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AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ORDER AND SYSTEM OF ORDO ARGENTUM ASTRUM
By: Anthra Andromda
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.
THE NEW AEON
There are vast aggreates of 'stars' or experience that may be described as
Gods. One of these is in charge of the destinies of this planet for periods
of 2,000 years. In the history of the world, as far as we know accurately,
are three such Gods: Isis, the mother, when the Universe was conceived as
simple nourishment drawn directly from her; this period is marked by
matriarchal government.
Next, beginning 500 B.C., Osiris, the father, when the Universe was imagined
as catastrophie, love, death, resurrection, as the method by which experience
was built up; this corresponds to patriarchal systems. Much as we now have.
Now, Horus, the child, in which we come to perceive events as a continual
growth partaking in its elements of both these methods, and not to be
overcome by circumstance. This present period involves the recognition of
the individual as the unit of society.
We realize ourselves as explained in the first paragraphs of this essay.
Every event, including death, is only one more accretion to our experience,
freely willed by ourselves from the beginning and therefore also predestined.
This "God," Horus, has a technical title: Heru-Ra-Ha, a combination of the
twin gods, Ra-Hoor-Khuit and Hoor-Paar-Kraat. The meaning of this doctrine
must be studied in 'Magick.' (He is symbolized as a Hawk-Headed God
enthroned.)
He rules the present period of 2,000 years beginning in 1904. Everywhere his
government is taking root. Observe for yourselves the decay of the sense of
sin, the growth of innocence and irresponsibility, the strange modifications
of the reproductive instinct with a tendency to become bi-sexual or epicene,
the childlike confidence in progress combined with nightmare fear of
catastrophe, against which we are yet half unwilling to take precautions.
Consider the outcrop of dictatorships, only possible when moral growth is in
its earliest stages, and the prevalence of infantile cults like Communism,
Fascism, Pacifism, Heath Crazes, Occultism in nearly all its forms, religions
sentimentalised to the point of practical extinction.
Consider the popularity of the cinema, radio and television, the football
pools, guessing competitions, all devices for soothing fractious infants, no
seed of purpose in them.
Consider sport, the babyish enthusiasms and rages which it excites, whole
nations disturbed by disputes between boys.
Consider war, the atrocities which occur daily and leave us unmoved and hardly
worried.
We are children.
How this new Aeon of Horus will develop, how the Child will grow up, these are
for us to determine, growing up ourselves in the way of the Law of Thelema
under the enlightened guidance of the Master Therion.
FAILINGS OF OTHER SYSTEMS
"With my Hawk's head I peck at the eyes of Jesus as he hangs upon the cross."
"I flap my wings in the face of Mohammed & blind him."
"With my claws I tear out the flesh of the Indian and the Buddhist,
Mongol and Din."
"Bahlasti! Ompehda! I spit on your crapulous creeds."
Strong and almost blasphemous words from the Book of the Law. But, within
these words are gems of truth. Let us consider each of these in turn.
Jesus...the God of the Christian. In the verse from the Book of the Law, Heru-
Ra-Ha pecks at his eyes. It is therefore the point of view that is in error,
because of his gesture of self-sacrifice. Also the concept of god or the
higher will existing outside of Oneself. The subject of Jesus is unfortunately
too extensive to treat here, so we will leave it at this; it is the point of
view of the Christian that is incorrect.
The point of view of Islam is also wrong; but needs no such sharp correction.
The tenets of Islam, when correctly interpreted, are not far from the Thelemic
way of Life, Light, Love and Liberty. However, this only applies to the
esoteric teachings, the exoteric is mere nonsense suited to the intelligence
of the peoples among whom it was promulgated.
The 'Indian', the religion of Hindustan, is metaphysically and mystically
complete enough to assure itself of the possession of much truth. It is,
however, in practice almost as supersitious and false as Christianity. It is
a faith of slaves, and liars. The same remarks apply roughly to Buddhism.
The 'Mongol', presumably a reference to Confucianism and Taoism. These are
metaphsically and ethically flawless, but this has not saved them from losing
those 'ruder' virtues which are proper to a warrior.
"Din" -- "severity" or "Judgement" refers to the Jewish Law, rather than to
the faith (ad "din") of Islam. Thus, the six religions whose flesh must be
'torn out' cover the whole globe outside Islam and Christianity.
Why this 'assult' on their flesh rather than their eyes? Because the
metaphysics, or point of view, is correct. The Master Therion took Judaism
as Qabalistic and therefore, in a sense, correct -- but the practice is
imperfect.
Thus we see that the spiritual system of the past are in some manner or
another lacking, either in their point of view or their practice. Each of
these systems, in their time, were marvelous achievments of man and his
Gods. Unfortunately, over time, they all were erroded to the point that they,
for the most part, no longer work.
The Christian has left his ways of Love in the dust, and has turned into a
creature of hate -- hate for anything or idea that is contrary to his modern
and twisted version of the teachings of his God.
The Taoist has become a pacifist, prefering to allow circumstance to lead
him where it will.
In almost all systems there is a willingness to be lead to any place that
conditions will take the adhearent. The individual strength is gone in all
systems except that of Islam, and in that case; strength has turned into
force. All systems of old have evolved into systems that incorperate a
greater or lesser factor of restriction. This restriction places limits on
an individuals Liberty, and his ability to attain to his highest potential.
NEED FOR NEW SYSTEM
Democracy dodders.
Ferocious Fascism, cackling Communism, religous fundimentalism, new age
nuisances, equally frauds, cavort crazily all over the globe.
They are hemming us in.
They are abortive births of the Child, the New Aeon of Horus.
Liberty stirs once more in the womb of Time.
Evolution makes its changes by anti-Socialistic ways. The 'abnormal' man who
forsees the trend of the times and adapts circumstance intelligently, is
laughed at, persecuted, often destroyed by the herd; but he and his heirs,
when the crisis comes, are survivors.
Above us today hanges a danger never yet paralleled in history. We suppress
the individual in more and more ways. We think in terms of the herd. War no
longer kills soldiers; it kills all indiscriminately. Every new measure of the
most democratic and autocratic governments is Communistic in essence. It is
always restriction. We are all treated as imbecile children. Drug and abortion
laws, restriction of civil and divine right, Sunday suffocation, the
Censorship -- they won't trust us to cross the road at will.
Fascism is like Communism, and dishonest into the bargain. The dictators
suppress all art, literature, theatre, music, news, that does not meet their
requirements; yet the world only moves by the light of genius. The herd will
be destroyed in mass.
The establishment of the Law of Thelema is the only way to preserve individual
liberty and to assure the future of the race.
In the words of the famous paradox -- The absolute rule of the state shall
be a function of the absolute liberty of each individual will.
All men and women are invited to co-operate with each other in this, the
Great Work.
The Book of the Law lays down a simple Code of Conduct.
"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law."
"Love is the law, love under will."
"There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt."
This means that each of us stars is to move on our true orbit, as marked out
by the nature of our position, the law of our growth, the impulse of our past
experiences. All events are equally lawful -- and every one neccessary, in the
long run -- for all of us, in theory; but in practice, only one act is lawful
for each one of us at any given moment. Therefore Duty consists in determining
to experience the right event from one moment of consciousness to another.
Each action or motion is an act of love, the uniting with one or another part
of "Nuit"; each such act must be 'under will,' chosen so as to fulfil and not
thwart the true nature of the being concerned.
The technical methods of achieving this are to be studied in 'Magick', or
acquired by personal instruction.
"Do what thou wilt". This seems at first glance to be a license to do whatever
one might desire, it is, however, not what one might suspect. The word of the
Law of this new aeon is 'Thelema', the greek word for will. This is not,
however, refering to the lower animal will, but to the higher will of that
part of each of us that is the 'star'. In the terms of the old aeon, this is
the Will of God. This Will, though, is not from any outside source, rather,
it is the Will of our own higherself.
It is therefore, incumbent upon each of us to attain a knowledge of this
Higherself, to attain a conversation with the self. This is known as the
Great Work, and is perhaps one of the single most difficult tasks any being
may enter into.
Spiritual systems of the past are for the most part lacking in any technique
to attain this. Even most of the newer systems are lacking in completeness.
The old religion of Christ is based on selfsacrifice, but, the self cannot be
sacrificed to the self. And the Higherself does not accept anything in
sacrifice. Like the Christian religion, most other systems have undergone
much change in their history, some bearing little resemblence to the original
teachings. These old systems have been destroyed by man and now offer little
that may help One on the path to true Spiritual unfoldment.
It is for these reasons that a new system and aeon are required. For if man is
to reach his true potential, he must attain to the highest spiritual levels.
Ordo Argentum Astrum will not limit any individual in respect of his path,
although, the Order does teach it's own path and system. The Order instead
acts as a guide to those who are traveling along their own path to this higher
spiritual plane.
All systems of the past are still equally valid, so long as one adhears to the
original teaching of that path. Even the incomplete systems that are extant
may be useful. The Order, however, realizes that individuals oft times need
a helping hand, a guide through difficult terrain. It is for this reason that
the Order regocnizes all true paths, and extends it's hand to all who are
seeking Light, Life, Love, and Liberty.
MAGICK
"So far, therefore, as the public profession of magic has been one of the
roads by which men have passed to supreme power, it has contributed to
emancipate mankind from the thraldom of tradition and to elevate them into
a larger, freer life, with a broader outlook on the world. This is no small
service rendered to humanity. And when we remember further that in another
direction magic has paved the way for science, we are forced to admit that if
the black art has done much evil, it has also been the source of much good;
that if it is the child of error, it has yet been the mother of freedom and
truth."
I. DEFINITION.
MAGICK
is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will.
II. POSTULATE.
Any required Change may be effected by the application of the proper kind and
degree of Force in the proper manner through the proper medium to the proper
object.
III. THEOREMS.
(1) Every intentional act is a Magical Act.
(2) Every successful act has conformed to the postulate.
(3) Every failure proves that one or more of the requirements of the postulate
have not been fulfilled.
(4) The first requisite for causing any change is thorough qualitative and
quantitative understanding of the conditions.
(5) The second requisite of causing change is the practical ability to set in
right motion the necessary forces.
(6) "Every man and every woman is a star".
(7) Every man and every woman has a course, depending partly on the self, and
partly on the enviroment which is natural and neccessary for each. Anyone who
is forced from his own course, either through not understanding himself, or
through external opposition, comes into conflict with the order of the
Universe, and suffers accordingly.
(8) A man whose conscious will is at odds with his True Will is wasting his
strength. He cannot hope to influence his enviroment efficiently.
(9) A man who is doing his True Will has the inertia of the Universe to assist
him.
(10) Nature is a continuous phenomenon, though we do not know in all cases how
things are connected.
(11) Science enables us to take advantage of the continuity of Nature by the
empirical application of certain principles whose interplay involves different
orders of idea connected with each other in a way beyond our present
comprehension.
(12) Man is ignorant of the nature of his own being and powers. Even his idea
of his limitations is based on experience of the past, and every step in his
progress extends his empire. There is therefore no reason to assign
theoretical limits to what he may be, or to what he may do.
(13) Every man is more or less aware that his individuality comprises several
orders of existance, even when he maintains that his subtler principles are
merely symptomatic of the changes in his gross vehicle. A similar order may be
assumed to extend throught nature.
(14) Man is capable of being, and using, anything which he perceives, for
everything that he perceives is in a certain sense a part of his being. He may
thus subjugate the whole Universe of which he is conscious to his individual
Will.
(15) Every force in the Universe is capable of being transformed into any
other kind of force by using suitable means. There is thus an inexhaustible
supply of any particular kind of force that we may need.
(16) The application of any given force affects all the orders of being which
exist in the object to which it is applied, whichever of those orders is
directly affected.
(17) A man may learn to use any force so as to serve any purpose, by taking
advantage of the above theorems.
(18) He may attract to himself any force on the Universe by making himself a
fit receptacle for it, establishing a connection with it, and arranging
conditions so that its nature compels it to flow toward him.
(19) Man's sense of himself as separate from, and opposed to, the Universe is
a bar to his conducting its currents. It insulates him.
(20) Man can only attract and employ the forces for which he is really fitted.
(21) There is no limit to the extent of the relations of any man with the
Universe in essence; for as soon as man makes himself one with any idea the
means of measurement cease to exist. But his power to utilize that force is
limited by his mental power and capacity, and by the circumstances of his
human enviroment.
(22) Every individual is essentially sufficient to himself. But he is
unsatisfactory to himself until he has established himself in his right
relation with the universe.
(23) Magick is the Science of understanding oneself and one's conditions. It
is the Art of applying that understanding in action.
(24) Every man has an indefeasible right to be what he is.
(25) Every man must do Magick each time that he acts or even thinks, since a
thought is an internal act whose influence ultimately affects action, though
it may not do so at the time.
(26) Every man has a right, the right of self-preservation, to fulfil himself
to the utmost.
(27) Every man should make Magick the keynote of his life. He should learn its
laws and live by them.
(28) Every man has a right to fulfil his own will without being afraid that it
may interfere with that of others; for if he is in his proper place, it is the
fault of others if they interfere with him.
Such is the definition, postulate, and theorems of magick as set forth by
Crowley. As a practical demostration of magick I submit this paper. The fact
that you are reading it proves that I have followed all the laws and met all
the requisites.
It is written; "Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good".--St. Paul.
It is said that every intentional act is a magical act. What makes an act
intentional is the WILL or intention. Now for the most part one's Will in a
given case makes not much difference, ie. the will to eat, or work, etc. But
magick goes far deeper than this surface Will, magick cuts to the bone, to the
TRUE WILL. This Will can be defined as; a powerful resolve toward some
conscious action or purpose. We have spoken of the 'TRUE WILL', this is a part
of virtually everyone that remains hidden for their entire life, pushed down
by the old programming thay received as children. This is the reason for
'visiting the child', to remove the old program and allow the TRUE WILL to
manifest and take its possesor on to true greatness. This is the goal and
purpose of magick, to release the TRUE WILL.
The release of this 'TRUE WILL' is attained when one gains 'The Knowledge and
Conversation of The Holy Guardian Angel'. This term, sometimes referred to as
'the Great Work', is a somewhat colorful and psudo-religious phrase that
refers to one getting to core of one's self, and, TRULY getting to know
themself. When this is done the real 'desires' (if you will) become known, One
may find that for their entire life to that point they were in the wrong line
of work. They may have become a lawyer, to please mom and dad, when they
perhaps should have been a seaman. Once these things are found out, the
individual may start to reconstruct their life so as to attract real happiness
and success. But this process is not easy, on the contrary, it is perhaps the
most difficult thing any one can attempt. It is a long and hard path that can
take several lifetimes, and begins with the 'WILL' to do it.
Next comes education, not in the classical sense, for the subjects one must
study are not taught in most schools. But, rather in the occult or esoteric
sense. This education begins by throwing out EVERYTHING that was learned in
the church, whatever church it was. Then starting with the classical tales of
the Greeks and others, and the 'Secret Doctrine'. Then one may proceed to the
more spiritual by taking up Magick. If the reader has an objection to magick
then one may, with great care, select an Eastern Guru, for there is little
difference between mysticism and magick.
Consider this;
1. Yoga is the art of uniting the mind to a single idea.
Yoga is the primary tool of the mystic. It has four primary
tools:
Gnana-Yoga union by Knowledge
Raja-Yoga union by Will
Bhakta-Yoga union by Love
Hatha-Yoga union by Courage
add:
Mantra-Yoga union by Speech
Karma-Yoga union through work.
If the various unions seem familiar, they are for we spoke of them earlier in
this work. These are the '5 inner secrets of truth', although they appear as
six (union by speech and through work are taken as one).
These are then united by the supreme method of Silence.
Now compare this with Magick, for Magick is the art of uniting the mind to a
single idea, and it too has four primary tools:
The Qabalah union by Knowledge
The Sacred Magick union by will
Acts of worship union by Love
The Ordeals union by Courage
add:
The Invocations union by Speech
Acts of Service union through work.
As can be seen these two systems are for the most part indentical, for in
Magick these are united by the supreme method of Silence.
This 'Supreme method of Silence' cannot be explained with the use of language,
for it is 'Silence' itself.
5. THE SYSTEM OF A.'. A.'.
ORDO ARGENTUM ASTRUM
Being a outer manifestation of the inner Order of the Star. A college of
Adepts and Initiates, dedicated to Thelema, and the true teachings of the
Great White BrotherHood.
The Order originally founded by Aleister Crowley in 1907, and reformed in 1990
by Anthra-Andromda according to the guide lines given in Liber AL vel Legis.
ONE STAR IN SIGHT
Thy feet in mire, thine head in murk,
O man, how piteous thy plight,
The doubts that daunt, the ills that irk,
Thou hast nor wit nor will to fight --
How hope in heart, or worth in work?
Nor star in sight !
Thy Gods proved puppets of the priest.
"Truth ? All's relation !" science sighed.
In bondage with thy brother beast,
Love's tortured thee, as Love's hope died
And Love's faith rotted. Life no least
Dim star descried.
Thy cringing carrion cowered and crawled
To find itself a chance-cast clod
Whose Pain was purposeless; appalled
That aimless accident thus trod
Its agony, that void skies sprawled
On the vain sod !
All souls eternally exist,
Each individual, ultimate,
Perfect -- each makes itself a mist
Of mind and flesh to celebrate
With some twin mask their tender tryst
Insatiate.
Some drunkards, doting on the dream,
Dispair that it should die, mistake
Themselves for their own shadow-scheme.
One star can summon them to wake
To self; star-souls serene that gleam
On life's calm lake.
That shall end never that began.
All things endure because they are.
Do what thou wilt, for every man
And every woman is a star.
Pan is not dead; he liveth, Pan !
Break down the bar !
To man I come, the number of
A man my number, Lion of Light;
I am the Beast whose Law is Love.
Love under will, his royal right --
Behold within, and not above,
One star in sight !
I;37. Also the mantras and spells; the obeah and the wanga; the work of the
wand and the work of the sword; these he shall learn and teach.
I;38. He must teach; but he may make severe the ordeals.
The Order is in essence a teaching Order, however, knowing that there are many
paths to the same goal, we serve mainly as guides along an individuals given
path.
Our curricula is diverse, and will acquaint the seeker with many options. The
specific direction/path taken is the choice of the individual.
We do, however, offer a course of study in the Qabalah, Ritual Magick, the
Enochian System, and the Warrior Path.
I;39. The word of the Law is THELEMA.
This is of course our main point and the goal of our Order. The finding of
One's True Will or the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.
We also seek to establish the Law of Thelema upon the Earth, and to free
every man from the enslavement of the old aeon.
I;40. Who calls us Thelemites will do no wrong, if he look but close into
the word. For there are therein Three Grades, the Hermit, and the Lover,
and the man of Earth. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
Those who are members of our Order are Thelemites, for we adhear strictly to
the Word of the Law.
There are in truth but two Grades in the Order; Student, and Initiate. There
are, however, three modes of Initiate; The Hermit, the Lover, and the man of
Earth.
THE HERMIT
In the traditional sense a Hermit is one who isolates himself from society,
retires to some place far from his fellows to live his life as he sees fit.
However, in this sense, this is not true. The Hermit, while being a Magician
who works alone, does not isolate himself. Rather he ramains in full contact
with the society of the world so that he may work toward the establishment of
the law of Thelema.
The reader is refered to the Book of Thoth for more on The Hermit.
[See Atu IX -- The Hermit]
THE LOVER
The Lover, or the 'Brother', is closely related to the Hermit, in that they
both are forms of the Logos. The Lover, however, is an initiate who works with
groups as opposed to alone. Whether it be a 'circle' or 'lodge' or whatever,
the Lover, like the Hermit, works to establish the Law of Thelema.
Again the reader is refered to the Book of Thoth for more about the Lover.
[See Atu VI -- The Lovers]
THE MAN OF EARTH
The man of Earth is the Thelemic equivelent of the Shaman. He is an initiate
who works both alone and with groups to provide Spiritual healing along with
the teaching of the Thelemic path.
There is no known equivelent in the Tarot for the man of Earth, save for
perhaps the Aeon. The man of Earth is at the same time a new element and a
synthesis of the Hermit and the Lover.
It is stressed here, that all three 'grades' of initiate are teachers and
priests of Thelema. The sole goal of any initiate of the A.`. A.'. is the
establishment of Thelema.
It will also be pointed out that all initiates of the A.`. A.'. are warriors
of Our Lord and Lady. All initiates exist in their own truth and light. They
live and exist by but one Law; Thelema.
I;41. The word of Sin is Restriction. O man! refuse not thy wife, if she
will! O lover, if thou wilt, depart! There is no bond that can unite the
divided but love: all else is a curse. Accursed! Accursed be it to the
aeons! Hell.
Restriction is an act that the Order does not engage in, even though a student
or Initiate is treding a path to his own destruction, even though he may be
abusing the knowledge and power given by the Order, the Order will never bar
or deny him the true light.
"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law."
"There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt."
"[...] thou hast no right but to do thy will. Do that, and
no other shall say nay. For pure will, unassuaged of
purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way
perfect."
"Love is the law, love under will."
"Every man and every woman is a star."
The Order recognizes that responsible action does not lead to restriction, but
rather, leads to Liberty. We therefore present these guidelines, in the form
of 'duties', for all who would be of us.
A. YOUR DUTY TO YOURSELF
1. Find yourself to be the centre of your own Universe.
"I am the flame that burns in every heart of man, and in the core of every
star."
2. Explore the Nature and Powers of your own Being.
This includes everything which is, or can be for you; and you must accept
everything exactly as it is in itself, as one of the factors which go to
make up your True Self. This True Self thus ultimately includes all things
soever; its discovery is Initiation (the travelling inwards) and as its Nature
is to move continually, it must be understood not as static, but as dynamic,
not as a Noun but as a Verb.
3. Develop in due harmony and proportion every faculty which you possess.
"Wisdom says: be strong!"
"But exceed! exceed!"
"Be strong, o man! lust, enjoy all things of sense and rapture: fear not that
any God shall deny thee for this."
4. Contemplate your own Nature.
Consider every element thereof both separately and in relation to all the rest
as to judge accurately the true purpose of the totality of your Being.
5. Find the formula of this purpose, or "True Will", in an expression as
simple as possible.
Learn to understand clearly how best to manipulate the energies which you
control to obtain the results most favourable to it from its relations with
the part of the Universe which you do not yet control.
6. Extend the dominion of your consciousness, and its control of all forces
alien to it, to the utmost.
Do this by the ever stronger and more skillful application of your faculties
to the finer, clearer, fuller, and more accurate perception, the better
understanding, and the more wisely ordered government, of that external
Universe.
7. Never permit the thought or will of any other Being to interfere with your
own.
Be constantly vigilant to resent, and on the alert to resist, with
unvanquishable ardour and vehemence of passion unquenchable, every attempt of
any other Being to influence you otherwise than by contributing new facts to
your experience of the Universe, or by assisting you to reach a higher
synthesis of Truth by the mode of passionate fusion.
8. Do not repress or restrict any true instinct of your Nature; but devote all
in perfection to the sole service of your one True Will.
9. Rejoice!
Remember... that existence is pure joy; that all the sorrows are but as
shadows; they pass & are done; but there is that which remains.
"Now rejoice! now come in our splendour & rapture! Come in our passionate
peace, & write sweet words for the Kings!"
"Is a God to live in a dog? No! but the highest are of us. They shall rejoice,
our chosen: who sorroweth is not of us. Beauty and strength, leaping laughter
and delicious languor, force and fire, are of us."
B. YOUR DUTY TO OTHER INDIVIDUAL MEN AND WOMEN
1. "Love is the law, love under will."
Unite yourself passionately with every other form of consciousness, thus
destroying the sense of separateness from the Whole, and creating a new
baseline in the Universe from which to measure it.
2. "As brothers fight ye!"
"If he be a King, thou canst not hurt him."
To bring out saliently the differences between two points-of-view is useful to
both in measuring the position of each in the whole. Combat stimulates the
virile or creative energy; and, like love, of which it is one form, excites
the mind to an orgasm which enables it to transcend its rational dullness.
3. Abstain from all interferences with other wills.
"Beware lest any force another, King against King!"
(The love and war in the previous injunctions are of the nature of sport,
where one respects, and learns from the opponent, but never interferes with
him, outside the actual game.) To seek to dominate or influence another is
to seek to deform or destroy him; and he is a necessary part of one's own
Universe, that is, of one's self.
4. Seek, if you so will, to enlighten another when need arises.
This may be done, always with the strict respect for the attitude of the good
sportsman, when he is in distress through failure to understand himself
clearly, especially when he specifically demands help; for his darkness may
hinder one's perception of his perfection. (Yet also his darkness may serve as
a warning, or excite one's interest.) It is also lawful when his ignorance has
lead him to interfere with one's will. All interference is in any case
dangerous, and demands the exercise of extreme skill and good judgement,
fortified by experience. To influence another is to leave one's citadel
unguarded; and the attempt commonly ends in losing one's own self-supremacy.
5. Worship all!
"Every man and every woman is a star."
Each being is, exactly as you are, the sole centre of a Universe in no wise
identical with, or even assimilable to, your own. The impersonal Universe of
"Nature" is only an abstraction, approximately true, of the factors which it
is convenient to regard as common to all. The Universe of another is therefore
necessarily unknown to, and unknowable by, you; but it induces currents of
energy in yours by determining in part your reactions. Use men and women,
therefore, with the absolute respect due to inviolable standards of
measurement; verify your own observations by comparison with similar
judgements made by them; and, studying the methods which determine their
failure or success, acquire for yourself the wit and skill required to cope
with your own problems.
C. YOUR DUTY TO MANKIND
1. Establish the Law of Thelema as the sole basis of conduct.
The general welfare of the race being necessary in many respects to your own,
that well-being, like your own, principally a function of the intelligent and
wise observance of the Law of Thelema, it is of the very first importance to
you that every individual should accept frankly that Law, and strictly govern
himself in full accordance therewith.
You may regard the establishment of the Law of Thelema as an essential element
of your True Will, since, whatever the ultimate nature of that Will, the
evident condition of putting it into execution is freedom from external
interference.
D. YOUR DUTY TO ALL OTHER BEINGS AND THINGS
1. Apply the Law of Thelema to all problems of fitness, use, and development.
It is a violation of the Law of Thelema to abuse the natural qualities of any
animal or object by diverting it from its proper function, as determined by
consideration of its history and structure. Thus, to train children to perform
mental operations, or to practice tasks, for which they are unfitted, is a
crime against nature. Similarly, to build houses of rotten material, to
adulterate food, to destroy forests, etc., etc., is to offend. The Law of
Thelema is to be applied unflinchingly to decide every question of conduct.
Love is the law, love under will.