Bible thumpers, old and newuaker, Catholic,

mikebailey mikebailey at speakeasy.net
Fri May 25 00:32:08 CDT 2007



On Thu, 24 May 2007 robinlandseadel at comcast.net wrote:
>
> Pynchon's Biblical references are usually in the satirical mode---he
> ain't C.S.Lewis, folks---

thank goodness

>and his style of writing, first and foremost is
> satire. I suspect that his knowledge and absorbtion of Qabalistic
> systems points to an involvement in occult practice.

I agree warmly, but of course have to add my spin: he's a brilliant
satirist, but even before I appreciated much of that, I liked his
books for a sweetness that I haven't experienced in other satirists;

and though his occult references are impressive, I'm not sure that
occult practice is the place where he stands
with his fulcrum to move the world -- not sure it isn't, though --
you gave a lot of convincing evidence that it is thoroughly
woven into the stories.

finally, Christian/occult isn't an either-or, and the Bible is a
book of occult practice.  Crowley supposedly memorized it.  I've read
at least one very sincere-seeming homage to Christ in Crowley.  (sorry,
I do not remember chapter and verse for either claim, though I think
the Bible-memorization mention was made by Grady McMurtry, 1st Caliph
of the OTO in America, who met with Crowley in London while he
(McMurtry) was serving in the artillery during WWII - he had to wangle
leave, hassle with trains and blackouts, and ate Christmas pudding with Lord
Boleskine - he also had an anecdote about approaching one of
the books on V.V.V.V.V.'s shelf and getting yelled at to divert him
just before he touched it - "You have no idea the forces you could have
set in motion!" - by touching the book, I guess...)

to go totally off-topic, Crowley had a son, Aleister Ataturk...
who at least at the time of this link's being put up
http://www.thelemapedia.org/index.php/Aleister_Crowley
appears to have been born in 1938 and still living
(also a daughter)
--- wouldn't you know there'd be a Thelemapedia?

mike bailey




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