Thelema Lodge Calendar for May 1986 e.v.

Thelema Lodge Calendar

for May 1986 e.v.

The viewpoints and opinions expressed herein are the responsibility of the contributing authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of OTO or its officers.

Thelema Lodge
Ordo Templi Orientis
P.O.Box 2303
Berkeley, CA 94702 USA

May 1986 e.v. at Thelema Lodge

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Announcements from
Lodge Members and Officers

Magick and Qabalah at Thelema Lodge

This series, presented roughly annually at Thelema Lodge by Bill Heidrick, provides ten slide lectures and one field trip to bring the Magical and Qabalistic methods into sharp focus for students. Half of the meetings have been held, but each class can stand by itself. If is not necessary to attend all to learn.

This month the 6th and 7th meetings will be held. The 6th is devoted to the Magick of Great Forces, Demons, morals and safety in the Great Work, creative and destructive aspects of the deities and other aspects of Magick that relate to Geburah (#5) on the Qabalistic Tree of Life. Some aspects of the traditional, personified Qliphoth will be presented, traditional Grimoires will be discussed and methods of adaptation to modern circumstances and Thelemic perspective will be provided. Some further developments of the Abra-Melin system will also be carried forward from the 5th meeting. One particular aspect of the 6th meeting involves morality in dealing with dangerous workings. There is a special way to deal with destructive energies that cannot safely be ignored. In like manner, compulsions and attractions are delicately balance. Guidelines in splitting the fatal hair are all important. Some of the material presented will be accounts of personal experience; and that old favorite, astral body-switching for sex will again rear its head. If you are thinking of working with the Goetia, don't miss this meeting!

The 7th meeting will be devoted to Magick particular to Chesed on the Tree of Life, and will introduce rituals

and theory for Merkabah Qabalah. We will deal with the Magick of Bliss, Angelic powers, self dedications and blessings. The greater positive workings are actually more dangerous than the greater negative ones, when they work at all. Prayer is more often curse than blessing. Dedication can become possession. Angelic Hierarchies are most precise, and errors must be avoided if a working is to succeed. Purifications and Purgations are essential, but often overlooked. In this presentation, we will deal with these essential matters. Merkabah Qabalah is often called "Practical Cabala", but it is in fact the most powerful Western technique for crossing the Abyss. "The Way of the Chariot" is a favorite of Crowley's, but his writings need to be highlighted to identify the tradition. "The Wake World" is one of Crowley's presentations of the Merkabah methods. This meeting will help the student unify Crowley's technique with his sources.

Magick and Qabalah #1 is the class text, and is provided free to those who attend. Please begin reading "Ritual Aleph" in preparation for the 7th and 8th meetings.

The other three regular series are: Study of Magick in Theory and Practice --- This is the next series; and special emphasis is given to priorities in the work, the formulas and the ritual techniques. Tarot Divination will follow the M. in T. and P. series, with the aim of providing techniques and insights for reading and meditating on the cards. Qabalah is the offering after Tarot, with the aim of bringing the Tree of Life and other subjects in Qabalah into full possession and use by the student. After the series on Qabalah, we restart Magick and Qabalah.

Requests for special classes are accepted the month before. These can be devoted to a more detailed focus on a particular area of interest, such as Enochiana, Liber 777, Thoth Tarot symbolism, and sub-specialties with those and other fields. For example: William Blake and Tarot, particular classes on individual Thelemic Deities, the O.T.O. before Crowley, Celtic deities, Witchcraft before Leyland, the particular studies of individual Libers by Crowley and other subjects have been offered in the past. Crafts workshops are also available on request: Bookbinding, microfilming, embroidery, metal etching (safe technique) and magical weapon design are among the available subjects. To request a special class, just show up at a class the month before and/or call... Requests should be made before the 15th of the month. If three or more people are seriously interested, the class will be scheduled. In good weather, additional field trips to Mr. Tam can be arranged, serving the triple purpose of improvement of health, pleasure to the soul and acquisition of the method of Natural Magick.

Initiations at Thelema Lodge

Thelema Lodge has chartered initiators and facilities available to initiate from Minerval through and beyond Vth Degree. Initiations are scheduled as requested, and we ask that candidates apply from 45 to 30 days ahead. In rush situations, such as visitors from out of the area, it is sometimes possible to set up initiation within a week or a few days; but this depends on circumstances and permissions not always available on short notice. Minerval and Ist Degree initiations are available every month, on advance request. IInd and higher initiations are more commonly available once every 60 to 90 days, owing to the greater complexity of the initiations and the need for additional planning. To apply for initiation at Thelema Lodge, just call ... and leave a message, or attend a Thelema Lodge sponsored event. If we cannot provide the initiation on your time-table, we will help you find an alternative. At this time, Thelema Lode is voluntarily not participating in short passages from Minerval to Ist Degree, and our facilities are not available for Ist Degree initiations unless the candidate has been a Minerval for nine months or more. We feel that the Minerval Degree needs time to be effectuated and that the Ist Degree represents too important a step to be taken until the candidate has experienced three seasons in O.T.O. as a Minerval. This view does not entirely reflect the prevailing opinion of the O.T.O. in general and the Caliph in particular. Accordingly, we recognize an obligation to assist applicants to find their early advancement elsewhere, should they earnestly desire to cut short their Minerval time. Your request to Thelema Lodge for initiation will be responded promptly, and immediately referred if outside our capacity or limits. Immediately means within hours, not weeks. We can also help you will questions about your dues, owing to the Grand Treasurer General being an officer of the Lodge.

The Thelema Lodge Events Calendar

The Calendar is mailed monthly within Northern California. As a free service to the other O.T.O. groups in the area, we list activities by all local O.T.O. groups providing information on events by the 15th of the month before. Please see the April issue for more information. Events can be called in to ... The Calendar also carries full page notices by local O.T.O. groups, other than Thelema Lodge; and in this issue you will find such a notice for the new publication of Ankh af na Khonsu Lodge. If your group (including non-O.T.O. in some instances) would like to do the same, please call the phone number for details. It is particularly a good idea to consider offering a description of class and workshop content to help our O.T.O. and non-O.T.O. friends understand more about your event. Such descriptions will be published in the same format you see here for the Magick and Qabalah series at Thelema Lodge.

The Illustrations in this Issue

These include example manuscript material from British Museum copies of the Lesser Key of Solomon. Both Thelema Lodge and Ankh af na Khonsu Lodge are offering classes in May that relate to this source. In addition, microfilms of the manuscripts of the Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon and of the Enochian notes in John Dee and Edward Kelly's hand are available for study at San Anselmo. The figure in the Chariot is from a medieval MS depicting Emperor Otto of the Franks.

Events Calendar for May 1986 e.v.

5/1/86	Picnic for May Day BYOB & potluck 2PM	Thelema Ldg.
5/2/86	May Day ritual and party 8PM (destryoy yourself, take in both of them!)	Ankh af na Khonsu Ldg.
5/3/86	Gnostic Mass 6PM every Saturday in San Jose & potluck	Aiwass Oasis
5/4/86	Children's party, Brangwynn's birthday, noon	Ankh af na Khonsu Ldg.
5/5/86	Bystander Boosters (not an event, call in material for the Bystander by this date	Ankh af na Khonsu Ldg.
5/8/86	Initiations Coordination Committee Meeting 8PM. For initiators	Ankh af na Khonsu Ldg.
5/9/86	Camp meeting 8PM	Dii Alieni Camp
5/10/86	Gnostic Mass & potluck 6PM	Aiwass Oasis
5/11/86	Gnostic Mass 4PM	Thelema Ldg.
5/14/86	Magick & Qabalah #6 with Bill 8PM	Thelema Ldg.
5/15/86	Thelema Lodge Calendar deadlien (this is the calendar)	Thelema Ldg.
5/16/86	Initiator's workship in Minerval & I Deg.	ABRAHADABRA Camp
5/17/86	Gnostic Mass 6PM	Aiwass Oasis
5/17/86	Lodge initiations 8PM	Ankh af na Khonsu Ldg
5/19/86	Oasis member's study group 7-9 PM	Nur alal Ufuk Oasis
5/21/86	Magick & Qabalah #7 with Bill 8PM	Thelema Ldg.
5/21/86	Goetia wrkshp 8PM $5 don.	Ankh af na Khonsu Ldg.
5/22/86	Egyptian Workshop 8PM $5 donation	Ankh af na Khonsu Ldg.
5/23/86	Full Moon Ritual 8PM	Ankh af na Khonsu Ldg.
5/24/86	OTO Board at Lola's Proposed date, call to confirm)	OTO Corp. HQ
5/24/86	8&90 BYO 2PM	Ankh af na Khonsu Ldg.
5/24/86	Gnostic Mass 6PM	Aiwass Oasis
5/25/86	Gnostic Mass & potluck 2PM	Ankh af na Khonsu Ldg.
5/26/86	Bystander Booster's publication deadline	Ankh af na Khonsu Ldg.
5/29/86	Gnostic Mass Class 8PM	EGC
5/30/86	Gnostic Mass 8PM in San Francisco	Nefrette Camp
5/31/86	PI initiation	Ankh af na Khonsu Ldg.
5/31/86	Gnostic Mass & potluck 6PM	Aiwass Oasis

Thelema Lodge events Calendar is now separate from the Magical Link. Local O.T.O. Groups can reach 300 interested O.T.O. members and the Thelemically involved members of the General Public with their own printed information. Postage free to O.T.O. ... Coverage is for Northern California, published monthly and expanding.

The viewpoints and opinions expressed herein are the responsibility of the contributing authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of OTO or its officers.

Thelema Lodge
Ordo Templi Orientis
P.O. Box 2303
Berkeley, CA 94702 USA

Phone: (510) 652-3171 (for events info and contact to Lodge)

Production and Circulation:
OTO-TLC
P.O.Box 430
Fairfax, CA 94978 USA

Internet: heidrick@well.com (Submissions and circulation only)