by Soror In Nomine Babalon
Too long has woman’s place in the world general, and in Thelema in particular, been defined by Man.
It is time for woman to define her own place in Thelema. Not through petty virtue signaling saying woman are inherently more virtuous or better than men somehow, nor by whining about men and how they have dominated the power scale for millenia, nor by “yas queen”ing female celebrities, by paper-thin appeals to girl power while secretly and quietly perpetuating a male-dominated power hierarchy in all ways. We must define ourselves in terms of ourselves, and establish ourselves firmly as powers and authorities in our own right. We are ourselves, primarily, not Man’s partner, not their consort.
Woman is not an object of Man. Woman is Woman. I am my own person, I am not simply my father’s daughter, my brother’s sister, or my husband’s wife. I am that I am, and no other is the polestar of my identity except for my own Star. Though we claim ourselves liberated, too long in Thelema have women viewed ourselves in this way. No matter how “free” you are, no matter how sexually liberated you are, no matter how scandalously you dress or act, you are still secondary to Man if you view yourself (and allow yourself to be viewed) as simply His Object, his trophy, or his plaything. Our place is not necessarily in the kitchen to serve our male master, of course we all know this, but we place ourselves second to Men constantly. We defer in the workplace, we let aggressions and provocations slide, we place our pleasure and satisfaction as secondary to their own. Each act of deference is a bending of one’s knee in servitude, kneeling your head down to the powers that be, letting ourselves be insulted in small and large ways until we believe ourselves deserving of ill treatment. I am not saying men should do all the work, should cook every meal, and satisfy us constantly though that would not be totally unbecoming; what I am saying is that we must see ourselves as worthy of fighting for, worthy of righteous anger, worthy to say “no” when we mean “no” and “yes” when we really feel “yes”. We must move past being the victim, being the harassed, or the unpleasured and define ourselves in terms of our own desires, needs, and Wills.
I am a Scarlet Woman not because I am some Beast’s whore, but because of who I am in myself. It is not the amount of red wine I drink, it is not the red lipstick I wear, it is not the silken red dresses I wear to satisfy the male gaze. I drink wine because it is delicious. I wear lipstick because I want my lips to pop. I wear red dresses because I feel empowered and sexy, not simply as some kind of sensuous spectacle for men to ogle at – though they will – but for myself, as a symbol of my own virility, strength, and an emanation of my personality.
I am not simple the container for man’s sperm. I am not your magical cum-sock. I am not simply the receptacle of a man’s magick or Will. I am not the inert altar for your God to indwell. I am a God in my own right, co-eternal and co-equal with all other Stars. The Ninth Degree of OTO involves sex magick that views the woman as a simple procedural catalyst for the magick of the sperm. The secret instructions even say the woman does not even need to know a sex magick operation is occurring for it to work (consent is not the highest priority on their list, let alone enthusiastic mutual consent!) This is not simply the work of a few bad apples, a few (very) old people “who aren’t with the times”, or the case that some men are particularly conservative and have this view. It is built directly into the structure and teachings of the most prominent magical Order for Thelemites. This view seeps not just into the male Thelemites’ brains but also all of us women. Even if we do not consciously, intentionally, and fully knowingly embrace this view, it unconsciously, unintnetionally, and secretly affects us in various ways. This is but one example of the spiritual misogyny that has infested the theoretically liberating philosophy of Thelema…
Yes, we are set upon the throne as Priestess. Yes, the fact a Priestess is even called for is a step up from being absolutely excluded from all magical and spiritual works. The throne of the Priestess has become a glass cage for many. Perhaps it was built as one to begin with? Of course magick goes far beyond Gnostic Masses, and other religious ceremonies, and in these ways we must establish ourselves not simply as Priestesses but as Hierophants and Magi. As masters of the temple, as directors of magical operations, as the prime movers and not simply the assistant, the consort, or the lover.
True Thelemic women are those that stand strong in their own strength, not depending on men’s strength, nor depending on their approval or validation. True Thelemic women are those whose sexuality is expressed in accordance with their own desires and Nature, not simply a sex-show for thirsty onlookers, not a way to finally get daddy’s attention, but a way to emanate our natural energy, power, and virility. True Thelemic women are those that show respect, vulnerability, and give help to others, not because we are weak and “feminine” but precisely because we are strong. This strength of True Thelemic womanhood acknowledges that we must be Ourselves, and therefore we must live and let live, let others develop as they Will as well. Yes, as Women we open ourselves to others, physical, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually… not because we are empty and we need to be filled, not because we are deficient and need something to complete us, but because we are full, we are strong and do not fear the passionate plunge into existence that is possible when we act truly as Ourselves.
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