More PCon Notes: Aleister Crowley and the Path of Adepthood, Dr David Shoemaker
a central, defining characteristic of starting the path toward initiation is that you are reaching for something more than you have. You're always propelled to reach beyond your current grasp. It's the carrot that leads us all down that initiatory path.
Details of initiatory paths vary, but the goal is the same.
Crowley called it Knowledge and Conversation of the HGA in part because he thought it was silly enough nobody would build huge dogma about it. Hah.
One of the main reasons people should bother working toward this is that it leads you to a much fuller and deeper comprehension of the True Will, your purpose in life.
True Will is a process, not an event or a singular attainment.
True Will is reflected in everything you do in one way or another.
The reality behind True Will is that it's more than navelgazing - when you live it out all the time, then tendency is for everyone's life to go better, for the lives of those around them to go better, etc. Humanity as a whole functions a little better!
Jung talked about this as well - when asked if there was hope for the world, he said “well maybe so, if enough people do their inner work.”
The AA/Silver Star system is a 1:1 relationship, teacher:student.
Helps to keep things simple, pragmatic. United eastern and western techniques.
The tasks assigned in each AA grade are the same, but the way each individual assigns them and approaches them will be a little different.
There are five tracks of training, each is a little different.
development of magical skill and techniques
training of the mind
stimulation/activation of the chakras/raising of kundalini
devotion
balancing of the psychomagical constitution / the self
There are handouts, woooooo! Not enough to go around, alas.
Development of magical skills and techniques:
Crowley had people start at the second order of the original Golden Dawn. You're given all kinds of stuff to work with which traditionally were reserved for a later stage of work.
Lots of rituals to work with, etc. talismans, evocation, goetic work, and so on.
You experiment and keep good records, and so on.
You get trained and tested in mastery of the astral plane in the grade of Neophyte! Early. Dang.
Each of the exercises trains a particular muscle to prepare you for attaining knowledge and conversation.
Training of the mind
Lots of yoga techniques
You train your mind to be still, to focus, to expand, to empty, to be receptive, etc.
Control of speech, action, and thought, also.
Builds muscles for focus - you need to be able to stay really focused in order to attain knowledge and conversation.
Stimulation and activation of the chakras
Pranayama (breath control) when done correctly, causes kundalini activity.
You charge yourself up and grow toward becoming something more than human
Devotion
the path is always devotional, but there is a path which is specifically devotional in nature
All that is beautiful, all that you're drawn to, is a glimmer of your own HGA's presence.
The more you can cultivate a devotional approach to living your life, the more you're ready to receive the HGA.
No matter what you think you're worshiping, you're worshiping your HGA.
Balancing the psychomagical constitution
basically, shaping yourself into a grail to contain the light of the HGA
has to be balanced or it will tip over, has to be complete to hold the light.
Neophyte - you build a pantacle as a symbol of the universe (and shape yourself to be one as well). The other grades have other weapons as well, described in Liber A
“If it doesn't change how you behave in the world, how you live your life, what good is it?”
How do we join the AA?
Contact the AA through cotnorcal.org
Details of initiatory paths vary, but the goal is the same.
Crowley called it Knowledge and Conversation of the HGA in part because he thought it was silly enough nobody would build huge dogma about it. Hah.
One of the main reasons people should bother working toward this is that it leads you to a much fuller and deeper comprehension of the True Will, your purpose in life.
True Will is a process, not an event or a singular attainment.
True Will is reflected in everything you do in one way or another.
The reality behind True Will is that it's more than navelgazing - when you live it out all the time, then tendency is for everyone's life to go better, for the lives of those around them to go better, etc. Humanity as a whole functions a little better!
Jung talked about this as well - when asked if there was hope for the world, he said “well maybe so, if enough people do their inner work.”
The AA/Silver Star system is a 1:1 relationship, teacher:student.
Helps to keep things simple, pragmatic. United eastern and western techniques.
The tasks assigned in each AA grade are the same, but the way each individual assigns them and approaches them will be a little different.
There are five tracks of training, each is a little different.
development of magical skill and techniques
training of the mind
stimulation/activation of the chakras/raising of kundalini
devotion
balancing of the psychomagical constitution / the self
There are handouts, woooooo! Not enough to go around, alas.
Development of magical skills and techniques:
Crowley had people start at the second order of the original Golden Dawn. You're given all kinds of stuff to work with which traditionally were reserved for a later stage of work.
Lots of rituals to work with, etc. talismans, evocation, goetic work, and so on.
You experiment and keep good records, and so on.
You get trained and tested in mastery of the astral plane in the grade of Neophyte! Early. Dang.
Each of the exercises trains a particular muscle to prepare you for attaining knowledge and conversation.
Training of the mind
Lots of yoga techniques
You train your mind to be still, to focus, to expand, to empty, to be receptive, etc.
Control of speech, action, and thought, also.
Builds muscles for focus - you need to be able to stay really focused in order to attain knowledge and conversation.
Stimulation and activation of the chakras
Pranayama (breath control) when done correctly, causes kundalini activity.
You charge yourself up and grow toward becoming something more than human
Devotion
the path is always devotional, but there is a path which is specifically devotional in nature
All that is beautiful, all that you're drawn to, is a glimmer of your own HGA's presence.
The more you can cultivate a devotional approach to living your life, the more you're ready to receive the HGA.
No matter what you think you're worshiping, you're worshiping your HGA.
Balancing the psychomagical constitution
basically, shaping yourself into a grail to contain the light of the HGA
has to be balanced or it will tip over, has to be complete to hold the light.
Neophyte - you build a pantacle as a symbol of the universe (and shape yourself to be one as well). The other grades have other weapons as well, described in Liber A
“If it doesn't change how you behave in the world, how you live your life, what good is it?”
How do we join the AA?
Contact the AA through cotnorcal.org