoranda:
Feb.7. to Saturnus re financial policy of O.T.O. (1) A.C.'s copyrights belong
to O.T.O. each new book, or set of essays, or what not, is a direct gain to
O.T.O.
to keep him alive & at work, with secretarial help, must be the first
charge on the Funds whether labelled "Publication Fund" or otherwise. (2)
Value of Grant. If I die or go to U.S.A., there must be a trained man to take
care of English O.T.O...."
... goes on to affirm O.T.O. to be run by the Constitution. No other mention appears in any Crowley diary of any other sort of official duty for Grant, beyond that of personal secretary for Crowley. Grant evidently did not continue in secretarial capacity after the end of 1945 e.v. - ED.
{11-fold cross}
New York, N.Y. |
Letter, 28 January, 1984 e.v., Kenneth Grant To Bill Heidrick:
Karl proved very inept about the whole matter of my appointment, and when, a year or two after he had issued the Charter, I received genuine powers (inner Plane) to found New Isis Lodge as a dependent cell of the O.T.O., I did not bother with him any more. |
From the Manifesto of New Isis Lodge O.T.O., by Kenneth Grant:
... one Brother is the Inner Invisible Head of the Order, known as the Master Nodens; a second Brother is the Outer Head of the Order, known as the Master Thoth; the third member of the Council is a Sister-Initiate of the Rites of Isis, whose Name in the Lodge is Sesheta.
New Isis Lodge and its parent Order, the O.T.O., both work in accord with the principles laid down in the Sacred Book of Thelema -- Liber Legis -- particulary as regards the first Chapter of that Book which forms one of the chief Texts in New Isis Lodge.
New Isis Lodge possesses special unpublished and secret documents containing knowledge of certain Magical Formulae implicit in Liber Legis, but Qabalistically or otherwise concealed from the eyes of the profane, and a Sister-Lodge in Germany has undertaken the Saturnian element of this further revelation, as New Isis has the Isaic.
To Mr. Kenneth Grant
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
Hampton N.J. |
From the Manifesto of New Isis Lodge O.T.O., by Kenneth Grant
New Isis Lodge is in accord with the Master Therion (a Past Grand Master of
O.T.O.); with the present Master S, who is World-Head of the O.T.O. in the
Outer, and who operates in the United States of America; and with the
aforementioned Lodge in Germany controlled by the Master G
."
The Master S is Frater Saturnus, Fr.
, Karl Germer. Grant has asserted that Germer never was the world head of O.T.O., but
there it is in Grant's own Manifesto. - ED
From the Manifesto of New Isis Lodge O.T.O., by Kenneth Grant
... expulsion with no appeal availing to cause re-instatement either in the Outer Court, the Inner Order, or the Sovereign Sanctuary of the Gnosis.
Letter Karl Germer to Gerald Yorke, date unreadable:
...Grant's New Isis Lodge: what I consider improper is the reference in his
Manifesto to being in accord with me as Grand Master S![]() |
Yorke came to suspect that a reference to "Master G", Master Gergorius or Eugen Grosche of Fraternitas Saturni in Germany had
something to do with Germer's expulsion of Grant. - ED
Hampton N.J. P.O.Box 581 December 16, 1955 | ||
It has been reported to me that there are people in Great Britain who are
operating in the name of the O.T.O. -- ORDO TEMPLI ORIENTIS --. The sole
authority for the English-speaking countries rests in the present Frater
Superior of the O.T.O., Frater Saturnus, Karl Germer.
|
Letter from Gerald Yorke to Karl Germer, dated 30th Dec., 1955.:
Kenneth Grant is working the New Isis Lodge along the lines laid down in the Manifesto of which you have a copy. I know none of and do not ask him for the details. |
From a letter to Karl Germer from Crowley, dated 6th June, 1947 e.v. (In the balance of the letter, there is no mention of Grant as a potential representative of the Order in London; but some of the other matters of the Diary note and memoranda of 1945 e.v. are repeated.):
You seem to be in doubt too about the succession. There has never been any question about this. Since your re-appearance You are the only successor of whom I have even thought since that moment. I have, however, had the idea that in view of the dispersion of so many members, you might find it useful to appoint a triumvirate to work under you. My idea was Mellinger, MacMurtrie {sic, s.b. McMurtry} and, I suppose, Roy,... |
Crowley to Grady McMurtry letter, 17th June, 1947:
... In the event of my death, Frater Saturnus is of course my successor, but after his death the terrible burden of responsibility might very easily fall upon your shoulders; for this reason I should like to you keep closely in touch with me.... |
Many more documents bear on these issues; but, for Grant's claims, the citations here seem to be the main ones. It appears to
boil down to this: Crowley did not appoint Grant to take charge. Grant was chartered to open an OTO body in England under Germer
about five years after Crowley's death and in possible reflection of a suggestion made by Crowley to Germer in 1945 e.v. Grant
was expelled by Germer less than five years later, apparently on grounds of userpation or apparent disloyalty. Grant continued to
operate anyway, abandoning his former allegiance to Germer and going into new areas. Grant asserted his claim to rule on the
basis of a vision in the face of lack of any mundane appointment or right. This may reflect Crowley's own manner in claiming to
have made over the Golden Dawn into the AA
at the behest of the Secret Chiefs; but it isn't valid in a legal setting.
Crowley's A
A
didn't get him the assets and name of the Golden Dawn, the courts having little interest in astral charters.
That didn't diminish the significance of the A
A
. Grant's achievements stand on their own; for when the Gods have been called
to witness, what mortal can affirm or deny? What doesn't stand is trademark and copyright, being matters of a more temporal
sphere. Time (Saturnus) will tell. - ED
The rains come down; the chalk grey mud of Gaul | |
Is foamed beneath the clash of treading tanks | |
And soldiers curse. | |
I used to like the Fall | |
And will again, I hope, stand on the banks | |
Of flooded strams made rich with Autumn rain, | |
A seasoned briar clenched between my teeth, | |
And breathe the stinging frost wind. | |
Once again | |
Stride down the tree lined byways where the heath | |
Has mingled scent of sage with fern and pine | |
To savor there the breath of growing things | |
Distilled in ice-chill silence. | |
This is mine! | |
This time of year when airborne ice makes wings | |
Around the bacchic moon, when sun and tree | |
Thrall the wooded land with Summer's ember. | |
When these campaigns are but a memory | |
And I am home again. In September. | |
Previously published in Kaaba: I:4 (April 1979 e.v.) and in The Grady Project #2 (December 1987 e.v.).
The View From Tipheret (Part IV)
by Bill Heidrick
[Adapted from Appendix A of The Road to the Sun: A Record of Self Initiation to Tipheret, an unpublished MS, Copyright © by Bill Heidrick]
Here, the numbers one through thirty-two represent the same things in the tables published
earlier in this series and Crowley's Liber 777. These numbers are placed differently in this
and later examples to facilitate explanation of the diagrams. No absolute rectitude in these
associations is claimed. Anyone may make any assignments to these paths that occur to mind.
The specific associations are intended as hypotheses only, not dogma.
Here is the second example of the Tree of life to be presented. It is called:
The principal change from tradition in this Tree is a redrawing of the
inner paths to represent two pentagrams and a deletion of the two outer paths
from Malkut. The Sephiroth have been left in their usual positions and the
path numerations have been changed to reflect the new organization. Before
turning attention to the meanings of the paths, a few remarks should be made
concerning the symbolism of the pentagram.
A pentagram is a star of five points. It is a symbol of man, an emblem
of the power of Mars (not stressed as such here), a representation of the four
material elements and the ruling subtle element called spirit, an emblem of
"good" when in normal orientation with a point on top and an emblem of "evil"
when inverted with a point on the bottom. There is a more considerable bit of
symbolism behind the "good" and "evil" orientations of the pentagram. As
might be suspected, the vague generalizations "good" and evil" are underlain
by more specific meanings. The "good" pentagram with point on top is a symbol
of a human being in upright posture. The uppermost point is the head; the two
lowest points are the legs and feet; the two middle points are the arms and
hands. The head rules the limbs; therefore, the conscious mind is said to
rule the powers of the body. In terms of elements, the element spirit (the
head) rules fire and earth (the legs) and water and air (the arms). This
pentagram is said to be "good" only because rulership by mind (or spirit) is
usually considered to be a "good" state of affairs. The "evil" pentagram with
point down represents a distortion of the human form. There is no uppermost
point and therefore no head. The lowest point represents the sexual organs.
The inverted pentagram is a symbol of a mindless (headless) human who has
enormous physical drives (sexual organs). This inverted pentagram therefore
represents the powers of the human body (arms and legs) responding to physical
desires (sexual organs) without rule or guidance from the mind (headless).
Elemental associations to the pentagram give a similar sort of conception.
The elements are symbolized by the two upper and two middle points of this
inverted star. The physical universe is represented by the lowest point. No
spiritual force is symbolized in the inverted pentagram; the elements are in a
state of chaos.
The inverted pentagram would be differently described if it was treated as
an "adverse" pentagram, according to Crowley's usage. In the "adverse" form,
the pentagram is rotated so that spirit is to the bottom. This treatment is
therefore different in that sense from Crowley's usage. According to the
Order of the Golden Dawn, the inverted pentagram is a symbol of a human form
turned upside-down. The lowest point is considered to be the head. Such an
inverted pentagram is held to symbolize mind (spirit) buried beneath function (the elements). There is nothing fundamentally in contradiction between these
two interpretations of the inverted pentagram, beyond assignment of elements
and body parts to the points.
Crowley's approach to inverted pentagrams can be seen on the Minor Arcana
of the Thoth Tarot for the fives. In addition, O.T.O. Newsletter, # 4 has an
article on all 24 of the pentagrams used in Crowley's approaches to ritual and
symbolism, see also Thelema Lodge Calendar, May 1988 e.v.. This method of
interpretation of the pentagram is only superficially derived from the Golden
Dawn inversion. It carries into depths not necessary for this presentation.
The Tree of the Two Pentagrams has two pentagrams and no middle pillar
paths. These properties will be briefly analyzed in the following study. The
numeration of the paths is changed to reflect the changed situation. Various
correspondences to Hebrew Letters, Tarot Trumps and the like follow these
numbers to the new locations. Other assignments are always possible. The
symbols employed are flexible enough to provide some insights wherever they
are placed. Here is the analysis of the Tree of Two Pentagrams:
Malkut .......... This Sephira represents the physical world as before, but now only the path of Taw leads upward toward Yesod. The paths between Malkut and Hod and between Malkut and Netzach have vanished. This Tree represents a state of development in which consciousness of the physical world is not obtained directly from Malkut in regard to reason and emotion (Hod and Netzach). The physical world communicates through visions and dreams (Yesod) with the higher faculties of the mind. This state is attained when a person is able to perceive "Auras" or receive other complex impressions of the state of the physical world. This change is like that experienced in learning to read. At the beginning, the words have to be spelled out letter-by-letter. Later, words and sentences are taken in at a glance. Beyond this point, the meaning of a page leaps out to the reader without any dwelling on unnecessary individual words. Effectively, the perceptions of the senses are no longer treated separately but directly assembled in Yesod as a cohesive impression of the physical world.
Yesod ........... Yesod receives the sense impressions of Malkut consciousness and transmits them by four paths to higher Sephiroth. The path from Yesod to Tipheret is deliberately broken to isolate Tipheret from direct contact with Yesod. Consciousness of living in Tipheret is no longer directly concerned with the dreams of Yesod, but derives its understanding of the Yesod consciousness from lower reason (Hod) and lower emotion (Netzach). More will be said about this later.
Hod ............. The first path from Yesod leads to Hod. This is the new path of Shin, number 31. Hod makes a rational examination along this path to discover logical meaning in the consciousness at Yesod. The three paths leading upward from Hod are in the same positions we find on the traditional Tree of Life. They have been given new numerations to reflect their changed functions.
Netzach ......... Two paths lead upward into Netzach and two lead upward from Netzach. All four are in the same positions that are found on the traditional Tree; but, like those from Hod, they have new numerations and new functions. The new path of Resh, path 30, connects Yesod and Netzach. This signifies that the relationship between lower emotion at Netzach and dreaming consciousness at Yesod has become more inquisitive and less reactive. This is not quite the same as a rational function, but it is more like intuition or the taking of omens and signs. This activity of new path 30 may be compared with the artistry of a Chef in checking the quality of his sauces. The smell, taste, appearance and consistency of a sauce are more important than precise measurement of the ingredients. Such work must be done as much by feel as by science. That is the manner of the new path of Resh. The path from Hod to Netzach has undergone a similar change. This path is now that of Qof, number 29. New path 29 is not violent. This Tree represents an advance over the state depicted in the traditional Tree of Life. Hod and Netzach have ceased to battle. Reason and emotion have joined hands. Hod and Netzach are connected by a transitory state of consciousness that resembles evolution and growth from a primitive but exact structure in Hod to a complex and living structure in Netzach. Hod provides the skeleton and Netzach grows the flesh by the path of Qof, new path 29.
Tipheret ........ Tipheret receives influence from below by two paths and transmits it above by two paths. All four of these are found on the traditional Tree of Life, but here again the numerations reflect new functions. The path that traditionally connects Tipheret with Yesod has vanished. Tipheret is no longer directly concerned with interpretation and direct elevation of the Yesod level. This activity has been delegated to the four Sephiroth just above and just below Tipheret. Tipheret has become a nerve center to coordinate the functions of Chesed, Geburah, Netzach and Hod in the lower part of the Tree. This represents a state of development in which the Tipheret life overview has become strongly established, and the influences from above and below on the middle pillar of the Tree of Life have been temporarily cut off. Receiving these influences directly would inhibit working out a world view in Tipheret. Such higher and lower influences are only permitted to reach Tipheret after they have been interpreted and filtered by other Sephiroth. Tipheret reassembles rational and emotional content in accord with the prevailing view of life, a process akin to the Spagyric technique in Alchemy (See The Alchemist's Handbook by Frater Albertus, Weiser, 1974). New path 28 from Hod transmits insights into the rational content of the physical. New path 27 from Netzach transmits emotional energy derived from the physical. New path 24 transmits powerful directives from the higher reason of Geburah. New path 21 transmits higher emotional power from Chesed. All these energies and structures are coordinated in Tipheret and sent back along the same four paths to direct activity in the physical and celestial levels of thought.
Geburah ......... Geburah connects to the other Sephiroth by seven paths in this new conception. Three of these paths connect to the lower Sephiroth, and four connect to the higher. New path 24 has been discussed in connection with Tipheret. New path 25 connects Geburah with Yesod. By this path the moral influence of Geburah is exerted to bring Yesod consciousness into harmony with higher consciousness. Yesod in its turn conveys information concerning the physical world to the Geburah level. New path 26 connects Geburah and Hod. This path exerts control over lower reason to maintain its alliance with the purpose of higher reason.
Chesed .......... Chesed has now seven paths connecting it with other Sephiroth. Four lead to lower Sephiroth and three to higher. New path 21 has been described under Tipheret. New path 23 connects Netzach with Chesed. This path sustains the lower emotional complex by keeping it in contact with higher emotional motivation. New path 22 connects Yesod and Netzach to maintain emotional balance in the conceptions taken from the physical world and to communicate these conceptions more directly into the level of Chesed. New path 20 connects Geburah and Chesed so that higher reason may be invigorated by higher emotion.
Binah ........... Four paths connect to Binah, two from below and two from above. New path 19 feeds the power of absolute rationality from Binah to Geburah. New path 18 links the emotional motivation of Chesed with the perfected order of Binah.
Chokmah ......... Four paths connect to Chokmah, three from below and one from above. New path 17 transmits the absolute energy of Chokmah to intensify the emotional directing force of Chesed. New path 16 keeps Geburah aware of the underlying energy that permeates all purpose and all creation. New path 15 asserts the rule of the energies of Chokmah over the rational abstractions of Binah.
Keter ........... Four paths communicate downward from Keter to the nearest four Sephiroth. New path 14 unifies the purposeful consciousness of Geburah. New path 13 unifies the motivating force of Chesed. Paths 12 and 11 function as they do on the traditional Tree of Life.
This pentagram is in the "normal" or upright orientation. It acts to
communicate influences between the five highest Sephiroth, but its functions
are not coordinated (Da'at has not yet manifested). It effectively abolishes
the Abyss but does not completely link the lower Tree to the Sephira Keter.
Parts of the middle pillar have been lost in establishing this star-bridge
across the Abyss. Had Keter remained in direct communication with Tipheret,
the Abyss would have remained. This stabilizing of the Abyss by elimination
of the traditional path of Gimel is implied in the spelling and gematria of a
Hebrew word meaning "abyss", . It is the direct link between Tipheret and
Keter that destroys consciousness of the physical world. This link will be
remade when the Tree has been strengthened and when Tipheret has ascended to
the traditional position of Da'at.
To be continued next time with The Tree of the Pentagram and Hexagram.
From MK in NY, a question about Asanas and an apparent discrepancy in Crowley's recommendations.
The four postures described in 8 Lectures and Book 4 are designed or adapted
by Crowley to fit western body styles. He felt that some of the eastern
methods were excessive or dependent on what was thought in the 19th century to
be a racial characteristic of Hindu bodies as contrasted with European bodies.
We know now, of course, that this apparent difference amounts to little more
than the way people sit down --- Europeans use chairs more often than the
people of India, and consequently Europeans tend to be more stiff legged.
Crowley discusses Asanas for different audiences. Liber E is part of the AA
curriculum, and the instruction is given there for purposes of passing a test
of success at a later date. 8 Lectures on Yoga is a set of classes Crowley
taught in the early part of the 20th century. He spoke to people who had to
be swayed to accept Hindu methods in the face of racial prejudice, hence
disparaging remarks were used to "gentle" the listeners away from a mental
block and toward learning the practices. Book 4, actually the first two of
four parts (including Magick in Theory and Practice and The Equinox of the Gods as
Nos. 3 & 4), was written as a primer or "first book" in the study of Crowley's
system of Magick. It attempts to handle many topics briefly and simply.
Magick in Theory and Practice continues with a more difficult and in-depth
approach.
At one point in Book 4 Crowley remarks: "Any posture will do." This is part
of a discussion on the different meanings of the word "Asana". Different
Asana's do have different effects, and Crowley's recommendations refer to
several that he found simple and useful in his own work. Crowley does not
place great emphasis on the more elaborate effects of Asanas on the body, and
he had a disparaging view of the medical basis of these various postures. We
know now, from more recent advances in medicine, that the Hindu anatomical
studies of antiquity were generally more accurate than anatomical knowledge in
Europe down to the latter part of the nineteenth century. In reading Crowley
or any other authority, always remember that you must question all unsupported
facts and views. Crowley himself advocates this.
Thelema Lodge Events Calendar for September 1992 e.v.
9/1/92 | Astrological Analysis w/Grace 8PM at: 544 31st St. | Thelema Ldg | ||
9/6/92 | Lodge Council & LOP 3:33 PM at: 544 31st St. | Thelema Ldg. | ||
9/6/92 | Gnostic Mass 8 PM at: 588 63rd St. | Thelema Ldg. | ||
9/7/92 | Thelema Lodge meeting 8 PM at: 544 31st St. | Thelema Ldg. | ||
9/11/92 | Slideshow: Grady & the East Coast OTO w. Jerry Cornelius 8PM at: 544 31st St. | Thelema Ldg. | ||
9/13/92 | Gnostic Mass 8 PM at: 588 63rd St. | Thelema Ldg. | ||
9/15/92 | IInd Deg. study program 7PM w/Jerry at: 544 31st St. IInd Deg. & above only. | Thelema Ldg. | ||
9/16/92 | Astrological Analysis w/Grace 8PM at: 544 31st St. | Thelema Ldg. | ||
9/18/92 | Esoteric Film Night 7 PM, bring snacks & refreshements at: 544 31st St. | Thelema Ldg. | ||
9/19/92 | Thelema Lodge initiations Call to attend | Thelema Ldg. | ||
9/20/92 | Gnostic Mass 8 PM at: 588 63rd St. | Thelema Ldg. | ||
9/22/92 | Fall Equinox | The Gods | ||
9/26/92 | Jerry's Logorrhea, CALL TO ATTEND. at: 544 31st St. 7:30PM | Thelema Ldg. | ||
9/27/92 | Libra Birthday Party 4:18 PM at: 588 63rd St. | Thelema Ldg. | ||
9/27/92 | Gnostic Mass 8 PM at: 588 63rd St. | Thelema Ldg. | ||
9/29/92 | Tantra OP Gnosis at: 588 63rd St. | Thelema Ldg. | ||
9/30/92 | Locating the Planets with Mark 7PM at: 588 63rd St. | 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.