The Star of Azazel - Azazelin Tähti

This idea strongly resonates with me. You listed religious aspects which emphasize the human possibilities and sacred meaning behind all, I liked that. It's kind of interesting that you used the wording of "Hoping" rather than "Having Faith" or "Believing". Hope is something we can have in the face of uncertainty, in this hellish existence we still can have this devout hope of meaning behind all. Faith, on the other hand, can be more easily understood like seeking refuge in something bigger than us, which we believe can save us and as such is not so fitting to SoA.

Nefastos wrote: ↑Mon Oct 03, 2022 12:15 pm After these fundamentals come the secondary tenets
(including the important theodicy of God~Satan)

When stressing the religious aspect, I would also add the Hopes:
1) The Hope that Love is greater force than Violence in the universe
2) The Hope that there is a sacred Meaning in everything that happens to us
3) The Hope that there is possibility for a human being to transcend our usual petty and ignorant state and reach actual humanity (adepthood) via gnosis and inner initiation

Seven days ago I wrote about the problem of evil and practical relations to it from the perspective of an initiate. I divided them in to LHP and RHP method both of which are to be unified. They aimed to answer approximately the same problem considered here on this topic, thus I'd like to offer them as a point of reference complementing the expressed need for the ethos of religion. If it isn’t obvious, the RHP side is here answering similar needs as the ethos of religion is here formed as a coinduit of hope. But I can see how different temperaments could see religion more as a LHP thing or belonging to both hands in a balanced way.

Digression in to The Problem of Evil (Understanding religious needs may entirely transcend intellectual needs and scrutiny)

The Problem of Evil wrote: The following two seemingly opposite methods must be united or the problem will remain until it consumes the initiate.

Left-Hand Path Method
One must hate god for allowing unacceptable suffering in the world. In line with the Book of Job this is a trial set for the initiate to transcend dualism on its most profound ground. To hate god places one’s own soul in to jeopardy in traditional Western mindset, but such a sacrifice of selfish motives must be made to overcome dualism. This ignites the human pentagram in fire, but there’s a further problem.

Right-Hand Path Method
In connection with the previous one, one must realise the suffering being's individual karma woven in to the substance of an individual. Thus worrying about the suffering of others in a way that paralyzes oneself or burns one’s own being does not respect the karma of others and their will to live and carry their weight (even if the said carrying is on the level of baby steps).* Failing to see the youthful mirth of lesser steps will take it away from the overly pride. Failing to see the necessity of the people finding their own way away from ignorance and blindness will prevent the initiate from overcoming those vices on their own level of progress.

* Part of getting over this problem is accepting the justice and righteousness-loving aspect of god. After one has made the choice of hating god, there must be found understanding beyond the one-eyed interpretation of the justice of god as something only a god unworthy of any attention would possess.

Nefastos wrote: ↑Mon Oct 03, 2022 12:15 pm 2) The Hope that there is a sacred Meaning in everything that happens to us

Alternatively to seeing the religious aspects only as RHP attributes, this is something I am familiar with, my approach having strong LHP emphasis. In my satanism it is completely out of the picture that there would be no sacred Meaning in everything that happens to me. It is plainly obvious to me that in all hardship there is something that I could turn in to a step upwards somehow. The world is thoroughly Satanic entity to me and I can not find Satan in all its depths meaningless, much like I can not find meaning in a world that would have no consequences and no righteousness-loving aspect of god present in me and in the world. Again, remember these things MUST be first purified with hatered towards such a god. And if we go back to the problem of why human beings are build so ignorant and blind towards their mistakes, meaning the problem was created earlier, then "adjusting" this "mistake" I’m just seeing a even more twisted world where meaning would be made out of plastic, and there would be no real dynamics, no real truths, no sense in existing.

The world as I see it is summarized between the words of the idea of how an initiate shouldn’t think the world from the point of view of politics. This means that the steps the Master has set for YOU to find can not be found if you follow the will-o-wisps of the world. The same goes with the politics of choosing to hate aspects of god beyond one’s own limits: it focuses the mind on battles of power in the polarities of greater scale. No! The initiate needs to focus on things that will help himself aiding the whole and avoiding bad choices. This could be seen as rising above god, but in a humble way where one still knows and respects the god above oneself.

Five days ago, I felt again a terrible need to address the problem in relation to the problem of Satanism, which is that it once again tends to consume the Satanist in one way or another. This could be also seen as a too singular focus on the pentagram, which is the power pool of an individual in flames. This could be expressed as power-centrism of Satanism, which in turn can make Satanism a very vital point of view to occultism. But it can keep the problem of evil in such difficult position that the individual stays in a inflamed (emphasising the medical meaning of the world) stage, and thus the pentagram has all-consuming emphasis in the life of the Satanist.

We can continue on these digressions on other topics if need be. I was considering posting them separately to the Terrible aspects of God topic, and referencing that post here, but the ideas got so woven in to the idea of religion that such division felt butchering the text.

* * *

Star of Azazel as a Religion

With these syncronisities of thoughts, I think opening this religious side up even to official position could be one way of starting to answer these problems. For me personally, there has always been religious dimension in my approach of the Star of Azazel system, and more so in Graal lodge, where I have found space amongst similarly thinking brothers and sisters to ponder upon possibilities of fulfilling religious aspects of occult work. Still, I have rather thought SoA as a conduit for religion than a religion per se, although in official papers it might be necessary to call it a religion if we will embark on such a direction. Then there would be a religious aspect to the name, which is ok to me. Theosophy wasn’t meant to be a religion, but a key to religions of the local people. Thus, if we work with Star of Azazel locally in the West, it seems it should be also a religion if we would follow the impulse of Theosophy here as we did in parts of our fuondations.

I have been moving closer to this idea over the last year or so without even reading this thread or realizing this was a conversation happening. It started with a conversation maybe a year or two ago now (I can't gauge time at all these days) on being spiritual vs. being religious. It was shortly after that discussion I realized that I was identifying as a religious person, and this was actually very comforting to me, despite never before being comfortable with the idea of being religious. But interpreting the philosophy as religious exaltation and practice has been an organic evolution for me.

Stressing the Hopes has a surprisingly uplifting effect on me when I read it in this context. I am typically quite suspicious of it. But I can handle it when attached to a clear framework such as this. I'll have to unpack that at some point. Maybe attaching it to a framework makes it seem tangible.

To me, religion is one of the most apparent and obvious example of chains of karma. I mean being bound to religion from upbringing, then by hateful disengagement and now, hopefully some sort of balanced integration and peaceful acceptance of the necessity of working through religion because of karmic binds. Star of Azazel as a religion might provide some helpful tools for working with these sorts of problems, at least.

Necros wrote: ↑Mon Mar 27, 2023 4:57 pm To me, religion is one of the most apparent and obvious example of chains of karma. I mean being bound to religion from upbringing, then by hateful disengagement and now, hopefully some sort of balanced integration and peaceful acceptance of the necessity of working through religion because of karmic binds. Star of Azazel as a religion might provide some helpful tools for working with these sorts of problems, at least.

Oh, what an illuminating way to put it. I think you've tapped into a vein of truth here, at least for those of us who experience this process you've laid out.

Necros wrote: ↑Mon Mar 27, 2023 4:57 pm To me, religion is one of the most apparent and obvious example of chains of karma. I mean being bound to religion from upbringing, then by hateful disengagement and now, hopefully some sort of balanced integration and peaceful acceptance of the necessity of working through religion because of karmic binds.

I think in essence this comes to the choice between the nirmanakaya & pratyeka directions, the latter of which leaving the planet before the planet itself is ready to return to the bosom of the absolute. Each occult current or tradition and portions of religion truly carrying the nirmanakaya robe, as in truly giving the teachings forth in alive manner according to the contemporary challenges, is indeed compassionately taking an enormous weight to take care of.

In terms of occultism and religion, I am left wondering if the former can be offered to the world now as it is so deeply polarized; like a wounded animal who needs to heal before it can be approached with concerns beyond its immediate survival instincts. Religions and other things may come and tend the wounds surficially, while the occultists might have to take a step back and wait for better times (we have failed the chance given during the 20th century) and/or wait for the few who are able find the place truly beyond the battlegrounds. Or so it seems to my sceptical eye.

Smaragd wrote: ↑Tue Mar 28, 2023 1:09 am In terms of occultism and religion, I am left wondering if the former can be offered to the world now as it is so deeply polarized; like a wounded animal who needs to heal before it can be approached with concerns beyond its immediate survival instincts. Religions and other things may come and tend the wounds surficially, while the occultists might have to take a step back and wait for better times (we have failed the chance given during the 20th century) and/or wait for the few who are able find the place truly beyond the battlegrounds. Or so it seems to my sceptical eye.

How did occultists fail? From what observed, I guess it could have been socio-psychological issues and dealing poorly with those? And as one highlight maybe Mr. Crowley's choice of Will over Love, as I guess he really had an opportunity of making the occult succeed. Maybe with a different emphasis we could have had something better? Maybe the whole aiding process of nirmanakaya should happen behind the curtains sort to say? But yes, I can relate to your scepticism here.

Necros wrote: ↑Wed Mar 29, 2023 5:14 pm How did occultists fail?

We could look at the whole culture, and how utterly distant it is from the practical capabilities of uniting the opposites in most areas. We can think of the small successes of constructive occultism reaching to the general culture, for example how Jung amongst his peers brought to our language and understanding the idea of subconsciousness. Basicly everybody knows what it means. Still, the whole occult area surrounding these little successes is still quite limited to small groups who are more or less obsessed with the occult. But then there is Crowley's imprint on a vast number of these groups, as you mentioned. The dirt there seems to be conjoined with this challenge of nihilism, atheism, kama manas and individualism, with which humanity is still crippling with. This is a big knot to solve and has something to do with finding through individual dharma towards collective effort (karma) and traditions. 20th century popular occultism largely deals with transgression and usually gets stuck in the wrong way of doing it (i.e. leaving the work half undone by thinking transgression by itself is enough, as if blasphemy by itself would be enough...), which turns occultism for example in to an excuse for selfishness.

This kind of "yellow occultism" (Mercurial medium, which in itself is empty because the transferring or mediumistic function of Mercury doesn't have anything true to show by itself), in my interpretation is mostly about sort of a performance art transgression and aesthetics. Trying to pose transgressively did cut through the ranks of the masses back in the day and we have a proof of it through the vast cultural influence they made. Think of Crowley's presence in rock music. But what is the worth of such influence if it only teaches people to have more obscure excuses for selfishness, blindness and idiocy? Crowley can't be blamed for this alone although he has quite a portion of the cake. I have hard time to think of 20th century English occultism which weren't doing the same thing; sure there are couple exceptions... The point is that transgression and aesthetical primacy left its mark, and now rules the occult milieu. Not only did the 20th century occultism fail, but we in the 21th century have failed also. We have yet to struck our lightning bolts through the weight of the last century. Although in SoA philosophy the missing pieces have been laid out with excellent clarity, the interest for it and the work people are ready to put in, to practically claim the philosophy leaves something to be desired for.

To take a more proactive stance to these problems rather than just cry out, a month or two ago we discussed of a more positive ways to see "yellow occultism" in a Lucifer lodge meeting while speaking of alchemy and there rose an idea of yellow occultism being statue-like. This was seen by many as a positive angle due to personal fascination with statues and the mystery felt there on. Now, to think of the posing of performance arts and aesthetical primacy as having statue-like positive value we might, for example, return to the positive value of transgression. The question remains, how to use such a Mercurial statue or perhaps a phurpa to electrify the cultural body enough for it to make the laborous pilgrimage up the Mountain?

As it happens, there is a project under way and to be revealed to members of different lodges in couple of weeks, which touches this challenge quite directly.

Necros wrote: ↑Wed Mar 29, 2023 5:14 pm Maybe the whole aiding process of nirmanakaya should happen behind the curtains sort to say?

I do find solace from this idea. The area of the small opening of the curtains tends to remain quite wounded still. Wounded, or like the opening of the Black Lodge in Twin Peaks: marked by the thick engine oil associated with the sulphur of the bad spirits of old.