by Tristram Burden

 

Introduction

 

The following is an analysis of two new religious movements that emerged in the 20th Century, Discordianism and Thelema. It is the author's intention to assess the cultural functions of these movements, and also to demonstrate that in the modern age of secularisation and the breaking apart of old social infrastructures (for example the family and the church), the structure, practices and particularly the philosophies of these two movements are representative of the possible future of religion and also the possible future of consensus belief, or non-belief, of western society. No attempt is made at forecasting when this change in human belief systems will occur, but certain trends will be analysed in conjunction with the tenets of Discordianism and Thelema, to demonstrate the emergence of these philosophies as an emerging standard of faith, or non-faith. A profile of each religion will be given, detailing its main tenets, how it was founded, and the practices that accompany them. The practices involved in both religions will be treated under one heading, as this involves a discussion of the current trends in Ritual Magick and Mysticism, and ties in strongly with the actual purpose of both religions.

 

 

What is Discordianism?

 

“If Religion is the opium of the masses, Discordianism is the marijuana of the lunatic fringe.”

 

Discordianism has been described as either a joke disguised as a religion or a religion disguised as a joke. Such ambiguity is found throughout Discordian literature. It presents itself as a semantic meta-puzzle which all enquirers are encouraged to sift through and solve.

 

“The Discordian take on reality is that there is no reality as most people understand it. ‘Reality implies some kind of structure, some sort of guideposts. There is no structure. No bird, no song and no cage. And there is no goddess, so I guess this is all a waste of time. You might as well go home now." Mao Kung Pao

 

The religion of Discordianism is centred upon the Greek goddess Eris, recognised by the Romans as Discordia, who acts through mediums of chaos, confusion and mayhem. This is partly a semantic attack on the idea of a male god, Yahweh or Allah, obsessed with order. The primary discourse evinced in Discordianism is that everything follows a pattern of total disorder, and that reality is entirely up to the perceiver. It is the Discordian view that the main religions in the west have been dominated by ideas of order and patriarchy, and that ideas of matriarchy and chaos deserve a chance. These are Discordian catmas, as opposed to dogmas.

 

 

Discordian Practice

“Is Eris true?”

 

“Everything is true.”

 

“Even false things?”

 

“Even false things are true.”

 

“How can that be?”

 

“I don’t know man, I didn’t do it.”

 

- Malaclypse the Younger (Gregory Hill) in conversation with Greater Poop.

 

 

The bible of the discordian movement is the Principia Discordia, or How I found the Goddess and what I did to Her once I found Her. Gregory Hill printed the first copies of the Principia Discordia on Dallas District Attorney Jim Garrison’s Xerox machine in 1963. It immediately achieved a wide notoriety in the subculture of the 1960’s, and became something of a cult classic. Between 1963 and the printing of the fourth edition in 1969, only 3,125 copies were sold. It has since been reprinted five times, internationally, and this serves as a possible indication of the Discordian movement's membership, though this may reveal more about its popularity than actual membership. Discordianism has become particularly popular among the modern community of Chaos Magicians, discussed in part 2. Since there are no organised bodies in Discordianism, and considering that anybody can proclaim themselves or anybody else a High Priest or a saint (but not a prophet – there is a no-profit rule running through Discordianism), verifying the exact membership is close to impossible. Many, many people, it is theorized, are probably Discordian without knowing it, being proclaimed so by other Discordians – which abides entirely by the Discordian rule of no rules.

 

The goal of Discordianism is to confuse the time-bending semantic circuit until a state of tabula rasa, or heightened input sensitivity, is reached, whereby the Discordian recognises that whatever one believes, one projects into the world faultlessly. Accordingly, belief is everything, and surrendering belief produces a brain state whereby everything the experiencer experiences is reinterpreted in the light of chaos.

 

“The Real Reality is there, but everything you know about “it” is completely in your mind and yours to do with as you like.

 

Conceptualisation is art, and YOU ARE THE ARTIST.

 

Conviction causes convicts.”

 

- Principia Discordia

 

 

 

 

What is Thelema?

The reader is referred to Liber Oz,[link found in appendix two] for a comprehensive summary of the main tenets of Thelema. The two phrases that bind these principles are “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law”, and “Love is the Law, love under will,” both of which are quotes from the Thelemic bible, The Book of the Law, referred to here as Liber Al.

 

Thelema is not entirely recognised as a religion, due to the minority that espouse its doctrine. But, as will be shown below, its popularity may well be rising steadily. The religion contains echoes of Gnosticism and Hermeticism, particularly overt in its rites. To do one’s True Will, the major focus of the religion, is analogous to acquiring a daemon, in the Hermetic sense, or contact with the Higher Self in general Mystical terminology. It holds that we behave like stars (“Every man and every woman is a star.” This is very similar to Manichean tradition.), in that each individual has their own particular orbit, or path to follow, during their existence – the primary focus of existence for a Thelemite is to discover this orbit and to act entirely within this orbit. The causes of suffering in the world are a consequence of the majority of mankind existing unawares of their true orbit, and thus causing friction by interfering with other peoples orbits. To discover your True Will is identical to enlightenment in the Buddhist tradition, or attaining the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel in the modern Western Magickal Tradition. In Thelemic terms, then, to “do thy will”, is to attain a level of mystical illumination whereby the Thelemite is in unobstructed contact with his/her supra-mundane self.

 

The origins of the religion are tied into the work of Aleister Crowley, a man still regarded with suspicion (usually very hostile) in modern day society, but who can be regarded as simply a modern mystic in the tradition of Madame Blavatsky, G.I. Gurdjieff and Krishnamurti, even though these three, especially the latter, are regarded with less cynicism. There is no overriding reason to regard Crowley with either more or less suspicion than these mystics.

 

In 1903, while in Cairo with his pregnant wife, Rose, Crowley performed a magical operation designed to bring to visible appearance certain entities for Rose, who had no experience of such phenomena. The operation failed, and instead Rose fell into a trance-state. Crowley questioned her intimately, while in this trance, about the details of the Egyptian Mythos, which Rose had begun to show signs of knowing, even though she had, according to Crowley, no previous knowledge of it. The next day, while Rose still exhibited signs of being in trance, Crowley decided they both should visit Cairo’s Boulak museum, in order to further test her new-found extensive knowledge of Egyptian mythology. The god Horus was referred to in particular by Rose as requesting Crowley to perform a ritual designed to evoke him, which Crowley met with his characteristic scepticism. The exhibit number she pointed out was numbered 666 – this number had special connotations to Crowley, who had been styling himself the Beast 666 for a number of years. This and various other occurrences encouraged Crowley to take notice of what Rose was espousing. The incident culminated in 1904 when Crowley performed the invocation requested to him. The result of this was the dictation of the Book of the Law, Liber Al, by an entity known as Aiwass, and is the central text of the religion of Thelema. For examples from The Book of Law and Thelemic imagery the reader is referred to appendix 2.

 

The mythology used in Thelema is borrowed from Egyptian mythology, “for literary convenience” and the Revelation of St John the Divine from the Bible. The sky goddess Nuit; Hadit, a winged globe at the heart of Nuit, and Horus, the crowned and conquering child; Mega Therion, The Great Beast 666, and the Scarlet Women, Babalon, The Whore Archetype. Detailed analysis of these concepts is beyond this treatise, but the reader is discouraged from attributing classic definitions of Satanism to such concepts as The Beast 666.

 

 

Thelemic Practice

The practice of Thelema is largely the domain of people who work within the Western Magical Tradition. Two particular ‘official’ bodies are, though, existent, whose self-proclaimed mission, among other goals, is to spread The Law of Thelema. These bodies are the Ordo Templi Orientis and the Argenteum Astrum. The latter was formed from the ashes of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a quasi-Masonic society that taught Ceremonial Magick. The O.T.O. is also a Masonic society, though many different orders exist, one of which, the Typhonian O.T.O., has discarded the Masonic structure all together. In the United States, the Caliphate O.T.O. has now a tax-exempt status, making it, in US constitutions, a recognised religious organisation. The extent of Caliphate membership is represented overleaf, taking samples from 1977, 1988 and 1998. As can be seen, there has been a steady increase in membership and the establishment of lodges. It should be bore in mind that this is a representation of only one OTO, and that other bodies do exist, on an international scale.

 

To be a Thelemite does not require membership of either of these orders. As the key Law to Thelema propounds, it is entirely up to the individual whether or not he or she wishes to be formally initiated into the Western Magickal Tradition. Thelemic authors like Maggie Ingalls and Kenneth Grant (see bibliography) encourage a self-initiatory journey. There is no authority in Thelema, though some bodies of the O.T.O. are prone to elevating Crowley to the status of a god, and propounding the dogma that Crowley himself despised, as his works bear out.

 

 

Thelema is essentially a mystical doctrine, encouraging the individual to become entirely self-responsible and self-aware. This awareness is achieved through a variety of techniques, incorporating Tantrism, Yoga, Gnostic and Jewish techniques of consciousness expansion. “Do what thou wilt” is not to be confused with “do what you like”, but rather is best seen in a mystical sense as, for instance, finding the Tao. Thelema teaches that the self is the ultimate authority, which is quite contrary to both the Judeo-Christian and Muslim traditions, and to the ‘established’ hierarchical structures in society. To be a Thelemite is to exist outside the laws that govern the general populace of humanity. With this message, it is understandable why Crowley is considered such a dangerous man in modern society.

 

 

 

2.0 PRACTICES AND FUNCTIONS OF DISCORDIANISM AND THELEMA

 

2.1 MODELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS

In order to render this section intelligible the reader is referred to appendix 4, which outlines Dr. Timothy Leary's Eight-Circuit model of Consciousness. This eight-circuit model determines the terminology used in the following.

 

The first four circuits are representative of basic psychic functions. Humanities current evolutionary state is a mixture between fourth and fifth circuits, the next three are sometimes experienced by people, and as a species humanity is increasingly learning to manipulate the environment while functioning in, and having experience in, these three circuits. The reality of these circuits is demonstrable through the current conflict in culture between morality and tribal taboo instincts – exonerated by the so-called moral guardians like Mary Whitehouse and the conservative press - and the increasing hedonistic pleasure-seeking instinct – the popularity of Ibiza, the increasing popularity and complexity of the sex-industry and other leisure activities are an example of the increased functioning of humanity in this circuit.

 

Dr. Timothy Leary reasons that the human species is gradually learning to function in higher and higher circuits. He also observed that the use of psychoactive drugs (Cannabis but particularly LSD) enables the individual to increase their capacity to function in these circuits – but not only drugs: Leary also observed that Yogic methods of meditation and consciousness expansion, and Ritual or Ceremonial Magick of the kind practiced by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and expounded by Crowley, also enable functioning in these higher circuits.

 

 

2.2 EXPANDING CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH YOGA AND RITUAL MAGICK

The current idea of Yoga in the west seems to be limited to ideas concerning the health of the body, but the term comes from the Sanskrit root of yug, whereby the English language inherits Yoke – the term means union, and specifically what has been called union with the divine, in other words direct conscious experience of irregular brain states. The following is a quote from Hindu philosopher Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, and outlines the primary purposes of Yoga.

 

1. AUM. The following instruction concerneth the Science of Union.

 

2.This Union (or Yoga) is achieved through the subjugation of the psychic nature, and the restraint of the chitta (or mind).

 

3.When this has been accomplished the Yogi knows himself as he is in reality.

 

4.Up till now the inner man has identified himself with his forms and with their active modifications.

 

5.The mind states are five, and are subject to pleasure or pain; they are painful or not painful.

 

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are of an unknown date, but they average the age of 2 ½ thousand years, being written, it is thought, between 820 and 300 B.C. They are the primary source for the theory and practice of Yoga in modern society.

 

These techniques have been used since before Christ, and are used within Discordianism, but particularly Thelema. Crowley’s system of Scientific Illuminism involves extended use of Yogic techniques, which are considered dangerous if practiced carelessly, or without the proper knowledge or preparation. This includes techniques such as the raising of Kundalini, a powerful energy said to be coiled like a serpent at the bottom of the spine. To raise Kundalini is to achieve cosmic consciousness, enlightenment, the general goal of both Discordians and Thelemites.

 

Yoga has been found, when practiced regularly, to increase the healthy functioning of the body and mind, and the amount of control the individual can have over the body. These include regulating the heartbeat at will, greater sexual stamina and heightened skills of concentration. Parapsychological phenomena have also been reported – willed out of body experiences, telekinesis and other phenomena not generally recognised as possible or actually explicable by mainstream science.

 

Ritual Magick works on similar principles to Yoga. Ritual Magick can be defined as the intense concentration of the Will under controlled conditions towards the execution of a specific goal, usually self-transformation.

 

Ritual Magick has also been defined as applied mythology (see Hine), whereby the magician imprints a specific symbol system into her/his psyche, and acts within the parameters of that symbol system, defining all phenomena in the light of that symbol system. Ritual is used to increase focus and concentration upon the desired goal of the magickal act.

 

Both Thelema and Discordians make use of Ritual Magick, or at least Ritual Magicians make use of Thelema and Discordianism, it is difficult to verify which way round. For examples of Rituals used by Thelemites and Discordians refer to appendix 3.

 

The Smartie Servitor ritual is a typical example of Discordian Magick, with its emphasis on fun and ‘nice weirdness’. Other common Discordian rituals involve the themes of time distortion and implementing general chaos and confusion. The Chaos school of Magick, which emerged in the late seventies/early eighties (Ray Sherwin and Peter Carroll) are particularly involved in Discordianism.

 

Thelemic rituals tend to have a more classic, Hermetic formulae, and be dependent upon Kaballistic symbolism derived form Jewish mysticism and Gnostic Christianity. Sexual symbolism is also very common in Thelemic rituals and doctrine (See figure 3).

 

The primary goal for anyone working within mysticism or magickal traditions is contact with the ‘higher-self’, the supra-mundane consciousness that transcends the boundaries of ordinary, every-day waking consciousness. Dr. Timothy Leary recognised this ‘higher-self’ as his latter three circuits.

 

According to Leary’s model, when using Yoga and Ritual Magick the practitioner is enabled to function on the four higher circuits, particularly circuits VI, VII and VIII. Regardless of the long-term effects of either of these practices, it can be said that both produce irregular brain states and extended use changes and expands consciousness and heightens awareness. Functioning in this state could be analogous to the discovery and uniting of oneself to the ‘higher-self.’

 

 

2.3 HERESIES AND PARADIGM INVERSION

The use of heresy in both of these religions is an attempt at re-imprinting the Dexterity-Symbolism circuit and especially the Socio-Sexual circuit. As the primary aim of each religion is to enable functioning on higher circuits, their systems of self-transformation assault the social norms and values of society, and the personal taboos of the individual. The strictures imposed by social conditioning are viewed, essentially, as an imaginary cage, inhibiting the evolution of the individual and the species. This is entirely correspondent with older religious and initiatory doctrines, of which Hindu Tantrism is perhaps one of the most poignant examples. Benjamin Walker observes, in his book Tantrism: Its Secret Principles and Practices, “one of the first things needed for the initiate into Tantrism is for him to be weaned as soon as possible from the traditional standards of morality. He must first learn to become indifferent to the traditional taboos. He must then positively reject them. And finally, he must become actively hostile towards them.” Discordianism achieves this through humour primarily, and the individual is free to practice whatever rites he desires to achieve this emancipation from socio-morality – in Thelema, this freedom is similarly applied, but certain rites, as The Star Ruby, are employed, or created, adhering to the very specific Thelemic mythology and philosophy. One Thelemic ritual employs the use of the inverted pentagram, usually associated with Satanism, to free the magician from symbolic pre-conceptions. A symbol is largely what one makes of it; this is overtly punctuated in Discordianism, Thelemic doctrine administers this lesson in far more subtle ways.

 

As has been discussed previously, Paradigm inversion is intrinsic to both religions: the inversion of patriarchy into matriarchy, order into chaos and servitude into mastery run through both doctrines. In Thelema this paradigm inversion is achieved through the introduction of the Aeon of Horus, the Crowned and Conquering Child. The child is acknowledged as a mixture of the seeds of Mother and Father – essentially, the shift in Thelema is not from patriarchy to matriarchy, though the Gods Nuit and Babalon are adored above any other, but freedom from the considerations of either, an equilibrium. Hegel’s metaphysical model of Thesis -Antithesis–Synthesis serves as a blueprint for this formula.

 

 

3 CONCLUSIONS

The purpose and function of both religions are, then, no less than the de-programming and the subsequent re-programming of the individual. This is not to be confused with the popular conception of brainwashing – the aspirant undertakes the task under his own free will. Through semantic exhaustion, the aspirant recognises, much in the same way as an enlightened Zen Buddhist, that the individual has a choice in either accepting or rejecting the social norms and values of societies and their prescribed symbol systems. Through the induction of mystical experience, enabling functioning on higher circuits in Leary’s model, the aspirant undergoes a literal evolutionary ‘leap’ – undergoing a fundamental change that transforms the entire individual into a unit of society that exists and functions outside of normal socio-moral parameters, and also outside the parameters of normal waking consciousness – therefore all of the transformed individuals actions are enacted outside of societies perception of reality, though that person may be seen to be acting within it. This is the meaning of transcendence. It must be noted that this transformation is taken to be a long process, and involves an extraordinary amount of endurance and perseverance. Once transformed, the individual has become a unit of consciousness in society whose role has extended beyond the accepted definitions inherent in sociological and psychological theory. In previous ages, the individual would have been ascribed the role of shaman – but this role no longer exists in the same capacity, is essentially replaced by doctors, dentists, psychoanalysts etc. The individual who has achieved transcendence is left entirely to his or her own devices. Which, it is reported in most mystical literature, usually entails the guiding of others into functioning within the same higher circuits. Turning them ‘on’, tuning the aspirant ‘in’, and encouraging the aspirant to ‘drop out’ of the accepted parameters of human consciousness and human functioning.

 

As for the philosophies of both of these religions emerging as a standard of faith in society, this can only be viewed from a purely theoretical level. The dominance of relativism in modern discourse is a prime example. The goalposts of morality have moved, and have become dependant upon the moral orientation of the individual. “Thou hast no right but to do thy will, do that and no other shall say nay.” (Liber Al. I: 42, 43.) “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.” Mystical message aside, this can sound like nothing less than a mantra for hedonism, which culture, as previously mentioned, is increasingly becoming, within youth culture and consequently succeeding generations. Unless illegal activity is involved, it has become standard to let people live as they will – “right” and “wrong” have been demoted to value judgements: what’s wrong for one person is right for another, and vice versa. This is a fairly recent cultural phenomenon, and could be considered as consensus belief. Considering the emergence of Thelema occurred within 1904, and influenced much of the 1960’s sub-culture, it would be an intriguing subject for further study to try and ascertain just how influential Thelema has been in pop culture. The Beatles were acquainted with Crowley, going so far as to depict him upon the cover of their album Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart’s Club Band. David Bowie has admitted flirtation with the occult, particularly Crowleyanity. “Do what thou wilt” became therefore, whether consciously or unconsciously, a key theme in 1960’s sub-culture. The liberations and value deconstruction that occurred during the 1960’s are still working themselves through into standard cultural discourse. Possible reasons for the social acceptance of these philosophies could lie with the demystification of religion by the scientific establishment, and the consequent lack of a vengeful God within the cultural discourse who would punish sexual licence and over-indulgence - in effect, there is no body or institution who does punish immorality, unless legal boundaries are involved. Hedonism is therefore a consequence of secularisation - in a paradoxical sense, the religions dealt with here are secular.

 

Discordianism mirrors post-modern philosophies and styles to such an extent that the author is inclined to regard it as the ultimate religious expression of post-modernism. Being developed in the late 1950’s, regarding it as a contribution to the emergence of post-modernist approaches to cultural re-interpretation isn’t too absurd. It’s emphasis upon the individual as the creator of reality is still too abstract to become standard philosophical currency within society, but post-modernism, which essentially makes the same assertion with its ‘death of the subject’, is taught as part of most A-Level programs, particularly sociology. This similarity is incidental, since Zen Buddhism and Sufism, among other religious doctrines, have been asserting the same thing for centuries, and these could be regarded as having a huge influence upon Discordianism, though Discordianism relies heavily upon popular culture for its symbol systems, bringing it back into the domain of an essentially post-modern doctrine.

 

The study of these religions has, unfortunately, only skimmed the surface, and it appears to the author that the study could be extended almost indefinitely. That defining Discordianism and Thelema as religions stretches the sociological definition of religions into new territory is only one consideration left out of this study, but necessarily due to space restriction. It is felt by the author that the whole study is a fairly inadequate treaties, and he wishes he had picked a less involving study. But he still holds that accommodation should be made to include these doctrines and practices within both sociological and psychological research, otherwise any definitions of human and cultural behaviour become inadequate and unrepresentative of both modern spiritual practice and beliefs, and society as a whole.

 

 

 

4 METHODOLOGY

 

It was initially the author’s intention, in this study, to research the role of de-programming and re-programming (the re-imprinting of the psyche with symbol systems outside the regular range of social norms and values) in the belief and practice systems of Chaos Magick, Thelema and Wicca. The author, on closer inspection, realised that Wicca contributed little to de-programming, and that Chaos Magick was too obscure and convoluted a belief-system to analyse comprehensively. This left Thelema, an easier subject to deal with, and Discordianism, a belief system popular among Chaos Magicians. The author, through private study and experimentation, already knew these areas, and felt that attention should be drawn to them, as they highlight the present limits in sociological theories of religion, and psychological theories of mystical experience.

 

The systems of religious belief and practice analysed in this study are largely overlooked by the accepted range of sociological and psychological theory, and have difficulty conforming to accepted sociological perspectives on religion, which proved problematic. With this in mind, the author felt that a post-modern perspective would be more suitable, and less restrictive. Discordianism, itself, could be regarded as the ultimate religious expression of post-modernism. The author is aware of the ambiguous nature of much of the material analysed, and that the ‘credibility’ of the sources may be brought into question, and that the actual functions and effects of the religions and their philosophies and practices may meet with scepticism. It was partly the author’s intention to merely present the beliefs, and the possibilities. Scientific research has been conducted over and over again in these areas, with the same positive results, and the same rejection from the scientific establishment. Methods and systems of brain-change have existed as long as civilisation, perhaps longer, and are more than sufficiently recorded throughout human history. Perusal of the doctrines of mysticism and magic should leave no doubt in the reader that these systems have been an integral part of human culture for centuries – and that in this regard, they must serve some function and purpose within culture. The conclusions drawn in the second part are, admittedly, sketchy. But the area is huge, and the author was conducting a study of two religious systems and their social ramifications, not an extended analysis designed to prove the effects of Mystical initiatory systems and the extensive bombardment of the psyche with mystical experience; only to show what those effects are, or might be.

 

The author attempted to make contact with practising Thelemites in Leeds, but received no communication from them. This is either because of preferred silence about their practices, or an irregular surveying of their e-mail accounts. The author was left to trail through the literature of Discordianism and Thelema.

 

This involved a specific selection of secondary source texts and information that reflected the current ‘state of information’ of these subjects, and the whole project is a reflection of the theories and conclusions one can draw from the information this literature exhibits. In this sense, all of the author’s sources are sub-cultural artefacts.

 

One problem encountered, which proved to be influential, was the scope of the project. It begs for expansion, and a deeper analysis of the people who practice these religions. The hypothesis itself stood on shaky ground, in a scientific sense – but the author had, outside of his own experience, not the means to prove that these systems change the aspirant’s perception of the norms and values of society, or the more pressing issue that even with the rejection of regular symbol-systems and human behaviour patterns, the person who rejects them is not a danger, either to themselves or anybody else. No more than the average person. The interviews would hopefully have verified this. This should necessarily be stressed, as culture and society still openly fear the idea of practising magic or being involved in the occult. Such practices are loaded with negative connotations within consensus belief. Until a proper understanding of the functions of such systems is had, this won’t change. This study is a miniscule contribution towards the establishment of these practices as a modern cultural phenomenon that should be treated like any other.

 

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 Further reading

• Principia Discordia, or How I found the Goddess and what I did to Her once I found Her, by Malaclypse the Younger

   

 

 

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