“Fresh Fever From The Skies” is a collection of the shorter writings of erstwhile Man of Earth delegate Frater IAO131 ( http://www.iao131.com), member of the OTO Psychology Guild, Education Committee, treasurer of Blazing Star Oasis, OTO, and Chartered Initiator. We share the book’s introduction thanks to the generosity of the author.
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
“I mistrust all systematizers and avoid them. The will to a system is a lack of integrity.” –Friedrich Nietzsche
I am a man among men. What I write is simply my own perspective. I do not see myself as any kind of Thelemic doctrinal “authority”, nor do I claim to have any kind of formal authority through having high degrees in various Thelemic organizations.
What I offer are simply my own perspectives. These perspectives are birthed from my own understanding, forged in the crucible of my own experience, and constantly refined through continual learning and dialogue.
I firmly believe that Thelema is not only a rich tradition with great potential, but it is a living tradition. When gnosis is codified into a systematic theology is when it starts to die; it begins to become the dry and lifeless bark cast off by the Tree of Knowledge, the stilted shadow of the Light that once shone. Being a living tradition means that Thelema is constantly shifting, adapting, and growing. The Light of the Gnosis is perpetuated through the generations by it entering into, filtering through, and being expressed anew by each individual. It is this continual refocusing, reformulating, and re-expressing that indicates the life of a tradition.
Christianity had more than Christ; it had Paul, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, and others. Buddhism had more that Buddha; it had Bodhidharma, Asoka, Nagarjuna, Milarepa, and others. These individuals reflected the Light of their tradition through the prism of their own experience and attainment. Introducing new perspectives and points-of-view helps us transcend the dull blindness inherent in the systematization of belief; it opens our eyes to new possibilities, new ways of understanding, and new ways of Being. Even the watchword of Liberty – “Do what thou wilt” – can become a lifeless formality if it is not continually re-infused with heated blood of renewed meaning, intention, devotion, and reverence.
Therefore, it has been my primary task to introduce new perspectives in writing about Thelema, to bring “fresh fever from the skies.” I am not attempting to delineate what Thelema is or isn’t in any absolute way, nor do I unwaveringly stand by anything written herein as ultimate Truth. There have been more than a few occasions when, having been met with the comment “I don’t agree with everything you write,” I have given the response “Neither do I.”
That being said, I believe having a firm foundation in the fundamentals is necessary before trying something new, otherwise one is constructing an edifice upon shifting sand. Much of what I write therefore has its basis in the Holy Books of Thelema as well as the writings of Aleister Crowley in general, the original fertile soil in which these various ideas have their roots. The comically copious amount of footnotes in this book are intended to show these firm roots in the foundational material while also providing avenues for interested readers to look further into relevant source material.
I have been a self-identified Thelemite for around 10 years now, and I have seen a great shift in our tradition in this short time. I believe this is almost entirely due to the rapid growth of the Internet, which I have no doubt is the “war-engine” of our generation. It has allowed for vast amounts of material to be available to unprecedented numbers of people. The birth and expansion of social media has meant that thousands can read something with a simple click that once was only available to the very few. I perceived the potential of the Internet for spreading the Law of Liberty, yet I noticed that many people did not take very full advantage of this opportunity. It seemed there was a large vacuum waiting to be filled.
This was the original impetus for my writing. I saw my writing as an act of service to the tradition of Thelema in helping it reach more and more people. My goal was to write with a style that combined academic rigor and common-sense clarity in order to show that the Law of Thelema represents a new Way of Being that is increasingly relevant in our modern, disenchanted age. I consistently attempted to elucidate a practical, down-to-earth approach to the Law in a way that neither insults the reader’s intelligence nor falls into the all-too-common trap of hyper-intellectualism. While my style and approach will inevitably not appeal to everyone, I only ask you to remain open enough to consider these various perspectives. If my writing facilitates any inspiration or even just one new point-of-view, I will feel that my task will have been accomplished.
As time has passed and I have had more experience with writing and life in general, I have slowly come to view writing itself in a new way. The typical understanding of writing, especially essays, is that they are simply intended to convey information. I believe writing is more than just a transmission of information; it is a form of Art.
Writing is like music in that the content of the words are merely one aspect of a complex array of sounds affecting us physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. Because of this, I have experimented with many forms and styles of writing, from the academic essay to the Dionysian diatribe. In this way, the goal is not just to inform the reader but to affect the reader, to not just speak to the brain but to the gut and to the heart. Ideally, the effect is a clarity that makes one’s feet lighter, inspiration that puts fire in the belly. While I cannot tell whether my work will give you fervency or indigestion, it is my earnest hope that everyone who is open enough will gain something from reading.
This book is a compilation of writings from early 2007 to mid-2014, representing 7 years of material. I have attempted to avoid publishing anything in this book that has already been published in other books such as Naturalistic Occultism, Thelema Sutras, or The Parables & Lessons of LXV. Much of what is contained herein has been available online for free, but there is also a good deal of material that is not so readily available, is more obscure, or has not been openly published previously.
The book is divided into five main parts. The first part has several essays serving as an introductory material to Thelema. The material in this section is specifically focused on Thelema as a way of life as opposed to attempting to introduce the reader to the many nuanced theological and philosophical aspects of the Law. The second part contains many essays on the philosophy of Thelema, delving into various aspects of our tradition in more depth. It includes many perspectives on fundamental ideas in Thelema such as the Will, ethics, death, politics, and more, and it is undoubtedly the largest and most extensive portion of the book. The third part contains writings on Magick in the context of Thelema. Its foremost goal is to show that the Thelemic magician cultivates Magick as a way of life rather than simply as a set of ceremonial rituals. The fourth part consists of dramatic rituals written for the “rituals of the elements and feasts of the times” mentioned in The Book of the Law. They are by no means “official” in any sense, but they represent attempts to create new ways to express and celebration these rituals and feasts. The fifth and final part is the most personal and experimental section. It is filled with miscellaneous pieces that include a comedic play, aphoristic musings, short essays on Thelema as post-Christianity, symbolic revelations, and inspired writings.
Lege! Judica! Tace![1]
[1]
“Read! Judge! Keep silence!”
You can order the book here:http://www.lulu.com/shop/iao131/fresh-fever-from-the-skies-the-collected-writings-of-iao131/hardcover/product-21736542.html
