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From: rant@nyc.pipeline.com (Alfred Vitale)
Newsgroups: alt.magick
Subject: Re: "Secret Rituals of the OTO"
Date: 8 Jan 1996 08:44:58 -0500
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On Jan 08, 1996 02:59:46 in article <Re: "Secret Rituals of the OTO">,
'tim@toad.com (Tim Maroney)' wrote: 
 
 
>Anthropologists have been outgrowing their assumption that initiations 
>are about the candidate, and realizing they are at least as much about 
>the initiators and the audience. We should also start grappling with 
>that inconvenient fact within occultism. 
 
 
what you are referring to is environment and context.  anthropologists are
many years behind occultists, who already know that the initiators and the
audience are integrally linked to the process of initiation.  
 
it's not an inconvenient fact.  it's only inconvenient if one is selfish
enough to be initiated into a GROUP or into a BODY of magick and ONLY think
of it in terms of SELF gratification/reward (while it is important to
remember the self in the initiation, part of it comes from the ability to
be like a stream heading towards a river...to become a verb, as opposed to
a noun.  an initiate is not an object, an initiate is a person in the act
of being initiated!)   
 
initiations, remember, are symbolic in nature...and the initiate (in
western society) is GOING to be bewildered and impatient...but the young
boy in the australian outback who sits in a bush for 2 days awaiting his
next step in a week-long initiation is not impatient or bewildered.  so
don't blame the  nature of occult groups (such as OTO) on the failure of
the initiate to relax and not EXPECT to GAIN some reward.  and the symbols
of the initiation are to be reflected on later, as well as when they are
being shown.  it reminds me of the traditional catholic mas vs. the Gnostic
Mass:  because those who partake in the eucharist at the catholic mass have
no clear context, the eucharist is nothing more than getting on line and
eating a wafer...within the context of the Gnostic Mass, the individual is
INTEGRALLY LINKED to the entire process...to the temple...to the other
participants...and so the cake of light takes on a greater individual
significance.   
 
the equation of initiation rituals seems to be:  participant + environment
+ context + group = initiation. 
 
you also said: 
>In talking to people, I have often found that they seem to >consider
watching the initiations more potent than taking them. 
 
 
well...what do you think the initiation gives them access to?  OTHER
initiations!!!  it's a process...it continues after the mere formalities
and the more initiations you are involved with, the more you will
develop...but you still need the initiations to be able to witness other
ones.  anthropolgists know THAT.   
 
-- 
alfred vitale 
a man who used to have a long signature, 
but now has decided against it in the interest 
of not boring you, the dedicated reader, to tears.  in the event that this
signature DOES bore you, i'd suggest maybe you stop reading it now.  but
apparently you still haven't so i guess you do not have the courage to
stand up for your convictions.