THE
ARCANE
ARCHIVE

a cache of usenet and other text files pertaining
to occult, mystical, and spiritual subjects.


TOP | SOCIETIES | THELEMIC | AA

The AA and Requirements

To: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.magick,alt.consciousness.mysticism,alt.pagan.magick,alt.thelema
From: tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com (xiwangmu)
Subject: The AA and Requirements
Date: 13 Jan 1999 02:39:11 -0800

49980520 aa2 Hail Satan!

do what you please, for that is my Law.

rose.dawn@ouroboros.org (Rose Dawn):
# if the A.:A.: was considered the only method of attainment in the
# current Aeon, and that an individual could be "equivalent to 8=3 in
# every other way" but not pass the asana test, then s/he would not be
# passed to the next Grade, and if A.:A.: members were not entitled to
# papers, documents, research material, etc., "beyond their Grades," then
# how are the disabled but advanced-in-every-ther-way seekers supposed to
# "attain?"

human lineages may or may not use the "asana" portion of GWB criteria
for qualification.  Crowley devised a certain system which obtains on
a level of maturation that suits his cultus.  when speaking of the
particular I am ignorant of and could not care less about its specific
criteria for offering seals of approval, commencement, or whatever
they may view their social process to include.

'asana', within the GWB, is a metaphor for a renunciation or release
of bodily attachment, especially with respect to physical pain that
one does not face on a day-to-day basis.  duration of will-power
designated toward ignoring anything from minor nuisance to major
(yet not debilitating) hardship in physical experience is to great
extent demonstrated by such asana achievement, and, in great adepts,
also exemplifies a degree of physical, metabolismic control not
available to the ordinary human being.
 
  
# Does your branch, or understanding, of A.:A.: preclude its being the
# only system of attainment valid in the current Aeon? 

as a human system this is sometimes a facet of instruction and lends
a certain 'fuel' to the system itself (elitism).  where the focus
is on human, social lineage, one may get all caught up in history
and 'authority' where it may be totally irrelevant (either having
never obtained or having once obtained and now been lost, etc.).

the GWB may well be the only system of spiritual attainment known
to human beings, yet this has been proliferated through so many
variations of manifestation as to render its appearances almost 
completely separate to any but those of sufficient insight as to 
understand their essentially identical core.

'validity' is entirely an issue of efficiency, not social approba-
tion, though elitist cults will of course espouse contrarywise
and this is to their benefit (below a certain adeptship).  

the Aeon of the Adversary's 'valid' (efficient) systems of attainment
are tantric of nature, those challenging social conditioning directly
through taboo-engagement or the focus on very harsh and wrathful
energies more effective in achieving a greater degree of movement
than bliss-ninny feelgood sessions or nannywiping banishbowlcleanings,
helpful though these may be.


# If so, isn't that already picking & choosing which of To Mega 
# Therion's statements about the purpose and the methods of the 
# A.:A.: to keep and which to ignore? 

aside from the human lineage(s?) which may qualify or contend for
the honor(?) to respond authoritatively to this (and I say that
those that so respond disqualify themselves), the Great Wild
Beast's statements are beyond the ken of those but the poet and
the bard.  coming near to them at ALL will be difficult, and
doubly so those about the GWB.  note that I do not necessarily
mean to imply the identity between To Mega Therion (AC) and the
Great Wild Beast here.

  
# What if the Path of the Serpent or the Rainbow
#  are more useful to some than the Path of the Sword?

the models are for human minds to absorb and use for our interests.
the masters utilize what lies within us as a starting base from which
to operate the Great Work through the medium of our mind and in
consonance with our spirit.  if what is called the Path of the
Serpent, the Star, the Rainbow or the Sword fit with our concepts
and inspire our development, then these will be used for that
purpose.  if you have something specific in mind (say softer or
more feminine pursuits), then my impression is that almost any
trajectory, described in a variety of ways, extending into
ineffability, is possible for use in diligent aspiration.


uncited:
# >...if you can't pass the physical requirememts of AA then 
# >you can't advance in that order.  So go somewhere else!

within any human social lineage certain limitations may be
reached for accomodating aspirants.  this is due to the
immaturity of the current in question and usually is given
a strong elitist wrapper to protect ignorant members from
coming to understand too early the potentially debilitating
impact that social organizations tend to have.

when cult members begin espousing the superiority or vaunted
exclusivity of their system, we may take this as a sure
sign that either we are talking to the wrong person or that
it has just what we are looking for.

  
#> I don't agree with Crowley's opion of asana as being merely a 
#> preparation for the higher yogas; 

please cite the text from AC and send my way.


#> though if we did take his viewpoint, then it is surely obvious 
#> his purpose was to accustom the student to simply being able
#> to be still for long enough to engage in serious trance, 
#> meditation and astral work.

asana allows a variety of opportunities, not the least of which
is that of greater perceptivity and trance-induction.

  
# ...the majority of the European & North American people making 
# up his population of students at the time were much less 
# accustomed to unrestricted movement, sitting on the floor, that 
# kind of thing. He mentions adapting siddhasana into "the 
# Egyptian god pose," fer-instance, so that "Europeans, who are 
# used to sitting on chairs" could perform it. 

I find that human 'furniture' is not really designed for me and
so have opted to generally eshew it, personally.


# ...how do you meditate at *all* if you're aware that there's a 
# cup on your head and are using your concentration to focus on 
# keeping still, and using a stopwatch, for goodness sake?

the incidental of the stopwatch is as nothing when considering
the meditative, single-pointed focus of stillness and balance
necessary to keep the teacup full of liquid from spilling.

  
# -> >Hatha yoga is *not* the yoke of the ox. It's the 'yoke' of the Lover.
# -> >I genuinely don't understand how anyone can not see that.
# -> I used to agree with you.  But I've changed my mind.
#  
# What made you change your mind?

Hatha yoga is not what Crowley described as part of his curriculum,
but instead Raja yoga.  have a look at Vivekananda or some other
popular yogin on this subject for more.  I am not an Indian yogi, 
nor do I play one on teevee.
  
invoke me under my stars, blessed beast!
xiwangmu

The Arcane Archive is copyright by the authors cited.
Send comments to the Arcane Archivist: tyaginator@arcane-archive.org.

Did you like what you read here? Find it useful?
Then please click on the Paypal Secure Server logo and make a small
donation to the site maintainer for the creation and upkeep of this site.

The ARCANE ARCHIVE is a large domain,
organized into a number of sub-directories,
each dealing with a different branch of
religion, mysticism, occultism, or esoteric knowledge.
Here are the major ARCANE ARCHIVE directories you can visit:
interdisciplinary: geometry, natural proportion, ratio, archaeoastronomy
mysticism: enlightenment, self-realization, trance, meditation, consciousness
occultism: divination, hermeticism, amulets, sigils, magick, witchcraft, spells
religion: buddhism, christianity, hinduism, islam, judaism, taoism, wicca, voodoo
societies and fraternal orders: freemasonry, golden dawn, rosicrucians, etc.

SEARCH THE ARCANE ARCHIVE

There are thousands of web pages at the ARCANE ARCHIVE. You can use ATOMZ.COM
to search for a single word (like witchcraft, hoodoo, pagan, or magic) or an
exact phrase (like Kwan Yin, golden ratio, or book of shadows):

Search For:
Match:  Any word All words Exact phrase

OTHER ESOTERIC AND OCCULT SITES OF INTEREST

Southern Spirits: 19th and 20th century accounts of hoodoo, including slave narratives & interviews
Hoodoo in Theory and Practice by cat yronwode: an introduction to African-American rootwork
Lucky W Amulet Archive by cat yronwode: an online museum of worldwide talismans and charms
Sacred Sex: essays and articles on tantra yoga, neo-tantra, karezza, sex magic, and sex worship
Sacred Landscape: essays and articles on archaeoastronomy, sacred architecture, and sacred geometry
Lucky Mojo Forum: practitioners answer queries on conjure; sponsored by the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
Herb Magic: illustrated descriptions of magic herbs with free spells, recipes, and an ordering option
Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers: ethical diviners and hoodoo spell-casters
Freemasonry for Women by cat yronwode: a history of mixed-gender Freemasonic lodges
Missionary Independent Spiritual Church: spirit-led, inter-faith, the Smallest Church in the World
Satan Service Org: an archive presenting the theory, practice, and history of Satanism and Satanists
Gospel of Satan: the story of Jesus and the angels, from the perspective of the God of this World
Lucky Mojo Usenet FAQ Archive: FAQs and REFs for occult and magical usenet newsgroups
Candles and Curios: essays and articles on traditional African American conjure and folk magic
Aleister Crowley Text Archive: a multitude of texts by an early 20th century ceremonial occultist
Spiritual Spells: lessons in folk magic and spell casting from an eclectic Wiccan perspective
The Mystic Tea Room: divination by reading tea-leaves, with a museum of antique fortune telling cups
Yronwode Institution for the Preservation and Popularization of Indigenous Ethnomagicology
Yronwode Home: personal pages of catherine yronwode and nagasiva yronwode, magical archivists
Lucky Mojo Magic Spells Archives: love spells, money spells, luck spells, protection spells, etc.
      Free Love Spell Archive: love spells, attraction spells, sex magick, romance spells, and lust spells
      Free Money Spell Archive: money spells, prosperity spells, and wealth spells for job and business
      Free Protection Spell Archive: protection spells against witchcraft, jinxes, hexes, and the evil eye
      Free Gambling Luck Spell Archive: lucky gambling spells for the lottery, casinos, and races