THE ARCANE ARCHIVE
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To: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.pagan,alt.pagan.magick,alt.divination,alt.magick,talk.religion.newage
From: PHume 
Subject: Re: KSword: Pathworkings
Date: 21 Dec 1996 10:00:16 -0800

[received in email, provided assent to post publically - tn]

[nagasiva:]
> in alt.magick, kingsword@aol.com (King Sword) wrote:
> >Pathworkings in the West seem to have started with Florence
> >Farr's "Sphere Group" in the old British G.D.
> 
> time period?
> 
Later in the history of the GD. I am too lazy to go dig out one of the
books that would provide hard data on the Sphere but the factionalism
some members came up with regarding this group within the GD was
directly involved in the tensions that led to the breakup in 1900, so we
are in the last few years of the 19th century. Mary Greer could
undoubtedly answer it off the top of her head, but I don't think she
reads thelema93-l.

> this is VERY interesting to me.  I have recently been informed
> by a former member of the Caliphate OTO that the organization
> known as '3HO' was (is?) a Sikh organization and was a heavy
> influence upon the sex magick instructions of that organization,
> the previous Caliph (Hymenaeus Alpha) being a student of that
> organization and instructed in visualizations and sexual energy
> work along its lines.

3HO is still in existence. It is a Sikh organization, and teaches
excellent classes in Kundalini Yoga. It is very effective in awakening
the Kundalini, and the effect can be felt even in a short time doing the
simpler kriyas (combinations of exercises). They publish several
superlative textbooks, ranging from the simple to the not-so-simple. If
you can't find a lead, I can ask a brother here at Blake who has been a
student at the local 3HO ashram for some titles, authors, ISBNs, etc,
though you may have to remind me about this after the new civil year
begins (he manages a bookstore, and so is invisible until after the Yule
shopping rush ends).
 
I hadn't heard that Grady was involved in 3HO - they are not hard to
find, however, and it would be an obvious area of study for someone
working with the Kundalini, whether in active sexual ritual or not. 

> 
> are you familiar with this at all?  why is there such a heavy
> influence from Sikhism in Western occultism

Easy - they don't just talk about it (g).

> and why isn't this
> more overtly acknowledged?

Good question, though the knowledge is not only available through Sikh
sources. 

Regards,
Paul
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see http://www.hollyfeld.org/~tyagi/nagasiva.html  and  call: 408/2-666-SLUG!!!
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Date: Mon, 23 Dec 1996 14:55:32 -0800
Message-Id: <199612232255.OAA11764@kudo20.kudonet.com>
To: tyagi@hollyfeld.org
Subject: Magick/9612.sphrvis.var (2)
From: tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com (nagasiva)


>From: tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com (nagasiva)
>Newsgroups: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.pagan,alt.pagan.magick,alt.divination,alt.magick,talk.religion.newage
>Subject: Re: KSword: Pathworkings
>Date: 21 Dec 1996 10:07:02 -0800
>Organization: KudoNet On-Line Services

[I received these responses in the Thelema93-L@hollyfeld.org email list; 
 the first response was slightly reformatted for readability; please cc
 the individual to whom you are responding in email if you do respond here]

From: DMKraig@lamg.com (Donald M. Kraig)
Date: 18 Dec 1996 12:32:35 GMT

nigris,tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com,Internet writes:
# in alt.magick, kingsword@aol.com (King Sword) wrote:
#> Pathworkings in the West seem to have started with Florence
#> Farr's "Sphere Group" in the old British G.D. 
#
# time period?

I would have to disagree with this contention of "King Sword." There are a
variety of reasons for this. 

First, it totally ignores the instructions known as "Rising on the Planes" 
which predate the Sphere.

Second, it ignores history. Probably the earliest magical tradition was
shamanism. A major part of Shamanism was journeying to other worlds,
specifically the lower and upper worlds as well as visiting the middle world
in non-ordinary reality.

Third, it also ignores the work of the pre-kabalistic Mercabah Mystics who
would journey to other worlds or palaces in order to eventually behold the
chariot of God. During this journey they would meet a wide variety of
entities and be required to give special symbols or passwords in order to
move on.

Fourth, although the Sphere used astral projection and pathworking, the goal
of the Sphere was was contacting non-physical intelligences for information.
One such entity was "Ara Ben Shemesh," an "Arab," who convinced some of the
members of the G.D. (notably Felkin) that aspects of the G.D. such as some of
the color correspondences should be changed.

DMK
----------------------------------------------------------------------

[second response follows]

From: "Charla J. Williams" 
Date: Thu, 19 Dec 1996 23:03:20 -0800 (PST)

On 18 Dec 1996, nigris wrote:
> in alt.magick, kingsword@aol.com (King Sword) wrote:
> >Pathworkings in the West seem to have started with Florence
> >Farr's "Sphere Group" in the old British G.D. 
> 
> time period?

According to Darcy Kuntz's introductory notes to 'The Enochian
Experiments of the Golden Dawn - Florence Farr', the Sphere Group
was founded in 1898.  This 35 page booklet published by Holmes
Publishing Group as part of The Golden Dawn Studies Series
gives the records of some clairvoyant experiments of the Sphere
Group from 1901.

Regards, Charla

EOF
-- 
see http://www.hollyfeld.org/~tyagi/nagasiva.html  and  call: 408/2-666-SLUG!!!
 ----  (emailed replies may be posted)  ----  CC public replies to email  ---- 
 * * * Asphalta Cementia Metallica Polymera Coyote La Cuckaracha Humana * * *