A7V
Registered User
***Disclaimer***
This post is highly esoteric and involves things that many of you will find go against your own personal beliefs. Please do not attack me, I am just thinking aloud here if you will, and invite any Brother that has a constructive opinion to think with me.
I only feel the need to place this here due issues in the past when I have discussed other areas of esoterica such as Rosicrucians and the like.
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I have been doing some research into Thelema lately and today was curious about it's place with Freemasonry.
Thelema is a philosophy or religion based on the dictum, "Do what thou Wilt" as presented in Aleister Crowley's Book of the Law.
Despite the frequent assumption that "Do what thou Wilt" is solely an exhortation to hedonism or licentiousness, Thelema as it was formulated by Crowley is a path of spiritual development based on seeking and putting into practice one's True Will, or destiny, the soul's Will rather than the ego's desires. If you think about it, this is exactly what we are trying to do when we try to become that perfect ashlar! The ego's desires, are those superfluous edges.
This shouldn't come as a shock really considering that Crowley was a "Freemason" along the lines of the Memphis-Misraim rites which are considered irregular and clandestine, but have a lot of similarities with our own degree work.
Thelema basically consists of three seperate bodies the Argenteum Astrum (extremely exclusive), the Ordo Templi Orientis (society) and the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (religious arm).
Not being a member, I am not sure but have gleaned from research that one does not have to be a member of Ordo Templi Orientis to be a member of the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica. It is run like any other church, there is no initiations but they do perform baptisms. To be a member of Argenteum Astrum one must be a member of Ordo Templi Orientis and show a deep understanding of the esoteric and also have shown a strong ability in the realms of magick.
Ordo Templi Orientis is a society of men and women that has degrees and an initiation. They have lodges and meet just as we do.
Now, I am not sure OTO would allow a member to also become a Freemason... but if they did that is where my questions come in.
If a candidate was a member of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica, would he be allowed to have a copy of Aleister Crowley's Book of the Law on the altar?
I personally couldn't see a reason not to allow it but it would surely be strange and I would travel to be there.
Just running it over in my mind since Thelema is both a religion and a society. They do believe in a God.. but would they pass an investigation? From what I hear most investigation committees don't do that good of a job and does the committee even get into stuff like being a member of Thelema? How would an investigation committee act, most Brothers have never heard of Thelema and OTO...
Going into it even deeper Thelema could almost be considered clandestine Freemasonry, would we require them to leave OTO? Even if it is the religion, of the candidate?
As more and more younger people who are interested in the esoteric groups that are available and the quest for Light, I imagine we will see candidate that are members of groups like Thelema and AMORC, do we have people who are knowledgeable in the areas to calm other Brothers when it is time to vote, or knowledgeable to inform other Brothers that a candidate is part of a group that we should not let into our organization.
It just seems like we should have someone at GL that studies this stuff and reports on it somehow.
I am sure there is a lot more running around in my head about this but for now that is all I can really think of..
This post is highly esoteric and involves things that many of you will find go against your own personal beliefs. Please do not attack me, I am just thinking aloud here if you will, and invite any Brother that has a constructive opinion to think with me.
I only feel the need to place this here due issues in the past when I have discussed other areas of esoterica such as Rosicrucians and the like.
*** ***
I have been doing some research into Thelema lately and today was curious about it's place with Freemasonry.
Thelema is a philosophy or religion based on the dictum, "Do what thou Wilt" as presented in Aleister Crowley's Book of the Law.
Despite the frequent assumption that "Do what thou Wilt" is solely an exhortation to hedonism or licentiousness, Thelema as it was formulated by Crowley is a path of spiritual development based on seeking and putting into practice one's True Will, or destiny, the soul's Will rather than the ego's desires. If you think about it, this is exactly what we are trying to do when we try to become that perfect ashlar! The ego's desires, are those superfluous edges.
This shouldn't come as a shock really considering that Crowley was a "Freemason" along the lines of the Memphis-Misraim rites which are considered irregular and clandestine, but have a lot of similarities with our own degree work.
Thelema basically consists of three seperate bodies the Argenteum Astrum (extremely exclusive), the Ordo Templi Orientis (society) and the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (religious arm).
Not being a member, I am not sure but have gleaned from research that one does not have to be a member of Ordo Templi Orientis to be a member of the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica. It is run like any other church, there is no initiations but they do perform baptisms. To be a member of Argenteum Astrum one must be a member of Ordo Templi Orientis and show a deep understanding of the esoteric and also have shown a strong ability in the realms of magick.
Ordo Templi Orientis is a society of men and women that has degrees and an initiation. They have lodges and meet just as we do.
Now, I am not sure OTO would allow a member to also become a Freemason... but if they did that is where my questions come in.
If a candidate was a member of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica, would he be allowed to have a copy of Aleister Crowley's Book of the Law on the altar?
I personally couldn't see a reason not to allow it but it would surely be strange and I would travel to be there.
Just running it over in my mind since Thelema is both a religion and a society. They do believe in a God.. but would they pass an investigation? From what I hear most investigation committees don't do that good of a job and does the committee even get into stuff like being a member of Thelema? How would an investigation committee act, most Brothers have never heard of Thelema and OTO...
Going into it even deeper Thelema could almost be considered clandestine Freemasonry, would we require them to leave OTO? Even if it is the religion, of the candidate?
As more and more younger people who are interested in the esoteric groups that are available and the quest for Light, I imagine we will see candidate that are members of groups like Thelema and AMORC, do we have people who are knowledgeable in the areas to calm other Brothers when it is time to vote, or knowledgeable to inform other Brothers that a candidate is part of a group that we should not let into our organization.
It just seems like we should have someone at GL that studies this stuff and reports on it somehow.
I am sure there is a lot more running around in my head about this but for now that is all I can really think of..