Spiritual Continuity
[introduction needed]
An Explanation of Dialectic Processes
Crowley appeared to believe there was a specific magical formula for each greater period of time. Other "systems" since Crowley have appropriated this concept, of course, and built their own bastardized theories on the back of that idea—I guess—as to come up with some kind of "neat factor" for their own ideas (Aeon of Set, Aeon of Maat, Aeon of the Sinister Forces of Evil in the Outer Regions of the Darkness of Tiamat, etc etc ad nauseam). While Crowley's ideas were certainly influenced by (and built on the back of) Darby's dispensational approach to theological history and modified by his Golden Dawn indoctrination, Aeonic Theory is a useful tool to see the temporal movement of spirituality through history.
The greats of our literary (and occult) traditions used to quote the masters of the arts and sciences throughout history. They drew their inspiration from the depths of intelligence and culture.
The depth of modern understanding is measured in quotes using/referencing (bad) television shows. And then we wonder why we can't have nice things … but I digress.
Saying Thelema is syncretic is like saying the US Constitution is nothing more than a cut and paste of Continental ideas. We know it has taken on many influences [assimilation] but it is not a hodgepodge of diverse and conflicting ideas fused into a chaos of acceptance [syncretism].
I'll explain all three concepts in brief. Also, I use the term 'idea' here to keep things fairly neutral, but my personal point of reference is religion or spiritual ideas with which you could replace 'idea' or 'ideas' below if needed.
Assimilation is the domination of one idea by a different idea in which only parts of the original are contained, utilized, and then claimed by the assimilating idea. It doesn't necessarily have to be new over old, but just one that is far more adaptable. This is the virus method.
Syncretism is the fusion of disparate and typically incongruous ideas in order to create a single idea. This is the Frankenstein method.
Dialectic is a seed idea that creates a conflict within a larger idea which then is reconciled by an emergent idea [generally based on that seed idea] to resolve that conflict. (This is Hegelian dialectic which is different from the thesis → antithesis → synthesis of Socratic dialectic.) This is the evolutionary method.
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