User:Frater5

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Greetings

Welcome to my user page. I am somewhat new here, meaning that I am a new editor. I've been reading Wikipedia for several years, with great enjoyment. I was finally inspired to jump in in April of 2006. I am a resident of San Francisco, and I am a practicing Thelemite. I also am a graduate student in clinical psychology.

My Wikipedia Philosophy

My two central interests will be in Thelema- and psychology-related articles. I am a big fan of assuming good faith and being polite. I do my best to respect others, and ask the same in return. I choose to be a bold editor, so I fully expect to step on toes and irritate people...which is utterly not my intent. If I do so, please let me know. If you ever ask yourself, "Who the hell does this guy think he is?"...the answer is "A guy who loves Wikipedia and is passionate about improving it one edit at a time." Please know that I am always happy to compromise when necessary and am very open to dialog.

I am a moderate Inclusionist which I suppose makes me a member of the AWWDMBJAWGCAWAIFDSPBATDMTD

Thelema

I am an adherent of Thelema, which was established with the writing of The Book of the Law. The Law is stated thus:

  • Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. (AL I:40)
  • Love is the law, love under will. (AL I:40)

This Law is not a license to indulge in whim or to mindlessly accept cultural mores, but is rather a mandate to discover and manifest one's True Will. My own take on Will is that it is, at the core, the universal drive to manifest. The fact that the universe continues to change from moment to moment is the ultimate expression of Will. Humans also express Will, but we do so beyond simply obeying physical laws...we can make choices. Will becomes expressed through the vehicles of biology, psychology, culture, and individual life experiences, all within the context of current life issues and the ever-occuring now. The duty, to my mind, of the Thelemite is to find a way to tap into that original point of Will, so that he or she might act in a state of maximum genuineness, in harmony with the Self and Nature.

Psychology

There are several areas within psychology that are of particular interest to me. The first is Positive Psychology, which posits that well-being and optimal states are more than simply the lack of negative stimuli. There are particular elements that are required for things like happiness and life satisfaction. The leading proponent of this sub-field is Martin E.P. Seligman.

I am also interested in Evolutionary psychology, which is going a long way to explain the nature and origins of the human mind by using the framework of natural selection. I believe this field will eventually overtake all other theories of psychology in terms of functionality and purpose. Combined with Neuropsychology, the primitive days of Sigmund Freud will finally be history.

Finally, in regards to clinicial psychology, my future profession, I am currently fascinated with Gestalt Therapy (which focuses on the experiential "here and now") and Dialectical behavioral therapy, which is showing a lot of promise. Both try to integrate ideas from the East and West, which fits in nicely with my own spiritual practices.

Favorite Quotes

"Never criticize a man until you've run a mile in his shoes. That way, if he doesn't like what you have to say, it'll be okay because you'll be a mile away and you'll have his shoes." —Robin Evans

"The world is not to be divided into sheeps and goats. Not all things are black nor all things white. It is a fundamental of taxonomy that nature rarely deals with discrete categories. Only the human mind invents categories and tries to force facts into separated pigeon-holes. The living world is a continuum in each and every one of its aspects." —Alfred Kinsey

"I am as near seventy as makes no matter, and I am still learning with all my might. All my life I have been taught: governesses, private tutors, schools, private and public, the best of the Universities: how little I know! I have traveled all over the world in all conditions, from grand seigneur, to holy man; how little I know!" —Aleister Crowley

"There is no spoon." —The Matrix, and "Spoon!" —The Tick

Open tasks for the Thelema WikiProject

Open tasks for the
Thelema WikiProject

Edit this box
About this box

Action items:
Discussions:
  1. Discuss: The Reference section is problematic, and doesn't seem to be used by anyone in the project. We need to re-examine our referencing styles.

Expand: Typhonian Order

Missing articles: Regina KahlMary d'Este SturgesRoddie Minor
Clean up: Ankh-af-na-khonsu

Add Thelemic Info:

This is a Wikipedia user page.

This is not an encyclopedia article. If you find this page on any site other than Wikipedia, you are viewing a mirror site. Be aware that the page may be outdated and that the user this page belongs to may have no personal affiliation with any site other than Wikipedia itself. The original page is located at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Frater5.

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Wikipedia userboxes:

inclThis user is an inclusionist.
This user is bold, but not reckless, in updating pages.
This user tries to do the right thing. If they make a mistake, please let them know.


Personal userboxes:

This user has been touched by His Noodly Appendage.
This user contributes using a Macintosh computer.
This user enjoys photography.
This user loves yiff, and is probably a furry.
This user enjoys reading fiction.
LOTR This user loves The Lord of the Rings, both the books and the films.
This user has two academic degrees.