"The Great Work"

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"The Great Work is, before all things, the creation of man by himself, that is to say, the full and entire conquest of his faculties and his future; it is especially the perfect emancipation of his will." -- Eliphas Levi​
Within Thelema, the Great Work is generally defined as those spiritual practices leading to the mystical union of the Self and the All. Its founder, author and occultist Aleister Crowley, said of it in his book Magick Without Tears:
The Great Work is the uniting of opposites. It may mean the uniting of the soul with God, of the microcosm with the macrocosm, of the female with the male, of the ego with the non-ego.​
Crowley saw Magick as the essential method for a person to reach true understanding of the self and to act according to one's true will, which he saw as the reconciliation "between freewill and destiny." Crowley describes this process in his Magick, Book 4:
One must find out for oneself, and make sure beyond doubt, who one is, what one is, why one is ...Being thus conscious of the proper course to pursue, the next thing is to understand the conditions necessary to following it out. After that, one must eliminate from oneself every element alien or hostile to success, and develop those parts of oneself which are specially needed to control the aforesaid conditions (p. 134).​
For each individual this Great Work may take different forms. Crowley described his own personal Great Work in the introduction to Magick (Book 4):
In my third year at Cambridge, I devoted myself consciously to the Great Work, understanding thereby the Work of becoming a Spiritual Being, free from the constraints, accidents, and deceptions of material existence.​
Within the system of the A∴A∴ magical Order the Great Work...is considered to be the pursuit of self-knowledge to, as Crowley said in The Confessions of Aleister Crowley, "obtain the knowledge of the nature and powers of my own being."

However, Crowley continues, the Great Work should also be something that is integrated into the daily life of all:
I insist that in private life men should not admit their passions to be an end, indulging them and so degrading themselves to the level of the other animals, or suppressing them and creating neuroses. I insist that every thought, word and deed should be consciously devoted to the service of the Great Work. 'Whatsoever ye do, whether ye eat or drink, do all to the glory of God'.​
The term also appears in the Benediction at the end of Crowley's Gnostic Mass, where the Priest blesses the congregation with the words:
The LORD bring you to the accomplishment of your true Wills, the Great Work, the Summum Bonum, True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness.​

By the way, St. Paul also appeared to allude to the Great Work of "the mystical union of the Self and the All" in 1 Corinthians 13.11:
"...but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears."​
Furthermore, although Crowley often discussed the idea of "succeeding" or "accomplishing" in the Great Work, he also recognized that the process is ongoing. To quote from his Little Essays Toward Truth:
The Quest of the Holy Grail, the Search for the Stone of the Philosophers—by whatever name we choose to call the Great Work—is therefore endless. Success only opens up new avenues of brilliant possibility. Yea, verily, and Amen! the task is tireless and its joys without bounds; for the whole Universe, and all that in it is, what is it but the infinite playground of the Crowned and Conquering Child, of the insatiable, the innocent, the ever-rejoicing Heir of Space and Eternity, whose name is MAN?​
This seems to comport nicely with Philippians 3.12:
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.​

In summary, the Great Work is magick in theory and practice...
"Magick is the Science of understanding oneself and one's conditions. It is the Art of applying that understanding in action."
"Magick is merely to be and to do."
"Every intentional act is a Magical act."
"Magick is the method of science and the aim of religion."
"Magick is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will."​
-- Magick, Liber ABA, Book 4 Part III: Magick in Theory and Practice
 
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RBBI said:
For those who don't know what a "shining example" (if total darkness were light) Alistair Crowley was, if you can stomach it, here's a link....
Click to expand...

Crowley was quite a character, and quite an unsavory one at times. I didn't start this thread to laud him.

However, universal truths are true regardless of who parrots them. I refer specifically to the following quote from Crowley's Magick, Liber ABA, Book 4:
One must find out for oneself, and make sure beyond doubt, who one is, what one is, why one is ...Being thus conscious of the proper course to pursue, the next thing is to understand the conditions necessary to following it out. After that, one must eliminate from oneself every element alien or hostile to success, and develop those parts of oneself which are specially needed to control the aforesaid conditions.​

That is a universal truth.
 
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Of carnally minded men, I don't doubt you. But there is only ONE TRUTH, and it is the Son of HaShem who came down from heaven. Nothing in the Word encourages man to "develop" himself, quite the contrary. Paul said, "Reckon yourself DEAD and take on the mind of CHRIST."

There is nothing in the carnal minds of men that is worth dying for, it is an unredeemed beast, good only for the slaughter, allowed for a time, soon to be over. Seek Hin while you may find Him. Peace
 
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User Name said:
"The Great Work is, before all things, the creation of man by himself, that is to say, the full and entire conquest of his faculties and his future; it is especially the perfect emancipation of his will." -- Eliphas Levi​
Within Thelema, the Great Work is generally defined as those spiritual practices leading to the mystical union of the Self and the All. Its founder, author and occultist Aleister Crowley, said of it in his book Magick Without Tears:
The Great Work is the uniting of opposites. It may mean the uniting of the soul with God, of the microcosm with the macrocosm, of the female with the male, of the ego with the non-ego.​
Crowley saw Magick as the essential method for a person to reach true understanding of the self and to act according to one's true will, which he saw as the reconciliation "between freewill and destiny." Crowley describes this process in his Magick, Book 4:
One must find out for oneself, and make sure beyond doubt, who one is, what one is, why one is ...Being thus conscious of the proper course to pursue, the next thing is to understand the conditions necessary to following it out. After that, one must eliminate from oneself every element alien or hostile to success, and develop those parts of oneself which are specially needed to control the aforesaid conditions (p. 134).​
For each individual this Great Work may take different forms. Crowley described his own personal Great Work in the introduction to Magick (Book 4):
In my third year at Cambridge, I devoted myself consciously to the Great Work, understanding thereby the Work of becoming a Spiritual Being, free from the constraints, accidents, and deceptions of material existence.​
Within the system of the A∴A∴ magical Order the Great Work...is considered to be the pursuit of self-knowledge to, as Crowley said in The Confessions of Aleister Crowley, "obtain the knowledge of the nature and powers of my own being."

However, Crowley continues, the Great Work should also be something that is integrated into the daily life of all:
I insist that in private life men should not admit their passions to be an end, indulging them and so degrading themselves to the level of the other animals, or suppressing them and creating neuroses. I insist that every thought, word and deed should be consciously devoted to the service of the Great Work. 'Whatsoever ye do, whether ye eat or drink, do all to the glory of God'.​
The term also appears in the Benediction at the end of Crowley's Gnostic Mass, where the Priest blesses the congregation with the words:
The LORD bring you to the accomplishment of your true Wills, the Great Work, the Summum Bonum, True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness.​

Perhaps Crowley did not achieve his goal. However, he did write the following in his Confessions:
I insist that in private life men should not admit their passions to be an end, indulging them and so degrading themselves to the level of the other animals, or suppressing them and creating neuroses. I insist that every thought, word and deed should be consciously devoted to the service of the Great Work. 'Whatsoever ye do, whether ye eat or drink, do all to the glory of God'.​
Notice that reference to St. Paul. By the way, St. Paul also appeared to allude to the Great Work of "the mystical union of the Self and the All" in 1 Corinthians 13.11:
"...but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears."​
Furthermore, although Crowley often discussed the idea of "succeeding" or "accomplishing" in the Great Work, he also recognized that the process is ongoing. To quote from his Little Essays Toward Truth:
The Quest of the Holy Grail, the Search for the Stone of the Philosophers—by whatever name we choose to call the Great Work—is therefore endless. Success only opens up new avenues of brilliant possibility. Yea, verily, and Amen! the task is tireless and its joys without bounds; for the whole Universe, and all that in it is, what is it but the infinite playground of the Crowned and Conquering Child, of the insatiable, the innocent, the ever-rejoicing Heir of Space and Eternity, whose name is MAN?​
This seems to comport nicely with Philippians 3.12:
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.​

In summary, the Great Work is magick in theory and practice...
"Magick is the Science of understanding oneself and one's conditions. It is the Art of applying that understanding in action."
"Magick is merely to be and to do."
"Every intentional act is a Magical act."
"Magick is the method of science and the aim of religion."
"Magick is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will."​
-- Magick, Liber ABA, Book 4 Part III: Magick in Theory and Practice
Click to expand...

This is confused and rambling.
 
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"A human being is a part of a whole, called by us 'universe', a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

"A person starts to live when he can live outside himself."

-- Albert Einstein
 
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Here's a quote from Liber II:

Take this carefully; it seems to imply a theory that if every man and every woman did his and her will—the true will—there would be no clashing. “Every man and every woman is a star,” and each star moves in an appointed path without interference. There is plenty of room for all; it is only disorder that creates confusion.

From these considerations it should be clear that “Do what thou wilt” does not mean “Do what you like.” It is the apotheosis of Freedom; but it is also the strictest possible bond.

Do what thou wilt—then do nothing else. Let nothing deflect thee from that austere and holy task. Liberty is absolute to do thy will; but seek to do any other thing whatever, and instantly obstacles must arise. Every act that is not in definite course of that one orbit is erratic, an hindrance. Will must not be two, but one...

The obvious practical task of the magician is then to discover what his will really is, so that he may do it in this manner, and he can best accomplish this by the practices of Liber Thisarb ( http://www.sacred-texts.com/oto/lib913.htm ) or such others as may from one time to another be appointed.

Thou must (1) Find out what is thy Will. (2) Do that Will with a) one-pointedness, b) detachment, c) peace.

Then, and then only, art thou in harmony with the Movement of Things, thy will part of, and therefore equal to, the Will of God. And since the will is but the dynamic aspect of the self, and since two different selves could not possess identical wills; then, if thy will be God's will, Thou art That.​

Hence we read from St. Paul: "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:2). And again, "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is" (Ephesians 5:17).
 
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"Magic is the Highest, most Absolute, and most Divine Knowledge of Natural
Philosophy, advanced in its works and wonderful operations by a right
understanding of the inward and occult virtue of things; so that true Agents being
applied to proper Patients, strange and admirable effects will thereby be produced.
Whence magicians are profound and diligent searchers into Nature; they, because
of their skill, know how to anticipate an effect, the which to the vulgar shall seem to
be a miracle." -- quoted from "The Goetia of the Lemegeton of King Solomon" as found in Magick in Theory and Practice
 
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MYSTERY SCHOOL LESSON 123 - CHRIST THE MAGICIAN
Frater discusses the deeper mysteries of Christ, the correspondence to Tipareth on the Tree of Life, and the importance of forgiveness:

 
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