Egocentrism and Magic

[Kepler]

Graduate students are the worst.

There was a Crowley forum that through uneven moderation self-importanted itself into isolation, oblivion then damnatio memoriae. It's legacy so secondhand embarrassing it is to hardly be discussed. It platformed egocentricism to such a degree that the people that worked on things for the website decades ago don't even mention the place.

One of the blindingly funny things posted on the site before it closed was a serious post from one of the outspoken users(I called them General Hand Grenade) that boasted on why people didn't want to join the forum because they(the few forumites left) were too good at Thelema. That is on top of repeatedly boasting that the website and themselves were indispensable and important.

 

[HoldAll]

Elitism is another trap. Calling oneself 'spiritual' or an occultist does NOT elevate us above the 'common herd' of so-called muggles or normies (how I hate that word!). We're not the one's who really know what's going one while everybody else is just a blind meat puppet zombified by crass consumerism and social media.

I think we don't need to be humble as much as we should prepared to be humbled by our experiences and studies. To be aghast at one's own ignorance or foolishness once in a while should be seen (and deeply felt!) as a healthy and rewarding insight, as a sign that one's making progress. The OP is right in that 'brutal honesty' is a good antidote here, provided it doesn't become yet another self-serving pose ("I'm more brutally honest than you, so shut up!").

 

[aviaf]

That kind of posturing is honestly why I stepped away from the O.T.O. in the first place, and why I don’t really spend much time talking about Mr. C. People’s opinions on him swing between worship and outright disdain, and I got tired of the politics and the self-importance contests.

It’s funny how often occult circles recreate the same power games you’d find in any corporate boardroom or college debate club—just with fancier robes and more Latin. That’s why I think what you said about being prepared to be humbled is crucial. A little awe at our own foolishness goes a long way. Otherwise, it’s just egos in cosplay.

 

[frater_pan]

There was a Crowley forum that through uneven moderation self-importanted itself into isolation, oblivion then damnatio memoriae. It's legacy so secondhand embarrassing it is to hardly be discussed. It platformed egocentricism to such a degree that the people that worked on things for the website decades ago don't even mention the place.

Presumably you mean LAShTAL.com. OTOH they were available online for 30 years. OTOH they were shut down in the end by their site owner. So, while heavily egocentric, they weren't wiped out by egocentricism per se. There were also proposals to keep the site up under other ownership.

Currently even their archives are practically impossible to access. It's as if they were the ancient city of Tanis, covered by a sandstorm that lasted over a year and are now lost. "Wiped clean by the wrath of God." (Raiders of the Lost Ark reference)

 

[Kepler]

Presumably you mean LAShTAL.com. OTOH they were available online for 30 years. OTOH they were shut down in the end by their site owner. So, while heavily egocentric, they weren't wiped out by egocentricism per se. There were also proposals to keep the site up under other ownership.

Currently even their archives are practically impossible to access. It's as if they were the ancient city of Tanis, covered by a sandstorm that lasted over a year and are now lost. "Wiped clean by the wrath of God." (Raiders of the Lost Ark reference)

I joined in 2006 to investigate an entity. Got my answer in 2021 and closed my account. Didn't follow the site much before or after.
Considering the abruptness of the closure compared to when ianrons quit dramatically with that sacrifice pic, my guess was to signify sacrificing the site as his baby, sudden departures were established.

I saw proposals to keep the site up discussed on reddit. Along with the remaining userbase in that discussion showing no sign of self-reflection on how they themselves contributed to its demise. It was someone else's fault.

I'm appreciative of the site owner for not allowing access to the archives. The site got co-opted by a few blowhards that aren't socialized well enough to be on other forums. Many users who left over the years that contributed to the site wouldn't want to be part of a foundation to provide unfounded validation and keep platforming them.

 

[TheKEKist]

My experience, thought, and understanding of our endeavors require consistent learning, thought, efforts, and reflection to balance. LHP being that of seeking and incorporating our EGO as the RHP being the persuasion of EGO dissolution... My understanding is that we cannot rise into the higher realms with our both wings (hands) and thus internal alchemy is naught but required to allow coagulation of our solved EGO. I feel and believe that a tempered, refined, and polished EGOTISM is required for our continued progress to whatever goal we/me/ewe may fancy.
Sadly many choose a single path rather than being able to observe, seek, participate, and comprehend the entirety of which we desire "enlightenment' .

As it is said, "There is more than one way to skin a man, and however we choose will require us to deal with the mess if we want to continue to progress"

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 6:38 PM

'Our both wings'

 

[frater_pan]

I'm appreciative of the site owner for not allowing access to the archives.

The issue is that there was a great deal of wheat amongst the chaff and now none of it is accessible.

The site got co-opted by a few blowhards that aren't socialized well enough to be on other forums.

Yeah, it devolved into severe disharmony (and that's an understatement). However at least one of the more offending members, maybe more than one, have gone on to "provide Thelemic services" on their own websites where they can continue their sort of targeted rage posting. One of those targeted me with a ridiculous comment / accusation on X. I was quite stunned. I can't imagine signing up for even an academic study of Thelema (or anything) with this person. There definitely are alternatives but in general, outside of the various witchcrafts, the reliable occult space (beyond divination) is pretty sparse.

Many users who left over the years that contributed to the site wouldn't want to be part of a foundation to provide unfounded validation and keep platforming them.

They should reconsider. Of course we don't want to platform maniacs but we need to provide reliable occult platforms for people.

 

[Kepler]

The issue is that there was a great deal of wheat amongst the chaff and now none of it is accessible.

Yeah, it devolved into severe disharmony (and that's an understatement). However at least one of the more offending members, maybe more than one, have gone on to "provide Thelemic services" on their own websites where they can continue their sort of targeted rage posting. One of those targeted me with a ridiculous comment / accusation on X. I was quite stunned. I can't imagine signing up for even an academic study of Thelema (or anything) with this person. There definitely are alternatives but in general, outside of the various witchcrafts, the reliable occult space (beyond divination) is pretty sparse.

They should reconsider. Of course we don't want to platform maniacs but we need to provide reliable occult platforms for people.

Before I closed my account I copied stuff from the site that I valued. Largely my own posts(to touch on the topic of ego). When I closed it I wanted to have all my posts deleted, which unfortunately the selected software didn't follow through. The owner was courteous and deleted a few selected posts even after I closed. That was despite luckily closing just in time to become one of the last anonymous accounts before closed accounts were numbered.

I wasn't too concerned as it was expected to end up not mattering anyway. It seemed pretty clear that The Aleister Crowley Society wasn't going to last must longer at the rate it was isolating itself into obscurity.