Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber
Thanks. Although it will take me some time to translate his handwriting. It's not that bad, but I'm probably going to have to reread several parts.
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Have YOU destroyed your copy of The Law?
- Thread starter Mikael
- Start date
Rainbow Mage
Lib Democrat/Agnostic/Epicurean-ish/Buddhist-ish
Sacred texts has it in better print.
Octavia156
OTO/EGC
Octavia156
OTO/EGC
when was this written? that geometrical shape on the second page is interesting. thank you for the link
ps: oh dear, no way i could read his hand writing
.
Again sorry bout the handwriting - there are plenty of places where it is typed!!
About that shape = that is the the Sigil of Crowley's most magickal and Mystical Order - the A.'.A.'.
It is known as the Star of Babalon
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.lava
Veteran Member
ah no problem at all. actually it was interesting to see original hand writing and now that you share typed version i would be able to read it as well...so it is perfect
thank you, Octavia
.
Octavia156
OTO/EGC
Indeed... RaHoorKuit (Horus) has it in for all organised and religious dogma in the 3rd chapter....
Octavia156
OTO/EGC
THE CLAIM OF THE BOOK OF THE LAW IN RESPECT OF RELIGION. (The Confessions of Aleister Crowley Ch 49)
The importance of religion to humanity is paramount. The reason is that all men perceive more or less the "First Noble Truth" --- that everything is sorrow; and religion claims to console them by an authoritative denial of this truth or by promising compensations in other states of existence. This claim implies the possibility of knowledge derived from sources other than the unaided investigation of nature through the senses and the intellect. It postulates, therefore, the existence of one or more praeter-human intelligences, able and willing to communicate, through the medium of certain chosen man, to mankind a truth or truths which could not otherwise be known. Religion is justified in demanding faith, since the evidence of the senses and the mind cannot confirm its statements. The evidence from prophecy and miracle is valid only in so far as it goes to the credit of the man through whom the communication is made. It establishes that he is in possession of knowledge and power different, not only in degree but in kind, from those enjoyed by the rest of man kind.
The history of mankind teems with religious teachers. These may be divided into three classes.
1. Such men as Moses an Mohammed state simply that they have received a direct communication from God. They buttress their authority by divers methods, chiefly threats and promises guaranteed by thaumaturgy; they resent the criticism of reason.
2. Such men as Blake and Boehme claimed to have entered into direct communication with discarnate intelligence which may be considered as personal, creative, omnipotent, unique, identical with themselves or otherwise. Its authority depends on "the interior certainty" of the seer.
3. Such teachers as Lao-Tzu, the Buddha and the highest Gnana-yogis announce that they have attained to superior wisdom, understanding, knowledge and power, but make no pretence of imposing their views on mankind. They remain essentially sceptics. They base their precepts on their own personal experience, saying, in effect, that they have found that the performance of certain acts and the abstention from others created conditions favourable to the attainment of the state which has emancipated them. The wiser they are, the less dogmatic. Such men indeed formulate their transcendental conception of the cosmos more or less clearly; they may explain evil as illusion, etc., but the heart of their theory is that the problem of sorrow has been wrongly stated, owing to the superficial or incomplete data presented by normal human experience through the senses, and that it is possible for men, but virtue of some special training (from Asana to Ceremonial Magick), to develop in themselves a faculty superior to reason and immune from intellectual criticism, by the exercise of which the original problem of suffering is satisfactorily solved.
The Book of the Law claims to comply with the conditions necessary to satisfy all three types of inquirer.
All Aleister Crowley material is Copyright © Ordo Templi Orientis
The importance of religion to humanity is paramount. The reason is that all men perceive more or less the "First Noble Truth" --- that everything is sorrow; and religion claims to console them by an authoritative denial of this truth or by promising compensations in other states of existence. This claim implies the possibility of knowledge derived from sources other than the unaided investigation of nature through the senses and the intellect. It postulates, therefore, the existence of one or more praeter-human intelligences, able and willing to communicate, through the medium of certain chosen man, to mankind a truth or truths which could not otherwise be known. Religion is justified in demanding faith, since the evidence of the senses and the mind cannot confirm its statements. The evidence from prophecy and miracle is valid only in so far as it goes to the credit of the man through whom the communication is made. It establishes that he is in possession of knowledge and power different, not only in degree but in kind, from those enjoyed by the rest of man kind.
The history of mankind teems with religious teachers. These may be divided into three classes.
1. Such men as Moses an Mohammed state simply that they have received a direct communication from God. They buttress their authority by divers methods, chiefly threats and promises guaranteed by thaumaturgy; they resent the criticism of reason.
2. Such men as Blake and Boehme claimed to have entered into direct communication with discarnate intelligence which may be considered as personal, creative, omnipotent, unique, identical with themselves or otherwise. Its authority depends on "the interior certainty" of the seer.
3. Such teachers as Lao-Tzu, the Buddha and the highest Gnana-yogis announce that they have attained to superior wisdom, understanding, knowledge and power, but make no pretence of imposing their views on mankind. They remain essentially sceptics. They base their precepts on their own personal experience, saying, in effect, that they have found that the performance of certain acts and the abstention from others created conditions favourable to the attainment of the state which has emancipated them. The wiser they are, the less dogmatic. Such men indeed formulate their transcendental conception of the cosmos more or less clearly; they may explain evil as illusion, etc., but the heart of their theory is that the problem of sorrow has been wrongly stated, owing to the superficial or incomplete data presented by normal human experience through the senses, and that it is possible for men, but virtue of some special training (from Asana to Ceremonial Magick), to develop in themselves a faculty superior to reason and immune from intellectual criticism, by the exercise of which the original problem of suffering is satisfactorily solved.
The Book of the Law claims to comply with the conditions necessary to satisfy all three types of inquirer.
All Aleister Crowley material is Copyright © Ordo Templi Orientis
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Tol
Tol
Heheh... "...as it burned, like a Satanic opening to Bonanza"
Amusing how he went to such diligence (Elmer's glue, sealing pages corner to corner, etc.) -- clearly the impact of the Book of the Law, and the ritualized destruction of it, held quite a Magical experience for him.
My self, I've never destroyed a copy, or felt especially inclined to do so, but respected it enough to consider the instructed 'need' at one time. I wonder how it counts if a christian roommate spirits it away from you and does god-knows-what with it?
Effectively removed the roommate, anyway. :run:
HerDotness
Lady Babbleon
Quite likely.
I recall reading that initially and laughing aloud so perhaps the reason is more nearly:
Or else its beautiful example of Crowley's wicked sense of humour
I'd have said his perverse sense of humor, but same thing essentially.
Octavia156
OTO/EGC
93
actually, since I last posted in this thread (2010!) I had a conversation with a Brother of mine who suggested Crowley wrote the comment "under stress" many years after its reception.
I've read how much trouble Liber AL gave Crowley... it sat in a cupboard for years I believe cause he didn't know what it was, or how to deal with it.
I wonder now whether the comment was written from a genuine place at the time of writing.... like he was as ****** off with it, as we can infer from the script of the text:
II. 10. O prophet! thou hast ill will to learn this writing.
II. 11. I see thee hate the hand & the pen; but I am stronger.
93,93/93
actually, since I last posted in this thread (2010!) I had a conversation with a Brother of mine who suggested Crowley wrote the comment "under stress" many years after its reception.
I've read how much trouble Liber AL gave Crowley... it sat in a cupboard for years I believe cause he didn't know what it was, or how to deal with it.
I wonder now whether the comment was written from a genuine place at the time of writing.... like he was as ****** off with it, as we can infer from the script of the text:
II. 10. O prophet! thou hast ill will to learn this writing.
II. 11. I see thee hate the hand & the pen; but I am stronger.
93,93/93
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HerDotness
Lady Babbleon
93 Octavia,
I agree that it's possible he added that order to destroy one's copy years later.
We'll never know precisely how he felt about it, of course.
From what I know of his personality (more than I wish I did at times! LOL), it wouldn't surprise me but that he felt "used" during the channeling process which I can't imagine Crowley enjoying as much of a take charge, power on and accomplish things kind of man he was.
He'd have resented even more the idea that he couldn't fathom material that came from his own subconscious, I expect, than from a discarnate entity. I know that he was conflicted through most of the remainder of his life about what the source of BOTL was.
93 93/93
Dot
Glad you chose to revisit the thread that I exhumed since I've only just happened onto RF. I appreciate your added comment.
I agree that it's possible he added that order to destroy one's copy years later.
We'll never know precisely how he felt about it, of course.
From what I know of his personality (more than I wish I did at times! LOL), it wouldn't surprise me but that he felt "used" during the channeling process which I can't imagine Crowley enjoying as much of a take charge, power on and accomplish things kind of man he was.
He'd have resented even more the idea that he couldn't fathom material that came from his own subconscious, I expect, than from a discarnate entity. I know that he was conflicted through most of the remainder of his life about what the source of BOTL was.
93 93/93
Dot
Glad you chose to revisit the thread that I exhumed since I've only just happened onto RF. I appreciate your added comment.
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Octavia156
OTO/EGC
93
Yes I completely agree
93s
Yes I completely agree
93s
JessicaSideways
Thelemic Ex-Christian
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
Yeah, I am not going to destroy any of my copies of Liber AL... So far, I think I have Liber AL in a few books. Of course, I have the red hardcover edition by Weiser but it's also in Liber ABA, The Magick of Aleister Crowley (by Lon Milo DuQuette) and the Law is for All.
So yeah, I am not going to destroy my copies of Liber AL. I'm just a photography student, not making enough bank to afford replacing Liber ABA. ;-P
Love is the Law, Love under Will.
Yeah, I am not going to destroy any of my copies of Liber AL... So far, I think I have Liber AL in a few books. Of course, I have the red hardcover edition by Weiser but it's also in Liber ABA, The Magick of Aleister Crowley (by Lon Milo DuQuette) and the Law is for All.
So yeah, I am not going to destroy my copies of Liber AL. I'm just a photography student, not making enough bank to afford replacing Liber ABA. ;-P
Love is the Law, Love under Will.