Best products from r/thelema

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law!

I will answer some of your questions in random order. I am a Thelemite but in no way do I speak for all Thelemites, or for Aleister Crowley.

First off, I would start by contacting Seven Spirits Camp in Tucson. They will no doubt be able to answer many of the questions you have. I would also consider purchasing a copy of "Liber ABA: Book 4" which is arguably one of the most important books any magickian could own. It contains, among others, "The Book of the Law" and "Magick in Theory and Practice"; the latter being a book that will answer many of the questions you asked in your post (and many other questions as well). MTP is, in my opinion, the best book on the subject of magickal practice ever written. Liber ABA is an expensive book but believe me when I tell you it is worth every penny and a whole lot more!

As for other occult groups, you will find people from all of them associated with Thelema. Thelema is not a doctrine that pushes out other beliefs and all of us began somewhere else before coming here. I myself came to the OTO as an ordained Gnostic Luciferian priest. Thelema fit well with my existing beliefs and complimented them nicely. I've met Wiccans (which, by the way, Crowley had a hand in helping to found), Satanists, and even ex-Jehovah's Witnesses if you can believe that! We all share one thing. We are each looking to understand the truth within ourselves. You must do the same for "Thou hast no right but to do thy will. Do that and no other shall say nay."

Good luck in your journey!

Love is the law, love under will.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

The Nu-sphere is a substitute for the LBRP developed by Thelemite Rodney Orpheus. He wrote a very popular book on Thelemic Magick called "Abrahadabra." It appears in his book,
https://www.amazon.com/Abrahadabra-Understanding-Aleister-Crowleys-Thelemic/dp/1578633265

but you can find the ritual instructions at:
http://rodneyorpheus.com/magick/nusphere.html

One thing you may notice in this ritual is that the elements don't match the "typical" order and the ritual goes counter-clockwise instead of the LBRP clockwise. Neither of these things are an issue, especially once you understand ritual construction. It takes its cue on this point from Liber Reguli and the revised Liber XXV: The Star Ruby that can be found in Liber ABA and Gems from the Equinox, and the original version of Liber XXV in The Book of Lies chapter 25.

I am very familiar with the Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn and am working with their material in conjunction with other order work. I admit, I do not like their Thelemic version of the LBRP and would just as soon use either the original, the Star Ruby, or the Nu-Sphere instead. Don't get me wrong, their revised LBRP isn't BAD, I just don't like how it feels and honestly I far prefer the Star Ruby instead (which is suggested learning for the Neophyte in the TOGD anyhow).

Love is the law, love under will.

93 - It matters what you want to learn. If you want to learn about Thelema itself, I recommend very specific things:

1. The Book of the Law
   
2. Duty
   
3. Liber II: The Message of the Master Therion
   
4. Liber CL: De Lege Libellum
   
5. Liber Tzaddi... Also, The Revival of Magick Has a lot of great essays in it (including 'Duty' above).
   
   Further, I recommend my own writings since I think they're worthwhile, otherwise I wouldn't have put them out there. I especially recommend the series 'The Philosophy of Thelema' and 'New Aeon Initiation.'
   
   If you come from the angle of the Tarot, The Book of Thoth is invaluable although dense and complex. If you come from the angle of ceremonial magick, Liber ABA/Book 4 is invaluable although dense and complex. Kaczynski's Weiser Concise Guide to Aleister Crowley is actually also not a bad place to start. To get moer into the detail of Thelema and its ramifications, there is no better book (other than The Book of the Law and its commentarise) than Liber Aleph, which can be seen as an extended commentary on Liber AL.
   
   If those recommendations don't last you for a while, then you aren't reading them closely. :)
   
   93 93/93

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

> "…Chesed as raw everything…"

A typo? I'll bet you meant Kether.

You've probably noticed your peripheral vision grants you more functional eyesight in the dark, right? Understanding the Supernal Triad is a lot like that. You can't really approach it with the same tools you'd use to understand, say Hod or Netzach. It's pretty clear from your post that you understand this already! Realistically, everybody struggles with the Supernal Triad. Human beings aren't really equipped to deal with abstracts beyond the linguistic tricks we've developed. The other ready option is ascent into the numinous experience (dreams, ecstasis, divination, exhaustion, meditation, psychedelics, etc.) and the realm of the archetype.

It's useful to keep in mind that there are four Qabalistic worlds (Assiah, Yetzirah, Briah, and Atziluth) and four parts of the Soul (Nephesh, Ruach, Neshamah, and Chia) that correspond to the four letters of the Tetragrammaton (Yod, Heh, Vau, and Heh). My suggestion is that, if you're having trouble with conceptions that are increasingly higher up the tree, take some time to work up the paths.

A time-tested method in this regard is using Tarot to start our meditation upon Malkuth in Assiah (Ten of Disks) and the Princess of Disks. From there, we work our way up gradually. Robert Wang's Qabalistic Tarot is a great resource on path working.

Ultimately, everybody's tree is different in accordance with our Will and our experiences of the paths and the Sephirot will vary accordingly. So appeal to your higher self, study your correspondences, work diligently, record your experiences, and you will find what you're seeking.

93-

No probs. It's an absolutely fantastic read & I can't recommend it enough. I'm sure he'd forgive me for saying its occasionally a little dry in the first part with dates and mini-bio's but this won't matter to a reader with a keen interest in the subject matter. You can get a good hardback copy for ~£16 secondhand or £20 new here. Ymmv.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perdurabo-Aleister-Crowley-Richard-Kaczynski/dp/1556438990/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1VU0S8SH1HO4B&keywords=perdurabo&qid=1567708051&s=gateway&sprefix=Perdurabo%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-1

Amato's talk was very good. I like how he touched on the heiroglyphs, flowing one into the other, this is the mode of consciousness a study of The Qabalah can produce... after absolving and overwhelming the ruach.

Approx. 30 minutes in... "anybody have any idea what that force is, or what it could be?" (I paraphrase)

And... "is it psychological... energy... what?" (Paraphrase some more)

D'amato is impressive for his mere 1 year study of esoteric philosophy, but is complemented by his Natural Inclination, and intellect. His connection is apt in this lecture, wearing the hoodie from the disturbed album that has placed multiple religious symbols As One, a good nod to his years of comparative religious studies.

Place this book into his hands: https://www.amazon.com/Great-Secret-Occultism-Unveiled-ebook/dp/B008HTFTPM

I'll take, "The Astral Light, or Fluid" for 100, Alex...

I am brand new to the theory of Thelema. I was overwhelmed by the amount of material, all of which seemed to be absolutely mystically esoteric. From a bit of study and opinion I found that Book 4 is the magnum opus for Aleister Crowley's work, and was written as a straight forward guide; understandable to beginners and full enough to continue improving the adept.
Last week I purchased the second revised edition and could not be more pleased with my introduction to Thelema.
This is where I recommend to begin. I have not set it down since it arrived and have gone from a minor curiosity to a full study of each text it references; many of which are included within it's appendix.

Magick: Liber ABA, Book 4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0877289190/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_XL0OAbWWKM3BR
It is a sizeable book with a price to match, but it is the corner stone; beautiful and durable I will add.

Every book recommended for students can be found here as well.
http://www.astrumargenteum.org/en/library/

Some of the books are not linked in the A.'.A.'. website, but can be found in a quick copy paste the title Google search.

Are you a person that's into crafting, painting, woodworking, etc.? If so, studying a little about Thelemic symbols or magickal tools could give some ideas on how to create a unique item for using in a magickal ritual.

If not, Etsy is a fun place to find occult gifts like magickal tools (wands, pantacles, cups, swords, robes, tarot cards, talismans, crystals, art) from craftspeople that specialize in this kind of thing. Almost all aspiring magicians need some or all of these things for ritual in the Thelemic system.

You could also get 'blank canvas' type tools for the magician to create their own talismanic work: a nicely crafted blank notebook as a grimoire/magickal journal or large format blank art paper (and paint/markers/pens) to create sigils, seals, and pantacles.

The books of Thelema are nice for collecting as well, if she doesn't already have these:

• Magick: Liber ABA (Book 4) (Aleister Crowley's Magnum Opus - Magick in Theory and Practice)
  
• The Equinox (Vol 1. Nos. 1-10) (10 Volume series - The Official Organ of the A∴A∴)
  
• Gems from the Equinox ("greatest hits" of the above complete Equinox)
  
• Modern Magick (Thelemic influenced system of training, in more modern English than Crowley's writing.)

The lyrics reference a theory by Drunvalo Melchizedik about supposed stages of human evolution and becoming post-human or trans-human or something. Maynard's auto-biography says as much about his interest in Melchizedik's work at the time of that albums writing.

Your thoughts on Drunvalo's theories are your own to pursue. I've personally found some value in his practical exercises, much interest in his geometric work, and much laughter in his ideas about biology; your mileage may vary.

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B007YC6G3W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_A-XACb8F3PPBG

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1495024423/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_laYACbZDFZ210

Book 4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0877285136/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.uvZCbM4J0N1B

Get this if you're worried about the price of Liber ABA. Liber ABA consists of this book I just linked, The Book of the Law, and Equinox of the Gods which is just Crowley going into how he received The Book of the Law (though Liber ABA does have good amount of footnotes and introductions from the editor that you won't get with Book 4)

Book 4 is probably the best place to start with Crowley, and Magick Without Tears (though expensive) would be the next best.

> And does anyone know which meanings Crowley personally ascribed to the cards?

Check out the Book of Thoth.

The Thoth Tarot is special in that its genesis in symbolism and meaning is very well documented through the letters Crowley and Harris wrote during its creation, the Book of Thoth itself and by Crowley's other works which shed light on what he thought about some aspects of the Tarot and its various correspondences. Nonetheless reading the cards is a matter of interpretation. Individual, personal interpretation. You might have wondered why the chapter with the divinatory meanings of the cards in Lon's Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot is so short compared to the rest of the book. It's because these are Lon's interpretations, not yours or any kind of objective truths. Get to know the cards by heart, check out the correspondences on the Tree of Life and from astrology and alchemy, the connections between them and the symbolism depicted in the images. Of course be inspired by the interpretations of others, but do not consider these as truths. Rather try to reconcile the apparent contradictions in different interpretations and find your own way to read their message.

There's a reason why the cards are images, not text. They speak at a intuitive, asthetic level to us, beyond rationality, and they speak directly to you.

Shoemaker is awesome. Also check out Lon Milo Duquette, he is very beginner friendly on numerous occult subjects. Oh and Perdurabo by Richard Kaczynski is THE biography of choice amongst practicing Thelemites.

Frater Barrabbas is a mixed bag. I find myself agreeing with him exactly as often as I disagree with him -which in my mind equates to a very interesting person.

There is no doubt that he's exceptionally intelligent, and talented, and experienced in the art of Magick.

Also, his book: "Mastering the Art of Ritual Magick" is absolutely not to be missed.

Lon Duquette is always a good place to start. His book "The Magic of Aleister Crowley" brings together the basic Thelemic rituals, with his own annotations in a more contemporary voice. It's practically the Coles Notes version of Liber ABA. Lon is the oldest living member of the OTO, so his teaching is highly respected.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1578632994/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?qid=1458230055&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=magic+of+aleister+crowley&dpPl=1&dpID=51rzENsy-SL&ref=plSrch

No, there isn’t anything like that freely available publicly. The only thing that cones closer is Israel Regardie’s edited omnibus, which frankly is what most people will ever truly need.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gems-Equinox-Instructions-Aleister-Crowley/dp/1578634172/ref=asc_df_1578634172/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=311024763511&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7724226614244888888&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006886&hvtargid=pla-450515212530&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

The difference is, dude, that my key actually works, and that's all that matters when you put it in the lock. I have every single line of Genesis 1-2 corresponding by gematria to the Gates of the Seven Palaces using the same key as Crowley's for Liber Al, so success is most definitely my proof. Really. Keep up! lol. :D


I think I'll give you a point anyway. Having a skeptical attitude is important otherwise we'd let any old fluff pass through our ears unchallenged.

https://www.amazon.com/Genesis-Wheel-other-hermeneutical-essays-ebook/dp/B07TT4N5ZZ

The most affordable and reliable Equinox edition right now would be the Speech and Silence edition: https://www.amazon.ca/Equinox-Keep-Silence-Vol-No/dp/1642556858/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?keywords=equinox+speech+and+silence+edition&qid=1572846413&s=books&sr=1-2-fkmr0

That, I have done.

The confusion is understandable, and complicated by the (interesting) history of 'Book 4', ...which necessarily, was composed of 4 separate sections, composed over several years . Subsequently, 'Book 4' has been printed (and re-printed) both in parts and in whole - the copy you link here appears to be limited to the first two sections (indicated by "Reprint of 1913 Edition").

a 'complete' Book 4 will contain;

1: liber ABA part 1: mysticism (1912)
2: liber ABA part 2 : magick (elementary theory) (1913)
3: Magick in Theory & Practice (1929/30)
4: ΘΕΛΗΜΑ - The Law (Equinox of the Gods) (1936/37)