Fate

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Do you believe in Destiny? I do not believe in unavoidable fate because that would mean that human free will counted for nothing. We are small creatures in a vast universe. So much of it is outside our control that our puny efforts can seem vain. Who, or what, is running the show then? If our role is so tiny, then the cosmic drama has the appearance of having been written by someone else, the gods or destiny, and events can seem inevitable. However, the fact that we can do nothing merely means that we are not big enough. It does not mean that nothing could ever be done. Ah, if only we were bigger! The humble ant cannot deflect the wheel of the tractor, but men are getting ready to explode any meteor that comes too close to earth. No, the gods are not playwrights. We are not mere characters in their script. We may use our skill and choose our own path through life.

Then we are free to choose? Yes, within certain limits. You were born a man so you cannot be a goose, but if you have a talent for writing then you would feel frustrated only to work in a bookshop. As you go down life's highway, there will be forks, crossroads, and roundabouts, and it will not always be clear which way is the best to take, but if you go wrong, it will be your own fault. If you go right you will feel fulfilled.

Is a "right road" the same as destiny? From the previous answer you can deduce that that there is a "right" road i.e., one that will lead to eventual fulfilment and a lot of other roads which are wrong to a greater or lesser degree, depending on how much time and energy would have to be spent on returning to the right track. Going wrong does not mean staying wrong forever. It is not the doom that the doctrine of sin would have us believe. The "right" track is simply the one that is shortest, easiest, and the one that will get us there in optimum condition. However, we will not get far if we spend most of the time "getting back on track again".

Can we court good luck? Hmm.. Yes, but there is a price to pay. As King Lear says: Nothing comes of nothing. We can improve our general standard of good fortune simply by banishing any forces that might deflect positive energies or turn away the friendly astral entities that have gathered round you. What we refer to as 'bad luck' may be the effect of negative energies that we have somehow collected.

Can we get rid of the negative load? Well you cannot just dump it as easily as emptying your pockets or giving the car a quick wash. Otherwise, we could add it to the morning or evening hygiene rituals empty your bladder, put your false teeth in a jar with a bubbling tablet, scratch your head, and give your soul a quick shake. There are things we can do though, such as (a) start behaving in ways that minimise the risk of amassing a negative charge, and (b) submitting ourselves to periodic professional cleansings.

Do you believe in the Day of Doom? Not in the sense that an angry God will abandon the cosmic plan and wreck what He has wrought. However, if we stand far enough back, we can see a pattern in the history of the world that suggests a slow decline towards some theoretic 'end'. I also believe that mankind could forestall that end by combining their energies and unifying their disparate will. I detect a slight grammatical error in the famous Law of Thelema. When it says 'Do what THOU wilt', it ought really to read: 'Do what YOU will' in the plural.

Do you have a pessimistic view of mankind? It is tempting, and I admit that I get disheartened, but one can fight this "despair reflex" by resorting to humour and sex. As age advances, the sexual proclivity droops, but the propensity for laughter rises. Joy, as in the term "enjoy yourself", comes either in spurts of one sort or another. So why not combine the two and have sexual encounters that split the floorboards and have them rolling in the aisles? Good, honest laughter is excellent for cleansing the soul. I always use it during exorcism. People who are touchy or who take themselves too seriously-they are the ones who would like your eyes to gleam with admiration or, if not that, then terror will do. Know what I mean?

Are you and I destined to meet? Clever question! I only arrange to meet prospective students, people who have said they wish me to be their guide, so you are more or less asking me if you are destined to be my student. Can you feel the different degree of compulsion between a) we are destined to meet, and (b) we are meant to meet? It would be better to ask me if you were meant to read this book? The answer is yes-if I was thinking of you when I wrote it.

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