A correspondent asks whether Thelema represents a fundamental change in the magical current, what an aeon actually is, and where the results of the New Aeon are showing. Nagasiva yronwode — posting as 333 — responds with characteristic precision, tracing the word "aeon" from Gnostic entity to Crowleyan publicity campaign, and locating the whole discourse within the longer history of zodiacal ages, Hindu yugas, and messianic expectation.
Do we follow tradition over reality?
Most religious do and seem incapable of thinking independently, let alone critically. Education is in serious disarray and human beings are cows.
I hear magicians talk of Thelema as a fundamental change in the magical current —
And almost none inform us as to what this "magical current" is, how it functions, what they did that made them aware of it, and so on. It is sufficient to become "one of the in crowd" by being informed of Current 93 (feel it!).
— that a new aeon has come forth —
You're referring to the New AEons of occultists. These are, from what I can determine, not cosmic, but personal. They appear to have been meant to compete with the "big ages" of the cosmos that were previously supposed by astrologers and religious through time, often called by names keyed to their particular culture (such as metals or degrees of disintegration).
The zodiacal precession indicates that, somewhat arbitrarily, this is the "Age of Pisces," and the "Age of Aquarius" is to come about within the coming few centuries at a time of a planetary marker (say, a Trigon of Jupiter or some other fascinating astronomical display). The religion of Christianity has made quite a big deal about its harmonic to this Terran Lane-Change. The sign attuned is that rising at Spring Equinox.
Crowley and others have floated a personal "aeon" that manifests in response to the activities of the Magus, some fantastic Actor on the Universal Stage who reorients society and humankind to some new and more mature standard. In support of this notion were given a variety of Logoi that are supposed to have accompanied the activities of these magi, their societal remains apparently a fair ringer for their sociopolitical remnants. Prior to that, the use of "aeon" seems to have been as a reference to a Gnostic entity or some fantastically long period of time.
Logoi like "Tao" (Way) and "Dharma" and "INRI" — and whatever those fashioning this primarily Hermetic ideology could paste together out of what little they knew of religio-magical history of the world — were keyed to the religious superheroes of the past, and their modern exponents were folded in as Super-Important right alongside, whatever the actuality. It afforded a leg-up of egotism to the writer, and allowed their cultists to "confirm" that they are in the wake of some spiritual VIP (a prophet that Nuit, Hadit, and — wouldn't you know it! — Khuit).
Right now we are in the AEon of the Adversary. This commenced with my blood pact with Satan at approximately midnight on 1996/6/6, in the general vicinity of Santa Cruz, California, and the Logos of that AEon is, fittingly, FUCK. The magi of the world will inform you of the various aeons which are operational in their locale if you ask very nicely.
But I hear very little of what the changes are, where the results are showing, and what "fundamental" means.
At its best, it is a refashioning or reordering of the cosmos surrounding the Magus. If you do not see the swathe of change emanating from the wand or index finger of the Magus in question, then you are surely "not with the Current" of whatever his cult deems to be the New AEon.
Such things are described of astrological age changes and other important cosmic gatings. The various "returns of spiritual supermen" like Jesus, the Mahdi, or Maitreya Buddha usually proceed with "proofs" as to how they are imminent — dates are named, then pass — such as sociopolitical upheaval, big wars, the degradation of spirituality, etc.
The Gnostic Mass, for instance, would make little sense as other than entertainment. The Phoenix Mass, however, would make a lot of sense.
Masses are usually intended to catalyse personal changes in the consciousness and bodies of those who consume their noxious or sacred substances in communion. The Gnostic Mass is one of these, complete with wine and "Cakes of Light" supposed to be composed out of the sexual fluids of the Priest and Priestess (now reduced to ash in our corrupted and fallen state dominated by states protecting citizens from the risk of infectious disease).
The Phoenix Mass is more of a solitary thing, isn't it? I haven't actually witnessed a Phoenix Mass, though my recall of reading it or discussing it with ceremonial mages is that it is helpful to those who are afraid of death and disappearing — promising a "rise from the ashes" that the legendary bird engages. Please offer correction if I am in error.
Studying periods of time — aeons and yugas and days of Brahma and astrological ages — is fun. It allows us to evaluate the people of the past with hindsight, make fun of those who were arrogantly expecting more change from human beings than for which we were prepared, and plug ourselves into a fantastic program of catalysing and orienting energy ("the Current"), which we may then argue about endlessly like angels and their pinhead choreography.
Invoke me under my stars.
Colophon
Posted to alt.magick.moderated by nagasiva yronwode (posting as 333), December 4, 2006. Posted in the "5006th Year of the Kali Yuga, AEonic Year 10."
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Archived for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
🌲