Hi N.O.X,
my plans? well after creating the Abbey, which will morph/evolve as more information comes to my attention. I will be hosted on a website, possibly my own using Infinity 3D web browser - http://advance-software.com/.
This will mean that anyone in the world, with access to the internent and a browser can view the Abbey. This will be a fully immersive model, that will allow the user to go from room to room and look at every nook and cranny. It will be like a histoirical representation of the Abbey from the 1920's.
As for a social/communal hub, it was not my intention to do this and would be quite a bit over my head. I would not know where to start in order to grant avatar creation facilities and audio channels etc.It was purely a 3D venture that would record all the details of the Abbey, following on from Anna's sterling work on the, "Save the Abbey" campaign.
If interested parties would like to offer their services, in order to provide this type of facility. I may consider it.
ATM though, I am focusing on the internal rendering and furniture of the the Abbey.
Once online, it will of course be free to All, though I would like to offer a donation facility for the Thelemic order that I am affliated with.
PS I am very glad to hear that a few of the LAShTAL faithful are looking forward to it. I hope that it does not disaapoint you guys. 🙂
If you're still planning on using Unity for the Abbey, Unity supports multiplayer, avatar creation, and in game chat functions like voice and text. Game design has always been an interest of mine. I have a friend who works as a game programmer. We actually started a game company about 6 years ago (my job was "writer" for the game's storyline and dialogue) with a handful of others, but unfortunately we were a bit too ambitious in the scope and concept of the mmo we were wanting to make, and our small team couldn't do it all in a timely manner, and then a game came out by a big developer that was similar to ours, so we just abandoned the project. Anyway, he's been my friend for about 20 years, and if I ask, I'm sure he'd lend his talents for free. He'd be happy just to add another credit to his portfolio. It's a simple concept, and wouldn't take him long. The Abbey "game" would only involve the Avatars walking and maybe being able to run and sit. The Abbey is the entire environment. No complex physics. I think no character collision at all would be nice so as to be able to walk/run right thorough other Avatars, eliminating any "traffic jams" in the Abbey. A chat function incorporating voice and text functionality. That's it. Simple. I'm getting a brand new computer very soon, and my friend is so good at programming, he may could just talk me through coding it myself, especially since the "game" is so simple. Maybe our Technomancer, eol, would be willing to lend his skillz, if needed, once he's finished with updating this site. Whatever the case, I'm sure I can get the programming part taken care of.
I, personally, think it's such a simple concept (nothing near as complex as an actual mmo game) that it's definitely do-able, has a lot of potential for all sorts of interesting things we could do with something like this, that we should, at least try. Just think how cool it would be for all of us to be able to actually be (virtually) in the Abbey together, exactly as it appeared when A.C. operated it!
With all that said, this is your project, so it's up to you. Just think about it, and let me know. Just PM me whenever you want to discuss this further, and we'll go from there.
Yes N.O.X, still planning on using Unity, so it could be possible.
Bill, my friend who is has modeled the Abbey, will be dealing with that aspect also. Hence my ignorance! 🙂
Good to know that if we get stuck, that we have a expert to keep us on track possibly.
a test render.... to tease you with!
Wow! I want in!
Lovely, Paul, really lovely, and so evocative. I suppose the fact that it looks so new, like a house one might buy, adds to the ... I don't know how exactly to describe it... nostalgia?
This is the blank canvas that we have to paint on.
It looks great in prestine condition, just like the day it was birthed. Missing the terracotta tiling internally and the timber frames, doors and window. We are currently working out the pattern on the floor. The best descriptions comes from "The Great Beast".
Does anyone have examples of the floor design and colours?
"It was a one-storied building of stone, plastered over and grainted white, with a tiled roof, and walls 18 inches thick. Five rooms led off frorn a central hall, the Sanctum Sanctorum, or tlre lcmple, of the thelemic mysteries. A magic circle, upon whiclr was superimposed a pentagram, its five points touching tltc circtlm- lbrence, was painted on the red-tiled floor. In the centre o1'thecircle was a six-sided altar, which contained a copy of the stele of Ankh-f-n-Khonsu, with four candles on either side of it, a copy of The Eook of the Latv, with six candles either side, and other odds and ends, such as the Bell, Burin, Lamen, Sword, Cup, and the Record of the Abbey (a kind of visitors' book in which im- portant events were also recorded), and the cakes of Light, the composition of which is given on page 299.
To the east of the circle, facing the candle-lit altar, was the throne of the Beast, and between his throne and the altar stood a buroing charcoal brazier, hung with rituar daggers. The throne of the scarlet woman was in the west. And round the inside of the circle were the Flebrew names of God.
On the walls of the temple, on those of Crowley's bedroom, .La chambre des cauchemars', and of other rooms at the aubey were crowley's own startling paintings of IX" and other rnagick. Their purpose was to induce, through familiarity, indifferen"i to, or forgetfulness about, sex. one was of a naked man who was being sodomised by the goat-god, pan. His foaming seed was spraying the whore of the stars, who stood seductively before him, arms outstretched. (While magically masturbating - an vrII' operation - crowley had thought of Hermes sodomising
him. See his Magical Record.) Another painting had more humour but was no less serious, Crowley,s iand of Cockayne, a landscape with river, down which junks and sampans floated. on the bank a group of men and women were dancing, arousing, so to speak, the force of Kundalini. In the background of this genre painting were sinister mountain peaks, round which a gigantic serpent, a kincl of Loch Ness monster, slowly wound; it had been aroused by these jollifications. with its penis head it blinked suspiciously at these silly humans.
Can you come and plaster my spare room Paul? 😀
Looks lovely!
🙂
93
Hamal
which room is that Paul?
The doors into the temple
sent from my Sony Z1
Well done, Paul!
What are the four triangular objects visible on the floor?
Markus
Thanks Markus, they are located at each point of the pentagram. According to one written description we came across. A person would sit on these or candles would have been placed on them etc. This may change of course as more information comes to light.
sent from my Sony Z1
ptoner,
I just wanted to point out, in case that you still need a copy and haven't seen the new list yet, that Ben at Caduceus Books has a copy of Thelema Revisited for 40 GBP.
Was following this on your Google page Paul but just want to say keep up the Good Work and 93s 🙂
Sent from my ALCATEL ONE TOUCH 5020T using Tapatalk
Thank you N.O.X. for the heads up.
A copy is in my possession, thanks to a fellow LAShTALian. 🙂
Thank you also Chris!
Isn't there some way for posters to disble the little ending blurb that identifies taheir mobile device and software? After all, it's nothing but a free advertisement, it's commercial, and it's irritating spam.
Isn't there some way for posters to disble the little ending blurb that identifies taheir mobile device and software? After all, it's nothing but a free advertisement, it's commercial, and it's irritating spam.
Then again, some people would view those, tacky,awfully animated images, you frequently post, as irritating spam.
I sense a comparison of apples to oranges. Noted, and a proper response to follow.
Shiva, it is not my intention, to get into a lengthy debate over this, on the Internet.
Granted, it's an automatic signature, that is added by the Tapatalk software company, that allows individuals to use their app and view the forums. This is because Paul installed an update so this can be done.
The signature can be turned off, you are correct. It took me a while to work it out also. I assume Chris, also will work it out in his own time.
[/align:2nf1bdvw]
Peace Brothers! [group hug!]
Sent from my BRAIN using a Keyboard
😀
93
Hamal
Yes, boys, boys!
Shiva, maybe you might lately have been profitably contemplating changing your avatar name to “Mr Grouchpot”? Are you perhaps the sort of curmudgeon who confiscates footballs kicked over into your back yard by errant youths? In those fabled words of old, maybe “lighten up”, old chap?! Live and let live, as they say! ;D
Joyfully put,
Norma N Joy Conquest
SENT from my HAL9000 using CHITTACHATTER
(yes I Know I have used this quip once before, but I thought it was so phucking phunny the last time I did it I surmised I might as well make use of it again)
Back on topic please, folks.
Owner and Editor
LAShTAL
Been a while...
recent progress in regards to the Temple space at the Abbey.
From a combination of Tiger Woman, Confessions and some newspaper articles, this is the best I can come up with currently.
I understand the Hebrew God names may be incorrect, I have used the Solomonic arrangement.
Also, this is just a graphical representation for my 3D guy to work with. So it will look a hell of a lot better when rendered etc.
I am requesting that people add/subtract anything that they think is required. I am sure a few people online here would have superior knowledge in relation to working temples spaces and what AC would have used.
Please check out the image and respond with your feedback.
Hi Paul, 93!
Nice work. I am very much looking forward to the virtual abbey. I recently acquired the Sunday Express from March 4, 1923, which is usually not found online (at least I didn't find it). I stumbled upon it containing descriptions of the abbey when translating a Birven text from German where he cites it in German. Here are a few of Betty May's description of the temple that can be found in the article, maybe some of it is useful to you:
a large room the size of a small studio, with folding doors flanked on either side by windows
a circle is marked on the floor
a great charcoal fire burns in the centre
the Beast's chair stands on the north side of the circle, with a brazier in front of him and six coloured receptacles for his swords and magic wands
above the altar hung a bell, formed of an almost flat metal disc, the striker being a human bone
I also acquired La Domenica del Corriere from May 27, 1923, an Italian newspaper with a substantial report on the abbey. There is a photo from the abbey's entrance you might haven't yet in it. If you PM me your email address I'll send you a scan. Once I translated the Italian text I'll check for anything of interest to your project.
Love=Law
Lutz
93! Lutz,
Many thanks, for your valuable response. PM has been issued.
The hanging bell always reminds me more of a gong, it being flat. The being hit with a human bone is a bit of artistic journalism I think. 🙂
The fire in the centre of the room, may have been used to replace the altar when they needed some heat.
A nice touch though, I felt, even if "artistically" done! With maybe a slight touch of the "Black Temple" about it (at A.C.'s Chancery Lane abode he shared at the turn of the century with Allan Bennett, in which he allegedly used to feed a skeleton with blood offerings, etc. - you'll find further lurid details all in the Hag, readallabahdit...!)
Well done again with all your efforts Paul.
Ker-Boing!
n/Joy
A nice touch though, I felt, even if "artistically" done! With maybe a slight touch of the "Black Temple" about it (at A.C.'s Chancery Lane abode he shared at the turn of the century with Allan Bennett, in which he allegedly used to feed a skeleton with blood offerings, etc. - you'll find further lurid details all in the Hag, readallabahdit...!)
Well done again with all your efforts Paul.
Ker-Boing!
n/Joy
Reminded me of the Kangling, Tibetan leg flute, a trumpet made out a human thighbone, used in Himalayan Buddhism for various chöd rituals as well as funerals performed by a chöpa. The femur of a criminal or a person who died a violent death is preferred. Alternatively, the femur of a respected teacher may be used. The kangling may also be made out of wood.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangling
🙂
Hamal
Yes, "there’s many a good tune played on an old bone!" 😀
N Joy
What is it about this thread that encourages off-topic and irrelevant posts?
Rhetorical question. Back to the thread, please.
Owner and Editor
LAShTAL
Rhetorical answer: Any thread that is popular, and goes on for a while, invariably (always) turns to unrelated diversion (as witnessed by countless previous threads).
Thanks for not locking the podium due to diversionary explorations.
It is a very worthy project and I'm delighted to see it developing.
😀
Hamal
Paul (Toner), could you tell us the orientation of the house? From Google Earth it appears that the front door would open directly to the NW - is this right?
So that, in this photograph from Kenneth Anger's visit -
http://www.lashtal.com/portal/resources/thegalleries/places/cefalu/1-991.html
- the table with candle is in the eastern corner of the room.
I am interested because of some of my own recent speculations regarding Crowley's reading of Rabelais and the foundation of the Abbey.
- the table with candle is in the eastern corner of the room.
Indeed it is East. That's the area where the throne of the beast would be located, with the scarlet woman located in the west.
For more details of orientation see RTC's Thelema Revisited.
I'm not often logged in here, being busy with other things, but I just had to say - given that my query started this thread - how impressed I am with Paul's efforts on the virtual Abbey. Far more and far better than I would ever have expected, I look forward to it's completion and thanks to Paul for all the work put in and everyone else for the info contributed.
Hey, what happened to this project? Interesting idea that seemed to be going somewhere, and then just disappeared.
ptoner wrote:
The Abbey of Thelema – 1920 -A fresh start in the digital realm?
I have finally completed a set of plans and have shared them on my blog at the link at the bottom of the page.
These drawings will not be 100% accurate and may not reflect the actual structure of the Abbey but with the information and assistance of others, its as good as it gets from my end.
If anyone after looking at the plans has additional information to add or can provide me with high resolution mural images, please email me at me@paultoner.com.
Next is to set up the 3D shell of the Abbey for a walk through etc. After that, trying to render the walls to each room.
This will take a while!
---------------------------------------------------------
The link doesn't work. Does anyone have a direct link to the blog post mentioned, or know what I have to click on from the page linked to? I have been trying to track down these plans for years.
Chaosgirl
Did you try going directly to his domain name?
it's all there:
Thanks Chris.
I might get back on this soon, was pursuing my career the last wee while.
Once a receive a bit of feedback on the plans, I will progress onto the elevations. If people could either email me directly external photos from that time (me@paultoner.com), ie 1922, or link them, that would help immensely.
The subject of saving the Abbey of Thelema has come up on the current thread. I am interested in knowing if your Virtual 3-D tour of the Abbey has been completed, or how it is going? Shiva recommended I contact you.
@toadstoolwe Progress stalled completely since my last release. PDFs of the plans and some basic external model views.
The hard part is not the model but the images for the walls etc. Creating a knee high mural from poor quality photos, of a ramshackle dwelling is one thing, what do i put on the walls for the rest of the wall space is another. I could look at the modeling of the building again, in sketch-up maybe and then load it into software like TwinMotion so it can be used as a VR/Walkthrough or still images.
https://www.twinmotion.com/en-US
All requires work from myself, and I am always busy with my work, which is based on the digital Building Information Management world. The virtual creation of new buildings, and their asset management/efficient construction, is what I do.
@ptoner Wow! What a labor of love! Thank you for taking the time to respond and show the progress of your project. I am sorry that the project has stalled. Thank you also for the links provided within the Lik to WORDPRESS that has further information on the Abbey of Thelema. Makes for interesting reading.
About 20 years ago people made virtual models of buildings like the Temple of Solomon. They used Virtual Reality Modeling Language which had the extension .vrml.
The models were very choppy. I suppose that all those .vrml models have been thrown away, along with actual models of Spitfires made with matches.
My son was on the PlayStation 4 and I watched him playing Assassin's Creed Syndicate. He virtually wandered around 17th century over the (in construction) St Paul's Cathedral. That game was 7 years old. Incredible to see how realistic the modern graphics are.
My son was on the PlayStation 4 and I watched him playing Assassin's Creed Syndicate. He virtually wandered around 17th century over the (in construction) St Paul's Cathedral. That game was 7 years old. Incredible to see how realistic the modern graphics are.
It is amazing that this youtube vid/footage is 8 years old:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvXRJ1SfCXw
Outside of the big development studios, there have been many opportunities to build online, from Minecraft and Roblox to more sophisticated environments such Second Life and similar platforms. I did a small amount of dabbling with such builds which is fun but also painstaking. It would be wonderful if someone with the knack and skill used such a platform to recreate the Abbey, Boleskine and other places of interest.
It is amazing that this .... is 8 years old
Say, that's pretty cool.
I had an acute interest in "virtual reality" back around 20 years retro. It was suggested that one would be able to don a headpiece with 3D pictures, sound, etc. Sort of an imitated astral projection. They finally got around to introducing it as interactive social media, not long ago.
My first look at examples of the media caused me to recoil in horror, flushing away any interest in virtual (un)reality. I guess most folks felt likewise, as the "M" has laid-off tons of workers, and we don't even hear about it any more.
The horror of "Virtual Reality" is that its just morphed into the larger virtual reality weapon of what is "Artificial Intelligence" aka AI.
Magical practice of testing visions, evocations, etc...is the proper analogue in sorting perceptions and claims...
Boleskine has continued to be a real estate proposition, though perhaps some might prefer that the burn out hulk sit, open to all stars as now the Abbey of Thelema is~
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/aleister-crowley-s-abbey-of-thelema
@hadgigegenraum Based on this comment, as well as your previous comments about the Abbey of Thelema and Boleskine house being exposed to the stars ofthe night sky, you must believe in irradiation by the planets and stars, much as the ancient Chaldeans did.
open to all stars
I have not been following the decomposition of the Abbey for some time. It nw appears to be more-or-less complete, roof-wise.
It's always the roofs, you know. They go first. We have a LOT of adobe houses arouund here. Some have been restored, with a METAL roof. Most are dead-zones, sitting nearby a more modern home that is inhabited. Owners that care put a METAL roof on their falling-down historical relics. If thing are unstable, they put a freestanding METAL canopy, with its own pillars, over the relic.
But, now, it's too late for that, so my insertion of technical factors comes under the classification of ...
What Should Have Been Done
... you must believe in irradiation by the planets and stars, much as the ancient Chaldeans did.
Having used the word must, you are now obliged to offer "proof," as is required of any imperative concept.
Most imperatives have to do with people identifying with their importance. Most importances are astral in nature, and we get big blowups with intense emotional content.
Other folks, more advanced, move on to numbers and secret words revealed.
Some claim residency in the Super-n-AL, but don't mess with them. They are in the sink-or-swim realm. Magisters and Magi who don't die or go insane shortly after making such claims, are likely to be the real thing.
Your claim ("must") is merely a misdemeanor if you're proven wrong. There will be no fine, imprison-time, or torture. No death penalty. Your reward will be the publication of the error here, on the semi-eternal servers, and in The Akashic Record, where no thing is ever lost.
@toadstoolwe
I am not familiar with the intricacies of Chaldeans beliefs about stars, but the hint in my posts concerns the command "Invoke me under my stars!"...
@hadgigegenraum Occam's Razor strikes again. The simplest explanation is preferable to the complex explanation. "Invoke me under my stars!" Beyond a poetic metaphor, it implies astrology (My stars) Conjunctions favorable to worship. Or, the all-powerful creative power of Aiwass.