In the first article we examined the roots of these two movements, we will now look at the possible wider socio-biological effects of their practices

Models of Consiousness

In order to render this section intelligible the reader is referred to the folowing outline of Dr. Timothy Leary's Eight-Circuit model of Consciousness. This eight-circuit model determines the terminology used in the following.

DR. TIMOTHY LEARY’S EIGHT CIRCUIT MODEL OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Circuit 1 – The Bio-Survival Circuit

Driven by survival instinct, and Conditioned (programmed) by the first experiences of the newborn child’s nourishment/comfort and threat/discomfort.

Circuit 2 – The Emotional Circuit

Domination/submission instinct, programmed by first experiences of exploration and communication.

Circuit 3 – The Dexterity-Symbolism Circuit

Processing Agent – programmed by human belief and symbol systems - processes environment into a tangible reality.

Circuit 4 – The Socio-sexual circuit

Programmed by first sexual experience – processes morality, taboo, handles the adult-parental personality.

Circuit 5 – The Neurosomatic Circuit

Programmed by leisure activities, handles hedonistic sensibilities – ecstasy and bliss – drug (particularly cannabis) induced experiences, mystical experience (i.e. the conscious suspension of time but not space).

Circuit 6 – The Neuroelectric Circuit

Awareness of being aware. Programmed by LSD, mystical experience (particularly the yogic-state of Sammadhi). Consciousness without activity in the first five circuits.

Circuit 7 – The Neurogenetic Circuit

CG Jung’s collective unconscious. Repository of human evolutionary

experience.

Circuit 8 – The Neuro-Atomic Circuit

The conscious experience of the suspension of space-time. Awareness of past/future in the Present. Extra-sensual (sensory) perception.

The first four circuits are representative of basic psychic functions. Humanities current evolutionary state is a mixture between fourth and fifth circuits, the next three are sometimes experienced by people, and as a species humanity is increasingly learning to manipulate the environment while functioning in, and having experience in, these three circuits. The reality of these circuits is demonstrable through the current conflict in culture between morality and tribal taboo instincts – exonerated by the so-called moral guardians like Mary Whitehouse and the conservative press - and the increasing hedonistic pleasure-seeking instinct – the popularity of Ibiza, the increasing popularity and complexity of the sex-industry and other leisure activities are an example of the increased functioning of humanity in this circuit.

Dr. Timothy Leary reasons that the human species is gradually learning to function in higher and higher circuits. He also observed that the use of psychoactive drugs (Cannabis but particularly LSD) enables the individual to increase their capacity to function in these circuits – but not only drugs: Leary also observed that Yogic methods of meditation and consciousness expansion, and Ritual or Ceremonial Magick of the kind practiced by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and expounded by Crowley, also enable functioning in these higher circuits.

Expanding Consciousness through Yoga and Ritual Magick

The current idea of Yoga in the west seems to be limited to ideas concerning the health of the body, but the term comes from the Sanskrit root of yug, whereby the English language inherits Yoke – the term means union, and specifically what has been called union with the divine, in other words direct conscious experience of irregular brain states. The following is a quote from Hindu philosopher Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, and outlines the primary purposes of Yoga:

1.AUM. The following instruction concerneth the Science of Union.

2.This Union (or Yoga) is achieved through the subjugation of the psychic nature, and the restraint of the chitta (or mind).

3.When this has been accomplished the Yogi knows himself as he is in reality.

4.Up till now the inner man has identified himself with his forms and with their active modifications.

5.The mind states are five, and are subject to pleasure or pain; they are painful or not painful.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra’s are of an unknown date, but they average the age of 2 ½ thousand years, being written, it is thought, between 820 and 300 B.C. They are the primary source for the theory and practice of Yoga in modern society.

These techniques have been used since before Christ, and are used within Discordianism, but particularly Thelema. Crowley’s system of Scientific Illuminism involves extended use of Yogic techniques, which are considered dangerous if practiced carelessly, or without the proper knowledge or preparation. This includes techniques such as the raising of Kundalini, a powerful energy said to be coiled like a serpent at the bottom of the spine. To raise Kundalini is to achieve cosmic consciousness, enlightenment, the general goal of both Discordians and Thelemites.

Yoga has been found, when practiced regularly, to increase the healthy functioning of the body and mind, and the amount of control the individual can have over the body. These include regulating the heartbeat at will, greater sexual stamina and heightened skills of concentration. Parapsychological phenomena have also been reported – willed out of body experiences, telekinesis and other phenomena not generally recognised as possible or actually explicable by mainstream science.

Ritual Magick works on similar principles to Yoga. Ritual Magick can be defined as the intense concentration of the Will under controlled conditions towards the execution of a specific goal, usually self-transformation.

Ritual Magick has also been defined as applied mythology (see Hine), whereby the magician imprints a specific symbol system into her/his psyche, and acts within the parameters of that symbol system, defining all phenomena in the light of that symbol system. Ritual is used to increase focus and concentration upon the desired goal of the magickal act.

Both Thelema and Discordians make use of Ritual Magick, or at least Ritual Magicians make use of Thelema and Discordianism, it is difficult to verify which way round.

The Smartie Servitor ritual in Phil Hine's Prime Chaos is a typical example of Discordian Magick, with its emphasis on fun and ‘nice weirdness’. Other common Discordian rituals involve the themes of time distortion and implementing general chaos and confusion. The Chaos school of Magick, which emerged in the late seventies/early eighties (Ray Sherwin and Peter Carroll) are particularly involved in Discordianism.

Thelemic rituals tend to have a more classic, Hermetic formulae, and be dependent upon Kaballistic symbolism derived form Jewish mysticism and Gnostic Christianity. Sexual symbolism is also very common in Thelemic rituals and doctrine.

The primary goal for anyone working within mysticism or magickal traditions is contact with the ‘higher-self’, the supra-mundane consciousness that transcends the boundaries of ordinary, every-day waking consciousness. Dr. Timothy Leary recognised this ‘higher-self’ as his latter three circuits.

According to Leary’s model, when using Yoga and Ritual Magick the practitioner is enabled to function on the four higher circuits, particularly circuits VI, VII and VIII. Regardless of the long-term effects of either of these practices, it can be said that both produce irregular brain states and extended use changes and expands consciousness and heightens awareness. Functioning in this state could be analogous to the discovery and uniting of oneself to the ‘higher-self.’

Heresies and Paradigm Inversion

The use of heresy in both of these religions is an attempt at re-imprinting the Dexterity-Symbolism circuit and especially the Socio-Sexual circuit. As the primary aim of each religion is to enable functioning on higher circuits, their systems of self-transformation assault the social norms and values of society, and the personal taboos of the individual. The strictures imposed by social conditioning are viewed, essentially, as an imaginary cage, inhibiting the evolution of the individual and the species. This is entirely correspondent with older religious and initiatory doctrines, of which Hindu Tantrism is perhaps one of the most poignant examples. Benjamin Walker observes, in his book Tantrism: Its Secret Principles and Practices, “one of the first things needed for the initiate into Tantrism is for him to be weaned as soon as possible from the traditional standards of morality. He must first learn to become indifferent to the traditional taboos. He must then positively reject them. And finally, he must become actively hostile towards them.” Discordianism achieves this through humour primarily, and the individual is free to practice whatever rites he desires to achieve this emancipation from socio-morality – in Thelema, this freedom is similarly applied, but certain rites, as The Star Ruby, are employed, or created, adhering to the very specific Thelemic mythology and philosophy. One Thelemic ritual employs the use of the inverted pentagram, usually associated with Satanism, to free the magician from symbolic pre-conceptions. A symbol is largely what one makes of it; this is overtly punctuated in Discordianism, Thelemic doctrine administers this lesson in far more subtle ways.

As has been discussed previously, Paradigm inversion is intrinsic to both religions: the inversion of patriarchy into matriarchy, order into chaos and servitude into mastery run through both doctrines. In Thelema this paradigm inversion is achieved through the introduction of the Aeon of Horus, the Crowned and Conquering Child. The child is acknowledged as a mixture of the seeds of Mother and Father – essentially, the shift in Thelema is not from patriarchy to matriarchy, though the Gods Nuit and Babalon are adored above any other, but freedom from the considerations of either, an equilibrium. Hegel’s metaphysical model of Thesis-Antithesis–Synthesis serves as a blueprint for this formula.

Conclusion

The purpose and function of both religions are, then, no less than the de-programming and the subsequent re-programming of the individual. This is not to be confused with the popular conception of brainwashing – the aspirant undertakes the task under his own free will. Through semantic exhaustion, the aspirant recognises, much in the same way as an enlightened Zen Buddhist, that the individual has a choice in either accepting or rejecting the social norms and values of societies and their prescribed symbol systems. Through the induction of mystical experience, enabling functioning on higher circuits in Leary’s model, the aspirant undergoes a literal evolutionary ‘leap’ – undergoing a fundamental change that transforms the entire individual into a unit of society that exists and functions outside of normal socio-moral parameters, and also outside the parameters of normal waking consciousness – therefore all of the transformed individuals actions are enacted outside of societies perception of reality, though that person may be seen to be acting within it. This is the meaning of transcendence. It must be noted that this transformation is taken to be a long process, and involves an extraordinary amount of endurance and perseverance. Once transformed, the individual has become a unit of consciousness in society whose role has extended beyond the accepted definitions inherent in sociological and psychological theory. In previous ages, the individual would have been ascribed the role of shaman – but this role no longer exists in the same capacity, is essentially replaced by doctors, dentists, psychoanalysts etc. The individual who has achieved transcendence is left entirely to his or her own devices. Which, it is reported in most mystical literature, usually entails the guiding of others into functioning within the same higher circuits. Turning them ‘on’, tuning the aspirant ‘in’, and encouraging the aspirant to ‘drop out’ of the accepted parameters of human consciousness and human functioning.

As for the philosophies of both of these religions emerging as a standard of faith in society, this can only be viewed from a purely theoretical level. The dominance of relativism in modern discourse is a prime example. The goalposts of morality have moved, and have become dependant upon the moral orientation of the individual. “Thou hast no right but to do thy will, do that and no other shall say nay.” (Liber Al. I: 42, 43.) “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.” Mystical message aside, this can sound like nothing less than a mantra for hedonism, which culture, as previously mentioned, is increasingly becoming, within youth culture and consequently succeeding generations. Unless illegal activity is involved, it has become standard to let people live as they will – “right” and “wrong” have been demoted to value judgements: what’s wrong for one person is right for another, and vice versa. This is a fairly recent cultural phenomenon, and could be considered as consensus belief. Considering the emergence of Thelema occurred within 1904, and influenced much of the 1960’s sub-culture, it would be an intriguing subject for further study to try and ascertain just how influential Thelema has been in pop culture. The Beatles were acquainted with Crowley, going so far as to depict him upon the cover of their album Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart’s Club Band. David Bowie has admitted flirtation with the occult, particularly Crowleyanity. “Do what thou wilt” became therefore, whether consciously or unconsciously, a key theme in 1960’s sub-culture. The liberations and value deconstruction that occurred during the 1960’s are still working themselves through into standard cultural discourse. Possible reasons for the social acceptance of these philosophies could lie with the demystification of religion by the scientific establishment, and the consequent lack of a vengeful God within the cultural discourse who would punish sexual licence and over-indulgence - in effect, there is no body or institution who does punish immorality, unless legal boundaries are involved. Hedonism is therefore a consequence of secularisation - in a paradoxical sense, the religions dealt with here are secular.

Discordianism mirrors post-modern philosophies and styles to such an extent that the author is inclined to regard it as the ultimate religious expression of post-modernism. Being developed in the late 1950’s, regarding it as a contribution to the emergence of post-modernist approaches to cultural re-interpretation isn’t too absurd. It’s emphasis upon the individual as the creator of reality is still too abstract to become standard philosophical currency within society, but post-modernism, which essentially makes the same assertion with its ‘death of the subject’, is taught as part of most A-Level programs, particularly sociology. This similarity is incidental, since Zen Buddhism and Sufism, among other religious doctrines, have been asserting the same thing for centuries, and these could be regarded as having a huge influence upon Discordianism, though Discordianism relies heavily upon popular culture for its symbol systems, bringing it back into the domain of an essentially post-modern doctrine.

The study of these religions has, unfortunately, only skimmed the surface, and it appears to the author that the study could be extended almost indefinitely. That defining Discordianism and Thelema as religions stretches the sociological definition of religions into new territory is only one consideration left out of this study, but necessarily due to space restriction. It is felt by the author that the whole study is a fairly inadequate treaties, and he wishes he had picked a less involving study. But he still holds that accommodation should be made to include these doctrines and practices within both sociological and psychological research, otherwise any definitions of human and cultural behaviour become inadequate and unrepresentative of both modern spiritual practice and beliefs, and society as a whole.