Daughter of Sunset Updates

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

The Tree of Life, or etz chaim, is a complex system of attributions said to be a cosmology and a representation of the macrocosm, or the outside world, and the microcosm, the inner world. There is much debate when and how this system was “received”, (kabbalah), but it is studied and used by people of various beliefs and backgrounds. There are several representations of the etz chaim, and the one studied in our first meetup was the  ‘”Hermetic” Tree of Life’ as published in Aleister Crowley’s Book 4 (above).

The etz chaim is primarily characterized by the 3 egg-shaped rings surrounding the tree, 10 sephiroth, or emanations/spheres, and 22 paths -associated with the letters of the hebrew alphabet and major arcana (32 paths total). It is also divided into 4 elemental realms, 3 pillars, and contains 2 veils. The complexity of this system is such that it can be studied throughout one’s entire life as the associations placed upon it can encapsulate all within existence.

Understanding of the Tree is critical in making sense of many of the “Thelemic” rituals and can be remarkably illuminating and a wellspring of much practical use in daily life.

The next session is tentatively scheduled for May, where we will go into further depth on this topic and primarily focus on the paths and tarot associations. For those that attended the first group, or those wishing to attend the next class, please bring a self-drawn copy of the etz chaim to the next session using the 3 1/2 circles method (using a compass to lay the foundation for the placement of the spheres.) Thank you to Soror Laylah for a concise and beautifully presented introduction.

If you would like to attend please visit the calendar page and  contact us if you have any questions. =)

Love is the law, love under will.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

“According to Aleister Crowley (777, The Law is for All), each Thelemic year starts on the Aries equinox, coinciding with the Thelemic Holiday called the Feast for the Equinox of the Gods. There are, however, several different modes of observance among Thelemites today. These include:

• Strict Observance: The Thelemic New Year is celebrated on the Aries equinox.
• The Feast for the Supreme Ritual: This holiday is explicitly different trom the Feast for the Equinox of the Gods, and Crowley states that the holiday is March 20 (The Law is for All). Since the Equinox of the Gods typically will be March 19, 20, or 21, this can be confusing. Quite often, in fact, the two holidays occur on the same day. Because of this, the two are sometimes conflated and the Thelemic New Year said to be March 20.
• Thelemic High Holy Season: This holiday is recognized as the period of twenty-two days falling between the common dates of March 20 (The Feast for the Supreme Ritual) and April 10 (the Third Day of the Writing of the Book of the Law). Thelemites observing this Season variously attribute the Thelemic New Year to the Aries equinox, March 20, or the First or Third day of the Three Days of the Writing of the Book of the Law. Some have treated this Season as existing outside any “year,” in the conventional sense, or as one long, twenty-two day Thelemic New Year. Some celebrate the Thelemic High Holy Season by conducting a 22-day Pathworking.
• Convenience: Due to the fact that Thelemites today live in a worldwide culture which does not use the Thelemic Calendar, the Holidays are often translated to a date on the common calendar. When the Feast for the Equinox of the Gods is translated in this way, it is typically ascribed to March 20 as a matter of convenience. As another matter of convenience, Thelemic New Year is at times observed on the weekend, when the accepted date occurs on a weekday.

Many Thelemites combine two or more of the above approaches, and possibly others, sometimes varying from year to year.”

-Thelemapedia

Blessings to all on this auspicious day; “Aye! feast! rejoice! there is no dread hereafter. There is the dissolution, and eternal ecstasy in the kisses of Nu.” -Liber Al Vel Legis, Ch. II, 44. :)

Love is the law, love under will.