Let’s go deeper.
Narrative’s Inexhaustible Depth of Meaning
In the case of the mythological narratives that have motivated us the most as a culture, there is an inexhaustible depth of meaning there that can never be fully fleshed out in propositions.
Cosmos, Critique, and Ideology: Reflecting on The Comment
A critical engagement with Thelema would require reading The Book of the Law against Crowley’s own interpretation—which would unambiguously contravene The Comment.
Leading with Meaning and Beauty
I think Thelema has gone down a path very similar to that pursued by Christianity. It’s been reduced to a moral framing for occult practices or an affluent lifestyle.
Consensus Thelema’s Source
There’s an empirical, experiential side to Crowley, and there’s a philosophical side to Crowley.
The empirical, experiential side basically comes from his experiments doing magic and meditation. They’re his visions and the Class A texts.
The philosophy consists in the conceptual framework he fits those mystical-magical insights into. That framework was established in his mind by 1901 and didn’t change much throughout his life. It’s a form of holistic monism informed by Lurianic Kabbalah.
One of the component memes of Consensus Thelema is an emphasis on the empirical, experiential side over the theoretical, philosophical side. It’s an emphasis on individual experience and interpretation over and against the theoretical. What Crowley himself thought matters less than what the individual personally takes things to mean.
My comment is that Consensus Thelema has virtually nothing to do with mystical-magical experience. It comes straight out of the intellectual framework.
That doesn’t mean that Consensus Thelema is identical with Crowley’s philosophy. Crowley’s picture of reality was more complex and less reductionistic than Consensus Thelema. Rather, the nihilism at the heart of Consensus Thelema is (historically speaking) a frequent consequence of the metaphysics Crowley adhered to.
Erotic Liberation vs. Holistic Monism
These two “foundations” of Thelema do not always coexist peacefully and at times seem to be in tension with one another or even contradict one another.
Self-Love and Love of God
It’s an intellectualization of an experience which really can be transformative of the self, but having certain concepts or preconceptions or expectations can actually make the experience less likely to occur. You’ll miss out on the real thing because you were searching for a counterfeit.
The Gift of the Mother
This is the exhortation I delivered at the conclusion of a Baptism I performed in Seattle on 7 Nov 2021.
Religious Experience and Ethics
Is there any relationship between religious experience and living a life full of character and conviction?