Thelemapedia - User contributions [en]

User:Ash/My Philosophy

2005-11-17T20:13:18Z

Isomeme: Corrected misspelling of Gerald del Campo's name

===A little history===

When I first began Thelemapedia, I thought that it would be pretty straight forward. The idea was simply to have a site that would give plain information about Thelema. I know, I was naive. The fact is, the formal presentation of information is very difficult. Ultimately, you have to draw the line somewhere, because without one—if a collection of data has no epistemic standards—then it ceases to have any value beyond a repository of chaotic voices babbling into the void. Now then, I'm not putting down chaotic babbling: projects which have that goal are no less valuable than Thelemapedia. However, the model isn't an effective one for an encyclopedia.

In the beginning, I borrowed largely from [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia|Wikipedia's]] model of information. At the core of Wikipedia is the idea that articles should present knowledge from what they call a neutral point of view (or [[Wikipedia:NPOV|NPOV]] for short), which means without bias and representing all views fairly. Of course, this being an encyclopedia about Thelema, it would make sense to bend that rule and say it is preferable to give articles a pro-Thelema bias. I thought (again, with great naivete) that this would make things clear and relatively easy. I soon found that things got complicated very fast.

===The Thelema challenge===

Here is the problem with Thelema in regards to an encyclopedia: it is a relatively new system that has no central authority and attracts adherents who are encouraged to think independently, sometimes to the point of developing opposing ideas for the sake of asserting individuality. A popular notion within Thelema is that since interpretation of [[The Book of the Law]] is a matter for the individual, then it is acceptable and possibly required for Thelema as a whole to be tailored for each person. I philosophically agree with the idea that any system of thought or practice is created by the individual as s/he experiences it, which is always going to be different to some degree from every other person's experience. However, it is not possible, by definition, to create an encyclopedia that captures every single potential manifestion of Thelema.

So, the problem: how do I set up boundaries that are tight enough to make a meaningful, useful encyclopedia while being loose enough to allow for having a robust site? Said another way, it couldn't be too loose, because the site would cease to define anything in a meaningful way, and it couldn't be too tight, because useful information might not get added.

===The core principles===

The resulting central guidelines regarding content would be as follows:
# '''Aleister Crowley shall be the first source.''' This site recognizes that, whatever faults Crowley might have had, he was the prophet of Thelema and was largely responsible for synthesizing and creating the core system we call Thelema. Therefore his opinions on Thelemic matters will trump others when there are multiple options.
# '''Information should come from the knowledge base.''' This means several important things. Like Wikipedia, Thelemapedia is not set up as a forum or journal for personal opinion or subjective research. Instead, information should ideally come from published works of expert Thelemites. Of these, the first priority goes to Crowley and those who are in basic sympathy with him, such as [[Israel Regardie]], [[Jack Parsons]], [[J.F.C. Fuller]], etc. After them comes more current scholars, such as Lon Milo Duquette, [[Sabazius]], Dionysos Thriambos, Richard Kaczynski, Gerald del Campo, etc. This principle is a fundamental one, because as an encyclopedia, its central duty is to act as a reference for existing information. The idea here is that Thelemapedia gathers information that can basically be found in an occult library, but written in a more condenced, concise way for the purpose of rudimentary education.
# '''Non-Thelemic information should come from sources that are considered reasonably expert.''' I think this principle is pretty straightforward.

I am the first to say that this model is not going to be perfect. I understand that some Thelemites might believe that I am trying to silence their voices, in essence trying to define Thelema for the world. My first response is that they give too much credit to Thelemapedia and not enough credit to its readers. Thelemapedia does not have the power, even if it should wish it, to foist a single definition of Thelema onto the world. Also, people who are truly interested in Thelema will not stop at our humble encyclopedia. Even the briefest of explorations will quickly uncover the multitude of Thelemic voices in print, on the Internet, and within the numerous Thelemic organizations that are extant.

===But what about multiple points of view?===

Here is a conundrum, indeed. Thelema is all about individual liberty and the notion that each person is the center of their universe. So, surely a site on Thelema should respect this by allowing all those equally valid voices to have a say, right? Well, yes and no.

Aleister Crowley is certainly not the only voice in the field of Thelema, and I myself consider some of his social and political theories to be trite, outdated, and even bigoted. At times, he presented information regarding other cultures and beliefs that are far better understood and explained by others. Moreover, Crowley's writing could occasionally be described as convoluted, demagogic, opaque, and rambling, making it difficult to know what he was really trying to say. He has been justly accused of having at least two opinions on every subject, so that almost any conceivable position within Thelema could be backed up by quotes from his vast library of works.

What I'm trying to say is that even with Crowley at the center, there is plenty of room for multiple points of view. The trick is that when an article presents multiple viewpoints, it should ''describe'' the stances fairly, not ''advocate'' for them (remember, this is a site that acts as a reference for existing knowledge, not for personal opinions or subjective research). Moreover, alternative or minority viewpoints are welcome as long as they are presented as such. For example, it is fine to mention that some Thelemites believe that Thelema is the worship of the Great Flying Spaghetti Monster, as long as it is mentioned in its own article and not presented as if it were a core or majority belief, and that it is backed up with some sort of documentable evidence.

Another example deals with [[Ordo Templi Orientis]]. Thelemapedia accepts the "Caliphate" O.T.O. as the "true" continuation of Aleister Crowley's O.T.O., and we aren't interested in debates regarding this issue. However, we certainly welcome entries for S.O.T.O., T.O.T.O., and other Thelemic organizations, along with full descriptions of their structure, history, and beliefs.

Moreover, we want entries for Wicca, Enochian and Chaos Magick, Gnostic churches, and other such areas that are of interest to many Thelemites but not intrinsically related to Thelema.

'''The final word:''' Thelemapedia has more than enough room for multiple voices as long as viewpoints are reported, not advocated. Articles should present information, not argue or try to convince (unless that is itself the point of the article, such as arguments [[Arguments against Thelema being a religion|for]] and [[Arguments for why Thelema is a religion|against]] Thelema being a religion.

===Participation===

The next big issue is: who gets to participate? Initiatially, I wanted the site to be open to all, like Wikipedia. I assumed that with all the Thelemites in the world, the membership roster would fill quickly, and that activity would quickly reach a high level. For reasons I still don't understand, that didn't happen. The number of people who have made contributions to the site are well under 50, perhaps closer to 15 or 20, with only 1 or 2 people editing at any one time. Now then, this is fine with me, too...my goal is to make a great encyclopedia, and if only 15 people make it, then so be it.

The problem is that with low numbers like this, wikis have a hard time being self-correcting. Poor writing, vandalism, and policy violations do not get monitored and corrected. This allows folks who have a personal agenda to cause mischief, and this has certainly happened here.

So, I have had to make joining more difficult by making folks apply for it. There are two reasons for this. One is to filter out certain people who seek to cause harm to Thelemapedia (no, I'm not paranoid :) ). The other is to grow a roster of editors who are truly interested in adding to the site. Here is my hope: if the site can get filled with editors who work in good faith and have an investment in Thelemapedia, then eventually I will be able to "open the gates" and allow people to become editors without any roadblocks.

User talk:Isomeme

2005-07-06T18:30:41Z

Isomeme:

You've been awarded a Star of Thelemapedia! See your user page... [[User:Ash|Fr. Ash]] 11:40, 6 Jul 2005 (CDT)

: Thanks! -[[User:Isomeme|Isomeme]]

User:Isomeme

2005-07-06T18:29:17Z

Isomeme:

[[Image:Award star.gif|frame|I, [[User:Ash|Fr. Ash]], award you this [[Thelemapedia:Awards#Star of Thelemapedia|Star of Thelemapedia]] for making quality contributions to the site. Thanks!]]

I'm Craig Berry, a.k.a. "Isomeme" in many places online. I am the Internet Secretary of U.S. Grand Lodge, O.T.O., among about a dozen other national and local offices and roles.

Desperately stale information about me can be found on [http://www.cine.net/~cberry/ my home page].

More up-to-date information appears on [http://isomeme.livejournal.com/ my journal].

Hymenaeus Alpha

2005-06-18T19:48:31Z

Isomeme: Creation, simple redirect to Grady McMurtry

#redirect [[Grady McMurtry]]

Hargrave Jennings

2005-06-16T03:12:24Z

Isomeme:

{{stub}}

'''Hargrave Jennings''' (1817-1890) was a British [[Freemasonry|Freemason]] and amateur student of comparative religion, including the teachings of Jacob Boehme, Robert Fludd, Richard Payne Knight, and J.G.R. Forlong.

Jennings is well known for his participation in the Rosicrutian revivial of the late 19th century, which is epitomized in his work, ''The Rosicrucians, Their Rites and Mysteries'' (1870). According to [[Sabazius]] (2004), this book proposes that the primitive worship of Light or Fire, symbolized by the [[sun]] or the [[phallus]], is the true origin of all religions.

Jennings's other works include:
*''Indian Religions, or Results of the Mysterious Buddhism'' (1858)
*''Curious Things of the Outside World: Last Fire'' (1861)
*''Live Lights and Dead Lights (1873), One of the Thirty, a Strange History'' (1873)
*''The Obelisk: Notices of the Origin, Purpose and History of Obelisks'' (1877)
*''Childishness and Brutality of the Time'' (1883)
*''Phallicism, Celestial and Terrestrial, Heathen and Christian'' (1884)
*''Charon: Sermons from the Styx: a Posthumous Work by Frederick the Great'' (1886).

=References=

*Sabazius. (1997). ''[http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/jennings.htm Hargrave Jennings]''. Retrieved on Sept. 21, 2004.
*Wikipedia. (2004). ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hargrave_Jennings Hargrave Jennings]''. Retrieved on Sept. 21, 2004.

[[Category:Freemasons]]
[[Category:Rosicrucians]]
[[Category:Writers]]

Sabazius

2005-06-16T03:11:18Z

Isomeme: Creation

Frater Sabazius X° is the current ''Rex Summus Sanctissimus'' (Supreme and Holy King) of [[U.S. Grand Lodge]], [[Ordo Templi Orientis]]. He was appointed to that office by [[Hymenaeus Beta]] XII°, Outer Head of O.T.O., at the founding of U.S.G.L. in 1996. As King, he has broad powers to manage and direct O.T.O. within the U.S. He is also ''ex officio'' Primate of [[Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica]] for the U.S.

Significant achievements during Sabazius's reign include:

* Implementation of most of the governmental and procedural apparatus set out in [[Liber CXCIV]] ("An Intimation with respect to the Constitution of the Order")
* Establishment of stable and manageable corporate business practices at both the Grand Lodge and local body levels
* Improvement of local body officer, initiator, and clergy training
* Hosting of four National O.T.O. Conferences

[[Category:Thelemites]]
[[Category: Ordo Templi Orientis]]

Talk:Banned User: Aleph

2005-06-16T02:53:52Z

Isomeme:

July 14, 2005? What else happens in the next month, especially with regard to the stock market? :) -[[User:Isomeme|Isomeme]]

Religion

2005-06-16T02:20:27Z

Isomeme: Capitalized title reference to the Equinox

{{religion}}

'''Religion''' is, in its broadest sense, defined as the answers given to explain humankind's relationship with the universe. In the course of the development of religion, it has taken an almost infinite number of forms in various cultures and individuals. Religion today is dominated by a number of major world religions.

Occasionally, the word "religion" is used to designate what should be more properly described as a "religious organization" – that is, an organization of people that supports the exercise of some religion, often taking the form of a legal entity.

The relationship of Thelema to Religion is arguably a unique one. Consider the motto of the [[Equinox (publication)|Equinox]], published by the [[A.'.A.'.]]:

:'''''The Method of Science; the Aim of Religion'''''

==The nature and content of religion==
===Defining "religion"===

Beyond the above, very broad definition of religion, there are a variety of uses and meanings for the word "religion." Some of the approaches are as follows:

* One definition, sometimes called the "function-based approach," defines religion as any set of beliefs and practices that have the function of addressing the fundamental questions of human identity, ethics, death and the existence of the Divine (if any). This broad definition encompasses all systems of belief, including those that deny the existence of any god, those that affirm the existence of one God, those that affirm the existence of many gods, and those that pass on the question for lack of proof.

* A second definition, sometimes called the "form-based approach," defines religion as any set of beliefs which makes claims that lie beyond the realm of scientific observation, according to some authority or personal experience with the Divine. This narrower definition places "religion" in contradistinction with [[rationalism]], [[secular humanism]], [[atheism]], and [[agnosticism]], which do not appeal to authority or personal experience in coming to their beliefs, but instead appeal to their interpretation of [[science]].

* A third definition, sometimes called the "physical evidence approach," defines religion as the beliefs about cause and effect that [[Occam's Razor]] would remove as recognizing causes that are more than what is both true and sufficient to explain the physical evidence. By this definition then, non-religion is any set of beliefs that admits no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearance.

* A fourth definition, sometimes called the "organizational approach," defines religion as the formal institutions, creeds, organizations, practices, and rules of conduct, of all major, institutionalized religions. This definition places "religion" in contradistinction to "spirituality," and therefore does not include the claims "spirituality" makes to actual contact, service, or worship of the Divine. In this definition, however, religion and spirituality are not mutually exclusive: a religious person may be spiritual or unspiritual, and a spiritual person may be religious or non-religious. By analogy, "religion" is the coal, wood, or gasoline, while "spirituality" is the fire.

===Approaches to distinguishing religion from non-religion===
''Approaches to distinguishing religion from non-religion'' can be divided into two broadly defined schools of thought: function-based approaches and form-based approaches.

Religion is subject to much discussion in the fields of [[theology]], [[psychology]], [[sociology]], and [[anthropology]]. Specialists in these fields, as well as ordinary people—[[theism|theists]], [[atheism|atheists]], and [[agnosticism|agnostics]] alike—often disagree about the fundamental nature of religion. Consequently, any discussion of religion must begin by answering certain "basic" questions such as "What is a religious belief?", "What is the difference between religious and [[secular]] beliefs?", "How do we recognize what are religious beliefs?", "Are religions individual or group activities?", and "What methodology shall we use to investigate these questions?". The answers to these questions and similar questions can then serve as a common ground upon which further discussion can be based.

If the conclusions of a discussion are to be accepted by people from diverse religious backgrounds, then that discussion must make as few assumptions as possible. However, all societies and this article start with the following a priori assumptions:

* There are sets of beliefs that are "religious".

* These beliefs are distinct from non-religious beliefs and recognizable as "religious".

* (The most controversial) There are ways to recognize which beliefs are "religious" and which are "non-religious".

The last one is most controversial because there are two main ways of looking at the world, each bringing with it certain a priori assumptions that are usually not recognized. While a study of a particular religion made by either viewpoint may come to many of the same conclusions, differences between the two approaches include what beliefs are to be considered religious and the effects of religions.

====By function====
One approach, sometimes referred to as "Hebrew thought," defines "religion" as any set of beliefs that fulfills certain functions in an individual’s life, especially answering questions about [[creation belief|our origins]], [[ontology|present existence]] and [[teleology|where are we going and how shall we get there?]], thereby forming the individual's attitudes, values, morality and actions. Consequently, adherents of this approach regard any belief system which answers any of these questions as "religious", including such non-theistic belief systems as Communism, [[Secular Humanism|secular humanism]], and [[evolution|biological evolution]].

The main advantage of this approach is its ability to incorporate seamlessly all of the belief systems that are considered religious, including some of the [[agnosticism|agnostic]] forms of [[Hinduism]] and [[Buddhism]]; according to its advocates, another advantage is its recognition of the fact that the phenomenon usually perceived as conflict between “religion” and “anti-religion” is in fact competition between different [[Fundamentalism|fundamentalisms]].

One difficulty in applying this approach is the fact that many individuals hold multiple belief systems, some of which may be contradictory, and some [[hypocrisy|feigned]]; consequently, it is often difficult to recognize the effect that any particular belief system has on an individual. Another difficulty is that it tries to evaluate what act as the inner guiding principles within an individual, his "religion" as it were, by the fruits those principles produce in his attitudes, values, morality and actions. It does not necessarily consider those beliefs and associations he admits to in public. Though this is a difficulty, it can be used to identify those who truly are adherents to a particular religion versus those who merely join the organization for reasons other than belief.

When studying specific religions or comparative religions, a functional study typically starts with an analysis of the teachings of the belief system, which includes an analysis of the "sacred writings" connected with the belief system if they exist. In this analysis, attention is paid to internal consistency, to whether or not the belief system answers the basic functional questions of origins, ontology and teleology, how well it correlates to observation and how it guides an individual's attitudes, values, morality and actions, even how he thinks. It looks at how integrated the religion is with daily life: is it merely ritual that once acted upon can be forgotten as done, or is it a belief that should inform every action an individual does?

A functional study also looks at those who claim to follow the religion to see if they truly follow it or not, and why.

Questions concerning group beliefs, actions and institutions, though important, are secondary because they are a result of [[doctrine]] and individual response. They may actually represent cultural norms and institutions rather than individual belief and practice, so that though they may appear to be a religion, they really aren't.

Some social scientists, such as Emile Durkheim, emphasize the social aspects of functional forms of religion, as a means of providing social cohesion and community. Other social scientists now define religion by its consequences not in social life but in the personal life of individuals. These authors define religion as “a combination of forms and symbolic acts which relate the individual to the ultimate conditions of his existence." (Richard Bellah, “Religious Evolution”, 1964, p. 358), or as “a system of beliefs and practices through which a group of people faces the fundamental problems of life.” (Yinger, J. Milton, "The Scientific Study of Religion," Macmillan, 1970, p. 7)

This approach is also illustrated by the 4th definition of religion in Webster's Online Dictionary, which defines religion as "a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith."

====By form====
Also called "[[Greek thought]]", it is the method most widely used by far. It is almost universally used in academia and among [[sociology|sociologists]], [[anthropology|anthropologists]] and Western philosophers.

Most people, particularly those influenced by "Western" culture, almost instinctively recognize which of their beliefs are to be called "religious" and which "secular". Usually unconsciously, they have already made a priori assumptions such as "There are beliefs that are 'religious'", "Religious beliefs are not the same as secular beliefs" and typical assumptions imparted by western culture to recognize "religious" beliefs include:

* A belief is religious if it is labeled as "religion" by those who believe it.

* A belief is religious if it deals with "spiritual" matters.

* A belief is religious if it results in ritual practices designed to invoke a higher reality, examples include prayer and worship.

* If a belief is agnostic or atheistic and does not result in ritual practices, it is "secular".

* If a belief, organization and rituals associated with them are not intended to promote a "religious" teaching, then they are "secular". Secular political parties in secular government with their beliefs and rituals are examples of secular organizations.

* If a belief is "[[science|scientific]]" then it is secular.

When studying specific religions and comparative religions, discussions typically begin by answering questions about uncontroversial, easily verifiable facts, such as "What beliefs do different groups of people hold?", "What practices are inspired by these beliefs?", and "What institutions arise as a result of these beliefs and practices?". Hopefully, answering these questions will create a body of data upon which all further discourse, including the answers to the "basic" questions mentioned in the first paragraph of this section, can then be based.

One advantage of this method is that people who hold to agnostic and atheistic belief systems can decide for themselves whether or not what they believe is a religious or secular belief system. Another advantage is that it conforms to widely held societal and academic norms, aiding in communication. Thirdly, in that it conforms to societal and academic norms, it avoids misunderstanding and conflict that can arise when using minority approaches, such as the functional approach above.

In contrast to the functional approach, the use of [[Greek thought]] as the methodology to study religion, with its emphasis on the inherently uncontroversial statements about religion's external manifestations, its expressed statements and rituals, is far less controversial and easily recognizable, therefore are more readily accepted by people with widely differing views of religion. Consequently, most major thinkers prefer to begin by examining the easily observable external forms of religion.

This approach is also illustrated by definition 1b of religion in Webster's Online dictionary, which describes religion as, "the service and worship of God or the supernatural."

====Practical examples====
The question how to distinguish a religion from a non-religion is not just a theoretical question. In the case of [[Scientology]] it has been disputed in court, for example in the [[Netherlands]]. Classification as a religion gives tax privileges. Scientology's critics claim that it is a business and not a genuine religion. See [[Scientology controversy]].

[[Discordianism]] has been described as both an elaborate joke disguised as a religion, and a religion disguised as an elaborate joke. Some of its followers make the claim that it is "a religion disguised as a joke disguised as a religion." Some Discordians have described Discordians as Taoists with a strange sense of humor and the inability to sit still. The reader is welcomed to try their hand at determining what Discordianism is for it is a very difficult case study to discern.

====Religious Thelema====
{{partial}}

See also: [[Arguments for why Thelema is a religion]]

=====Some religious concepts and practices in the Thelemic literature=====
*[[Thelemic Holidays]]
*[[Cakes of Light]]
*[[Eucharist]]
*[[Sacrament]]s
*[[Saying Will]]
*[[Invocation]]
*[[Thelemic Godforms]]
*[[The Holy Books of Thelema]]

=====The O.T.O. as Religious Organization=====
<blockquote>Professor William James, in his ''Varieties of Religious Experience,'' has well classified religion as the "once-born" and the "twice-born"; but the religion now proclaimed in Liber Legis harmonizes these by transcending them. --Aleister Crowley, ''Magick'' p. 159</blockquote>
In ''Magick Without Tears'', Crowley wrote, "To sum up, our system is a religion just so far as a religion means an enthusiastic putting-together of a series of doctrines, no one of which must in any way clash with Science or Magick." (p. 219) He specifically described [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] as "the first of the great religious Societies to accept the Law," strongly implying that the Law of Thelema was a suitable basis for religious activity. O.T.O. Grand Master Sabazius has articulated an advocacy of "scientific religion" under the rubric of Thelema, a phrase that originally occurred in the "Constitution of the Order of Thelemites" approved by Crowley. Crowley also considered Freemasonry to be essentially religious in character, a position detailed in Chapter 49 of his ''Confessions.''

Within O.T.O., the existence of a Church with forms and officers that bear a superficial similarity to Christianity has sometimes led people to assert that the [[Gnostic Catholic Church]] is "the Thelemic religion" to the exclusion of the remainder of O.T.O. (which is in fact religious in both origin and current instantiation), and other Thelemic groups. In fact, Thelema depends on a syncretization of many earlier religious forms, and the vast majority of its expressions can be fairly characterized as religious.

=====Some religious concepts and practices in the O.T.O.=====
*[[Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica]]
*[[E.G.C. Ceremonies|Ecclesiastical Ceremonies]]
*[[Gnostic Mass|The Gnostic Mass]]
*[[Gnostic Creed|The Gnostic Creed]]
*[[The Gnostic Saints]]

====Nonreligious Thelema====
*See [[Arguments against Thelema being a religion]]

====Crowley on Thelema & Religion====
*To sum up, our system is a religion just so far as a religion means an enthusiastic putting-together of a series of doctrines, no one of which must in any way clash with Science or Magick. ... Call it a new religion, then, if it so please your Gracious Majesty; but I confess that I fail to see what you will have gained by so doing, and I feel bound to add that you might easily cause a great deal of misunderstanding, and work a rather stupid kind of mischief. ... The word [religion] does not occur in ''[[The Book of the Law]]''. —''Magick without Tears'', Chapter 31, ''Religion—Is Thelema a "New Religion"?''

*Professor William James, in his Varieties of Religious Experience, has well classified religion as the 'once-born' and the 'twice-born'; but the religion now proclaimed in Liber Legis harmonizes these by transcending them. —''Magick, Book 4''

*[OTO is] the first of the great religious Societies to accept the Law. —''[[Equinox (publication)|Equinox]]'' Volume 3, No. 1

*Human nature demands (in the case of most people) the satisfaction of the religious instinct, and, to very many, this may best be done by ceremonial means. I wished therefore to construct a ritual through which people might enter into ecstasy as they have always done under the influence of appropriate ritual. In recent years, there has been an increasing failure to attain this object, because the established cults shock their intellectual convictions and outrage their common sense. Thus their minds criticize their enthusiasm; they are unable to consummate the union of their individual souls with the universal soul as a bridegroom would be to consummate his marriage if his love were constantly reminded that its assumptions were intellectually absurd. [...] I resolved that my Ritual should celebrate the sublimity of the operation of universal forces without introducing disputable metaphysical theories. I would neither make nor imply any statement about nature which would not be endorsed by the most materialistic man of science. —''Confessions''

*I wish here to emphasise that the Law of Thelema definitely enjoins us, as a necessary act of religion, to 'drink sweet wines and wines that foam.' Any free man or woman who resides in any community where this is verboten has a choice between two duties: insurrection and emigration. —Comment on Liber AL I:63

*Our religion therefore, for the People, is the Cult of the Sun, who is our particular star of the Body of Nuit, from whom, in the strictest scientific sense, come this earth, a chilled spark of Him, and all our Light and Life. —Comment on Liber AL III:22

*Therefore we hold Love holy, our heart's religion, our mind's science. —Comment on Liber AL I:52

*I claim for my system that it satisfies all possible requirements of true freemasonry. It offers a rational basis for universal brotherhood and for universal religion. —''Confessions''

*12. The Order of Thelemites is categorically opposed to: (a) All superstitious religions, as obstacles to the establishment of scientific religion; ... —''Constitution of the Order of Thelemites''

*What is the curse upon religion that its tenets must always be associated with every kind of extravagance and falsehood? ... There is one exception; it is the [[A.'.A.'.]], whose members are extremely careful to make no statement at all that cannot be verified in the usual manner; or where this is not easy, at least avoid anything like a dogmatic statement. —''Magick, Book 4''

*... I agree with practically every word reported of the Yogi Jesus, and nearly every word of the Essene. True, I reject Salvationism, and the Jewish element of prophecies fulfilled, and the praise of the Law of Moses; but trust humbly that any deficiency in these respects may be more than made up by superfluity in another. For not only do I hold the cult of John Barleycorn to be the only true religion, but have established his worship anew; in the last three years branches of my organisation have sprung up all over the world to celebrate the ancient rite. So mote it be. —''The Gospel According to St. Bernard Shaw''

=== Questions that religions address ===
{{thelema}}
Religions are systems of belief which typically seek to answer questions about the following issues:
*[[Creation belief]]s, which seek to explain the origin of the [[universe]], the [[Earth]], [[life]], and [[humanity]];
*Beliefs regarding the existence (or non-existence) and nature of [[Deity]] (or Deities) (cf [[God]]), the divine, the sacred and the [[supernatural]];
*Beliefs regarding the appropriate means and methods for relating to the divine, the sacred, other people, animals, the natural world around us, and ourselves;
*Means to identify and celebrate the experience of supreme value;
*A sense of identify seeking to achieve completeness in relation to all wants and desires;
*Development of a purpose in life, and the identification of appropriate goals for life;
*An ethical framework, including a definition of activities which are "good" and "bad";
*Beliefs regarding other possible states of being like [[heaven]], [[nirvana]], [[purgatory]] or [[hell]], and how to prepare for them;
*Explanations for and understandings of the existence of evil and suffering, and the articulation of a [[theodicy]];

Generally, the different religions and the non-religious all have different answers for the above concerns, and many religions provide a range of answers to each question.

=== Religious practices ===
{{thelema}}
Practices based upon religious beliefs typically include:
* [[Prayer]]
* [[Worship]]
* Regular assembly with other believers
* A priesthood or clergy or some other religious functionary to lead and/or help the adherents of the religion
* Ceremonies and/or traditions unique to the set of beliefs
* A means of preserving adherence to the canonical beliefs and practice of that religion
* Codes for behaviour in other aspects of life to ensure consistency with the set of beliefs, i.e., a [[moral code]], like the ten [[yamas]] (restraints) of Hinduism or the [[Ten Commandments]] of the [[Old Testament]], flowing from the beliefs rather than being defined by the beliefs, with the moral code often being elevated to the status of a legal code that is enforced by followers of that religion
* Maintenance and study of scripture, or [[sacred text|texts they hold as sacred]] uniquely different from other writings, and which records or is the basis of the fundamental beliefs of that religion

Adherents of a particular religion typically gather together to celebrate holy days, to recite or chant scripture, to [[pray]], to worship, and provide spiritual assistance to each other. However, solitary practice of prayer and [[meditation]] is often seen to be just as important, as is living out religious convictions in secular activities when in the company of people who are not necessarily adherents to that religion. This is often a function of the religion in question.

=== Contrasts among religions ===
Religions diverge widely with regard in the answers they provide to the questions listed above, and the practices of the religious faithful. For example:

==== Number of gods ====
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* Monotheistic religions assert that there is one God, distinct and separate from Nature as we understand it. Examples include [[Judaism]], [[Sikhism]], [[Christianity]], [[Islam]], the [[Bahá'í Faith]], and the dualistic schools of [[Hinduism]], including the [[Dvaita]] school of [[Vaishnavism]], and the dualist [[Saiva Siddhanta]] school of [[Shaivism]]. The more prevalent form of monotheism present in Hinduism which differs from the monotheism prevalent in Semitic religions is [[monistic theism]] .
** Trinitarian religions assert that there is one God with three persons. Examples include the majority of Christian denominations, with the exceptions of [[Oneness Pentecostals]];
** [[Henotheism | Henotheistic]] religions assert that there are many gods and/or deities of varying attributes, but One God is ultimately supreme. Examples include the strains of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism (especially [[Shaivism]] and [[Vaishnavism]]), that acknowledge [[angels]], [[demons]], [[devas]], [[asuras]], or other gods of whom the One God is greatest, as well as many animistic traditions, particularly in Africa;
* Polytheistic religions such as [[Greco-Roman religion]] assert that there are many Gods;
* [[Pantheistic]] and [[Panentheistic]], or "natural" religions believe that God and everything in nature are aspects of a continuous spiritual plane, and are thus essentially inseparable. Examples include (to various degrees): the pantheistic and panentheistic schools of [[Shaivism]] and [[Vaishnavism]] in [[Hinduism]], [[Shintoism]], and some [[animism|animistic]] traditions.
* Non-theistic religions (such as [[Buddhism]]) make no claim as to the existence or non-existence of God;
* Atheistic religions (such as [[Jainism]] and [[Secular Humanism]]) do not believe in a god, gods or goddesses.;
* Out of point of interest [[agnosticism|agnostics]] will often talk in terms of not knowing the number of gods, whether it be thousands, one, or zero.

==== Gender of gods ====
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* Some religious individuals describe their gods as being without gender, and embodying both traditionally masculine and traditionally feminine attributes;
* Some religious individuals describe their gods as being without gender, but having many traditionally masculine characteristics.
* Other religious individuals describe their gods as being without gender, but having many traditionally feminine characteristics.
* Other religions describe gods as being tangibly masculine or feminine. Examples include traditional mythological religions.

==== Sources of authority ====
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* Sacred Texts provide authority to believers who regard the text as authoritative, divinely dictated, divinely inspired, and/or inerrant. Examples include the [[Qur'an]], the [[Vedas]], the [[Kitáb-i-Aqdas]] and the [[Bible]];
* Prophets provide authority to believers who regard the prophet as having either spectacular personal insight, or direct personal communication with the Divine. Examples include [[Jesus]], [[Buddha]], [[Moses]], [[Bahá'u'lláh]], and [[Muhammad]];
* Science and Reason provide authority to believers who regard science and reason as providing answers to many of the fundamental questions asked and answered by religion. Examples include [[Secular Humanism]], and [[Atheism]];
* Tradition provides authority to believers who regard the customs of their ancestors to be particularly important and a source of Divine Truth; examples include [[Shamanism]] and some aspects of [[Shintoism]];
* Personal Experience provides authority to believers who believe they have had personal contact with Deity or Deities, or some other event of particular religious significance to them.

====Organizational structure ====
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* Centralized religions develop a highly structured organization intended to develop and assure doctrinal purity, and aid believers in their efforts to life by that faith. Examples include [[Roman Catholicism]], early [[Islam]], and [[Hassidic Judaism]];
* Decentralized religions develop independent of any centralizing force, and therefore demonstrate a great deal of variety with regard to belief and practice. Examples include [[Hinduism]], the [[mythology|mythologies]] of ancient Greece and Egypt, and modern [[Paganism|Pagan]] revivals such as [[Wicca]] or [[Asatru]] (see also [[Neopaganism]]).

====Ethical focus====
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* Behavior-based religions emphasize the importance of a believer participating in certain customs, rituals, and behaviors. Examples include Hassidic Judaism, and many animistic traditions;
* Spiritual Philosophy religions emphasize extensive practical teachings for achieving human happiness or equanimity in the natural world with a lesser focus on the supernatural. Examples: [[Buddhism]], [[Taoism]], and [[Confucianism]]. Others like Hinduism emphasize such beliefs but still do believe in a personal, supreme God which can be expressed in a variety of ways.
* Relationship-based religions emphasize the maintenance of a proper relationship with the Divine, either by Personal Relationship (in the case of Evangelical Christianity), by obedience and submission to God's Will (in the case of Islam), or repentance and forgiveness for sin (in the case of traditional Christianity).
* Ideologically-based religions emphasize the achievement of some earthly ideological goal. Some, such as Communism, developed the traditionally "religious" attributes of "sacred" texts, rituals, and the near-deification of certain leaders.

(It should be noted that, to one degree or another, most religions draw from all types of ethics; however, most traditionally emphasize one over the others)

====Afterlife====
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*[[Hinduism]] asserts that humans are continually reborn, until they reach [[Moksha]], a state of union with God or [[Saguna Brahman]] expressed as [[Vishnu]] or [[Shiva]] or as what followers of the [[Advaita]] school believe, union with the Impersonal Absolute and that one's good or evil behavior in this life determines the course of one's next life; accordingly, Hinduism does not believe in ''eternal damnation'' as God gives us many chances through subsequent reincarnations until we reach moksha. However, many Hindus believe there is a purgatory-like state analogous to Christianity where [[Yama]], the Hindu [[deva]], or Lord of Death, punishes humans before they reincarnate again.
*[[Theravada]] [[Buddhism]] asserts that a person's [[Karma|Kamma]] is continually reborn until they attain [[Nirvana]], and that rebirth is undesirable; [[Mahayana]] [[Buddhism]] is more in line with Hinduism with regard to certain beliefs on [[reincarnation]]. However, Buddhism's state of [[nirvana]] is not analogous to the Hindu concept of Moksha as Nirvana is a state of non-being or voidness and does not focus on the concept of a personal, Supreme Being that is allowed in [[Advaita]] and is mandated in the strict theistic schools such as that of [[Ramanuja]] and [[Madhva]].
*Christianity and [[Islam]] posit a Heaven and Hell, and God as judge to decide our eternal fate. Beyond that common ground, however, belief varies widely within the religions.
**[[Catholicism]] asserts that individuals are saved by declaring faith in God, but are still subject to punishment for unrepented sin at death, which is purified in [[purgatory]];
**Traditional [[Protestantism]] asserts that individuals are saved purely by declaring their belief in the saving power of Jesus's death and resurrection;
**Some other Christians believe that individuals choose their own heaven or hell: if a person chooses to live in a self-created "Hell on Earth," they continue to choose that after death, and God ultimately gives them what they wish: distance from God and Joy. On the other hand, people that seek "Heaven on Earth" continue to seek Heaven after death, and God gives them what they desire: nearness of God, and Joy. See, for example, "The Great Divorce," by C.S. Lewis.
**Under most traditional Islamic belief, God judges us on the basis of our adherence to the five pillars of Islam, including acknowledgement of God, Muhammad, and living according to God's laws of Justice, Faith, and Mercy, and rewards us according to our acts on Earth.
*[[Judaism]] makes no particular claims regarding the afterlife.
* The [[Bahá'í Faith]] asserts that a person's soul continues to progress in the spiritual worlds of God after death until it reaches God. The purpose of this world is for the soul to acquire spiritual qualities (or virtues) so that it is closer to God once physical death occurs.
*[[Rastafarianism|Rastafarians]] believe in [[Physical Immortalism|Physical Immortality]]. Once their [[God]] [[Haile Selassie]] calls the Day of Judgement and takes them home to Africa and [[Zion]] they will live with him forever in their current physical bodies and on this current physical plane.

== Approaches to relating to the beliefs of others ==
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Adherents of particular religions deal with the differing doctrines and practices espoused by other religions in a variety ways. All strains of thought appear in different segments of all major world religions.

=== Exclusivism ===
People with exclusivist beliefs typically explain other religions as either in error, or as corruptions or counterfeits of the true faith. Examples include:

* Christians believe Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." John 14:6.

* The Qur'an states: "O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people." Qur'an 5:51.

* Jews believe God said to Israel through Moses: "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles? wings and brought you to myself. Now, therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

=== Inclusivism ===
People with [[inclusivism | inclusivist]] beliefs recognize some truth in all faith systems, highlighting agreements and minimizing differences, but see their own faith as in some way ultimate. Examples include:
*From Hinduism:
** A well-known Rig Vedic hymn stemming from [[Hinduism]] claims that "Truth is One, though the sages know it variously."
** [[Krishna]], incarnation or [[avatar]] of [[Vishnu]], the supreme God in Hinduism, said in the [[Gita]]: In whatever way men identify with Me, in the same way do I carry out their desires; men pursue My path, O Arjuna, in all ways. (Gita:4:11);
** Krishna said: "Whatever deity or form a devotee worships, I make his faith steady. However, their wishes are only granted by Me." (Gita: 7:21-22)
** Another quote in the Gita states: "O Arjuna, even those devotees who worship other lesser deities (e.g., [[Devas]], for example) with faith, they also worship Me, but in an improper way because I am the Supreme Being. I alone am the enjoyer of all sacrificial services (Seva, Yajna) and Lord of the universe." (Gita: 9:23)

* From Christianity:
**[[Jesus]] said, "He who is not against me is for me." Mark 9:40.
**Jesus said, "Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven." Luke 12:10.
** The Apostle Peter wrote of God: "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
** An aphorism common in some Christian circles: "All Truth is God's Truth."

* From Islam:
** The [[Qur'an]] states: "Only argue with the People of the Book in the kindest way - except in the case of those of them who do wrong - saying, 'We have faith in what has been sent down to us and what was sent down to you. Our God and your God are one and we submit to Him.'" (Holy Qur'an, Surat al-'Ankabut; 29:46)
**"Among the people of the Book there are some who have iman in Allah and in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down to them, and who are humble before Allah. They do not sell Allah's Signs for a paltry price. Such people will have their reward with their Lord. And Allah is swift at reckoning." (Holy Qur'an, Surat Al 'Imran; 3:199)
**"...You will find the people most affectionate to those who have iman are those who say, 'We are Christians.' That is because some of them are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant." (Holy Qur'an, Surat al-Ma'ida; 5:82)

*From Judaism:
**The Talmud states: "The righteous of all peoples have a place in the World-To-Come" (Tos. to Sanhedrin 13:2, Sifra to Leviticus 19:18), and affirms that the great majority of non-Jewish humanity will be saved, due to God's overwhelming mercy (BT Sanhedrin 105a).
**The Torah mentions a number of righteous gentiles, including Melchizedek who presided at offerings to God that Abraham made (Gen. 14:18), Job, a pagan Arab of the land of Uz who had a whole book of the Hebrew Bible devoted to him as a paragon of righteousness beloved of God (see the book of Job), and the Ninevites, the people given to cruelty and idolatry could be accepted by God when they repented (see the Book of Jonah).
**Rabbinic tradition asserts that the basic standard of righteousness was established in a covenant with Noah: anyone who keeps the seven commandments of this covenant is assured of salvation, no matter what their religion. This is standard Jewish teaching for the past two thousand years.

*From the Bahá'í Faith:
**Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith states: "The fundamental principle enunciated by Bahá'u'lláh, the followers of His Faith firmly believe, is that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is a continuous and progressive process, that all the great religions of the world are divine in origin, that their basic principles are in complete harmony, that their aims and purposes are one and the same, that their teachings are but facets of one truth, that their functions are complementary, that they differ only in the nonessential aspects of their doctrines, and that their missions represent successive stages in the spiritual evolution of human society." (The Faith of Bahá'u'lláh" in World Order, Vol. 7, No. 2 (1972-73)) [http://www.bic-un.bahai.org/47-0701.htm]

=== Pluralism ===
People with [[religious pluralism|pluralist]] beliefs make no distinction between faith systems, viewing each one as valid within a particular culture. Examples include:

* The Qur'an, revealed through Muhammad, states, "Those with Faith, those who are Jews, and the Christians and Sabaeans, all who have Faith in Allah and the Last Day and act rightly, will have their reward with their Lord. They will feel no fear and will know no sorrow." (Qur'an, Surat al-Baqara; 2:62)

* The Christian writer Paul wrote, "God "will give to each person according to what he has done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favouritism. All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themseleves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)" Romans 2:6-15.

=== Syncretism ===

People with syncretistic views blend the views of a variety of different religions or traditional beliefs into a unique fusion which suits their particular experience and context.

==Religion in relation to other closely related topics==

=== Religion and spirituality ===
It is common to distinguish the concept of "religion" from the concept of "spirituality."

Individuals who ascribe to this distinction see spirituality as a belief in ideas of religious significance (such as God, the Soul, or Heaven) without being bound to the bureaucratic structure and creeds of a particular organized religion. They choose the term ''[[spirituality]]'' rather than religion to describe their form of belief, perhaps reflecting a large-scale disillusionment with organized religion that is occurring in much of the Western world (see [[#Religion in modernity|Religion in modernity]]), and a movement towards a more "modern" — more tolerant, and more intuitive — form of religion.

Many members of organized religion, of course, see no significant difference between the two terms, because they see spirituality at the heart of their religion, and see the church organization as a means of preserving that spirituality. Many of them associate themselves with an organized religion because they see the religious community as a means of maintaining and strengthening their Faith in fellowship with other believers. They see amorphous "spirituality" movements as "religions of convenience," in which individuals can choose whatever beliefs make them feel comfortable at the time, without being bound to any external standard of accountability.

Finally, it should be noted that many individuals, while still associating themselves with an organized religion, see a distinction between the mundane, earthly aspects of their religion and the spiritual dimension. They note that people may take part in organized religion purely for mundane reasons, for example, gaining security from such things as regular attendance at churches or temples, or the social comfort of fervently agreeing with other believers; they note that this sometimes is done without a corresponding spiritual dimension. They then conclude that such behavior is "religious" without being "spiritual." Further, some aspects of religion (for example, the Catholic Inquisition or Islamic Terrorism), are seen as completely contrary to the teachings of the religions' founders, who many believe taught tolerance and love. In support of this belief that religions may "lose their way," many cite things such as Jesus' criticism of the Pharisees, who represented organized religion in his context.

As a result, many who consider themselves deeply involved with the Divine may have come to reject much of the recognised aspects of established religion, in an effort to free themselves of the mundane trappings or perceived corruption of "religion."

===Religion and science===
Generally speaking, religion and science use different methods in their effort to ascertain [[Truth]]. Religion utilises methods that are based upon [[subjective]] interpretation of personal intuition or experience, the authority of a perceived prophet or a sacred text. Science on the other hand uses the [[scientific method]], an [[objective]] process of investigation and acquisition of new [[knowledge]] based upon physical evidence, subject only to observable and verifiable phenomena.

Similarly, there are two types of questions which religion and science attempt to answer: questions of observable and verifiable phenomena (such as the laws of physics, or human moral codes), and questions of unobservable phenomena and value judgments (such as how the laws of physics came to be, and what is "good" and "bad").

People apply the two methods to the two categories of questions in a variety of ways.

*Some apply religious methods to all questions, both observable and unobservable; for example, [[Theravada|Theravaada Buddhists]] assert from the authority of the Buddha that the universe and the self are illusions and non-existent, despite scientific evidence to the contrary.
*Some apply religious methods to most questions, and apply scientific methods to a few; for example, up to the mid-16th Century most clergy and natural philosophers asserted, from purported Biblical authority, that the Earth was the [[Geocentrism|center of the universe]] and subject to certain natural laws, despite physical evidence that the Earth was not the center of the universe, and subject to radically different laws.
*Some apply religious methods only to questions of the unobservable and values, and apply scientific methods only to questions of the observable and verifiable; for instance, those that note the empirical evidence of evolution today, but assert from a religious basis that a supernatural God created the Universe and all the laws and phenomena therein.
*Some apply scientific methods to most questions, and apply religious methods to a few; for example, many atheists assert that there is no God for lack of empirical evidence, but still assert that there are fundamental moral laws and values that man ought to follow, ''a priori''.
*Some apply scientific methods to all questions, both observable and unobservable; for example, [[Nazis]], [[Communists]], [[Nihilism|Nihilists]], and [[Materialists]], who assert that Science ''necessitates'' certain philosophical, unobservable, unverifiable, and value-laden conclusions of a strongly religious nature, such as the superiority of certain races, the inevitability of proletarian rule, or the meaninglessness of life.

=== Religion and myth ===
The word "myth" has two meanings, according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:
# a person or thing having only an imaginary or unverifiable existence
# a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon

====Myth as "mere story"====
Ancient [[polytheism|polytheistic]] religions, such as those of [[Greek mythology|ancient Greece]], [[Roman mythology|ancient Rome]], [[Norse mythology|the Vikings]], etc., are often studied under the heading of [[mythology]]. Religions of pre-industrial peoples, or [[culture|cultures]] in development to industrial conditions, are similarly observed by the anthropology of religion. Mythology can be a term used pejoratively by religious and non-religious people both, by defining another person's religious stories and beliefs as mythology. Here myths are treated as fantasies, or "mere" stories.

==== Myth as defining and explaining belief ====
The term myth in sociology, however has a non-pejorative meaning, defined as stories that are important for the group and not necessarily untrue. Examples include the death and [[resurrection]] of [[Jesus]] (which, to Christians, explains the means by which they are freed from sin, as well as being ostensibly historical), or the theory of evolution (which, to Secular Humanists, illustrates the course of history, and inspires them to strive to further the evolution of Mankind, as well as being ostensibly scientific). [[Joseph Campbell]], in ''The Power of Myth'', held that myth was a universal human trait, and necessary to well-being. By this definition, therefore, there is no essential difference between the myths of extinct religions, those of extant religions, and those of ostensibly "non-religious" people.

===Religion and Occam's Razor===
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In its simplest form, [[Occam's Razor]] states that one should not take more assumptions than needed. When multiple explanations are available for a phenomenon, the simplest version is preferred.

Some, such as [[Atheism|atheists]], [[Secular Humanism|secular humanists]], and [[Agnosticism|agnostics]] assert that [[Occam's Razor]] makes religious belief unreasonable, because religion requires an individual to make many more assumptions regarding causes in the natural world than Atheistic and Naturalistic explanations require. For instance, some religious beliefs require the believer to assume that an invisible [[God]] created the universe, is concerned with our moral behavior for some reason, yet does not reveal himself, and will judge us after death for decisions we made in relative ignorance, sending us to either an assumed Heaven or an assumed Hell. Atheists conclude that such belief requires a myriad of assumptions, that naturalistic explanations require significantly fewer assumptions, and that the religious beliefs are therefore less reasonable than naturalistic ones.

Others (such as William of Occam himself, who was a Christian and Franciscan friar), assert that Occam's Razor makes religious belief reasonable. Some, for instance, note the empirical phenomena of [[entropy]] and the [[Second Law of Thermodynamics]], which indicate that over time, the universe passes from greater to lesser levels of organization. They further note that the only observable instances of ''increased'' organization are caused by life (in the context of evolution) or by persons (in the context of human creative efforts to alter and organize our universe). They then assert that naturalistic explanations alone are insufficient to explain Order in the universe, because they provide no mechanism by which order may arise from disorder, other than Persons. They conclude that the most reasonable explanation for the origin of Order in the universe is a Person of one form or another, who provided the creative impetus that brought about the remarkable order and structure evident in the universe.

Others assert that Occam's Razor is not a fair test for reasonable belief in all cases, because it is dependent on the available amount of evidence. They note that the history of science is the history of simple and intuitive explanations giving way to more complex and less intuitive ones. They note that belief in a flat Earth gave way to belief in a round Earth; that belief in strict Newtonian physics gave way to the much more complex Einsteinian relativity; and that belief in the doctrine of humors gave way to modern medicine. They note that Occam's razor was the means by which many nay-sayers of these scientific revolutions held back scientific discovery, because new theories required significantly more evidence and assumptions than traditional theory, and were therefore discouraged by many. They conclude that since the universe is often much more complex than our evidence allows for at any one time, one ought not rule out significantly more complex interpretations, simply because they require more assumptions than current theory. One ought instead to devote oneself to the investigation of all hypotheses, both religious and non-religious, allowing one's beliefs to change naturally with one's experience.

==Approaches to the study of individual religions==

===Methods of studying religion subjectively (in relation to one's own beliefs)===

These include efforts to determine the meaning and application of "sacred" texts and beliefs in the context of the student's personal worldview. This generally takes one of three forms:

:* one's own — efforts by believers to ascertain the meaning of their own sacred text, and to conform their thoughts and actions to the principles enunciated in the text. For most believers, this involves a lifetime process of study, analysis, and practice. Some faiths, such as Hassidic Judaism, emphasize adherence to a set of rules and rituals. Other faiths, such as Christianity, emphasize the internalization and application of a set of abstract principles, such as Love, Justice, or Faith. Some believers interpret their scriptures literally, and apply the text exactly as it is written. Other believers try to interpret scripture through its context, to derive abstract principles which they may apply more directly to their lives and contexts.

:* another's compared to one's own — efforts by believers of one belief system attempt to describe a different belief system in terms of their own beliefs. One example of this method is in David Strauss's 1835 ''The Life of Jesus.'' Strauss's theological approach strikes from the Biblical text the descriptions of [[angel]]s and [[miracle]]s which, due to his presupposition that supernatural events do not occur, he does not believe could have occurred. He then concludes that the stories must have been inserted by a "supernaturalist" merely trying to make an important story more convincing. In this course of his argument, Strauss argues that the supernaturalist who inserted the angels into the story of the birth of [[Jesus|Christ]] borrowed the heathen doctrine of angels from the Babylonians who had held the Jews in captivity. That is, the New Testament's fabulous role for angels "is evidently a product of the influence of the Zend religion of the Persians on the Jewish mind." Due to his presumption that supernatural events do not occur, he dismisses the possibility that both cultures came to believe in angels independently, as a result of their own experiences and context.

:* another's as defined by itself — efforts by believers of one belief system to understand the heart and meaning of another faith on its own terms. This very challenging approach to understanding religion presumes that each religion is a self-consistent system whereby a set of beliefs and actions depend upon each other for coherence, and can ''only'' be understood in relation to each other. This method requires the student to investigate the philosophical, emotional, religious, and social presuppositions that adherents of another religion develop and apply in their religious life, before applying their own biases, and evaluating the other faith. For instance, an individual who personally does not believe in miracles may attempt to understand why adherents of another religion believe in miracles, and then attempt to understand how the individual's belief in miracles affects their daily life. While the individual may still himself not believe in miracles, he may begin to develop an understanding of why people of other faiths choose to believe in them.

===Methods of studying religion objectively (in a scientific and religiously neutral fashion)===

There are a variety of methods employed to study religion which seek to be scientifically neutral. One's interpretation of these methods depends on one's approach to the relationship between religion and science, as discussed above.

*'''Historical, archeological, and literary approaches''' to religion include attempts to discover the sacred writings at the "dawn of humanity." For example, Max Müller in 1879 launched a project to translate the earliest [[sacred text|sacred texts]] of [[Hinduism]] into English in the ''Sacred Books of the East.'' Müller's intent was to translate for the first time the "bright" as well as the "dark sides" of non-Christian religions into English. [http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sbe01/sbe01002.htm]

:Critics note that historical, archeological, and literary approaches are scientific insofar as they uncover the facts of ancient religions, and seek to understand and interpret those facts within their context. They assert that the approaches are unscientific, however, insofar as they make value judgments as to which parts of ancient religions are "bright" and which are "dark," because value judgments are beyond the realm of the verifiable phenomena of science.

*'''Anthropological approaches''' include attempts to lay out the principles of [[Indigenous peoples|native tribes]] that have had little contact with [[Scientific Revolution|modern technology]] as in [[John Lubbock|John Lubbock's]] ''The Origin of Civilization and the Primitive Condition of Man.'' [http://darwin.lib.cam.ac.uk/perl/nav?pclass=calent&pkey=7286]

:The term "religion" is extremely problematic for anthropologists, and approaches to the subject are quite varied within the discipline. Some anthropologists (along with many other academics) take the view that religion, particularly in less technically complex cultures, is a form of ''proto-science''--a primitive attempt to explain & predict phenomena in the natural world, similar to modern science but less advanced.

:However, many (if not most) modern anthropologists reject this view (a form of [[social evolutionism]]) as antiquated, over-simplified, ethnically and intellectually chauvanistic, and unsupported by cross-cultural evidence. [[Science]] has very specific methods and aims, while the term "religion" encompasses a huge spectrum of practices, goals, and social functions. In addition to explaining the world (natural or otherwise), religions may also provide mechanisms for maintaining social & psychological well-being, and the foundations of moral/ethical, economic, and political reasoning.

:While many early anthropologists attempted to catalogue and universalize these functions and their origins, modern researchers have tended to back away from such speculation, preferring a more holistic approach: The object of study is the meaning of religious traditions & practices for the practitioners themselves--religion in context--rather than formalized theories about religion in general.

:Critics note that this approach is relativistic, informal, and primarily descriptive--possibly putting it outside the realm of science. Anthropologists themselves remain divided on the issue.

*'''Sociological approaches''' include attempts to explain the development of the ideas of [[morality]] and law, as in for example, Auguste Comte's ''Cours de philosophie positive'' hypothesizing in 1842 that people go through stages of evolution 1) obeying supernatural beings, then 2) manipulating abstract unseen forces, and finally 3) exploring more or less scientifically the social laws and practical governmental structures that work in practice. Within a sociological approach, religion is but the earliest primitive stage of discovering what is morally right and wrong in a civilized society. It is the duty of intelligent men and women everywhere to take responsibility for shaping the society without appealing to a non-existent Divinity to discover empirically what moral concepts actually work in practice, and in the process, the shapers of society must take into account that there is no Divine authority to adjudicate between what are only the opinions of men and women. Comte wrote, in translation, "It can not be necessary to prove to anybody who reads this work that Ideas govern the world, or throw it into chaos; in other words, that all social mechanism rests upon Opinions. The great political and moral crisis that societies are now undergoing is shown by a rigid analysis to arise out of intellectual anarchy." The intellectual anarchy includes the warring oppositions among the world's religions. [http://www.forum-global.de/soc/bibliot/comte/comtepositivephilosophy.htm]

: Critics note that the sociological approaches are scientific insofar as they note that the three "stages" are empirically observable, but unscientific insofar as it makes the value judgment that any one is superior to another, because value judgments are beyond the realm of the verifiable phenomena of science.

*'''Psychological approaches''' include attempts to explain religious urges as invasions from the [[unconscious]], as in [[William James]]'s 1902 ''The Varieties of Religious Experience.'' The experience of God becomes the object of study even though other aspects of God are unknowable. And [[Afterlife|life after death]] can be approached empirically through case studies. James cumulates case studies of the experience of "religion" and categorizes the experiences, including Encounter with the divine, Healthy-mindedness, Sick soul, Divided-self and reunification, Conversion, Saintliness, Mysticism, Practice, Philosophy, Sacrifice, and Confession. [http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/etext96/varre10.txt]

: Critics note that the psychological approaches are scientific insofar as they document and describe experiences of the divine, but are unscientific insofar as they attempt to refute the proposition that the phenomena also contain a supernatural component, which is, by its very nature, beyond the realm of science.

*'''Philosophical approaches''' include attempts to derive [[rationality|rational]] classifications of the views of the world that religions preach as in [[Immanuel Kant]]'s 1788 ''Critique of Practical Reason.'' Within a philosophical approach, the reason for a religious belief should be more important than the emotional attachment to the belief. [http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/etext04/ikcpr10.txt] And in attempting to provide a reasonable basis for morality, Kant proposed the [[categorical imperative]]: "Act only on that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law." [http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/etext04/ikfpm10.txt]

: Critics assert that while philosophical approaches are competent insofar as they logically systematize and compare sets of ''a priori'' fundamental values, they are incompetent insofar as they attempt to assert those ''a priori'' fundamental values.

*'''Neuroscientific approaches''' seek to explore the apparent similarities among religious views dominate in diverse cultures that have had little or no contact, why religion is found in almost every human group, and why humans accept counterintuitive statements in the name of religion. In neuroscience, work by scientists such as Ramachandran and his colleagues from the University of California, San Diego [http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro01/web2/Eguae.html] suggests evidence of brain circuitry in the temporal lobe associated with intense religious experiences. See also neurotheology, the scientific study of the biological basis of spiritual experience.
: In sociology, Rodney Stark has looked at the social forces that have caused religions to grow and the features of religions that have been most successful. For example, Stark, who claims to be an [[agnostic]], hypothesizes that, before Christianity became established as the state religion of Constantinople, Christianity grew rapidly because it provided a practical framework within which non-family members would provide help to other people in the community in a barter system of mutual assistance. Similarly, [[evolutionary psychology]] approaches consider the survival advantages that religion might have given to a community of hunter-gatherers, such as unifying them within a coherent social group.

: Critics assert that while neuroscientific and evolutionary approaches are scientific insofar as they note the practical advantages religions provide their adherents, it is unscientific insofar as it asserts that people subscribe to religions ''merely'' in order to take advantage of those advantages, and exclude the religion's purported attraction: closer experience with Truth and God.

*'''Cognitive psychological approaches''' take a completely different approach to explaining religion. Foremost among them is Pascal Boyer, whose book, ''Religion Explained'', lays out the basics of his theory, and attempts to refute several previous and more direct explanations for the phenomenon of religion. Religion is taken in its widest sense (from holy mountains over ancestral spirits to monotheistic deities). An explanation is offered for human religious behaviour without making a presumption, to the positive or the negative, about the actual subject matter of the religious beliefs. Essentially, the reasoning goes that religion is a side effect to the normal functioning of certain [[subconscious]] intuitive mental faculties which normally apply to physics (enabling prediction of the arc a football will take only seconds after its release, for example), and social networks (to keep track of other people's identity, history, loyalty, etc.), and a variety of others. For instance, the same mechanism that serves to link, without explaining, an event (e.g. rustling of tall grass) with a cause (the possible presence of a predator) will help to form or sustain a belief that two random events are linked, or that an unexplained event is linked to supernatural causes. The reasoning would imply that there is no direct causal link between the subject matter of a belief (e.g. whether the ancestors watch over us) and the fact that there is such a belief.

:Critics assert that cognitive psychological approaches are unfalsifiable [[pseudoscience]], because they assert that religious experience is a "side-effect" of another cognitive faculty without showing any actual connection between the two, and without providing any way to falsify the cognitive psychological explanation by showing the religious experience to be genuine.

For a discussion of the struggle to attain objectivity in the scientific study of religion, see ''Total Truth'' by Nancy Pearcey, who argues that some studies performed pursuant to these methods make claims beyond the realm of observable and verifiable phenomena, and are therefore neither scientific nor religiously neutral.

== Development of religion ==
{{thelema}}
There are several models for understanding how religions develop.
* Models which view religion as untrue include:
** The "Dogma Selection Model," which holds that religions, although untrue in themselves, encode instructions useful for survival, that these ideas "mutate" periodically as they are passed on, and they spread or die out in accord with their effectiveness at improving chances for survival.
** The "Opiate of the Masses Model," in which "Religion in any shape or form is regarded as pernicious and deliberate falsehood, spread and encouraged by rulers and clerics in their own interests, since it is easier to control over the ignorant." -- Bertrand Russel
** The "Theory of Religion Model," in which religion is viewed as arising from some psychological or moral pathology in religious leaders and believers.
* Models which view religion as progressively true include:
** The "Baha'i Prophecy Model," which holds that God has sent a series of prophets to Earth, each of which brought teachings appropriate for his culture and context, but all originating from the same God, and therefore teachings the same essential message.
** The "Great Awakening Model," which holds that religion proceeds along a Hegelian dialectic of thesis, antithesis, synthesis, in cycles of approximately 80 years as a result of the interaction between four archetypal generations, by which old religious beliefs (the thesis) face new challenges for which they are unprepared (the antithesis) and adapt to create new and more sophisticated beliefs (the synthesis).
** The "A Study of History Model," which holds that prophets are given to extraordinary spiritual insight during periods of social decay and act as "surveyors of the course of secular civilization who report breaks in the road and breakdowns in the traffic, and plot a new spiritual course which will avoid those pitfalls."
* Models which view a particular religion as absolutely true include:
** The "[[Judaism|Jewish]] Model", which holds that God relates to humanity through covenents; that he established a covenant with all humanity at the time of [[Noah]] called the [[Noahide Laws]], and that he established a covenant with [[Israel]] through the [[Ten Commandments]].
** The "Exclusivist Models," which hold that one particular is the "One True Religion," and all others are false, so that the development of the True Religion is tied inexorably to one prophet or holy book, and all other religions are seen as originating either in human ignorance or imagination, or a more devious influence, such as false prophets or [[Satan]] himself.

=== Religion in modernity ===
{{thelema}}
In the late 19th century and throughout most of the 20th century [[EV]], the demographics of religion has changed a great deal.

Some historically Christian countries, particularly those in Europe, have experienced a significant decline in Christian religion, shown by declining recruitment for priesthoods and monasteries, fast-diminishing attendance at churches, synagogues, etc. Explanations for this effect include disillusionment with ideology following the ravages of World War II, the materialistic philosophical influence of [[scientism|science]], [[Marxism]] and [[secular Humanism|Humanism]], and a reaction against the exclusivist claims and religious wars waged by many religious groups. This decline is apparently in parallel with increased prosperity and social well-being. It appears increasingly common for people to engage in far-ranging explorations, with many finding spiritual satisfaction outside of organized churches. This is a demographic group whose numbers are growing and whose future impact cannot be predicted.

In the United States, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa, by contrast, studies show that [[Christianity]] is strong and growing stronger, and many believe those areas to have become the new "heart" of Christianity. [[Islam]] is currently the fastest growing religion, and is nearly universal in many states stretching from West Africa to Indonesia, and has grown in world influence in the West. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shintoism remain nearly universal in the Far East, and have greatly influenced spirituality, particularly in the United States. Explanations for the growth of religion in these areas include disillusionment with the perceived failures of secular western ideologies to provide an ethical and moral framework. Believers point to perceived terrors such as [[Naziism]], [[Communism]], [[Colonialism]], [[Secular Humanism]], and [[Materialism]], and the havoc wreaked by such movements around the world. Particularly vehement in this regard are Islamic fundamentalists, who view Western secularism as a serious threat to morality itself. They point to perceived decadence, high rates of divorce, crime, depression, and suicide as evidence of Western social decline, which they believe is caused by the abandonment of Faith by the West.

==== Modern reasons for adherence to religion ====
Typical reasons for adherence to religion include the following:

* '''"Experience or emotion"''': For many, the practice of a religion causes an emotional high that gives pleasure to them. Such emotional highs can come from the singing of traditional hymns to the trance-like states found in the practices of the Whirling Dervishes and Yoga, among others. People continue to associate with those practices that give pleasure and, in so far as it is connected with religion, join in religious organizations that provide those practices.

* '''"Supernatural connection"''': Most religions postulate a reality which include both the natural and the supernatural. Most adherents of religion consider this to be of critical importance, since it permits belief in unseen and otherwise potentially unknowable aspects of life, including hope of eternal life.

* '''"Rational analysis"''': For some, adherence is based on intellectual evaluation that has led them to the conclusion that the teachings of that religion most closely describe reality. Among Christians this basis for belief is often given by those influenced by C.S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer, as well as some who teach young earth Creationism.

* '''"Moderation"''': Many religions have approaches that produce practices that place limitations on the behaviour of their adherents. This is seen by many as a positive influence, potentially protecting adherents from the destructive or even fatal excesses to which they might otherwise be susceptible. Many people from many faiths contend that their faith brings them fulfillment, peace, and joy, apart from worldly interests.

* '''"Authority"''': Most religions are authoritarian in nature, and thus provide their adherents with spiritual and moral role models, who they believe can bring highly positive influences both to adherents and society in general.

* '''"Moral framework"''': Most religions see early childhood education in religion and spirituality as essential moral and spiritual [[socialization|formation]], whereby individuals are given a proper grounding in ethics, instilling and internalizing moral discipline.

* '''"Majesty and tradition"''': People can form positive views of religion based on the visible manifestations of religion, e.g., ceremonies which appear majestic and reassuringly constant, and ornate cloth.

* '''"Community and culture"''': Organized religions promote a sense of community. The combination of moral and cultural common ground often results in a variety of social and support networks. Some ostensibly "religious" individuals may even have a substantially secular viewpoint, but retain adherence to religious customs and viewpoints for cultural reasons, such as continuation of traditions and family unity. Judaism, for example, has a particularly strong tradition of "secular" adherents.

* '''"Fulfillment"''': Most traditional religions require sacrifice of their followers, but, in turn, the followers may gain much from their membership therein. Thus, they come away from experiences with these religions with the feeling that their needs have been filled. In fact, studies have shown that religious adherents tend to be happier and less prone to stress than non-religious people.

* '''"Spiritual and psychological benefits"''': Each religion asserts that it is a means by which its adherents may come into closer contact with God, Truth, and Spiritual Power. They all promise to free adherents from spiritual bondage, and bring them into spiritual freedom. It naturally follows that a religion which frees its adherents from deception, sin, and spiritual death will have significant mental health benefits. [[Abraham Maslow]]'s research after [[World War II]] showed that [[Holocaust]] survivors tended to be those who held strong religious beliefs (not necessarily temple attendance, etc), suggesting it helped people cope in extreme circumstances. [[Humanistic psychology]] went on to investigate how religious or spiritual identity may have correlations with longer lifespan and better health. The study found that humans may particularly need religious ideas to serve various emotional needs such as the need to feel loved, the need to belong to homogenous groups, the need for understandable explanations and the need for a guarantee of ultimate justice. Other factors may involve sense of purpose, sense of identity, sense of contact with the divine. See also ''Man's Search for Meaning'', by Victor Frankl, detailing his experience with the importance of religion in surviving the Holocaust. Critics assert that the very fact that religion was the primary selector for research subjects may have introduced a bias, and that the fact that all subjects were holocaust survivors may also have had an effect. A study of [[adolescent]]s found that frequent church-goers with high spiritual support had the lowest scores on the Beck [[clinical depression|depression]] inventory (Wright et al., 1993).[http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p001078.html]

* '''"Practical benefits"''': Religions may sometimes provide breadth and scale for visionary inspirations in compassion, practical charity, and moral restraint. Christianity is noted for the founding of many major universities, the creation of early hospitals, the provision of food and medical supplies to the needy, and the creation of orphanages and schools, amongst other charitable acts. Many other religions (and non-religious organisations and individuals, eg: humanistic [[Oxfam]]) have also performed equivalent or similar work.

==== Modern reasons for rejecting religion ====
Typical reasons for rejection of religion include the following:

* '''"Irrational and unbelievable creeds"''': Some religions postulate a reality which may be seen as stretching credulity and logic, and even some believers may have difficulty accepting particular religious assertions about nature, the supernatural and the afterlife. Some people believe the body of evidence available to humans to be insufficent to justify certain religious beliefs. They may thus disagree with religious interpretations of ethics and human purpose, and theistic views of [[creation belief|creation]]. This reason has been abetted by an anti-intellectual reaction to "modernism" among many [[Fundamentalist Christianity|fundamentalist Christians]].

* '''"Restrictiveness"''': Many religions have (or have had in the past) an approach that produces, or produced, practices that are considered by some people to be too restrictive, e.g., regulation of dress, and proscriptions on diet and activities on certain days of the week. Some feel that religion is the antithesis of prosperity, fun, enjoyment and pleasure. This causes them to reject it entirely, or to see it as only to be turned to in times of trouble.

* '''"Self-promotion"''': Some individuals place themselves in positions of power and privilege through promotion of specific religious views, e.g., the [[Osho|Bhagwan/Osho interlude]], [[Reverend Moon]] of the [[Unification Church]] (sometimes called Moonie movement), and other controversial [[new religious movement]]s pejoratively called [[cult]]s. Such self-promotion has tended to reduce public confidence in many things that are called "religion." Similarly, highly publicized cases of abuse by the clergy of several religions have tended to reduce public confidence in the underlying message.

* '''"Promotion of ignorance"''': Many [[atheism|atheists]] and [[agnosticism|agnostics]] see early childhood education in religion and spirituality as a form of [[brainwashing]] or social [[conditioning]], essentially concurring with the [[Marxism|Marxian]] view that "religion is the [[opiate]] of the masses", with [[addiction]] to it fostered when people are too young to choose.

* '''"Dulling of the mind against reality"''': [[Hegel]], [[Feuerbach]], and [[Karl Marx|Marx]] developed atheist views that reality is sometimes painful, there is no God to assist people in dealing with it, and people must learn to deal with problems themselves in order to survive. Per this view, religion in modern times, while it may decrease pain in the short run by providing hope and optimism, in the long run hinders the ability of people to deal with their problems by providing false hope. Hence in 1844, in ''Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's'' 'Philosophy of Right', Marx said of religion, "It is the [[opiate]] [most likely in the traditional sense of an [[opium]]-like drug] of the masses." [http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1843/critique-hpr/intro.htm]

* '''"Unsuitable moral systems in mainstream religions"''': Some argue that simplistic absolutism taught by some religions impairs a child's moral capacity to deal with a world of complex and varied temptations in which, in reality, there is no God to inform or assist.

* '''"Unappealing forms of practice"''': People can form a negative view, based upon the manifestations of religion, e.g., ceremonies which appear pointless and repetitive, arcane clothing, and exclusiveness in membership requirements.

* '''"Detrimental effect on government"''': Many atheists and agnostics believe that religion, because it insists that people believe certain claims "on [[faith]]" without sufficient evidence, hinders the rational/logical thought processes necessary for effective government. For example, a leader who believes that God will intervene to save humans from environmental disasters may be less likely to attempt to reduce the risk of such disasters through human action. Also, in many countries, religious organizations have tremendous political power, and in some countries can even control government almost completely. Disillusionment with forms of theocratic government, such as practiced in Iran, can lead people to question the legitimacy of any religious beliefs used to justify non-secular government.

* '''"Detrimental effect on personal responsibility"''': Many atheists and agnostics believe that many religions, because they state that God will intervene to help individuals who are in trouble, cause people to be less responsible for themselves. For example, a person who believes that God will intervene to save him if he gets into financial difficulties may conclude that it is unnecessary to be financially responsible himself (Some believers, however, would consider this a misrepresentation of religion: they would say that God only helps people who take initiative themselves first.) This attitude can be taken to extremes: there are instances of believers refusing life-saving medical treatment (or even denying it to their children) because they believe that God will cure them.

* '''"Forsaking of traditional practices and beliefs"''': Some modern religions have replaced traditional [[dogma]] with [[doctrine|teachings]], moral positions and practices perceived as so "modern" and liberal that followers may not be greatly distinguished from "non-religious" individuals. People with traditional views may lose confidence in the judgement of religious leaders who support such positions, leading them to lose confidence in their beliefs, seek alternative religions or look for organizations still teaching traditional dogma.

* '''"Tensions between proselytizing and secularizing"''': Increasingly secular beliefs have been steadily on the rise in many nations. An increasing acceptance of a secular worldview, combined with efforts to prevent "religious" beliefs from influencing society and government policy, may have led to a corresponding decline in religious belief, especially of more traditional forms.

* '''"Cause of conflict and hatred"''': Many religions, or at least some interpretations of certain religions, state that certain groups (particularly those that do not belong to the religion in question) are "inferior" and deserve contempt. For example, Christianity states that non-Christians will go to hell, and many fundamentalist Christians believe that God disapproves of homosexuality, and by implication homosexuals [http://www.godhatesfags.com 1]. According to some critics of religion, these beliefs can encourage completely unnecessary conflicts and in some cases even wars. The [[Israeli-Palestinian conflict]] is often cited as an example of a religion-induced conflict.

==See also==
*[[Thelema & Religion]]

==References==
*Sabazius. "Scientific Religion." 5/1/2002. http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/FGMV4N1.htm Retrieved 1/16/2005.
*Heidrick, Bill. "From the Outbasket" in ''Thelema Lodge Calendar'', November , 1992. http://www.billheidrick.com/tlc1992/tlc1192.htm Retrieved 1/16/2005.
*Wikipedia (2005). [http://en.wikipedia.org/Approaches_to_distinguishing_religion_from_non-religion Approaches to distinguishing religion from non-religion]. Retrieved March 8, 2005 [[EV]].
*Wikipedia (2005). [http://en.wikipedia.org/Religion Religion]. Retrieved March 8, 2005 [[EV]].
*Crowley, Aleister. (1982). Magick Without Tears. Phoenix, AZ : Falcon Press.
*Hinton, Simon. [http://homepage.sunrise.ch/homepage/prkoenig/simon5.htm Liber AL Intelligence]. Retrieved 8 March 2005.
*Sanborn, Michael. [http://www.ecsd.com/~msanborn/transcend.html Transcending the Predator]. Retrieved 8 March 2005.
*V.I.T.R.I.O.L., Fr. (Anno IV:viii). ''Lion & Serpent: The Official Journal of Sekhet-Maat Lodge, OTO''. [http://www.sekhetmaat.com/www/html/journal/issues/vol5/vol5no3.pdf An Analysis of the Gnostic Mass, Part 1]. Retrieved 8 March 2005.

==External links==
* [http://www.iinet.net.au/~rabbit/churchan.htm Religion and consideration of animals]
* [http://www.comparative-religion.com/ World Religions]
* [http://www.religiousbook.net/Books/Online_books/Lf/Life_2.html Common Religion]
* [http://elsaglover.netfirms.com/science_and_religion.htm Science and Religion] by Elsa M. Glover (Ph.D. in Physics)
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3971045.stm What does it mean to be human?] BBC article about Flores Man and religion
* [http://www.geocities.com/guuptaa/rsd.htm Religion, Science and Democracy] Religion's competition with Science and Democracy
* [http://www.theowiki.com/index.php/Main_Page TheoWiki]
*[http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/mwt/mwt_31.html ''Magick without Tears'', Chapter 31] at [http://www.hermetic.com/ Hermetic.com].
*[http://www.magusbooks.com/OGA/cop/sword1.htm Freedom is a Two-Edged Sword] in [http://www.magusbooks.com/OGA/cop.htm Centers of Pestilence] at [http://www.magusbooks.com/main/ Magusbooks.com].
[[Category:Religion]]

Talk:Thelema

2005-02-26T20:41:35Z

Isomeme: Proposed substitute for Ash's first paragraph

==DISCUSSION: Different views of Thelema==

'''To all editors:''' this discussion surrounds the following paragraph currently in Thelema:

:'''Different views of Thelema'''

:'''Not all adherents of Thelema consider it a religion or subscribe to the philosophy of True Will as outlined in Aleister Crowley's writings. Thelemites may or may not believe in the necessity of Canon or Theology as outlined in this article. Many require nothing more than an acceptance of the message of The Book of the Law as interpreted by the individual, each for him or herself.'''

There is debate over the appropriateness of this paragraph. Thelemapedia is inviting you to share your opinion and offer solutions. Please put your comments in a sub-header: e.g. <nowiki>===My Solution===</nowiki>

===Ash's solution===

I believe this statement is subtractive, rather than additive, and provides no substantive information from the knowedge base. However, I agree with the principle of including alternative points of view, which is why I added the link to the new article, [[Alternative Views of Thelema]]. I think the paragraph in Thelema article should be more generic, such as:

:'''Thelema is many things to many people, and no single definition can encapsulate it for every Thelemite. It can be experienced and manifested as (but not limited to) religion, philosophy, a set of practices, a system of magick, ethical guidelines, lifestyle, culture, or political viewpoint. Even the requirements for being a Thelemite are not clear, and are often defined by the individual herself. There are also Thelemic movements that have serious differences in opinion from Aleister Crowley and his interpretations of Liber Legis. '''

:'''For a more complete review on these differences, see [[Alternative Views of Thelema]].'''

What do you think?

===Thiebes' solution===

Since Crowley himself has written some things which would appear to support the nonreligious view of Thelema, and since I myself know personally several adherents to this view, it seems obvious to me that this view should be included, along with the various ways that people reconcile (or reduce) Crowley's apparent self-contradiction on the topic.

I notice there is an entry for "Thelema and Religion." This seems to be the most appropriate place, to me, to discuss the question of whether Thelema is or is not a religion. Indeed, that is where quotes from Crowley ''supporting'' the religious view are found (rather than in the article on Thelema).

Ash, your paragraph beginning with "Thelema is many things to many people" minimizes the important fact that Crowley himself wrote contradictory things on the question of whether Thelema is a religion. I find it a rather condescending approach.

My solution is as follows. I don't actually have time to write the final text as I'm imagining it, but basically add a couple of sentences in the article on "Thelema" about this controversy. Refer to the "Thelema and Religion" article. Then move the "Different views" paragraph to the latter article, add quotes from Crowley to support the position (as in MWT), and describe the relationship of Thelema to Religion as one which draws continued controversy. Finally remove the "Alternative views" article since the very title suggests that the views are not to be found in the literature.

=== Isomeme's revision to Ash's solution ===

I think the key problem is that all religion (or mysticism, or whatever label you choose) is in the end subjective, so to say that Thelema is a matter of interpretation and opinion verges on tautology. Here's my proposed rewrite of Ash's first paragraph above:

:'''Thelema, like any religious or mystical system, is in the end a matter of personal experience. There is no objective standard to determine who is or is not a Thelemite, nor what beliefs, practices, interpretations, or goals are compatible or incompatible with Thelema. Unlike some religious systems, there is no single authority which claims jurisdiction over Thelemic orthodoxy, leaving the field open to a variety of organizations, movements, and individuals, each approaching Thelema differently.'''

:'''The only seemingly unequivocal instruction Thelema provides in this matter is this line from the Class A Comment on Liber AL: "All questions of the Law are to be decided only by appeal to my writings, each for himself."'''

Thiebes, I'm not sure I follow your argument re "Alternate Views". These alternatives are very much to be found in "the literature", taking that to mean the work of modern self-identified Thelemites. Can you clarify, please?

[[User:Isomeme|Isomeme]]

== Other Personalities in Liber Legis, edits ==

I edited the '''Hrumachis''' summary, because it reflected an inaccurate reading of Liber AL. Hrumachis ''is'' RHK, who will "arise" (i.e. vacate the Throne of the Aeon) at the future Equinox of the Gods. "The double-wanded one" is Thmaist (Maat), who is '''not''' Hrumachis. But see how quickly this sort of thing gets pestilential?

:Thanks for the technical corrections. [[User:Ash|Fr. Ash]]

:I'm not sure this is correct. Doesn't Hru-machis mean "Horus of the Star" while RHK means "Horus of the Two Horizons"? I have always thought that they are two different forms of Horus. What you say about ''arise'' is ''attractive'', but not convincing unless there is something that shows that the Egyptians considered the two identical. Neither the old nor new comment mentions this identity... [[User:Aleph|Aleph]]

::"Two different forms of Horus" is fine. I wasn't trying to establish any more precise equivalence than that. In the Extenuation ("New Comment," so-called by Regardie), Crowley takes a somewhat different tack, vaguely identifiying Hrumachis with "any new course of events." Still it was expressly as "Harmachis" (among others) that Crowley invoked Horus--who then revealed himself as the Lord of the Aeon--in the Cairo working; see the Great Invocation, section Beta II Beth.
::Also, I am in turn skeptical of your implied assertion that Egyptological data are final arbiters regarding the "personalities" (as the present article has it) who wear their names and attributes in Thelemic literature and doctrine.--[[User:Paradoxosalpha|Paradoxosalpha]] 21:46, 24 Feb 2005 (CST)

Also, how did '''Chaos''' get into this list? Where does that name appear in Liber Legis? --[[User:Paradoxosalpha|Paradoxosalpha]] 16:36, 22 Feb 2005 (CST)

:RIght you are. However, the list was intended to reflect "dieties" that are promenant in Thelema, not just Liber AL. Perhaps the header should change to include all Thelemic holy books? [[User:Ash|Fr. Ash]]
::I certainly prefer the present "personalities" to "deities," in terms of avoiding metaphysical recklessness. As it stands, every entry on the list can be found in Liber Legis ''except'' for Chaos. If you open it up to all the Holy Books, it's a real can of worms: Adonai from Liber LXV? Iacchus and Al A'ain the Priest from Liber VII? All 44 spirits from CCXXXII?--[[User:Paradoxosalpha|Paradoxosalpha]] 21:46, 24 Feb 2005 (CST)

While "deities" is problematic as a term, I'm not convinced that "personalities" as a designator really works either - particularly because its absence in the literature. Personally, I think the differentiations are important and should be delineated where possible. For example: "Archangels" could include Ithuriel as "Genii" could include Malkunofat from 231.
- aishmlchmh

== Different Views of Thelema ==

It's silly to make a big deal out of the insistence of some professed Thelemites that Thelema is not a religion. This issue does not pertain specifically to Thelema, but rather to '''religion''' generally. It is very common (as Google will show) to find Christians who say that Christianity is not a religion ("It's a personal relationship with Jesus!"), Muslims who say that Islam is not a religion ("It's a way of life!"), Jews who say that Judaism is not religion ("It's a heritage!"), etc. etc. In virtually all cases, this rhetorical trope appears to be an attempt to priviledge the "non-religion" of the adherent above all of the other mere religions. As an aspiring source of "academic" information on Thelema, Thelemapedia shouldn't capitulate to such gambits. If we must take note of them, we should properly contextualize them as a feature of ''religious discourse'' that transcends creed and tradition. [http://www.islamfortoday.com/islamisareligion.htm Here] is a fairly articulate essay on this topic from the perpective of an American convert to Islam.--[[User:Paradoxosalpha|Paradoxosalpha]] 22:14, 24 Feb 2005 (CST)

:You're right. It's silly to make such a big deal out if it as you are doing. Also, by implying that the inclusion of a single paragraph is silly, you are dismissing the views of actual groups of people and their beliefs, and implying that their beliefs are silly. Is this an attempt to marginalize a subset of Thelemites? Is the front page claim of Thelemapedia, "Everyone from every corner of the Thelemic universe is welcome to add knowledge to the encyclopedia by becoming an editor," simply a falsehood, a gambit to attract more editors for this Wiki, perhaps with the intent to quietly edit out non-orthodox views at a later date when those editors are no longer actively paying attention? [[User:Aleph|Aleph]]

U.S. Grand Lodge

2005-02-11T06:59:19Z

Isomeme: New entry

United States Grand Lodge, [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] (commonly abbreviated as U.S.
Grand Lodge or U.S.G.L.) is the administrative body for O.T.O. in the
United States of America and its territories and possessions. U.S.G.L. was the
first national section of O.T.O. to be chartered separately from international headquarters in the modern era. It was established by [[Hymenaeus Beta]] in 1994, with [[Sabazius]] X° appointed to serve as Rex Summus Sanctissimus ("Supreme and Holy King").

As of February 2005, U.S. Grand Lodge includes more than 40 local bodies in
26 states, serving approximately 2000 active members. U.S.G.L. supports significantly more O.T.O. activity than the remainder of the world combined.

===References===

[http://oto-usa.org/ The U.S. Grand Lodge website]

Agape

2005-02-11T06:50:17Z

Isomeme: Added periods to the U.S. in U.S. Grand Lodge

'''Agape''' (''AH-gah-pay''), sometimes rendered as Agapé, is the English transliteration of the Greek word Αγαπη, meaning "love". Specifically, Agape refers to spiritual or "higher" love as opposed to Eros, the "lower" or sexual love.

In the original Greek text, I Corinthians chapter 13 concerns ''agape''. In later Latin Bibles, the translated term was ''caritas''.

Early [[Christians]] refered to their rite of common worship as an "Agape feast", which appears to have been characterized by group sexual activity as well as the sharing of the eucharist.

==Agape and Thelema==

The word Agape is important to [[Thelemites]] for numerological reasons. <cite>[[The Book of the Law]]</cite>, Chapter I, verse 39 states that "The word of the Law is Θελημα" ([[Thelema]]), which means "Will" in classic Greek. Using the most common form of Greek [[gematria]], Thelema adds up to [[93]], which is therefore an extremely significant number to Thelemites.

Verse 57 of the same chapter contains the sentence "Love is the law, love under will." This seems to indicate that love and will are to be balanced or equilibrated. As it turns out, though the word does not appear in the book, Agape also enumerates to 93, so it is commonly used as an equivalent Greek term for "love" in the sense appearing in this verse, balancing Thelema.

[[Aleister Crowley]] suggested that Thelemites use "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" as a greeting, and "Love is the law, love under will" as a farewell. Using the numerology above, it is common to abbreviate both of these to "93", especially in verbal communication. In informal written communication between Thelemites, it is common to see the greeting rendered as "93", and the farewell as "93 93/93", which is shorthand for "Love (the left 93) is the law, love (the denominator) under will (the numerator)".

==Agape and the OTO==

The word "Agape" has played several roles in the history of [[Ordo Templi Orientis]]. The first chartered local body in North America was Agape Lodge #1 in Vancouver, Canada; the second was Agape Lodge #2 in Los Angeles (later Pasadena), California. 

When [[Hymenaeus Beta]] became the Outer Head of OTO in 1985, he designated the United States governmental apparatus of OTO as "Agape Grand Lodge" to distinguish it from the earlier seat of Order government under [[Hymenaeus Alpha]], Thelema Lodge. This practice persisted until 1994 when [[U.S. Grand Lodge]] was officially established as a separate entity from OTO International, at which time the "Agape" name was dropped. However, the name survives in the title of the official U.S. Grand Lodge periodical <cite>Agapé</cite>.

Zeus

2005-02-11T06:40:34Z

Isomeme: Corrected internal cross-ref

{{greekgods}}
'''Zeús''' Krónios (descendant of Cronus), or simply Zeús or Zdeús (Greek Ζεύς) or Dias (Greek Δίας) ("divine king") is the leader of the gods and god of the sky and thunder in Greek mythology.

==Etymology==

Zeus is the continuation of Dyeus, the supreme god in Indo-European religion, also continued as Vedic Dyaus Pitar (cf. Jupiter), and as Tyr (Ziu, Tiw, Tiwaz) in Germanic and Norse mythology. Tyr was however supplanted by Odin as the supreme god among the Germanic peoples and the Germanic tribes did not identify Zeus/Jupiter with either Tyr or Odin, but with Thor.

==Early Career==

==Birth==

Cronus sired several children by Rhea: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, but swallowed them all as soon as they were born, since he had learned from Gaia and Uranus that he was destined to be overcome by his own son as he had overthrown his own father. But when Zeus was about to be born, Rhea sought Uranus and Gaia to devise a plan to save him, so that Cronus would get his retribution for his acts against Uranus and his own children. Rhea gave birth to Zeus in Crete, handing Cronus a rock wrapped in swaddling clothes, which he promptly swallowed.

==Childhood==

Rhea hid Zeus in a cave on Mount Ida in Crete. According to varying versions of the story:

#He was then raised by Gaia.
#He was raised by a goat named Amalthea, while a company of Kouretes, soldiers, or smaller gods danced, shouted and clapped their hands to make noise so that Cronus would not hear the baby's cry. (See cornucopia.)
#He was raised by a nymph named Adamanthea. Since Cronus ruled over the Earth, the heavens and the sea, she hid him by dangling him on a rope from a tree so he was suspended between earth, sea and sky and thus, invisible to his father.
#He was raised by a nymph named Cynosura. In gratitude, Zeus placed her among the stars after her death.
#He was raised by Melissa, who nursed him with goat-milk

==Zeus becomes king of the gods==

After reaching manhood, Zeus forced Cronus to disgourge the other children in reverse order of swallowing: first the stone, which was set down at Pytho under the glens of Parnassus to be a sign to mortal men, then the rest. In some versions, Metis gave Cronus an emetic to force him to disgorge the babies, or Zeus cut Cronus' stomach open. Then Zeus released the brothers of Cronus, the Gigantes, the Hecatonchires and the Cyclopes, from their dungeon in Tartarus; he killed their guard, Campe. As gratitude, the Cyclopes gave him thunder and the thunderbolt and lightning, which had previously been hidden by Gaia. Together, Zeus and his brothers and sisters, along with the Gigantes, Hecatonchires and Cyclopes overthrew Cronus and the other Titans.

After the battle with the Titans, Zeus shared the world with his elder brothers, Poseidon and Hades by drawing lots: Zeus got the land, Poseidon the sea and Hades the world of the shadows (the dead). (See also: Penthus)

Gaia was upset that Zeus had killed the Titans, because they were her children. Soon after taking the throne as king of the gods, Zeus had to fight some of Gaia's other children, the monsters Typhon and Echidna. He killed Typhon, but left Echidna and their children alive as challenges for future heroes.

==The Joys of Married Life==

Zeus was brother and husband of Hera. Their children were Hephaistos, Eileithyia, Hebe and Ares. Zeus is famous for his many extramarital affairs with various goddesses — notably Demeter, Latona, Dione and Maia — and mortal women — notably Semele, Io, Europa and Leda (for more details, see "Seductions" below), as well as many nymphs. His wife, Hera, was very jealous and consistently tried to harm Zeus' mistresses and their children by him. For a time, a nymph named Echo had the job of distracting Hera from his affairs by incessantly talking. When Hera discovered the deception, she cursed Echo to only speak the words of others (hence our modern word "echo").

==Seductions==

A less squeamish age called these the "Rapes" of Zeus, for these were not love affairs but mythic events that in case after case record the localized cult of a water or wood nymph that has been supplanted by the conquering Olympian patrilineal order, effecting a cultural, social and religious revolution, or at the least a radical reform of ancient beliefs and reinterpreted readings for long-established cult practices.

It is notable that none of these liaisons involve any of the Olympian goddesses. Zeus may father upon the nymph the eponymous progenitor of a race of kings which may survive into heroic times or archaic history. In many cases "jealous" Hera, the goddess who represents conservative religious traditions, wreaks vengeance on the faithless "turncoat" who succumbs to the new order (see Io, etc.). Whenever the seduced female is human, the inquisitive reader soon finds that her mother was a nymph or demi-goddess.
[[Category:Greek Godforms]]
[[Category:Godforms]]

Persephone

2005-02-11T06:37:19Z

Isomeme: New entry

In Greek mythology, Persephone was the maiden daughter of [[Demeter]], sister of [[Zeus]] and goddess of agriculture and fertility. While gathering flowers, Persephone was abducted by [[Hades]], ruler of the underworld and brother of Zeus. Hades desired to make Persephone his wife and queen, but Demeter demanded her return. Angry at Zeus's vacillation, Demeter caused all crops to die, threatening mankind with starvation. Zeus relented and attempted to persuade Hades to return Persephone to her mother.

However, while in the underworld Persephone had made the mistake of eating six pomegranate seeds; this formed a [[magical link]] between her and the underworld of Hades. As a result, a compromise was reached in which Persephone spent six months of the year above ground, living with Demeter, and six months (one for each pomegranate seed) in the underworld, raining as queen beside Hades. This cycle is taken to account for the alternation of seasons between the life and growth of spring and summer and the death and decay of fall and winter.

It probable that the [[Eleusinian Mysteries]] consisted in part of a reenactment of this myth cycle.

Gnostic Creed

2004-12-11T05:34:02Z

Isomeme: Fixed EGC misspelling

A creed is a statement of belief—usually religious belief—or faith. The word derives from the Latin ''credo'' for "I believe". The creed of [[Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica]]—also known as the '''Gnostic Creed'''—is recited in the [[Gnostic Mass]], during the Ceremony of the Introit.

The text of the Creed is as follows:

::I believe in one secret and ineffable LORD; and in one Star in the Company of Stars of whose fire we are created, and to which we shall return; and in one Father of Life, Mystery of Mystery, in His name [[Chaos|CHAOS]], the sole viceregent of the Sun upon the Earth; and in one Air the nourisher of all that breathes.

::And I believe in one Earth, the Mother of us all, and in one Womb wherein all men are begotten, and wherein they shall rest, Mystery of Mystery, in Her name [[Babalon|BABALON]].

::And I believe in the [[Lion-Serpent|Serpent and the Lion]], Mystery of Mystery, in His name [[Baphomet|BAPHOMET]].

::And I believe in one [[Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica|Gnostic and Catholic Church]] of Light, Life, Love and Liberty, the Word of whose Law is [[Thelema|THELEMA]].

::And I believe in the communion of [[The Gnostic Saints|Saints]].

::And, forasmuch as meat and drink are transmuted in us daily into spiritual substance, I believe in the Miracle of the Mass.

::And I confess one Baptism of Wisdom whereby we accomplish the Miracle of Incarnation.

::And I confess my life one, individual, and eternal that was, and is, and is to come.

::AUMGN. AUMGN. AUMGN.

==Explication of the Creed==

The first six articles profess several beliefs by the congregants. The remaining two are confessions. The Creed ends with the Thelemic form of the Pranava, equivilent to the sacred Vedic syllable "Aum" or to the “Amen” of the the Judaeo-Christian tradition. On the basic form of the Creed, Sabazius and Helena (1998) write:

:The first 4 clauses are attributed to the four letters of [[Tetragrammaton]] YHVH: the Father ([[Chaos]]); the Mother ([[Babalon]]); the Union of Father and Mother in the Son ([[Baphomet]]); and the Daughter, the Bride of the Son (the [[Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica|Church]]). The two following clauses describe the essential products of the Mass from the perspective of the congregation. The final two clauses are in the form of confession rather than belief and describe parallels between the occurrences in the Mass and the life of the individual.

The six articles of belief in the Creed can also be seen as corresponding with certain elements in the Gnostic Mass:

*''The Lord:'' The Priest
*''One Star:'' the Deacon
*''Chaos:'' the Lance (of the Priest)
*''Air:'' the Sword (of the Priestess)
*''One Earth:'' the Paten
*''One Womb:'' the Cup
*''Babalon:'' the Priestess
*''Baphomet:'' the Eucharist
*''The Church:'' the Congregation
*''The Miracle:'' the consumption and ingestion of the Eucharist

==Other Creeds==

*[[Nicene Creed]]—Christianity
*[[Apostles Creed]]—Christianity
*[[Shahada Creed]]—Islam

==References==

*Sabazius & Helena. (1998). ''[http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/creed_egc.htm The Creed of the Gnostic Catholic Church: an Examination]''. Retrieved Sept. 20, 2004.
*[http://www.scarletwoman.org/docs/docs_mass.html Liber XV, The Gnostic Mass]

[[Category:Thelema]]
[[Category:Rites & Rituals]]
[[Category:Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica]]
[[Category:The Gnostic Mass]]

Saying Will

2004-12-11T05:30:44Z

Isomeme: Fixed 'Creed' link

'''Saying Will''' is a short [[ritual]] practiced by many [[Thelemites]] before meals, serving a similar purpose as saying Grace does for many Christians. Its earliest appearance in print is in [[Aleister Crowley]]'s novel ''Moonchild''.

The ritual of Saying Will is intended to maintain the focus of those who practice it on [[The Great Work]] by reminding them that even so mundane an act as eating a meal is an essential part of that Work. In this reminding function, it is similar to the four daily solar adorations of [[Liber Resh]].

Expanding on the practice of Saying Will in ''Book 4'' (Ch. XIII, footnote), Crowley writes:

:''One may also add the inquiry "What is the Great Work?" and answer appropriately, when it seems useful to specify the nature of the Operation in progress at the time. The point is to seize every occasion of bringing every available force to bear upon the objective of the assault. It does not matter what the force is (by any standard of judgment) so long as it plays its proper part in securing the success of the general purpose.''

On a more esoteric level, comparison may be made to a tenet of the [[Gnostic Creed|Creed]] of the [[Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica]]: "And forasmuch as meat and drink are transmuted in us daily into spiritual substance, I believe in the miracle of the Mass."

There are several variant forms of this ritual. In the simplest and most common, the ''leader'' begins, the ''participants'' call out the questions, and the ''leader'' provides the answers and closes. This form is suitable for use even when the participants are unfamiliar with the ritual. The type of knock used and wording may be varied according to local custom or particular purposes.

==The Common Form==

:'''Leader''': ''(knocks 3-5-3)'' Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

:'''All''': What is thy will?

:'''Leader''': It is my will to eat and to drink.

:'''All''': To what end?

:'''Leader''': That I may fortify my body thereby.

:'''All''': To what end?

:'''Leader''': That I may accomplish the Great Work.

:'''All''': Love is the law, love under will.

:'''Leader''': ''(knocks once)'' Fall to!

==An Alternate Method==

When all present are familiar with the ritual, it is possible to have the ''leader'' ask the questions and the ''participants'' give the answers:

:'''Leader''': ''(knocks 3-5-3)''

:'''All''': Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

:'''Leader''': What is thy will?

:'''All''': It is my will to eat and to drink.

:'''Leader''': To what end?

:'''All''': That I may fortify my body thereby.

:'''Leader''': To what end?

:'''All''': That I may accomplish the Great Work.

:'''All''': Love is the law, love under will.

:'''Leader''': ''(knocks once)'' Fall to!

==References==

* Crowley, Aleister. [http://www.scarletwoman.org/docs/docs_mass.html Liber XV, The Gnostic Mass]. Retrieved Oct. 17, 2004.
* Crowley, Aleister. ''Magick: Book 4'', second edition. York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, 1997.

[[Category:Rites & Rituals]]

Hadit

2004-12-09T06:08:11Z

Isomeme: Added some links, cleaned up some spacing.

{{stub}}

'''Hadit''', "the great god, the lord of the sky," is depicted on the [[Stele of Revealing]] in the form of the [[winged disk]] of the [[Sun]].

According to the [[Book of the Law]], Hadit, the winged egg, represents the inner spirit of man, the Holy Ghost, the sperm in which the DNA of man is carried, the Elixir Vitae. When juxtaposed with [[Nuit]] in Liber Legis Hadit represents each unique point-experience. These point-experiences in aggregate comprise the sum of all possible experience, Nuit.

[[Category:Thelema]]
[[Category:Thelemic terms]]

Thelemapedia:Community Portal

2004-12-04T01:32:27Z

Isomeme: Spelling correction (condusive => conducive)

93 and Greetings, everyone!

The community portal is kinda what it sounds like...a watering hole for discussions. Right now, with the site being so young, we only have one general discussion page. Eventually, this might branch out to include meta-topics, like discussions regarding editorial policy, technical standards, etc. But for now, come on in and say hi. Everything here takes place in the discussion section—just hit the "discussion" tab on this page or '''[[Thelemapedia_talk:Community_Portal|click here]]'''.

'''This page is not very conducive to long discussions. So, it is advised that this page be used for simple greetings and comments. Otherwise, head on over to our new [http://www.scarletwoman.org/lounge/index.php?showforum=35 discussion forum]...'''

[[Category:Thelemapedia basic information]]

Sex magick

2004-12-04T01:03:56Z

Isomeme: Initial entry for "sex magick"

Sex magick is quite simply the use of [[sex]] as a tool in [[magick]]. This definition is complete but not especially useful, as it is extraordinarily broad, particularly if one accepts the premise that every willed act is a magical act.

In common usage, the term "sex magick" is applied more narrowly to magical formulae and rituals which make use of the sex act itself as an integral element. As such, it is closely related to [[tantra]], which involves the use of sex (and related energies and functions) as an element of [[yoga]]. Indeed, the disciplines and techniques of tantra are extremely useful in sex magick. A thorough theoretical and practical grounding in tantra is an effective preparation for sex magick.

Sex magick techniques can be used in any operation, but the particular symbolism and mechanics of sex make it most suitable for works involving union of opposites, creation, and transformation. Any successful magical operation creates a "[[magical child]]" on some plane, but this effect is especially strong in sexual operations. Obviously, one potential plane on which such a child can appear is the material plane, if conception occurs; see [[Aleister Crowley]]'s novel <cite>[[Moonchild]]</cite> for a fictional but illustrative account of such a case.

Many esoteric organizations teach (or are rumored to teach) particular forms of sex magick, including [[Ordo Templi Orientis]].

Thelemapedia:Projects

2004-12-04T00:47:48Z

Isomeme: it's => its

The wonderful thing about a Wiki (an open-source encyclopedia like this one) is that anyone can add topics and edit entries in almost any way they like. However, this freedom can also create a "blank canvas" syndrome for some, making it difficult to begin. This page is here to provide ongoing projects for users to get involved with to narrow their efforts. Any user is free to create project ideas and add them to this page. Don't forget to look over these pages to learn about how to create, format, and write a great article: [[Thelemapedia:How to Contribute|How to Contribute]], [[Thelemapedia:Editorial Policy|Editorial Policy]], [[Thelemapedia:Article Basics|Article Basics]], [[Thelemapedia:Where_to_start|Where to start]], [[Thelemapedia:Common Sources|Common Sources]].

==Project: Scarlet Women==

The women of Thelema need a voice...give it to them!
*[[Mary Butts]] (1892-1937) author, acquaintance of Aleister Crowley, resident at Cefalù
*[[Rose Edith Crowley]] (1874-1932) Rose Edith Kelly, first wife of Aleister Crowley, the first Scarlet Woman
*[[Leah Hirsig]] (1883–1951) Sr. Alostrael, A Scarlet Woman, companion of Crowley, co-founder of Cefalù
*[[Regina Kahl]] (1891-1945) member of Agape Lodge #2 O.T.O., first priestess in a public Gnostic Mass
*[[Maria de Miramar]] (1894-196?) The second wife of Aleister Crowley
*[[Dorothy Olsen]] Sr. Astrid, a Scarlet Woman; student and companion of Crowley
*[[Phyllis Seckler]] (1917-2004) Sr. Meral IXº O.T.O., 5=6 A.'.A.'., founder College of Thelema.
*[[Leila Waddell]] (1880–1932) LAYLAH, companion of Crowley, inspiration for The Book of Lies, accomplished violinist
*[[Jane Wolfe]] (1875-1958) Sr. Estai, acquaintance of Aleister Crowley, resident at Cefalù, actress in silent films

==Project: Sex!==

C'mon now, are we "evil black sex magicians" or not?? Let's hear about that Good Stuff:

*[[Sex magick]]
*[[Phallus]]
*[[Kundalini]]
*[[Sex]]
*[[Erotica]]
*[[BDSM]]
*[[Love spells]]
*[[Orgone]]
*[[Polyamory]]
*[[Sarcred prostitution]]
*[[Virginity]]
*[[Chastity]]
*[[Homosexuality]]
*[[Puberty]]
*[[Masturbation]]

===Godforms of Sex===

*[[Priapus]]
*[[Venus]]
*[[Dionysos]]
*[[Kali]]
*[[Mary Magdalene]]

==Project: Crowley's Major Operations==
Please try to keep technical jargon down to a minimum, or explain it when necessary. Remember, the object is to educate—do not assume knowledge.

*[[The Cairo Working]]
*[[The John St. John Operation]]
*[[The Abuldiz Working]]
*[[The Paris Working]]
*[[The Amalantrah Working]]

==Project: Tree of Life==
This is a potentially gigantic project, deserving of its own site! However, we need to fill in as many basics as we can.

*[[Tree of Life]]
**[[Elements]] (i.e. Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Spirit)
**[[Paths]]
**[[The Four Worlds]] (i.e. Yetzirah, Briah, Atziluth, and Assiah)
**[[Parts of the Soul]] (i.e. Ruach, Neschamah, Chiah, Nephesch, and Jechida)

==Project: Astrology==

*[[Planet|Planets]]: [[Sol (planet)|Sol]], [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]], [[Venus (planet)|Venus]], [[Earth (planet)|Earth]], [[Luna (planet)|Luna]], [[Mars (planet)|Mars]], [[Jupiter (planet)|Jupiter]], [[Saturn (planet)|Saturn]], [[Uranus (planet)|Uranus]], [[Neptune (planet)|Neptune]], [[Pluto (planet)|Pluto]]
*[[Zodiac]]: [[Aries]], [[Taurus]], [[Gemini]], [[Cancer]], [[Leo]], [[Virgo]], [[Libra]], [[Scorpio]], [[Sagittarius]], [[Capricorn]], [[Aquarius]], [[Pisces]]

==Where to go from here==
{{help}}

[[Category:Thelemapedia]]

User:Isomeme

2004-12-04T00:46:13Z

Isomeme: It's all about me.

More about me can be found on [http://www.cine.net/~cberry/ my home page].

More up-to-date information appears on [http://isomeme.livejournal.com/ my journal].

Chastity

2004-12-04T00:36:12Z

Isomeme: Initial entry for "chastity"

Chastity is the quality of being chaste, a word derived from the Latin "castus", meaning "purity". In common usage, chastity describes a particular mode of [[sex|sexual]] behavior: either complete celibacy, or participation in only "lawful" (typically, conjugal) sexual activity.

In [[sex magick]], chastity refers to the dedication of the sexual function entirely to a particular magical formula (or set of formulae). Of course, this is simply the "lawful activity" case mentioned above as evaluated under a particular system of law, that describing the formula being worked.

Like almost any exercise of [[discipline]] and [[devotion]], the magical application of chastity can increase the power and focus of the magician. As in all such exercises, considerable time and dedication are required to achieve satisfactory results.

Planet

2004-10-08T10:00:54Z

Isomeme: Flipped halves of a renamed link

The word "planet" derives from the Greek πλανητησ, "wanderer". The classical planets were those celestial bodies which moved in regular, permanent cycles across the celestial sphere: The [[Sun]] and [[Moon]], and the five "true" planets visible to the naked eye, [[Mercury]], [[Venus]], [[Mars]], [[Jupiter]], and [[Saturn]]. This grouping of [[7|seven]] parallels many other esoterically prominent groups of seven, such as the classic metals, the [[chakra]]s, and the days of the week.

Astronomers have discovered three new planets since classic times. [[Uranus]] is barely visible to the naked eye under ideal conditions, but appears to have escaped notice until its discovery (through gravitational analysis) in the 18th century. [[Neptune]] is too faint to be seen without good binoculars, and tiny, distant [[Pluto]] is a difficult target even with a small telescope.

===The Minor Planets===

In addition to these, numerous smaller bodies occupy planet-like orbits around the Sun, including the main belt [[asteroids]] between Mars and Jupiter, a few asteroids outside the main belt, and the icy denizens of the remote Kuiper Belt and still more remote Ooort Cloud. There is considerable controversy among astronomers as to what constitutes a "planet"; for example, Pluto itself would probably be classified as a large "Kuiper Belt object" rather than a planet if it were discovered today.

===The Planets in Astrology===

In Western [[astrology]], the planets generally represent emotional states or modes of being, with their relations to one another, to the local horizon, and to the [[zodiac|zodiacal]] signs contributing to the interpretation of a given chart. For example, [[Venus]] is said to rule matters of love, relationships, and vanity, while [[Mercury]] presides over intellect, communication, and trickery. These attributions generally mirror those of the Roman god for whom the planet was named.

Astrologers are divided on how to incorporate the trans-Saturnian and "minor" planets into the system of astrology. There are numerous schools of thought regarding the symbolic meaning of the three outer planets, but broad consensus on their general character. This cannot be said of the "minor" planets, which some astrologers ignore entirely, while others use them in wildly differing ways.

Planet

2004-10-08T09:59:58Z

Isomeme: Made 'astrology' into a link

The word "planet" derives from the Greek πλανητησ, "wanderer". The classical planets were those celestial bodies which moved in regular, permanent cycles across the celestial sphere: The [[Sun]] and [[Moon]], and the five "true" planets visible to the naked eye, [[Mercury]], [[Venus]], [[Mars]], [[Jupiter]], and [[Saturn]]. This grouping of [[7|seven]] parallels many other esoterically prominent groups of seven, such as the classic metals, the [[chakra]]s, and the days of the week.

Astronomers have discovered three new planets since classic times. [[Uranus]] is barely visible to the naked eye under ideal conditions, but appears to have escaped notice until its discovery (through gravitational analysis) in the 18th century. [[Neptune]] is too faint to be seen without good binoculars, and tiny, distant [[Pluto]] is a difficult target even with a small telescope.

===The Minor Planets===

In addition to these, numerous smaller bodies occupy planet-like orbits around the Sun, including the main belt [[asteroids]] between Mars and Jupiter, a few asteroids outside the main belt, and the icy denizens of the remote Kuiper Belt and still more remote Ooort Cloud. There is considerable controversy among astronomers as to what constitutes a "planet"; for example, Pluto itself would probably be classified as a large "Kuiper Belt object" rather than a planet if it were discovered today.

===The Planets in Astrology===

In Western [[astrology]], the planets generally represent emotional states or modes of being, with their relations to one another, to the local horizon, and to the [[zodiacal|zodiac]] signs contributing to the interpretation of a given chart. For example, [[Venus]] is said to rule matters of love, relationships, and vanity, while [[Mercury]] presides over intellect, communication, and trickery. These attributions generally mirror those of the Roman god for whom the planet was named.

Astrologers are divided on how to incorporate the trans-Saturnian and "minor" planets into the system of astrology. There are numerous schools of thought regarding the symbolic meaning of the three outer planets, but broad consensus on their general character. This cannot be said of the "minor" planets, which some astrologers ignore entirely, while others use them in wildly differing ways.

Planet

2004-10-08T09:59:12Z

Isomeme: Provided entry for "The Planets"

The word "planet" derives from the Greek πλανητησ, "wanderer". The classical planets were those celestial bodies which moved in regular, permanent cycles across the celestial sphere: The [[Sun]] and [[Moon]], and the five "true" planets visible to the naked eye, [[Mercury]], [[Venus]], [[Mars]], [[Jupiter]], and [[Saturn]]. This grouping of [[7|seven]] parallels many other esoterically prominent groups of seven, such as the classic metals, the [[chakra]]s, and the days of the week.

Astronomers have discovered three new planets since classic times. [[Uranus]] is barely visible to the naked eye under ideal conditions, but appears to have escaped notice until its discovery (through gravitational analysis) in the 18th century. [[Neptune]] is too faint to be seen without good binoculars, and tiny, distant [[Pluto]] is a difficult target even with a small telescope.

===The Minor Planets===

In addition to these, numerous smaller bodies occupy planet-like orbits around the Sun, including the main belt [[asteroids]] between Mars and Jupiter, a few asteroids outside the main belt, and the icy denizens of the remote Kuiper Belt and still more remote Ooort Cloud. There is considerable controversy among astronomers as to what constitutes a "planet"; for example, Pluto itself would probably be classified as a large "Kuiper Belt object" rather than a planet if it were discovered today.

===The Planets in Astrology===

In Western astrology, the planets generally represent emotional states or modes of being, with their relations to one another, to the local horizon, and to the [[zodiacal|zodiac]] signs contributing to the interpretation of a given chart. For example, [[Venus]] is said to rule matters of love, relationships, and vanity, while [[Mercury]] presides over intellect, communication, and trickery. These attributions generally mirror those of the Roman god for whom the planet was named.

Astrologers are divided on how to incorporate the trans-Saturnian and "minor" planets into the system of astrology. There are numerous schools of thought regarding the symbolic meaning of the three outer planets, but broad consensus on their general character. This cannot be said of the "minor" planets, which some astrologers ignore entirely, while others use them in wildly differing ways.

Zodiac

2004-10-08T09:28:59Z

Isomeme: Provided entry for "Zodiac"

The term "zodiac" is derived from the Greek ζωιδιακοσ, "zoidiakos" (zoh-EE-dee-ah-kohs), or "circle of images of living things." It refers band of the celstial sphere near the [[ecliptic]] (the path the sun and visible planets appear to travel among the fixed stars), to the constellations found in that band, and to the set of astrological signs corresponding to those constellations.

In Western [[astrology]], [[twelve|12]] such signs are recognized, each occupying a 30° segment of ecliptic longitude. Starting with the vernal point and moving eastward, these are: [[Aries]], [[Taurus]], [[Gemini]], [[Cancer]], [[Leo]], [[Virgo]], [[Libra]], [[Scorpio]], [[Sagittarius]], [[Capricorn]], [[Aquarius]], and [[Pisces]].

===The Tropical and Sidereal Zodiacs===

About two millennia ago, these signs lined up neatly with the constellations of the same names. However, thanks to the [[precession of the equinoxes]], the signs have moved about 25° west with respect to the fixed stars. For example, the Sun enters the sign of Aries (by definition) at the Vernal [[Equinox]], on approximately March 20, but does not enter the constellation of Aries -- the pattern of fixed stars with that name -- until roughly April 14. Because it is tied to the seasons rather than the stars, the conventional Western zodiac is also called the "tropical" zodiac (the sun moves between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn at the equinoces).

Some Western astrologers use an alternative zodiac which is fixed relative to the stars rather than the seasons. This "sidereal" zodiac drifts further out of alignment with the tropical zodiac by about a degree every 72 years. Unlike in the tropical zodiac, in the sideral zodiac the vernal point moves from sign to sign as precession occurs; currently it is in the westernmost part of sidereal Pisces, and moving steadily further westward. In about three and a half centuries, it will cross into sidereal Aquarius; this is what is meant by the "Age of Aquarius", and incidentally why we are said to be in "the dawning" of that age rather than the age itself.

===Other Zodiacs===

Nearly every culture has an astrological system of one kind or another. Many of those of the Old World are noticeably related thanks to centuries of cultural diffusion; for example, the European system shows clear borrowings from Egyptian, Persian, and Indian lore. Interestingly, both the Mayan and some Hindu systems are sidereal rather than tropical; indeed, the word "ayanamsa" is borrowed from the Hindu Vedic system to name the angular difference at any given time between the sidereal and tropical coordinate systems.

Thelemapedia:Projects

2004-10-08T08:54:48Z

Isomeme: Chstity was chastely hiding its "a".

The wonderful thing about a Wiki (an open-source encyclopedia like this one) is that anyone can add topics and edit entries in almost any way they like. However, this freedom can also create a "blank canvas" syndrome for some, making it difficult to begin. This page is here to provide ongoing projects for users to get involved with to narrow their efforts. Any user is free to create project ideas and add them to this page. Don't forget to look over these pages to learn about how to create, format, and write a great article: [[Contribute to Thelemapedia]], [[Thelemapedia Editorial Policy|Editorial Policy]], [[Thelemapedia Article Basics|Article Basics]], [[Thelemapedia:Where_to_start|Where to start]], [[Thelemapedia:Common Sources|Common Sources]].

==Project: Thelemic Godforms==

The primary godforms that are found in Thelema need entries, including: [[Nuit]], [[Hadit]], [[Ra-Hoor-Khuit]], and [[Babalon]]

==Project: Scarlet Women==

The women of Thelema need a voice...give it to them!
*[[Mary Butts]] (1892-1937) author, acquaintance of Aleister Crowley, resident at Cefalù
*[[Rose Edith Crowley]] (1874-1932) Rose Edith Kelly, first wife of Aleister Crowley, the first Scarlet Woman
*[[Mary Desti]] (1878-1927) better known as Isadora Duncan, considered creater of modern dance, companion of Crowley
*[[Leah Hirsig]] (1883–1951) Sr. Alostrael, A Scarlet Woman, companion of Crowley, co-founder of Cefalù
*[[Regina Kahl]] (1891-1945) member of Agape Lodge #2 O.T.O., first priestess in a public Gnostic Mass
*[[Maria de Miramar]] (1894-196?) The second wife of Aleister Crowley
*[[Dorothy Olsen]] Sr. Astrid, a Scarlet Woman; student and companion of Crowley
*[[Phyllis Seckler]] (1917-2004) Sr. Meral IXº O.T.O., 5=6 A.'.A.'., founder College of Thelema.
*[[Leila Waddell]] (1880–1932) LAYLAH, companion of Crowley, inspiration for The Book of Lies, accomplished violinist
*[[Jane Wolfe]] (1875-1958) Sr. Estai, acquaintance of Aleister Crowley, resident at Cefalù, actress in silent films

==Project: Sex!==

C'mon now, are we "evil black sex magicians" or not?? Let's hear about that Good Stuff:

*[[Sex magick]]
*[[Yoni]]
*[[Phallus]]
*[[Kundalini]]
*[[Tantra]]
*[[Sex]]
*[[Erotica]]
*[[BDSM]]
*[[Love spells]]
*[[Orgone]]
*[[Polyamory]]
*[[Sarcred prostitution]]
*[[Virginity]]
*[[Chastity]]
*[[Homosexuality]]
*[[Puberty]]
*[[Masturbation]]

===Godforms of Sex===
*[[Pan]]
*[[Babalon]]
*[[Piapus]]
*[[Venus]]
*[[Aphrodite]]
*[[Dionysos]]
*[[Kali]]
*[[Mary Magdalene]]

==Project: Crowley's Major Operations==
Please try to keep technical jargon down to a minimum, or explain it when necessary. Remember, the object is to educate—do not assume knowledge.

*[[The Cairo Working]]
*[[The John St. John Operation]]
*[[The Abuldiz Working]]
*[[The Paris Working]]
*[[The Amalantrah Working]]

==Project: Tree of Life==
This is a potentially gigantic project, deserving of it's own site! However, we need to fill in as many basics as we can.

*[[Tree of Life]]
**[[Sephera]]: [[Kether]], [[Chokmah]], [[Binah]], [[Chesed]], [[Geburah]], [[Tiphareth]], [[Netzach]], [[Hod]], [[Yesod]], [[Malkuth]]
**[[Elements]] (i.e. Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Spirit)
**[[Paths]]
**[[The Four Worlds]] (i.e. Yetzirah, Briah, Atziluth, and Assiah)
**[[Parts of the Soul]] (i.e. Ruach, Neschamah, Chiah, Nephesch, and Jechida)

==Project: Astrology==

*[[Astrology:The Planets|Planets]]: [[Astrology: Sol|Sol]], [[Astrology: Mercury|Mercury]], [[Astrology: Venus|Venus]], [[Astrology: Luna|Luna]], [[Astrology: Mercury|Mercury]], [[Astrology: Jupiter|Jupiter]], [[Astrology: Saturn|Saturn]], [[Astrology: Uranus|Uranus]], [[Astrology: Neptune|Neptune]], [[Astrology: Pluto|Pluto]]
*[[Zodiac]]: [[Zodiac: Aquarius|Aquarius]], [[Zodiac: Taurus|Taurus]], [[Zodiac: Gemini|Gemini]], [[Zodiac: Cancer|Cancer]], [[Zodiac: Leo|Leo]], [[Zodiac: Virgo|Virgo]], [[Zodiac: Libra|Libra]], [[Zodiac: Scorpio|Scorpio]], [[Zodiac: Sagittarius|Sagittarius]], [[Zodiac: Capricorn|Capricorn]], [[Zodiac: Aries|Aries]], [[Zodiac: Pisces|Pisces]]

==Where to go from here==
{{help}}

Jack Parsons

2004-10-06T03:57:16Z

Isomeme: Corrected "dark side" to "far side" of moon.

'''John Whiteside (Jack) Parsons''' (1914-1952) was a rocket propulsion researcher at the California Institute of Technology and co-founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). His research was central to the United States rocket program in the 1930s and '40s, notably in the development of space-capable rocket fuels and the invention of JATO units for aircraft.

He is less well known than Wernher von Braun or Theodore von Karman in the rocket program and the origins of JPL. Nonetheless, von Braun remarked that Parsons, and not he, should be regarded as the father of the American space program.

Parsons was also an avid practitioner of the [[occult]] arts, and a follower of [[Thelema]]. He was chosen by [[Aleister Crowley]] to lead the Thelemic movement in California in 1941. He was also the sometime magickal partner of L. Ron Hubbard. The two participated in a ritual known as the [[Babalon Working]]. This relationship lasted until 1947, when Hubbard defrauded Parsons of a sum of money (and ran off with his wife).

Jack Parsons died in 1952 in a laboratory explosion which is generally regarded as accidental.

A crater on the far side of the Moon has been named after him.

==Books==
He is the author of ''[http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=scarletwomanl-20&path=tg/detail/-/1561841161/qid%3D1086890950/sr%3D1-4 Freedom Is a Two Edged Sword]'', a collection of essays regarding freedom, [[magick]], the [[Gnostic Creed]], witchcraft, [[Babalon]], and other subjects.

==Links of Interest==

*[http://www.babalon.net Babalon.net] An extensive online library of his seminal writings regarding the Babalon Working that has been maintained since 1997.

==References==

This article was adapted from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Parsons Wikipedia], retrieved June 10, 2004.

Talk:Personalities in Thelema

2004-09-29T00:03:38Z

Isomeme: /* "in" Thelema? */

Do we really want to put the women into the "Scarlet women" category as distinct from past OTO and AA members? I would be far more comfortable with the latter option.

:I second that. There can be a separate listing of the historical "Scarlet Women" in the [[Scarlet Woman]] article! --[[User:Paradoxosalpha|Paradoxosalpha]] 05:59, 28 Sep 2004 (EDT)

== Overlap ==

Part of the Scarlet Woman problem that Craig notes is the issue of overlap, which is even more true of notable OTO and A.'.A.'. initiates. There's Jane Wolfe, Wilfred Smith, Jack Parsons, C.S. Jones--all in both orders, and those just off the top of my head.

== "in" Thelema? ==

What does it mean to be "in" Thelema as specified in the title of this article? The only initiates of the original Golden Dawn order who considered themselves Thelemites were Crowley and George Cecil Jones, as far as I know.--[[User:Paradoxosalpha|Paradoxosalpha]] 06:20, 28 Sep 2004 (EDT)

:These are good critiques. I can see this article's list growing quite long, so I think we need some basic categories. By all means, let's work this out and come up with logical ones that can carry new additions without inappropriately holding the current ones.

::The more I think about it, the more it seems to me is that the only reasonable solution is to retitle the page simply "Personalities" (leaving "in (or near) THelema" implicit given it's a page on Thelemapedia), and on that page list everyone in alphabetical order by last name. Perhaps each name could be followed by a list of affiliations, like

::Smith, Wilfred T. (OTO, AA)

::--[[user:craig berry|isomeme]]

:::I think we need some categories, or it might get unwieldy. I myself like the OTO Past Masters category and the Golden Dawn category. We could make one that is "Notible members of OTO and AA". I am also thinking about lists of people who Crowley mention promenently, but who aren't Gnostic Saints. Finally, I am thinking about adding the ancestors of Thelema, so to speak...the mystics and philosophers that influenced Thelema (but again, aren't GSs). Ideas? [[User:Ash|Ash]]

::::I really think any attempt at linear categorization is doomed. Where does Theodor Reuss go? (Past Master of OTO, member of OTO, Gnostic Saint.) If it were possible to link within a page (is it?), I could see a bunch of category listings that just listed names as links, pointing to the full entries in the format I proposed above. --[[user:craig berry|isomeme]]

Talk:Nuit

2004-09-28T23:58:09Z

Isomeme:

Hm, not sure I follow the argument... --[[user:Craig Berry|isomeme]]

Talk:666

2004-09-28T12:22:10Z

Isomeme:

Great article. I especially treasure the sentence "There are many other stunts that this number can be forced to perform." That captures my approach to gematria perfectly, and is a wonderful mental image. :) --[[user:Craig Berry|isomeme]]

Talk:666

2004-09-28T12:21:19Z

Isomeme:

Talk:Personalities in Thelema

2004-09-28T11:58:05Z

Isomeme: Category fix proposal

Agape

2004-09-28T09:50:22Z

Isomeme: Corrections regarding the use of "Agape Grand Lodge" as the title for US OTO govt.

Agape (AH-gah-pay), sometimes rendered as Agapé, is the English transliteration of the Greek word Αγαπη, meaning "love". Specifically, Agape refers to spiritual or "higher" love as opposed to Eros, the "lower" or sexual love.

In the original Greek text, I Corinthians chapter 13 concerns ''agape''. In later Latin Bibles, the translated term was ''caritas''.

Early [[Christians]] refered to their rite of common worship as an "Agape feast", which appears to have been characterized by group sexual activity as well as the sharing of the eucharist.

==Agape and Thelema==

The word Agape is important to [[Thelemites]] for numerological reasons. <cite>[[The Book of the Law]]</cite>, Chapter I, verse 39 states that "The word of the Law is Θελημα" ([[Thelema]]), which means "Will" in classic Greek. Using the most common form of Greek [[gematria]], Thelema adds up to [[93]], which is therefore an extremely significant number to Thelemites.

Verse 57 of the same chapter contains the sentence "Love is the law, love under will." This seems to indicate that love and will are to be balanced or equilibrated. As it turns out, though the word does not appear in the book, Agape also enumerates to 93, so it is commonly used as an equivalent Greek term for "love" in the sense appearing in this verse, balancing Thelema.

[[Aleister Crowley]] suggested that Thelemites use "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" as a greeting, and "Love is the law, love under will" as a farewell. Using the numerology above, it is common to abbreviate both of these to "93", especially in verbal communication. In informal written communication between Thelemites, it is common to see the greeting rendered as "93", and the farewell as "93 93/93", which is shorthand for "Love (the left 93) is the law, love (the denominator) under will (the numerator)".

==Agape and the OTO==

The word "Agape" has played several roles in the history of [[Ordo Templi Orientis]]. The first chartered local body in North America was Agape Lodge #1 in Vancouver, Canada; the second was Agape Lodge #2 in Los Angeles (later Pasadena), California. 

When [[Hymenaeus Beta]] became the Outer Head of OTO in 1985, he designated the United States governmental apparatus of OTO as "Agape Grand Lodge" to distinguish it from the earlier seat of Order government under [[Hymenaeus Alpha]], Thelema Lodge. This practice persisted until 1994 when [[US Grand Lodge]] was officially established as a separate entity from OTO International, at which time the "Agape" name was dropped. However, the name survives in the title of the official US Grand Lodge periodical <cite>Agapé</cite>.

Talk:Personalities in Thelema

2004-09-28T09:40:37Z

Isomeme:

Do we really want to put the women into the "Scarlet women" category as distinct from past OTO and AA members? I would be far more comfortable with the latter option.

Harpocrates

2004-09-28T09:38:20Z

Isomeme: Removed duplicate word, linked AC's name, other minor edits

The Egyptian God of Silence. Harpocrates is Greek for the Egyptian Hoor-paar(par)-kraat and means "Horus the Child." [[Aleister Crowley]] described the image of Harpocrates as being a young boy or babe, pink in color, his right forefinger to his lips, and standing on two crocodiles. In ritual, the Sign of Harpocrates (which is typicalled paired with the sign of Horus) consists of putting the right forefinger to the lips and pertains to the 0=0 Grade of the [[A.'.A.'.]]. In the Neophyte hall of the old [[Golden Dawn]] Neophyte Grade, the station of Harpocrates existed above the station of [[Tiphareth]].

Talk:Temple Furniture

2004-09-28T04:55:04Z

Isomeme:

I wonder about the title of this article. Wouldn't it be better to call it "Temple Components," so that the leading term is the defintive "Temple" rather than the unenlightening "Parts"? --[[User:Paradoxosalpha|Paradoxosalpha]] 11:52, 27 Sep 2004 (EDT)

:I'd even prefer an article "Temple" with this as a subhead. --[[user:Craig Berry|isomeme]]

Talk:Temple Furniture

2004-09-28T04:53:55Z

Isomeme:

I wonder about the title of this article. Wouldn't it be better to call it "Temple Components," so that the leading term is the defintive "Temple" rather than the unenlightening "Parts"? --[[User:Paradoxosalpha|Paradoxosalpha]] 11:52, 27 Sep 2004 (EDT)

I'd even prefer an article "Temple" with this as a subhead.

Talk:Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica

2004-09-28T04:41:50Z

Isomeme:

Title misspelled "Ecclesia" as "Ecclessia". Moved page to correct this.

Ecclessia Gnostica Catholica

2004-09-28T04:40:06Z

Isomeme: Ecclessia Gnostica Catholica moved to Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica

#REDIRECT [[Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica]]

Talk:Agape

2004-09-27T23:52:04Z

Isomeme: /* You may be right */

My historical recollection on "Agape Grand Lodge" is different than Isomeme's. What I remember is that under H.A., there was "Thelema Grand Lodge," which collapsed the functions of (inter)national administration into a local body. When H.B. took over in the mid 80's, he created "Agape Grand Lodge" (with every official sanction) to clearly differentiate the national administrative entity from Thelema Lodge. When the US Grand Lodge was incorporated separately from International Headquarters in 1996, the name Agape was dropped, in favor of the simpler and more traditional "Country X Grand Lodge." --[[User:Paradoxosalpha|Paradoxosalpha]] 11:47, 27 Sep 2004 (EDT)

:I was on shaky ground dredging that from my memory, and your version sounds right. I'll rewrite it accordingly later today if you haven't done so first. -- [[user:Craig Berry|isomeme]]

Talk:Agape

2004-09-27T23:48:52Z

Isomeme: You may be right

My historical recollection on "Agape Grand Lodge" is different than Isomeme's. What I remember is that under H.A., there was "Thelema Grand Lodge," which collapsed the functions of (inter)national administration into a local body. When H.B. took over in the mid 80's, he created "Agape Grand Lodge" (with every official sanction) to clearly differentiate the national administrative entity from Thelema Lodge. When the US Grand Lodge was incorporated separately from International Headquarters in 1996, the name Agape was dropped, in favor of the simpler and more traditional "Country X Grand Lodge." --[[User:Paradoxosalpha|Paradoxosalpha]] 11:47, 27 Sep 2004 (EDT)

== You may be right ==

I was on shaky ground dredging that from my memory, and your version sounds right. I'll rewrite it accordingly later today if you haven't done so first.

Agape

2004-09-27T14:53:13Z

Isomeme: Missed a word

Agape (AH-gah-pay), sometimes rendered as Agapé, is the English transliteration of the Greek word Αγαπη, meaning "love". Specifically, Agape refers to spiritual or "higher" love as opposed to Eros, the "lower" or sexual love.

Early [[Christians]] refered to their rite of common worship as an "Agape feast", which appears to have been characterized by group sexual activity as well as the sharing of the eucharist.

==Agape and Thelema==

The word Agape is important to [[Thelemites]] for numerological reasons. <cite>[[The Book of the Law]]</cite>, Chapter I, verse 39 states that "The word of the Law is Θελημα" ([[Thelema]]), which means "Will" in classic Greek. Using the most common form of Greek [[gematria]], Thelema adds up to [[93]], which is therefore an extremely significant number to Thelemites.

Verse 57 of the same chapter contains the sentence "Love is the law, love under will." This seems to indicate that love and will are to be balanced or equilibrated. As it turns out, though the word does not appear in the book, Agape also enumerates to 93, so it is commonly used as an equivalent Greek term for "love" in the sense appearing in this verse, balancing Thelema.

[[Aleister Crowley]] suggested that Thelemites use "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" as a greeting, and "Love is the law, love under will" as a farewell. Using the numerology above, it is common to abbreviate both of these to "93", especially in verbal communication. In informal written communication between Thelemites, it is common to see the greeting rendered as "93", and the farewell as "93 93/93", which is shorthand for "Love (the left 93) is the law, love (the denominator) under will (the numerator)".

==Agape and the OTO==

The word "Agape" has played several roles in the history of [[Ordo Templi Orientis]]. The first chartered local body in North America was Agape Lodge #1 in Vancouver, Canada; the second was Agape Lodge #2 in Los Angeles (later Pasadena), California. 

When [[US Grand Lodge OTO]] began to operate as a separate entity from [[OTO International]], it
was known for a time as "Agape Grand Lodge", though this usage never received official sanction.  This name has since been dropped in favor of the simpler "United States Grand Lodge", but survives in the name of the US Grand Lodge periodical <cite>Agapé</cite>.

User:Craig Berry

2004-09-27T14:47:56Z

Isomeme: It's all about me :)

[http://www.cine.net/~cberry/ Craig Berry], aka "isomeme" here as well as on [http://isomeme.livejournal.com LiveJournal] and [http://slashdot.org/ Slashdot], aka Frater Ehubi, aka T Ce Acatl, and probably a dozen others. Internet Secretary for [http://oto-usa.org/ US Grand Lodge OTO], Deputy Master of [http://lvx-oto.org/ LVX Oasis] in Los Angeles, past Master of Baphomet Lodge and Bagh-i-Muattar Camp, OTO member since 1987.

Thelemapedia talk:Community Portal

2004-09-27T14:37:13Z

Isomeme: added question about plural forms

'''Hit the tab above with the + sign to start a new topic on this page. If you want to answer someone's topic on this page, click on the "edit" link next to the topic title (not the one at the top of the page). To indent your entries, just put a colon in front of the first line of every paragraph. The more colons you type, the more indented the paragraph will be. Please sign all your entries.'''
----

This is a great idea!

[[User:Frater C.U.G.|Frater C.U.G.]]

This is fantastic!! Thank you Scarlet Woman Lodge! :)

:'''Glad you like it!'''

:...of course, it will be as good as we all make it. I am hoping that over the next couple of years, we will make Thelemapedia the single best source of information on Thelema anywhere! The world will be ours! Muwahahaha! —[[User:Ash|Ash]]
----
Indeed ! This is an outstanding venture and excellent execution. At lease from what I see so far. I am sure I'll get a good deal of milage at of this in my office as PIO. Thank you my brothers, and please let me know if I can be of assistance with this project.

93/93

In L.V.X.,

Frater Hrumachis

:Well, of course you can be of assistance...write an article! :) —[[User:Ash|Ash]]
----

I especially appreciate you allowing us young'uns (Thelemically speaking) to add to the corpus of Thelemic knowledge.

[[User:Frater DVV|DVV]]

:There's no age limit for the ability to write a good article! Thanks for contributing. --[[User:Ash|Ash]] 19:12, 21 Sep 2004 (EDT)

:---Okay, read your profile...sorry, that was presumptuous of me. I should have said, "there's no limits on Thelemic newbies of whatever age to write a good article." My apologies. —[[User:Ash|Ash]], the insensitive dope

::Actually, this is a good vehicle for someone who is "just learning" to research topics of interest. --[[User:Frater DVV|DVV]] the old fart.

== style issues ==

Can we get a standard on spelling? I am ''extremely averse'' to the spelling '''magickal'''. Now, for those who must have a K, the word '''magick''' is a perfectly proper adjective, as in "magick wand." But Crowley never used the word "magickal," and I recommend that we also stick to '''magical''' when the three-syllable adjective is in order. -[[User:paradoxosalpha|paradoxosalpha]]

:I agree 100%, Nix on magickian also. -- [[User:Frater C.U.G.|Frater C.U.G.]]

:"Magickal" and "magickian: are not words, as far as I'm concerned. —[[User:Ash|Ash]]

:To hear is to obey, effendi. "Magickal" shall be magickally removed from my posts henceforth. [[User:Frater DVV|DVV]]

Ok, here's a trickier one: '''qabalah'''? That's Crowley's spelling, approximating transliteration, but it's usual to spell it '''Kabbalah''' in reference to Hebrew mysticism, and '''cabala''' in reference to Christian esotery and systems of word calculation and symbolism. Should we have a standard? --[[User:Paradoxosalpha|Paradoxosalpha]] 19:31, 24 Sep 2004 (EDT)

: I made some redirect pages last night Kabbalah and cabala both go to qabalah now. [[User:Frater C.U.G.|Frater C.U.G.]]

: In my original entry, I used "qabalah" to refer to Hermetic Qabalah, and "Kabbalah" to refer to Jewish Kabbalah. Purely arbitrary and any modifications are welcome. [[User:Frater DVV|DVV]]

== kinda new to all this ==

kinda new to this. This site, I'm sure will be invaluable.

:Welcome! You'll catch on. It took me 10 minutes to get writing; a week to get all the basics; and a month or two to really "get it". Now that I'm an admin and watching the site grow, I'm having to learn a whole new set of skills. If this site has done nothing but that for me, it's been more than worth it. —[[User:Ash|Ash]]

== Suggestion for new topic ==

==Godforms?==
I see that we have a whole list of "godforms" but no entry under "godform" itself. Maybe an entry as to what a "godform" is?

I'd write it myself if I knew how to define "godform" (as opposed to "deity," "god," or "grand wazoo."). -- [[User:Frater DVV|DVV]]

:I'd say that the principal differences are 1) relationship with a lack of invested belief in the objective existence of the godform (Liber O I:1), 2) the option for the magician to ''identify'' with the godform through invocation (Liber O II:1-2). See also '''Magick Without Tears''' pp. 145-6; and the use of godforms in GD initiation. The most important godform, often mentioned by Crowley for its utility, is that of [http://www.livejournal.com/users/paradoxosalpha/34059.html Harpocrates].

::For that matter, is there a clean way to link a plural to a singular? I was writing an article earlier where I wanted to refer to the word "Thelemite" (which should have an article) but the word in my text was "Thelemites". Any trick for this? -- [[User:Craig Berry|isomeme]]

==T-shirts==

Okay, when do we get Thelemapedia T-shirts? You can't have a community project like this without T-shirts. :D [[User:Frater DVV|DVV]]

:This idea is too good! I will look into it... :) —[[User:Ash|Ash]]

Eucharist

2004-09-27T14:03:43Z

Isomeme: Added "don't try this at home" note re strychnine

{{MTP}}

{{partial}}

''Take a substance symbolic of the whole course of nature, make it God, and consume it.'' (MTP Part III Ch. XX)

A Eucharist is a ceremony where common elements are imbued with divine forces and then consumed. It can be easily categorized by the number of sacraments partaken of.

Aleister Crowley recommended the daily performance of the mass, for this he made The Mass of the Phoenix, which is to be performed daily at sunset by every magician.

Here's an elaboration of a Eucharist of three elements taken from ''Magick in Theory and Practice'', Part II, Ch. XX and ''Book 4'', Part II, Ch. IV.

==Gunas==
A Eucharist of three elements utilizes the symbolism of the Gunas: Tamas, Rajas, and Tattvas. Tamas is salt, dark, heavy and sluggish, Rajas is sulfur, active, and fierce, and Tattvas is Mercury, calm and smoothe.

''For Tamas (darkness) take opium or nightshade or some sleepy medicine;''

Nightshade is from the genus of plants called Solanum. In some cases the plants yield poisionous juices. The juices can be taken in light doses to induce a state of slothfullness. In 777, Column XXXIX, Nightshade is attributed to the number 32, Saturn, Key XXI, et cetra. Compare the qualities of Saturn to the qualities of Nightshade.

Opium induces a dreamy state of consciousness which results in the stagnation of one's mental conditions. In 777, opium is attributed to the number 29, Pisces, Key XVIII, etc.

In short, both Nightshade and Opium can be taken as Tamas. However, their attributions in 777 indicate that they individually induce a particular state of consciousness. This goes to show that Pisces and Saturn are easy references in understanding Tamas.

==Strychnine==
''for Rajas (activity) take strychnine or other excitant''

Strychnine is derived from Nox Vomica and other related plants. It can be used as poison for rodents and also has a medicinal use in that it stimulates the central nervous system. In 777, Nox Vomica is attributed to the number 5, Geburah, Mars, et cetra.

Strychnine can be taken in small doses on top of Opium or Nightshade to activate the dullness of Tamas. This is where Sattvas begins to play an important role.

It should be noted carefully that strychnine is an extremely dangerous poison, which can be deadly in relatively small quantities. Its use is discouraged without expert and experienced guidance.

==Cakes of Light==
''for Sattvas (calm) the Cakes of Light may again be suitable.''

The Cakes of Light contain meal, honey, and oil for their base. The meal contains carbohydrates, oil for fats, and honey for proteids. Carbs, oils, and fats are macronutrients which are essential to living organisms. The Cakes of Light also have for their symbolism the five elements: meal (Prithivi, Earth), honey (Vayu, Air), olive oil (Apas, water), Oil of Abramelin (Tejas, Fire), and conditioner (Akasha, Spirit). The Cake of Light can be identified with the Sun. On the Tree of Life, Tiphereth is the 6th Sephiroth and lies on the Middle Pillar.

The following statement reflects one opinion: By consuming the wafer one identifies with the Sun and the Middle Pillar. The identification with the wafer and the Sun can be seen as the advancement up the Middle Pillar towards Tiphereth. In other words, the Cakes of Light help regain the balance and straight path of the Middle Pillar.

In the Neophyte Ceremony of the Golden Dawn, the operation of the Gunas is implied many times. Here is an example of the the Gunas at work in the 0=0 Ceremony that might help you understand the Eucharist of three elements: In the ceremony, the Candidate (Tamas, salt) is brought to the Lord of the West (Rajas, Sulfur) to gain courage. Then the candidate is brought to the Lord of the East (Tattvas, Mercury) who holds the balance and the aspirant in a straight line.

So there you have it. Take a bit of opium for dreaminess, a small dose of strychnine to tickle your toes, and finally a Cake of Light for a calm sense of accomplishment.

Or, if you don't like the suggested Eucharist; try this meal: A piece of steak smothered in chipolte sauce, served with a side of fruit. Yum! Yum!

"Of the method of consecrating the elements it is only necessary to say that they should be treated as talismans."

{{partial}}

Invocation

2004-09-27T14:00:51Z

Isomeme: Full entry on invocation; now we need one on evocation...

To "invoke" is literally to "call in" or to "speak within", in contrast with [[evocation]], which is calling or speaking out. In [[magick]], invocation is the process of bringing a desired god or similar entity within oneself.

[[Aleister Crowley]] discusses the theory of invocation throughout his technical works on magick, including a particularly brief and direct treatment in Chapter XV of [[Magick in Theory and Practice]].

==Invocation as identification==

The formula of invocation is ultimately one of identification; that is, to invoke a god successfully is to become that god (or equivalently, for that god to become you). Often this ultimate identification is preceded by several preparatory stages in which the god is addressed externally through descriptive salutations, pleas, and similar techniques. All such preparations are intended to arouse the magician to the point that successful identification becomes possible.

It is in this particular that invocation differs from other techniques for dealing with spirits. Rather than commanding, pleading, adoring, or otherwise interacting with the being as a separate entity, one becomes the entity and speaks one's will as that entity. If it is desired that the goddess Venus should bring one love, one does not implore Venus for assistance; one becomes Venus and states with absolute, calm assurance that love will come.

==The Invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel==

There is another, more esoteric type of invocation involved in [[the Great Work]], that of the invocation of the [[Holy Guardian Angel]]. While this can be seen as a type of identification as well, it more closely follows the model of a marriage, and is expected to result in a bond which endures for life rather than the duration of a particular ceremony.

==Other uses of invocation==

It is also the case that invocations can be used for purely exploratory or sensual purposes, without a particular end desired. For example, an [[astral]] exploration of the sphere of [[Netzach]], associated with Venus, might be preceded by an invocation of Venus to attune the magician to the appropriate symbols and energies.

Traditionally, rituals intended as invocations involve [[deosil]] (clockwise) motion, mirroring the direction of the Earth's rotation. This may be contrasted with rituals of [[banishing]], which traditionally move [[widdershins]] (counterclockwise), opposing the Earth's rotation. Thus for example the [[Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram]] is technically closer to being an invocation than a true banishing; in this case, it is the archangels that are invoked as guards for the circle.

Agape

2004-09-27T12:44:50Z

Isomeme: Added subheads

Agape (AH-gah-pay), sometimes rendered as Agapé, is the English transliteration of the Greek word Αγαπη, meaning "love". Specifically, Agape refers to spiritual or "higher" love as opposed to Eros, the "lower" or sexual love.

Early [[Christians]] refered to their rite of common worship as an "Agape feast", which appears to have been characterized by group sexual activity as well as the sharing of the eucharist.

==Agape and Thelema==

The word Agape is important to [[Thelemites]] for numerological reasons. <cite>[[The Book of the Law]]</cite>, Chapter I, verse 39 states that "The word of the Law is Θελημα" ([[Thelema]]), which means "Will" in classic Greek. Using the most common form of Greek [[gematria]], Thelema adds up to [[93]], which is therefore an extremely significant number to Thelemites.

Verse 57 of the same chapter contains the sentence "Love is the law, love under will." This seems to indicate that love and will are to be balanced or equilibrated. As it turns out, though the word does not appear in the book, Agape also enumerates to 93, so it is commonly used as equivalent Greek term for "love" in the sense appearing in this verse, balancing Thelema.

[[Aleister Crowley]] suggested that Thelemites use "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" as a greeting, and "Love is the law, love under will" as a farewell. Using the numerology above, it is common to abbreviate both of these to "93", especially in verbal communication. In informal written communication between Thelemites, it is common to see the greeting rendered as "93", and the farewell as "93 93/93", which is shorthand for "Love (the left 93) is the law, love (the denominator) under will (the numerator)".

==Agape and the OTO==

The word "Agape" has played several roles in the history of [[Ordo Templi Orientis]]. The first chartered local body in North America was Agape Lodge #1 in Vancouver, Canada; the second was Agape Lodge #2 in Los Angeles (later Pasadena), California. 

When [[US Grand Lodge OTO]] began to operate as a separate entity from [[OTO International]], it
was known for a time as "Agape Grand Lodge", though this usage never received official sanction.  This name has since been dropped in favor of the simpler "United States Grand Lodge", but survives in the name of the US Grand Lodge periodical <cite>Agapé</cite>.

Agape

2004-09-27T12:40:10Z

Isomeme: Full entry on Agape; some dates should be added ASAP (marked by comments)

Agape (AH-gah-pay), sometimes rendered as Agapé, is the English transliteration of the Greek word Αγαπη, meaning "love". Specifically, Agape refers to spiritual or "higher" love as opposed to Eros, the "lower" or sexual love.

Early [[Christians]] refered to their rite of common worship as an "Agape feast", which appears to have been characterized by group sexual activity as well as the sharing of the eucharist.

The word Agape is important to [[Thelemites]] for numerological reasons. <cite>[[The Book of the Law]]</cite>, Chapter I, verse 39 states that "The word of the Law is Θελημα" ([[Thelema]]), which means "Will" in classic Greek. Using the most common form of Greek [[gematria]], Thelema adds up to [[93]], which is therefore an extremely significant number to Thelemites.

Verse 57 of the same chapter contains the sentence "Love is the law, love under will." This seems to indicate that love and will are to be balanced or equilibrated. As it turns out, though the word does not appear in the book, Agape also enumerates to 93, so it is commonly used as equivalent Greek term for "love" in the sense appearing in this verse, balancing Thelema.

[[Aleister Crowley]] suggested that Thelemites use "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" as a greeting, and "Love is the law, love under will" as a farewell. Using the numerology above, it is common to abbreviate both of these to "93", especially in verbal communication. In informal written communication between Thelemites, it is common to see the greeting rendered as "93", and the farewell as "93 93/93", which is shorthand for "Love (the left 93) is the law, love (the denominator) under will (the numerator)".

The word "Agape" has played several roles in the history of [[Ordo Templi Orientis]]. The first chartered local body in North America was Agape Lodge #1 in Vancouver, Canada; the second was Agape Lodge #2 in Los Angeles (later Pasadena), California. 

When [[US Grand Lodge OTO]] began to operate as a separate entity from [[OTO International]], it
was known for a time as "Agape Grand Lodge", though this usage never received official sanction.  This name has since been dropped in favor of the simpler "United States Grand Lodge", but survives in the name of the US Grand Lodge periodical <cite>Agapé</cite>.

The Great Work

2004-09-25T05:12:53Z

Isomeme: Added cross-ref to "saying will" entry

The Great Work, in Thelema, is the process of attaining [[Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel]] and learning and following one's [[True Will]]. The concept originates as far back as Medieval [[alchemy]], and came to Thelema through Hermetic Magic informed by the Kabbalah.

==Overview==

The Great Work (latin: Magnum Opus) refers in general to the principal goal of the [[Kabbalistic]] or [[Ceremonial]] Magician and specifically to the [[Thelemic Magician]] in the practice of [[Magick]]. Like many other concepts in Thelema, The Great Work is not easily defined. Some basics are clear, however.

The concept is based on the idea that the Universe as we know it was created in perfection but became imperfect through the actions of humanity. It is, therefore, the duty of humans to perfect themselves to restore that perfection in the Universe.

To the Kabbalist, the purpose of Magick is to perfect each individual adept and his or her knowledge of the Universe. As this happens he or she will bring the Universe one step closer to the state of perfection from which it was originally created.

To the Ceremonialist and Thelemic Magician, the Great Work is to attain the [[Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel]]; then to follow the [[Holy Guardian Angel]]'s guidance in carrying out one's [[True Will]]. Because doing one's True Will is the ultimate goal of each individual, this is the Thelemic Magician's fulfillment of the Great Work.

==History==
===Alchemy===

===Kabbalah===

The term "great work" does not exist in classic Kabbalistic texts such as the [[Zohar]] or [[Sepher Yetzirah]]. However, the concept appears in the writings of Kabbalists throughout the Rennaisance:

"Do not pray for your own needs, for your prayer will not then be accepted. But when you want to pray, do so for the heaviness of the Head. For whatever you lack, the Divine Presence also lacks.

"This is because man is a "portion of God from on high." Whatever any part lacks, also exists in the Whole, and the Whole feels the lack of the part, You should therefore pray for the needs of the Whole." -- from a disciple of the Kabbalist R. Israel Baal Shem Tov

The classic Jewish Kabbalist is less concerned about the Great Work as a manifestation of "True Will" than he or she is as a part of bringing the world back to the state which the Creator intended. Thus one finds current Jewish Kabbalistic movements such as the Kabbalah Center in Jerusalem recruiting new "converts" to Kabbalah (such as Madonna) in an attempt to bring each new Kabbalist into their concept of the Great Work. As more individuals come into the Kabbalistic system, the closer the world comes to perfection as was originally conceived in the Kabbalistic scheme.

===Eliphas Levi and the Golden Dawn===

[[Eliphas Levi]], the first of the modern "ceremonial magicians" and predecessor to the "[[Hermetic_Order_of_the_Golden_Dawn|Order of the Golden Dawn]]" defined the Great Work thus:

"The magnum opus is pre-eminently the creation of man by himself, that is, the full and complete conquest which he can make of his faculties and his future; it is pre-eminently the perfect emancipation of his will"

The modern incarnation of the "[[Hermetic_Order_of_the_Golden_Dawn|Order of the Golden Dawn]]," the "Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (r), defines the Great Work as "a term borrowed from alchemy's magnum opus. Refers to the path of human spiritual evolution, growth and illumination, which is the goal of ceremonial magic."

===Crowley's Interpretation in the New Aeon===

Like the Golden Dawn, Thelemites view the Great Work, at least with respect to the individual magician, as being the quest for Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. However, Crowley never lost sight that the individual Great Work contributes ultimately to the Great Work of the Universe:

"The first condition of membership of the A.'.A.'. is that one is sworn to identify one's own Great Work with that of raising mankind to higher levels, spiritually, and in every other way." (Magick Without Tears, ch. 9, "The Secret Chiefs.")

It was the practice of Thelemites at the Abbey of Thelema in Cefalu, after "[[saying Will]] before Meat," to add the question, "What is the Great Work?" (MTP, ch. 13).

==Sources==
*Levi, Eliphas. Dogme et rituel de la haute magie, published in English as Transcendental Magic. A.E. Waite, trans.
*Crowley, Aleister. Magick in Theory and Practice. (in Book Four).Weiser Press, 1994.
*Crowley, Aleister. Magick Without Tears. New Falcon Publishing, 1991.
*Crowley, Aleister. Liber CXCVII. Sir Palamedes the Saracen Knight "A poetic account of the Great Work and enumeration of many obstacles."
* http://www.hermeticgoldendawn.org/Glossaries.htm . The modern Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn's glossary for definition and discussion of The Great Work and other terms.

Agape

2004-09-25T05:09:27Z

Isomeme: Reserving page for "two article challenge"

isomeme (Craig Berry) - this topic reserved; to be completed by Sunday evening September 24.