Liber O

Always Wondering

1. This book is very easy to misunderstand; readers are asked to use the most minute critical care in the study of it, even as we have done in its preparation.
2. In this book it is spoken of the Sephiroth and the Paths; of Spirits and Conjurations; of Gods, Spheres, Planes, and many other things which may or may not exist.
It is immaterial whether these exist or not. By doing certain things certain results will follow; students are most earnestly warned against attributing objective reality or philosophic validity to any of them.

I understand the “objective reality” part. Been there, learned that, useful but not fun. So I have a great respect for these concepts. I am getting hung up on “philosophic validity”. Perhaps I have a tendency to philosophize my idea of magic as a means to grow, learn and understand.
What does Crowley mean by this?

AW

Scion

One of my faves, AW...

I'd say it's a reminder not to let your perceptions and models dictate the reality you're capable of experiencing, to get out of your own way magickally as much as possible, that the discipline is the central concern, and the skills developed thereby.

Opera was originally invented to recreate Greek tragedy. We now know that many mistakes and assumptions were made that would be proved false. Nevertheless, certain notes still shatter a glass. While this quote is often used to support a psychologized modern view of magick in fact that is as much a lunatic mythologized invention as anything else. The addiction to reality is pernicious and restrictive.

So this is a little bit of pre-Chaos-Magick Chaos magick: Nothing is True. Everything is permitted. Get results.

Aeon418

Always Wondering said:
What does Crowley mean by this?

Straight from the horses mouth a few paragraphs later.

5. There is little danger that any student, however idle or stupid, will fail to get some result; but there is great danger that he will be led astray, obsessed and overwhelmed by his results, even though it be by those which it is necessary that he should attain.

The methods and ritual forms presented in Liber O are merely a means to an end. They are effective techniques. They are not the one and only true way to spiritual attainment. Likewise any results obtained via the methods in sections 5 & 6 have to be treated with a high degree of scepticism. If you uncritically believe all you are told during astral visons you've just bought yourself a one way ticket to laa-laa land a.k.a the New Age movement. :laugh:

Don't confuse the contents of a subjective vision with objective reality.

Aeon418

Scion said:
So this is a little bit of pre-Chaos-Magick Chaos magick: Nothing is True. Everything is permitted. Get results.

Unfortunately most Chaos magicians don't understand that you can't break rules that you never learnt in the first place.

If thou thyself hast not a sure foundation, whereon wilt thou stand to direct the forces of Nature?

Scion

So true... it just occurred to me that it almost prefigured.

Always Wondering

Please, never stop talking amongst yourselves, I learn so much this way. I am a little chicken hearted but you have inspired me. I’m off to practice, learn rules to someday break. In the meantime, if a god form tells me to jump off a bridge, I will pass, at least for now.

AW

Abrac

Always Wondering said:
What does Crowley mean by this?

Crowley was a scientist at heart. One of his main goals was to demonstrate how magic worked scientifically. That is why he kept such copious notes and demanded the same of his students. I don't think he was saying there is absolutely no 'philosophic validity' to any of these things. He was merely cautioning against being led astray (from the scientific path) by them. Earlier he says they "may or may not exist," which doesn't rule out the possibility that they might.

Aeon418

In Crowley's day the first instructional paper the beginner was exposed to was Liber LXI vel Causae. It contains a little, but very important, gem of knowledge that is often missed.

Just because many of the ritual practices employ Judaic or Egyptian god names, it does not mean that there is any sort of "philosophic validity" behind them. For example, any one who practices the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram does not have to accept the existence of the Hebrew Yahweh or the Judaic faith. Likewise, rituals containing Egyptian god names are not a revival of ancient Egyptian religion.

All gods are different manifestations of one God. And that God is your Holy Guardian Angel.

23. Deliberately, therefore, did he take refuge in vagueness. Not to veil the truth to the Neophyte, but to warn him against valuing non-essentials. Should therefore the candidate hear the name of any God, let him not rashly assume that it refers to any known God, save only the God known to himself. Or should the ritual speak in terms (however vague) which seem to imply Egyptian, Taoist, Buddhist, Indian, Persian, Greek, Judaic, Christian, or Moslem philosophy, let him reflect that this is a defect of language; the literary limitation and not the spiritual prejudice of the man P.

24. Especially let him guard against the finding of definite sectarian symbols in the teaching of his master, and the reasoning from the known to the unknown which assuredly will tempt him.

We labour earnestly, dear brother, that you may never be led away to perish upon this point; for thereon have many holy and just men been wrecked. By this have all the visible systems lost the essence of wisdom.

Always Wondering

Abrac said:
He was merely cautioning against being led astray (from the scientific path) by them.

Yep, I was pretty far away from scientific thinking. No chance of me being led astry, I am hoping to be led to more scientific mindset.

Aeon418 said:
All gods are different manifestations of one God. And that God is your Holy Guardian Angel.

Thank-You. All these forgien names, focusing on pronouncing and vibrating, who they are, a lot to learn. I forget this for a moment.

AW

Aeon418

AW, how exactly are you approaching Liber O? I hope for your sake that you are not trying to learn all the rituals in one go. That's a sure fire way to burn yourself out. A step by step approach usually works best. For instance you could easily spend an initial 3 to 6 months, or even a year or more, merely learning, practicing, and perfecting the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. That may sound like a long time, but it would be time well spent. The rituals unfold and deepen with practice, but it does take time.