Fall 2023 Classes
Thelema and Pan
Denny Sargent
Tuesday, October 24, doors at 7pm
Why does the great god, Pan, recur throughout the work of Aleister Crowley? What was Crowley’s relationship with Pan such that he insisted his Hymn to Pan be read at his funeral? These questions and many more will be answered in this lecture by Denny Sargent, which will introduce listeners to the power and magick of Pan within the context of Thelema. This lecture will not only consider the role of Pan in the life and work of the Beast 666; it will also situate that work within the context of renewed cultural interest in Pan in the British and European art and literature of Crowley’s era. Delivered by a serious devotee of Pan, this lecture is not to be missed! IO PAN!
The Use of Color as a Language in the Thoth Tarot
Scott Wilde
Tuesday, November 14, doors at 7pm
During this lecture, we will explore the premise that all color usages in the paintings of the Thoth Tarot were intentionally chosen for their specific symbolic import. That in general, the chosen colors simply reinforce the explicit attributes of the card, but also that there are many instances where color adds additional narrative that is not accessible based purely on form. The talk begins with an overview of the history of the use of color in occultism. The latter half will be spent looking at specific cards from the Thoth Tarot and decoding their colors.
The Serpent and the Egg: The Central Truth of the Thelemic Philosophy
Entelecheia
Tuesday, December 19, doors at 7pm
“Our central Truth—beyond other philosophies—is that these two infinities [Nuit and Hadit] cannot exist apart.” With these words, Crowley begins his “New Comment” on The Book of the Law. This lecture by Entelecheia will explore Crowley’s justification for this bold statement along with many of the implications it has for Thelemic metaphysics, theology, and soteriology. We will also consider how this central truth is embodied and given dramatic and symbolic expression in Liber XV and in the Thoth Tarot.