Geoffrey Bayldon Passes Away at the Very Thelemic Age of 93

I'm not saying that Geoffrey Bayldon was a Thelemite, but 93 is a key number which is a shorthand greeting among Thelemites and Geoff was famous for playing a medieval magician named Catweazle who travels through time in a British TV show of the same name.

Geoffrey Bayldon: Catweazle actor dies aged 93
"He was best known for playing the lead role in TV series Catweazle, and the Crowman in Worzel Gummidge.
The actor's film credits include To Sir With Love and The Pink Panther Strikes Again, as well as big-screen versions of Porridge and Steptoe and Son.

Released 1967

He famously turned down the lead role in Doctor Who twice, but did eventually make an appearance on the show in 1979.

Bayldon was born in Leeds on 7 January 1924.
After studying at the Hull College of Architecture, he began acting and trained at the Old Vic Theatre School.
He went on to star in a whole host of films and TV shows - including playing Q in 1967's Casino Royale, which was loosely based on Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel.

Released 1967

But it was his roles in Catweazle, which ran for two years from 1970, and Worzel Gummidge, which ran from 1979-81, that were his most famous."

Geoffrey Bayldon
(7 January 1924 – 10 May 2017)

"The number 93 is of great significance in Thelema, a religion founded by English author and occultist Aleister Crowley in 1904 with the writing of The Book of the Law (also known as Liber AL vel Legis).

The central philosophy of Thelema is in two phrases from Liber AL: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" and "Love is the law, love under will."

The two primary terms in these statements are "Will" and "Love", respectively.

In the Greek language, they are Thelema (Will) and Agape (Love).

Using the Greek technique of isopsephy, which applies a numerical value to each letter, the letters of each of these words sum to 93."

"It is common for Thelemites to greet each other with "93" in person as well as in the opening and closing of written correspondence.

This custom derives from Aleister Crowley's guideline that Thelemites should greet each other with the Law of Thelema by saying "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law."

Since saying the entire Law can be cumbersome, using 93 has become a kind of shorthand.
In informal written correspondence, one often finds the number singularly at the head of a letter, representing "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" and in the form "93 93/93" at the end, which stands for "Love is the law, love under will."

Crowley often used this form himself within his own letters."

As I wrote at the beginning of this post, I'm not suggesting that Geoff was into Thelema, I just think it was rather synchronistic that an actor famous for playing a medieval magickian on TV passes away at the age of 93.

I also find it amusing that the day Geoffrey Bayldon passed away (Australia, where I live, is 10 hours ahead of Britain) I was listening to the above podcast where Gordon White from Rune Soup was interviewing Mike Clelland (AKA the owl guy) and at some point in the podcast (try around the 55 minute) it was mentioned how owls sometimes make an appearance when someone passes away.

I used to love watching this TV show as a kid and I was wondering how Catweazle did manage to travel to modern England in the TV show, so I watched the first six minutes of episode one on a You Tube, and before Catweazle casts his spell he runs across an owl sitting in a tree in the daylight and calls it a "feathered omen".

I thought this was rather synchy, and of course I saw this owl the day after Geoff had passed away in real life also;-)

Watching those old Catweazle opening credits where Catweazle tumbles through time and sees the penny farthing reminded me of another of my favourite British TV shows, 'The Prisoner'.

Well, thanks for the memories Geoffrey Bayldon, and while you might not have been a Thelemite just like I'm not either, I still find it appropriate to end this post with a 93.

11 PRINCIPLES OF THELEMITES

93