Introduction
Starting my magickal journey, I searched for quality, cohesive content. While the sources weren’t many, David Shoemaker’s Living Thelema podcast quickly became a go-to. After listening to most episodes multiple times and having the book for a while in this video, I’ll discuss some of my favorite wisdom gems.
Who Is It For
Crafted as a ‘useful reference at every stage of the path,’ Living Thelema begins with the author’s story of getting into magick and psychology. Attracted to the occult and Jungian Psychoanalysis, Shoemaker got into Regardie and Crowley, which led to him joining the OTO. The idea of approaching devotion, mystery, and transcendence through a scientific perspective drew the author to this path.
Gods and Rituals
For the most part, Living Thelema doesn’t outline rituals nor gets into Thelemic cosmogeny; it assumes you are already practicing and familiar with that. It shows you how to use those rituals to achieve a specific aim.
Qabalah
Recognizing the acceptance of Eastern philosophies into Mainstream thought and culture, Shoemaker points out, ‘Qabalah expounds a remarkably rich transpersonal psychology. He adds that this can offer plenty to modern society in search of depth, meaning, and purpose. Like Regardie’s The Middle Pillar, Living Thelema reveals how the Qabalistic parts of the soul correspond to concepts of other traditions.
The Way of Return
The Way of Return, the author explains, has 10 steps. Corresponding to balancing the four personality functions, i.e., sensation, feeling, thinking, and intuition, the first four correspond to spheres Malkuth, Yesod, Hod, and Netzach. The key is building a solid vessel (or cup) to hold what the ‘Sufis call the wine of god.’ A big part of it is eliminating defects hampering one’s receptivity to the divine.
Solve et Coagula
Using AA’s ‘elemental’ grades as an example, the author explains this is what Solve et Coagula is about.
“Solve et Coagula roughly translates as dissolve and coagulate. It refers to the process of breaking something apart into its individual elements in order to understand and transform them before reassembling them into a newly perfected whole. (…).” “Viewed from the perspective of the highest levels of attainment, human beings are not a collection of parts, but undivided whole.”
p.202
This is identical to Jung’s Individuation, and more on it can be found in my review of The Middle Pillar. The fifth step is uniting with the Angel and reaching the sphere of Tiphereth. Being a Jungian psychologist, the author recognizes Qabalah’s practical applications for self-help and therapy. Also, like the Middle Pillar, which (based on my research) set the beginning of the author’s journey, Living Thelema points to the overlapping between the Qabalalstic system and those of Jung and Roberto Assagioli.
Self-Help and Psychology
The way of return in psychological and secular terms really is a quest for meaning and purpose. IMHO, it’s basically the hero’s journey in more New Age and self-help terms. As noted in my review of the Middle Pillar, Regardie advocated getting a basic grounding in the mentioned systems. Building on that, Shoemaker states that learning Qabalah could be invaluable to the therapist, letting them understand their clients better.
Achieving Balance
Unlike other books emphasizing banishing, Living Thelema balances the dominating-your-life forces by increasing their counterpart influences. Examples are Netzach and Hod, Jupiter and Mars, Fire and Water, etc. The section clarifies that sephiroth aren’t fixed points reached and passed through a particular system’s grades; they are active states/functions we constantly enter and engage. Invoking the opposite force, the author notes, brings awareness of patterns in your life.
Solving Problems
Later, Shoemaker provides a whole system for solving problems by reflecting on your sphere of being through the Tree of Life. By doing so, you identify where the issue is and engage the proper forces to resolve it. Shoemaker considers the totality of your being, starting with your body and meeting its needs, as emphasized in Maslow’s System. This is very similar to Regardie’s notion of the Mind-Body-System, such as modern approaches for total self-development and biohacking.
p.229
“Once you have identified the source of the problem, what do you do about it? One option is to use thoroughly crafted rituals to invoke those complementary forces that balance the energies of which you have in excess, and vice-versa; don’t try to ‘banish away’ characteristics you feel you have in excess; instead, invoke the complementary force. For example, if you have too much aggression and anger, invoke Chessed than banishing Geburah…”
p.229
Comment
Based on personal experience, this provides eye-opening insights regarding personality deficits to work on while increasing the efficiency of your workings. It also lets you do what Napoleon Hill defined as taking inventory of all your tangible and intangible assets.
And as the author notes:
“what begins as psychological exploration may open the door to a mystical experience itself.”
— Living Thelema
The HGA
After discussing Crowley’s changing perspective on the HGA, Living Thelema remarks that it’s one of the most challenging subjects to grasp or explain. A common misconception is that before 5=6, there’s no connection/communication with the Angel (whatsoever). But once that stage is reached, something suddenly kicks in, and everything changes. Shoemaker explains that obtaining K&C is incremental, taking place in everyday life.
More than Magick
The HGA far exceeds your rituals and meditations, manifesting through your whole sphere of being. In one of the podcasts, the author also notes that often the HGA communicates with artists, musicians, and poets via their work. Based on experience, adopting that perspective helps a lot. And I am so glad I had it early on the path.
“Generally, there is a gradually increasing intimacy of communication and understanding that begins far earlier on the path than Adeptus Minor. We feel the impulses and subtle urgings of the Angel in dreams, intuitive flashes, and synchronistic events. In those moments when we seem to be receiving of the rightness of a certain choice, we are seeing a glimmer of the HGA. Likewise, our strivings for beauty in our lives, our drive to be enraptured in the things and people we love — all of these are glimmers of the Angel as well…”
p.14
Radio Receiver
Likening the ruach to a radio receiver, which the seeker tries to tune to the right station, the author notes that the Great Work is all about putting your head into the right place as Kether is the Crown. This goes very well with the universal self-help concept that ‘winning the battle,’ i.e., achieving anything in life, is about having the right mindset. Through rigorous meditation and invocations, one eventually mutes the noise and refines their perception, becoming capable of hearing the Angel.
Act on Impulse
The section includes excerpts from original letters between Phyllis Seckler and Jane Wolfe. Besides the moving story of how Seckler obtained her K & C, which anyone, especially creatives, should read, it reveals how crucial acting on impulse is. Similar is also stressed by New Thought and LHP scholars encouraging to increase spontaneity and randomness in your day, allowing Spirit to manifest.
An Unending Path
It also confirms that the relationship with the Angel isn’t a destination but an ‘unending path.’ And this, if you think of it, applies when you choose a life of self-improvement, pursuing the ever-changing better version of yourself.
The True Will
After covering that the ‘True Will’ isn’t merely doing whatever you want, Shoemaker provides an excellent description of the matter.
“The True Will is the will of the deepest inmost Self—the core of who you are as a spiritual being. Also, and importantly, it is an expression of the universal will, as particularized and expressed in your individual life. This is why, when we are living in accordance with our True Will, we find that much of the time the Universe seems to open up a right path in front of us, as if in sympathy with our aims…”
p.21
And as Marco Visconti says:
“True Will does not equate with conscious intent. Rather it signifies the interplay between the most profound Self — using this term very loosely — and the entire Universe…”
— Marco Visconti. The Aleister Crowley Manual
And as Crowley himself said:
“A man who does his True Will has the inertia of the Universe to assist him.”
— Aleister Crowley
Not a Singular Choice or Task
Elsewhere the author adds:
“All too often, the True Will is erroneously conceptualized as a singular choice of a career or a single task to be accomplished in life. This is far too restrictive. The True Will is the essence of your Self. It encompasses you, your actions, your thoughts, your feelings, and your behaviours; and it pertains to the way you live, moment-to-moment, as well as the entire arc of your life itself and even beyond one life into other incarnations…”
p.22
Comment 2
This brings depth to my hypothesis that the True Will is like a sequence of uniting events leading from one to another. The more you follow your True Will, the more perfect that sequence is. And as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr said:
‘You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.’
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The author adds:
‘For every step we make, he (the Angel) takes two…’
— Israel Regardie. The One Year Manual. p.60
Your Own Religion
Though not always the case, there’s a high likelihood your True Will overlaps with your passions and aspirations. Yet, it always demands transcending your ego. Somewhat uncomfortable, that process is unique to every person. And the author suggests perceiving yourself as the prophet of your Angel and the high priest or priestess of your own religion. Also, to visualize your practical goals in magick as an extension or part of your True Will.
Your Own Uniqueness
To improve your comprehension of your True Will, ask yourself: ‘How do you change a room when walking into a party? What is the one unique thing about you affecting the world in predictable ways? Or what is the energetic signature you leave wherever you go? You can also ask others and let me know in the comments below
Daily Spiritual Hygiene
The author recognizes four introductory phases to Magick. The first is learning to relax using the fourfold breath and an asana posture. The second and third are adding LRP and MP. And the fourth is adopting LRH while using Star Saphire when needing to exert more power.
Comment 3
Unlike other books emphasizing LBRP, Living Thelema explains that LIRP helps build a tolerance to magickal force and the ability to call it forth and control it. Finding it matches some teachings of Scott Stenwick and Donald Tyson, I am grateful for learning this relatively early. Excessive banishings may negatively affect introverts by creating a vacuum and isolating them from the world. More on that can be found in my LRH and Fields of Operation videos.
LRP and LRH
The author notes that LIRH invokes macrocosmic forces, creating a magickal space similar to the energies of a Second Order Temple. Yet most of its publications need to be corrected. The author claims that the right way to perform it is by using the attributions of your pentagram formula, which conventionally follow the Winds model. This is also the perspective of James Eschelman, who regards conventional ordering as blind or error.
Comment 4
Influenced by this and Scott Stenwick’s concept of the fields of operation, an author named Rev. Jeff Rhoad es adopts the same method while also regarding the winds model as another blind or error. Whether all these are the case is determined by your empirical results.
Liber Resh
When outlining its complete version, including the excerpt from The Book of the Law, Living Thelema explains two perspectives on Liber Resh.
The first views it as a device linking your consciousness to the energies of the Sun; the second considers it primarily having a symbolic meaning producing psychological. Either way, Shoemaker encourages making your own conclusions based on daily practice.
Comment 5
For me, one of those is to not do it to align yourself with the Sun but to remind yourself you are a Sun. Also noteworthy is that this is the most comprehensive and exciting instructions on Liber Resh I found. One reason is that it teaches you how to use the Aeon card to crank up the exaltation. More on the Aeon card is in my examination of it.
Practical Magick
Another section where Living Thelema really shines is chapter 8. Whereas other books omit that, the book outlines how to do practical magick employing the methods of Liber Aba. This means everything from preliminary purification and consecration to general invocation, attuning the space, delivering charge of intent, and then a license to depart. According to Crowley:
”Fixed thought is a means to an end (…).”
“Thought is the commencement of ‘action,’ and if a chance thought can produce much effect, what cannot fixed thought do?”
— Aleister Crowley
Considering that Shoemaker invites the student to perceive ritual as a technique of focusing attention and intention.
“When we ritualize our intention—focusing our thought into word, and our word into deed—we create a form that is keyed to our ritual goal. It is a law of nature that force follows form. Force will only manifest where a suitable form exist to contain it. (…)”
Also…
“Accordingly, we must set up our ritual as a form that will invite a specific force. The effectiveness with which we can do this will depend on our ability to focus our attention and intention via symbol, ritualized actions, and all other correspondences and associations we may have with a particular idea…”
p.56
While all these can be incense, colors, magickal implements, etc., the goal is to utilize them to cause precise consciousness changes aligned with the ‘working’s’ aim. What completes the ritual is uniting thought, word, and deed. And as Terrence McKenna says:
“Language, thought, analysis,
art, dance, poetry, mythmaking:
these are the things that point the way
toward the realm of the eschaton.”
— Terrence McKenna
Your workings, the book explains, have a compounding effect. So the more you do them, the better results you get. Living Thelema also notes that refraining from real ritual work before K&C is a mistake, and you should experiment with techniques, approaching them like an scientist.
Ensure You Really Want It
It’s crucial to ensure all aspects of your being desire that outcome. The opposite can hinder the working’s efficiency, despite how perfectly you execute it. To ensure that, Living Thelema recommends purifying and consecrating your objective with a ‘dedicated’ operation. It may be appropriate to consider Gurdjieff’s notion that there are multiple ‘yous’ that are not always in agreement, as emphasized in Ouspensky’s In the Search of the Miraculous.
Get Stuff Done
It is equally important to strive to create an environment for whatever you want to manifest, arduously helping your magick in the real world. Put differently, get stuff done in the world of Assiah and even see if you can accomplish the desired this way. As my viewers know, this is stressed by more alternative scholars like Damon Brand.
Science and Alchemy
Stepping on modern psychology and physics, Living Thelema offers a refreshing perspective on alchemy by calling it “The Science and Art of transforming consciousness.” It explains that the ageless notion of turning lead into gold is a metaphor for personal transformation. The book explains ancient alchemists weren’t just scientists but also the material in their experiments. And this reminds me of the Nobel Prize winner Alexis Carrel saying:
‘Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor.’
— Alexis Carrel
To Make Gold, You Need Gold
Elsewhere the author elaborates on the notion that “to make gold, thou must have gold.” He recognizes some characteristics of people that are examples of that.
“(…) people who seem to shine in their selfhood — who live willfully and powerfully, yet also exhibit grace and dignity in all they do. These are a few of the characteristics we can recognize as signs of a true adept, whatever their particular path may be. Their very energy is contagious in a most wonderful way, and being around them is an inspiring lesson in living a vigorous life of will. The ‘gold’ of their attainment is recognized by some corresponding seed of gold within us, and it begins to resonate in sympathy, calling us in our own unique way to the path of attainment…”
p.205
Essentially, this reminds me of a combination of Mahayana bodhisattvas, such as what Napoleon Hill defines as ‘go-getters.’
Modern Alchemy
Finding common grounds with LHP teachings, Living Thelema acknowledges modern alchemists’ chief aim. Namely, interlacing and synthesizing truths based on cutting-edge scientific discoveries to create a powerful, internally consistent system eventually. When coming into being, such a system will open new horizons to humanity’s development. Viewing the extraction of meaning through mystery, the basics of that, Shoemaker reviews an invaluable truth for both magicians and self-improvers.
“Science now fronts against the unknown in many modern fields, including physics, biology, computer science, and psychology. If we accept that ancient alchemists were performing inner transformations, using contemporary, state-of-the-art tools as a metaphorical projection screen, doesn’t it follow that true modern alchemists would do the same?”
p.186
“If so, we must look to the frontiers of today’s science for these modern alchemical tools. If alchemy is truly the science and art of extracting meaning from mystery by way of psychological projections, only the mysteries of today’s unanswered questions will present us with a projection screen of sufficient size…”
p.186
Comment 5
Reflecting on that, IMHO, today’s biohackers, self-improvers, and (perhaps) magicians are these alchemists. As the ZEN master and haiku poet Matsuo Basho and Dr. Joe Dispenza said/say:
“Seek not the paths of the ancients;
Seek that which the ancients sought.”
— Matsuo Basho
“Science is the contemporary language of mystery…”
— Dr. Joe Dispenza
Final Words
Transcending Magick and taking advantage of the available-in-the-New-Aeon devices, Living Thelema makes profound Magickal truths readily accessible. Inspiring to find meaning and mysteries in the latest scientific discoveries, the book teaches how to make the most not only out of your practice but also of your life. It was one of the sources that shaped my outlook and workings and is extremely thorough and well-written. A modern occult classic bridging ageless wisdom with modern technology. But that’s just my opinion. Let me know what yours is, such as this book’s impact on your journey.
