Daughter of Sunset Updates

The Daughter of Sunset Oasis recently added “The Thelemic Foundations Reading Group” to its regular activities  (although it may change its ‘official name’ into, perhaps, “The House of Thoth” or some other words to that effect). The group is led by Frater Iskandar. The idea is to meet once a month and to read, before the meeting, a particular text, which we further discuss and interpret at the meeting. The books/texts rotate between more specifically Thelemic and magical in their content on the one hand, and those that address more general esoteric subjects on the other. The intention is to facilitate our ongoing education so that we all have an opportunity to learn more about Thelema, fill the gaps in our knowledge, and take our understanding deeper. It’s especially but not at all exclusively geared towards newer members.

The group started in June and our first text was The Heart of the Master by Crowley. This text was selected because it provides a narrative and poetic account of the advent of the New Aeon, together with the new model of the Tree of Life and the 22 paths associated with the Major Tarot Arcana: an ideological template of the new world. In addition, the book provides a parampara of the Great White Brotherhood, which forges the link with the historical predecessors of Thelema. The second text was  The Golden Thread by Joscelyn Godwin, which we discussed in July. Godwin’s book was selected for its erudite and succinct survey of the Western Esoteric Tradition in its historical unfolding. We will have a break in August and will continue in September with Eight Lectures on Yoga by Crowley,which introduces an important undercurrent represented by the ‘wisdom of the East,’ followed by The Mystical Qabalah by Dion Fortune in October. Fortune’s text remains a classic in the field; she designates Kabbalah as ‘the Yoga of the West’ and its importance in Western esotericism is paramount.

The group is open but we would like to be informed if you decide to attend.

Author and Mystic Brother Lon Milo DuQuette is coming to our fair city June 2nd to 5th.

“In the dark and brooding firmament of occult literature and media, Lon Milo DuQuette is a star of unique and exceptional brilliance. Although he takes the subjects of Magick, Qabalah and the Western spiritual traditions very seriously, he tries to remember not to take himself too seriously. This rare combination of common sense and self-effacing humor has in the last 15 years secured him a unique and highly respected position in the world of esoteric literature. Hailed by critics as the most entertaining author in the field. His style has been compared to that of Mark Twain and Robert Benchley. His books, seminars and radio and television appearances evoke from his audiences a curious mixture of laughter, terror, and wonderment.”

Daughter of Sunset Oasis is happy to sponsor and support this event being held at various locations locally.

Please visit this website for more information and to register.

A new biography of Aleister Crowley by Tobias Churton is scheduled for publication in September 2011. The book supposedly includes a wealth of new material and it is significant that it is highly recommended by the Frater Superior of the O.T.O., while the Foreword is written by Christopher Macintosh, a highly respected scholar of western esotericism and the author of Eliphas Levi and the French Occult Revival.

Aleister Crowley: The Biography may be pre-ordered through Amazon.ca.

On Sunday January 9th at 4pm Daughter of Sunset Oasis held a discussion group focused on  Liber CL De Lege Libellum. Ten people were in attendance including several who were attending for the first time. Brother Spreeuw facilitated the very lively discussion with participation from all attendees. A special thanks to Frater Iskandar for an initial overview of the text.  This discussion covered the Preface and part one “Liberty”.  Further classes will be held in future months for the remaining three parts starting with part two “Love” in February.  Please subscribe to our calendar to be notified of dates and locations.

Many thanks to Mr. J. Daniel Gunther for making the long trek to be with us here in British Columbia last week. Both days of seminars were well attended and the book-signing at Banyen Books & Sound had nearly 30 in attendance! Thanks also to all the initiates of Daughter of Sunset Oasis who had a hand in making these events happen.

In 2011 we will have many other speakers, classes and other public events.

If you are interested in being notified in advance of future events please email us at body_master@daughterofsunset-oto.org and ask to be added to our calendar email list.

The USGL OTO sponsored Thelema NOW podcast is always one of my favourites. The most recent update is Part 2 of an interview with J. Daniel Gunther.

Thanks so much to our Brothers and Sisters at USGL OTO for putting this together.

Don’t miss your opportunity to see the Esteemed Mr. Gunther speak in Vancouver. Details available here.

Brother Curwen, Brother Crowley: A Correspondence, edited & with an Introduction by Henrik Bogdan, Foreword by Tony Mathews (York Beach, ME: Teitan Press, 2010) is a fascinating book about a little known episode in the life of Crowley, involving his dealing with a person whose very existence was doubted by some people. Readers of Kenneth Grant’s voluminous opus will be familiar with the character, sometimes referred to as the Alchemist, who supposedly transmitted to him the ‘real’ tantric teachings (of the Kaula system left-hand path). The Alchemist, also known under his magical name of Anu Abthilal, was also the last person whom Crowley initiated into the IX degree of the O.T.O. In his book Remembering Aleister Crowley (London: Skoob, 1991), Grant revealed the identity of this person as David Curwen. Now at last we have a chance to find out more about him, as his correspondence with Crowley is finally published.

Judged by this correspondence, Curwen seemed to have been a hard nut. Already more than fifty years old, he exhibited a stubborn and down-to-earth mercantile mentality. His initial letters were related to the then recently published The Book of Thoth by Crowley, but soon the focus turned to the OTO and its mysteries. Curwen, constantly afraid of being made a fool of and wary of the financial involvement, insisted on definite answers and expected the ultimate secrets of the O.T.O. to be delivered on the spot as if they were a stock of fur in which he was trading. Crowley on his part kept insisting that the secrets were real but that they needed to be practiced in order to be appreciated. There was a good deal of mutual mistrust and communication breakdown between these two strange and opinionated individuals. One thing which is striking, however, is the lucidity of Crowley’s mind, who was at the time in his seventies. This fact stands in sharp contrast against the urban legend of a  broken-down Crowley in his old age.

The book is a well-produced hard-cover volume, in the already well-established tradition of excellence associated with Teitan Press. Curwen’s grandson, Tony Mathews, has supplied an interesting Forward, while Henrik Bogdan penned an excellent  Introduction and provided erudite notes to the text. (Interested readers may also wish to consult Bogdan’s well-received and highly informative Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation [SUNY Press, 2008]). This edition is limited to 777 copies so if you are interested, you should act fast and order your copy soon.

Saturday evening saw the initiates of Daughter of Sunset Oasis discussing the finer points of the theory and practice of the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram. Both banishing and invoking forms of the ritual were discussed and then performed. Thanks to Frater 671 for putting on a great class.

If you or somebody you know would like to attend classes with us please email us for more information.

Daughter of Sunset Oasis welcomed a visiting Brother at our temple tonight. Mass was beautifully and intimately celebrated by our Priest and Priestess. Those that could not attend were missed.

See you all Saturday night for magic class!