Thoughts on Movement

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

In an attempt to address a few questions that I have received from our group, I will be posting here some of them along with my responses. Remember, please, that these responses are my own and do not reflect the opinions or doctrines of USGL-OTO, Pelican Camp, or Alombrados Oasis. I cannot guarantee the accuracy or fullness of my responses, as they have been formulated with my limited knowledge and are based solely on my own research. I invite all corrections or differing viewpoints; and, will gladly edit my responses should I be proven mistaken.

Question: I want to understand more about the concept of “movement” in relation to the tendencies of Nuit and Hadit. T

Response: As to the concept of “movement”, observe the following: Hadit speaks of himself as a goer. Chapter II of Liber Legis has Hadit describing himself thusly at verse 6: “I am the flame that burns in the heart of every man….” Then, at verse 7: “I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.”

Hadit is commonly imagined as the core of each individual, the inner-spirit, the soul; but, a soul in motion! Inasmuch as we associate ourselves with our inner-selves, our minds, we think of ourselves as “beings”. “Being”, however has no defining characteristic. “I am” means nothing outside of the context of “I go”. Although “being” is philosophically important, we cannot know ourselves, or be known by others, unless we are in motion. Therefore, Hadit says “it is I that go”.

Consider a white point placed within an endless black, three dimensional, void. Now imagine that the endless void is the body of Nuit and the point is Hadit. While the point is motionless, it is impossible to identify its location; after all, the void is boundless, so the point is everywhere at once. Now imagine that the point moves within the void. Suddenly, there are coordinates, even of the vaguest kind. We can see that the point has distinguished itself by shifting from one location to another. Suddenly context exists, location exists, self-hood exists for the point. It can then be defined as that which moved within the void. The point has established itself upon a two dimensional plane.

Thelemites identify as a point within the unending vastness of the body of Nuit. We are defined by our motion. To paraphrase Hegel, Being is initially measured by Doing. It is the trajectory of our movement that leads to attainment. All else is stagnation.

Hadit moves upon the body of Nuit, and from their union springs the child, ever reborn with the movement of Hadit; and, conquering the stagnation of אֶהְיֶה.

Love is the law, love under will.

Br. Scotty

A NOTE ON PENITENCE

"While Thelema holds to the principle that spiritual attainment requires effort and struggle, the concept of "penance" or "regretting" has little relevance to us. Our struggle is not against conventional notions of "sin," but against ignorance, illusion and distraction. Contrition, meekness and self-denial are useless weapons against such enemies-- it is the Four Powers of the Sphinx: Knowledge, Will, Courage and Silence, which we must call to our aid. The illusion of original sin has led the Christian churches away from the true significance of self-discipline-- it is our task to restore it.

The Christian Sacrament of penance was supposed to effect the expiation of sins committed after the regeneration of baptism. The penitent, recognizing that he had committed a sin, confessed the sin to the priest (in the early church, the confession had to be made before the assembled congregation). He then declared his or her contrition and regret for having sinned, and requested absolution. The priest prescribed a penitential or ascetic activity, which the penitent was to perform as a token of repentance. If the penitent followed the priest's instructions, it was understood that the sin would be expiated through the mediatory prayer of the priest, and the penitent was free to continue his life with a clear conscience.

In Thelema, the negative concept of "sin" has given way to the positive concept of discovering and accomplishing one's True Will. As Liber XXX tells us, "Nevertheless have the greatest self-respect, and to that end sin not against thyself. The sin which is unpardonable is knowingly and willfully to reject truth, to fear knowledge lest that knowledge pander not to thy prejudices." The concept of expiation of sin has been transformed into that of perfection, which should be interpreted not as the achievement of a state of static flawlessness, but rather as an ongoing process whereby one's fitness for the task at hand (i.e. the accomplishment of the True Will) is increased."

~ Sabazius X*

The Gnostic Mass

Members and initiates of Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO) are not required to also be a member or congregant of the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (EGC). The EGC is the ecclesiastic arm of the OTO and offers to the public regular performances of the Gnostic Mass, which Aleister Crowley described as the central ritual, public and private, of the OTO.

If you have an interest in becoming a member or initiate of OTO, I would advise that you first attend at least one Gnostic Mass at a local body somewhere near you. If it is impossible for you to attend a live mass, there are several recorded versions online, and the script is available to read on the internet. If you wish to see a mass performed right away, this one is pretty good: