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    Thelema?

    I've never heard of this path before looking at this part of the forum. If anyone here practices it, would you mind telling me about it in your own words? I'm going to read up on it myself, but I'd like to see an insider's take on it?
    Army of Darkness: Guardians of the Chat

    Honorary Nord.

    Habbalah Vlogs

    #2
    Re: Thelema?

    If you don't mind my chiming in despite not being a Thelemite, imo the best place for you to start would be to read a biography of Crowley (Perdurabo* by Richard Kaczynski is more or less universally recognized as the most extensive and accurate by followers and detractors alike). After that, basically everything written by Crowley is available online, so I'd suggest dig into his bibliography and get a feel for his system that way.

    My own personal understanding is that it's a mashup of Golden Dawn style ritual magic, Rosicrucian Kabbalah, Renaissance Grimoire magic and Indian Yoga, couched in Crowley's philosophy of individuality and personal freedom and with a strong focus on attaining communication with the higher self (referred to as Knowledge and Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel).

    * http://www.amazon.com/Perdurabo-Revi...ords=Perdurabo



    A word of warning, and you can take it with a grain of salt if you like, but amongst all the various Western occult lodges that branched out from the Golden Dawn era (none of which have an especially great image), those which follow Crowley's philosophy (namely the O.T.O. and A.A.) have an especially bad reputation for degrees-for-fees, hard drug use/addiction, internal and inter-lodge drama and producing armchair magicians who'll argue Kabbalistic correspondences till they're blue in the face but don't actually have a solid practical grounding. Sadly his followers seem to imitate more of his flaws than his positive traits, which is why I recommend starting with Crowley's books and not with seeking out a Thelemite group to study with (counter to my usual suggestion). I'm not saying they should be avoided at all costs, and there are some good groups out there, but be cautious in looking for them.

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      #3
      Re: Thelema?

      Thank you! I'll check that book out!
      Army of Darkness: Guardians of the Chat

      Honorary Nord.

      Habbalah Vlogs

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