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Shu and Tefnut, the twin lion gods, are opposites. Shu and Tefnut are male and female, hot and cold, dry and wet, public and private, intellectual and emotional, et cetera and so forth.
Alone, either one would be dangerously unbalanced, and would have earned an evil reputation for his or her excesses. But Shu and Tefnut are always together. Each defines the other; each requires the other. Each balances and tempers the other. Shu's most prominent headpiece, the feather of Ma'at, emphasizes this balance, as does the representation of Shu through the use of this feather alone, as a single hieroglyph. Shuti is Shu and Tefnut together, under one name, as one composite being.
The Order of Shuti is dedicated to the study of Opposition and Balance, Opposition in Balance, Balance in Opposition, and Balance through Opposition. More, we will pursue Xeper through Balance, and Xeper through Opposition. By "Opposition" we don't mean just conflict (though of course that is included). We will study and use opposites, the actions and forces of these opposites, the ranges of existence between these opposites, the balance of these opposites, and the dynamic magical implications thereof.
One obsolete philosophy of magic was that to achieve balance, the magician had to experience and participate in the extremes (often the extremes of good and evil).
There are simply too many different pairs of opposites and extremes for a magician to experience them all. Further, many extremes are downright harmful, such as extreme hot and cold, unnecessarily evil and unlawful acts, and excessively self-sacrificing acts. But the Initiate of Shuti will recognize and work with any and all opposites/extremes, and with the ranges and balances between them, whenever and however appropriate.
"For with no purpose the force of the mind must fail ..." This study of opposition and balance can support many diverse goals.
One such purpose will be to study and understand the physical and objective universe, and to study and understand the magical and subjective universe, so that we may change those universes in accordance with our Wills (per the challenge of Michael, found in the Diabolicon's Statement of Satan ArchDaimon).
Other goals and purposes are and will be supported; this is but one which has been defined and will be offered to interested Initiates. Any and all sets of opposites will be valid and appropriate areas of study for the Initiate. The universes are our library and our laboratory. But some topics will be of global interest:
Life and Death are the major pair of Opposites. We will work to recognize all forms and degrees of these opposites. We will work to always strive for Life, to always reject Death.
One set of Opposites of major interest is Self and Not-Self. How do we define our Selves? When we Remanifest continued existence without these bodily shells, how will we then define our Selves? How will we differentiate between personal Xeper and the willful modification of the external universe?
We will also study Set and the Opposite Self, HarWer. We will study them as individual entities, as Opposite Selves, and as Satan (Set and HarWer fused).
Related to these above topics, we will examine the opposites of your own Higher Self, that towards which you Xeper, and your Lower Self, that which you Will outgrow.
Yet another set of Opposites is Creation and Destruction. What are the various forms and types of Creation? When is Destruction necessary to facilitate or allow Creation? When is Destruction to be prevented or avoided?
Other topics which have been studied by members of the Order of Shuti include Astral Projection, Tarot, and techniques of ritual magic.
The most visible activity of the Order of Shuti is its newsletter, Dialogues. Published on an irregular schedule [due to the Grand Master's time restraints, certainly not due to a lack of material], the newsletter contains active discussions of a large variety of topics, reports of progress made in various areas of endeavor, and more. Submissions and subscriptions are welcome from all Setians.
Because of the Order's recent inactivity, there has not been an issue of Dialogues printed in a very long while. Our plans are to begin publishing new issues of Dialogues some time in the year XXXV (2000 CE).
The Order of Shuti also indulges in a high level of correspondence between its members, on topics listed above and others of interest to the members. Most correspondence is between individuals, but from time to time select correspondence will be shared with the entire Order membership.
The Order of Shuti also hosts open activities at Conclaves, to which all Conclave attendees are welcome. Finally the Order hosted a weekend workshop several years ago, to which many Setians were invited, and we hope to hold more workshops in the future.
Of particular interest to the Grand Master is the topic of Setagenesis, developed largely because of his activities within the Order of Shuti. As I state in "Setagenesis and the Order of Shuti",
There will always be great overlap between the Order of Shuti's activities and the pursuit of Setagenesis, obviously. Much of the theoretical study of Creation and of Life falls clearly within the scope of the Order of Shuti. Those that wish to pursue such activities within the Order of Shuti will always be more than welcome to do so.
However, there is also great overlap between the pursuit of Setagenesis and other Orders as well. The Order of Leviathan explores many specific theories and practices dealing with advanced Initiation. The Order of Uart explores many methods of Creation. The Order of the Trapezoid is dedicated to the principles of advancing the causes of Life. And these are only the first three that come to my mind. Connections to the Orders of the Vampyre, Amon, Anpu, Black Tower, and others should be obvious to members of those Orders.
Members of those Orders, and other Setians who wish to pursue the topics of Setagenesis outside the Order of Shuti, are eagerly encouraged to do so.
Other pairs of opposites are knowledge and ignorance, ability and inability, comprehension and noncomprehension, perception and nonperception, etc. Shu is a god of knowledge, the light of the sun. With Tefnut's influence, Shuti is a god of active Satanic enlightenment. We therefore expect the Order's Initiates to actively contribute material to the Scroll of Set and the Ruby Tablet of Set. We also expect the Order's Initiates to participate in, assist, and/or lead Pylons as appropriate, whether local Pylons, correspondence Pylons [like the Gates of Hell], or otherwise.
(Like all Orders of the Temple of Set, Order membership is available only to II°+ members of the Temple of Set.)
The Order of Shuti is a fairly "open" and available Order. Our newsletter, Dialogues, is available by subscription to all Setians. We publish our major works in the Ruby Tablet of Set. We welcome correspondence with all Setians concerning any Order topic of interest.
Because of this, some Setians may wonder, "Why should I join the Order of Shuti, when I can have all of its benefits without joining it?" The answer is that Setians outside of the order don't get all of its benefits. There is correspondence within the Order which is not published. Order members have opportunities for Xeper which are not readily made available outside the Order. Order members have more direct and frequent contact with the Grand Master. Etc.
How can an Adept formally affiliate with the Order of Shuti? Order membership is closely tied to active participation with the Order. [Order members will be - and have been - expelled for a lack of participation. Allowances are made, of course, for time restrictions due to schooling and other high priority elements of Xeper.] Interested Adepts should therefore: (1) correspond with the Grand Master discussing your interest, and (2) participate in the Order's activities.
This participation includes reading and contributing to Dialogues, and correspondence with Order members and/or the Grand Master on topics of interest to you. You should also develop your ideas through research and/or discussion, and submit the results of your work to Dialogues, the Scroll of Set, and/or the Ruby Tablet of Set.
After having demonstrated your interest in and participation with the Order of Shuti, you may then apply to the Grand Master for formal admission to the Order. Such application normally will be approved after a fairly short review.