Thelemic fundamentalism

by **biaothanatoi** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 11:51 pm

If you are interested in the relationships between Crowley and ritual abuse, you should read <a href="http://beastbay.com/beastbay/970652013/index_html" target="top">this piece</a>, written by a Thelemite on the practice of "Orthodox Thelema". The most pertinent sections: "... those who think themselves the most "Orthodox" of Thelemites would not belong to any of the self-styled Thelemic organizations, nor identify themselves in any way as Thelemites except in the most secretive manner in the most private of situations. Instead of wasting their time being adherents of just another religion they are found "at rule, at victorious armies, at all the joy". The exact nature of their private Thelemic practices will of course depend upon their personal opinions, but most likely these will generally involve the understanding that sometimes the plainest meaning is a metaphoric one. Still, it is frightening for many of us "unorthodox" Thelemites to contemplate the prospect of someone secretly practicing a totally literal interpretation of the 'bloody' passages, especially those in Chapter III. It may seem silly to point out on this wildly public forum that the secret practice of Thelema, unlike a secret practice of most other religions (but not unlike some magical traditions), is a perfectly reasonable outcome of one particular reading of the Book of the Law. In the eyes of this sort of Thelemite we are not really Thelemites at all, we're at best a useful camouflage for the real thing, and at worst a temporarily misleading introduction to the truly "Orthodox" Thelema of the "chosen" 'Servants'."

by **Rigorous Intuition** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 12:01 am

Fascinating quote, thanks. It calls to mind a passage I quoted in another thread, from Peter Levenda's Sinister Forces: The Church of Satan was at best a gimmicky New Age operation.... The OTO couldn't organize a box lunch much less a nationwide program of human sacrifice. And the Process does not exist any longer, and hasn't for almost thirty years. On the other hand... It is a fact of life that many people who join or are attracted to organizations like the three mentioned above are much more serious than their leaders.... To the outside world, these people are all "Process" or "Church of Satan" or even "OTO," but in fact most of them have severed any formal links with these organizations before they begin their criminal activity. What the occult Orders have done, however, deliberately or not, is provide these individuals...with the philosophical basis for their actions; in many cases, providing them with the ritual tools, jargon and psychological conditioning necessary not only to perpetuate their crimes, but to scare the living daylights out of the rest of the population.

by **biaothanatoi** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 12:31 am

The OTO couldn't organize a box lunch much less a nationwide program of human sacrifice. When my friend made the first disclosures that pointed specifically at some sort of Crowley-related group, it was such a relief to finally have a target for all the grief and pain – but that revelation doesn’t come along with the necessary criminological understanding that strategy and problem-solving requires. It’s incredibly frustrating to catch a partial glimpse of the answer, but not a detailed enough one to act on. I can see how some Australian activists have overstepped themselves in pointing at the OTO as being “responsible” for the Crowley-inspired ritual abuse we are seeing here. The pressure of constant vicarious trauma makes me want to “fill in the gaps” and create answers that I don’t have yet. It’s hard to admit that figuring out the Crowley connection is just the first step, not the last. But I feel like I’m moving towards a more rigorous understanding of this situation. Thelemites themselves talk about “orthodox” or “fundamentalist” Thelema, they distinguish between the system of “Thelema” and worship of Crowley as “Crowleyanity”. As an “outsider”, I presumed that the OTO was the “realization” of Thelema, but many Thelemites dismiss them as juveniles and wannabees. Perhaps, when it comes to ritual abuse, occultism should be seen as a pathenogenic environment, rather then an organizing principle. Since ritual abuse occurs in Christian and other religious contexts as well, occultism is not the common denominator. But, for this perpetrator group, it has supplied the justification, motivation, and socializing environment for the perpetration and perpetuation of the crime.

by **jmregister** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 5:08 am

It might be comforting to think that "occultism" did those things, but ultimately "the occult" is only a set of symbols. Words are used to express what is inside people, what exists beyond language. Ritual abuse begins before any complicated symbolic system is built up around it; it begins when someone realizes that it feels really good to abuse people. It's really that simple. Humanity in its most ugliest colors. You can burn every book Crowley ever wrote, but somebody will write them again, without ever having heard his name.

by **Avalon** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 3:25 pm

"The pressure of constant vicarious trauma" I don't think this notion gets articulated very often in this sort of conversation, and I think it's something that needs more discussion. Not just in the context in which it was said here, but in all the ones that seem to get brought in on a board like this. The contexts where people are not always paranoid, but may indeed have enemies. The ritual abuse sphere is one that's been talked about a lot here, but it also comes up in regard to religious or racial prejudice, 911, and just plain old partisan politics. I've been thinking about it since I heard a radio conversation last year between Jeff Rense and Alex Jones, which took place before the US presidential election. They were doing the mutual grooming equivalent which often happens with radio hosts and guests with whom they agree. Both of them talked about how they didn't know anyone who was voting for Bush. I found that social isolation that those comments embodies to be a bit scary. I don't tend to have friends who would vote for Bush or any other Republicans, but I live in a town with a diverse range of inhabitants and I think the voting split pretty evenly, as it did even with whatever voting fraud there was, all across the nation in the past two presidential elections. It means some of my neighbors, some of the people I work with, some of my relatives, all voted for Bush. We disagree on a lot of political issues, but these people aren't demons. For too many people like Rense and Jones, they are trapped in an echo chamber which reflects back the world as they see it. If you look at their websites, they are saturated with "ain't it awful" news and analysis, guaranteed to raise the adrenaline to a constant fight-or-flight level. I'll bet they personally don't have a lot of horror going on in their lives, but they are vicariously bathing in other peoples' trauma constantly. It's not that it's bad to report negative news and analysis. But without education, empowerment, and more connectedness rather than isolation, their readers aren't going to have the skills they need to do anything about the problems. They are left to react passively, with no conflict resolution abilities beyond ranting and demanding. There are some horrors that are very real, that we're all affected by. How do we manage to pull back from a pervasive feeling that the world is monstrous, to a position where we know that there are strong, healthy and positive things people can do in the face of horrors, that not only can bring some healing and empowerment to themselves but to others as well?

by **Starman** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 4:12 pm

Avalon said -- "There are some horrors that are very real, that we're all affected by. How do we manage to pull back from a pervasive feeling that the world is monstrous, to a position where we know that there are strong, healthy and positive things people can do in the face of horrors, that not only can bring some healing and empowerment to themselves but to others as well?" Outstanding post, esp. your asking the most important question above. Sometimes it gets just TOO awful, reading about the ongoing horrors in the world today, in which a truly huge range of victims are suffering terrible abuses and crimes -- Zimbabwe, US prisons, Iraq, Columbian peasants, Palestinians, RA survivors, DU, Balkans, former-Yugoslavia, Muslim/Arab suspects, third-world debtor-nations, and on-and-on-and-tragically-on... On my better days, I have some hopeful insights and can muster some optimism, but at times its overwhelming -- a sign perhaps of how pervasive the 'evil' is that people do. Among what's needed is a Movement of Hope, to inspire and energize a global resistance to the politics of despair. How to make sense of the agonies being inflicted on behalf of this-that-or-the-other agenda? Does suffering make us stronger, wiser, smarter, better? I think the key is to transform our suffering to something positive, creative, and transformative, as thru love. But converting the idea to practice is the real challenge. Starman

by **Connut** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 6:44 pm

If you really want to take action and not just wring your hands, go to <a href="http://educate-yourself.org/">educate-yourself.org/</a> and learn how to build a Cloud Buster, or fling a few Tower Busters, or make a Holy Hand Grenade to brighten up your environment. Too much bad news leads to anxiety overload, which then needs some kind of action to happen so that we don't freeze in place. Or you can find something that generates laughter for you, or provides a sense of happiness. Only way to combat darkness is light a candle. Joy! Connut

by **Project Willow** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 7:00 pm

I've been dealing with these issues pretty heavily lately. My despair does not come anymore from knowing that so much bad is going on. It comes from the growing awareness that there aren't enough people who posess the courage, sensitivity, time and committment to respond. And there certainly aren't enough people with the capacity to comprehend or respond to the real extremes we deal with on this site and which make up my history. I used to think that one day a significant proportion of people would know and understand. I don't think that is possible anymore. (But I hope my despair doesn't discourage anyone, and hey, some may say I'm one of those who doesn't "get it"). Anyway, it's getting too personal, I can no longer discuss any of this in a theoretical or abstract manner. I guess it's about time I moved into that space. Good luck figuring it all out. I am thankful there are a few folks with eyes to see and hearts to feel.

by **biaothanatoi** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 10:27 pm

Hey Willow, It comes from the growing awareness that there aren't enough people who posess the courage, sensitivity, time and committment to respond. I agree that it’s about capacity, but capacity is drawn from the contexts of people’s lives, and the resources (conceptual, cultural, social) they have available. For most people, their capacity to understand RA/MC is limited because they have no point of reference in their own lives to help them understand. How do you change that? Media. Research. Activism. And that is happening - look at the continual evolution and mainstreaming of ritual abuse research, and the development of significant, international activist efforts - Persons against RAT, the ICCRT, Survivorship and others. I used to think that one day a significant proportion of people would know and understand. I don't think that is possible anymore. The first man to report the atrocities within Nazi death camps was publicly derided as delusional. People need a reason to upend their worldview. And, at this point, (and I’m sure you’d agree!) it’s the quality of our response, not the quantity of people responding, that will map out future pathways. Quantity comes later, I think. At the moment, we need to make sure that the groundwork is being laid for a more substantive response. Personally, I think research is the key to that. The criminology of RA is too complex for law enforcement – we have to undertake our own ‘investigations’ in order to get the evidence base that we need and force change. Good luck figuring it all out. I am thankful there are a few folks with eyes to see and hearts to feel. And we aren’t letting go, Willow. A mass of people is building. You might be interested to know that the ICCRT is publishing an edited book called “Ritual Abuse in the 21st Century” later on this year, and Persons against RAT is working on “The Torturer’s Walk Amongst Us”. Meanwhile, there are concurrent cases in France, Spain and the States … and lots of rumblings here in Australia … things are changing, and for the better.

by **Avalon** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 12:17 am

"there aren't enough people who posess the courage, sensitivity, time and committment to respond" People who have courage, sensitivity, time and commitment don't appear out of nowhere. To get them we either must breed them, or recruit them. "Multi-generational" is not just an adjective for abusers. There are also multi-generational families who have led the fight for truth, justice, education and all the things that bring us joy and make us be the best things that humans can be. It's so much easier when you don't have to pare away years of assumptions and misinformation. When you speak words like "courage" as your native language, not as an acquired tongue. Some of us are the first ones in our known family to think of these things and decide to value them. We're lucky if we fall in with the right people at the right time. But however we're coming to that point, one of the best things we can do is try to find people we think are doing the right thing (or sometimes being the right thing) and learn from them. Sometimes there is a teaching relationship, sometimes you're just paying attention from afar. Realize that they may not be perfect, and there may be aspects of them that are not right for you, places where you'll need boundaries. But if there are things that they do that work, and these things are good things to do, there may be value in saying "What would ___ do in this situation?" and accessing their wisdom that way.

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