To all visitors and members
93
I set up LAShTAL.COM almost half-a-decade ago. It started as an insignificant little site dedicated to Crowley and Thelema and has grown to become, if I say so myself, possibly the most significant and well-regarded Thelemic and Crowleyan website. With Ian’s tireless technical assistance and moderation of the Forums in recent months, LAShTAL.COM now offers a platform for the presentation and discussion of related subjects to an audience the size of which is absolutely unprecedented.
Although the site has grown, I’ve insisted throughout that it remains true to certain fundamental principles: it does not accept advertising despite several tempting offers; it relies upon the voluntary donations of enthusiasts to remain online; it is non-partisan, committing to no particular organisational “view” of Thelema, but welcoming the discussion of all…
With this in mind you will perhaps understand just how disappointed I was to view the material referred to in Ian’s post.
The warm and generous characters that I’ve met through owning and running the site – many of whom I now consider friends – have provided more than ample reward for the money and effort I’ve thrown at the site over the years. However, recently there’s been a wholly unsatisfactory trend in some of the Forums. It’s as if a small number of bigots simply can’t resist the opportunity to preach and lecture and cajole other visitors and members with remarkable dogmatism and, to be honest, arrogance and aggression.
It’s just not good enough. Among the quieter members of the site are some of the most significant Thelemites around today. Some are household names, highly regarded in fields beyond Thelema. How must this site appear to them? International news organisations approach me for information and contacts, on occasion, because of the good reputation that LAShTAL.COM has. What must some of these posts look like to non-Thelemites and to those that visit the site to learn more about Aleister Crowley and Thelema.
And it’s also not good enough for offenders, when nudged gently in the right direction by Ian or me, encouraged to “moderate” their attitudes (although never their beliefs), when these offenders respond aghast at the fact that a Thelemic site dares to censor their posts. It’s not reasonable and it’s not going to be tolerated.
To the remaining hundreds of members and thousands of visitors, I regret this stupid distraction from the important stuff: but if it isn’t tackled publicly now, supported by the vast majority of members, then the future of LAShTAL.COM is bleak, “brutish and short”.
It is an honour for me to serve Thelema through this site – it’s most definitely an act of “love under will”. Let’s all commit to making the experience of a visit to LAShTAL.COM a rewarding and enjoyable one…
With best wishes,
93 93/93
Paul
webmaster@lashtal.com
http://www.lashtal.com/nuke/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=3392#3392