Standing At The Centre: Bend Over and Think Of Baphomet I

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Bend Over and Think Of Baphomet I

Sexual Variance In Western Sex Magick

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law The following is part of a series I wrote a few years ago whilst quite new to a thelemic order, and as I was forming a relationship to its central philosophy. How did I relate to this? Is the law really for all and if so what is the sexual ethic of a new day? Some additions and expansions have been made, but for the most part it stands as written in 2006-2007. To see the other pieces in this series visit Bend Over And Think Of Baphomet II and Bend Over and Think Of Baphomet III In the occult traditions we work with what can be considered hidden knowledge. This knowledge is not hidden because it is locked away in sealed epistles, but because it is written upon the earth and within the stars. Each man is uniquely positioned between these two to gain this hidden knowledge, a deep and fulfilling knowledge of his spiritual nature. Of this experience of occult or hidden knowledge it must be said that the road to discovering it is deeply personal and unique to the individual. Although friends, working groups and family often accompany many on their path it is ultimately an initiation between the individual and the Gods. The following work is written in the context of the individual and what this means in terms of the question of modern sexual ethic and sexual variance in modern occultism. This work is further written in the context of the path of liberation, Thelema, as expressed through such vehicles as the Irish Order Of Thelema. Little work has been done to look specifically at the historical, cultural and spiritual background of the specific occult dynamics of sexually and gender variant individuals often considered under the broad term of GBLT (Gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgendered). Where it has been done, it has been done either with a negative bias or the supposition the dynamics are identical to those working as heterosexuals, within predominantly heterosexual symbolism. Within world history and occult traditions there is a parallel stream of the neither mysteries, mysteries which break away from the orthodox heterosexual bias supposed in much magick, towards a model for the sexually variant person as a self willing being. It is important at this point to state that the neither mysteries are not the antithesis of heterosexual models, and it is not the intention of the author to create a GBLT stream. When we look at the GBLT community we see a strongly introverted community based on such tendencies. Rather than splitting our efforts into streams, it is our work in the context

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About Me

Brian Breathnach Kildare, Ireland Brian (formerly known as Frater Docet Umbra) is a vain, self important, satirical self depreciator with delusions of grandeur. He is under qualified for most if not all things, which doesnt stop him from trying to do them all. He is grand high poobah of weird occult stuff, which means he has achieved the high level of assigning self important titles with little or no real world value. However, since such titles have such little value you can just call him Brian. Brian works magickally with numerous streams and methodologies, much of which is done under the auspices of the Thelemic order the Irish Order of Thelema. Beyond all of this he just tries to get on with life, do his thing and try not to p*#s off too many people. With over 10 years experience working with unseen powers, he still finds out new things every day and proclaims himself 'quite ignorant really'. That said, what little he knows, he shares freely. Brian also (obviously) enjoys writing about himself in the third person. Contact: frater.docet.umbra@gmail.com View my complete profile

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Standing At The Centre: Bend Over and Think Of Baphomet I

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A Brief History Of Esoteric Sexual Variance: including Shamanism, Witchcraft, classical citations, templars, taoism and tantra, and modern streams like the sexual theurgy of the OTO and derivative orders and the Temple Of Set A History of Western Sex Magick: As it can be traced in the last 200 odd years including Swedenborg, De Sade, Randolph, Evola, Rudolf Steiner, the OTO (both pre and post Crowley), Fraternis Saturni, Spare, Dion Fortune, the Golden Dawn(did they practice sex magick?) Western Tantra and further developments thereon. Do What Thou Wilt? Taboos, tantra and the sexual contract ethical aspects of gender variant sex magick Autoerotic Magick Polarity Magick (probably in a few parts as this is quite long) The resonance field and sex magick Devotion as Sex Mysticism: Liber Nu and Liber Had Was Crowley the liberal Victorian? Limitations of Crowleys sexual formula as expressed in the OTO (dealt with briefly and generally), in his writings, and future developments of sacred sexuality And finally... a bibliography and web links to relevant material But as this will be quite a process feel free to comment bit by bit - it may even help in expanding and collating the later materials to be posted. 93/93 Reply

Frater Docet Umbra 7 July 2011 14:17 93 While I'm at it, the title of this piece ('Bend over and think of baphomet)comes from the work of Phil Hine who is a pioneer and prophetic thinker in the realm of sexually variant sex magick. Check out his website at: http://www.philhine.org.uk/ 93/93 Reply

Nall MacSirtin 11 July 2011 13:52 Okay, so its not really viable to wait and see the lot at the end. Thats okay I'm happy to comment as we go. The Golden Dawn has never held sexual teachings in it's structure. One must remember that the G:.D:. in all its guises is a teaching system not a religious one and sexual magic might have been practiced my individual members from time to time but not within the Order itself. I don't have information on original Golden Dawn members practicing sex magic in their private lives and what I've heard has largely been conjecture from outside the G:.D:. community. I'm intrigued by some of the terminology you use in your post. For instance you say sexual variance but don't really explain what this term means. To my mind this relates to sexual behaviours that are largely deemed unconventional. As such I would be slow to include sexuality as a behaviour. This is a common occurrence in the many liberated articles online in failing to distinguish the individual's sexuality from their sex/gender. This lends itself to the false idea that sexuality as a concept was taboo in all/some cultures in ancient society. Sexuality is a brand-spanking new concept for humanity and in the past when two men or two women slept together it was done with the cultural and societal norms they grew up/lived in. If the Irish Order of Thelema meets as a group and a religious community it is then an institution surely? It may a heterogeneous one with various guiding voices steering the group but it is an institution. The crime isn't being an institution its what people have done with them, this is why in esoteric orders cultivate a strong relationship with their egregore to maintain the garden as it were. I've heard a lot of "liberated" folks say some very constraining things over the years - one well known occultist views Netzach as having a corruption in the form of homosexuality. Its interesting that its not men who have sex with men but gay men. Magic brings people into a closer examination of who they are and part of that is where one comes from culturally and societally. In much the same way a student in university learns that they are the product of the society the magical student does the same. Sometimes I think both sets of students forget this aspect and assume they know what they know. I know I did the first summer I returned home after college, I felt completely liberated and emboldened because I knew another world I'd thrived in (though in my mind I'd mastered it). People survive in college because of where they've come from not in spite of it. The New Aeon is just the same, yes changes may come but changes always come and when/if the changes of the New Aeon come it will do so on the foundations of the past. Reply

Frater Docet Umbra 12 July 2011 01:35 93 I knew when you said you'd give comment on this piece that I would get good feedback, and true enough I have

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received such. Although I do not want to enter into too much detail on this question, there is at least one major Golden Dawn group that promotes the idea of sex magic, this being the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. This lineage, under David Griffin, has cited several references that at least imply a possible stream of sexual magick, some more implicit, some decidedly explicit. He cites his sources. Reconstructionalists, as well as the 'astral initiation' orders strongly deny this, but, for once, I agree with David Griffin that there is evidence of a sex magic in the GD, although as most references refer to an oral source, it may be a lost strain. A link to some of David Griffins arguments can be found online here: http://www.golden-dawn.com /eu/displaycontent.aspx?pageid=101-sexual-polarity-the-golden-dawn Equally Violet Firth, better known as Dion Fortune was threatened with expulsion from the Golden Dawn when she published her treatise on the cosmology of relationships The Esoteric Meaning Of Love and marriage. Equally a similar controversy surrounded the expulsion of Paul Foster Case, founder of the Builders Of The Adytum. As for Aleister Crowley, although an initiate of the GD, his sex magic is derived from other sources including the spermo gnosticism of the OTO, which in turn is derived from African American occultist Randolph. Please google golden dawn sex magick and one can find other conversations and citations from various books including Women of the Golden Dawn by Mary Greer to give some substance to this argument, though remember the time in between so we have mere breadcrumbs as evidence of the loaf. As for my terms of reference, being sexually variant, this is a deliberate and intention filled statement. I do, in a certain sense, mean sexual identity that is unconventional. This lack of convention is found in the esoteric stream through the shaman, the berdache, the witch and the magician. The path of a homosexual is divergent and deeply individual. As such there are resonances with the Left Hand Path (something 'conventional' occultists don't speak about, much less practice). Something of this otherness is self evident in the history of neither mysteries, as well as in the journey towards integrated self identity in the light of a still predominant heterosexist cultural bias. Take for example coming out, this ritual of the GLBT community. Your average teenage boy will not sit mammy and daddy down and tell them 'mammy, daddy. I wanted you to know, and I hope you can accept this... I'm straight'. These kinds of conversations don't happen because there is still a preeminence, and predominance of heterosexuality as a social norm. Coming out of this comes the question is sexually variant just a differentiation of sexual behaviour, or a powerful magical identity based on the archetype of an 'outsider'? Even in the cultural expressions of homosexuality, the so called rainbow bubble in which one goes to gay bars, marches in gay pride parades, reads gay media and so on has questionable parallel in heterosexual identity. Not only is there an identifiable otherness, but this identity is cultivated and enhanced. This is an observable phenomena. Some of the reclaimed language of GLBT culture also speaks to otherness and an identification with otherness, or belonging to the neither mysteries, in other words, being, and enjoying being divergent or variant. Consider the content and origins of such words as faery, queer and even the use of the word fag in GLBT communities. These are outsider identifications. But how are they related to the individual. Are they a description of mere behavior or sexual acts (I'm not gay but my boyfriend is), or are they a mask, a magical persona, or even a self identification (ie I'm gay; I belong to the gay community)? CTD>>> Reply

Frater Docet Umbra 12 July 2011 01:35 The whole question of gender stereotypes also enters into the equation, and I deliberately do not differentiate because part of the mask of self identity is connected to gender as much as sexuality. This forms a complex identity that forms a wholeness, and although not synonymous they are interrelated and integrated. There is also an exploration of otherness in gender amongst GLBT community because they already walk outside societal norms and this exploration is part of a complex identity. Of some value to me was the work of Roberto Assagioli on sub personalities and their integration into a self image. It is not about the mask of homosexual, or many r effeminite being the same, but they form a whole identity which is arrived at through a conscious psychological alchemy rather than inheriting and adhering to a preexisting standard.

> i've heard a lot of "liberated" folks say some very constraining things over > the years - one well known occultist views Netzach as having a corruption in the > form of homosexuality. Its interesting that its not men who have sex with men but > gay men. Such a statement is worthy of laughter sounds like it could be Grant (i'd love to know the source, if not here then privately). But it does raise a question. I'm afraid I'm terrible at the most up to date and politically correct language to use in reference to people who vary in their sexual and gender identity. I remember a time when the term sexual preference was in fashion, but (if I'm right) this has gone out of fashion. It inferred too much choice. Not all of our masks are put on consciously sometimes we wake up to a mask we didn't realize we wore or identify with. This is obviously a sticky topic, but more so in relation to people with a heterosexual orientation. Most gay people will have at least some heterosexual experience, whereas this is not ofter true of heterosexuals. So here one can speak to a preference born out of experience. Either abject homosexuality or heterosexuality is often a closed self identity in which there is only one choice. I like vanilla icecream, so I don't need to try chocolate as I can see that I wont like the taste. And of course there are those who comply to societal norms (and are quite happy there) who never even thought that there might be other flavours. Unlike some, such at the author Frater U.'.D.'. I do not advocate sexual experiment if one has a secure and integrated sexual identification. Then came the idea of sexual orientation. This is one that I can identify more easily with. As someone with quite extensive experience with heterosexuality and auto eroticism, my sexuality is by no means singular. I identify with all of my experiences and can identify not just preference, but orientation. Orientation is what is closest to who I am (at the moment) and the direction I am walking in. It forms my self identification or magical image, which informs my actions, in a way preference does not. I agree that the new Aeon builds on the old, and when we explore this cosmology we see a theory of evolution which is in the singular life as well as societal. But it all moves forward. You make it sound like the universe just ticks over, while I believe it is in a process of recreation. This is coming from the past as societal and social supports and learning, but the law of liberty would ask how free a relationship is that? Do I have the possibility

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