From: Albert Saperstein Area: Thelema To: Rose Dawn 24 Aug 93 19:29:46 Subject: THELEMIC LIT 101 Rec'd UpdReq It helps to recognize that the pharmacology of cocaine was not well understood in Crowley's time. 718499927771849992777184999277718499927771849992777184999277718 From: Keith Franzen Area: Thelema To: All 23 Aug 93 09:38:14 Subject: Yagna in So.Cal, Oct 123 UpdReq THE MAHAVISHNU YAGNA: HINDU FIRE CEREMONY OCTOBER 1 - OCTOBER 3, 1993 Presented by: Friday, Oct. 1: 6-9pm Hard Light Meditation Center Saturday, Oct. 2: 10-1pm & 6-9pm (213) 964-5077 Sunday, Oct. 3: 10-1pm Held at: HINDU TEMPLE 1600 N. LAS VIRGENES ROAD CALABASAS, CA The formula inherent in the vibrational sound of the ancient mantras generates gateways into the deep inner space of our true Self nature. By the end of the three days, the great mystery of this awesome universal force will speak to each and every participant according to their own language, understanding and experience. The form of the ritual comes from the ancient knowledge and method of the Veda, a very old system generating conscious interaction with the vast forces of the great Immensity, creating a union of heaven and earth. It will be conducted by a unique alliance of Western-American and Eastern-Indian yogis (Brahmin priests) who are highly accomplished technicians in the powerful and effective arts of meditation, chanting the names of the Divine and offering gifts to the vast unseen worlds of the Immensity. Brahmin priests from all over the country will be present to produce an offering of beauty, love and glory to the great mystery of the Mother's nature. Please accept our heartfelt invitation to come and attend the gathering of this great puja. The abundance of spiritual energy and harmony will flow through everyone who participates with an open mind and heart. Mark Griffin Founder and Director, Hard Light Meditation Center *** What is a Yagna? The word yagna literally means fire ritual. It is a ceremony often performed at times of great spiritual significance. Offerings of fruits, nuts, grains, flowers, oils, precious woods, metals and jewels are thrown into a yagna fire while Brahmin priests chant mantras in propitiation and invocation of God, the planets, specific deities, gods and goddesses. The mechanics of yagna are not the least bit vague. The qualities and abilities to generate the actual seed principles are akin to creating a very complex chemical formula. A precise mixture of chemical ingredients to bring about a given result is required. The Brahmins are alchemists who combine physical and subtle elements to produce the yagna. What is Hard Light? Hard Light is a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the teaching of meditation and dharma, founded by Mark Griffin. Mr. Griffin is a Westerner who studied with Swami Muktananda for eight years until the time of his death in 1982. He began going into Samadhi while studying with Muktananda, and continued his study with Kalu Rinpoche for six years after that. Conclusion It's highly likely that you've never seen anything like this, nor will you - considering the wild mixture of modern American samadhi and ancient method. To take part in such an empowerment generates enormous merit, virtue and personal power. It implies no less than the absolute union of heaven and earth. Directions: From the 101 fwy, in Calabasas: Take the Las Virgenes exit, south (toward the beaches). From Pacific Coast Hwy, in Malibu: Take Malibu Canyon Rd, north (towards 101). It turns into Las Virgenes. The address is: Hindu Temple, 1600 N. Las Virgenes Rd., Calabasas, CA. The location is well marked. Please bring something to sit on, such as a cushion or a very low chair. Donation: For more information, please write or call: $10/single session Hard Light Meditation Center 1875 Century Park East, Suite 5273 Los Angeles, CA 90067 (213) 964-5077 Formidable forces are converging, specifically designed to destroy impurities and reveal the Self. A single strike of lightning, sustained for three days. You are all invited. Light, Keith Franzen 718499927771849992777184999277718499927771849992777184999277718 From: Richard Kaczynski Area: Thelema To: Rose Dawn 20 Aug 93 10:12:20 Subject: THE G.D. UpdReq > I know you're still at work on your Crowleybio and am (of course) > eagerly awaiting its completion. In the meantime, do you have any > recommendations for a good biography of AC? Thanks in advance! I don't think any of them do a good job (otherwise I wouldn't be writing another bio), but the best of the lot are probably: 1) Francis King's "The Magical World of Aleister Crowley" [a nice laundry list of what happened when, but not much depth or interpretation] 2) Gerald Suster's "Legacy of the Beast." [Not a bio per se, but the bio section hits the highlights, and the book is a good intro to AC] 3) Susan Roberts "The Magician of the Golden Dawn" [Written in nice narrative if you like that style, but she's so sympathetic she entirely skips important parts of his life--like the whole Cefalu period] I'm not sure how easy 1 or 3 will be to find; I think I've seen the King book in paperback recently (but I won't swear to it). I hope this list helps! 718499927771849992777184999277718499927771849992777184999277718 From: Richard Kaczynski Area: Thelema To: Captain Rock 21 Aug 93 07:09:28 Subject: THE G.D. UpdReq > I never said ANYTHING about professional jealousy, did I? > Why do you people keep reading things into my messages? Relax. I was following the thread, which was as follows: GG> Go for it but Crowley's own view is far short of historically GG> accurate or unbiased. This is, after all, the man that thought GG> Yeats hated him because of his ability as a poet. CR> Crowley's view is what I have, and for all I know, maybe Yeats DID CR> hate him. If you have evidence to the contrary, I'm interested. RK> Yeats DID hate Crowley, but I doubt the reason was professional RK> jealousy. [misc stuff deleted] Grendel mentioned that Yeats hated Crowley (and Crowley's reason as to why that was so). You, in turn, expressed uncertainty and asked for evidence. I, therefore, suggested why Yeats REALLY may have hated Crowley. Looks pretty clear to me. If, however, your request for evidence was referring to YOUR original message and not to Grendel's reply (I can see that, but it's not clear from the context), then I'm happy to drop it. 718499927771849992777184999277718499927771849992777184999277718 From: Richard Kaczynski Area: Thelema To: Grendel Grettisson 22 Aug 93 08:34:02 Subject: THE G.D. UpdReq >> GG> Not necessarily. You could say that's how he wanted other people >> GG> to think he saw it. Who knows what he really thought about >> GG> anything? He was writing for a particular public. CR>> That's a pretty suspicious supposition. What makes you think so? GG> Crowley and his life. If you don't think so, then you are naive. GG> Crowley wrote for his own reasons and for a particular audience. It is GG> naive to think he didn't write what he did for his own reasons. I agree. Even reading over his diaries (which, for most people, are private things), you really get the sense that he expected them to be read by others. 718499927771849992777184999277718499927771849992777184999277718 From: Board of Decons Area: Thelema To: All 22 Aug 93 23:46:40 Subject: Window of Opportunity UpdReq * Preforward Area: 20 * Preforward To : All (1:3800/17) The Church Mercavah is now accepting applications for its Minister's Traing Program. This is a rare opportunity. The Church Mercavah was established in 1981, in Baton Rouge, Lousiana. It is listed in the International Encyclopedia of Religions. It has grown beyond the bounds of Lousiana, to three other States. It has gained acceptance and respect from a wide range of theological and institutional organizations. It is growing fast and has need of people who will work to achieve their goals, as well as the goals of the church. What is the Church Mercavah and its goals? Quite simply, we are a vehicle of worship. We are structured for the use of any and all people with an open mind. We exist for those who wish to express their individual beliefs without having the criticism of others thrust upon them. We are here that we might serve others. We are constructed upon universal lines. We are a synthesis of beliefs that transcend all beliefs and creeds. We embrace no dogma, hold all truths sacred, and believe that the sincere search for truth and understanding will be rewarded. All of the teachings of -or in, the Church are considered opinion. The only firm position of the Church is the freedom of each individual's conviction and expression, and the recognition of the need of the Ministers and others in the Church to support one another in this belief of individual research and freedom. Our Services are structured and our Liturgy is comprised from many different beliefs and religions. The symbols in the Liturgy and the Church itself are much like a mirror, in which each person sees the reflection of their own faith. Our Ministers are instructed in many fields, including coparative religions, symbology, philosophy, and more. They are appointed to be Ministers to all people of all religions, and thus show a broad base of knowledge. Service to others is the keynote of faith. To practice any faith, is to encourage others in their own individual search. We are an open Church, and a new road. Where did we begin? In 1979 a group of people who had branched out from the traditional settings, started a study group. After a year in this type of sharing, they realized that they needed a more structured place to meet. They felt a need to share with others, a place to come together with others of different views, so that all could be enriched and encouraged. It was their hope to find a place where they could celebrate their religious freedom and faith, and at the same time share with others of different views. This seems like an understandable desire, but after a year of searching, they found that no such place exsisted. What followed was extensive research into structured religions and theology. They came up with the central Liturgy that is used by the Church. They founded the Church Mercavah. Since that time the church has found that it is filling a need much larger than expected. Ministers of the Church have gone into prisons to conduct a wide range of religious ceremonies, each being defined by the need of those asking for help, not by any bias on the part of the Ministers. Ministers of the church have found themselves in court fighting for equal religious freedom for ANYONE to believe as they see fit. These long years have shown us the limits of religious freedom in this country. The need is great. Most importantly to those applying: what makes this work is that the Ministers of the Church are not allowed to take their religious bias with them into their work. They serve as a means to help each person they work with, to express whatever faith that is right for that person. The Church Mercavah states clearly that ALL paths are equally valid. Servics are wonderful especially at times where people of sometimes opposing views sit next to each other and share in a common spirit. IT WORKS Today we find a need for more to enter into this work. It does not matter what your spiritual path is, you can be of value as a Minister of the Church. We need diversity. But note, ours is NOT a mail order diploma mill. We are a respected organization set out upon a very definite work. If you are interested in helping others, if you are able to set your religious bias aside to learn and to share, then you may be the type of person we are looking for. If you would like to see a church in your town where the pagans, eastern religions, even the christians, and any others can sit down together and share views, and fellowship, then you may be the right type of person for this work. If you would like to see places like this all across the country where you can walk in and network, and gain access to resources, then this IS the work for you. Only serious replies please. Write to: The Church Mercavah P.O. Box 66703 Baton Rouge La. 70896 Or call Rev. L. Russell or Fr. Judas Leiken at (504)665-7815. * Don't sit back and wait for someone else to change things, start the change today! Pick up a pen and reach out a hand! * 718499927771849992777184999277718499927771849992777184999277718 From: Josh Norton Area: Thelema To: Todd Sahba 23 Aug 93 13:26:16 Subject: multiple truths Rec'd UpdReq Thus said Todd Sahba to Josh Norton concerning multiple truths: TS> Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law JN>Incidentally, for all those who got heated up over my comments, JN>especially Frater Almost: I have read the entire OTO bylaws since JN>posting those rants, and see nothing in them that would change my basic JN>position: I.e., that there is an inherent contradiction between "Do what JN>thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" and the structure of the OTO. I JN>think the bylaws confirm my opinion perfectly. If the new, post- JN>judicial-recognition OTO hasn't yet suffered seriously from it, it will; JN>it just takes a little time for ossification to set in. TS> Could you be specific. Simply quote the bylaws and explain why you TS> think they contradict thelema. Remember though in doing so that TS> freedom of association is implied by thelema. Heh. My main problem is that Thelema contradicts itself -- which is why I'm no longer a Thelemite. But here goes: "The word of sin is Restriction." 1) Any organization with a rigid hierarchy of status inevitably becomes a machine that self-selects for those who are willing to "play the game" defined by its organizational structure, to the extent that playing the game comes to take precedence over the official purpose of the organization. See an old book titled "The Organization Man", Colin Wilson's "The Outsider", or any history of the IBM Corporation, for mundane examples. In the case of the OTO, it is self-selecting for those whose "will" is to play organizational games, and selecting against those whose will does not fit into the defined parameters. This is probably not obvious in the lowest grades, but I expect that it becomes a prime factor above III degree. Since "the Law is for All", the OTO will eventually fail (if it has not already) in its avowed task of spreading the Law of Thelema and encouraging people to do their own will. Certain types of people who desire to receive the initiations, but whose true will (perhaps unknown to them as yet) is not within the game- rules will be diverted into courses that are actually _against_ their true will by the pressure to conform to the game-rules. You can see some of this happening in your own attitude in previous comments, and in Frater Almost's; you are basically saying "if he can't play by our rules, then he can't play at all." What does this have to do with encouraging people to do their will? Are you so god-like that you can say the current rules don't interfere with anyone's will? Not by a long shot. 2) Certain of the highest positions in the structure have carte blanche in defining the qualifications for admission and advancement through the various grades, and the qualifications for participation in the various initiatory ceremonies. These may be changed at any time, or be arbitrarily suspended or waived by decree of the Grand Master. This leaves the process open to all sorts of cronyism, politicking, and other maneuvering that doesn't have a damn thing to do with whether a given individual actually deserves to receive an initiation. And since the self-selecting function of the organization will eventually leave the highest grades filled with game-players, it is almost inevitable that the criteria they specify will be game-rule definitions and not standards by which a person's actual level of initiation can be judged. 3) The requirements of sponsorship for initiations adds another layer of cronyism on top of the organizational layer. This requirement selects (mildly) for people the sponsors think are like themselves, and against those who are in some way different. (And again, the selection doesn't have anything to do with the person's qualification for initiation, or lack thereof.) The sorting at this level is not as clear-cut as in the organizational layer, but will still tend to produce (over time) large blocs or sub-herds of people within the organization. We can see some of this happening in Camp Secretary Walter Five's comments of a few days ago, wherein he expresses the wish that the initiators would keep out all the people that _he_ thinks are flakes and nuts, with no compassion, empathy, or acknowledgement of the possibility that their "flakiness" may actually be a product of their ongoing spiritual development. (And with the explicit assumption people like him are the ONLY ones who deserve to be in the OTO.) "Sentence first and verdict afterwards! Off with their heads!" JN>Moreover, I think the bylaws would make wonderful fodder for paranoid JN>conspiracy theorists; I'm surprised there hasn't been more flak about JN>it in that quarter. TS> I'm surprised that this would be a concern for you. Are you TS> suggestion that I should allow my actions to be based on what others TS> may think? No matter what we do some paranoid consipiracy theorist, or TS> some born again christian, or the polital corectness cops will attack. TS> Let them. It's not at all a concern of mine. Just commenting on something that amused me. ... In the beginning was the Word, and it was misunderstood. ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.10 718499927771849992777184999277718499927771849992777184999277718 From: Ismark Area: Thelema To: Commander Barbarella 23 Aug 93 00:46:00 Subject: Re: KIDS/RELIGION UpdReq In a message dated 08-19-93 COMMANDER BARBARELLA wrote to ROSE DAWN: CB> I guess it goes back to one of the earlier discussions. You can't CB> raise a child in a religious vacuum. They have to have something to CB> build on. Madelyn O'Hare tried it and her son ended up a christian CB> minister. Which just goes to show that religon isn't nessesarily something you're raised on. It's something you make a deliberate choice to follow because you believe it has something to offer you. Unfortunately, what it usually has to offer the masses is a place of belonging or sense of being. It usually isn't (IMO) something involving spirituality it's usually about the 'in crowd' thing. When I was involved with a church youth group (please don't tell anyone ) that was the most in thing you could do. It was cool to be in the youth group. Adults aren't much different, they see a religous organization that they want to be involved in and they adpt their beliefs to fit in. It's not religon, it's socialism. ...Everything doesn't happen for the best, it happens for us to make the best of. -> Alice4Mac 2.2b2 E QWK Eval:17Aug93 718499927771849992777184999277718499927771849992777184999277718 From: Todd Sahba Area: Thelema To: Walter Five 25 Aug 93 11:46:02 Subject: Re: ADA AND THE OTO Sent UpdReq Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law Walter Five, WF> As one of the people who started this string, I'd WF>have to say it got a little off track...we were originally WF>bellyaching about book theives, drug freaks & miscreants WF>generally, NOT the handicapped, or the mentally disabled. WF>We may have thrown a little psuedo-psycho-babble in there as well, but we WF>basically were opining that we wished that initiators would WF>take a real close look at their minerval candidates, so WF>that the inevitably ballistic might not become one of our WF>order. I (as a Camp secretary) have encountered people whom WF>I would have preferred had never been initiated...sometimes WF>its as easy as reading their self written letter of WF>introduction. I agree. Wow, that's the shortest reply I've written in this thread! Love is the law, love under will Todd ___ X SLMR 2.1a X On the whole I'd rather be reading Proust 718499927771849992777184999277718499927771849992777184999277718 From: Todd Sahba Area: Thelema To: Rose Dawn 25 Aug 93 11:50:04 Subject: Re: KIDS/RELIGION Sent UpdReq Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Rose, RD> I've always said "She's got a mind of her own and a mouth to go with RD>it." Sounds like a budding Thelemite to me, whether she RD>goes to a Christian church or not! It wouldn't be THE RD>worst thing in the world, and it's shown me a few things RD>about myself that I need to consider as well. That's a great definition of a Thelemite. Who knows, if she does go that route maybe she'll shake things up a bit? Most of the Christian church's I've seen could use a bit of that. Love is the law, love under will. Todd ___ X SLMR 2.1a X On the whole I'd rather be reading Proust 718499927771849992777184999277718499927771849992777184999277718