Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law
Very recently, I have corresponded briefly with a young woman whose chosen Path was witchcraft to whom her Great Work was of interest where she sincerely participated in the Work of the Knowledge and Conversation. My thoughts on her being so serious about the Great Work was she could be an Adept of her system where she, with such an accomplishment could create something more than an occult revival; and from the revival at its peak shall awaken a renaissance. Her answer to my suggestion to such an issue was she had decided that her Operation meant she would eventually become an Adept; and not that the Operation made her an Adept. I expressed genuine surprise that such a civilized and balanced remark was deduced where she did not lie to herself; and would not have the tendency to lie to others. Nevertheless, although I have the deepest respect for other systems of western esotericism; and even have engaged in interesting conversations with aspirants from the Temple of Set, a Dion Fortune style aspirant, some from the Rosicrucian AMORC system, Chaos Magicians, Nordic Polytheists, witches, wizards, and even several Israelite's whose chosen Path was the Greater and Lesser Key I always observe one key factor that differentiates between them and I. They seem to have an absence of stand with regards to the depth of insight with regards to the subject of the Initiator. My main interest is to observe the issue of Adepts of other systems of western esotericism to observe any parallels in their ideas of what an Adept and an Initiator will involve. In this lecture I shall expound and explore the issue of the Initiator for without those whose initiations sufficient to awaken something as sublime as a occult revival in their system their magical current will either dissolve or deteriorate. We must study all these interesting variations of the Path for they represent other magical currents. As a Thelemite you are reacting to the self confidence of the 93 Current. Yet, other systems must not be ignored. Especially, the subject of Initiators are important issues to consider which deserve calm tolerance and understanding. Keep in mind that our perception of who is an Adept cannot be fairly applied to a completely different system of western esotericism. It would be sheer arrogance to state that a Wiccan woman, for example, who has run a Coven for forty years cannot be an Adept in her system simply as a consequence of we as Thelemites who observe the concepts of Tiphareth, HGA, as Adept while her idea might be how she has incarnated her Gods and Goddesses or any other concept which might or might deviate from our idea of the Initiator or even the Secret Chiefs. My word, all this from a chance remark from a Zelator of my Lineage who remarked that he didn’t think a Wiccan woman could be an Adept. You see what being “the man on the silver mountain” for so long transpired with this Zelator who has been the same Grade for now, going on six years. He was surprised that I objected to his criticism. After all, we might very well be critical of those who we audit and instruct but carrying over such criticism to other Paths of western esotericism will be overly presumptuous where our lack of data would only sum something up with any number of factors that haven’t been carefully studied.
I see that I’ve some explaining to do to not only to my Hierarchy in this lecture but for those of other Paths where it might give them some perspective to observe it the way we observe it; and with that done can know how their Initiator is different or alike from our Initiator where confusion or lies can be brought down to a minimum or even give you a chance to clear the hurdle rather end up a turtle.
This question whether the Hierophant of Our Tarot Card is the same Hierophant whose threefold task is well known to those who are of us has been suggested as an arena of lecture to be made into a essay. Although this question seems naive and mixes the planes I shall clarify this; and yet to clarify this I must expound about aspirations to become a Great Initiator, Temples, initiations, and 93 other things so some of this is going to take some concentration; and if you fear what you have to do let be noted that in the heart of a coward virtue abideth not. No doubt, some are born to endless night, true, but others have not the will to be born to anything remotely aspired towards with regards to magical powers or initiation; and end up where their legacy ends with them. I have tried to explain to the Community that my legacy begins with me; and your legacy ends with you if you do no real work and are not involved with Hierarchy. Of course, of course! It should go without reiteration that I have been full speed ahead for Hierarchy but realize that too many give up and it does get interesting if you persist. “Interesting”, naturally, is a extreme understatement where I see the glory of the Path with a clarity that was impossible for Me in 1968 era vulgari when I was a new age, age of Aquarius boomer. Those early days on the Path did not foresee the extent of initiation, spiritual enlightenment, Trances, magical powers and Priestess experiences.
Why, of course, I wasn’t always that controversial magician who threatened to alter the timeline of all the civilizations of this earth by the awakening of My magick. If anything, all I really wanted to do back then was to learn a little bit of astrology where asking a girl’s sign I could get a date. Rather a curious state of affairs, don’t you think? Where I actually did not begin my Path as serious; and here I am years later actually criticizing those who aren’t serious. Or perhaps I should be tolerant of the lazy and the idle? Well, I wasn’t lazy nor idle in the early days of my Path where it was all about motivations. The war engine of aspiration took some time to build where although I observed myself as a “natural mystic” I had to work out any number of factors or issues where I eventually decided to take a career in magick much in the same manner which a sophomore in a good university might decide on a major. It is important to note that this makes my school of thought different than the fellow who comes across the Great Work and has some bad experience with dogmatic religion.
So, bearing all this in mind I shall discuss Initiators which will carefully give outline to my overall lecture in an attempt to explain all this so even a marijuana addict from diabolical Paris can understand it. (loud laughter)
You must firstly observe that more than one type or style or line of symbolism shall fit the correspondence of Initiators for this Aeon. Most certainly, how the Instructor in the A∴A∴ is perceived depends on the aspirant’s progress. Those who fail run away blaming the Instructor. Those who succeed who have a general good standing during their audits are going to honor their Instructor in the manner of how they adhered to Reverence, duty, sympathy, devotion, fidelity, and trust where they earned their Grades by the careful and often strict discipline of the Instructor.
Bearing this mind the Instructor of High Grade is viewed with some intimidation; and even hostility with herd mentality who after failing the Order become part of the “many and the known” often succeeding go the way of a thief, liar or outright traitor and end up with that death of legacy that occurs for those who have nothing to offer but preliminary insights that they try to develop into a world of delusions bombarded by asteroids of ego gratifications. It isn’t ego gratifications to tell a failure that their legacy ends with them; and your legacy begins with you. After all, as the initiator you treated the aspirant no different with your Instruction than the one that failed. The one that succeeded adhered to your instruction, communicated with with no long months of silence; and showed you respect and self discipline. We honor the brother or sister that shows true dedication. Those who allow themselves to fail and run away can die in their misery; and go the way of a slave. We cut contact with them for this lifetime following format; yet a magical Oath cannot be broken; and we shall be waiting for them in their next lifetime.
No doubt, more than one Initiator exists on more than one plane of existence. Yet the Instructor represents them all where his or her initiation has been checked and doubly checked in audit for his or her persistent audit of magical record.
With regards to Initiators on Higher Planes involved with Our Hierarchy it is well known how the Temple is set for Liber VIII which is a different Temple than the Book 4 Temple which is different Temple for the Gnostic Mass which is a different Temple the design of the Temple for the Abbey of Θελημα. Anyone can rattle off the main Temples of a Thelemite in common use but Initiation dictates which Temple you are ready for. Indeed, you do create any number of Temples if you use specialized operations created from the correspondences from Liber 777 as shown as example in Liber O. Yet this will be matter of individual experience and research.
No doubt, an Initiator can be a destroyer noting Liber VII, Chapter VII, verses 26 and 27 showing you correspondences of design of tool or weapons that become clear when you fill the Seat of their Position. The Hierophant shown in the Tarot has a very unique instrument who fulfills a Great Work very real for those who reach this plane. The Hierophantic task is well known to Thelemites with the three ordeals in one. So, the Hierophant is definitely aligned to the New Aeon complete with the task as an initiator.
You aspire to become a great Initiator? Well, fulfill your Oaths and your fraternity balanced by discipline for your own Instructor shall be the first positive step toward such a sincere aspiration. Everyone you Instruct will be a star with different backgrounds, experiences, education and even aspirations which might only be mundane motivations. Once the magical link begins to manifest something will unfold to tell you magically what to do with both the Instructor and instructed. We cannot be an assembly line where an initiation eventually makes you a robot mold. You are a different star than me or others. You cleared different hurdles of different heights, you experienced different ordeals resolved or unresolved, and this shall always be the consequence that a general lecture would only deteriorate at worst dogma and at best only develop you for another perspective.
So for you to become a great Initiator I would have to give you what you need in the form of insight or instruction that might not be correct for another star.
Love is the law, love under will