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JSmith: Liber C vel AGAPE

To: alt.magick,alt.magick.tyagi
From: tyagi@arkaotika.abyss.com (tyaginator)
Subject: JSmith: Liber C vel AGAPE
Date: 27 Mar 1999 00:54:57 -0800

[from thelema93-l@hollyfeld.org: Jeffrey Smith ]

As an outsider, let me give an outsider's take.  I have seen copies of 
Liber C and the equivalent documents for the other upper degrees, 
presumably pirated and presumably with varying degrees of inaccuracy in 
the transcriptions.  I would recommend the following:
1) Translate them from Crowleyan into English :)  That is, present the 
documents in plain English, or with the Victorianisms and coy symbolisms 
rewritten.  Possibly the best alternative is to keep the text as written 
by Crowley, and couple it with the straightforward modern rendition, so 
that those who make use of the document can benefit fully from the 
symbolism when it serves a purpose other than saluting prudery.
2)  Allow them to circulate publicly--given that other texts are 
available which state the same things in their own way, it makes sense 
for the OTO to let people know exactly what and why it does what it says 
it does.  Attach to the texts a notice that more detailed teachings are 
given only to properly initiated persons of the required degree, because 
the OTO wishes to ensure that the would be adept has the needed grounding 
(Man of Earth?) and couplings (Lovers?)--using terms in the electrical 
engineering sense *only* here :)--but no one is prohibited from trying to 
work it out no their own.

As it stands, keeping Liber C as the ultimate secret of the OTO is 
somewhat silly.  Those who would join OTO for the sake of learning the 
sexual yoga will probably never get near the Hermit level, and if they do 
only after considerable maturation that makes the original objective seem 
trivial.  (At least, one hopes this is so.)  And that newly initiated 
member of the IX would undoubtely echo Crowley's derision of the 
anticlimactic secrets revealed to newly made GD Neophytes.

In Crowley's days the "Secret" was hidden by prudery and ignorance, and 
keeping it secret made sense.  Those reasons no longer apply; any person 
with enough computer and or library resources can figure it out--if not 
the version presented in Liber C, then other versions from other 
sources--and use it, whether or not the OTO would see s/he is prepared.

Bill, I suppose by mentioning privacy in this context you mean that the 
Liber C is a private document of a private organization, and there is as 
much reason to keep it private as any other documents (like the bank 
statements, for instance).  I would suggest that there is no need for 
privacy.  As best I can tell, much of the OTO teachings are oral--or at 
least communicated informally between members, not put to paper as part 
of some grand curriculum.  And the most important part of the OTO work 
has nothing to do with teaching, and everything to do with individuals 
developing themselves--for which any and all documents have at best an 
auxiliary purpose.

Be well.


  Jeffrey Smith       f901030k@bc.seflin.org
  His daughter went through the River singing, but none could understand 
     what she said.
  --John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress, Second Part

EOF
-- 
tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com; http://www.abyss.com/tokus 
(emailed replies may be posted); cc me your replies
see also http://www.luckymojo.com/mojocatspells.html

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