What are the aims of Typhonian initiation?

[merlin]

Forgive me if this question may seem naive to the more experienced members or initiates in the forum, but if you should define what Typhonian initiation is in the first place, and what its aims are, what would you answer? 

PS this question may subtly differ from similar ones in this board, because I wouldn't like to focus on the historical aspects of the Typhonian Tradition, or the differences with "Caliphate" O.T.O., but rather on its effects on the mind and body of its modern initiate, "here and now".

[John Hope]

On a practical level, Typhonian initiation will mean something slightly different to each initiate. The effects of initiation mentally are subtle yet profound changes in awareness, though I'm not sure about physically.

My own approach to the Tradition was a very strange and gradual experience but my eventual initiation was contemporaneous with massive, highly positive personal, spiritual and magickal changes.

My own, personal definition of Typhonian initiation would be, a profound period of ultimate self-manifestation and magickal alignment towards a unique fraternal occult tradition which is, to those it attracts, the supreme object of personal, magickal and occult development, which among other things, equips us with the knowledge and understanding of the psycho-alchemical processes initiated after Human-to-spirit contact.

[merlin]

Thanks John. In Grant's Skoob interview, he wrote: "Q. What is the purpose of your books? KG. The main purpose is to prepare people for encounters with unfamiliar states of consciousness. Q. Do these include extraterrestrial encounters? KG. Yes, extra-, sub-, and ultraterrestrial encounters."

I meant something along these lines... "Is in your view Typhonian Initiation related to unfamiliar states of consciousness, extra, sub, and ultraterrestrial encounters"?

[Raj Don Yasser]

Oct 5, 2018 14:09:26 GMT merlin said:

Thanks John. In Grant's Skoob interview, he wrote: "Q. What is the purpose of your books? KG. The main purpose is to prepare people for encounters with unfamiliar states of consciousness. Q. Do these include extraterrestrial encounters? KG. Yes, extra-, sub-, and ultraterrestrial encounters."

I meant something along these lines... "Is in your view Typhonian Initiation related to unfamiliar states of consciousness, extra, sub, and ultraterrestrial encounters"?

I would posit that, regardless of the tradition (Christian, Sufi, Typhonian, etc.), all genuine gnosis involves unfamiliar states of consciousness as well as "encounters" of some sort, regardless of whether such encounters be perceived as inner or outer.

In the most real and "true" sense of the term, Typhonian initiation is Self-initiation. 

[John Hope]

Oct 5, 2018 14:09:26 GMT merlin said:

I meant something along these lines... "Is in your view Typhonian Initiation related to unfamiliar states of consciousness, extra, sub, and ultraterrestrial encounters"?

I would have to agree with Raj Don Yasser, merlin, real initiation, if it is valuable will always involve exploration of such states. And speaking from my own experience, regarding specifically my Typhonian initiation, explicit encounters with and witnessing manifestations of ultraterrestrial entities. Dream content was also very regularly altered drastically, and infused with magickally symbolic, intense and sometimes disturbing scenes and encounters.

[The Double-wanded One]

There are many things one could say but I think a core proponent (and what usually separates it from washed-out Caliphate Thelema) is that the Typhonian Tradition recognizes Thelema (Liber AL Vel Legis and Crowley's works) within the context of religion, history, mythology and the wider practice of inner and outer practice.
It exists in Crowley's incarnation of Thelema but is downplayed more and more every generation (current Protestantized/EXoteric versions that lean more towards complete relativism, New Ageism and politics). Difference again being that Crowley clearly outlined that Thelema itself (regardless of the transmission of Liber AL) exists in a much larger matrix of traditions, a massively important one being Hinduism (which Crowley certainly recognized and Grant expounded on very much too).

Also, the Typhonian Tradition has more of an aesthetic focus on the psychedelic/surreal, as it is a very very intense exploration of the spiritual (or 'psychological') of experience - which is probably why Grant has the best artwork 

As said above dreams and altered states of consciousness are even more important to general practice than the average Thelemite (though I'm sure there are many stoners in the exoteric Thelema crowd)

[JMH]

The other day after working with the Lam capsule,I (dare say that I,) received a bit that makes a lot of sense (to me) about the tradition:

'' As the main universal Current has been diverted and hoarded by the Powers-that-be, leaving a dried river bed forward in time, The Thyphonian ventures; walking beneath the earth to tap the hidden rivers and water tables holding the Current's words of the Aeons and climbs Yggdrasil under the moonlight knowing, that it is the sun reflected.''

This is kinda what I received (I translated it from french).

Cheers

.:JMH:.

[stephen]

Yes, I think I understand where you are going with that.

[parsifal]

I just finished reading through this thread and found it quite enlightening. I think Merlin's question was a good one, with benefits for both novices and perhaps even the more advanced members of this forum (if I may say so, being a novice myself!). The question refocuses our attention on a fundamental and perennial (perhaps even an eternal) subject--initiation. The resulting discussion teased out some nice insights not only about the nature of initiation but also the special nature of Typhonian initiation in particular.

I have a question of my own to pose, which has been in the back of my mind all afternoon since I read this thread: When does Typhonian initiation actually begin? At the moment one undertakes the nine-month magical or mystical practice required of applicants seeking membership in the Order? Or does it begin before one even picks up a book by Kenneth Grant? Or first delves into Thelema, or Crowley, or Advaita, or whatever else led one to their first awareness of the Current's existence?

[JMH]

I like to think that in my case, it began way before I even heard of KG. After studying Crowley, thelema, ect.. for years, and not really finding my place in it, I stumble upon Chaos magick. It was an instant love affair. It lead me to Zos (Austin Osman Spare). I really enjoyed the teachings of Zos Kia because it was a lot more approachable than the Crowley literature. But again, I was looking for something else, more intricate, hands on and in relation to outer intelligences.



Almost two years ago, my prayers were answered by non other than Allan Moore. I was just getting into HPL and found a graphic novel of his called Neonomicon (I highly suggest it; its a 4 parts (?) re-think of the Cthulhu mythos). In the first pages there is a scene (posted here) where he talks of Kenneth Grant briefly. I struck me as a magickal hint and I followed it. It led me here, and so much further. I can say that it seemed to be when I crossed the first level of Typhonian initiation. It didn't take long to confirm after reading about KG's friendship with Zos and the relation between Chaos magick tradition and Typhonians.

Reading the work of KG, I found it resonated with most of my views and interests. For example, The Lam working, the Ma'at Aeon, the experimental approach and the HPL paradigme.

and lastly, this forum has put a lot in perspective, such as the veracity of my writings and how much of a slacker I can be when it comes to studies. haha.

All in all, I like to think that the Typhonian initiation begins even before the incarnation of this body.KG's quotations of Dion Fortune excite in me the ideas that it is a path chosen before the human wave and that it is motivated by the urgency of pushing forward the Great work.

Of course, as usual, it could be complete gibberish; not that I really care. haha




.:JMH:.

Attachments:

[stephen]

Picking up on that last speech bubble in JMH's attachment:

"And Grant, he believed Lovecraft's whole mythology was genuine in some way."

This is a fair enough observation, however, there are some commentators, Peter Levenda in particular, who have asserted that Kenneth Grant's thesis is that the Thelemic Current and the Necronomicon Gnosis "are not only compatible but in fact are identical". (page 17 of The Dark Lord, I believe).  This is not the case, consider Grant's glossary definition for the Necronomicon in The Ninth Arch:

“A fictive grimoire discovered in dream by H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937). From vague hints and suggestions in Lovecraft’s writings, the Necronomicon has developed from its spectral origin a material body as solid as any ‘holy book’ and has influenced in many ways the course of the Magical Current in its contemporary phases. The importance of the grimoire for the 93 Current is its adumbration of the Mauve Zone”.

There is clearly no implication here that the Necronomicon Gnosis and the 93 Current are identical, rather the assertion that the former has served to influence and delineate the latter in its exploration of trans-mundane regions of consciousness. And that is the practical essence of Typhonian initiation.