Today is the day. My flight from Minneapolis to Austin leaves this evening after work, so I'll be heading straight to the airport at the end of the day and arriving a little before midnight. I've attended every previous National Ordo Templi Orientis Convention, and this one will be no exception. It's become a tradition for me every two years, and one that I thoroughly enjoy.
It might have been nice to take today off as well and catch an earlier flight, but with everything I have to get done at work this week that just wasn't practical. But I'll get in, catch some sleep, and be at the hotel tomorrow morning when the conference officially starts. I'm looking forward to doing some book promotion, and more importantly catching up with some of the folks I only see at these events.
I realized last night that I can get within a month or so of measuring my time in the order by doubling the number of the current NOTOCON. They happen every two years, and I had been in the order almost two years when I attended the first one in Akron back in 1997. So this fall equinox it will be twenty years since I took the Minerval degree. Like any long-term commitment, sometimes it seems as if the time has just flown by, and sometimes it feels like I've been involved forever.
Lately some of the folks on Facebook have been criticizing magicians who join orders, but all I can say is that my experiences in OTO have been largely positive, and I've learned a lot from the members I've had the privilege to work with. At the same time it's not for everyone, nor should it be, and magicians who enjoy working in an order context should likewise leave the solitaries alone.
From my perspective as a Thelemite, it's all about knowing and doing your will, however that manifests best for you. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, because the fact is that they just don't know.
It might have been nice to take today off as well and catch an earlier flight, but with everything I have to get done at work this week that just wasn't practical. But I'll get in, catch some sleep, and be at the hotel tomorrow morning when the conference officially starts. I'm looking forward to doing some book promotion, and more importantly catching up with some of the folks I only see at these events.
I realized last night that I can get within a month or so of measuring my time in the order by doubling the number of the current NOTOCON. They happen every two years, and I had been in the order almost two years when I attended the first one in Akron back in 1997. So this fall equinox it will be twenty years since I took the Minerval degree. Like any long-term commitment, sometimes it seems as if the time has just flown by, and sometimes it feels like I've been involved forever.
Lately some of the folks on Facebook have been criticizing magicians who join orders, but all I can say is that my experiences in OTO have been largely positive, and I've learned a lot from the members I've had the privilege to work with. At the same time it's not for everyone, nor should it be, and magicians who enjoy working in an order context should likewise leave the solitaries alone.
From my perspective as a Thelemite, it's all about knowing and doing your will, however that manifests best for you. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, because the fact is that they just don't know.
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