Reading Supplement for March 31

March 31 - Kaph (Jupiter, Fortune)

Reading I: Liber VII, Cap III.

Officiant: The leaven taketh, and the bread shall be sweet; the ferment worketh.
All: And the wine shall be sweet.
Officiant: Wail, O ye folk of the grey land, for we have drunk your wine, and left ye but the bitter dregs. Yet from these we will distill ye a liquor beyond the nectar of the Gods.
All: And the wine shall be sweet.

Reading II: From Liber CDXVIII, The 20th Æthyr.

Officiant: The Great Wheel of Samsara. The Wheel of the Law. The Wheel of the Taro. The Wheel of the Heavens. The Wheel of Life. All these Wheels be one; yet of all these the Wheel of the TARO alone avails thee consciously.
All: And lo! thou art past through the Abyss.
Officiant: Then, when thou know'st the Wheel of Destiny complete, mayst thou perceive THAT Will which moved it first. (There is no first or last).
All: And lo! thou art past through the Abyss.

Reading Supplement for March 30

March 30 - Lamed (Libra, Adjustment)

Reading I: Liber LXV, Cap IV.

Officiant: Thou art the Word, O my darling, my lord, my master! O come to me, mix the fire and the water, all shall dissolve.
All: Thou art the flame that burns in every heart of man, and in the core of every star.
Officiant: Arise, O serpent Apep, Thou art Adonai the beloved one!
All: Thou art the flame that burns in every heart of man, and in the core of every star.

Reading II: From “The Spiritual Guide” by San Miguel de Molinos.

Officiant: Know that the straightest, most perfect and secure way of proficients is the way of darkness.
All: He made darkness his secret place.
Officiant: Proceed, persevere, pray, and hold thy peace, for thereby thou mayest enter into thine own nothingness.
All: He made darkness his secret place.

Reading Supplement for March 29

March 29 - Mem (Water, The Hanged Man)

Reading I: Liber LXV, Cap III.

Officiant: But for me the lustral water, the great ablution, the dissolving of the soul in that resounding abyss.
All: O Thou light and delight, ravish me away into the milky ocean of the stars!
Officiant: I have bathed in Thee, and lost me in Thy stillness.
All: O Thou light and delight, ravish me away into the milky ocean of the stars!

Reading II: "I. N. R. I." by Frater Achad.

Officiant: INRI, Yod, Nun, Resh, Yod
All: Virgo, Isis, Mighty Mother. Scorpio, Apophis Destroyer
Officiant: Sol, Osiris, Slain and Risen. Isis, Apophis, Osiris
All: IAO!

Reading Supplement for March 28

March 28 - Nun (Scorpio, Death)

Reading I:Liber Stellae Rubae.

Officiant: But in the Sacrament of the Gnosis, which is of the Spirit, is there naught hurtful.
All: And at its Manifestation thy Lion is consecrated by pure Light of Ecstasy.
Officiant: For its Elements are not only Food, but a true Incarnation and Quintessence of Life, Love, and Liberty
All: And at its Manifestation thy Lion is consecrated by pure Light of Ecstasy.

Reading II: From Liber CXI, Cap 192-194.

Officiant: Thy death shall be the seal of the promise of our agelong love. Come! lift up thine heart & rejoice!
All: We are one; we are none.
Officiant: There is no dread hereafter. There is the dissolution, and eternal ecstasy in the kisses of Nu.
All: We are one; we are none.

Reading Supplement for March 27

March 27 - Samekh (Sagittarius, Art)

Reading I: Liber DCCCXIII, Cap I-III.

(No Responsory)

Reading II: From “The Vision of the Universal Mercury” by G.H. Frater S.R.M.D.

(No Responsory)

Reading Supplement for March 26

March 26 - A'ayin (Capricornus, The Devil)

Reading I: Liber A'ash

Officiant: Who worshippeth me must worship me with many rites.
All: Come, O my God, and let us embrace!
Officiant: There is no act or passion that shall not be a hymn in mine honour.
All: Come, O my God, and let us embrace!

Reading II: From Liber CXI, Cap 174-175

Officiant: They that walk upon their hands shall build the holy place.
All: For they shall be filled with the vigour of the goat.
Officiant: Blessed are they who have turned the Eye of Hoor unto the zenith,
All: For they shall be filled with the vigour of the goat.

Reading Supplement for March 25

March 25 - Peh (Mars, The Tower)

Reading I: Liber VII, Cap I

Officiant: Violent and vivid smote the levin flash. Once the tower rocked and cracked beneath its lash, caught inextinguishable fire; was ash.
All: Ascend in the flame of the pyre, O my soul!
Officiant: Up! The ruddy clouds hang over thee! It is the storm. There is a flaming gash in the sky.
All: Ascend in the flame of the pyre, O my soul!

Reading II: From Liber CDXVIII, The 16th Æthyr

Officiant: And every mystery that hath not been revealed from the foundation of the world he shall reveal unto his chosen.
All: And the spirit of prophecy shall come upon me
Officiant: The angels shall come unto them and walk with them, and the great gods of heaven shall be their guests.
All: And the spirit of prophecy shall come upon me.

Reading Supplement for March 24

March 24 - Tzaddi (Aries, The Emperor)

Reading I: Liber Tzaddi vel Hamus Hermeticus.

Officiant: With courage conquering fear shall ye approach me: ye shall lay down your heads upon mine altar, expecting the sweep of the sword.
All: My blood shall stain Thy fiery feet with litanies of Love in Anguish.
Officiant: But the first kiss of love shall be radiant on your lips; and all my darkness and terror shall turn to light and joy.
All: My blood shall stain Thy fiery feet with litanies of Love in Anguish.

Reading II: From the “Tao Te Ching” by Lao Tzu, Cap 37 and 39.

Officiant: The law shall give light to every one that hath it in his heart,
All: and by that wisdom let him govern himself.
Officiant: What is Happiness but the Issue of the Harmony of our Consciousness with our Truth, and the Conformity of Will with Action?
All: And by that wisdom let him govern himself.

Reading Supplement for March 23

March 23 – Qoph (Pisces, The Moon)

Reading I: Liber VII, Cap VI.

Officiant: The night falls like a spangled cloak from the shoulders of a prince upon a slave.
All: He rises a free man!
Officiant: And at last I smite myself into him as a vision smiteth into a stone, and whom I call must follow.
All: He rises a free man!

Reading II: "The Dark Night of the Soul" by San Juan de la Cruz.

Officiant: The Body of Man is but his Shadow; it cometh and goeth even as the Tides of the Ocean.
All: He only is in Darkness who is hidden by that shadow from the Light of His True Self.
Officiant: For thy Changes are not Phases of Thee, but of the Phantoms which thou mistakest for thy Self.
All: He only is in Darkness who is hidden by that shadow from the Light of His True Self.

Reading Supplement for March 22

March 22 - Resh (Sun, The Sun)

Reading I: Liber VII, Cap IV

Officiant: Blow, all ye trumpets, for the Angel will loose his hands from the mouth of the lion.
All: And his roaring shall enkindle the worlds.
Officiant: Then was the countenance of time darkened, and the true light shone forth.
All: And his roaring shall enkindle the worlds.

Reading II: From "A Mithraic Ritual" translated by GRS Mead. Cap I, II, and XIII.

Officiant: Hail Lord, thou Master of the Water!
All: I pass away in being made Great, and, having been made Great, I die.
Officiant: Hail! Founder of the Earth! Hail, Prince of Breath!
All: I pass away in being made Great, and, having been made Great, I die.

Reading Supplement for March 21

March 21 – Shin (Fire/Spirit, The Aeon)

Reading I: Liber LXV, Cap V

Officiant: And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne in his father's house.
All: Yet the music of my spears shall be a song of freedom.
Officiant: In that day, saith the Lord of Hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall.
All: Yet the music of my spears shall be a song of freedom.

Reading II: St. William Blake -- from The Four Zoas, "Night the Ninth, Being the Last Judgment."

Officiant: How is it we have walk'd thro' fires & yet are not consum'd?
All: How is it that all things are chang'd even as in ancient times?
Officiant: The dark Religions are departed & sweet Science reigns.
All: All things are chang'd even as in ancient times.

Reading Supplement for March 20th

March 20 – Tav (Saturn/Earth, The Universe)

Reading I: Liber Liberi Cap II, Cap II.

Officiant: Long hast thou slept, O great God Terminus! Awake Thou! wait no more!
All: There shall be an end.
Officiant: Lazily, hungrily, ardently, patiently, so will I work.
All: There shall be an end.

Reading II: Liber Libræ.

Officiant: Wisdom says: be strong! Then canst thou bear more joy. Be not animal; refine thy rapture!
All: There is no Rule, but that of Balance.
Officiant: The Problem is ever to bring the Appetite into right Relation with the Will. Thus thou mayst fast or feast;
All: There is no Rule, but that of Balance.

Rite of the Office of Readings - Year B

It's that time of year again, for the Office of the Readings!

This year we will be shaking things up a bit and going with a new set of "Year B" readings assembled by M. Dionysius Rogers. Going forward these will be alternated with the "Year A" version from the Companions of Monsalvat that we have been using up to this point.

We also have made a few "Year B" changes to the Rite of the Office of the Readings, which can be found here. The updated list of readings for the 2020 season and "B" years will follow soon.

This ritual is adapted by Lalitha from the ORDO SUNYATA VAJRA’s DIAMOND SAPPHIRE GEM of RADIANT LIGHT, Version 8.0; Vernal Holy Days: Office of Readings by M. Dionysius Rogers; and Office of Readings for the High Holy Days by the Companions of Monsalvat.

0. PREPARATION

Consecration of the People with holy oil upon entry.

Purification of the Temple by Water and Consecration of the Temple by Fire, with Introit Music: March 20 through 25, Depth of Catastrophe by Alizadeh; March 26 through April 1, Ninth Aethyr Canticle; April 2 through April 7, 169 Cries; and for the Days of the Feast: April 8 - Sirt im Sasani, April 9 - Horus, and April 10 - Annua Gaudia by Moore.

I. OPENING

Officiant: BAHLASTI! OMPEHDA!

Officiant performs Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram or Star Ruby. Bell Chime.

Officiant: Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

All: Love is the law, love under will.

II. FORMULATION of the LIGHT

Officiant performs Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Hexagram or Star Sapphire.

Officiant: If they say to you, where did you come from?, say to them, We came from the light. If they say to you, Is it you?, say, We are its children, and we are the elect of the living father. If they ask you, What is the sign of your father in you?, say to them, It is movement and repose. (Gospel of Thomas, Saying Number 70)

All: Now I begin to pray, thou child
Holy thy name and undefiled
Thy reign is come, thy will is done
Here is the bread, here is the blood
Bring me through midnight to the Sun
Save me from evil and from good
That thy one crown of all the ten
Even now and here be mine.
AMEN.

Bell Chime.

Jim Bakker's Phony Virus Treatments

Televangelist Jim Bakker never met a survivalist product he didn't like. So naturally he's treating the COVID-19 virus as a great opportunity to make a quick buck. The FDA has warned Bakker to quit promoting various alternative remedies as treatments for the virus. There is no evidence that any of these products work against the virus, and the FDA is concerned that people may use them in place of seeking medical treatment.

“The FDA considers the sale and promotion of fraudulent COVID-19 products to be a threat to the public health. We have an aggressive surveillance program that routinely monitors online sources for health fraud products, especially during a significant public health issue such as this one,” FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn said in announcing the enforcement actions.

The products include teas, essential oils, tinctures and colloidal silver, which have been cited as not safe or effective for treating any disease, the agency said in a statement with the Federal Trade Commission. The FDA said it was particularly worried that the products may cause people to delay or stop appropriate treatment, “leading to serious and life-threatening harm.”

Maybe Bakker always was a total huckster, but in his old age he's gotten a lot more blatant about it. Remember the potato soup? That look on his face as he tastes it just screams "delicious," doesn't it? There's also not a lot of explanation of how a tub of fully hydrated potato soup is expected to survive the apocalypse. Similarly, his bogus health treatments have a lot in common with faith healing.

Even if I were Christian I would have a hard time putting my faith in Jim Bakker, but apparently that's not true for everyone. Somebody must be watching his show.

UPDATE: I totally missed this when I posted the article, but a reader pointed it out. The FDA Commissioner's name is Stephen Hahn. This isn't the first time somebody named Hahn has gotten Bakker into trouble...

The Cult of Power

I don't personally have a problem with Christianity in general, or with people who follow Christianity as a spiritual path. As a Thelemite, I believe that everyone's spiritual path is entirely their own business. It does me no good to disparage someone else's spirituality just because it doesn't work for me. Now if you read Augoeides, you might be a little puzzled by that statement. I do post a lot of articles making fun of a certain group of people who I call "Poor Oppressed Christians." This group is generally made up of evangelicals and fundamentalists - but I should stress that not all evangelicals and fundamentalist Christians belong to it.

Salon has an article up today about a new book that articulates exactly what I find objectionable about these particular Christians. They don't worship God or Christ as much as they worship political power. The "Oppressed" thing is basically a narcissistic ruse, in that the whole point is to gain special rights and privileges that they can use against those they see as enemies - atheists and agnostics, the LGBT community, and even other Christians they consider heretics. The bottom line is that if they were willing to leave the rest of us alone and quit trying to write their beliefs into laws that everyone has to follow, I would leave them alone.

Author Katherine Stewart has the answer: Because the true god these folks worship is power. In her book, "The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism," Stewart details how she traveled around the country, getting to know the various Christian conservative figures that are whipping support for Trump and his agenda. She deems the "Christian nationalists" and demonstrates how their supposedly Christian values always come second to their endless quest for power. Stewart spoke with Salon about her new book. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.