5.1 Membership in the Temple of Set
Description
This article is from the Temple of Set FAQ, by balfaq@xeper.org.
5.1 Membership in the Temple of Set
Note: Most of these sections are explored in more depth in the REF
document.
- Exploration
Joining the Temple of Set is a serious decision. Anyone who is
attracted to the Temple of Set through the things you see and hear
should investigate thoroughly before applying for membership.
- Affiliation
Application to the Temple of Set may be made to the Executive Director
or to any Priest of Set. Information about this procedure is provided
in the introductory letter.
- Assuming you're approved for membership (the Executive Director has
indicated that the majority of applicants are denied), you as a I*
Setian you will receive 1) the current edition of the _Crystal
Tablet of Set_, which includes all of the basic philosophical,
magical, and initiatory material any Setian would need to begin and
accomplish his initiation to the II*, 2) a I* Pentagram of Set
medallion, and 3) a year's subscription to the _Scroll of Set_
newsletter.
- You will have two years in which to achieve the II*, using the
information and inspiration provided by the _Crystal Tablet_, by
correspondence and other contact with Setians, and through your own
work towards Initiation.
- Following from our choice to avoid all practices that would create a
barrier between us and our self-created divinity, the Setian can not
in good faith hold membership in any other religious organization
after he has become an Adept. Membership in organizations that
advocate illegal action are likewise incompatible with Setian
affiliation. One cannot be for one's own Xeper, and be working to
restrict the Xeper of another.
- The application and its approval.
Though some applications are approved and acted upon quickly, other
applications for membership in the Temple of Set seem to take a very
long time. Our "staff" are all volunteers, and their administrative
activities within the Temple of Set are given appropriate
priorities, *behind* personal initiation, family, and career.
Therefore, be prepared for some delay in the processing of your
application. If the delay seems overly long, it's always helpful to
send a friendly query to the Executive Director asking about its
status.
One applicant asked on Xepera-l: "I sent off my letter of
application about three weeks ago now- and I still haven't heard a
word. Any idea how long it takes to get a response?"
- Adept Foster answered:
Once you've submitted your letter of application, it can take
anywhere from one to three months before you hear anything. I
know it sucks to have to wait that long without knowing, but
these things take time- especially when you consider exactly HOW
BUSY the Temple's Executive Director is (and that being the E.D.
is a full time job, ON TOP of a normal, *paying* full time job-
and then add in some time for family, other official Temple
matters and their own personal Initiatory work!) All told, I'm
surprised it happens as quickly as it does.
Just consider this a lesson in patience, and enjoy the
anticipation. :)
- My answer was:
It's highly variable, depending on how busy our volunteer
Executive Director is, and how busy her staff is, and how much
difficulty she has finding an available Priest for the interview
process. Then the question becomes how busy that Priest is,
whether he has email capabilities, etc.
You can send a quick email to her at balfaq.ed@xeper.org and
verify that she at least received your letter of application.
- Lewis Cawthorne asked on Xepera-l, Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998,
Subject: TOS & Recognition
Not to put the cart before the horse, but I do have one minor
concern, how would an Initiate in a small town in North Carolina
with some resources at his disposal for traveling to other places
for contact with other Setians but probably without adequate
resources to be able to make it to a normal pylon meeting should
one be within a reasonable distance of his location (which there
probably isn't) ever manage to have enough contact with a Priest
of the temple to be reconized as an Adept?
From: "Koyote", Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998
(All of this is from the p.o.v. of a first degree Setian with
little face to face contact due to where I am and my job hours- I
work most on weekends.)
Recognition, you should remember, is just that- Recognition. The
work must be done by you. Communicating that can take many forms
other than direct F2F. Publishing articles in the various
newsletters, communicating with other Initiates via direct email,
phone conversations, and attending larger gatherings (which occur
in the continental US many times each year) are all adequate.
From: "fun fear", Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998,
As an isolated Setian, I had similiar concerns, but I must agree
with Koyote. The Internet is a wonderful tool for contacting
Priests and Priestesses, and as Koyote suggested, writing articles
for _The Scroll of Set_ is equally rewarding. Also, there are
several correspondence Pylons available.
Beyond this, I have realized that one should _embrace_ one's
isolation. Just look to Set as an example: the apotheosis of the
different and isolate! You have _two years_ to get Recognized --
plenty of time to explore, make contacts with the Priesthood, and,
if worthy, become Recognized. You don't need a group to hold your
hand to do it, I hope! Embrace the isolation, ebrace the Darkness!
From: Balanone <Balanone@geocities.com>, Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998
It's a challenge. That hypothetical Initiate would have to Work
at it -- corresponding with as many Setians as possible at the I*
and II* levels (for breadth of perspective) and with several
members of the Priesthood. He would have to take responsibility
for maintaining correspondences, for establishing new ones to
replace old ones that move on, and for demonstrating to the
Priesthood his level of knowledge, his activity and study, and
his advancement, along Setian lines.
It's a job. It's not easy. Magister L. was the only Setian in
Finland, and he had to work to overcome the difficulties inherent
in demonstrating his Xeper into the II*. Magister W. faced the
same challenges in Germany some years earlier. Magister K and
Magister A in the British Isles had it almost as bad, but at least
English was their native language (though they had to deal with
many curve balls tossed by our writing most Setian materials in
American English rather than British English).
It's not easy, as Priestess N, Adept B, Priest C, Adept D,
Magistra H, Priest R, Priest W, and several others can report
(several were the only Setians in their state, and a couple were
the only Setians in their country).
It's not easy, but it can be done, as these have shown. Only you
can tell whether you're up to the task.
From: Christopher Merwin, Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998
As a Temple Initiate from a small town in North Carolina I think
perhaps I can help you with some of your queries. Due to the
widespread distribution of Temple members many Pylons are
organized based around correspondence, with email and Pylon
newsletters as the primary form of communication. In fact, due to
the highly private and individualistic nature of most Setians this
is our prefered means of communication. ... The ability for you to
meet face to face with other Initiates is left completely up to
you and the other Initiates involved. The largest obstacle to
being a Setian in the Carolinas is the local attitudes toward
other non-christian religions, which any intelligent and sensitive
individual should be more than capable of handeling.
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