The site, http://www.speakeasy.org/~netropic/crowley IS on the CyberNOTlist Table of Contents The Works of Aleister Crowley Crowley speaks... Index [Image]Previous: Magic without Tears [Image]Next: Book of Lies Magick in Theory and Practice Magick in Theory and Practice by Aleister Crowley 1989 e.v. key entry and proof reading with re-format and ASCII conversion 9/18/90 e.v. done by Bill Heidrick, T.G. of O.T.O. (further proof reading desirable) disk 1 of 4 Copyright (c) O.T.O. O.T.O. P.O.Box 430 Fairfax, CA 94930 USA (415) 454-5176 ---- Messages only. LIMITED LICENSE Except for notations added to the history of modification, the text on this diskette down to the next row of asterisks must accompany all copies made of this file. In particular, this paragraph and the copyright notice are not to be deleted or changed on any copies or print-outs of this file. With these provisos, anyone may copy this file for personal use or research. Copies may be made for others at reasonable cost of copying and mailing only, no additional charges may be added. ************************************************************************* Pages in the original are marked thus at the bottom: {page number} Comments and notes not in the original are identified with the initials of the source: AC note = Crowley note. WEH note = Bill Heidrick note, etc. footnotes have been moved up to the point of citation in the text and set off by <<... >> just before and after the note. ************************************************************************** Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law MAGICK IN THEORY AND PRACTICE by The Master Therion Aleister Crowley {Based on the Castle Books edition of New York} HYMN TO PAN epsilon-phi-rho-iota-xi epsilon-rho-omega-tau-iota pi-epsilon-rho-iota-alpha-rho-chi-eta-sigma delta alpha-nu-epsilon-pi-tau-omicron-mu-alpha-nu iota-omega iota-omega pi-alpha-nu pi-alpha-nu omega -pi-alpha-nu pi-alpha-nu alpha-lambda-iota-pi-lambda-alpha-gamma-chi-tau-epsilon, chi-upsilon-lambda-lambda-alpha-nu-iota-alpha-sigma chi-iota-omicron-nu-omicron-chi-tau-upsilon-pi-omicron-iota pi-epsilon-tau-rho-alpha-iota-alpha-sigma alpha-pi-omicron delta-epsilon-iota-rho-alpha-delta-omicron-sigma phi-alpha-nu-eta-theta, omega theta-epsilon-omega-nu chi-omicron-rho-omicron-pi-omicron-iota alpha-nu-alpha-xi SOPH. AJ. Thrill with lissome lust of the light, O man! My man! Come careering out of the night Of Pan! Io Pan! Io Pan! Io Pan! Come over the sea From Sicily and from Arcady! Roaming as Bacchus, with fauns and pards And nymphs and satyrs for thy guards, On a milk-white ass, come over the sea To me, to me, Come with Apollo in bridal dress (Shepherdess and pythoness) Come with Artemis, silken shod, And wash thy white thigh, beautiful God, In the moon of the woods, on the marble mount, The dimpled dawn of the amber fount! Dip the purple of passionate prayer In the crimson shrine, the scarlet snare, The soul that startles in eyes of blue {V} To watch thy wantonness weeping through The tangled grove, the gnarled bole Of the living tree that is spirit and soul And body and brain --- come over the sea, (Io Pan! Io Pan!) Devil or god, to me, to me, My man! my man! Come with trumpets sounding shrill Over the hill! Come with drums low muttering From the spring! Come with flute and come with pipe! Am I not ripe? I, who wait and writhe and wrestle With air that hath no boughs to nestle My body, weary of empty clasp, Strong as a lion and sharp as an asp --- Come, O come! I am numb With the lonely lust of devildom. Thrust the sword through the galling fetter, All-devourer, all-begetter; Give me the sign of the Open Eye, And the token erect of thorny thigh, And the word of madness and mystery, O Pan! Io Pan! Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! Pan Pan! Pan, I am a man: Do as thou wilt, as a great god can, O Pan! Io Pan! Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! I am awake in the grip of the snake. The eagle slashes with beak and claw; The gods withdraw: The great beasts come, Io Pan! I am borne To death on the horn Of the Unicorn. I am Pan! Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! Pan! {VI} I am thy mate, I am thy man, Goat of thy flock, I am gold, I am god, Flesh to thy bone, flower to thy rod. With hoofs of steel I race on the rocks Through solstice stubborn to equinox. And I rave; and I rape and I rip and I rend Everlasting, world without end, Mannikin, maiden, Maenad, man, In the might of Pan. Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! Pan! Io Pan! ------------- {VII} {Illustration on page VIII described: This is the set of photos originally published facing page 12 in EQUINOX I, 2 and titled there: "The Signs of the Grades." These are arranged as ten panels: * * * * * * * * * * In this re-publication, the original half-tones have been redone as line copy. Each panel consists of an illustration of a single human in a black Tau robe, barefoot with hood completely closed over the face. The hood displays a six-pointed figure on the forehead --- presumably the radiant eye of Horus of the A.'. A.'., but the rendition is too poor in detail. There is a cross pendant over the heart. The ten panels are numbered in black in the lower left corner. The panels are identified by two columns of numbered captions, 1 to 6 to the left and 7 to 10 to the right. The description is bottom to top and left to right: "1. Earth: the god Set fighting." Frontal figure. Rt. foot pointed to the fore and angled slightly outward with weight on ball of foot. Lf. heel almost touching Rt. heel and foot pointed left. Arms form a diagonal with body, right above head and in line with left at waist height. Hands palmer and open with fingers outstretched and together. Head erect. "2. Air: The god Shu supporting the sky." Frontal. Heels together and slightly angled apart to the front, flat on floor. Head down. Arms angled up on either side of head about head 1.5 ft. from head to wrist and crooked as if supporting a ceiling just at head height with the finger tips. The palms face upward and the backs of the hands away from the head. Thumbs closed to side of palms. Fingers straight and together. "3. Water: the goddess Auramoth." Same body and foot position as #2, but head erect. Arms are brought down over the chest so that the thumbs touch above the heart and the backs of the hands are to the front. The fingers meet below the heart, forming between thumbs and fingers the descending triangle of water. "4. Fire: the goddess Thoum-aesh-neith." Frontal. Head and body like #3. Arms are angled so that the thumbs meet in a line over the brow. Palmer side facing. Fingers meet above head, forming between thumbs and fingers the ascending triangle of fire. "5,6. Spirit: the rending and closing of the veil." Head erect in both. #5 has the same body posture as #1, except that the left and right feet are countercharged and flat on the floor with the heels in contact. Arms and hands are crooked forward at shoulder level such that the hands appear to be clawing open a split veil --- hands have progressed to a point that the forearms are invisible, being directly pointed at the front. Lower arms are flat and horizontal in the plain of the image. #6. has the same body posture as #1, feet in same position as #5. The arms are elbow down against abdomen, with hands forward over heart in claws such that the knuckles are touching. Passing from #5 to #6 or vice versa is done by motion of shoulders and rotation of wrists. This is different from the other sign of opening the veil, the Sign of the Enterer, which is done with hands flat palm to palm and then spread without rotation of wrists. "7-10. The L V X signs." "7. + Osiris slain --- the cross." Body and feet as in #2. Head bowed. Arms directly horizontal from the shoulders in the plane of the image. Hands with fingers together, thumbs to side of palm and palmer side forward. The tau shape of the robe dominates the image. "8. L Isis mourning --- the Svastica." The body is in semi-profile, head down slightly and facing right of photograph. The arms, hands, legs and feet are positioned to define a swastika. Left foot flat, carrying weight and angled toward the right of the photo. Right foot toe down behind the figure to the left in the photo. Right upper arm due left in photo and forearm vertical with fingers closed and pointing upward. Left arm smoothly canted down to the right of the panel, with fingers clos "9. V Typhon --- the Trident." Figure frontal and standing on tip toe, toes forward and heels not touching. Head back. Arms angled in a "V" with the body to the top and outward in the plain of the photo. Fingers and thumbs as #7, but continuing the lines of the arms. "10. X Osiris risen --- the Pentagram." Body and feet as in #7. Head directly frontal and level. Arms crossed over heart, right over left with hands extended, fingers closed and thumb on side such that the palms rest on the two opposite shoulders.} INTRODUCTION "Epsilon-sigma-sigma-epsilon-alpha-iota alpha-theta-alpha-nu-alpha-tau-omicron-sigma theta-epsilon-omicron-sigma, alpha-mu-beta-rho-omicron-tau-omicron-sigma, omicron-upsilon-chi epsilon-tau-iota theta-nu-eta-tau-omicron-sigma Pythagoras. "Magic is the Highest, most Absolute, and most Divine Knowledge of Natural Philosophy, advanced in its works and wonderful operations by a right understanding of the inward and occult virtue of things; so that true Agents being applied to proper Patients, strange and admirable effects will thereby be produced. Whence magicians are profound and diligent searchers into Nature; they, because of their skill, know how to anticipate an effect, the which to the vulgar shall seem to be a miracle." "The Goetia of the Lemegeton of King Solomon." "Wherever sympathetic magic occurs in its pure unadulterated form, it is assumed that in nature one event follows another necessarily and invariably without the intervention of any spiritual or personal agency. Dr. J. G. FRAZER, "The Golden Bough"." "So far, therefore, as the public profession of magic has been one of the roads by which men have passed to supreme power, it has contributed to emancipate mankind from the thraldom of tradition and to elevate them into a larger, freer life, with a broader outlook on the world. This is no small service rendered to humanity. And when we remember further that in another direction magic has paved the way for science, we are forced to admit that if the black art has done much evil, it has also Ibid. {X} "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." St. Paul. "Also the mantras and spells; the obeah and the wanga; the work of the wand and the work of the sword; these he shall learn and teach." "He must teach; but he may make severe the ordeals." "The word of the Law is Theta-epsilon-lambda-eta-mu-alpha." LIBER AL vel xxxi: The Book of the Law. ------------- This book is for ALL: for every man, woman, and child. My former work has been misunderstood, and its scope limited, by my use of technical terms. It has attracted only too many dilettanti and eccentrics, weaklings seeking in "Magic" an escape from reality. I myself was first consciously drawn to the subject in this way. And it has repelled only too many scientific and practical minds, such as I most designed to influence. But MAGICK is for ALL. I have written this book to help the Banker, the Pugilist, the Biologist, the Poet, the Navvy, the Grocer, the Factory Girl, the Mathematician, the Stenographer, the Golfer, the Wife, the Consul --- and all the rest --- to fulfil themselves perfectly, each in his or her own proper function. Let me explain in a few words how it came about that I blazoned the word MAGICK upon the Banner that I have borne before me all my life. Before I touched my teens, I was already aware that I was THE BEAST whose number is 666. I did not understand in the least {XI} what that implied; it was a passionately ecstatic sense of identity. In my third year at Cambridge, I devoted myself consciously to the Great Work, understanding thereby the Work of becoming a Spiritual Being, free from the constraints, accidents, and deceptions of material existence. I found myself at a loss for a name to designate my work, just as H. P. Blavatsky some years earlier. "Theosophy", "Spiritualism", "Occultism", "Mysticism", all involved undesirable connotations. I chose therefore the name. "MAGICK" as essentially the most sublime, and actually the most discredited, of all the available terms. I swore to rehabilitate MAGICK to identify it with my own career; and to compel mankind to respect, love, and trust that which they scorned, hated and feared. I have kept my Word. But the time is now come for me to carry my banner into the thick of the press of human life. I must make MAGICK the essential factor in the life of ALL. In presenting this book to the world, I must then explain and justify my position by formulating a definition of MAGICK and setting forth its main principles in such a way that ALL may understand instantly that their souls, their lives, in every relation with every other human being and every circumstance, depend upon MAGICK and the right comprehension and right application thereof. I. "DEFINITION." MAGICK is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will. {XII} (Illustration: It is my Will to inform the World of certain facts within my knowledge. I therefore take "magical weapons", pen, ink, and paper; I write "incantations" --- these sentences --- in the "magical language" i.e. that which is understood by the people I wish to instruct; I call forth "spirits", such as printers, publishers, booksellers, and so forth, and constrain them to convey my message to those people. The composition and distribution of this book is thus an act of MAGICK by which I cause changes to take place in conformity with my Will<>) II. "POSTULATE." ANY required Change may be effected by the application of the proper kind and degree of force in the proper manner through the proper medium to the proper object. (Illustration: I wish to prepare an ounce of Chloride of Gold. I must take the right kind of acid, nitro-hydrochloric and no other, in sufficient quantity and of adequate strength, and place it, in a vessel which will not break, leak, or corrode, in such a manner as will not produce undesirable results, with the necessary quantity of Gold: and so forth. Every Change has its own conditions. In the present state of our knowledge and power some changes are not possible in practice; we cannot cause eclipses, for instance, or transform lead into tin, or create men from mushrooms. But it is theoretically possible to cause in any object any change of which that object is capable by nature; and the conditions are covered by the above postulate.) III. "THEOREMS." (1) Every intentional act is a Magical Act.<> (Illustration: See "Definition" above.) {XIII} (2) Every successful act has conformed to the postulate. (3) Every failure proves that one or more requirements of the postulate have not been fulfilled. (4) The first requisite for causing any change is through qualitative and quantitative understanding of the conditions. (Illustration: The most common cause of failure in life is ignorance of one's own True Will, or of the means by which to fulfil that Will. A man may fancy himself a painter, and waste his life trying to become one; or he may be really a painter, and yet fail to understand and to measure the difficulties peculiar to that career.) (5) The second requisite of causing any change is the practical ability to set in right motion the necessary forces. (Illustration: A banker may have a perfect grasp of a given situation, yet lack the quality of decision, or the assets, necessary to take advantage of it.) (6) "Every man and every woman is a star." That is to say, every human being is intrinsically an independent individual with his own proper character and proper motion. (7) Every man and every woman has a course, depending partly on the self, and partly on the environment which is natural and necessary for each. Anyone who is forced from his own course, either through not understanding himself, or through external opposition, comes into conflict with the order of the Universe, and suffers accordingly. {XIV} (8) A Man whose conscious will is at odds with his True Will is wasting his strength. He cannot hope to influence his environment efficiently. (Illustration: When Civil War rages in a nation, it is in no condition to undertake the invasion of other countries. A man with cancer employs his nourishment alike to his own use and to that of the enemy which is part of himself. He soon fails to resist the pressure of his environment. In practical life, a man who is doing what his conscience tells him to be wrong will do it very clumsily. At first!) (9) A man who is doing this True Will has the inertia of the Universe to assist him. (Illustration: The first principle of success in evolution is that the individual should be true to his own nature, and at the same time adapt himself to his environment.) (10) Nature is a continuous phenomenon, though we do not know in all cases how things are connected. (Illustration: Human consciousness depends on the properties of protoplasm, the existence of which depends on innumerable physical conditions peculiar to this planet; and this planet is determined by the mechanical balance of the whole universe of matter. We may then say that our consciousness is causally connected with the remotest galaxies; yet we do not know even how it arises from --- or with --- the molecular changes in the brain.) (11) Science enables us to take advantage of the continuity of Nature by the empirical application of certain {XV} principles whose interplay involves different orders of idea connected with each other in a way beyond our present comprehension. (Illustration: We are able to light cities by rule-of-thumb methods. We do not know what consciousness is, or how it is connected with muscular action; what electricity is or how it is connected with the machines that generate it; and our methods depend on calculations involving mathematical ideas which have no correspondence in the Universe as we know it.< (12) Man is ignorant of the nature of his own being and powers. Even his idea of his limitations is based on experience of the past, and every step in his progress extends his empire. There is therefore no reason to assign theoretical limits< (13) Every man is more or less aware that his individuality comprises several orders of existence, even when he maintains that his subtler principles are merely symptomatic of the changes in his gross vehicle. A similar order may be assumed to extend throughout nature. (Illustration: One does not confuse the pain of toothache with {XVI} the decay which causes it. Inanimate objects are sensitive to certain physical forces, such as electrical and thermal conductivity; but neither in us nor in them --- so far as we know --- is there any direct conscious perception of these forces. Imperceptible influences are therefore associated with all material phenomena; and there is no reason why we should not work upon matter through those subtle energies as we do thro (14) Man is capable of being, and using, anything which he perceives, for everything that he perceives is in a certain sense a part of his being. He may thus subjugate the whole Universe of which he is conscious to his individual Will. (Illustration: Man has used the idea of God to dictate his personal conduct, to obtain power over his fellow, to excuse his crimes, and for innumerable other purposes, including that of realizing himself as God. He has used the irrational and unreal conceptions of mathematics to help him in the construction of mechanical devices. He has used his moral force to influence the actions even of wild animals. He has employed poetic genius for political purposes.) (15) Every force in the Universe is capable of being transformed into any other kind of force by using suitable means. There is thus an inexhaustible supply of any particular kind of force that we may need. (Illustration: Heat may be transformed into light and power by using it to drive dynamos. The vibrations of the air may be used to kill men by so ordering them in speech as to inflame war-like passions. The hallucinations connected with the mysterious energies of sex result in the perpetuation of the species.) (16) The application of any given force affects all the orders of being which exist in the object to which it is applied, whichever of those orders is directly affected. (Illustration: If I strike a man with a dagger, his consciousness, not his body only, is affected by my act; although the dagger, as such, has no direct relation therewith. Similarly, the power of {XVII} my thought may so work on the mind of another person as to produce far-reaching physical changes in him, or in others through him.) (17) A man may learn to use any force so as to serve any purpose, by taking advantage of the above theorems. (Illustration: A man may use a razor to make himself vigilant over his speech, but using it to cut himself whenever he unguardedly utters a chosen word. He may serve the same purpose by resolving that every incident of his life shall remind him of a particular thing, making every impression the starting point of a connected series of thoughts ending in that thing. He might also devote his whole energies to some one particular object, by resolving to do nothing at variance therewith, and to (18) He may attract to himself any force of the Universe by making himself a fit receptacle for it, establishing a connection with it, and arranging conditions so that its nature compels it to flow toward him. (Illustration: If I want pure water to drink, I dig a well in a place where there is underground water; I prevent it from leaking away; and I arrange to take advantage of water's accordance with the laws of Hydrostatics to fill it.) (19) Man's sense of himself as separate from, and oppose to, the Universe is a bar to his conducting its currents. It insulates him. (Illustration: A popular leader is most successful when he forgets himself, and remembers only "The Cause". Self-seeking engenders jealousies and schism. When the organs of the body assert their presence otherwise than by silent satisfaction, it is a sign that they are diseased. The single exception is the organ of reproduction. Yet even in this case its self-assertion bears witness to its dissatisfaction with itself, since it cannot fulfil its function until completed by its counterpart (20) Man can only attract and employ the forces for which he is really fitted. (Illustration: You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. A {XVIII} true man of science learns from every phenomenon. But Nature is dumb to the hypocrite; for in her there is nothing false.< (21) There is no limit to the extent of the relations of any man with the Universe in essence; for as soon as man makes himself one with any idea the means of measurement cease to exist. But his power to utilize that force is limited by his mental power and capacity, and by the circumstances of his human environment. (22) every individual is essentially sufficient to himself. But he is unsatisfactory to himself until he has established himself in his right relation with the Universe. (Illustration: A microscope, however perfect, is useless in the {XIX} hands of savages. A poet, however sublime, must impose himself upon his generation if he is to enjoy (and even to understand) himself, as theoretically should be the case.) (23) Magick is the Science of understanding oneself and one's conditions. It is the Art of applying that understanding in action. (Illustration: A golf club is intended to move a special ball in a special way in special circumstances. A Niblick should rarely be used on the tee, or a Brassie under the bank of a bunker. But also, the use of any club demands skill and experience.) (24) Every man has an indefeasible right to be what he is. (Illustration: To insist that any one else shall comply with one's own standards is to outrage, not only him, but oneself, since both parties are equally born of necessity.) (25) Every man must do Magick each time that he acts or even thinks, since a thought is an internal act whose influence ultimately affects action, thought it may not do so at the time. (26) Every man has a right, the right of self-preservation, to fulfil himself to the utmost.<> (Illustration: A function imperfectly preformed injures, not {XX} only itself, but everything associated with it. If the heart is afraid to beat for fear of disturbing the liver, the liver is starved for blood, and avenges itself on the heart by upsetting digestion, which disorders respiration, on which cardiac welfare depends.) (27) Every man should make Magick the keynote of his life. He should learn its laws and live by them. (28) Every man has a right to fulfil his own will without being afraid that it may interfere with that of others; for if he is in his proper place, it is the fault of others if they interfere with him. for him to learn to lessons of defeat. The sun moves in space without interference. The order of Nature provides an orbit for each star. A clash proves that one or the other has strayed from his course. But as -------------- I hope that the above principles will demonstrate to ALL that their welfare, their very existence, is bound up in MAGICK. I trust that they will understand, not only the reasonableness, but the necessity of the fundamental truth which I was the means of giving to mankind: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." I trust that they will assert themselves as individually absolute, that they will grasp the fact that it is their right to assert themselves, and to accomplish the task for which their nature fits them. Yea, more, that this is their duty, and that not only to themselves but to others, a duty founded upon universal necessity, and not to be shirked on account of any casual circumstances of the moment which may seem to put such conduct in the light of inconvenience or even of cruelty. I hope that the principles outlined above will help them to understand this book, and prevent them from being deterred from its study by the more or less technical language in which it is written. The essence of MAGICK is simple enough in all conscience. It is not otherwise with the art of government. The Aim is simply prosperity; but the theory is tangled, and the practice beset with briars. In the same way MAGICK is merely to be and to do. I should add: "to suffer". For Magick is the verb; and it is part of the Training to use the passive voice. This is, however, a matter of Initiation rather than of Magick in {XXII} its ordinary sense. It is not my fault if being is baffling, and doing desperate! Yet, once the above principles are firmly fixed in the mind, it is easy enough to sum up the situation very shortly. One must find out for oneself, and make sure beyond doubt, "who" one is, "what" one is, "why" one is. This done, one may put the will which is implicit in the "Why" into words, or rather into One Word. Being thus conscious of the proper course to pursue, the next thing is to understand the conditions necessary to following it out. After that, one must eliminate from oneself MAGICK, it was pulled down and broken into pieces by provincialism and democracy, so that neither individual excellence nor civic virtue has yet availed to raise it again to that majestic unity which made so bold a bid for the mastery of the race of man. ; he must accept the fact that nothing can Having discovered his identity, he will soon perceive his purpose. Another process will show him how to make that purpose pure and powerful. He may then learn how to estimate his environment, learn how to make allies, how to make himself prevail against all powers whose error has caused them to wander across his path. In the course of this Training, he will learn to explore the Hidden Mysteries of Nature, and to develop new senses and faculties in himself, whereby he may communicate with, and control, Beings and Forces pertaining to orders of existence which {XXIV} have been hitherto inaccessible to profane research, and available only to that unscientific and empirical MAGICK (of tradition) which I came to destroy in order that I might fulfil. I send this book into the world that every man and woman may take hold of life in the proper manner. It does not matter of one's present house of flesh be the hut of a shepherd; by virtue of my MAGICK he shall be such a shepherd as David was. If it be the studio of a sculptor, he shall so chisel from himself the marble that masks his idea that he shall be no less a master than Rodin. Witness mine hand: Tau-Omicron Mu-Epsilon-Gamma-Alpha Theta-Eta-Rho-Iota-Omicron-Nu (Taw-Resh-Yod-Vau-Nunfinal ): The Beast 666; MAGUS 9 Degree = 2Square A.'. A.'. who is The Word of the Aeon THELEMA; whose name is called V.V.V.V.V. 8 Degree = 3Square A.'. A.'. in the City of the Pyramids; OU MH 7 Degree = 4Square A.'. A.'.; OL SONUF VAORESAGI 6 Degree = 5Square, and ... ... 5 Degree = 6Square A.'. A.'. in the Mountain of Abiegnus: but FRATER PERDURABO in the Outer Order or the A.'. A.'. and in the World of ----------- {XXV} CONTENTS ------- (This portion of the Book should be studied in connection with its Parts I. and II.) 0 The Magical Theory of the Universe. I The Principles of Ritual. II The Formulae of the Elemental Weapons. III The Formula of Tetragrammaton. IV The Formula of Alhim: also that of Alim. V The Formula of I. A. O. VI The Formula of the Neophyte. VII The Formula of the Holy Graal, of Abrahadabra, and of Certain Other Words; with some remarks on the Magical Memory. VIII Of Equilibrium: and of the General and Particular Method of Preparation of the Furniture of the Temple and the Instruments of Art. IX Of Silence and Secrecy: and of the Barbarous names of Evocation. X Of the Gestures. XI Of Our Lady BABALON and of The Beast whereon she rideth: also concerning Transformations. XII Of the Bloody Sacrifice and Matters Cognate. XIII Of the Banishings, and of the Purifications. XIV Of the Consecrations: with an Account of the Nature and Nurture of the Magical Link. XVI (1) Of the Oath. XV Of the Invocation. XVI (2) Of the Charge to the Spirit: with some Account of the Constrains and Curses occasionally necessary. XVII Of the License to Depart. XVIII Of Clairvoyance: and of the Body of Light, its Powers and its Development. Also concerning Divinations. XIX Of Dramatic Rituals. XX Of the Eucharist: and of the Art of Alchemy. XXI Of Black Magick: of the Main Types of the Operations of Magick Art: and of the Powers of the Sphinx. {XXVII} CHAPTER 0 THE MAGICAL THEORY OF THE UNIVERSE There are three main theories of the Universe; Dualism, Monism and Nihilism. It is impossible to enter into a discussion of their relative merits in a popular manual of this sort. They may be studied in Erdmann's "History of Philosophy" and similar treatises. All are reconciled and unified in the theory which we shall now set forth. The basis of this Harmony is given in Crowley's "Berashith" --- to which reference should be made. "Unity" transcends "consciousness". It is above all division. The Father of thought --- the Word --- is called Chaos --- the dyad. The number Three, the Mother, is called Babalon. In connection with this the reader should study "The Temple of Solomon the King" in Equinox I, V, and Liber 418. This first triad is essentially unity, in a manner transcending reason. The comprehension of this Trinity is a matter of spiritual experience. All true gods are attributed to this Trinity.< An immeasurable abyss divides it from all manifestations of Reason or the lower qualities of man. In the ultimate analysis of Reason, we find all reason identified with this abyss. Yet this abyss is the crown of the mind. Purely intellectual faculties all obtain here. This abyss has no number, for in it all is confusion. Below this abyss we find the moral qualities of Man, of which there are six. The highest is symbolised by the number Four. Its nature is fatherly<>; Mercy The number Five is balanced against it. The attributes of Five are Energy and Justice. Four and Five are again combined and harmonized in the number Six, whose nature is beauty and harmony, mortality and immortality. In the number Seven the feminine nature is again predominant, {2} but it is the masculine type of female, the Amazon, who is balanced in the number Eight by the feminine type of male. In the number Nine we reach the last of the purely mental qualities. It identifies change with stability. Pendant to this sixfold system is the number Ten<< The balance of the Sephiroth: Kether (1) "Kether is in Malkuth, and Malkuth is in Kether, but after another manner." Chokmah (2) is Yod of Tetragrammaton, and therefore also Unity. Binah (3) is He of Tetragrammaton, and therefore "The Emperor." Chesed (4) is Daleth, Venus the female. Geburah (5) is the Sephira of Mars, the Male. Tiphereth (6) is the Hexagram, harmonizing, and mediating between Kether and Malkuth. Also it reflects Kether. "That which is above, is like that which is below, and that which is below, is like that which is above." Netzach (7) and Hod (8) balanced as in text. Jesod (9) see text. Malkuth (10) contains all the numbers.>> which includes the whole of Matter as we know it by the senses. It is impossible here to explain thoroughly the complete conception; for it cannot be too clearly understood that this is a "classification" of the Universe, that there is nothing which is not comprehended therein. The Article on the Qabalah in Vol. I, No. V of the Equinox is the best which has been written on the subject. It should be deeply studied, in connection with the Qabalistic Diagrams in Nos. II and III: "The Temple of Solomon the King". Such is a crude and elementary sketch of this system. The formula of Tetragrammaton is the most important for the practical magician. Here Yod = 2, He = 3, Vau = 4 to 9, He final = 10. The Apologia for this System is that our purest conceptions {4} are symbolized in Mathematics. "God is the Great Arithmetician." "God is the Grand Geometer." It is best therefore to prepare to apprehend Him by formulating our minds according to these measures.< The Reader can now understand that the sketch given above of the magical Hierarchy is hardly even an outline of the real theory of the Universe. This theory may indeed be studied in the article already referred to in No. V of the Equinox, and, more deeply in the Book of the Law and the Commentaries thereon: but the true understanding depends entirely upon the work of the Magician himself. Without magical experience it will be meaningless. In this there is nothing peculiar. It is so with all scientific knowledge. A blind man might cram up astronomy for the purpose of passing examinations, but his knowledge would be {5} almost entirely unrelated to his experience, and it would certainly not give him sight. A similar phenomenon is observed when a gentleman who has taken an "honours degree" in modern languages at Cambridge arrives in Paris, and is unable to order his dinner. To exclaim against the Master Therion is to act like Let us say, once again, that the magical language is nothing but a convenient system of classification to enable the magician to docket his experiences as he obtains them. An excellent man of great intelligence, a learned Qabalist, once amazed the Master Therion by stating that the Tree of Life was the framework of the Universe. It was as if some one had seriously maintained that a cat was a creature constructed by placing the letters C. A. T. in that order. It is no wonder that Magick has excited the ridicule of the unintelligent, since even its {6} educated students can be guilty of so gross a violation of the first principles of common sense.< A synopsis of the grades of the A.'. A.'. as illustrative of the Magical Hierarchy in Man is given in Appendix 2 "One Star in Sight." This should be read before proceeding with the chapter. The subject is very difficult. To deal with it in full is entirely beyond the limits of this small treatise. "FURTHER CONCERNING THE MAGICAL UNIVERSE" > But when we speak of dealing with the planets in Magick, {7} the reference is usually not to the actual planets, but to parts of the earth which are of the nature attributed to these planets. Thus, when we say that When we "conjure Nakhiel to visible appearance," it may be that our process resembles creation --- or, rather imagination --- more nearly than it does calling-forth. The aura of a man is called the "magical mirror of the universe"; and, so far as any one can tell, nothing exists outside of this mirror. It is at least convenient to represent the whole as if it were subjective. It leads to less confusion. And, as a man is a perfect microcosm,< In this chapter we are only able to give a very thin outline of magical theory --- faint pencilling by weak and wavering fingers --- for this subject may almost be said to be co-extensive with one's whole knowledge. I might expend a life-time in exploring the details of one plane, just as an explorer might give his life to one corner of Africa, or a chemist to one subgroup of compounds. Each such detailed piece of work may be very valuable, but it does not as a rule throw light on the main principles of the universe. Its truth is the truth of one angle. It might even lead to error, if some inferior person were to generalize from too few facts. Imagine an inhabitant of Mars who wished to philosophise about the earth, and had nothing to go by but the diary of some man at the North Pole! But the work of every explorer, on whatever branch of the Tree of Life the caterpillar he is after may happen to be crawling, is immensely helped by a grasp of general principles. Every magician, therefore, should study the Holy Qabalah. Once he has mastered the main principles, he will find his work grow easy. "Solvitur ambulando" which does not mean: "Call the Ambulance!" -------------- {10} CHAPTER I THE PRINCIPLES OF RITUAL. There is a single main definition of the object of all magical Ritual. It is the uniting of the Microcosm with the Macrocosm. The Supreme and Complete Ritual is therefore the Invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel;< To take another example, the ascetic life which devotion to {11} magick so often involves argues a poverty of nature, a narrowness, a lack of generosity. Nature is infinitely prodigal --- not one in a million seeds ever comes to fruition. Whoso fails to recognise this, let him invoke Jupiter.< The danger of ceremonial magick --- the sublest and deepest danger --- is this: that the magician will naturally tend to invoke that partial being which most strongly appeals to him, so that his natural excess in that direction will be still further exaggerated. Let him, before beginning his Work, endeavour to map out his own being, and arrange his invocations in such a way as to redress the balance.< To consider in a more particular manner this question of the Nature of Ritual, we may suppose that he finds himself lacking in that perception of the value of Life and Death, alike of individuals and of races, which is characteristic of Nature. He has perhaps a tendency to perceive the "first noble truth" uttered by Buddha, that Everything is sorrow. Nature, it seems, is a tragedy. He has perhaps even experienced the great trance called Sorrow. He should then consider whether there is not There are three main methods of invoking any Deity. The "First Method" consists of devotion to that Deity, and, being mainly mystical in character, need not be dealt with in this place, especially as a perfect instruction exists in Liber 175 ("See" Appendix). The "Second method"is the straight forward ceremonial invocation. It is the method which was usually employed in the Middle Ages. Its advantage is its directness, its disadvantage its {12} crudity. The "Goetia" gives clear instruction in this method, and so do many other rituals, white and black. We shall presently devote some space to a clear exposition of this Art. In the case of Bacchus, however, we may roughly outline the procedure. We find that the symbolism of Tiphareth expresses the nature of Bacchus. It is then necessary to construct a Ritual of Tiphareth. Let us open the Book 777; we shall find in line 6 of each column the various parts of our required apparatus. Having ordered everything duly, we shall exalt the mind by repeated prayers or conjurations to the highest conception of the God, until, in one sense or another of the word, He appea The "Third Method is the Dramatic," perhaps the most attractive of all; certainly it is so to the artist's temperament, for it appeals to his imagination through his aesthetic sense. the sanction of the highest antiquity, and is probably the most useful for the foundation of a religion. It is the method of Catholic Christianity, and consists in the dramatization of the legend of the God. The Bacchae of Euripides is a magnificent example of such a Ritual; so also, through in a less degree, is the Mass. We may also mention many of the degrees in Freemasonry, parti It has already seemed impertinent to say so much when Walter Pater has told the story with such sympathy and insight. We will not further transgress by dwelling upon the identity of this legend with the course of Nature, its madness, its prodigality, its intoxication, its joy, and above all its sublime persistence through the cycles of Life and Death. The pagan reader must labour to understand this in Pater's "Greek Studies", and the Christian reader will recognise it, incident for incident Even that does not persist unchanged. It is always growing. The Cross is a barren stick, and the petals of the Rose fall and decay; but in the union of the Cross and the Rose is a constant {14} succession of new lives.< In the second method identity is attained by paying special attention to the desired part of yourself: positive, as the first method is negative. It is the potting-out and watering of a particular flower in the garden, and the exposure of it to the sun. In the third, identity is attained by sympathy. It is very difficult for the ordinary man to lose himself completely in the subject of a play or of a novel; but for those who can do so, this method is unquestionably the best. Observe: each element in this cycle is of equal value. It is wrong to say triumphantly "Mors janua vitae", unless you add, with equal triumph, "Vita janua mortis". To one who understands this chain of the Aeons from the point of view alike of the sorrowing Isis and of the triumphant Osiris, not forgetting their link in the destroyer Apophis, there remains no secret veiled in Nature. He cries that name of God which throughout History has been echoed by one religion to another, the infinite CHAPTER II THE FORMULAE OF THE ELEMENTAL WEAPONS. Before discussing magical formulae in detail, one may observe that most rituals are composite, and contain many formulae which must be harmonized into one. > that He may deign to send the appropriate Archangel. He then "be It will be seen that this is a formula rather of evocation than of invocation, and for the latter the procedure, though apparently the same, should be conceived of in a different manner, which brings it under another formula, that of Tetragrammaton. The essence of the force invoked is one, but the "God" represents the germ or beginning of the force, the "Archangel" its development; and so on, until, with the "Spirit", we have the completion and perfection of that force. {16} The formula of the Cup is not so well suited for Evocations, and the magical Hierarchy is not involved in the same way; for the Cup being passive rather than active, it is not fitting for the magician to use it in respect of anything but the Highest. In practical working it consequently means little but prayer, and that prayer the "prayer of silence".< The formula of the dagger is again unsuitable for either purpose, since the nature of the dagger is to criticise, to destroy, to disperse; and all true magical ceremonies tend to concentration. The dagger will therefore appear principally in the banishings, preliminary to the ceremony proper. The formula of the pantacle is again of no particular use; for the pantacle is inert. In fine, the formula of the wand is the only one with which we need more particularly concern ourselves.< Now in order to invoke any being, it is said by Hermes Trismegistus that the magi employ three methods. The first, for the vulgar, is that of supplication. In this the crude objective theory is assumed as true. There is a god named A, whom you, B, proceed to petition, in exactly the same sense as a boy might ask his father for pocket-money. The second method involves a little more subtlety, inasmuch as the magician endeavours to harmonize himself with the nature of the god, and to a certain extent exalts himself, in the course of the ceremony; but the third method is the only one worthy of our consideration. This consists of a real identification of the magician and the god. Note that to do this in perfection involves the attainment of a species of Samadhi: and this fact alone suffices to link irrefragably magick with mysticism. Let us describe the magical method of identification. The symbolic form of the god is first studied with as much care as an artist would bestow upon his model, so that a perfectly clear and {17} unshakeable mental picture of the god is presented to the mind. Similarly, the attributes of the god are enshrined in speech, and such speeches are committed perfectly to memory. The invocation will then begin with a prayer to the god, commemorating his physical attributes, always with profound und In the "third portion" of the invocation the magician asserts the identity of himself with the god. In the "fourth portion" the god is again invoked, but as if by Himself, as if it were the utterance of the will of the god that He should manifest in the magician. At the conclusion of this, the original object of the invocation is stated. Thus, in the invocation of Thoth which is to be found in the rite of Mercury (Equinox I, VI) and in Liber LXIV, the first part begins with the words "Majesty of Godhead, wisdom-crowned TAHUTI, Thee, Thee I invoke. Oh Thou of the Ibis head, Thee, Thee I invoke"; and so on. At the conclusion of this a mental image of the God, infinitely vast and infinitely splendid, should be perceived, in just the same sense as a man might see the Sun. The second part begins with the words: "Behold! I am yesterday, today, and the brother of tomorrow." ician who is address The Egyptian Gods are so complete in their nature, so perfectly spiritual and yet so perfectly material, that this one invocation is sufficient. The God bethinks him that the spirit of Mercury should now appear to the magician; and it is so. This Egyptian formula is therefore to be preferred to the Hierarchical formula of the Hebrews with its tedious prayers, conjurations, and curses. It will be noted, however, that in this invocation of Thoth which we have summarized, there is another formula contained, the Reverberating or Reciprocating formula, which may be called the formula of Horus and Harpocrates. The magician addresses the God with an active projection of his will, and then becomes passive while the God addresses the Universe. In the fourth part he remains silent, listening, to the prayer which arises therefrom. The formula of this invocation of Thoth may also be classed under Tetragrammaton. The first part is fire, the eager prayer of the magician, the second water, in which the magician listens to, or catches the reflection of, the god. The third part is air, the marriage of fire and water; the god and the man have become one; while the fourth part corresponds to earth, the condensation or materialization of those three higher principles. With this understanding, we may rehabilitate the Hebrew system of invocations. The mind is the great enemy; so, by invoking enthusiastically a person whom we know not to exist, we are rebuking that mind. Yet we should not refrain altogether from philosophising in the light of the Holy Qabalah. We should accept the Magical Hierarchy as a more or less convenient classification of the facts of the Universe as they are {20} known to us; and as our knowledge and understanding of those facts incre At the same time let us reflect that there is a certain definite consensus of experience as to the correlation of the various beings of the hierarchy with the observed facts of Magick. In the simple matter of astral vision, for example, one striking case may be quoted. CHAPTER III THE FORMULA OF TETRAGRAMMATON.<> This formula is of most universal aspect, as all things are necessarily comprehended in it; but its use in a magical ceremony is little understood. The climax of the formula is in one sense before even the formulation of the Yod. For the Yod is the most divine aspect of the Force --- the remaining letters are but a solidification of the same thing. It must be understood that we are here speaking of the whole ceremony considered as a unity, not merely of that formula in which "Yod" is the god invoked, "He" the Archangel, and so on. In order to understand the ceremony under this formula, we must take a more extended view of the function The formation of the "Yod" is the formulation of the first creative force, of that father who is called "self-begotten", and unto whom it is said: "Thou has formulated thy Father, and made fertile thy Mother". The adding of the "He" to the "Yod" is the marriage of that Father to the great co-equal Mother, who is a reflection of Nuit as He is of Hadit. Their union brings forth the son "Vau" who is the heir. Finally the daughter "He" is produced. She is both the twin sister and the daughter > is symbolised the whole course of the Universe. It will be seen that (after all) the Climax is at the end. It is the s The re-entry of these twin spouses into the womb of the mother is that initiation described in Liber 418, which gives admission to the Inmost Order of the A.'. A.'. Of the last step we cannot speak. It will now be recognised that to devise a practical magical ceremony to correspond to Tetragrammaton in this exalted sense might be difficult if not impossible. In such a ceremony the Rituals of purification alone might occupy many incarnations. It will be necessary, therefore, to revert to the simpler view of Tetragrammaton, remembering only that the "He" final is the Throne of the Spirit, of the Shin of Pentagrammaton. The Yod will represent a swift and violent creative energy; following this will be a calmer and more reflective but even more powerful flow of will, the irresistible force of a mighty river. This state of mind will be followed by an expansion of the consciousness; it will penetrate all space, and this will finally undergo a crystallization resplendent with interior light. Such modifications of the original Will may be observed in the course of the invocations when they are properly performe The peculiar dangers of each are obvious --- that of the first is a flash in the pan --- a misfire; that of the second, a falling into dreaminess or reverie; that of the third, loss of concentration. A mistake in any of these points will prevent, or injure the proper formation of, the fourth. In the expression which will be used in Chapter XV: "Enflame thyself", etc., only the first stage is specified; but if that is properly done the other stages will follow as if by necessity. So far is it written concerning the formula of Tetragrammaton. {23} CHAPTER IV. THE FORMULA OF ALHIM, AND THAT OF ALIM. "ALHIM", (Elohim) is the exoteric word for Gods.<<"Gods" are the Forces of Nature; their "Names" are the Laws of Nature. Thus They are eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent and so on; and thus their "Wills" are immutable and absolute.>> It is the masculine plural of a feminine noun, but its nature is principally feminine.< "ALHIM", therefore, represents rather the formula of Consecration than that of a complete ceremony. It is the breath of benediction, yet so potent that it can give life to clay and light to darkness. In consecrating a weapon, "Aleph" is the whirling force of the thunderbolt, the lightning which flameth out of the East even {24} into the West. This is the gift of the wielding of the thunderbolt of Zeus or Indra, the god of Air. "Lamed" is the Ox-goad, the driving force; and it is also the Balance, representing the truth and love of the Magician. It is the loving care which he bestows upon perfecting his instruments, and the equilibration of that fierce force which initiates the ceremony "Yod" is the creative energy -- the procreative power: and yet "Yod" is the solitude and silence of the hermitage into which the Magician has shut himself. "Mem" is the letter of water, and it is the Mem final, whose long flat lines suggest the Sea at Peace HB:Mem-final ; not the ordinary (initial and medial) Mem whose hieroglyph is a wave HB:Mem.< After the magician has created his instrument, and balanced it truly, and filled it with the lightnings of his Will, then is the weapon laid away to rest; and in this Silence, a true Consecration comes. THE FORMULA OF ALIM It is extremely interesting to contrast with the above the formula of the elemental Gods deprived of the creative spirit. One {25} might suppose that as ALIM, is the masculine plural of the masculine noun AL, its formula would be more virile than that of ALHIM, which is the masculine plural of the feminine noun ALH. A moment's investigation is sufficient to dissipate the illusion. The word masculine has no meaning except in relation to some feminine correlative. The word ALIM may in fact be considered as neuter. By a rather absurd convention, neuter objects are treated as feminine on account of their superficial resemblance in passivity and inertness with the unfertilized female. But the female produces life by the intervention of the male, while the neuter does so only when impregnated by Spirit. Thus we find the feminine AMA, becoming AIMA< This being so, how can we describe ALIM as containing a Magical Formula? Inquiry discloses the fact that this formula is of a very special kind. > It is only the romantic mediaeval perversion of science that represents young women as partaking in witchcraft, which is, properly speaking, restricted to the use of such women as are no longer women in the Magical sense of the word, because thy are no longer capable of corresponding to the formula of the male, and are therefore neuter rather than feminine. It is for this rea No true Magical operation can be performed by the formula of ALIM. All the works of witchcraft are illusory; and their apparent effects depend on the idea that it is possible to alter things by the mere rearrangement of them. One {26} must not rely upon the false analogy of the Xylenes to rebut this argument. It is quite true that geometrical isomers act in different manners towards the substance to which they are brought into relation. And it is of course necessary sometimes to rearrange It is therefore occasionally inevitable for a Magician to reorganize the structure of certain elements before proceeding to his operation proper. Although such work is technically witchcraft, it must not be regarded as undesirable on that ground, for all operations which do not transmute matter fall strictly speaking under this heading. The real objection to this formula is not inherent in its own nature. Witchcraft consists in treating it as the exclusive preoccupation of Magick, and especially in denying to the Holy Spirit his right to indwell His Temple.< CHAPTER V The Formula of I.A.O. This formula is the principal and most characteristic formula of Osiris, of the Redemption of Mankind. "I" is Isis, Nature, ruined by "A", Apophis the Destroyer, and restored to life by the Redeemer Osiris.< "Ex Deo nascimur. In Jesu Morimur Per Spiritum Sanctum reviviscimus." This is also identical with the Word Lux, L.V.X., which is formed by the arms of a cross. It is this formula which is implied in those ancient and modern monuments in which the phallus is worshipped as the Saviour of the World. The doctrine of resurrection as vulgarly understood is false and absurd. It is not even "Scriptural". St. Paul does not identify the glorified body which rises with the mortal body which dies. On the contrary, he repeatedly insists on the distinction. The same is true of a magical ceremony. The magician who is destroyed by absorption in the Godhead is really destroyed. The {28} miserable mortal automaton remains in the Circle. It is of no more consequence to Him that the dust of the floor.< But before entering into the details of "I.A.O." as a magick formula it should be remarked that it is essentially the formula of Yoga or meditation; in fact, of elementary mysticism in all its branches. > a quiet pleasure, a gentle natural growth; one takes a lively interest in the work; it seems easy; one is quite pleased to have started. This stage represents Isis. Sooner or later it is succeeded by depression --- the Dark Night of the Soul, an infinite weariness and detestation of the work. The simplest and easiest acts become almost impossible to perform. Such impotence fills the mind with apprehension and despair. The intensity of t It is followed by the arising not of Isis, but of Osiris. The ancient condition is not restored, but a new and superior condition is created, a condition only rendered possible by the process of death. The Alchemists themselves taught this same truth. The first matter of the work was base and primitive, though "natural". After passing through various stages the "black dragon" appeared; but from this arose the pure and perfect gold. Even in the legend of Prometheus we find an identical formula concealed; and a similar remark applies to those of Jesus Christ, and of many other mythical god-men worshipped in different countries.< It will now be understood that this formula of I A O is a formula of Tiphareth. The magician who employs it is conscious of himself as a man liable to suffering, and anxious to transcend that state by becoming one with god. It will appear to him as the Supreme Ritual, as the final step; but, as has already been {30} pointed out, it is but a preliminary. For the normal man today, however, it represents considerable attainment; and there is a much earlier formula whose investigation will occ THE MASTER THERION, in the Seventeenth year of the Aeon, has reconstructed the Word I A O to satisfy the new conditions of Magick imposed by progress. The Word of the Law being Thelema, whose number is 93, this number should be the canon of a corresponding Mass. Accordingly, he has expanded I A O by treating the O as an Ayin, and then adding Vau as prefix and affix. The full word is then Vau Yod Aleph Ayin Vau whose number is 93. We may analyse this new Word in detail and demonstrate that it is a proper hieroglyph of the Ritual of Self-Initiation in this Aeon of Horus. For the correspondence in the following note, see Liber 777. The principal points are these: {31} --------------.---.-------------.---.--------------.------------------------ : : : : : Atu :No.: Hebrew :No.:Correspondence: Other :of : :of : : (Tarot Trump) :Atu: letters :let: in Nature : Correspondences : : :ter: : --------------+---+-------------+---+--------------+------------------------ : : : : : : : : : : The Hiero- : V :Vau (a nail) : 6 :Taurus (An :The Sun. The son in Te- phant. (Osi-: : English V, : : earthy sign : tragrammaton. (See Cap. ris throned : : W, or vo- : : ruled by : III). The Pentagram & crowned, : : wel between : : Venus; the : which shows Spirit with Wand. : : O and U- : : Moon exalt- : master & reconciler of : : ma'ajab and : : ed therein. : the Four Elements. : : ma'aruf. : : but male.) : Four Wor- : : : : Liberty,i.e.:The Hexagram which un- shippers;the: : : : free will. : God and Man. The cons- four ele- : : : : : sciousness or Ruach. ments. : : : : : : : : : :Parzival as the Child in : : : : : his widowed mother's : : : : : care: Horus, son of : : : : : Isis and the slain : : : : : Osiris. : : : : : : : : : :Parzival as King & : : : : : Priest in Montsalvat : : : : : performing the mir- : : : : : acle of redemption; : : : : : Horus crowned and : : : : : conquering, taking the : : : : : place of his father. : : : : : : : : : :Christ-Bacchus in Hea- : : : : : ven-Olympus saving the : : : : : world. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : The Hermit :IX :Yod (a hand) : 10:Virgo (an :The root of the Alphabet (Hermes : : English I : : earthy sign : The Spermatozoon. The with Lamp, : : or Y. : : ruled by : youth setting out on Wings, : : : : Mercury : his adventures after Wand, : : : : exalted : receiving the Wand. Cloak, and : : : : therein; : Parzival in the desert Serpent). : : : : sexually : Christ taking refuge : : : : ambivalent) : in Egypt, and on : : : : Light, i.e. : the Mount tempted by : : : : of Wisdom, : the Devil. The uncon- : : : : the Inmost. : scious Will, or Word. {32} --------------.---.-------------.---.--------------.------------------------ : : : : : Atu :No.: Hebrew :No.:Correspondence: Other :of : : of: : (Tarot Trump) :Atu: letters :let: in Nature : Correspondences : : :ter: : --------------+---+-------------+---+--------------+------------------------ : : : : : : : : : : The Fool : O :Aleph (an ox): 1 :Air (The con- :The free breath. The (The Babe : : English A, : : dition of : Svastika. The Holy in the Egg : : more or : : all Life, : Ghost. The Virgin's on the Lo- : : less : : the impar- : Womb. Parzial as "der tus, Bacchus: : : : tial vehicle: reine Thor" who knows Diphues, : : : : Sexually : nothing. Horus. etc. : : : : undevelop- : Christ-Bacchus as the : : : : ed). Life; : innocent babe, pursued : : : : i.e. the : by Herod-Here. : : : : organ of : Hercules strangling : : : : possible : the serpents. The : : : : expression. : Unconscious Self not : : : : : yet determined in any : : : : : direction. : : : : : : : : : : The Devil :XV :Ayin (an : 70:Capricornus :Parzival in Black Armour, (Baphomet : : eye) En- : : (an earthy : ready to return to throned & : : glish A, or: : sign ruled : Montsalvat as Redeemer- adored by : : O more or : : by Saturn; : King: Horus come to Male & Fe- : : less: the : : Mars exalt- : full growth. Christ- male. See : : bleat of a : : ed therein. : Bacchus with Calvary- Eliphas : : goat, A'a. : : Sexually : Cross Kithairon --- Levi's de- : : : : male) : Thyrsus. sign.) : : : : love: i.e. : : : : : the instinct: : : : : to satisfy : : : : : Godhead by : : : : : uniting it : : : : : with the : : : : : Universe. : : : : : : Iota-Alpha-Digamma varies in significance with successive Aeons. {33} "Aeon of Isis." Matriarchal Age. The Great Work conceived as a straightforward simple affair. We find the theory reflected in the customs of Matriarchy. Parthenogenesis is supposed to be true. The Virgin (Yod-Virgo) contains in herself the Principle of Growth --- the epicene Hermetic seed. It becomes the Babe in the Egg (A --- Harpocrates) by virtue of the Spirit (A = Air, impregnating the Mother---Vulture) and this becomes the Sun or Son ( Digamma = the letter of Tiphareth, 6, even when spelt as Omega, in Coptic. See 777). "Aeon of Horus." Two sexes in one person. Digamma Iota Alpha Omicron Digamma: 93, the full formula, recognizing the Sun as the Son (Star), as the pre-existent manifested Unit from which all springs and to which all returns. The Great Work is to make the initial Digamma Digamma of Assiah (The world of material illusion) into the final Digamma Iota Digamma of Atziluth,< Spelling the Name in full, Digamma Digamma + Iota Digamma Delta + Alpha Lambda Pi + Omicron Iota Nu + Digamma Iota = 309 = Sh T = XX + XI = 31 the secret Key of the Law. Digamma is the manifested Star. Iota is the secret Life .............. Serpent --- Light ............. Lamp --- Love .............. Wand --- Liberty ........... Wings --- Silence ........... Cloak These symbols are all shewn in the Atu "The Hermit". They are the powers of the Yod, whose extension is the Vau. Yod is the Hand wherewith man does his Will. It is also The Virgin; his essence is inviolate. Alpha is the Babe "who has formulated his Father, and made fertile his Mother" --- Harpocrates, etc., as before; but he develops to Omicron The exalted "Devil" (also the "other" secret Eye) by the formula of the Initiation of Horus elsewhere described in We have therefore no scruple in restoring the "devil-worship" of such ideas as those which the laws of sound, and the phenomena of speech and hearing, compel us to connect with the group of "Gods" whose names are based upon Sht, or D, vocalized by the free breath A. For these Names imply the qualities of courage, frankness, energy, pride, power and triumph; they are the words which express the creative and paternal will. Thus "the Devil" is Capricornus, the Goat who leaps upon the loftiest mountains, the Godhead which, if it become manifest in man, makes him Aegipan, the All. The Sun enters this sign when he turns to renew the year in the North. He is also the vowel O, proper to roar, to boom, and {36} to command, being a forcible breath controlled by the firm circle of the mouth. He is the Open Eye of the exalted Sun, before whom all shadows flee away: also that Secret Eye which makes an image of its God, the Light, and gives it power to utter oracles, enlightening the mind. Thus, he is Man made God, exalted, eager; he has come consciously to his full stature, and so is ready to set out on his journey to redeem the world. But he may not appear in this true form; the Vision of Pan would drive men mad with fear. He must conceal Himself in his original guise. He therefore becomes apparently the man that he was at the beginning; he lives the life of a man; indeed, he is wholly man. But his initiation has made him master of the Event by giving him the understanding that whatever happens to him is the execution of this true will. Thus the last stage of his initiation is expressed in our formula as the final: Digamma --- The series of transformations has not affected his identity; but it has explained him to himself. Similarly, Copper is still Copper after Cu+O = CuO:+H SO =CuS O(H O):+K S=CuS(K SO ): 2 4 4 2 2 2 4 + blowpipe and reducing agent = Cu(S). The second main point is the completion of the A babe Bacchus by the O Pan (Parzival wins the Lance, etc.). {37} The first process is to find the I in the V --- initiation, purification, finding the Secret Root of oneself, the epicene Virgin who is 10 (Malkuth) but spelt in full 20 (Jupiter). This Yod in the "Virgin" expands to the Babe in the Egg by formulating the Secret Wisdom of Truth of Hermes in the Silence of the Fool. He acquires the Eye-Wand, beholding the acting and being adored. The Inverted Pentagram --- Baphomet --- the Hermaphrodite fully grown --- begets himself on himself as V again. Note that there are now two sexes in one person throughout, so that each individual is self-procreative sexually, whereas Isis knew only one sex, and Osiris thought the two sexes opposed. Also the formula is now Love in all cases; and the end is the beginning, on a higher plane. The I is formed from the V by removing its tail, the A by balancing 4 Yods, the O by making an inverted triangle of Yods, which suggests the formula of Nuit --- Hadit --- Ra-Hoor-Khuit. A is the elements whirling as a Svastika --- the creative Energy in equilibrated action.< -------------- {38} CHAPTER VI THE FORMULA OF THE NEOPHYTE<>. It will be seen that the effect of this whole ceremony is to endow a thing inert and impotent with balanced motion in a given direction. Numerous example of this formula are given {39} in Equinox I, Nos. II and III. It is the formula of the Neophyte Ceremony of G.'. D.'. It should be employed in the consecration of the actual weapons used by the magician, and may also be used as the first formula of initiation. > (Equinox I, III) are given full details of this formula, which cannot be too carefully studied and practised. It is unfortunately, the most complex of all of them. But this is the fault of the first matter of the work, which is so muddled that many operations ------------ {40} CHAPTER VII THE FORMULA OF THE HOLY GRAAL: OF ABRAHADABRA: "and of certain other Words." Also: THE MAGICAL MEMORY. The Hieroglyph shewn in the Seventh Key of the Tarot (described in the 12th Aethyr, Liber 418, Equinox I, V) is the Charioteer of OUR LADY BABALON, whose Cup or Graal he hears. Now this is an important formula. It is the First of the Formulae, in a sense, for it is the formula of Renunciation.<> It is also the Last! This Cup is said to be full of the Blood of the Saints; that is, every "saint" or magician must give the last drop of his life's blood to that cup. It is the original price paid for magick power. And if by magick power we mean the true power, the assimilation of all force with the Ultimate Light, the true Bridal of the Rosy Cross, then is that blood the offering of Virginity, the sole sacrifice well-pleasing to the Master, the sacrifice whose only reward is the pain of child-bearing unto hi But "to sell one's soul to the devil", to renounce no matter what for an equivalent in personal gain<<"Supposed" personal gain. There is really no person to gain; so the whole transaction is a swindle on both sides.>>, is black magic. You are no longer a noble giver of your all, but a mean huckster. {41} This formula is, however, a little different in symbolism, since it is a Woman whose Cup must be filled. It is rather the sacrifice of the Man, who transfers life to his descendants. For a woman does not carry in herself the principle of new life, except temporarily, when it is given her. But here the formula implies much more even than this. For it is his whole life that the Magus offers to OUR LADY. The Cross is both Death and Generation, and it is on the Cross that the Rose blooms. The full significance of these symbols is so lofty that it is hardly fitted for an elementary treatise of this type. One must be an Exempt Adept, and have become ready to pass on, before one can see the symbols even from the lower plane. Only a Master of the Temple can fully understand them. (However, the reader may study Liber CLVI, in Equinox I, VI, the 12th and 2nd Aethyrs in Liber 418 in Equinox I, V, and the Symbolism of the V Degree and VI Degree in O.T.O.) > the All-Father, to revive him, and of how his divine Essence fills the Daughter (the soul of Man) and places her upon the Throne of the Mother, fulfilling the Economy of the Universe, and thus ultimately rewarding the Magician (the Son) ten thousandfold, it would be still more improper to speak in this place. So holy a mystery is the Arcanum of the Masters of the Temple, that it is here hinted at in order to II III There are many other sacred words which enshrine formulae of great efficacity in particular operations. For example, V.I.T.R.I.O.L. gives a certain Regimen of the Planets useful in Alchemical work. Ararita is a formula of the macrocosm potent in certain very lofty Operations of the Magick of the Inmost Light. (See Liber 813.) The formula of Thelema may be summarized thus: Theta "Babalon and the Beast conjoined" --- epsilon unto Nuith (CCXX, I, 51) --- lambda The Work accomplished in Justice --- eta The Holy Graal --- mu The Water therein --- alpha The Babe in the Egg (Harpocrates on the Lotus.) That of "Agape" is as follows: Dionysus (Capital Alpha) --- The Virgin Earth gamma --- The Babe in the Egg (small alpha --- the image of the Father) --- The Massacre of the Innocents, pi (winepress) --- The Draught of Ecstasy, eta. The student will find it well worth his while to seek out these ideas in detail, and develop the technique of their application. IV. It may be stated without unfairness, as a rough general principle, that the farther from original equality are the two sides of the equation, the more difficult is the operation to perform. Thus, to take the case of the personal operation symbolized by the grades, it is harder to become a Neophyte, 1 Degree = 10Square, than to pass from that grade to Zelator, 2 Degree = 9Square. Initiation is, therefore, progressively easier, in a certain sense, after the first step is taken. But (especially after the passing of Tiphareth) the distance between grade and grade increases as it were by a geometrical progression with an enormously high factor, which itself progresses.< It is evidently impossible to give details of all these formulae. Before beginning any operation soever the magician must make a through Qabalistic study of it so as to work out its theory in symmetry of perfection. Preparedness in Magick is as important as it is in War. V It should be profitable to make a somewhat detailed study of the strange-looking word AUMGN, for its analysis affords an excellent illustration of the principles on which the Practicus may construct his own Sacred Words. This word has been uttered by the MASTER THERION himself, as a means of declaring his own personal work as the Beast, the Logos of the Aeon. To understand it, we must make a preliminary consideration of the word which it replaces and from which it was developed: the word AUM. The word AUM is the sacred Hindu mantra which was the supreme hieroglyph of Truth, a compendium of the Sacred Knowledge. Many volumes have been written with regard to it; but, for our present purpose, it will be necessary only to explain how it came to serve for the representation of the principal philosophical tenets of the Rishis. {45} Analysed Qabalistically, the word is found to possess similar properties. A is the negative, and also the unity which concentrates it into a positive form. A is the Holy Spirit who begets God in flesh upon the Virgin, according to the formula familiar to students of "The Golden Bough". A is also the "babe in the Egg" thus produced. The quality of A is thus bisexual. It is the original being --- Zeus Arrhenothelus, Bacchus Diphues, or Baphomet. U or V is the manifested son himself. Its number is 6. It refers therefore, to the dual nature of the Logos as divine and human; the interlacing of the upright and averse triangles in the hexagram. It is the first number of the Sun, whose last number< The letter M exhibits the termination of this process. It is the Hanged Man of the Tarot; the formation of the individual from the absolute is closed by his death. We see accordingly how AUM is, on either system, the expression of a dogma which implies catastrophe in nature. It is cognate with the formula of the Slain God. The "resurrection" and "ascension" are not implied in it. They are later inventions without basis in necessity; they may be described indeed as Freudian phantasms conjured up by the fear of facing reality. To {46} the Hindu, indeed, they are still less respectable. in his view, existence is essentially objectionable< The cardinal revelation of the Great Aeon of Horus is that this formula AUM does not represent the facts of nature. The point of view is based upon misapprehension of the character of existence. It soon became obvious to The Master Therion that AUM was an inadequate and misleading hieroglyph. It stated only part of the truth, and it implied a fundamental falsehood. He consequently determined to modify the word in such a manner as to fit it to represent the Arcana unveiled by the Aeon of w Sound work invariable vindicates itself by furnishing confirmatory corollaries not contemplated by the Qabalist. In the present instance, the Master Therion was delighted to remark that his compound letter MGN, constructed on theoretical principles with the idea of incorporating the new knowledge of the Aeon, had the value of 93 (M = 40, G = 3, N = 50). 93 is the number of the word of the Law --- Thelema --- Will, and of Agape --- Love, which indicates the nature of Will. It is furthermore >; also Malkuth multiplied by itself<<10 to the 2 power The above are the principal considerations in the matter of AUMGN. They should suffice to illustrate to the student the methods employed in the construction of the hieroglyphics of Magick, and to arm him with a mantra of terrific power by virtue whereof he may apprehend the Universe, and control in himself its Karmic consequences. {49} VI THE MAGICAL MEMORY.<> I >. As Zoroaster says: "Explore the river of the soul; whence and in what order thou has come." One cannot do one's True Will intelligently unless one knows what it is. Liber Thisarb, Equinox I, VII, give instructions for determining this by calculating the resultant of the forces which ha If one were to wake up in a boat on a strange river, it would be rash to conclude that the direction of the one reach visible was that of the whole stream. It would help very much if one remembered the bearings of previous reaches traversed before one's nap. It would further relieve one's anxiety when one became aware that a uniform and constant force was the single determinant of all the findings of the stream: gravitation. We could rejoice "that even the weariest river winds somewhere sa As soon as one has passed this Pons Asinorum, the practice becomes much easier. It is much less trouble to reach the life before the last; familiarity with death breeds contempt for it. It is a very great assistance to the beginner if he happens to have some intellectual grounds for identifying himself with some definite person in the immediate past. A brief account of Aleister Crowley's good fortune in this matter should be instructive. It will be seen that the points of contact vary greatly in character. 1. The date of Eliphas Levi's death was about six months previous to that of Aleister Crowley's birth. The reincarnating ego is supposed to take possession of the foetus at about this stage of development. {51} 2. Eliphas Levi had a striking personal resemblance to Aleister Crowley's father. This of course merely suggests a certain degree of suitability from a physical point of view. 3. Aleister Crowley wrote a play called "The Fatal Force" at a time when he had not read any of Eliphas Levi's works. The motive of this play is a Magical Operation of a very peculiar kind. The formula which Aleister Crowley supposed to be his original idea is mentioned by Levi. We have not been able to trace it anywhere else with such exact correspondence in every detail. 4. Aleister Crowley found a certain quarter of Paris incomprehensibly familiar and attractive to him. This was not the ordinary phenomenon of the "deja vu", it was chiefly a sense of being at home again. He discovered long after that Levi had lived in the neighbourhood for many years. 5. There are many curious similarities between the events of Eliphas Levi's life and that of Aleister Crowley. The intention of the parents that their son should have a religious career; the inability to make use of very remarkable talents in any regular way; the inexplicable ostracism which afflicted him, and whose authors seemed somehow to be ashamed of themselves; the events relative to marriage< 7. When Aleister Crowley became Frater Omicron-Upsilon Mu-Eta and had to write his thesis for the grade of Adeptus Exemptus, he had already collected his ideas when Levi's "Clef des Grands Mysteres" fell into his hands. It was remarkable that he, having admired Levi for many years, and even begun to suspect the identity, had not troubled (although an extravagant buyer of books) to get this particular work. He found, to his astonishment, that almost everything that he had himself intended t If the theory of reincarnation were generally accepted, the above considerations would make out a strong case. FRATER PERDURABO was quite convinced in one part of his mind of this identity, long before he got any actual memories as such.< II Unless one has a groundwork of this sort to start with, one must get back to one's life as best one can by the methods above indicated. {53} It may be of some assistance to give a few characteristics of genuine Magical Memory; to mention a few sources of error, and to lay down critical rules for the verification of one's results. The first great danger arises from vanity. One should always beware of "remembering" that one was Cleopatra or Shakespeare. Again, superficial resemblances are usually misleading. There is an obvious line of criticism about any recollection. It must not clash with ascertained facts. For example --- one cannot have two lives which overlap, unless there is reason to suppose that the earlier died spiritually before his body ceased to breathe. This might happen in certain cases, such as insanity. It is not conclusive against a previous incarnation that the present should be inferior to the past. One's life may represent the full possibilities of a certain partial Karma. One may have {55} devoted one's incarnation to discharging the liabilities of one part of one's previous character. For instance, one might devote a lifetime to settling the bill run up by Napoleon for causing unnecessary suffering, with the object of starting afresh, clear of debt, in a life devoted to reaping the The Master Therion, in fact, remembers several incarnations of almost uncompensated wretchedness, anguish and humiliation, voluntarily undertaken so that he might resume his work unhampered by spiritual creditors. These are the stigmata. Memory is hall-marked by its correspondence with the facts actually observed in the present. This correspondence may be of two kinds. It is rare (and it is unimportant for the reasons stated above) that one's memory should be confirmed by what may be called, contemptuously, external evidence. It was indeed a reliable contribution to psychology to remark that an evil and adulterous generation sought for a sign. (Even so, the permanent value of the observation is to trace the genealogy of the Pharisee --- from Caiaphas to the modern Christian.) ------------- {59} CHAPTER VIII OF EQUILIBRIUM, AND OF THE GENERAL AND PARTICULAR METHOD OF PREPARATION OF THE FURNITURE OF THE TEMPLE AND OF THE INSTRUMENTS OF ART. I > So sayeth the holiest of the Books of the ancient Qabalah. (Siphra Tzeniutha 1. 2.) One As said above, the object of any magick ceremony is to unite the Macrocosm and the Microcosm. It is as in optics; the angles of incidence and reflection are equal. You must get your Macrocosm and Microcosm exactly balanced, vertically and horizontally, or the images will not coincide. In this way let every idea go forth as a triangle on the base of two opposites, making an apex transcending their contradiction in a higher harmony. It is not safe to use any thought in Magick, unless that thought has been thus equilibrated and destroyed. All this is to be expressed in the words of the ritual itself, and symbolised in every act performed. II Another recommendation was this: buy whatever may be necessary without haggling! > The least of the Magical Instruments is worth infinitely more than all that you possess, or if you like, than all that you stupidly suppose yourself to possess. Break this rule, and the usual Nemesis of the half-hearted awaits you. Not only do you get inferior instruments, but you lose III In all actions the same formulae are applicable. To invoke a god, i.e. to raise yourself to that godhead, the process is threefold, PURIFICATION, CONSECRATION and INITIATION. > and abstaining from any defi Further, the attitude of the magician to his weapons should be that of the God to the suppliant who invokes Him. It should be the love of the father for his child, the tenderness and care of the bridegroom for his bride, and that peculiar feeling which the creator of every work of art feels for his masterpiece. Where this is clearly understood, the magician will find no difficulty in observing the proper ritual, not only in the actual ceremonial consecration of each weapon, but in the actual preparation, a process which should adumbrate this ceremony; e.g., the magician will cut the wand from the tree, will strip it of leaves and twigs, will remove the bark. He will trim the ends nearly, and smooth down the knots: --- this is the banishing. He will then rub it with the consecrated oil until it becomes smooth and glistening and golden. He will then wrap it in silk of the appropriate colour: --- this is the Consecration. He will then take it, and imagine that it is that hollow tube in which Prometheus brought down fire from heaven, formulating to himself the passing of the Holy Influence through it. In this and other ways he will perform the initiation; and, this being accomplished, he will repeat the whole process in an elaborate ceremony.< To take an entirely different case, that of the Circle; the magician will synthesize the Vermilion required from Mercury an Sulphur which he has himself sublimated. This pure {66} vermilion he will himself mix with the consecrated oil, and as he uses this paint he will think intently and with devotion of the symbols which he draws. This circle may then be initiated by a circumambulation, during which the magician invokes the names of God that are on it. Any person without sufficient ingenuity to devise proper methods of preparation for the other articles required is unlikely to make much of a magician; and we shall only waste space if we deal in detail with the preparation of each instrument. There is a definite instruction in Liber A vel Armorum, in the Equinox, Volume I, Number IV, as to the Lamp and the Four Elemental Weapons. ------------- {67} CHAPTER IX OF SILENCE AND SECRECY: AND OF THE BARBAROUS NAMES OF EVOCATION. However this may be, it "works". Even the beginner finds that "things happen" when he uses it: and this is an advantage --- or disadvantage! ---- shared by no other type of language,. The rest need skill. This needs Prudence! The Egyptian Invocations are much purer, but their meaning has not been sufficiently studied by persons magically competent. We possess a number of Invocations in Greek of every degree of excellence; in Latin but few, and those of inferior quality. It will be noticed that in every case the conjurations are very sonorous, {68} and there is a certain magical voice in which they should be recited. This special voice was a natural gift of the Master Therion; but it can be easily taught --- to Various considerations impelled Him to attempt conjurations in the English language. There already existed one example, the charm of the witches in Macbeth; although this was perhaps not meant seriously, its effect is indubitable.< He has found iambic tetrameters enriched with many rimes both internal an external very useful. "The Wizard Way" (Equinox I,I) gives a good idea of the sort of thing. So does the Evocation of Bartzabel in Equinox I,IX. There are many extant invocations throughout his works, in many kinds of metre, of many kinds of being, and for many kinds of purposes. (See Appendix). Other methods of incantation are on record as efficacious. For instance Frater I.A., when a child, was told that he could invoke the devil by repeating the "Lord's Prayer" backwards. He went into the garden and did so. The Devil appeared, and almost scared him out of his life. It is therefore not quite certain in what the efficacy of conjurations really lies. The peculiar mental excitement required may even be aroused by the perception of the absurdity of the process, and the persistence in it, as when once FRATER PERDURABO (at the end of His magical resources) recited "From Greenland's Icy Mountains", and obtained His result.< It may be conceded in any case that the long strings of formidable words which roar and moan through so many conjurations have a real effect in exalting the consciousness of the magician to the proper pitch --- that they should do so is no more extraordinary than music of any kind should do so. While on the subject of barbarous names of evocation we should not omit the utterance of certain supreme words which enshrine (alpha) the complete formula of the God invoked, or (beta) the whole ceremony. Examples of the former kind are Tetragrammaton, I.A.O., and Abrahadabra. An example of the latter kind is the great word StiBeTTChePhMeFSHiSS, which is a line drawn on the Tree of Life (Coptic attributions) in a certain manner.<> Every wise magician will have constructed (according to the principles of the Holy Qabalah) many such words, and he should have quintessentialised them all in one Word, which last Word, once he has formed it, he should never utter consciously even in thought, until perhaps with it he gives up the ghost. Such a Word should in fact be so potent that man cannot hear it and live. {70} >. It is said that at the utterance of this name the Universe crashes into dissolution. Let the Magician earnestly seek this Lost Word, for its pronunciation is syno In this matter of the efficacity of words there are again two formulae exactly opposite in nature. A word may become potent and terrible by virtue of constant repetition. It is in this way that most religions gain strength. At first the statement "So and so is God" excites no interest. Continue, and you meet scorn and scepticism: possibly persecution. Continue, and the controversy has so far died out that no one troubles to contradict your assertion. No superstition is so dangerous and so lively as an exploded superstition. The newspapers of to-day (written and edited almost exclusively by men without a spark of either religion or morality) dare not hint that any one disbelieves in the ostensibly prevailing cult; they deplore Atheism --- all but universal in practice and implicit in the theory of practically all intelligent people --- as if it were the eccentricity of a few negligible or objectionable persons. This is the ordinary story The opposite formula is that of secrecy. An idea is perpetuated because it must never be mentioned. A freemason never forgets the secret words entrusted to him, thought these words mean absolutely nothing to him, in the vast majority of cases; the only reason for this is that he has been forbidden to mention them, although they have been published again and again, and are as accessible to the profane as to the initiate. In such a work of practical Magick as the preaching of a new {71} Law, these methods may be advantageously combined; on the one hand infinite frankness and readiness to communicate all secrets; on the other the sublime and terrible knowledge that all real secrets are incommunicable.< It is, according to tradition, a certain advantage in conjurations to employ more than one language. In all probability the reason of this is than any change spurs the flagging attention. A man engaged in intense mental labour will frequently stop and walk up and down the room --- one may suppose for this cause --- but it is a sign of weakness that this should be necessary. For the beginner in Magick, however, it is permissible< But this ego of which it is here spoken is the true ultimate ego. The automaton should possess will, energy, intelligence, reason, and resource. This automaton should be the perfect man far more {72} than any other man can be. It is only the divine self within the man, a self as far above the possession of will or any other qualities whatsoever as the heavens are high above the earth, that should reabsorb itself into that illimitable radiance of which it is a spark.< The great difficulty for the single Magician is so to perfect himself that these multifarious duties of the Ritual are adequately performed. At first he will find that the exaltation destroys memory and paralyses muscle. This is an essential difficulty of the magical process, and can only be overcome by practice and experience.< >, and the chance of a conflict of will or a misunderstanding in the circle itself. On one occasion FRATER PERDURABO was disobeyed by However, there is no doubt that an assemblage of persons who really are in harmony can much more easily produce an effect than a magician working by himself. The psychology of "Revival meetings" will be familiar to almost every one, and though such {73} meetings< A few words may be useful to reconcile the general notion of Causality with that of Magick. How can we be sure that a person waving a stick and howling thereby produces thunderstorms? In no other way than that familiar to Science; we note that whenever we put a lighted match to dry gunpowder, an unintelligibly arbitrary phenomenon, that of sound, is observed; and so forth. We need not dwell upon this point; but it seems worth while to answer one of the objections to the possibility of Magick, chosing one which is at first sight of an obviously "fatal" character. It is convenient to quote verbatim from the Diary< "I have noticed that the effect of a Magical Work has followed {74} it so closely that it must have been started before the time of the Work. E.g. I work to-night to make X in Paris write to me. I get the letter the next morning, so that it must have been written before the Work. Does this deny that the Work caused the effect? "If I strike a billiard-ball and it moves, both my will and its motion are due to causes long antecedent to the act. I may consider both my Work and its reaction as twin effects of the eternal Universe. The moved arm and ball are parts of a state of the Cosmos which resulted necessarily from its momentarily previous state, and so, back for ever. "Thus, my Magical Work is only one of the cause-effects necessarily concomitant with the case-effects which set the ball in motion. I may therefore regard the act of striking as a cause-effect of my original Will to move the ball, though necessarily previous to its motion. But the case of magical Work is not quite analogous. For my nature is such that I am compelled to perform Magick in order to make my will to prevail; so that the cause of my doing the Work is also the cause of the ball's "Let me illustrate the theory by an actual example. "I write from Italy to a man in France and another in Australia on the same day, telling them to join me. Both arrive ten days later; the first in answer to my letter, which he received, the second on "his own initiative", as it would seem. But I summoned him because I wanted him; and I wanted him because he was my representative; and his intelligence made him resolve to join me because it judged rightly that the situation (so far as he knew it) was such as to make me desire his presence. "The same cause, therefore, which made me write to him made him come to me; and though it would be improper to say that the writing of the letter was the direct cause of his arrival, it is evident that if I had not written I should have been different from what I actually am, and therefore my relations with him would have been otherwise than they are. In this sense, therefore, the letter and the journey are causally connected. "One cannot go farther, and say that in this case I ought to write the letter even if he had arrived before I did so; for it {75} is part of the whole set of circumstance that I do not use a crowbar on an open door. "The conclusion is that one should do one's Will 'without lust of result'. If one is working in accordance with the laws of one's own nature, one is doing 'right'; and no such work can be criticised as 'useless', even in cases of the character here discussed. So long as one's Will prevails, there is no cause for complaint. "To abandon one's Magick would shew lack of self-confidence in one's powers, and doubt as to one's inmost faith in Self and in Nature.<> Of course one chan "Further, the argument here set forth disposes of the need to explain the "modus operandi" of Magick. A successful operation does not involve any theory soever, not even that of the existence of causality itself. The whole set of phenomena may be conceived as single. "For instance, if I see a star (as it was years ago) I need not assume causal relations as existing between it, the earth, and myself. The connexion exists; I can predicate nothing beyond that. I cannot postulate purpose, or even determine the manner in which the event comes to be. Similarly, when I do Magick, it is in vain to inquire why I so act, or why the desired result does or does not follow. Nor can I know how the previous and subsequent conditions are connected. At most I can des "Thus, I have my own personal impressions of the act of telephoning; but I cannot be aware of what consciousness, electricity, mechanics, sound, etc., actually are in themselves. And although I can appeal to experience to lay down 'laws' as to what {76} conditions accompany the act, I can never be sure that they have always been, or ever will again be, identical. (In fact, it is certain that an event can never occur twice in precisely the same circumstances.)< "We may therefore admit quite cheerfully that Magick is as mysterious as mathematics, as empirical as poetry, as uncertain as golf, and as dependent on the personal equation as Love. "That is no reason why we should not study, practice and enjoy it; for it is a Science in exactly the same sense as biology; it is no less an Art that Sculpture; and it is a Sport as much as Mountaineering. >that no Art offers such opportunities to the ambition {77} of the Soul to express its Truth, in Ecstasy, through Beauty; and that no Sport rivals its fascinations of danger and delight, so excites, ex "Magick takes every thought and act for its apparatus; it has the Universe for its Library and its Laboratory; all Nature is its Subject; and its Game, free from close seasons and protective restrictions, always abounds in infinite variety, being all that exists.< {78} CHAPTER X OF THE GESTURES This chapter may be divided into the following parts: 1. Attitudes. 2. Circumambulations (and similar movements). 3. Changes of position (This depends upon the theory of the construction of the circle). 4. The Knocks or Knells. I Attitudes are of two Kinds: natural and artificial. Of the first kind, prostration is the obvious example. It comes natural to man (poor creature!) to throw himself to the ground in the presence of the object of his adoration.< Intermediate between this and the purely artificial form of gesture comes a class which depends on acquired habit. Thus it is natural to an European officer to offer his sword in token of surrender. A Tibetan would, however, squat, put out his tongue, and place his hand behind his right ear. Purely artificial gestures comprehend in their class the majority of definitely magick signs, though some of these simulate a natural action --- e.g. the sign of the Rending of the Veil. But the sign of Auramoth (see Equinox I, II, Illustration "The Signs of the Grades") merely imitates a hieroglyph which has only a remote connection with any fact in nature. All signs must of course be studied with infinite patience, and practised until the connection {79} between them and the mental attitu II > This has a very definite result, but one which is very difficult to describe. An analogy is the dynamo. Circumambulation properly performed in combination with the Sign of Horus (or "The Enterer") on passing the East is one of the best methods of arousing the macrocosmic force in the Circle. It should nev A particular tread seems appropriate to it. This tread should be light and stealthy, almost furtive, and yet very purposeful. It is the pace of the tiger who stalks the deer. The number of circumambulations should of course correspond to the nature of the ceremony. >. In the spiral the tread s is the ordinary waltz-step combined with the three signs of L.V.X. It is much easier to attain ecstasy in this way than is generally supposed. The essence of the process consists in the struggle of the Will against g With practice, giddiness is altogether conquered; exhaustion then takes its place and the enemy of Will. It is through the mutual destruction of these antagonisms in the mental and moral being of the magician that Samadhi is begotten. III > explanatory of the Neophyte Ritual of the G.'. D.'., where the candidate is taken to various stations in the Temple, each station having a s > For the sensitive aura of the magician mi To take a simple example, suppose that, in an Evocation of Bartzabel, the planet Mars, whose sphere is Geburah (Severity) were situated (actually, in the heavens) opposite to the Square of Chesed (Mercy) of the Tau in the Circle, and the triangle placed accordingly. It would be improper for the Magus to stand on that Square unless using this formula, "I, from Chesed, rule Geburah through the Path of the Lion"; while --- taking an extreme case --- to stand on the square of Hod (which is natur >, are so sympathetic to the Magus himself that he may use them without reference to the nature of the spirit, or of the operation; unless he requires an exceptionally precise spirit free of all extraneous elements, or one whos To show how these positions may be used in conjunction with the spirals, suppose that you are invoking Hathor, Goddess of Love, to descend upon the Altar. Standing on the square of Netzach you will make your invocation to Her, and then dance an inward spiral deosil ending at the foot of the altar, where you sink on your knees with your arms raised above the altar as if inviting Her embrace.< To conclude, one may add that natural artistic ability, of you possess it, forms an excellent guide. All Art is Magick. Isadora Duncan has this gift of gesture in a very high degree. Let the reader study her dancing; if possible rather in private than in public, and learn the superb "unconsciousness" --- which is magical consciousness --- with which she suits the action to the melody.< There is no more potent means than Art of calling forth true Gods to visible appearance. {82} IV. The knocks or knells are all of the same character. They may be described collectively --- the difference between them consists only in this, that the instrument with which they are made seals them with its own special properties. It is of no great importance (even so) whether they are made by clapping the hands or stamping the feet, by strokes of one of the weapons, or by the theoretically appropriate instrument, the bell. It may nevertheless be admitted that they become more important in As above said, the object struck is the object impressed. Thus, a blow upon the altar affirms that he has complied with the laws of his operation. To strike the lamp is to summon the Light divine. Thus for the rest. nvention. To strike the wand within the cup is to apply the creative will to its proper complement, and so {83} perform the Great Work by the formula of Regeneration. To strike with the hand on the dagger declares that one demands the use of the dagger as a tool to extend one's executive power. The reader will recall how Siegfried smote Nothung, the sword of Need, upon the lance of Wotan. By the action Wa The general object of a knock or a knell is to mark a stage in the ceremony. Sasaki Shigetz tells us in his essay on Shinto that the Japanese are accustomed to clap their hands four times "to drive away evil spirits". He explains that what really happens is that the sudden and sharp impact of the sound throws the mind into an alert activity which enables it to break loose from the obsession of its previous mood. It is aroused to apply itself aggressively to the ideals which had oppressed i In a Magical ceremony the knock is employed for much the same purpose. The Magician uses it like the chorus in a Greek play. It helps him to make a clean cut, to turn his attention from one part of his work to the next. But a knock need not be single; the possible combinations are evidently infinite. We need only discuss the general principles of determining what number of strokes will be proper in any case, {84} and how we may interrupt any series so as to express our idea by means of structure. The general rule is that a single knock has no special significance as such, because unity is omniform. It represents Kether, which is the source of all things equally without partaking of any quality by which we discriminate one thing from another. Continuing on these lines, the number of knocks will refer to the Sephira or other idea Qabalistically cognate with that number. Thus, 7 knocks will intimate Venus, 11 the Great Work, 17 the Trinity of Fathers, and 19 the Feminine Principle in Analyzing the matter a little further, we remark firstly that a battery of too many knocks is confusing, as well as liable to overweight the other parts of the ritual. In practice, 11 is about the limit. It is usually not difficult to arrange to cover all necessary ground with that number. Secondly, each is so extensive in scope, and includes aspects so diverse from a practical standpoint that our danger lies in vagueness. A knock should be well defined; its meaning should be precise. The very nature of knocks suggests smartness and accuracy. We must therefore devise some means of making the sequence significant of the special sense which may be appropriate. Our only resource is in the use of intervals. As the nature of the number becomes more complex, the possible varieties increase rapidly. There are numerous ways of striking 6, each of which is suited to the nature of the several {85} aspects of Tiphareth. We may leave the determination of these points to the ingenuity of the student. ----------- {87} CHAPTER XI OF OUR LADY BABALON AND OF THE BEAST WHEREON SHE RIDETH. ALSO CONCERNING TRANSFORMATIONS. I The contents of this section, inasmuch as they concern OUR LADY, are too important and too sacred to be printed. They are only communicated by the Master Therion to chosen pupils in private instruction. II The essential magical work, apart from any particular operation, is the proper formation of the Magical Being or Body of Light. This process will be discussed at some length in Chapter XVIII. We will here assume that the magician has succeeded in developing his Body of Light until it is able to go anywhere and do anything. There will, however, be a certain limitation to his work, because he has formed his magical body from the fine matter of his own element. Therefore, although he may be able to penetrate the utmost recesses of the heavens, or conduct vigorous combats with the most unpronounceable demons of the pit, it may be impossible for him to do as much as knock a vase from There has been a good deal of discussion in the past within the Colleges of the Holy Ghost, as to whether it would be quite legitimate to seek to transcend this limitation. One need not presume to pass judgment. One can leave the decision to the will of each magician. The Book of the Dead contains many chapters intended to enable the magical entity of a man who is dead, and so deprived (according to the theory of death then current) of the material vehicle for executing his will, to take on the form of certain animals, such as a golden hawk or a crocodile, and in such form to go about the earth "taking his pleasure among the living."< We need not, however, consider this question of death. It may often be convenient for the living to go about the world in some such incognito. Now, then, conceive of this magical body as creative force, seeking manifestation; as a God, seeking incarnation. There are two ways by which this aim may be effected. The first method is to build up an appropriate body from its elements. This is, generally speaking, a very hard thing to do, because the physical constitution of any material being with much power is, or at least should be, the outcome of ages of evolution. However, there is a lawful method of producing an homunculus which is taught in a certain secret organization, perhaps known to some of those who may read this, which could very readil It is not necessary to say much more than this concerning transformations. Those to whom the subject naturally appeals will readily understand the importance of what has been said. Those who are otherwise inclined may reflect that a nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse. ------- {91} CHAPTER XII OF THE BLOODY SACRIFICE: AND MATTERS COGNATE. This subject must be studied in the "Golden Bough", where it is most learnedly set forth by Dr. J. G. Frazer. However, there is a mystery concealed in this theory of the bloody sacrifice which is of great importance to the student, and we therefore make no further apology, We should not have made even this apology for an apology, had it not been for the solicitude of a pious young friend of great austerity of character who insisted that the part of this chapter which now follows --- the part which was originally written --- might cause us to be misunderstood. This must not be. It would be unwise to condemn as irrational the practice of those savages who tear the heart and liver from an adversary, and devour them while yet warm. In any case it was the theory of {94} the ancient Magicians, that any living being is a storehouse of energy varying in quantity according to the size and health of the animal, and in quality according to its mental and moral character. At the death of the animal this energy is liberated suddenly. For evocations it would be more convenient to place the blood of the victim in the Triangle --- the idea being that the spirit might obtain from the blood this subtle but physical substance which was the quintessence of its life in such a manner as to enable it to take on a visible and tangible shape.< Those magicians who abject to the use of blood have endeavored to replace it with incense. For such a purpose the incense of Abramelin may be burnt in large quantities. Dittany of Crete is also a valuable medium. Both these incenses are very catholic in their nature, and suitable for almost any materialization. But the bloody sacrifice, though more dangerous, is more efficacious; and for nearly all purposes human sacrifice is the best. The truly great Magician will be able to use his own blood, or possibly that of a disciple, and that without sacrificing the physical life irrevocably.< One last word on this subject. There is a Magical operation of maximum importance: the Initiation of a New Aeon. When it becomes necessary to utter a Word, the whole Planet must be bathed in blood. Before man is ready to accept the Law of Thelema, the Great War must be fought. This Bloody Sacrifice is the critical point of the World-{96}Ceremony of the Proclamation of Horus, the Crowned and conquering Child, as Lord of the Aeon.< This whole matter is prophesied in the Book of the Law itself; let the student take note, and enter the ranks of the Host of the Sun. II There is another sacrifice with regard to which the Adepts have always maintained the most profound secrecy. It is the supreme mystery of practical Magick. Its name is the Formula of the Rosy Cross. In this case the victim is always --- in a certain sense --- the Magician himself, and the sacrifice must coincide with the utterance of the most sublime and secret name of the God whom he wishes to invoke. Properly performed, it never fails of its effect. But it is difficult for the beginner to do it satisfactorily, because it is a great effort for the mind to remain concentrated upon the purpose of the ceremony. The overcoming of this difficulty lends most powerful aid to the Magician. > Order of the Rosy Cross, {97} and he must have taken the vows with the fullest comprehension and experience of their meaning. It is also For this reason FRATER PERDURABO has never dared to use this formula in a fully ceremonial manner, save once only, on an occasion of tremendous import, when, indeed, it was not He that made the offering, but ONE in Him. For he perceived a grave defect in his moral character which he has been able to overcome on the intellectual plane, but not hitherto upon higher planes. Before the conclusion of writing this book he will have done so.< The practical details of the Bloody Sacrifice may be studied in various ethnological manuals, but the general conclusions are summed up in Frazer's "Golden Bough", which is strongly recommended to the reader. Actual ceremonial details likewise may be left to experiment. The method of killing is practically uniform. The animal should be stabbed to the heart, or its throat severed, in either case by the knife. All other methods of killing are less efficacious; even in the case of Crucifixion death is given by stabbing.< One may remark that warm-blooded animals only are used as victims: with two principal exceptions. The first is the serpent, which is only used in a very special Ritual;< > the amount of energy disengaged is almost unimaginably great, and out of all anticipated proportion to the strength of the animal. Consequently, the Magician may easily be overwhe You are also likely to get into trouble over this chapter unless you truly comprehend its meaning.<> --------- {100} CHAPTER XIII OF THE BANISHINGS: AND OF THE PURIFICATIONS. Cleanliness is next to Godliness, and had better come first. Purity means singleness. God is one. The wand is not a wand if it has something sticking to it which is not an essential part of itself. If you wish to invoke Venus, you do not succeed if there are traces of Saturn mixed up with it. That is a mere logical commonplace: in magick one must go much farther than this. One finds one's analogy in electricity. If insulation is imperfect, the whole current goes back to earth. It is useless to plead that in all those miles of wire there is only one-hundredth of an inch unprotected. It is no good building a ship if the water can enter, through however small a hole. > If one littlest thought intrude upon the mind of the Mystic, his concentration is absolutely destroyed; and his consciousness remains on exactly the same level as the Stockbroker's. Even the smallest baby is incompatible with the virginity of its mother. If y In modern times our superior understanding of the essentials of this process enables us to dispense to some extent with its external rigours; but the internal purification must be even more carefully performed. We may eat meat, provided that in doing so we affirm that we eat it in order to strengthen us for the special purpose of our proposed invocation.< By thus avoiding those actions which might excite the comment of our neighbours we avoid the graver dangers of falling into spiritual pride. We have understood the saying: "To the pure all things are pure", and we have learnt how to act up to it. We can analyse the mind far more acutely than could the ancients, and we can therefore distinguish the real and right feeling from its imitations. A man may eat meat from self-indulgence, or in order to avoid the dangers of asceticism. We must constantly examine ourselves, and assure ourselves that every action is really subservient to the One Purpose. It is ceremonially desirable to seal and affirm this mental purity by Ritual, and accordingly the first operation in any actual ceremony is bathing and robing, with appropriate words. The bath signifies the removal of all things extraneous to antagonistic to the one thought. The putting on of the robe is the positive side of the same operation. It is the assumption of the fame of mind suitable to that one thought. A similar operation takes place in the preparation of every instrument, as has been seen in the Chapter devoted to that subject. In the preparation of the place of working, the same considerations apply. We first remove from that place all objects; and we then put into it those objects, and only those {103} objects, which are necessary. During many days we occupy ourselves in this process of cleansing and consecration; and this again is confirmed in the actual ceremony. The cleansed and consecrated Magician takes his cleansed and consecrated instruments into that cleansed and consecrated place, and there proceeds to repeat that double ceremony in the ceremony itself, which has these same two main parts. The first part of every ceremony is the banishing; the second, the invoking. The same formula is repeated even in the ceremony of banishing itself, for in the banishing ritual of the pentagram we not only command the demons to depart, but invoke the Archang At the conclusion, it is usually well to pause for a few moments, and to make sure once more that every thing necessary to the ceremony is in its right place. The Magician may then proceed to the final consecration of the furniture of the Temple.< --------- {105} Magick in Theory and Practice by Aleister Crowley 1988 e.v. key entry and proof reading with re-format and conversion from XYWrite to 7-bit ASCII on 10/14/90 e.v. done by Bill Heidrick, T.G. of O.T.O. (further proof reading desirable) disk 2 of 4 Copyright (c) O.T.O. O.T.O. P.O.Box 430 Fairfax, CA 94930 USA (415) 454-5176 ---- Messages only. LIMITED LICENSE Except for notations added to the history of modification, the text on this diskette down to the next row of asterisks must accompany all copies made of this file. In particular, this paragraph and the copyright notice are not to be deleted or changed on any copies or print-outs of this file. With these provisos, anyone may copy this file for personal use or research. Copies may be made for others at reasonable cost of copying and mailing only, no additional charges may be added. ************************************************************************* Pages in the original are marked thus at the bottom: {page number} Comments and notes not in the original are identified with the initials of the source: AC note = Crowley note. WEH note = Bill Heidrick note, etc. All footnotes have been moved up to the place in text indexed and set off in double wedge brackets, viz. <> ************************************************************************** CHAPTER XIV OF THE CONSECRATIONS: WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE NATURE AND NURTURE OF THE MAGICAL LINK. I Consecration is the active dedication of a thing to a single purpose. Banishing prevents its use for any other purpose, but it remains inert until consecrated. Purification is performed by water, and banishing by air, whose weapon is the sword. Consecration is performed by fire, usually symbolised by the holy lamp.< The method of consecration is very simple. Take the wand, or the holy oil, and draw upon the object to be consecrated the supreme symbol of the force to which you dedicate it. Confirm this dedication in words, invoking the appropriate God to indwell that pure temple which you have prepared for Him. Do this with fervour and love, as if to balance the icy detachment which is the proper mental attitude for banishing.< The words of purification are: Asperges me, Therion, hyssopo, et mundabor; lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor. Those of consecration are: Accendat in nobis Therion ignem sui amoris et flammam aeternae caritatis.<> These, as initiates of the VII Degree of O.T.O. are aware, mean more than appears. II It is a strange circumstance that no Magical writer has hitherto treated the immensely important subject of the Magical Link. It might almost be called the Missing Link. It has apparently always been taken for granted, only lay writers on Magick like Dr. J. G. Frazer have accorded the subject its full importance. Let us try to make considerations of the nature of Magick in a strictly scientific spirit, as well as, deprived of the guidance of antiquity, we may. What is a Magical Operation? It may be defined as any event in nature which is brought to pass by Will. We must not exclude potato-growing or banking from our definition. {107} Let us apply these considerations to Magick in its restricted sense, the sense in which it was always understood until the Master Therion extended it to cover the entire operations of Nature. It is deplorable that nobody should have recorded in a systematic form the results of our investigations of the Astral Light. We have no account of its properties or of the laws which obtain in its sphere. Yet these are sufficiently remarkable. We may briefly notice that, in the Astral Light, two or more objects can {109} occupy the same space at the same time without interfering with each other or losing their outlines. But the Light servers us in this way. It enables us to see ourselves, and therefore to aid us to initiate ourselves by showing us what we are doing. In the same way a watchmaker uses a lens, though it exaggerates and thus falsifies the image of the system of wheels which he is trying to adjust. In the same way, a writer employs arbitrary characters according to a meaningless convention in order to enable his reader by retranslating them to obtain an approximation to his idea. These general principles should enable the student to understand the nature of the work of making the Magical Link. It is impossible to give detailed instructions, because every case demands separate consideration. It is sometimes exceedingly difficult to devise proper measures. Remember that Magick includes all acts soever. Anything may serve as a Magical weapon. To impose one's Will on a nation, for instance, one's talisman may be a newspaper, one's triangle a church, or one's circle a Club. To win a woman, one's {114} pantacle may be a necklace; to discover a treasure, one's wand may be a dramatist's pen, or one's incantation a popular song. I did not "sit for" a medical baronetcy by wishing I had it, or by an "act of faith", or by praying to God "to move Pharaoh's heart", as our modern mental, or our mediaeval, mystic, miracle-mongers were and are muddlers and maudlin enough to advise us to do. The Magical Link may be classified under three main heads; as it involves (1) one plane and one person, (2) one plane and two or more persons, (3) two planes. In class (1) the machinery of Magick --- the instrument --- already exists. Thus, I may wish to heal my own body, increase my own energy; develop my own mental powers, or inspire my own imagination. Here the Exorcist and the Demon are already connected, consciously or subconsciously, by an excellent system of symbols. The Will is furnished by Nature with an apparatus adequately equipped to convey and execute its orders. It is only necessary to inflame the Will to the proper pitch and to issue its commands; they are instantly obeyed, unless --- as in the case of organic disease --- the apparatus is damaged beyond the art of Nature to repair. It may be necessary in such a case to assist the internal "spirits" by the "purification" of medicines, the "banishing" of diet, or some other extraneous means. The second class includes all operations by which the Magician strives to impose his Will upon objects outside his own control, but within that of such other wills as are symbolised by means of {116} a system similar to his own. That is, they can be compelled naturally by cognate consciousness. For instance, one may wish to obtain the knowledge put forth in this book. Not knowing that such a book exists, one might yet induce some one who knows of it to offer a copy. Thus one's operation would consist in inflaming one's Will to possess the knowledge to the point of devoting one's life to it, in expressing that will by seeking out people who seem likely to know what is needed, and in imposing it on them by exhibiting such enthusiastic earnestness that they will tell the enquirer tha Does this sound too simple? Can this obvious common-sense course be really that marvellous Magick that frightens folk so? Yes, even this triviality is one instance of how Magick works. But the above practical programme may be a fiasco. One might then resort to Magick in the conventional sense of the word, by constructing and charging a Pantacle appropriate to the object; this Pantacle should then cause a strain in the Astral Light such that the vibrations would compel some alien consciousness to restore equilibrium by bringing the book. Suppose a severer and more serious aim; suppose that I wish to win a woman who dislikes me and loves somebody else. In this case, not only her Will, but her lover's must be overcome by my own. I have no direct control of either. But my Will is in touch with the woman's by means of our minds; I have only to make my mind the master of hers by the existing means of communication; her mind will then present its recantation to her Will, her Will repeal its decision, and her body submit to mine Here the Magical Link exists; only it is complex instead of simple as in the First Class. There is opportunity for all kinds of error in the transmission of the Will; misunderstanding may mar the matter; a mood may make mischief; external events may interfere; the lover may match me in Magick; the Operation itself may offend nature in many ways; for instance, if there is a subconscious incompatibility between myself and the woman, I deceive myself into thinking {117} that I desire her. Such a flaw is enough to bring the whole operation to naught, just as no effort of Will can make I may work "naturally" by wooing, of course. But, magically, I may attack her astrally so that her aura becomes uneasy, responding no longer to her lover. Unless they diagnose the cause, a quarrel may result, and the woman's bewildered and hungry Body of Light may turn in its distress to that of the Magician who has mastered it. Take a third case of this class 2. I wish to recover my watch, snatched from me in a crowd. Here I have no direct means of control over the muscles that could bring back my watch, or over the mind that moves these muscles. I am not even able to inform that mind of my Will, for I do not know where it is. But I know it to be a mind fundamentally like my own, and I try to make a Magical Link with it by advertising my loss in the hope of reaching it, being careful to calm it by promising it immunity, and to appeal to its own known motive by offering a reward. I also attempt to use th Again, a sorcerer might happen to possess an object belonging magically to a rich man, such as a compromising letter, which is really as much part of him as his liver; he may then master the will of that man by intimidating his mind. His power to publish the letter is as effective as if he could injure the man's body directly. These "natural" cases may be transposed into subtler terms; for instance, one might master another man, even a stranger, by sheer concentration of will, ceremonially or otherwise wrought up to the requisite potential. But in one way or another that will must be {118} made to impinge on the man; by the normal means of contact if possible, if not, by attacking some sensitive spot in his subconscious sensorium. But the heaviest rod will not land the smallest fish unless there be a line of some The Third Class is characterized by the absence of any existing link between the Will of the Magician and that controlling the object to be affected. (The Second Class may approximate to the Third when there is no possibility of approaching the second mind by normal means, as sometimes happens). Our Magician, with this in his mind, will most probably leave thunderstorms to stew in their own juice; but, should he decide (after all) to enliven the afternoon, he will work in the manner following. First, what are the elements necessary for his storms? He must have certain stores of electrical force, and the right kind of clouds to contain it. He must see that the force does not leak away to earth quietly and slyly. He must arrange a stress so severe as to become at last so intolerable that it will disrupt explosively. Now he, as a man, cannot pray to God to cause them, for the Gods are but names for the forces of Nature themselves. In practice, the Magician must "evoke the spirits of the storm" by identifying himself with the ideas of which atmospheric phenomena are the expressions as his humanity is of him; thus achieved, he must impose his Will upon them by virtue of the superiority of his intelligence and the integration of his purpose to their undirected impulses and uncomprehending interplay. All such Magick demands the utmost precision in practice. It is true that the best rituals give us instructions in selecting our vehicles of force. In 777 we find "correspondences" of many classes of being with the various types of operation, so that we know what weapons, jewels, figures, drugs, perfumes, names, etc. to employ in any particular work. But it has always been assumed that the invoked force is intelligent and competent, that it will direct itself as desired without further ado The necessity of timing the force has been ignored; and so most operations, even when well performed as far as invocation goes, are as harmless as igniting loose gunpowder. But, even allowing that Will is sufficient to determine the direction, and prevent the dispersion of the force, we can hardly be sure that it will act on its object, unless that object be properly prepared to receive it. The Link must be perfectly made. The object must possess in itself a sufficiency of stuff sympathetic to our work. We cannot make love to a brick, or set an oak to run errands. We see, then, that we can never affect anything outside ourselves save only as it is also within us. Whatever I do to another, I do also to myself. If I kill a man, I destroy my own life at the same time. That is the magical meaning of the so-called {121} "Golden Rule", which should not be in the imperative but in the indicative mood. Every vibration awakens all others of its particular pitch. There is thus some justification for the assumption of previous writers on Magick that the Link is implicit, and needs no special attention. Yet, in practice, there is nothing more certain than that one ought to confirm one's will by all possible acts on all possible planes. The ceremony must not be confined to the formally magical rites. We must neglect no means to our end, neither despising our common sense, nor doubting our secret wisdom. When Frater I. A. was in danger of death in 1899 e.v. Frater V. N. and FRATER PERDURABO did indeed invoke the spirit Buer to visible manifestation that the might heal their brother; but also one of them furnished the money to send him to a climate less cruel than England's. He is alive to day< Let the Magical Link be made strong! It is "love under will"; it affirms the identity of the Equation of the work; it makes success Necessity. ------- {122} CHAPTER XVI "(Part I)" OF THE OATH The third operation in any magical ceremony is the oath or proclamation. The Magician, armed and ready, stands in the centre of the Circle, and strikes once upon the bell as if to call the attention of the Universe. He then declares "who he is", reciting his magical history by the proclamation of the grades which he has attained, giving the signs and words of those grades.< He then states the purpose of the ceremony, and proves that it is necessary to perform it and to succeed in its performance. He then takes an oath before the Lord of the Universe (not before the particular Lord whom he is invoking) as if to call Him to witness to the act. He swears solemnly that he will perform it --- that nothing shall prevent him from performing it --- that he will not leave the operation until it is successfully performed --- and once again he strikes upon the bell. The dread answer comes that It Must Be, and this answer so fortifies him with holy zeal that it will seem to him as if he were raised by divine hands from that prostrate position; with a thrill of holy exaltation he renews joyfully the Oath, feeling himself once again no longer the man but the Magician, yet not merely the Magician, but the chosen and appointed person to accomplish a task which, however apparently unimportant, is yet an integral part of universal destiny, so that if it were no He is now ready to commence the invocations. He consequently pauses to cast a last glance around the Temple to assure himself of the perfect readiness of all things necessary, and to light the incense. --------- In the case of THE MASTER THERION, he had originally the capacity for all classes of Orgia. In the beginning, He cured the sick, bewitched the obstinate, allured the seductive, routed the aggressive, made himself invisible, and generally behaved like a Young-Man-About-town on every possible plane. He would afflict one vampire with a Sending of Cats, and appoint another his private Enchantress, neither aware of any moral oxymoron, nor hampered by the implicit incongruity of his oaths. But as He advanced in Adeptship, this coltishness found its mouth bitted; as soon as He took serious Oaths and was admitted to the Order which we name not, those Oaths prevented him using His powers as playthings. Trifling operations, such as He once could do with a turn of the wrist, became impossible to the most persistent endeavour. It was many years before He understood the cause of this. But little by little He became so absorbed in the Work of His true Will that it no longer occurred Yet even at this hour, though He be verily a Magus of A.'. A.'., though His Word be the Word of the Aeon, though He be the Beast 666, the Lord of the Scarlet Woman "in whom is all power {126} given", there are still certain Orgia beyond Him to perform, because to do so would be to affirm what He hath denied in those Oaths by whose virtue He is That He is. This is the case, even when the spirit of such Orgia is fully consonant with His Will. The literal sense of His original Oath insists tha Now, having endured to the end, being Master of Magick, He is mighty to Work His true Will; which Will is, to establish on Earth His Word, the Law of Thelema. He hath none other Will than this; so all that He doth is unto this end. All His Orgia bear fruit; what was the work of a month when He was a full Major Adept is to day wrought in a few minutes by the Words of Will, uttered with the right vibrations into the prepared Ear. {127} But neither by the natural use of His abilities, though they have made Him famous through the whole world, nor by the utmost might of his Magick, is He able to acquire material wealth beyond the minimum necessary to keep Him alive and at work. It is in vain that He protests that not He but the Work is in need of money; He is barred by the strict letter of His Oath to give all that He hath for His magical Attainment. Yet more awful is the doom that He hath invoked upon Himself in renouncing His right as a man to enjoy the Love of those whom He loves with passion so selfless, so pure, and so intense in return for the power so to love Mankind that He be chosen to utter the Word of the Aeon for their sake, His reward universal abhorrence, bodily torment, mental despair, and moral paralysis. Yet He, who hath power over Death, with breath to call back health, with a touch to beckon life, He must watch His own child waste away month by month, aware that His Art may not anywise avail, who hath sold the signet ring of his personal profit to buy him a plain gold band for the felon finger of his bride, that worn widow, the World! ---------- {128} CHAPTER XV I OF THE INVOCATION In the straightforward or "Protestant" system of Magick there is very little to add to what has already been said. The Magician addresses a direct petition to the Being invoked. But the secret of success in invocation has not hitherto been disclosed. It is an exceedingly simple one. It is practically of no importance whatever that the invocation should be "right". There are a thousand different ways of compassing the end proposed, so far as external things are concerned. The whole secr The mind must be exalted until it loses consciousness of self. The Magician must be carried forward blindly by a force which, though in him and of him, is by no means that which he in his normal state of consciousness calls I. Just as the poet, the lover, the artist, is carried out of himself in a creative frenzy, so must it be for the Magician. It is impossible to lay down rules for the obtaining of this special stimulus. To one the mystery of the whole ceremony may appeal; another may be moved by the strangeness of the words, even by the fact that the "barbarous names" are unintelligible to him. Some times in the course of a ceremony the true meaning of some barbarous name that has hitherto baffled his analysis may flash upon him, luminous and splendid, so that he is caught up unto {129} orgasm. The smell of a particular incense Every Magician must compose his ceremony in such a manner as to produce a dramatic cilmax. At the moment when the excitement becomes ungovernable, when then the whole conscious being of the Magician undergoes a spiritual spasm, at that moment must he utter the supreme adjuration. >. Inhibition is no longer possible or even thinkabl If the Magician is still seen standing in the Circle, quietly pursuing his invocations, it is that all the conscious part of him has become detached from the true ego which lies behind that normal consciousness. But the circle is wholly filled with that divine essence; all else is but an accident and an illusion. The subsequent invocations, the gradual development and materialization of the force, require no effort. It is one great mistake of the beginner to concentrate his force upon the actual stated purpose of the ceremony. This mistake is the most frequent cause of failures in invocation. A corollary of this Theorem is that the Magician soon discards evocation almost altogether --- only rare circumstances demand any action what ever on the material plane. The Magician devotes himself entirely to the invocation of a god; and as soon as his balance approaches perfection he ceases to invoke any partial god; only that god vertically above him is in his path. And so a man who perhaps took up Magick merely with the idea of acquiring knowledge, love, or wealth, finds himself irrevo It will now be apparent that there is no distinction between magick and meditation except of the most arbitrary and accidental kind.<> II Beside these open methods thee are also a number of mental methods of Invocation, of which we may give three. The first method concerns the so-called astral body. The Magician should practise the formation of this body as recommended in Liber O, and learn to rise on the planes according to the instruction given in the same book, though limiting his "rising" to the particular symbol whose God he wishes to invoke. The second is to recite a mantra suitable to the God. The third is the assumption of the form of the God --- by transmuting the astral body into His shape. This last method is really essential to all proper invocation, and cannot be too sedulously practised. There are many other devices to aid invocation, so many that it is impossible to enumerate them; and the Magician will be wise to busy himself in inventing new ones. We will give one example. Suppose the Supreme Invocation to consist of 20 to 30 barbarous names, let him imagine these names to occupy sections of a vertical column, each double the length of the preceding one; and let him imagine that his consciousness ascends the column with each name. The mere multiplication will then produce a feeling of awe and bewilderment which is the proper forerunner of exstasy. In the essay "Energized Enthusiasm" in No. IX, Vol. I of the Equinox<> is given a concise account of one of the classical methods of arousing Kundalini. Th {131} ------------- {132} CHAPTER XVI ("Part II") OF THE CHARGE TO THE SPIRIT WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE CONSTRAINTS AND CURSES OCCASIONALLY NECESSARY I On the appearance of the spirit, or the manifestation of the force in the talisman which is being consecrated, it is necessary to bind it by an Oath or Charge. A spirit should be made to lay its hand visibly on the weapon by whose might it has been evoked, and to "swear obedience and faith to Him that liveth and triumpheth, that regneth above him in His palaces as the Balance of Righteousness and Truth" by the names used in the evocation. It is then only necessary to formulate the Oath or Charge in language harmonious with the previously announced purpose of the operation. The precaution indicated is not to let oneself sink into one's humanity while the weapon is extended beyond the Circle. Were the force to flow from it to you instead of from you to it, you would be infallibly blasted, or, at the least, become the slave of the spirit. At no moment is it more important that the Divine Force should not only fill, but radiate from, the aura of the Magician. II Occasionally it may happen that the spirit is recalcitrant, and refuses to appear. Let the Magician consider the cause of such disobedience! {133} With regard to invocations of the Gods, such considerations do not apply. The Gods are beyond most material conditions. It is necessary to fill the "heart" and "mind" with the proper basis for manifestation. The higher the nature of the God, the more true this is. The Holy Guardian Angel has always the necessary basis. His manifestation depends solely on the readiness of the Aspirant, and all magical ceremonies used in that invocation are merely intended to prepare that Aspirant; not in III The obstinacy of a spirit (or the inertial of a talisman) usually implies a defect in invocation. The spirit cannot resist even for a moment the constraint of his Intelligence, when that Intelligence is working in accordance with the Will of the Angel, Archangel {134} and God above him. It is therefore better to repeat the Invocations than to proceed at once to curses. > whether the evocation be in truth a necessary part of the Karma of the Universe, as he has stated in his own Oath (See Cap. XVI, I). For if this be a delusion, success is impossible. It will then be best to go back to the beginning, and recapitulate with greater intensity and power of analysis the Oath and the Invoc But if this be satisfactorily accomplished, and the spirit be yet disobedient, the implication is that some hostile force is at work to hinder the operation. It will then become advisable to discover the nature of that force, and to attack and destroy it. This makes the ceremony more useful than ever to the Magician, who may thereby be led to unveil a black magical gang whose existence he had not hitherto suspected. His need to check the vampiring of a lady in Paris by a sorceress once led FRATER PERDURABO to the discovery of a very powerful body of black magicians, which whom he was obliged to war for nearly 10 years before their ruin was complete and irremediable as it now is. Such a discovery will not necessarily impede the ceremony. A general curse may be pronounced against the forces hindering the operation (for "ex hypothesi" no divine force can be interfering) and having thus temporarily dislodged them --- for the power of the God invoked will suffice for this purpose --- one may proceed with a certain asperity to conjure the spirit, for that he has done ill to bend before the conjurations of the Black Brothers. Indeed, some demons are of a nature such that they only understand curses, are not amenable to courteous command: --- "a slave Whom stripes may move, not kindness." Finally, as a last resource, one may burn the Sigil of the {135} Spirit in a black box with stinking substances, all having been properly prepared beforehand, and the magical links properly made, so that he is really tortured by the Operation.< This is a rare event, however. Only once in the whole of his magical career was FRATER PERDURABO driven to so harsh a measure. IV In this connexion, beware of too ready a compliance on the part of the spirit. If some Black Lodge has got wind of your operation, it may send the spirit, full of hypocritical submission, to destroy you. Such a spirit will probably pronounce the oath amiss, or in some way seek to avoid his obligations. It is a dangerous trick, though, for the Black Lodge to play; for if the spirit come properly under your control, it will be forced to disclose the transaction, and the current will return to the Black Lodge with fulminating force. The liars will be in the power of their own lie; their own slaves will rise up and put them into bondage. The wicked fall into the pit that they themselves digged. And so perish all the King's enemies! V It is, of course, very important to keep such an abject away from the contact of the profane. It is instinctive not to let another person use one's fishing rod or one's gun. It is not that they could do any harm in a material sense. It is the feeling that one's use of these things has consecrated them to one's self. Of course, the outstanding example of all such talismans is the wife. A wife may be defined as an object specially prepared for taking the stamp of one's creative will. This is an example of a very complicated magical operation, extending over centuries. But, theoretically, it is just an ordinary case of talismanic magick. It is for this reason that so much trouble has been taken to prevent a wife having contact with the profane; or, at least, to try to prevent her. Readers of the Bible will remember that Absalom publicly adopted David's wives and concubines on the roof of the palace, in order to signify that he had succeeded in breaking his father's magical power. Now, there are a great many talismans in this world which are being left lying about in a most reprehensibly careless manner. Such are the objects of popular adoration, as ikons, and idols. But, it is actually true that a great deal of real magical Force is locked up in such things; consequently, by destroying these sacred symbols, you can overcome magically the people who adore them. It is not at all irrational to fight for one's flag, provided that the flag is an object which really means something to somebody. Similarly, with the most widely spread and most devotedly worshipped talisman of all, money, you can evidently break the magical will of a worshipper of money by taking his money away from him, or by destroying its value in some way or another. But, in the case of money, general experience tells us that there is very little of it lying about loose. In this cas But with many ikons and images, it is easy to steal their virtue. This can be done sometimes on a tremendous scale, as, for example, when all the images of Isis and Horus, or similar mother-child combinations, were appropriated wholesale by the Christians. The miracle is, however, of a somewhat dangerous type, as in this case, where enlightenment has come through the researches of archaeologists. It has been shown that the so-called images of Mary and Jesus are really nothing but imitation --------- {138} CHAPTER XVII OF THE LICENSE TO DEPART In the ordinary way, the Magician dismisses the spirit with these words: "And now I say unto thee, depart in peace unto thine habitations and abodes --- and may the blessing of the Highest be upon thee in the name of (here mention the divine name suitable to the operation, or a Name appropriate to redeem that spirit); and let there be peace between thee and me; and be thou very ready to come, whensoever thou are invoked and called!"< hould then perform the banishing ritual suitable to the nature of the spirit and, if necessary, add conjurations to the same effect. In these circumstances, or if anything else suspi Any symbol which has once definitely entered your environment with your own consent is extremely dangerous; unless under absolute control. A man's friends are more capable of working him harm than are strangers; and his greatest danger lies in his own habits. Of course it is the very condition of progress to build up ideas into the subconscious. The necessity of selection should therefore be obvious. True, there comes a time when all elements soever must be thus assimilated. Samadhi is, by definition, that very process. But, from the point of view of the young magician, there is a right way --- strait and difficult --- of performing all this. One cannot too frequently repeat that what is lawful and proper to one Path is alien to another. > For this reason it is the most important thing to do, on strictly magical grounds. But apart from this, it is absolutely essential that the record should be clear, full and concise, because it is only by such a record that your teacher can judge how it is best to help you. Your magical teacher has something else to do besides running around after you all the time, and the most important of all his It is --- at least, it was --- perfectly incredible to THE MASTER THERION that people who exhibit ordinary common sense in {141} the other affairs of life should lose it completely when they tackle Magick. It goes far to justify the belief of the semi-educated that Magick is rather a crazy affair after all. However, there are none of these half-baked lunatics connected with the A.'. A.'., because the necessity for hard work, for passing examinations at stated intervals, and for keeping an i There are numerous models of magical and mystical records to be found in the various numbers of the "Equinox", and the student will have no difficulty in acquiring the necessary technique, if he be diligent in practice. --------- {142} CHAPTER XVIII OF CLAIRVOYANCE AND THE BODY OF LIGHT ITS POWER AND ITS DEVELOPMENT ALSO CONCERNING DIVINATION I > but made of a subtler and less illusory material. It is of course not "real"; but then no more is the other body! Before treating of clairvoyance one must discuss briefly this question Now this interior body of the Magician, of which we spoke at the beginning of this chapter, does exist, and can exert certain powers which his natural body cannot do. It can, for example, pass through "matter", and it can move freely in every direction through space. But this is because "matter", in the sense in which we commonly use the word, is on another plane< The only way to test clairvoyance is to keep a careful record of every experiment made. For example, FRATER O. M. once gave a clairvoyant a waistcoat to psychometrize. He made 56 statements about the owner of the waistcoat; of these 4 were notably right; 17, though correct, were of that class of statement which is true of almost everybody. The remainder were wrong. It was concluded from this that he showed no evidence of any special power. In fact, his bodily eyes, --- if he could discer The Magician can hardly take too much trouble to develop this power in himself. It is extremely useful to him in guarding himself against attack; in obtaining warnings, in judging character, and especially in watching the process of his Ceremonies. {145} There are a great many ways of acquiring the power. Gaze into a crystal, or into a pool of ink in the palm of the hand, or into a mirror, or into a teacup. Just as with a microscope the expert operator keeps both eyes open, though seeing only through the one at the eye-piece of the instrument, so the natural eyes, ceasing to give any message to the brain, the attention is withdrawn from them, and the man begins to see through the Astral eyes. These methods appear to The MASTER THERION to be unsatisfactory. Very often they do not work at all. It is difficult to teach a person to use these methods; and, worst of all, they are purely passive! You can see only what is shewn you, and you are probably shewn things perfectly pointless and irrelevant. As soon as you feel more or less at home in the fine body, let it rise in the air. Keep on feeling the sense of rising; keep on looking about you as you rise until you see landscapes or beings of the astral plane. Such have a quality all their own. They are not like material things --- they are not like mental pictures --- they seem to lie between the two. After some practice has made you adept, so that in the course {146} of any hour's journey you can reckon on having a fairly eventful time, turn your attention to reaching a definite place on the astral plane; invoke Mercury, for example, and examine carefully your record of the resulting vision --- discover whether the symbols which you have seen correspond with the conventional symbols of Mercury. This testing of the spirits is the most important branch of the whole tree of Magick. Without it, one is lost in the jungle of delusion. Every spirit, up to God himself, is ready to deceive you if possible, to make himself out more important than he is; in short to lay in wait for your soul in 333 separate ways. Remember that after all the highest of all the Gods is only the Magus,< > With a little practice, especially if you have a good Guru, you ought to be able to slip in and out of your astral body as easily as you slip in and out of a dressing-gown. It will then no longer be so necessary for your astral body to be sent far off; without moving an inch you will be able to "turn on" its eyes and ears --- as simply as the man with the microscope (mentioned above) can transfer his c A great majority of "spiritualists", "occultists", "Toshosophists", are pitiable examples of repeated losses from this cause. In projecting the Astral, it is a valuable additional safeguard to perform the whole operation in a properly consecrated circle. Proceed with great caution, then, but proceed. In time your Body of Light will be as strong against spirits as your other body against the winds of Heaven. All depends upon the development of that Body of Light. It must be furnished with an organism as ramified and balanced as its shadowy brother, the material body. To recapitulate once more, then, the first task is to develop your own Body of light within your own circle without reference to any other inhabitants of the world to which it belongs. That which you have accomplished with the subject you may now proceed to do with the object. You will learn to see the astral appearance of material things; and although this does not properly belong to pure clairvoyance, one may here again mention that you should endeavour to the utmost to develop and fortify this Body of Light. The best and simplest way to do this is to use it constantly, to exercise it in every way. In particular it may be employed in ceremonies of initiation or of invoca In doing this it will often be necessary to create a Temple on the astral plane. It is excellent practice to create symbols. This one precaution is needed: after using them, they should be reabsorbed. {148} > once attempted to kill a vivisector who was not particularly well known; and they succeeded in making him seriously ill. But in attempting the same thing with Pasteur they produced no effect whatever, because Pasteur was a great genius --- an adept in his own line far greater than she in hers --- and because millions of people were daily blessing him. It cannot be too clearly understood that magical force is subject to the same laws of propor To sum up, the first task is to separate the astral form from the physical body, the second to develop the powers of the astral body, in particular those of sight, travel, and interpretation; third, to unify the two bodies without muddling them. This being accomplished, the magician is fitted to deal with the invisible. II It is now useful to contine with considerations of other planes, which have commonly been classed under the Astral. There is some reason for this, as the delimitations are somewhat vague. Just as the vegetable kingdom merges into the animal, and as the material plane has beings which encroach upon the boundaries of the astral, so do we find it in the higher planes. The mental images which appear during meditation are subjective, and pertain not at all to the astral plane. Only very rarely do astral images occur during meditation. It is a bad break in the circle, as a rule, when they do. There is also a Magical Plane. This touches the material, and even includes a portion of it. It includes the Astral, chiefly a full-blooded type of the Astral. It reaches to and includes most, if not all, of the spiritual planes. The Magical plane is thus the most comprehensive of all. Egyptian Gods are typical inhabitants of this plane, and it is the home of every Adept. The spiritual planes are of several types, but are all distinguished by a reality and intensity to be found nowhere else. Their inhabitants are formless, free of space and time, and distinguished by incomparable brilliance. There are also a number of sub-planes, as, for example, the Alchemical. This plane will often appear in the practice of "Rising on the Planes"; its images are usually those of gardens curiously kept, mountains furnished with peculiar symbols, hieroglyphic animals, or such figures as that of the "Hermetic Arcanum", and pictures like the "Goldseekers" and the "Massacre of the Innocents" of Basil Valentine. There is a unique quality about the alchemical Plane which renders its images immediate There are also planes corresponding to various religions past and present, all of which have their peculiar unity. It is of the utmost importance to the "Clairvoyant" or "traveler in the fine body" to be able to find his way to any desired plane, and operate therein as its ruler. The Neophyte of A.'. A.'. is examined most strictly in this practice before he is passed to the degree of Zelator. Similarly, the powers gained in this way will strengthen the magician in his mediation-practices. His Will becomes better able to assist the concentration, to destroy the mental images which disturb it, and to reject the lesser rewards of that practice which tempt, and too often stop the progress of, the mystic. The MASTER THERION has published the most important practical magical secrets in the plainest language. No one, by virtue of being clever or learned, has understood one word; and those unworthy who have profaned the sacrament have but eaten and drunken damnation to themselves. One may bring down stolen fire in a hollow tube from Heaven, as The MASTER THERION indeed has done in a way that no other adept dared to do before him. But the thief, the Titan, must foreknow and consent to his doom to be chained upon a lonely rock, the vulture devouring his liver, for a season, until Hercules, the strong man armed by virtue of that very fire, shall come and release him. > --- whose number is the number of a man, six hundred and three score and six --- unsubdued, consoled by Asia and Panthea, must send forth constant showers of blessing not only upon Man whose incarnation he is, but upon the tyrant and the persecutor. His infinite pain must thrill his heart with joy, since every pang is but the echo of some new flame that leaps upon the earth lit > The true God {152} is man. In man are all things hidden. Of these the Gods, Nature, Time, all the powers of the universe are rebellious slaves. It is these that men must fight and conquer in the power and in the name of the Beast III The practice of Rising on the Planes is of such importance that special attention must be paid to it. It is part of the essential technique of Magick. Instruction in this practice has been given with such conciseness in Liber O, that one cannot do better than quote verbatim (the "previous experiment" referred to in the first sentence is the ordinary astral journey.): "1. The previous experiment has little value, and leads to few results of importance. But it is susceptible of a development which merges into a form of Dharana --- concentration --- and as such may lead to the very highest ends. The principal use of the practice in {153} the last chapter is to familiarise the student with every kind of obstacle and every kind of delusion, so that he may be perfect master of every idea that may arise in his brain, to dismiss it, to transmute it, to cause i "2. Let him then begin exactly as before; but with the most intense solemnity and determination. "3. Let him be very careful to cause his imaginary body to rise in a line exactly perpendicular to the earth's tangent at the point where his physical body is situated (or, to put it more simply, straight upwards). "4. Instead of stopping, let him continue to rise until fatigue almost overcomes him. If he should find that he has stopped without willing to do so, and that figures appear, let him at all costs rise above them. Yea, though his very life tremble on his lips, let him force his way upward and onward! "5. Let him continue in this so long as the breath of life is in him. Whatever threatens, whatever allures, though it were Typhon and all his hosts loosed from the pit and leagued against him, though it were from the very Throne of God himself that a voice issues bidding him stay and be content, let him struggle on, ever on. "6. At last there must come a moment when his whole being is swallowed up in fatigue, overwhelmed by its own inertia. Let him sink (when no longer can he strive, though his tongue be bitten through with the effort and the blood gush from his nostrils) into the blackness of unconsciousness; and then on coming to himself, let him write down soberly and accurately a record of all that hath occurred: yea, a record of all that hath occurred." Of course, the Rising may be done from any starting pint. One can go (for example) into the circle of Jupiter, and the results, especially in the lower planes, will be very different to those obtained from a Saturnian starting point. IV Divination is so important a branch of Magick as almost to demand a separate treatise. Genius is composed of two sides; the active and the passive. The power to execute the Will is but blind force unless the Will be enlightened. At every stage of a Magical Operation it is necessary to know what one is doing, and to be sure that one is acting wisely. Acute sensitiveness is always associated with genius; the power to perceive the universe accurately, to analyse, coordinate, and judge impressions is the foundation of all great Work. An army is but a blundering brute unless its i The Magician obtains the transcendental knowledge necessary to an intelligent course of conduct directly in consciousness by clairvoyance and clairaudience; but communication with superior {155} intelligences demands elaborate preparation, even after years of successful performance. It is therefore useful to possess an art by which one can obtain at a moment's notice any information that may be necessary. This art is divination. The answers to one's questions in divination are not conveyed directly but through the medium of a suitable series of symbols. These symbols must be interpreted by the diviner in terms of his problem. It is not practicable to construct a lexicon in which the solution of every difficulty is given in so many words. It would be unwieldy; beside The theory of any process of divination may be stated in a few simple terms. 1. We postulate the existence of intelligences, either within or without the diviner, of which he is not immediately conscious. (It does not matter to the theory whether the communicating spirit so-called is an objective entity or a concealed portion of the diviner's mind.) We assume that such intelligences are able to reply correctly --- within limits --- to the questions asked. 3. We postulate that the intelligences whom wish to consul are willing, or may be compelled, to answer us truthfully. The principal means of divination in history are astrology, geomancy, the Tarot, the Holy Qabalah, and the Yi King. There are hundreds of others; from pyromancy, oneiromancy, auguries from sacrifices, and the spinning-top of some ancient oracles to the omens drawn from the flight of birds and the prophesying of tea-leaves. It will be sufficient for our present purpose to discuss only the five systems first enumerated. The YI KING is the most satisfactory system for general work. The MASTER THERION is engaged in the preparation of a treatise on the subject, but the labour involved is so great that He cannot pledge Himself to have it ready at any definite time. The student must therefore make his own investigations into the meaning of the 64 hexagrams as best he can. With regard to the intelligences whose business it is to give information to the diviner, their natures differ widely, and correspond more or less to the character of the medium of divination. Thus, the geomantic intelligences are gnomes, spirits of an earthy nature, distinguished from each other by the modifications due to the various planetary and zodiacal influences which pertain to the several symbols. The intelligence governing Puella is not to be confused with that of Venus or of Libr The Tarot, on the other hand, being a book, is under Mercury, and the intelligence of each card is fundamentally Mercurial. Such symbols are therefore peculiarly proper to communicate thought. They are not gross, like the geomantic daemons; but, as against this, they are unscrupulous in deceiving the diviner.< The Yi King is served by beings free from these defects. The intense purity of the symbols prevent them from being usurped by intelligences with an axe of their own to grind.< It is always essential for the diviner to obtain absolute magical control over the intelligences of the system which he adopts. He must not leave the smallest loop-hole for being tricked, befogged, or mocked. He must not allow them to use casuistry in the interpretation of his questions. It is a common knavery, especially in geomancy, to render an answer which is literally true, and yet deceives. For instance, one might ask whether some business transaction would be profitable, and find, It is a hard saying; but in the order to divine without error, one ought to be a Master of the Temple. Divination affords excellent practice for those who aspire to that exalted eminence, for the faintest breath of personal preference will deflect the needle from the pole of truth in the answer. Unless the diviner have banished utterly from his mind the minutest atom of interest in the answer to his question, he is almost certain to influence that answer in favour of his personal inclinations The psycho-analyst will recall the fact that dreams are phantasmal representations of the unconscious Will of the sleeper, and that not only are they images of that Will instead of representations of objective truth, but the image itself is confused by a thousand cross-currents set in motion by the various complexes and inhibitions of his character. If therefore one consults the oracle, one must take sure that one is not consciously or unconsciously bringing pressure to bear upon it. It is nothing else in mind but the wish to obtain supernatural sanction for their follies. Apart from Occultism altogether, every one knows that when people ask for advice, they only want to be told how wise they are. Hardly any one acts on the most obviously commonsense counsel if it happen Those who embark on divination will be wise to consider the foregoing remarks very deeply. They will know when they are getting deep enough by the fact of the thought beginning to hurt them. It is essential to explore oneself to the utmost, to analyse {162} one's mind until one can be positive, beyond the possibility of error, that one is able to detach oneself entirely from the question. The oracle is a judge; it must be beyond bribery and prejudice. It is impossible in practice to lay down rules for the interpretation of symbols. Their nature must be investigated by intellectual methods such as the Qabalah, but the precise shape of meaning in any one case, and the sphere and tendency of its application, must be acquired by experience, that is, but induction, by recording and classifying one's experiments over a long period; and --- this is the better part --- by refining one's ratiocination to the point where it becomes instinct or intu It is proper in cases where the sphere of the question is well marked to begin the divination by invocations of the forces thereto appropriate. An error of judgment as to the true character of the question would entail penalties proportionate to the extent of that error; and the delusions resulting from a divination fortified by invocation would be more serious than if one had not employed such heavy artillery.< There can, however, be no objection to preparing oneself by a general purification and consecration devised with the object of detaching oneself from one's personality and increasing the sensitiveness of one's faculties. All divination comes under the general type of the element Air. The peculiar properties of air are in consequence its uniform characteristics. Divination is subtle and intangible. It moves with mysterious ease, expanding, contracting, flowing, responsive to the slightest stress. It receives and transmits every vibration without retaining any. It becomes poisonous when its oxygen is defiled by passing through human lungs. One can hardly expect the diviner to make Samadhi with his question --- that would be going too far, and destroy the character of the operation by removing the question from the class of concatenated ideas. It would mean interpreting the question in terms of "without limit", and this imply an equally formless answer. But he should approximate to this extreme sufficiently to allow the question entire freedom to make for itself its own proper links with the intelligence directing the answer, {1 Physio-psychological theory will probably maintain that the "automatic" action of the hand is controlled by the brain no less than in the case of conscious volition; but this is an additional argument for identifying the brain with the intelligence invoked. The lines being traced, the operation is over as far as spiritual qualities are required, for a time. The process of setting up the figure for judgment is purely mechanical. The concluding operation is therefore to obtain a judgment of the figure, independent of all intellectual or moral restraint. One must endeavour to apprehend it as a thing absolute in itself. One must treat it, in short, very much the same as one did the question; as a mystical entity, till now unrelated with other phenomena. One must, so to speak, adore it as a god, uncritically: "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth." It must be allowed to impose its intrinsic individuality on the mind, In this way one obtains an impression of the true purport of the answer; and one obtains it armed with a sanction superior to any sensible suggestions. It comes from and to a part of the individual which is independent of the influence of environment; is adjusted to that environment by true necessity, and not by the artifices of such adaptations as our purblind conception of convenience induces us to fabricate. The student will observe from the above that divination is in one sense an art entirely separate from that of Magick; yet it interpenetrates Magick at every point. The fundamental laws of both are identical. The right use of divination has already been explained; but it must be added that proficiency therein, tremendous as is its importance in furnishing the Magician with the information necessary to his strategical and tactical plans, in no wise enables him to accomplish the impossible. > of the essence of the matter -- On the other hand, although the adept is in daily communication with his Angel, he ought to be careful to consult Him only on questions proper to the dignity of the relation. One should not consult one's Angel on too many details, or indeed on any matters which come within the office of one's familiar spirits. One does not go the the King about petty personal trifles. The romance and rapture of the ineffable union which constitutes Adeptship must not be profaned by the introduction of comm We have now mapped out the boundaries of possibility and propriety which define the physical and political geography of divination. The student must guard himself constantly against supposing that this art affords any absolute means of discovering "truth", or indeed, of using that word as if it meant more than the {171} relation of two ideas each of which is itself as subject to "change without notice" as a musical programme. In a word, divination, like any other science, is justified of its children. It would be extraordinary should so fertile a mother be immune from still-births, monstrosities, and abortions. > Divination, with equal modesty, admits that "it often goes wrong; but it works well enough, all things considered. The error of all dogmatists (from the oldest prophet with his "literally-inspired word of God" to the newest German professor with his single-track explanation of the Universe) lies in trying to prove too much, in defending themselves against critics by stretching a probably excellent theory to include all the facts and the fables, until it bursts like the overblown bladder it is. The MASTER THERION has observed on innumerable occasions that divinations, made by him and dismissed as giving untrue answers, have justified themselves months or years later when he was able to revise his judgment in perspective, untroubled by his personal passion. With one piece of curved glass we have discovered uncounted galaxies of suns; with another, endless orders of existence in the infinitesimal. With the prism we have analysed light so that matter and force have become intelligible only as forms of light. With a rod we have summoned the invisible energies of electricity to be our familiar spirit serving us to do our Will, whether it be to outsoar the condor, or to dive deeper into the demon world of disease than any of our dreamers dared to d Since with four bits of common glass mankind has learnt to know so much, achieved so much, who dare deny that the Book of Thoth, the quintessentialized wisdom of our ancestors whose civilizations, perished though they be, have left monuments which dwarf ours until we wonder whether we are degenerate from them, or evolved from Simians, who dare deny that such a book may be possessed of unimaginable powers? It is not so long since the methods of modern science were scoffed at by the whole cultured world. In the sacred halls themselves the roofs rang loud with the scornful laughter of the high priests as each new postulant approached with his unorthodox offering. {174} There is hardly a scientific discovery in history which was not decried as quackery by the very men whose own achievements were scarce yet recognized by the world at large. Within the memory of the present generation, the possibility of aeroplanes was derisively denied by those very engineers accounted most expert to give their opinions. The method of divination, the "ratio" of it, is as obscure to-day as was that of spectrum analysis a generation ago. That the chemical composition of the fixed stars should become known to man seemed an insane imagining too ridiculous to discuss. To-day it seems equally irrational to enquire of the desert sand concerning the fate of empires. Yet surely it, if any one knows, should know! > But the same objections apply equally well to the telephone. No man knows what electricity is, or the nature of the forces which determine its action. We know only that by doing certain things we get certain results, and that the least error {175} on our part will bring our work to nau ----------- {176} CHAPTER XIX OF DRAMATIC RITUALS. > the invocation of a God, that God conceived in a more or less material and personal fashion. These Rituals are therefore well suited for such persons as are capable of understanding the spirit of Magick as opposed to the letter. One of the great advantages of them is that a large number of persons may take pa The Rite of Luna (Equinox I. VI) is a good example of this use. Here the climax is the music of the goddess, the assistants remaining in silent ecstasy. In the rite of Jupiter the impromptu is the dance, in that of Saturn long periods of silence. It will be noticed that in these Rites poetry and music were largely employed --- mostly published pieces by well-known authors and composers. It would be better<<"PERHAPS! One can think of certain Awful Consequences". "But, after all, they wouldn't seem so to the authors!" "But --- pity the poor Gods!" "Bother the Gods!">> to write and compose specially for the ceremony< --------- {178} CHAPTER XX OF THE EUCHARIST AND OF THE ART OF ALCHEMY I One of the simplest and most complete of Magick ceremonies is the Eucharist. It consists in taking common things, transmuting them into things divine, and consuming them. So far, it is a type of every magick ceremony, for the reabsorption of the force is a kind of consumption; but it has a more restricted application, as follows. Take a substance<> symbolic of the whole course of nature, make it God, and consume it. There are many ways of doing this; but they may easily be classified according to the number of the elements of which the sacrament is composed. The highest form of the Eucharist is that in which the Element consecrated is One. It is one substance and not two, not living and not dead, neither liquid nor solid, neither hot nor cold, neither male nor female. The Eucharist of "two" elements has its matter of the passives. The wafer (pantacle) is of corn, typical of earth; the wine (cup) represents water. (There are certain other attributions. The Wafer is the Sun, for instance: and the wine is appropriate to Bacchus). The wafer may, however, be more complex, the "Cake of Light" described in Liber Legis. This is used in the exoteric Mass of the Phoenix (Liber 333, Cap: 44) mixed with the blood of the Magus. This mass should be performed daily at sunset by every magician. Corn and wine are equivalent to flesh and blood; but it is easier to convert live substances into the body and blood of God, than to perform this miracle upon dead matter. The Eucharist of "three" elements has for basis the symbols of the three Gunas. For Tamas (darkness) take opium or nightshade or some sleepy medicine; for Rajas (activity) take strychnine or other excitant; for Sattvas (calm) the cakes of Light may again be suitable.< The Eucharist of "four" elements consists of fire, air, water, and earth. These are represented by a flame for fire, by incense or roses for air, by wine for water, and by bread and salt for earth. The Eucharist of "five" has for basis wine for taste, a rose for smell, a flame for sight, a bell for sound, and a dagger for touch. This sacrament is implied in the Mass of the Phoenix in a slightly different form. {180} The Eucharist of "six" elements has Father, Son, and Holy Spirit above; breath, water, and blood beneath. It is a sacrament reserved for high initiates.<>; Unless he so will. Who would not rather work through incarnation; a real renewal of body and brain, than content himself with a stagnant immortality upon this mote in the Sunlight of the Universe which we call earth? {181} With regard to the preparations for such Sacraments, the Catholic Church has maintained well enough the traditions of the true Gnostic Church in whose keeping the secrets are.< > is a condition; fasting for some hours previous is a condition; an earnest and continual aspiration is a condition. Without these antecedents even the Eucharist of the One and Seven is partially --- though such is its intrinsic virtue that it can never be wholly --- baulked of A Eucharist of some sort should most assuredly be consummated daily by every magician, and he should regard it as the main sustenance of his magical life. It is of more importance than any other magical ceremony, because it is a complete circle. The whole of the force expended is completely re-absorbed; yet the virtue is that vast gain represented by the abyss between Man and God. The magician becomes filled with God, fed upon God, intoxicated with God. Little by little his body will become purified by the internal lustration of God; day by day his mortal frame, shedding its earthly elements, will become in very truth the Temple of the Holy Ghost. Day by day matter is replaced by Spirit, the human by the divine; ultimately the change will be complete; God manifest in flesh will be his name. This is the most important of all magical secrets that ever were or are or can be. To a Magician thus renewed the attainment of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel becomes an inevitable task; every force of his nature, unhindered, tends to that aim and goal of whose nature neither man nor god may speak, for that it is infinitely beyond speech or thought or {182} ecstasy or silence. Samadhi and Nibbana are but its shadows cast upon the universe. II The literature of Alchemy is immense. Practically all of it is wholly or partially unintelligible. Its treatises, from the "Asch Metzareph" of the Hebrews to the "Chariot of Antimony" are deliberately couched in hieratic riddles. Ecclesiastical persecution, and the profanation of the secrets of power, were equally dreaded. Worse still, from our point of view, this motive induced writers to insert intentionally misleading statements, the more deeply to bedevil unworthy pretenders to their We do not propose to discuss any of the actual processes. Most readers will be already aware that the main objects of alchemy were the Philosopher's Stone, the Medicine of Metals, and various tinctures and elixirs possessing divers virtues; in particular, those of healing disease, extending the span of life, increasing human abilities, perfecting the nature of man in every respect, conferring magical powers, and transmuting material substances, especially metals, into more valuable forms. The subject is further complicated by the fact that many authors were unscrupulous quacks. Ignorant of the first elements of the art, they plagiarized without shame, and reaped a harvest of fraudulent gain. They took advantage of the general ignorance, and the convention of mystery, in just the same way as their modern successors do in the matter of all Occult sciences. Once again, there is nothing in this exclusively "magical". Rembrandt van Ryn used to take a number of ores and other crude objects. From these he banished the impurities, and consecrated them to his work, by the preparation of canvasses, brushes, and colours. This done, he compelled them to take the stamp of his soul; from those dull, valueless creatures of earth he created a vital and powerful being of truth and beauty. It would indeed be surprising to anybody who has come to a clear co We are now in a position to understand what alchemy is. We might even go further and say that even if we had never heard of it, we know what it must be. > Organ But even though the advanced chemist might admit the possibility of transmuting lead into gold, he could not conceive of that {186} gold as other than metallic, of the same order of nature as the lead from which it had been made. That this gold should possess the power of multiplying itself, or of acting as a ferment upon other substances, seemed so absurd that he felt obliged to conclude that the alchemists who claimed these properties for their Gold must, after all, have been referring not The MASTER THERION is sanguine that his present reduction of all cases of the art of Magick to a single formula will both elucidate and vindicate Alchemy, while extending chemistry to cover all classes of Change. There is an obvious condition which limits our proposed operations. This is that, as the formula of any Work effects the extraction and visualization of the Truth from any "First Matter", the "Stone" or "Elixir" which results from our labours will be the pure and perfect Individual originally inherent in the substance chosen, and nothing else. The most skilful gardener cannot produce lilies from the wild rose; his roses will always be roses, however he have perfected the properties of this We may summarize this thesis by saying that Alchemy includes as many possible operations as there are original ideas inherent in nature. > It m Now just as the Aspirant, on the Threshold of Initiation, finds himself assailed by the "complexes" which have corrupted him, their externalization excruciating him, and his agonized reluctance to their elimination plunging him into such ordeals that he seems (both to himself and to others) to have turned from a noble and upright man into an unutterable scoundrel; so does the "First Matter" blacken and putrefy as the Alchemist breaks up its coagulations of impurity. The student may work out for himself the various analogies involved, and discover the "Black Dragon", the "Green Lion", the "Lunar Water", the "Raven's Head", and so forth. The indications above given should suffice all who possess aptitude for Alchemical Research. Only one further reflection appears necessary; namely, that the Eucharist, with which this chapter is properly preoccupied, must be conceived as one case --- as the critical case --- of the Art of the Alchemist. There is a Eucharist for every Grace that we may need; we must apprehend the essential characters in each case, select suitable elements, and devise proper processes. To consider the classical problems of Alchemy: The Medicine of Metals must be the quintessence of some substance that serves to determine the structure (or rate of vibration) whose manifestation is in characteristic metallic qualities. This need not be a chemical substance at all in the ordinary sense of the word. The Elixir of Life will similarly consist of a living organism capable of growth, at the expense of its environment; and of such a nature that its "true Will" is to cause that environment to serve it as its means of expression in the physical world of human life. The Universal Medicine will be a menstruum of such subtlety as to be able to penetrate all matter and transmute it in the sense of its own tendency, while of such impartial purity as to accept perfectly the impression of the Will of the Alchemist. This substance, properly prepared, and properly charged, is able to perform all things soever that are physically possible, within the limits of the proportions of its momentum to the inertia of the object to which it is applied. It may be observed in conclusion that, in dealing with forms of Matter-Motion so subtle as these, it is not enough to pass the Pons Asinorum of intellectual knowledge. The MASTER THERION has possessed the theory of these Powers for many years; but His practice is still in progress towards perfection. Even efficiency in the preparation is not all; there is need to be judicious in the manipulation, and adroit in the administration, of the product. He does not perform haphazard miracles, but applies His science and skill in conformity with the laws of nature. {189} CHAPTER XXI OF BLACK MAGIC OF THE MAIN TYPES OF THE OPERATIONS OF MAGICK ART AND OF THE POWERS OF THE SPHINX I As was said at the opening of the second chapter, the Single Supreme Ritual is the attainment of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. "It is the raising of the complete man in a vertical straight line." Any deviation from this line tends to become black magic. Any other operation is black magic. In the True Operation the Exaltation is equilibrated by an expansion in the other three arms of the Cross. Hence the Angel immediately gives the Adept power over the Four Great Princes and their servitors.< If the magician needs to perform any other operation than this, it is only lawful in so far as it is a necessary preliminary to That One Work. > or almost so. It is not evil in {190} itself. It arises from a defect of understanding. Until the Great Work has been performed, it is presumptuous for the magician to pretend to understand the universe, and dictate its policy. Only the Master of the Temple can s There is a third, above these, who understands that Nero was as necessary as Julius Caesar. The Master of the Temple accordingly interferes not with the scheme of things except just so far as he is doing the Work which he is sent to do. Why should he struggle against imprisonment, banishment, death? It is all part of the game in which he is a pawn. "It was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer these things, and to enter into His glory." The Master of the Temple is so far from the man in whom He manifests that all these matters are of no importance to Him. It may be of importance to His Work that man shall sit upon a throne, or be hanged. In such a case He informs his Magus, who exerts the power intrusted to HIm, and it happens accordingly. Yet all happens naturally, and of necessity, and to all appearance without a word from Him. Nor will the mere Master of the Temple, as a rule, presume to act upon the Universe, save as the servant of his own destiny. It is only the Magus, He of the grade above, who has attained to Chokhmah, Wisdom, and so dare act. He must dare act, although it like Him not. But He must assume the Curse of His grade, as it is written in the Book of the Magus.< There are, of course, entirely black forms of magic. To him who has not given every drop of his blood for the cup of BABALON {191} all magic power is dangerous. There are even more debased and evil forms, things in themselves black. Such is the use of spiritual force to material ends. Christian Scientists, Mental Healers, Professional Diviners, Psychics and the like, are all "ipso facto" Black Magicians. They exchange gold for dross. They sell their higher powers for gross and temporary benefit. That the most crass ignorance of Magick is their principal characteristic is no excuse, even if Nature accepted excuses, which she does not. If you drink poison in mistake for wine, your "mistake" will not save your life. Below these in one sense, yet far above them in another, are the Brothers of the Left Hand Path<>. These are they who "shut themselves up", who refuse thei As far as the grade of Exempt Adept, they are on the same path as the White Brotherhood; for until that grade is attained, the goal is not disclosed. Then only are the goats, the lonely leaping mountain-masters, separated from the gregarious huddling valley-bound sheep. Then those who have well learned the lessons of the Path are ready to be torn asunder, to give up their own life to the Babe of the Abyss which is --- and is not --- they. The others, proud in their purple, refuse. They make themselves a false crown of the Horror of the Abyss; they set the Dispersion of Choronzon upon their brows; they clothe themselves in the poisoned robes of Form; they shut themselves up; and when the force that made them what they are is exhausted, their strong towers fall, they become the Eaters of Dung in the Day of Be-with-us, and their shreds, strewn in the Abyss, are lost. Not so the Masters of the Temple, that sit as piles of dust in the City of the Pyramids, awaiting the Great Flame that shall consume that dust to ashes. For the blood that they have surrendered is treasured in the Cup of OUR LADY BABALON, a mighty {192} medicine to awake the Eld of the All-Father, and redeem the Virgin of the World from her virginity. II Before leaving the subject of Black Magic, one may touch lightly on the question of Pacts with the Devil. It was said by the Sorcerer of the Jura that in order to invoke the Devil it is only necessary to call him with your whole will. This is an universal magical truth, and applies to every other being as much as to the Devil. For the whole will of every man is in reality the whole will of the Universe. It is, however, always easy to call up the demons, for they are always calling you; and you have only to step down to their level {193} and fraternize with them. They will tear you in pieces at their leisure. Not at once; they will wait until you have wholly broken the link between you and your Holy Guardian Angel before they pounce, lest at the last moment you escape. Anthony of Padua and (in our own times) "Macgregor" Mathers are examples of such victims. Nevertheless, every magician must firmly extend his empire to the depth of hell. "My adepts stand upright, their heads above the heavens, their feet below the hells."< This is the reason why the magician who performs the Operation of the "Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage", immediately after attaining to the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel, must evoke the Four Great Princes of the Evil of the World. "Obedience and faith to Him that liveth and triumpheth, that reigneth above you in your palaces as the Balance of Righteousness and Truth" is your duty to your Holy Guardian Angel, and the duty of the demon world to you. These powers of "evil" nature are wild beasts; they must be tamed, trained to the saddle and the bridle; they will bear you well. There is nothing useless in the Universe: do not wrap up your Talent in a napkin, because it is only "dirty money"! With regard to Pacts, they are rarely lawful. There should be no bargain struck. Magick is not a trade, and no hucksters need apply. Master everything, but give generously to your servants, once they have unconditionally submitted. > No Power which is not {194} a microcosm in itself --- and even archangels reach rarely to this centre of balance --- is fit to treat on an equality with Man. The proper study of mankind is God; with Him is his business; and with Him alone. Some magicians have hired legions of spirits for some special purpose; but it has always proved a serious mistake. The whole idea of exchange is fore III The operations of Magick art are difficult to classify, as they merge into each other, owing to the essential unity of their method and result. We may mention: 1. Operations such as evocation, in which a live spirit is brought from dead matter. 2. Consecrations of talismans in which a live spirit is bound into "dead" matter and vivifies the same. 3. Works of divination, in which a live spirit is made to control operations of the hand or brain of the Magician. Such works are accordingly most dangerous, to be used only by advanced magicians, and then with great care. 4. Works of fascination, such as operations of invisibility, and transformations of the apparent form of the person or thing concerned. This consists almost altogether in distracting the attention, or disturbing the judgment, of the person whom it is wished to deceive. There are, however, "real" transformations of the adept himself which are very useful. See the Book of the Dead for methods. The assumption of God-Forms can be carried to the point of actual transformation. 5. Works of Love and Hate, which are also performed (as {195} a rule) by fascination. These works are too easy; and rarely useful. They have a nasty trick of recoiling on the magician. 6. Works of destruction, which may be done in many different ways. One may fascinate and bend to one's will a person who has of his own right the power to destroy. One may employ spirits or talismans. The more powerful magicians of the last few centuries have employed books. In private matters these works are very easy, if they be necessary. An adept known to The MASTER THERION once found it necessary to slay a Circe who was bewitching brethren. He merely walked to the door of her room, and drew an Astral T ("traditore", and the symbol of Saturn) with an astral dagger. Within 48 hours she shot herself.< 7. Works of creation and dissolution, and the higher invocations. > to bring wanted objects --- gold, books, women and the like; to open locked doors, to discover treasure; to swim under water; to have armed men at command --- etc., etc. All these are really matters of detail; the Adeptus Major will easi > Perform an operation to bring gold --- your rich uncle dies and leaves you his money; books --- you see the book wanted in a catalogue that very day, although you have advertised in vain for a year; woman --- but if you have made the spirits b It must further be remarked that it is absolute Black Magic to use any of these powers if the object can possibly be otherwise attained. If your child is drowning, you must jump and try to save him; it won't do to invoke the Undines. Nor is it lawful in all circumstances to invoke those Undines even where the case is hopeless; maybe it is necessary to you and to the child that it should die. An Exempt Adept on the right road will make no error here --- an Adept Major is only too likely to do so. A through apprehension of this book will arm adepts of every grade against all the more serious blunders incidental to their unfortunate positions. IV Necromancy is of sufficient importance to demand a section to itself. It is justifiable in some exceptional cases. Suppose the magician fail to obtain access to living Teachers, or should he need some {197} especial piece of knowledge which he has reason to believe died with some teacher of the past, it may be useful to evoke the "shade" of such a one, or read the "Akasic record" of his mind.< If this be done it must be done properly very much on the lines of the evocation of Apollonius of Tyana, which Eliphas Levi performed.<> The utmost care must be taken to prevent personation of the "shade". It is of course easy, but can rarely be advisable, to evoke the shade of a suicide, or of one violently slain or suddenly dead. Of what use is such an operation, save to gratify curiosity or vanity? One must add a word on spiritism, which is a sort of indiscriminate necromancy --- one might prefer the word necrophilia --- by amateurs. They make themselves perfectly passive, and, so far from employing any methods of protection, deliberately invite all and sundry spirits, demons, shells of the dead, all the excrement and filth of earth and hell, to squirt their slime over them. This invitation is readily accepted, unless a clean man be present with an aura good enough to frighten these fou No spiritualistic manifestation has ever taken place in the {198} presence even of FRATER PERDURABO; how much less in that of The MASTER THERION!<> tupid smutty story, and could hardly conceive of any society assembling for any other purpose than "phallic orgies", what This was the plain result of his spiritism. All spiritists are more or less similarly afflicted. They feel dirty even across the street; their auras are ragged, muddy and malodorous; they ooze the slime of putrefying corpses. No spiritist, once he is wholly enmeshed in sentimentality and Freudian fear-phantasms, is capable of concentrated thought, of persistent will, or of moral character. Devoid of every spark of the divine light which was his birthright, a prey before death to the ghastly tenants of the grave, the wretch, like the mesmerized and living corpse of Poe's Monsieur Valdemar, is a "nearly liquid mass of loathsome, of detestable putrescence." The student of this Holy Magick is most earnestly warned against frequenting their seances, or even admitting them to his presence. They are contagious as Syphilis, and more deadly and disgusting. Unless your aura is strong enough to inhibit any manifestation of the loathly larvae that have taken up their habitation in them, shun them as you need not mere lepers!< V > Wisely they have been kept in the forefront of true magical instruction. Even the tyro can always rattle off that he has to know, to dare to will and to keep silence. It is difficult to write on this subject, for these powers are indeed comprehensive, and the interplay of one with the other becomes increasin But there is one general principle which seems worthy of special emphasis in this place. These four powers are thus complex because they are the powers of the Sphinx, that is, they are functions of a single organism. Now those who understand the growth of organisms are aware that evolution depends on adaptation to environment. If an animal which cannot swim is occasionally thrown into water, it may escape by some piece of good fortune, but if it is thrown into water continuously it will drown sooner or later, unless it learns to swim. Organisms being to a certain extent elastic, they soon adapt themselves to a new environment, provided that the change is not so sudden as to destroy that elasticity. Now a change in environment involves a repeated meeting of new conditions, and if you want to adapt yourself to any given set of conditions, the best thing you can do is to place yourself cautiously and persistently among them. That is the foundation of all education. The old-fashioned pedagogues were not all so stupid as some modern educators would have us think. The principle of the system was to strike the brain a series of constantly repeated blows until the proper reaction became normal to the organism. It is not desirable to use ideas which excite interest, or may come {200} in handy later as weapons, in this fundamental training of the mind. It is much better to compel the mind to busy itself with root ideas which do not mean very much to the child, because you are not trying to excite the brain, but to drill it. For this reason, all the best minds have been trained by preliminary study of classics and mathematics. The same principle applies to the training of the body. The original exercises should be of a character to train the muscles generally to perform any kind of work, rather than to train them for some special kind of work, concentration of which will unfit them for other tasks by depriving them of the elasticity which is the proper condition of life.< In Magick and meditation this principle applies with tremendous force. It is quite useless to teach people how to perform magical operations, when it may be that such operations, when they have learned to do them, are not in accordance with their wills. What must be done is to drill the Aspirant in the hard routine of the elements of the Royal Art. "You dangle a carrot in front of her nose, And she goes wherever the carrot goes." For, after all, one cannot explain the necessity of the study of Latin either to imbecile children or to stupid educationalists; for, not having learned Latin, they have not developed the brains to learn anything. The Hindus, understanding these difficulties, have taken the God-Almighty attitude about the matter. If you go to a Hindu teacher, he treats you as less than an earthworm. You have to do this, and you have to do that, and you are not allowed to know why you are doing it.< After years of experience in teaching, The MASTER THERION is not altogether convinced that this is not the right attitude. {202} When people begin to argue about things instead of doing them, they become absolutely impossible. Their minds begin to work about it and about, and they come out by the same door as in they went. They remain brutish, voluble, and uncomprehending. The technique of Magick is just as important as that of mysticism, but here we have a very much more difficult problem, because the original unit of Magick, the Body of Light, is already something unfamiliar to the ordinary person. Nevertheless, this body must be developed and trained with exactly the same rigid discipline as the brain in the case of mysticism. The essence of the technique of Magick is the development of the body of Light, which must be extended to include all members of th The most important drill practices are: 1. The fortification of the Body of Light by the constant use of rituals, by the assumption of god-forms, and by the right use of the Eucharist. 2. The purification and consecration and exaltation of that Body by the use of rituals of invocation. 3. The education of that Body by experience. It must learn to travel on every plane; to break down every obstacle which may confront it. This experience must be as systematic and regular as possible; for it is of no use merely to travel to the spheres of Jupiter and Venus, or even to explore the 30 Aethyrs, neglecting unattractive meridians.< The object is to possess a Body which is capable of doing easily any particular task that may lie before it. There must be no selection of special experience which appeals to one's immediate desire. One must go steadily through all possible pylons. This is possibly an error, probably a defect, certainly an impurity of thought, and the root of it is to be found in His original bad discipline with regard to Magick. If the reader will turn to the account of his astral journeys in the Second Number of the First Volume of the Equinox, he will find that these experiments were quite capricious. Even when, in Mexico, He got the idea of exploring the 30 Aethyrs systematically, He abandoned the vision after only 2 Aethyrs had been investigated. {204} Very different is His record after the training in 1901 e.v. had put Him in the way of discipline.<> At the conclusion of this part of this book, one may sum up the whole matter in these words: There is no object whatever worthy of attainment but the regular development of the being of the Aspirant by steady scientific work; he should not attempt to run before he can walk; he should not wish to go somewhere until he knows for certain whither he wills to go. --------- {205} APPENDIX I. The reader will find excellent classical examples of rituals of Magick in The Equinox, Volume I, in the following places --- "Number I." --- The supplement contains considerations for preparing a ritual of self-initiation. The supplement is also a perfect model of what a magical record should be, in respect of the form. "Number II." --- On pages 244-288 are given several rituals of Initiation. Pages 302-317 give an account of certain astral visions. Pages 326-332 give a formula for Rising on the Planes. "Number III." --- Pages 151-169 give details of certain magical formulae. Pages 170-190 are a very perfect example --- classical, old style --- of a magical ritual for the evocation of the spirit of Mercury. Pages 190-197 --- a ritual for the consecration of a talisman. A very perfect example. Pages 198-205 --- a very fine example of a ritual to invoke the Higher Genius. Pages 208-233 --- Ritual of Initiation, with explanation of the same. Pages 269-272 --- Ritual of obtaining the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel by the formula of I.A.O. Pages 272-278 --- Ritual to make one's self invisible. "Number IV." --- Pages 43-196 --- Treatise, with model Records, of Mental Training appropriate to the Magician. {207} "Number V." --- The supplement is the most perfect account of visions extant. They explore the farthest recesses of the magical universe. "Number VI." --- the Supplement gives seven rituals of the dramatic order, as described in Chapter XIX. Pages 29-32 --- A highly important magical ritual for daily use and work. "Number VII." --- Pages 21-27 --- Classical ritual to invoke Mercury; for daily use and work. Pages 117-157 --- Example of a dramatic ritual in modern style. Pages 229-243 --- An elaborate magical map of the universe on particular principles. Pages 372-375 --- Example of a seasonal ritual. Pages 376-383 --- Ritual to invoke Horus. "Number VIII." --- Pages 99-128 --- The conjuration of the elemental spirits. "Number IX." --- Pages 117-136 --- Ritual for invoking the spirit of Mars. "Number X." --- Pages 57-79 --- Modern example of a magical ritual in dramatic form, commemorating the return of Spring. Pages 81-90 --- Fragment of ritual of a very advanced character. VOL. III. No. I. --- This volume contains an immense number of articles of primary importance to every student of magick. The rituals of The Book of Lies and the Goetia are also to be studied. The "preliminary invocation" of the Goetia is in particular recommended for daily use and work. Orpheus, by Aleister Crowley, contains a large number of magical invocations in verse. There are also a good many others in other parts of his poetical works. The following is a complete curriculum of reading officially approved by the A.'. A.'. {208} CURRICULUM OF A.'. A.'. COURSE I. GENERAL READING. SECTION 1. --- Books for Serious Study: The Equinox. The standard Work of Reference in all occult matters. The Encyclopaedia of Initiation. Collected Works of A. Crowley. These works contain many mystical and magical secrets, both stated clearly in prose, and woven into the robe of sublimest poesy. The Yi King. (S.B.E. Series, Oxford University Press.) The "Classic of Changes"; gives the initiated Chinese system of Magick. The Tao Teh King. (S.B.E. Series.) gives the initiated Chinese system of Mysticism. Tannhauser, by A. Crowley. An allegorical drama concerning the Progress of the soul; the Tannhauser story slightly remodelled. The Upanishads. (S.B.E. Series.) The Classical Basis of Vedantism, the best-known form of Hindu Mysticism. The Bhagavad-Gita. A dialogue in which Krishna, the Hindu "Christ", expounds a system of Attainment. The Voice of the Silence, by H. P. Blavatsky, with an elaborate commentary by Frater O. M. The Goetia. The most intelligible of the mediaeval rituals of Evocation. Contains also the favorite Invocation of the Master Therion. The Shiva Sanhita. A famous Hindu treatise on certain physical practices. The Hathayoga Pradipika. Similar to The Shiva Sanhita. Erdmann's "History of Philosophy". A compendious account of philosophy from the earliest times. Most valuable as a general education of the mind. {209} The Spiritual Guide of Molinos. A simple manual of Christian mysticism. The Star of the West. (Captain Fuller.) An introduction to the study of the Works of Aleister Crowley. The Dhammapada. (S.B.E. Series, Oxford University Press.) The best of the Buddhist classics. The Questions of King Milinda. (S.B.E. Series.) Technical points of Buddhist dogma, illustrated by dialogues. Varieties of Religious Experience. (James.) Valuable as showing the uniformity of mystical attainment. Kabbala Denudata, von Rosenroth: also the Kabbalah Unveiled, by S. L. Mathers. The text of the Kabalah, with commentary. A good elementary introduction to the subject. Konx om Pax. Four invaluable treatises and a preface on Mysticism and Magick. The Pistis Sophia. An admirable introduction to the study of Gnosticism. The Oracles of Zoroaster. An invaluable collection of precepts mystical and magical. The Dream of Scipio, by Cicero. Excellent for its Vision and its Philosophy. The Golden Verses of Pythagoras, by Fabre d'Olivet. An interesting study of the exoteric doctrines of this Master. The Divine Pymander, by Hermes Trismegistus. Invaluable as bearing on the Gnostic Philosophy. The Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians, reprint of Franz Hartmann. An invaluable compendium. Scrutinium Chymicum, by Michael Maier. One of the best treatises on alchemy. Science and the Infinite, by Sidney Klein. One of the best essays written in recent years. Two Essays of the Worship of Priapus, by Richard Payne Knight. Invaluable to all students. {210} The Golden Bough, by J. G. Frazer. The Text-Book of folk Lore. Invaluable to all students. The Age of Reason, by Thomas Paine. Excellent, though elementary, as a corrective to superstition. Rivers of Life, by General Forlong. An invaluable text-book of old systems of initiation. Three Dialogues, by Bishop Berkeley. The Classic of subjective idealism. Essays of David Hume. The Classic of Academic Scepticism. First Principles, by Herbert Spencer. The Classic of Agnosticism. Prolegomena, by Emanuel Kant. The best introduction to Metaphysics. The Canon. The best text-book of Applied Qabalah. The Fourth Dimension, by H. Hinton. The text-book on this subject. The Essays of Thomas Henry Huxley. Masterpieces of philosophy, as of prose. The object of this course of reading is to familiarize the student with all that has been said by the Great Masters in every time and country. He should make a critical examination of them; not so much with the idea of discovering where truth lies, for he cannot do this except by virtue of his own spiritual experience, but rather to discover the essential harmony in those varied works. He should be on his guard against partisanship with a favourite author. He should familiarize himself tho The general object of this course, besides that already stated, is to assure sound education in occult matters, so that when spiritual illumination comes it may find a well-built temple. Where the mind is strongly biased towards any special theory, the result of an illumination is often to inflame that portion of the mind which is thus overdeveloped, with the result that the aspirant, instead of becoming an Adept, becomes a bigot and fanatic. {211} The A.'. A.'. does not offer examination in this course, but recommends these books as the foundation of a library. SECTION 2. --- Other books, principally fiction, of a generally suggestive and helpful kind: Zanoni, by Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton. Valuable for its facts and suggestions about Mysticism. A Strange Story, by Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton. Valuable for its facts and suggestions about Magick. The Blossom and the Fruit, by Mabel Collins. Valuable for its account of the Path. Petronius Arbiter. Valuable for those who have wit to understand it. The Golden Ass, by Apuleius. Valuable for those who have wit to understand it. Le Comte de Gabalis. Valuable for its hints of those things which it mocks. The Rape of the Lock, by Alexander Pope. Valuable for its account of elementals. Undine, by de la Motte Fouque. Valuable as an account of elementals. Black Magic, by Marjorie Bowen. An intensely interesting story of sorcery. Le Peau de Chagrin, by Honore de Balzac. A magnificent magical allegory. Number Nineteen, by Edgar Jepson. An excellent tale of modern magic. Dracula, by Bram Stoker. Valuable for its account of legends concerning vampires. Scientific Romances, by H. Hinton. Valuable as an introduction to the study of the Fourth Dimension. Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. Valuable to those who understand the Qabalah. {212} Alice Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll. Valuable to those who understand the Qabalah. The Hunting of the Snark, by Lewis Carroll. Valuable to those who understand the Qabalah. The Arabian Nights, translated by either Sir Richard Burton or John Payne. Valuable as a storehouse of oriental magick-lore. Morte d'Arthur, by Sir Thomas Mallory. Valuable as a storehouse of occidental Magick-lore. The Works of Francois Rabelais. Invaluable for Wisdom. The Kasidah, by Sir Richard Burton. Valuable as a summary of philosophy. The Song Celestial, by Sir Edwin Arnold. "The Bagavad-Gita" in verse. The Light of Asia, by Sir Edwin Arnold. An account of the attainment of Gotama Buddha. The Rosicrucians, by Hargrave Jennings. Valuable to those who can read between the lines. The Real History of the Rosicrucians, by A. E. Waite. A good vulgar piece of journalism on the subject. The Works of Arthur Machen. Most of these stories are of great magical interest. The Writings of William O'Neill (Blake). Invaluable to all students. The Shaving of Shagpat, by George Meredith. An excellent allegory. Lilith, by George MacDonald. A good introduction to the Astral. La-Bas, by J. K. Huysmans. An account of the extravagances caused by the Sin-complex. The Lore of Proserpine, by Maurice Hewlett. A suggestive enquiry into the Hermetic Arcanum. En Route, by J. K. Huysmans. An account of the follies of Christian mysticism. Sidonia the Sorceress, by Wilhelm Meinhold. {213} The Amber Witch, by Wilhelm Meinhold. These two tales are highly informative. Macbeth; Midsummer Night's Dream; The Tempest, by W. Shakespeare. Interesting for traditions treated. Redgauntlet, by Sir Walter Scott. Also one or two other novels. Interesting for traditions treated. Rob Roy, by James Grant. Interesting for traditions treated. The Magician, by W. Somerset Maugham. An amusing hotchpot of stolen goods. The Bible, by various authors unknown. The Hebrew and Greek Originals are of Qabalistic value. It contains also many magical apologues, and recounts many tales of folk-lore and magical rites. Kim, by Rudyard Kipling. An admirable study of Eastern thought and life. Many other stories by this author are highly suggestive and informative. For Mythology, as teaching Correspondences: Books of Fairy Tales generally. Oriental Classics generally. Sufi Poetry generally. Scandinavian and Teutonic Sagas generally. Celtic Folk-Lore generally. This course is of general value to the beginner. While it is not to be taken, in all cases, too seriously, it will give him a general familiarity with the mystical and magical tradition, create a deep interest in the subject, and suggest many helpful lines of thought. It has been impossible to do more, in this list, than to suggest a fairly comprehensive course of reading. SECTION 3. --- Official publications of the A.'. A.'. "Liber I. "Liber B vel Magi." An account of the Grade of Magus, the highest grade which {214} it is ever possible to manifest in any way whatever upon this plane. Or so it is said by the Masters of the Temple. Equinox VII, p. 5. "Liber II." The Message of the Master Therion. Explains the Essence of the new law in a very simple manner. Equinox XI (Vol. III, No. 1), p. 39. "Liber III. Liber Jugorum." An instruction for the control of speech, action and thought. Equinox IV, p. 9 & Appendix VI of this book. "Liber IV. ABA." A general account in elementary terms of magical and mystical powers. Part. 1. "Mysticism" --- published. 2. "Magick" (Elementary Theory) --- published. 3. "Magick in Theory and Practice" (this book). 4. "The Law." Not yet completed. "Liber VI. Liber O vel Manus et Sagittae." Instructions given for elementary study of the Qabalah, Assumption of God forms, vibration of Divine Names, the Rituals of Pentagram and Hexagram, and their uses in protection and invocation, a method of attaining astral visions so-called, and an instruction in the practice called Rising on the Planes. Equinox II, p. 11 and appendix VI in this book. "Liber VII. Liber Liberi vel Lapis Lazuli, Adumbratio Kabbalae Aegyptiorum." sub Figura VII. Being the Voluntary Emancipation of a certain exempt Adept from his Adeptship. These are the Birth Words of a Master of the Temple. {215} Its 7 chapters are referred to the 7 planets in the following order: Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Sol, Mercury, Luna, Venus. "Liber VIII." See CCCCXVIII. "Liber IX. Liber E vel Exercitiorum." Instructs the aspirant in the necessity of keeping a record. Suggests methods of testing physical clairvoyance. Gives instruction in Asana, Pranayama and Dharana, and advises the application of tests to the physical body, in order that the student may thoroughly understand his own limitations. Equinox I, p. 25 & Appendix VI of this Book. "Liber X." "Liber Porta Lucis." An account of the sending forth of the Master Therion by the A.'. A.'. and an explanation of His mission. Equinox VI, p. 3. "Liber XI. Liber NV." An Instruction for attaining Nuit. Equinox VII, p. 11. "Liber XIII. Graduum Montis Abiegni." An account of the task of the Aspirant from Probationer to Adept. Equinox III, p. 3. "Liber XV. Ecclesiae Gnosticae Catholicae Cannon Missae." Represents the original and true pre-Christian Christianity. Equinox XI (vol. iii, part 1) And Appendix VI of this book. {216} "Liber XVI. Liber Turris vel Domus Dei." An Instruction for attainment by the direct destruction of thoughts as they arise in the mind. Equinox VI, p. 9. "Liber XVII. Liber I.A.O." Gives three methods of attainment through a willed series of thoughts. Unpublished. It is the active form of Liber CCCLXI. "Liber XXI. The Classic of Purity," by Ko Hsuen. A new translation from the Chinese by the Master Therion. Unpublished. "Liber XXV. The Ritual of the Star Ruby." An improved form of the lesser ritual of the Pentagram, Liber CCCXXXIII, The Book of Lies, pp. 34 & 35. Also Appendix VI of this book. "Liber XXVII. Liber Trigrammaton, being a book of Trigrams of the Mutations of the Tao with the Yin and Yang." An account of the cosmic process: corresponding to the stanzas of Dzyan in another system. Unpublished. "Liber XXX. "Liber Librae." An elementary course of morality suitable for the average man. Equinox I, p. 17. "Liber XXXIII." An account of A.'. A.'. first written in the Language of his {217} period by the Councillor Von Eckartshausen and now revised and rewritten in the Universal Cipher. Equinox I, p. 4. "Liber XXXVI. The Star Sapphire." An improved ritual of the Hexagram. Liber CCCXXXIII (The Book of Lies), p.p. 46 & 7, and Appendix VI of this book. "Liber XLI. Thien Tao." An Essay on Attainment by the Way of Equilibrium. Knox Om Pax, p. 52 "Liber XLIV" "The Mass of the Phoenix." A Ritual of the Law. Liber CCCXXXIII (The Book of Lies), pp. 57-7, and Appendix VI in this book. "Liber XLVI." "The Key of the Mysteries." A Translation of "La Clef des Grands Mysteres", by Eliphas Levi. Specially adapted to the task of the Attainment of Bhakta- Yoga. Equinox X, Supplement. "Liber XLIX. Shi Yi Chien." An account of the divine perfection illustrated by the seven- fold permutation of the Dyad. Unpublished. "Liber LI. The Lost Continent." An account of the continent of Atlantis: the manners and customs, magical rites and opinions of its people, together {218} with a true account of the catastrophe, so called, which ended in its disappearance. Unpublished. "Liber LV. The Chymical Jousting of Brother Perardua with the seven Lances that he brake." An account of the Magical and Mystic Path in the language of Alchemy. Equinox I, p. 88. "Liber LVIII." An article on the Qabalah in Equinox V, p. 65. "Liber LIX. Across the Gulf." A fantastic account of a previous Incarnation. Its principal interest lies in the fact that its story of the overthrowing of Isis by Osiris may help the reader to understand the meaning of the overthrowing of Osiris by Horus in the present Aeon. Equinox VII, p. 293. "Liber LXI. Liber Causae." Explains the actual history and origin of the present move- ment. Its statements are accurate in the ordinary sense of the word. The object of the book is to discount Mythopeia. Equinox XI, p. 55. "Liber LXIV. Liber Israfel," formerly called "Anubis." An instruction in a suitable method of preaching. Unpublished. "Liber LXV. Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente." An account of the relations of the Aspirant with his Holy Guardian Angel. Equinox XI (vol. iii, part 1), p. 65. {219} "Liber LXVI. Liber Stellae Rubeae." A secret ritual, the Heart of IAO-OAI, delivered unto V.V.V.V.V. for his use in a certain matter of "Liber Legis." See Liber CCCXXXIII (The Book of Lies), pp. 34-5. Also Appendix VI in his book. "Liber LXVII. The Sword of Song." A critical study of various philosophies. An account of Buddhism. A. Crowley, Collected Works, Vol. ii, pp. 140-203. "Liber LXXI. The Voice of the Silence, the Two Paths, the Seven Portals," by H. P. Blavatsky, with an elaborate commentary by Frater O. M. Equinox III, I. Supplement. "Liber LXXXIII. --- The Urn." This is the sequel to "The Temple of Solomon the King," and is the Diary of a Magus. This book contains a detailed account of all the experiences passed through by the Master Therion in his attainment of this grade of Initiation, the highest possible to any manifested Man. Unpublished. "Liber LXXVIII." A complete treatise on the Tarot giving the correct designs of the cards with their attributions and symbolic meanings on all the planes. Part-published in Equinox VII, p.143. "Liber LXXXI. The Butterfly Net." An account of a magical operation, particularly concerning the planet Luna, written in the form of a novel. Published under the title "Moon-child" by the Mandrake Press, 41, Museum St., London, W.C.1. {220} "Liber LXXXIV. Vel Chanokh." A brief abstraction of the Symbolic representation of the Universe derived by Dr. John Dee through the Scrying of Sir Edward Kelly. Part-published in Equinox VII, p. 229 & VIII, p. 99. "Liber XC. Tzaddi vel Hamus Hermeticus." An account of Initiation, and an indication as to those who are suitable for the same. Equinox VI, p. 17. "Liber XCV. The Wake-World." A poetical allegory of the relations of the soul and the Holy Guardian Angel. Knox Om Pax, p. 1. "Liber XCVI. Liber Gaias." A Handbook of Geomancy. Equinox II, p. 137. "Liber CVI. A Treatise on the Nature of Death, and the proper attitude to be taken towards it." Published in "The International", New York, 1917. "Liber CXI (Aleph). The Book of Wisdom or Folly." An extended and elaborate commentary on the Book of the Law, in the form of a letter from the Master Therion to his magical son. Contains some of the deepest secrets of initiation, with a clear solution of many cosmic and ethical problems. Unpublished. "Liber CL. De Lege Libellum." {221} A further explanation of the Book of the Law, with special reference to the Powers and Privileges conferred by its acceptance. Equinox III, part 1, p. 99. "Liber CLVI. Liber Cheth, vel Vallum Abiegni." A perfect account of the task of the Exempt Adept considered under the symbols of a particular plane, not the intellectual. Equinox VI, p. 23. "Liber CLVII. The Tao Teh King." A new translation, with a commentary, by the Master Therion. Unpublished. "Liber CLXV. A Master of the Temple," Being an account of the attainment of Frater Unus In Omnibus. The record of a man who actually attained by the system taught by the A.'. A.'. Part-published in Equinox III, I, p. 127. "Liber CLXXV. Astarte vel Liber Berylli." An instruction in attainment by the method of devotion, or Bhakta-Yogi. Equinox VII, p. 37. "Liber CLXXXV. Liber Collegii Sancti." Being the tasks of the Grades and their Oaths proper to Liber XIII. This is the official paper of the various grades. It includes the Task and Oath of a Probationer. Unpublished. "Liber CXCVII. The High History of Good Sir Palamedes the Saracen Knight and of his following of the Questing Beast." {222} A poetic account of the Great Work and enumeration of many obstacles. Equinox IV, Special Supplement. "Liber CC. Resh vel Helios." An instruction for the adoration of the Sun four times daily, with the object of composing the mind to meditation, and of regularising the practices. Equinox VI, p. 29. "Liber CCVI. Liber RU vel Spiritus." Full instruction in Pranayama. Equinox VII, p. 59. "Liber CCVII. Syllabus." An enumeration of the Official publications of A.'. A.'. with a brief description of the contents of each book. Equinox XI (vol. iii part 1), p. 11. This appendix is extracted therefrom. "Liber CCXX (L vel Legis). The Book of the Law," which is the foundation of the whole work. Text in Equinox X, p. 9. Short commentary in Equinox VII, p. 378. Full commentary by the Master Therion through whom it was given to the world, will be published shortly. "Liber CCXVI. The Yi King." A new translation, with a commentary by the Master Therion. Unpublished. "Liber CCXXXI. Liber Arcanorum" GR:tau-omega-nu ATU GR:tau-omicron-upsilon TAHUTI quas vidit ASAR in AMENNTI sub figura CCXXXI. Liber Carcerorum GR:tau-omega-nu QLIPHOTH cum suis Geniis. Adduntur Sigilla et Nomina Eorum. {223} An account of the cosmic process so far as it is indicated by the Tarot Trumps. Equinox VII, p. 69. "Liber CCXLII." AHA! An exposition in poetic language of several of the ways of attainment and the results obtained. Equinox III, p. 9 "Liber CCLXV. The Structure of the Mind." A Treatise on psychology from the mystic an magical stand- point. Its study will help the aspirant to make a detailed scientific analysis of his mind, and so learn to control it. Unpublished. "Liber CCC. Khabs am Pekht." A special instruction for the Promulgation of the Law. This is the first and most important duty of every Aspirant of whatever grade. It builds up in him the character and Karma which forms the Spine of Attainment. Equinox III, I, p. 171 "Liber CCCXXXIII. The Book of Lies falsely so-called." Deals with many matters on all planes of the very highest importance. It is an official publication for Babes of the Abyss, but is recommended even to beginners as highly suggestive. Published. "Liber CCCXXXV. Adonis." An account in poetic language of the struggle of the human and divine elements in the consciousness of man, giving their harmony following on the victory of the latter. Equinox VII, p. 117. "Liber CCCLXI. Liber H.H.H." {224} Gives three methods of attainment through a willed series of thoughts. "Liber CCCLXV, vel CXX. The Preliminary Invocation of the Goetia" so-called, with a complete explanation of the barbarous names of evocation used therein, and the secret rubric of the ritual, by the Master Therion. This is the most potent invocation extant, and was used by the Master Himself in his attainment. See p. 265 of this book. "Liber CD. Liber TAU vel Kabbalae Truium Literarum sub figura CD." A graphic interpretation of the Tarot on the plane of initiation. Equinox VII, p. 75. "Liber CCCCXII. A vel Armorum." An instruction for the preparation of the elemental Instruments. Equinox IV, p. 15. "Liber CCCCXVIII. Liber XXX AERUM vel Saeculi." Being of the Angels of the Thirty Aethyrs, the Vision and the Voice. Besides being the classical account of the thirty Aethyrs and a model of all visions, the cries of the Angels should be regarded as accurate, and the doctrine of the function of the Great White Brotherhood understood as the foundation of the Aspiration of the Adept. The account of the Master of the Temple should in particular be taken as authentic. Equinox V, Special Supplement. "Liber CDLXXIV. Os Abysmi vel Da'ath." An instruction in a purely intellectual method of entering the Abyss. Equinox VII, p. 77. "Liber D. Sepher Sephiroth." A dictionary of Hebrew words arranged according to their {225} numerical value. This is an Encyclopaedia of the Holy Qabalah, which is a Map of the Universe, and enables man to attain Perfect Understanding. Equinox VIII, Special Supplement. "Liber DXXXVI. A complete Treatise on Astrology." This is the only text book on astrology composed on scientific lines by classifying observed facts instead of deducting from "a priori" theories. Unpublished. "Liber DXXXVI." GR:Beta-Alpha-Tau-Rho-Alpha-Chi-Omicron-Phi-Rho-Epsilon-Nu-Omicron-Beta-Omicron-Omicron GR:Kappa-Omicron-Sigma-Mu-Omicron-Mu-Alpha-Chi-Iota-Alpha. An instruction in expansion of the field of the mind. Equinox X, p. 35. "Liber DLV. LIBER HAD." An instruction for attaining Hadit. Equinox VII, p. 83. "Liber DCXXXIII. De Thaumaturgia." A statement of certain ethical considerations concerning Magick. Unpublished. "Liber DCLXVI. The Beast." An account of the Magical Personality who is the Logos of the present Aeon. Unpublished. "Liber DCCLXXVII. (777). Vel Prolegomena Symbolica Ad Systemam Sceptico-Mysticae Viae Explicandae, Fundamentum Hieroglyphicorum sanctissimorum Scientae Summae." A complete Dictionary of the Correspondences of all magical elements, reprinted with extensive additions, making it the {226} only standard comprehensive book of reference ever published. It is to the language of Occultism what Webster or Murray is to the English Language. The reprint with additions will shortly be published. "Liber DCCCXI. Energised Enthusiasm" Specially adapted to the task of Attainment of Control of the Body of Light, development of Intuition and Hathayoga. Equinox IX, p. 17. "Liber DCCCXIII. vel ARARITA." An account of the Hexagram and the method of reducing it to the Unity, and Beyond. Unpublished. "Liber DCCCXXXI. Liber IOD, formerly called VESTA." An instruction giving three methods of reducing the manifold consciousness to the Unity. Adapted to facilitate the task of the Attainment of Raja-Yoga and of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. Equinox VII, p. 101. "Liber DCCCXXXVII. The Law of Liberty." This is a further explanation of the Book of the Law in reference to certain Ethical problems. Equinox XI (vol. III, No. 1), p. 45. "Liber DCCCLX. John St. John." The Record of the Magical Retirement of G. H. Frater O.'. M.'. A model of what a magical record should be, so far as accurate analysis and fullness of description are concerned. Equinox I, Supplement. {227} "Liber DCCCLXVIII. Liber Viarum Viae." A graphical account of magical powers classified under the Tarot Trumps. Equinox VII, p. 101. "Liber DCCCLXXXVIII." A complete study of the origins of Christianity. Unpublished. "Liber CMXIII. Liber Viae Memoriae." Gives methods for attaining the magical memory, or memory of past lives, and an insight into the function of the Aspirant in this present life. Equinox VII, p. 105. "Liber CMXXXIV. The Cactus." An elaborate study of the psychological effects produced by "Anhalonium Lewinii" (Mescal Buttons), compiled from the actual records of some hundreds of experiments. Unpublished. "Liber DCCCCLXIII. The Treasure House of Images." A superb collection of Litanies appropriate to the Signs of the Zodiac. Equinox III, Supplement. "Liber MMCCMXI. A Note on Genesis." A model of Qabalistic ratiocination. Specially adapted to Gana Yoga. "Liber MCCLXIV. The Greek Qabalah." A complete dictionary of all sacred and important words and phrases given in the Books of the Gnosis and other important writings both in the Greek and the Coptic. Unpublished. {228} APPENDIX II. ONE STAR IN SIGHT. Thy feet in mire, thine head in murk, O man, how piteous thy plight, The doubts that daunt, the ills that irk, Thou hast nor wit nor will to fight --- How hope in heart, or worth in work? No star in sight! Thy gods proved puppets of the priest. "Truth? All's relation!" science sighed. In bondage with thy brother beast, Love tortured thee, as Love's hope died And Lover's faith rotted. Life no least Dim star descried. Thy cringing carrion cowered and crawled To find itself a chance-cast clod Whose Pain was purposeless; appalled That aimless accident thus trod Its agony, that void skies sprawled On the vain sod! All souls eternally exist, Each individual, ultimate, Perfect --- each makes itself a mist Of mind and flesh to celebrate With some twin mask their tender tryst Insatiate. {229} Some drunkards, doting on the dream, Despair that it should die, mistake Themselves for their own shadow-scheme. One star can summon them to wake To self; star-souls serene that gleam On life's calm lake. That shall end never that began. All things endure because they are. Do what thou wilt, for every man And every woman is a star. Pan is not dead; he liveth, Pan! Break down the bar! To man I come, the number of A man my number, Lion of Light; I am The Beast whose Law is Love. Love under will, his royal right --- Behold within, and not above, One star in sight! ONE STAR IN SIGHT. A glimpse of the structure and system of the Great White Brotherhood. A.'. A.'.<>. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. 1. The Order of the Star called S. S. is, in respect of its existence upon the Earth, an organized body of men and women distinguished among their fellows by the qualities here enumerated. They exist in their own Truth, which is both universal and unique. {230} They move in accordance with their own Wills, which are each unique, yet coherent with the universal will. They perceive (that is, understand, know, and feel) in love, which is both unique and universal. 2. The order consists of eleven grades or degrees, and is numbered as follows: these compose three groups, the Orders of the S. S., of the R. C., and of the G. D. respectively. "The Order of the S. S." Ipsissimus .................. 10 Degree = 1Square Magus ....................... 9 Degree = 2Square Magister Templi ............. 8 Degree = 3Square "The Order of the R. C." (Babe of the Abyss --- the link) Adeptus Exemptus ............ 7 Degree = 4Square Adeptus Major ............... 6 Degree = 5Square Adeptus Minor ............... 5 Degree = 6Square "The Order of the G. D." (Dominus Liminis --- the link) Philosophus ................. 4 Degree = 7Square Practicus ................... 3 Degree = 8Square Zelator ..................... 2 Degree = 9Square Neophyte .................... 1 Degree = 10Square Probationer ................. 0 Degree = 0Square (These figures have special meanings to the initiated and are commonly employed to designate the grades.) The general characteristics and attributions of these Grades are indicated by their correspondences on the Tree of Life, as may be studied in detail in the Book 777. Student. --- His business is to acquire a general intellectual knowledge of all systems of attainment, as declared in the prescribed books. (See curriculum in Appendix I.) {231} Probationer. --- His principal business is to begin such practices as he my prefer, and to write a careful record of the same for one year. Neophyte. --- Has to acquire perfect control of the Astral Plane. Zelator. --- His main work is to achieve complete success in Asana and Pranayama. He also begins to study the formula of the Rosy Cross. Practicus. --- Is expected to complete his intellectual training, and in particular to study the Qabalah. Philosophus. --- Is expected to complete his moral training. He is tested in Devotion to the Order. Dominus Liminis. --- Is expected to show mastery of Pratyahara and Dharana. Adeptus (without). --- is expected to perform the Great Work and to attain the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. Adeptus (within). --- Is admitted to the practice of the formula of the Rosy Cross on entering the College of the Holy Ghost. Adeptus (Major). --- Obtains a general mastery of practical Magick, though without comprehension. Adeptus (Exemptus). --- Completes in perfection all these matters. He then either ("a") becomes a Brother of the Left Hand Path or, ("b") is stripped of all his attainments and of himself as well, even of his Holy Guardian Angel, and becomes a babe of the Abyss, who, having transcended the Reason, does nothing but grow in the womb of its mother. It then finds itself a Magister Templi. --- (Master of the Temple): whose functions are fully described in Liber 418, as is this whole initiation from Adeptus Exemptus. See also "Aha!". His principal business is to tend his "garden" of disciples, and to obtain a perfect understanding of the Universe. He is a Master of Samadhi. {232} Magus. --- Attains to wisdom, declares his law (See Liber I, vel Magi) and is a Master of all Magick in its greatest and highest sense. Ipsissimus. --- Is beyond all this and beyond all comprehension of those of lower degrees. But of these last three Grades see some further account in "The Temple of Solomon the King", Equinox I to X and elsewhere. It should be stated that these Grades are not necessarily attained fully, and in strict consecution, or manifested wholly on all planes. The subject is very difficult, and entirely beyond the limits of this small treatise. We append a more detailed account. 3. "The Order of the S. S." is composed of those who have crossed the Abyss; the implications of this expression may be studied in Liber 418, the 14th, 13th, 12th, 11th, 10th, and 9th Aethyrs in particular. All members of the Order are in full possession of the Formulae of Attainment, both mystical or inwardly-directed and Magical or outwardly-directed. They have full experience of attainment in both these paths. They are all, however, bound by the original and fundamental Oath of the Order, to devote their energy to assisting the Progress of their Inferiors in the Order. Those who accept the rewards of their emancipation for themselves are no longer within the Order. Members of the Order are each entitled to found Orders dependent on themselves on the lines of the R. C. and G. D. orders, to cover types of emancipation and illumination not contemplated by the original (or main) system. All such orders must, however, be constituted in harmony with the A.'. A.'. as regards the essential principles. All members of the Order are in possession of the Word of the existing Aeon, and govern themselves thereby. They are entitled to communicate directly with any and every member of the Order, as they may deem fitting. Every active Member of the Order has destroyed all that He is and all that he has on crossing the Abyss; but a star is cast forth in {233} the Heavens to enlighten the Earth, so that he may possess a vehicle wherein he may communicate with mankind. The quality and position of this star, and its functions, are determined by the nature of the incarnations transcended by him. 4. The Grade of Ipsissimus is not to be described fully; but its opening is indicated in Liber I vel Magi. There is also an account in a certain secret document to be published when propriety permits. Here it is only said this: The Ipsissimus is wholly free from all limitations soever, existing in the nature of all things without discriminations of quantity or quality between them. He has identified Being and not-Being and Becoming, action and non-action and tendency to action, with all other such triplicities, not distinguishing between them in respect of any conditions, or between any one thing He is sworn to accept this Grade in the presence of a witness, and to express its nature in word and deed, but to withdraw Himself at once within the veils of his natural manifestation as a man, and to keep silence during his human life as to the fact of his attainment, even to the other members of the Order. The Ipsissimus is pre-eminently the Master of all modes of existence; that is, his being is entirely free from internal or external necessity. His work is to destroy all tendencies to construct or to cancel such necessities. He is the Master of the Law of Unsubstantiality (Anatta). The Ipsissimus has no relation as such with any Being: He has no will in any direction, and no Consciousness of any kind involving duality, for in Him all is accomplished; as it is written "beyond the Word and the Fool, yea, beyond the Word and the Fool". 5. The Grade of Magus is described in Liber I vel Magi, and there are accounts of its character in Liber 418 in the Higher Aethyrs. There is also a full and precise description of the attainment of this Grade in the Magical Record of the Beast 666. The essential characteristic of the Grade is that its possessor utters a Creative Magical Word, which transforms the planet on {234} which he lives by the installation of new officers to preside over its initiation. This can take place only at an "Equinox of the Gods" at the end of an "Aeon"; that is, when the secret formula which expresses the Law of its action becomes outworn and useless to its further development. (Thus "Suckling" is the formula of an infant: when teeth appear it marks a new "Aeon", whose "Word" is "Eating"). A Magus can therefore only appear as such to the world at intervals of some centuries; accounts of historical Magi, and their Words, are given in Liber Aleph. This does not mean that only one man can attain this Grade in any one Aeon, so far as the Order is concerned. A man can make personal progress equivalent to that of a "Word of an Aeon"; but he will identify himself with the current word, and exert his will to establish it, lest he conflict with the work of the Magus who uttered the Word of the Aeon in which He is living. The Magus is pre-eminently the Master of Magick, that is, his will is entirely free from internal diversion or external opposition; His work is to create a new Universe in accordance with His Will. He is the Master of the Law of Change (Anicca). To attain the Grade of Ipsissimus he must accomplish three tasks, destroying the Three Guardians mentioned in Liber 418, the 3rd Aethyr; Madness, and Falsehood, and Glamour, that is, Duality in Act, Word and Thought. 6. The Grade of Master of the Temple is described in Liber 418 as above indicated. There are full accounts in the Magical Diaries of the Beast 666, who was cast forth into the Heaven of Jupiter, and of Omnia in Uno, Unus in Omnibus, who was cast forth into the sphere of the Elements. The essential Attainment is the perfect annihilation of that personality which limits and oppresses his true self. The Magister Templi is pre-eminently the Master of Mysticism, that is, His Understanding is entirely free from internal contradiction or external obscurity; His word is to comprehend the existing Universe in accordance with His own Mind. He is the Master of the Law of Sorrow (Dukkha). 7. "The Order of the R. C." The Grade of the Babe of the Abyss is not a Grade in the proper sense, being rather a passage between the two Orders. Its characteristics are wholly negative, as it is attained by the resolve of the Adeptus Exemptus to surrender all that he has and is for ever. It is an annihilation of all the bonds that compose the self or constitute the Cosmos, a resolution of all complexities into their elements, and these thereby cease to manifest, since things are only kno 8. The Grade of Adeptus Exemptus confers authority to govern the two lower Orders of R. C. and G. D. The Adept must prepare and publish a thesis setting forth His knowledge of the Universe, and his proposals for its welfare and progress. He will thus be known as the leader of a school of thought. (Eliphas Levi's "Clef des Grands Mysteres," the works of Swedenborg, von Eckarshausen, Robert Fludd, Paracelsus, Newton, Bolyai, Hinton, Berkeley, Loyola, etc., etc., are examples of such essays.) He will have attained all but the supreme summits of meditation, and should be already prepared to perceive that the only possible course for him is to devote himself utterly to helping his fellow creatures. To attain the Grade of Magister Templi, he must perform two tasks; the emancipation from thought by putting each idea against its opposite, and refusing to prefer either; and the consecration of {236} himself as a pure vehicle for the influence of the order to which he aspires. He must then decide upon the critical adventure of our Order; the absolute abandonment of himself and his attainments. He cannot remain indefinitely an Exempt Adept; he is pushed onward by the irresistible momentum that he has generated. 9. The Grade of Adeptus Major confers Magical Powers (strictly so-called) of the second rank. His work is to use these to support the authority of the Exempt Adept his superior. (This is not to be understood as an obligation of personal subservience or even loyalty; but as a necessary part of his duty to assist his inferiors. For the authority of the Teaching and governing Adept is the basis of all orderly work.) His work is to manifest the Beauty of the Order to the world, in the way that his superiors enjoin, and his genius dictates. To attain the Grade Adeptus Major, he must accomplish two tasks; the equilibration of himself, especially as to his passions, so that he has no preference for any one course of conduct over another, and the fulfilment of every action by its complement, so that whatever he does leaves him without temptation to wander from the way of his True Will. He is furthermore trained to the one habit essential to Membership of the A.'. A.'.; he must regard all his attainments as primarily the property of those less advanced aspirants who are confided to his charge. No attainment soever is officially recognised by the A.'. A.'. unless the immediate inferior of the person in question has been fitted by him to take his place. The rule is not rigidly applied in all cases, as it would lead to congestion, especially in the lower grades where the need is greatest, and the conditions most confused; but it is never relaxed in the Order of the R. C. or of the S. S.: save only in One Case. There is also a rule that the Members of the A.'. A.'. shall not know each other officially, save only each Member his superior who introduced him and his inferior whom he has himself introduced. This rule has been relaxed, and a "Grand Neophyte" appointed to superintend all Members of the Order of the G. D. The real object of the rule was to prevent Members of the same Grade {239} working together and so blurring each other's individuality; also to prevent work developing into social intercourse. >, and there is no need to amplify what is there stated. It must however, be carefully remarked that in each of these preliminary Grades there are appointed certain tasks appropriate, and that the ample accomplishment of each Members of the A.'. A.'. of whatever grade are not bound or expected or even encouraged to work on any stated lines, or with any special object, save as has been above set forth. There is however an absolute prohibition to accept money or other material reward, directly or indirectly, in respect of any service connected with the Order, for personal profit or advantage. The penalty is immediate expulsion, with no possibility of reinstatement on any terms soever. But all members must of necessity work in accordance with the facts of Nature, just as an architect must allow of the Law of Gravitation, or a sailor reckon with currents. So must all Members of the A.'. A.'. work by the Magical Formula of the Aeon. > They must acknowledge the Authority of the Beast 666 and of the Scarlet Woman as {240} in the book it is defined, and accept Their Will<<"Their Will" --- not, of course, their wishes as individual human beings, but their will as officers of the New Aeon.>> as concentrating the Will of our Whole Order. They must accept the Crowned and Conquering Child as the Lord of the Aeon, and exert them Each member must make it his main work to discover for himself his own true will, and to do it, and do nothing else.<> He must accept those orders in the Book of the Law that apply to himself as being necessarily in accordance with his own true will, and execute the same to the letter with all the energy, courage, and ability that he can command. This applies especially to the work of extending the Law in the world, wherein his proof is his own success, the witness of his Life to the Law that hath given him light in his ways, and liberty to pursue them. Thus doing, he payeth his debt to the Law that hath fr By thus ordering his disposition, he will fit himself in the best possible manner for the task of understanding and mastering the divers technical methods prescribed by the A.'. A.'. for Mystical and Magical attainment. He will thus prepare himself properly for the crisis of his career in the Order, the attainment of the Knowledge and Conversation of his Holy Guardian Angel. His Angel shall lead him anon to the summit of the Order of the R. C. and make him ready to face the unspeakable terror of the Abyss which lies between Manhood and Godhead; teach him to Know that agony, to Dare that destiny, to Will that catastrophe, {241} and to keep Silence for ever as he accomplishes the act of annihilation. From the Abyss comes No Man forth, but a Star startles the Earth, and our Order rejoices above that Abyss that the Beast hath begotten one more Babe in the Womb of Our Lady, His concubine, the Scarlet Woman, BABALON. There is not need to instruct a Babe thus born, for in the Abyss it was purified of every poison of personality; its ascent to the highest is assured, in its season, and it hath no need of seasons for it is conscious that all conditions are no more than forms of its fancy. Such is a brief account, adapted as far as may be to the average aspirant to Adeptship, or Attainment, or Initiation, or Mastership, or Union with God, or Spiritual Development, or Mahatmaship, or Freedom, or Occult Knowledge, or whatever he may call his inmost need of Truth, of our Order of A.'. A.'. It is designed principally to awake interest in the possibilities of human progress, and to proclaim the principles of the A.'. A.'. Every Member of the A.'. A.'. must be armed at all points, and expert with every weapon. The examinations in every Grade are strict and severe; no loose or vague answers are accepted. In intellectual questions, the candidate must display no less mastery of his subject than if he were entered in the "final" for Doctor of Science or Law at a first class University. In examination of physical practices, there is a standardised test. In Asana, for instance, the candidate must remain motionless for a given time, his success being gauged by poising on his head a cup filled with water to the brim; if he spill one drop, he is rejected. He is tested in "the Spirit Vision" or "Astral Journeying" by giving him a symbol unknown and unintelligible to him, and he must interpret its nature by means of a vision as exactly as if he had read its name and description in the book when it was chosen. The power to make and "charge" talismans is tested as if they were scientific instruments of precision, as they are. In the Qabalah, the candidate must discover for himself, and prove to the examiner beyond all doubt, the properties of a number never previously examined by any student. {243} In invocation the divine force must be made as manifest and unmistakable as the effects of chloroform; in evocation, the spirit called forth must be at least as visible and tangible as the heaviest vapours; in divination, the answer must be as precise as a scientific thesis, and as accurate as an audit; in meditation, the results must read like a specialist's report of a classical case. But such methods, the A.'. A.'. intends to make occult science as systematic and scientific as chemistry; to rescue it from the ill repute which, thanks both to the ignorant and dishonest quacks that have prostituted its name, and to the fanatical and narrow-minded enthusiasts that have turned it into a fetish, has made it an object of aversion to those very minds whose enthusiasm and integrity make them most in need of its benefits, and most fit to obtain them. It is the one really important science, for it transcends the conditions of material existence and so is not liable to perish with the planet, and it must be studied as a science, sceptically, with the utmost energy and patience. The A.'. A.'. possesses the secrets of success; it makes no secret of its knowledge, and if its secrets are not everywhere known and practised, it is because the abuses connected with the name of occult science disincline official investigators to examine the evidence at their disposal. This paper has been written not only with the object of attracting individual seekers into the way of Truth, but of affirming the propriety of the methods of the A.'. A.'. as the basis for the next great step in the advance of human knowledge. Love is the law, love under will. O. M. 7 Degree= 4Square A.'. A.'. Praemonstrator of the Order of the R... C... Given from the Collegium ad Spiritum Sanctum, Cefalu, Sicily, in the Seventeenth Year of the Aeon of Horus, the Sun being in 23 Degree Virgo and the Moon in 14 Degree Pisces. {244} Magick in Theory and Practice by Aleister Crowley December 22, 1988 e.v. key entry and proof reading with re-format 10/31/90 e.v. done by Bill Heidrick, T.G. of O.T.O. (further proof reading desirable) disk 3 of 4 Copyright (c) O.T.O. O.T.O. P.O.Box 430 Fairfax, CA 94930 USA (415) 454-5176 ---- Messages only. Note: This file may benefit from further proofreading, but care should be taken with citations of Liber AL --- most of Crowley's errors have been corrected. LIMITED LICENSE Except for notations added to the history of modification, the text on this diskette down to the next row of asterisks must accompany all copies made of this file. In particular, this paragraph and the copyright notice are not to be deleted or changed on any copies or print-outs of this file. With these provisos, anyone may copy this file for personal use or research. Copies may be made for others at reasonable cost of copying and mailing only, no additional charges may be added. ************************************************************************* Pages in the original are marked thus at the bottom: {page number} Comments and notes not in the original are identified with the initials of the source: AC note = Crowley note. WEH note = Bill Heidrick note, etc. All footnotes have been moved up to the place in text indexed and set off in double wedge brackets, viz. <> ************************************************************************ APPENDIX III Notes on the nature of the "Astral Plane"<>. 1) What are "Astral" and "Spiritual Beings? Man is one: it is a case of any consciousness assuming a sensible form. Microcosms and elementals. Maybe an elemental (e.g. a dog) has a cosmic conception in which he is a microcosm and man incomplete. No means of deciding same, as in case of kinds of space.< Similarly, our gross matter may appear unreal to Beings clad in fine matter. Thus, science thinks vulgar perceptions "error". We cannot perceive at all except within our gamut; as, concentrated perfumes, which seem malodorous, and time-hidden facts, such as the vanes of a revolving fan, which flies can distinguish. "Hence:" no "a priori" reason to deny the existence of conscious intelligences with insensible bodies. Indeed we know of other "orders" of mind (flies, etc., possibly vegetables) thinking by means of non-human brain-structures. But the fundamental problem of Religion is this: Is there any praeter-human Intelligence, of the same order as our own, {245} which is not dependent on cerebral structures consisting of matter in the vulgar sense of the word? 2) "Matter" includes all that is movable. Thus, electric waves are "matter". There is no reason to deny the existence of Beings who perceive by other means those subtle forces which we only perceive by our instruments. 3) We can influence other Beings, conscious or no, as lion-tamers, gardeners, etc., and are influenced by them, as by storms, bacilli, etc. 4) There is an apparent gap between our senses and their correspondences in consciousness. Theory needs a medium to join matter and spirit, just as physics once needed an "ether" to transmit and transmute vibrations. > We may thus 6) Magick enables us to receive sensible impressions of worlds other than the "physical" universe (as generally understood by profane science). These worlds have their own laws; their inhabitants are often of quasi-human intelligence; there is a definite set of relations between certain "ideas" of ours, and their expressions, and certain types of phenomena. (Thus symbols, the Qabalah, etc. enable us to communicate with whom we choose.) 7) "Astral" Beings possess knowledge and power of a different kind from our own; their "universe" is presumably of a different kind from ours, in some respects. (Our idea "bone" is not the same as a dog's; a short-sighted man sees things differently to one of normal vision.) It is more convenient to assume the objective existence of an "Angel" who gives us new knowledge than to allege that our invocation has awakened a supernormal power in ourselves. Such incidents as "Calderazzo"< 8) The Qabalah maps ourselves by means of a convention. Every aspect of every object may thus be referred to the Tree of Life, and evoked by using the proper keys. 9) Time and Space are forms by which we obtain (distorted) images of Ideas. Our measures of Time and Space<> are crude conventions, and differ widely for 10) We may admit that any aspect of any object or idea may be presented to us in a symbolic form, whose relation to its Being is irrational. (Thus, there is no rational link between seeing a bell struck and hearing its chime. Our notion of "bell" is no more than a personification of its impressions on our senses. And our wit and power to make a bell "to order" imply a series of correspondences between various orders of nature precisely analogous to Magick, when we obtain a Vision of Beauty 12) (a) Every object soever may be considered as possessed of an "Astral shape", sensible to our subtle perceptions. This "astral shape" is to its material basis as our human character is to our physical appearance. We may imagine this astral shape: e.g. we may "see" a jar of opium as a soft seductive woman with a cruel smile, just as we see in the face of a cunning and dishonest man the features of some animal, such as a fox. {248} (b) We may select any particular property of any object, and give it an astral shape. Thus, we may take the tricky perils of a mountain, and personify them as "trolls", or the destructive energies of the simoom, as "Jinn". (c) We may analyse any of these symbols, obtaining a finer form; thus the "spirit" contains an "angel", the angel an "archangel", etc. (d) We may synthesize any set of symbols, obtaining a more general form. Thus we may group various types of earth-spirit as gnomes. (e) All these may be attributed to the Tree of Life, and dealt with accordingly. (f) The Magician may prepare a sensible body for any of these symbols, and evoke them by the proper rites. 13) The "reality" or "objectivity" of these symbols is not pertinent to the discussion. The ideas of X to the 4 power and Sq.Rt.of subscript -1 have proved useful to the progress of mathematical advance toward Truth; it is no odds whether a Fourth Dimension "exists", or whether Sq.Rt.of subscript -1 has "meaning" in the sense that Sq.Rt.of subscript 4 has, the number of units in the side of a square of 4 units. The Astral Plane --- real or imaginary --- is a danger to anybody who takes it without the grain of salt contained in the Wisdom of the above point of view; who violates its laws either wilfully, carelessly, ignorantly, or by presuming that their psychological character differentiates them from physical laws in the narrower sense; or who abdicates his autonomy, on the ground that the subtler nature of astral phenomena guarantees their authority and integrity. There are also "planes" of Parable, of Fable, and of Folk-lore; in short, every country, creed, and literature has given its characteristic mode of presentation to some "plane" or other. But there are "planes" proper to every clairvoyant who explores the Astral Light without prejudice; in such case, things assume the form of his own mind, and his perception will be clear in proportion to his personal purity. On the higher planes, the diversity of form, due to grossness, tends to disappear. Thus, the Astral Vision of "Isis" is utterly unlike that of "Kali". The one is of Motherhood and Wisdom, ineffably candid, clear, and loving; the other of Murder and madness, blood-intoxicated, lust-befogged, and cruel. The sole link is the Woman-symbol. But whoso makes Samadhi on Kali obtains the self-same Illumination as if it had been Isis; for in both cases he attains identity with the Quintessence of t Thus, in low grades of initiation, dogmatic quarrels are inflamed by astral experience; as when Saint John distinguishes between the Whore BABALON and the Woman clothed with the Sun, between the Lamb that was slain and the Beast 666 whose deadly wound was healed; nor understands that Satan, the Old Serpent, in the Abyss, the Lake of Fire and Sulphur, is the Sun-Father, the vibration of Life, Lord of Infinite Space that flames with His Consuming Energy, and is Each "plane" is a veil of the one above it; the original individual Ideas become diversified as they express their elements. Two men with almost identical ideas on a subject would write two totally different treatises upon it. 15) The general control of the Astral Plane, the ability to find {250} one's way about it, to penetrate such sanctuaries as are guarded from the profane, to make such relations with its inhabitants as may avail to acquire knowledge and power, or to command service; all this is a question of the general Magical attainment of the student. He must be absolutely at ease in his Body of Light, and have made it invulnerable. He must be adept in assuming all God-forms, in using all weapons, sigils, gestures, words, and signs. He must be familiar with the names and numbers pertinent to the work in hand. He must be alert, sensitive, and ready to exert his authority; yet courteous, gracious, patient, and sympathetic. 16) There are two opposite methods of exploring the Astral Plane. (a). One may take some actual object in Nature, and analyse it by evoking its astral form, thus bringing it into knowledge and under control by applying the keys of the Qabalah and of Magick. (b). One may proceed by invoking the required idea, and giving body to the same by attracting to it the corresponding elements in Nature. The Magician must not accept the Master Therion's account of the Astral Plane, His Qabalistic discoveries, His instructions in Magick. They may be correct in the main for most men; yet they cannot be wholly true for any save Him, even as no two artists can make identical pictures of the same subject. More, even in fundamentals, though these things be Truth for all Mankind, as we carelessly say, any one particular Magician may be the one man for whom they are false. May not the flag that seems red to ten thousand seem green to some one other? Then, every man and every woman being a Star, that which is green to him is verily green; if he consent to the crowd and call it red, hath he not broken the Staff of Truth that he leaneth upon? The Magician may go on for a long time being fooled and flattered by the Astrals that he has himself modified or manufactured. Their natural subservience to himself will please him, poor ape! They will pretend to show him marvellous mysteries, pageants of beauty and wonder unspeakably splendid; he will incline to accept them as true, for the very reason that they are images of himself idealized by the imagination. But his real progress will stop dead. These phantasms will prevent him from coming into contact with independent intelligences, from whom alone he can learn anything new. He will become increasingly interested in himself, imagine himself to be attaining one initiation after another. His Ego will expand unchecked, till he seem to himself to have heaven at his feet. Yet all this will be nothing but his fool's face of Narcissus smirking up from the pool that will drown him. Error of this kind on the Astral Plane --- in quite ordinary visions with no apparent moral import --- may lead to the most serious mischief. Firstly, mistakes mislead; to pollute one's view of Jupiter by permitting the influence of Venus to distort it may end in finding oneself at odds with Jupiter, later on, in some crisis of one's work. Secondly, the habit of making mistakes and leaving them uncorrected grows upon one. He who begins by "spelling Jeheshua with a 'Resh'" may end by writing the name of the Dweller on the Threshold by mistake for that of his Angel. {253} Lastly, Magick is a Pyramid, built layer by layer. The work of the Body of Light --- with the technique of Yoga --- is the foundation of the whole. One's apprehension of the Astral Plane must be accurate, for Angels, Archangels, and Gods are derived therefrom by analysis. One must have pure materials if one wishes to brew pure beer. If one have an incomplete and incorrect view of the universe, how can one find out its laws? Thus, original omission or error tends to extend to the higher planes. Suppose a Magician, invoking Sol, were persuaded by a plausible spirit of Saturn that he was the Solar Intelligence required, and bade him eschew human love if he would attain to the Knowledge and Conversation of his Holy Guardian Angel; and suppose that his will, and that Angel's nature, were such that the Crux of their Formula was Lyrical Exaltation! Apart from the regular tests --- made at the time --- of the integrity of any spirit, the Magician must make a careful record of every vision, omitting no detail; he must then make sure that it tallies in every point with the correspondences in Book 777 and in Liber D. Should he find (for instance) that, having invoked Mercury, his vision contains names whose numbers are Martial, or elements proper to Pisces, let him set himself most earnestly to discover the source of error, to correct it, But these tests, as implied above, will not serve to detect personation by self-suggested phantasms. Unless one's aura be a welter of muddled symbols beyond recognition, the more autohypnotic the vision is, the more smoothly it satisfies the seer's standards. There is nothing to puzzle him or oppose him; so he spins out his story with careless contempt of criticism. He can always prove himself right; the Qabalah can always be stretched; and Red being so nearly Orange, which is really a sha The true, the final test, of the Truth of one's visions is their Value. The most glorious experience on the Astral plane, let it dazzle and thrill as it may, is not necessarily in accordance with {254} the True Will of the seer; if not, though it be never so true objectively, it is not true for him, because not useful for him. (Said we not a while ago that Truth was no more than the Most Convenient Manner of Statement?) It may intoxicate and exalt the Seer, it may inspire and fortify him in every way, it may throw light upon most holy mysteries, yet withal be no more than an interpretation of the individual to himself, the formula not of Abraham but of Onan. These plastic "Portraits of the Artist as a Young Man" are well enough for those who have heard "Know Thyself". They are necessary, even, to assist that analysis of one's nature which the Probationer of A.'. A.'. is sworn to accomplish. But "Love is the law, love under will." And Our Lady Nuit is "... divided for love's sake, for the chance of union." These mirror-mirages are therefore not Works of Magick, according to the Law of Thelema: the true Magick of Horus requires the passionate Now the proof that one is in contact with an independent entity depends on a sensation which ought to be unmistakeable if one is in good health. One ought not to be liable to mistake one's own sensible impressions for somebody else's! It is only Man's incurable vanity that makes the Astral "Strayed Reveller" or the mystic confuse his own drunken babble with the voice of the Most High. The essence of the right sensation consists in recognition of the reality of the other Being. There will be as a rule some element of hostility, even when the reaction is sympathetic. One's "soul-mate" (even) is not thought of as oneself, at first contact. One must therefore insist that any real appearance of the Astral Plane gives the sensation of meeting a stranger. One must accept it as independent, be it Archangel or Elf, and measure one's own reaction to it. One must learn from it, though one despise it; and love it, however one loathe it. One must realize, on writing up the record, that the meeting has effected a definite change in oneself. One must have known and felt something alien, and not merely tried on a new dress. {255} There must always be some slight pang of pain in a true Astral Vision; it hurts the Self to have to admit the existence of a not-Self; and it taxes the brain to register a new thought. This is true at the first touch, even when exaltation and stimulation result from the joy of making an agreeable contact. There is a deeper effect of right reaction to a strange Self: the impact invariable tends to break up some complex in the Seer. The class of ideas concerned has always been tied up, labelled, and put away. It is now necessary to unpack it, and rearrange its contents. At least, the annoyance is like that of a man who has locked and strapped his bag for a journey, and then finds that he has forgotten his pyjamas. At most, it may revolutionise his ideas of the business, like an old bachelor Any really first-class Astral Vision, even on low planes, should therefore both instruct the Seer, and prepare him for Initiation. Those failing to pass this test are to be classed as "practice". One last observation seems fit. We must not assert the "reality" or "objectivity" of an Astral Being on no better evidence than the subjective sensation of its independent existence. We must insist on proof patient to all qualified observers if we are to establish the major premiss of Religion: that there exists a Conscious Intelligence independent of brain and nerve as we know them. If it have also Power, so much the better. But we already know of inorganic forces; we have no evidence of How can the Astral Plane help us here? It is not enough to prove, as we easily do, the correspondences between Invocation and Apparition<>. We must exclud There is but one document in the world which presents evidence that fully satisfies these conditions. This is LIBER AL vel LEGIS the Book of the Law. of this New Aeon of Horus, the Crowned and Conquering Child, the Aeon whose Logos is THE BEAST 666, whose name in the Outer Order was FRATER PERDURABO. The nature of the proof of the separate existence of praeterhuman Intelligence, independent of bodily form, is extremely complicated. Its main divisions may be briefly enumerated. {257} AIWAZ, the name of the Intelligence in question, proves: (a) His power to pre-arrange events unconnected with His scribe so that they should fit in with that scribe's private calculations. E.g. The Stele which reveals the Theogony of the Book was officially numbered 666, in the Boulak Museum. The scribe had adopted 666 as His magical number, many years previously. Again, the scribe's magical House, bought years earlier, had a name whose value was 418. The scribe had calculated 418 as the {258} number of the Great Work, in 1901 e.v. He only discovered that 418 was the number of his house in consequence of AIWAZ mentioning the fact. (b) His power to conceal a coherent system of numbers and letters in the text of a rapidly-written document, containing riddles and ciphers opening to a Master-Key unknown to the scribe, yet linked with his own system; this Key and its subordinates being moreover a comment on the text. {259} E.g. "The word of the Law is GR:Theta-Epsilon-Lambda-Eta-Mu-Alpha." (Will); this word has the value of 93. "Love is the law, love under will." Love, GR:Alpha-gamma-alpha-pi-eta, like GR:Theta-epsilon-lambda-eta-mu-alpha, adds to 93. AIWAZ itself adds to 93.<> This was all strange to the scribe; yet years later he discovered the "Lost Word" of one of his own Orders: it was 93 also.<<[WEH Note: This refers to the word of the IIIrd Degree of O.T.O., readers who may wish to acquire it may apply for initiation and work their way up through the Degrees. Ordo Templi Orientis, JAF Box 7666, New York, NY 10116, USA.]>> > Now 93 is thrice 31; 31 is LA, "Not" and AL, "The" or "God"; these words run throughout the Book, giving a double meaning to many passages. A third 31 is the compound letter ShT, the two hieroglyphs of Sh and T (many centuries old) being pictures of the "Dramatis Personae" of the Book; and ShT being a haphazard line scrawled on the MS. touch letters which added to 418, valuing "this circl (c) His power to combine subsequent events beyond the control of the scribe or his associates, so that they confirmed statements in the Book. Or, per contra, to predict such events. E.g. The first Scarlet Woman proved unworthy, and suffered the exact penalties predicted. Nine months after THE BEAST 666 had gotten a Magical "child" upon His concubine Jane Foster, a "Babe of the Abyss" was born, Frater Achad asserting his right to that grade, and thus "coming after" THE BEAST 666, who had been the last Adept to do so. And this "child" was definitely "one", since "one" is the meaning of his motto Achad. Finally, he did in fact "discover the key of it all"<<[WEH Note: see the citation in an earlier note of mine. This time Crowley missed the "style of the lette (d) His power to conceive and express in concise terms true solutions of the main problems of the Universe. E.g. The formula of Nuith and Hadith explain Existence in the terms of Mathematical-Logical Philosophy, so as to satisfy the difficulties of reconciling Dualism, Monism and Nihilism; all {261} antinomies in all spheres; and the Original Perfection with the Manifest Imperfection of Things. Again "Do that thou wilt...", the most sublimely austere ethical precept ever uttered, despite its apparent licence, is seen on analysis to be indeed "...the whole of the Law.", the sole and sufficient warrant for human action, the self-evident Code of Righteousness, the identification of Fate with Freewill, and the end of the Civil War in Man's nature by appointing the Canon of Truth, the conformity of things with themselves, to determine his every act. "Do what thou wilt..." is to bid Star (e) His power to interpret the Spirit of the New Aeon, the relapse into ruthless savagery of the most civilized races, at a time when war was discredited by most responsible men. In a word, the Book of the Law proves the prime postulate of Religion. Come, Bacchus, come thou hither, come out of the East; come out of the East, astride the Ass of Priapus! Come with thy revel of dancers and singers! Who followeth thee, forbearing to laugh and to leap? Come, in thy name Dionysus, that maidens be mated to God-head! Come, in thy name Iacchus, with thy mystical fan to winnow the air, each gust of thy Spirit inspiring our Soul, that we bear to thee Sons in Thine Image! The Tiger, the symbol of the brutal passions of man, gambols about its master's heels; and He bestrides the Ass of Priapus; he makes his sexual force carry him whither He wills to go. Let the Magician therefore adventure himself upon the Astral Plane with the declared design to penetrate to a sanctuary of discarnate Beings such as are able to instruct and fortify him, also to prove their identity by testimony beyond rebuttal. All explanations other than these are of value only as extending and equilibrating Knowledge, or possibly as supplying Energy to such Magicians as may have found their way to the Sources of Strength. In all cases, naught is worth an obol save as it He who would reach Intelligences of the type under discussion may expect extreme difficulty. The paths are guarded; there is a lion in the way. Technical expertness will not serve here; it is necessary to satisfy the Warders of one's right to enter the presence of the Master. Particular pledges may be demanded, ordeals imposed, and initiations conferred. These are most serious matters; the Body of Light must be fully adult, irrevocably fixed, or it will be disintegrated at the outset. But Such, then is a general description of the Astral Plane, and of the proper conduct of the Magician in his dealings therewith. ----------- {264} APPENDIX IV LIBER SAMEKH Theurgia Goetia Summa (CONGRESSUS CUM DAEMONE) sub figura DCCC being the Ritual employed by the Beast 666 for the Attainment of the Knowledge and Conversation of his Holy Guardian Angel during the Semester of His performance of the Operation of the Sacred Magick of ABRAMELIN THE MAGE. (Prepared An XVII Sun in Virgo at the Abbey of Thelema in Cephalaedium by the Beast 666 in service to FRATER PROGRADIOR.) OFFICIAL PUBLICATION of A.'. A.'. Class D for the Grade of Adeptus Minor. {265} POINT I EVANGELII TEXTUS REDACTUS "The Invocation." Magically restored, with the significance of the BARBAROUS NAMES Etymologically or Qabalistically determined and paraphrased in English. Section A. The Oath. 1. Thee I invoke, the Bornless One. 2. Thee, that didst create the Earth and the Heavens. 3. Thee, that didst create the Night and the Day. 4. Thee, that didst create the darkness and the Light. 5. Thou art ASAR UN-NEFER ("Myself made Perfect"): Whom no man hath seen at any time. 6. Thou art IA-BESZ ("the Truth in Matter"). 7. Thou art IA-APOPHRASZ ("the Truth in Motion"). 8. Thou hast distinguished between the Just and the Unjust. 9. Thou didst make the Female and the Male. 10. Thou didst produce the Seeds and the Fruit. 11. Thou didst form Men to love one another, and to hate one another. Section Aa. 1. I am ANKH - F - N - KHONSU thy Prophet, unto Whom Thou didst commit Thy Mysteries, the Ceremonies of KHEM. 2. Thou didst produce the moist and the dry, and that which nourisheth all created Life. 3. Hear Thou Me, for I am the Angel of PTAH - APO - PHRASZ - RA (vide the Rubric): this is Thy True Name, handed down to the Prophets of KHEM. {266} Section B. Air. Hear Me: --- AR "O breathing, flowing Sun!" ThIAF<> "O Sun IAF! O Lion-Serpent Sun, The Beast that whirlest forth, a thunder- bolt, begetter of Life!" RhEIBET "Thou that flowest! Thou that goest!" A-ThELE-BER-SET "Thou Satan-Sun Hadith that goest without Will!" A "Thou Air! Breath! Spirit! Thou without bound or bond!" BELAThA "Thou Essence, Air Swift-streaming, Elasticity!" ABEU "Thou Wanderer, Father of All!" EBEU "Thou Wanderer, Spirit of All!" PhI-ThETA-SOE "Thou Shining Force of Breath! Thou Lion-Serpent Sun! Thou Saviour, save!" IB "Thou Ibis, secret solitary Bird, inviolate Wisdom, whose Word in Truth, creating the World by its Magick!" ThIAF "O Sun IAF! O Lion-Serpent Sun, The Beas that whirlest forth, a thunder- bolt, begetter of Life!" (The conception is of Air, glowing, inhabited by a Solar-Phallic Bird, "the Holy Ghost", of a Mercurial Nature.) Hear me, and make all Spirits subject unto Me; so that every Spirit of the Firmament and of the Ether: upon the Earth and under the Earth, on dry land and in the water; of Whirling Air, and of rushing Fire, and every Spell and Scourge of God may be obedient unto Me. {267} Section C. Fire. I invoke Thee, the Terrible and Invisible God: Who dwellest in the Void Place of the Spirit: --- AR-O-GO-GO-RU-ABRAO "Thou spiritual Sun! Satan, Thou Eye, Thou Lust! Cry aloud! Cry aloud! Whirl the Wheel, O my Father, O Satan, O Sun!" SOTOU "Thou, the Saviour!" MUDORIO "Silence! Give me Thy Secret!" PhALARThAO "Give me suck, Thou Phallus, Thou Sun!" OOO "Satan, thou Eye, thou Lust!" "Satan, thou Eye, thou Lust!" "Satan, thou Eye, thou Lust!" AEPE "Thou self-caused, self-determined, exalted, Most High!" The Bornless One. (Vide supra). (The conception is of Fire, glowing, inhabited by a Solar-Phallic Lion of a Uranian nature.) Hear Me, and make all Spirits subject unto Me: so that every Spirit of the Firmament and of the Ether: upon the Earth and under the Earth: on dry Land and in the Water: of Whirling Air, and of rushing Fire, and every Spell and Scourge of God may be obedient unto Me. Section D. Water. Hear Me: --- RU-ABRA-IAF<> "Thou the Wheel, thou the Womb, that containeth the Father IAF!" MRIODOM "Thou the Sea, the Abode!" BABALON-BAL-BIN-ABAFT "Babalon! Thou Woman of Whoredom" {268} "Thou, Gate of the Great God ON! Thou Lady of the Understanding of the Ways!" ASAL-ON-AI "Hail Thou, the unstirred! Hail, sister and bride of ON, of the God that is all and is none, by the Power of Eleven!" APhEN-IAF "Thou Treasure of IAO!" I "Thou Virgin twin-sexed! Thou Secret Seed! Thou inviolate Wisdom!" PhOTETh "Abode of the Light ................. ABRASAX "......of the Father, the Sun, of Hadith, of the spell of the Aeon of Horus!" AEOOU "Our Lady of the Western Gate of Heaven!" ISChURE "Mighty art Thou!" Mighty and Bornless One! (Vide Supra) (The conception is of Water, glowing, inhabited by a Solar-Phallic Dragon-Serpent, of a Neptunian nature.) Hear Me: and make all Spirits subject unto Me: so that every Spirit of the Firmament and of the Ether: upon the Earth and under the Earth: on dry Land and in the Water: of Whirling Air, and of rushing Fire: and every Spell and Scourge of God may be obedient unto Me. Section E. Earth. I invoke Thee: --- MA "O Mother! O Truth!" BARRAIO "Thou Mass!"<<"Mass", in the sense of the word which is used by physicists. The impossibility of defining it will not deter the intrepid initiate (in view of the fact that the fundamental conception is beyond the normal categories of reason.)>> IOEL "Hail, Thou that art!" KOThA "Thou hollow one!" {269} AThOR-e-BAL-O "Thou Goddess of Beauty and Love, whom Satan, beholding, desireth!" ABRAFT "The Fathers, male-female, desire Thee!" (The conception is of Earth, glowing, inhabited by a Solar-Phallic Hippopotamus<> of a Venereal nature.) Hear Me: and make all Spirits subject unto Me: so that every Spirit of the Firmament, and of the Ether: upon The Earth and under the Earth: on dry land and in the Water: of Whirling Air, and of rushing Fire: and every Spell and Scourge of God may be obedient unto Me. Section F. Spirit. Hear Me: AFT "Male-Female Spirits!" ABAFT "Male-Female Sires!" BAS-AUMGN "Ye that are Gods, going forth, uttering AUMGN. (The Word that goeth from (A) Free Breath. (U) through Willed Breath. (M) and stopped Breath. (GN) to Continuous Breath. thus symbolizing the whole course of spiritual life. A is the formless Hero; U is the six-fold solar sound of physical life, the triangle of Soul being entwined with that of Body; M is the silence of "death"; GN is the nasal sound of generation & knowledge. ISAK "Identical Point!" SA-BA-FT "Nuith! Hadith! Ra-Hoor-Khuit!" "Hail, Great Wild Beast!" "Hail, IAO!" {270} Section Ff. 1. This is the Lord of the Gods: 2. This is the Lord of the Universe: 3. This is He whom the Winds fear. 4. This is He, Who having made Voice by His commandment is Lord of all Things; King, Ruler and Helper. Hear Me, and make all Spirits subject unto Me: so that every Spirit of the Firmament and of the Ether: upon the Earth and under the Earth: on dry Land and in the Water: of Whirling Air, and of rushing Fire: and every Spell and Scourge of God may be obedient unto Me. Section G. Spirit. Hear Me: IEOU "Indwelling Sun of Myself" PUR "Thou Fire! Thou Sixfold Star initiator compassed about with Force and Fire!" IOU "Indwelling Soul of Myself" PUR (Vide Supra) IAFTh "Sun-lion Serpent, hail! All Hail, thou Great Wild Beast, thou I A O!" IAEO "Breaths of my soul, breaths of mine Angel." IOOU "Lust of my soul, lust of mine Angel!" ABRASAX (Vide Supra). SABRIAM "Ho for the Sangraal! Ho for the Cup of Babalon! Ho for mine Angel pouring Himself forth within my Soul!" OO "The Eye! Satan, my Lord! The Lust of the goat!" FF "Mine Angel! Mine initiator! Thou one with me --- the Sixfold Star!" {271} AD-ON-A-I<> "My Lord! My secret self beyond self, Hadith, All Father! Hail, ON, thou Sun, thou Life of Man, thou Fivefold Sword of Flame! Thou Goat exalted upon Earth in Lust, thou Snake extended upon Earth in Life! Spirit most holy! Seed most Wise! Innocent Babe. Inviolate Maid! Begetter of Being! Soul of all Souls! Word of all Words, Come forth, most hidden Light!" EDE "Devour thou me!" EDU "Thou dost devour Me!" ANGELOS TON ThEON "Thou Angel of the Gods!" ANLALA "Arise thou in Me, free flowing, Thou who art Naught, who art Naught, and utter thy Word!" LAI "I also am Naught! I Will Thee! I behold Thee! My nothingness!" GAIA "Leap up, thou Earth!" (This is also an agonising appeal to the Earth, the Mother; for at this point of the ceremony the Adept should be torn from his mortal attachments, and {272} die to himself in the orgasm of his operation.<>) AEPE "Thou Exalted One! It (i.e. the spritual 'semen', the Adept's secret ideas, drawn irresistibly from their "Hell"<> by the love of his Angel) leaps up; it leaps forth!<> DIATHARNA THORON "Lo! the out-splashing of the seeds of Immortality" Section Gg. The Attainment. 1. I am He! the Bornless Spirit! having sight in the feet: Strong, and the Immortal Fire! 2. I am He! the Truth! 3. I am He! Who hate that evil should be wrought in the World! 4. I am He, that lighteneth and thundereth! 5. I am He, from whom is the Shower of the Life of Earth! 6. I am He, whose mouth ever flameth! 7. I am He, the Begetter and Manifester unto the Light! 8. I am He, The Grace of the Worlds! 9. "The Heart Girt with a Serpent" is my name! Section H. The "Charge to the Spirit". Come thou forth, and follow me: and make all Spirits subject unto Me so that every Spirit of the Firmament, and of the Ether, upon the Earth and under the Earth: on dry Land, or in the Water: of Whirling Air or of rushing Fire, and every Spell and scourge of God, may be obedient unto me! Section J. The Proclamation of the Beast 666. IAF: SABAF<> Such are the Words! {273} POINT II ARS CONGRESSUS CUM DAEMONE. SECTION A Let the Adeptus Minor be standing in this circle on the square of Tiphereth, armed with his Wand and Cup; but let him perform the Ritual throughout in his Body of Light. He may burn the Cakes of Light, or the Incense of Abramelin; he may be prepared by Liber CLXXV, the reading of Liber LXV, and by the practices of Yoga. He may invoke Hadit by "... wine and strange drugs" if he so will.<> He prepares the circle by the usual formulae of Banishing and Consecration, etc. He recites Section A as a rehearsal before His Holy Guardian Angel of the attributes of that Angel. Each phrase must be realized with full concentration of force, so as to make Samadhi as perfectly as possible upon the truth proclaimed. "Line 1" He identifies his Angel with the Ain Soph, and the Kether thereof; one formulation of Hadit in the boundless Body of Nuith. "Line 2,3,4" He asserts that His Angel has created (for the purpose of self-realization through projection in conditioned Form) three pairs of opposites: (a) The Fixed and the Volatile; (b) The Unmanifested and the Manifest; and (c) the Unmoved and the Moved. Otherwise, the Negative and the Positive in respect of Matter, Mind and Motion. "Line 5" He acclaims his Angel as "Himself Made Perfect"; adding that this Individuality is inscrutable in inviolable. In the Neophyte Ritual of {274} G.'. D.'. (As it is printed in Equinox I, II, for the old aeon) the Hierophant is the perfected Osiris, who brings the candidate, the natural Osiris, to identity with himself. But in the new Aeon the Hierophant is Horus (Liber CCXX, I, 49) therefore the Candidate will be Horus too. What then is the formula of the initiation of Horus? It will no longer be that of the Man, through Death. It will be the natural growth of the Child. His experiences will no more be regarded as catastrophic. Their hieroglyph is the Fool: the innocent and impotent Harpocrates Babe becomes the Horus Adult by obtaining the Wand. "Der reine Thor" seizes the Sacred Lance. Bacchus becomes Pan. The Holy Guardian Angel is the Unconscious Creature Self --- the Spiritual Phallus. His knowledge and conversation contributes occult puberty. It is therefore advisable to replace the name Asar Un-nefer by that of Ra-Hoor-Khuit at the outset, and by that of one's own Holy Guardian Angel when it has been communicated. "Line 6" He hails Him as BESZ, the Matter that destroys and devours Godhead, for the purpose of the Incarnation of any God. "Line 7" He hails Him as APOPHRASZ, the Motion that destroys and devours Godhead, for the purpose of the Incarnation of any God. The combined action of these two DEVILS is to allow the God upon whom they prey to enter into enjoyment of existence through the Sacrament of dividual "Life" (Bread --- the flesh of BESZ) and "Love" (Wine --- the blood or venom of AOPHRASZ). "Line 8" He acclaims His Angel as having "eaten of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil"; otherwise, having become wise (in the {275} Dyad, Chokmah) to apprehend the formula of Equilibrium which is now His own, being able to apply Himself accurately to His self-appointed environment. "Line 9" He acclaims His Angel as having laid down the Law of Love as the Magical formula of the Universe, that He may resolve the phenomenal again into its noumenal phase by uniting any two opposites in ecstasic passion. "Line 10" He acclaims His Angel as having appointed that this formula of Love should effect not only the dissolution of the separateness of the Lovers into His own impersonal Godhead, but their co-ordination in a "Child" quintessentialized from its parents to constitute a higher order of Being than theirs, so that each generation is an alchemical progress towards perfection in the direction of successive complexities. As Line 9 asserts Involution, Line 10 asserts Evolution. "Line 11" He acclaims His Angel as having devised this method of self-realization; the object of Incarnation is to obtain its reactions to its relations with other incarnated Beings and to observe theirs with each other. ---------- Section Aa. "Line 1" The Adept asserts his right to enter into conscious communication with His Angel, on the ground that that Angel has Himself taught him the Secret Magick by which he may make the proper link. "Mosheh" is M H, the formation in Jechidah, Chiah, Neshamah, Ruach, --- The Sephiroth from Kether to Yesod --- since 45 is GR:Sigma{=summation} 1-9 while Sh, 300, is GR:Sigma{=summation} 1-24, which superadds to these Nine an extra Fifteen numbers. (See in Liber D {276} the meanings an correspondences of 9, 15, 24, 45, 300, 345.) 45 is moreover A D M, man. "Mosheh" is thus the name of man as a God-concealing form. But in the Ritual let the Adept replace this "Mosheh" by his own motto as Adeptus Minor. For "Ishrael" let him prefer his own Magical Race, according to the obligations of his Oaths to Our Holy Order! (The Beast 666 Himself used "Ankh-f-n-Khonsu" and "Khem" in this section.) "Line 2" The Adept reminds his Angel that He has created That One Substance of which Hermes hath written in the Table of Emerald, whose virtue is to unite in itself all opposite modes of Being, thereby to serve as a Talisman charged with the Spiritual Energy of Existence, an Elixir or Stone composed of the physical basis of Life. This Commemoration is placed between the two personal appeals to the Angel, as if to claim privilege to partake of this Eucharist which createth, sustaineth and redeemeth all things. "Line 3" He now asserts that he is himself the "Angel" or messenger of his Angel; that is, that he is a mind and body whose office is to receive and transmit the Word of his Angel. He hails his Angel not only as "un-nefer" the Perfection of "Asar" himself as a man, but as Ptah-Apophrasz-Ra, the identity (Hadit) wrapped in the Dragon (Nuit) and thereby manifested as a Sun (Ra-Hoor-Khuit). The "Egg" (or Heart) "girt with a Serpent" is a cognate symbol; the idea is thus expressed later in the ritual. (See Liber LXV. which expands this to the uttermost.) Section B The Adept passes from contemplation to action in the sections now following B to Gg. He is to travel astrally around the circle, making the appropriate pentagrams, sigils, and signs. His direction {277} is widdershins. He thus makes three curves, each covering three-fourths of the circle. He should give the sign of the Enterer on passing the Kiblah, or Direction of Boleskine. This picks up the force naturally radiating from that point<> and projects it in the direction of the path of the Magician. The sigils are those given in the Equinox Vol. I, No. 7, Plate X outside the square; the signs those shewn in Vol. I, No. 2, Plate "The Signs of the Grades". In these invocations he should expand his girth and his stature to the utmost<>, assuming the form and the consciousness of the Elemental God of the quarter. After this, he begins to vibrate the "Barbarous Names" of the Ritual. Now let him not only fill his whole being to the uttermost with the force of the Names; but let him formulate his Will, understood thoroughly as the dynamic aspect of his Creative Self, in an appearance symbolically apt, I say not in the form of a Ray of Light, of a Fiery Sword, or of aught save that bodily Vehicle of the Holy Ghost which is sacred to BAPHOMET, by its virtue that concealeth the Lion and the Serpent that His Image may appear adorably upon the Earth for ever. Let then the Adept extend his Will beyond the Circle in this imagined Shape and let it radiate with the Light proper to the element invoked, and let each Word issue along the Shaft with passionate impulse, as if its voice gave command thereto that it should thrust itself leapingly forward. Let also each Word accumulate authority, so that the Head of the Shaft may plunge twice as far for the Second Word as for the First, and Four Times for {278} the Third as the Second, and thus to the end. Moreover, let the Adept fling forth his whole consciousness thither. Then at the final Word, let him bring rushing back his Will within himself, steadily streaming, and let him offer himself to its point, as Artemis to PAN, that this perfectly pure concentration of the Element purge him thoroughly, and possess him with its passion. In this Sacrament being wholly at one with that Element, let the Adept utter the Charge "Hear me, and make", etc. with strong sense that this unity with that quarter of the Universe confers upon him the fullest freedom and privilege appurtenant thereto. Let the Adept take note of the wording of the Charge. The "Firmament" is the Ruach, the "mental plane"; it is the realm of Shu, or Zeus, where revolves the Wheel of the Gunas, the Three forms<> of Being. The Aethyr is the {279} "akasha", the "Spirit", the Aethyr or physics, which is the framework on which all forms are founded; it receives, records and transmits all impulses without itself suffering mutation thereby. The "Earth" is the sphere wherein the operation of these "fundamental" and aethyric forces appears to perception. "Under the Earth" is the world of those phenomena which inform those perceived projections, and determine their particular character. "Dry land" is the place of dead "material things", dry (i.e. unknowable) because unable to act on our minds. "Water" is the vehicle whereby we feel such things; "air" their menstruum wherein these feelings are mentally apprehended. It is called "whirling" because of the instability of thought, and the fatuity of reason, on which we are yet dependent for what we call "life". "Rushing Fire" is the world in which wandering thought burns up to swift-darting Will. These four stages explain how the non-Ego is transmuted into the {280} Ego. A "Spell" of God is any form of consciousness, and a "Scourge" any form of action. The Charge, as a whole, demands for the Adept the control of every detail of the Universe which His Angel has created as a means of manifesting Himself to Himself. It covers command of the primary projection of the Possible in individuality, in the antithetical artifice which is the device of Mind, and in a balanced triplicity of modes or states of being whose combinations constitute the characteristics of Cosmos. It includes also a standard of structure, a rigidity to make reference possible. Upon these foundations of condition which are not things in themselves, but the canon to which things conform, is builded the Temple of Being, whose materials are themselves perfectly mysterious, inscrutable as the Soul, and like the Soul imagining themselves by symbols which we may feel, perceive, and adapt to our use without ever knowing the whole Truth about them. The Adept sums up all these items by claiming authority over every form of expression possible to Existence, whether it be a "spell" (idea) or a "scourge" (act) of "God", that is, of himself. The Adept must accept every "spirit", every "spell", every "scourge", as part of his environment, and make them all "subject to" himself; that is, consider them as contributory causes of himself. They have made him what he is. They correspond exactly to his own faculties. They are all --- ultimately --- of equal importance. The fact that he is what he is proves that each item is equilibrated. The impact of each new impression affects the entire system in due measure. He must therefore realize that every event is subject to him. It occurs because he had need of it. Iron rusts because the molecules demand oxygen for the satisfaction of {281} their tendencies. They do not crave hydrogen; therefore combination with that gas is an event which does not happen. All experiences contribute to make us complete in ourselves. We feel ourselves subject to them so long as we fail to recognise this; when we do, we perceive that they are subject to us. And whenever we strive to evade an experience, whatever it may be, we thereby do wrong to ourselves. We thwart our own tendencies. To live is to change; and to oppose change is to revolt against the law which we have enacted to govern our lives. To resent destiny is thus to abdicate our sovereignty, and to invoke death. Indeed, we have decreed the doom of death for every breach of the law of Life. And every failure to incorporate any impression starves the particular faculty which stood in need of it. This Section B invokes Air in the East, with a shaft of golden glory. -------- Section C. The adept now invokes Fire in the South; flame red are the rays that burst from his Verendum. -------- Section D. He invokes Water in the West, his Wand billowing forth blue radiance. -------- Section E. He goes to the North to invoke Earth; flowers of green flame flash from his weapon. As practice makes the Adept perfect in this Work, it becomes automatic to attach all these complicated ideas and intentions to their correlated words and acts. When this is attained he may go deeper into the formula by amplifying its correspondences. Thus, he may invoke water in the manner of water, extending {282} his will with majestic and irresistible motion, mindful of its impulse gravitation, yet with a suave and tranquil appearance of weakness. Again, he may apply the formula of water to its peculiar purpose as it surges back into his sphere, using it with conscious skill for the cleansing and calming of the receptive and emotional elements in his character, and for the solution or sweeping away of those tangled weeds of prejudice which hamper him from freedom to act as he will. Similar applications of the remaining invocations will occur to the Adept who is ready to use them. -------- Section F. The Adept now returns to the Tiphereth square of his Tau, and invokes spirit, facing toward Boleskine, by the active Pentagrams, the sigil called the Mark of the Beast, and the Signs of L.V.X. (See plate as before). He then vibrates the Names extending his will in the same way as before, but vertically upward. At the same time he expands the Source of that Will --- the secret symbol of Self --- both about him and below, as if to affirm that Self, duplex as is its form, reluctant to acquiesce in its failure to coincide with the Sphere of Nuith. Let him now imagine, at the last Word, that the Head of his will, where his consciousness is fixed, opens its fissure (the Brahmarandra-Cakkra, at the junction of the cranial sutures) and exudes a drop of clear crystalline dew, and that this pearl is his Soul, a virgin offering to his Angel, pressed forth from his being by the intensity of his Aspiration. -------- Section Ff. With these words the Adept does not withdraw his will within him as in the previous Sections. He thinks of them as a reflection of Truth on the {283} surface of the dew, where his Soul hides trembling. He takes them to be the first formulation in his consciousness of the nature of His Holy Guardian Angel. "Line 1." The "Gods" include all the conscious elements of his nature. "Line 2." The "Universe" includes all possible phenomena of which he can be aware. "Line 3." The "Winds" are his thoughts, which have prevented him from attaining to his Angel. "Line 4." His Angel has made "Voice", the magical weapon which produces "Words", and these words have been the wisdom by which He hath created all things. The "Voice" is necessary as the link between the Adept and his Angel. The Angel is "King", the One who "can", the "source of authority and the fount of honour"; also the King (or King's Son) who delivers the Enchanted Princess, and makes her his Queen. He is "Ruler", the "unconscious Will"; to be thwarted no more by the ignorant and capricious false will of the conscious man. And He is "Helper", the author of the infallible impulse that sends the Soul sweeping along the skies on its proper path with such impetus that the attraction of alien orbs is no longer sufficient to swerve it. The "Hear me" clause is now uttered by the normal human consciousness, withdrawn to the physical body; the Adept must deliberately abandon his attainment, because it is not yet his whole being which burns up before the Beloved. -------- Section G. The Adept, though withdrawn, shall have maintained the Extension of his Symbol. He now repeats the signs as before, save that he makes the Passive Invoking Pentagram of Spirit. He concentrates {284} his consciousness within his Twin-Symbol of Self, and endeavours to send it to sleep. But if the operation be performed properly, his Angel shall have accepted the offering of Dew, and seized with fervour upon the extended symbol of Will towards Himself. This then shall He shake vehemently with vibrations of love reverberating with the Words of the Section. Even in the physical ears of the adept there shall resound an echo thereof, yet he shall not be able to describe it. It shall seem both louder than thunder, and softer than the whisper of the night-wind. It shall at once be inarticulate, and mean more than he hath ever heard. Now let him strive with all the strength of his Soul to withstand the Will of his Angel, concealing himself in the closest cell of the citadel of consciousness. Let him consecrate himself to resist the assault of the Voice and the Vibration until his consciousness faint away into Nothing. For if there abide unabsorbed even one single atom of the false Ego, that atom should stain the virginity of the True Self and profane the Oath; then that atom should be so inflamed by the approach of the Angel that it should overwhelm the rest of the mind, tyrannize over it, and become an insane despot to the total ruin of the realm. But, all being dead to sense, who then is able to strive against the Angel? He shall intensify the stress of His Spirit so that His loyal legions of Lion-Serpents leap from the ambush, awakening the adept to witness their Will and sweep him with them in their enthusiasm, so that he consciously partakes their purpose, and sees in its simplicity the solution of all his perplexities. Thus then shall the Adept be aware that he is being swept away through the column of his Will Symbol, {285} and that His Angel is indeed himself, with intimacy so intense as to become identity, and that not in a single Ego, but in every unconscious element that shares in that manifold uprush. This rapture is accompanied by a tempest of brilliant light, almost always, and also in many cases by an outburst of sound, stupendous and sublime in all cases, though its character may vary within wide limits.<> The spate of stars shoots from the head of the Will-Symbol, and is scattered over the sky in glittering galaxies. This dispersion destroys the concentration of the adept, whose mind cannot master such multiplicity of majesty; as a rule, he simply sinks stunned into normality, to recall nothing of his experience but a vague though vivid impression of complete release and ineffable rapture. Repetition fortifies him to realise the nature of his attainment; and his Angel, the link once made, frequents him, and trains him subtly to be sensitive to his Holy presence, and persuasion. But it may occur, especially after repeated success, that the Adept is not flung back into his mortality by the explosion of the Star-spate, but identified with one particular "Lion-Serpent", continuing conscious thereof until it finds its proper place in Space, when its secret self flowers forth as a truth, which the Adept may then take back to earth with him. This is but a side issue. The main purpose of the Ritual is to establish the relation of the subconscious self with the Angel in such a way that the Adept is aware that his Angel is the Unity which expresses the sum of the Elements of that Self, that his normal consciousness contains alien enemies 286} introduced by the accidents of environment, and that his Knowledge and Conversation of His Holy Guardian Angel destroys all doubts and delusions, confers all blessings, teaches all truth, and contains all delights. But it is important that the Adept should not rest in mere inexpressible realization of his rapture, but rouse himself to make the relation submit to analysis, to render it in rational terms, and thereby enlighten his mind and heart in a sense as superior to fanatical enthusiasm as Beethoven's music is to West African war-drums. -------- Section Gg. The adept should have realised that his Act of Union with the angel implies (1) the death of his old mind save in so far as his unconscious elements preserve its memory when they absorb it, and (2) the death of his unconscious elements themselves. But their death is rather a going forth to renew their life through love. He then, by conscious comprehension of them separately and together, becomes the "Angel" of his Angel, as Hermes is the Word of Zeus, whose own voice is Thunder. Thus in this section the adept utters articulately so far as words may, what his Angel is to Himself. He says this, with his Scin-Laeca wholly withdrawn into his physical body, constraining His Angel to indwell his heart. "Line 1." "I am He" asserts the destruction of the sense of separateness between self and Self. It affirms existence, but of the third person only. "The Bornless Spirit" is free of all space, "having sight in the feet", that they may choose their own path. "Strong" is G B R, The Magician escorted by the Sun and the Moon (See Liber D and Liber 777). The "Immortal Fire" is the creative Self; impersonal energy cannot perish, no matter what forms it assumes. Combustion is Love. 287 "Line 2." "Truth" is the necessary relation of any two things; therefore, although it implies duality, it enables us to conceive of two things as being one thing such that it demands to be defined by complementals. Thus, an hyperbola is a simple idea, but its construction exacts two curves. "Line 3." The Angel, as the adept knows him, is a being Tiphereth, which obscures Kether. The Adept is not officially aware of the higher Sephiroth. He cannot perceive, like the Ipsissimus, that all things soever are equally illusion and equally Absolute. He is in Tiphereth, whose office is Redemption, and he deplores the events which have caused the apparent Sorrow from which he has just escaped. He is also aware, even in the height of his ecstasy, of the limits and defects of his Attainment. "Line 4." This refers to the phenomena which accompany his Attainment. "Line 5." This means the recognition of the Angel as the True Self of his subconscious self, the hidden Life of his physical life. "Line 6." The Adept realises every breath, every word of his Angel as charged with creative fire. Tiphereth is the Sun, and the Angel is the spiritual Sun of the Soul of the Adept. "Line 7." Here is summed the entire process of bringing the conditioned Universe to knowledge of itself through the formula of generation<>; a soul implants itself in sense-hoodwinked body and reason- fettered mind, makes them aware of their Inmate, and thus to partake of its own consciousness of the Light. "Line 8." "Grace" has here its proper sense of "Pleasantness". {288} The existence of the Angel is the justification of the device of creation.<> "Line 9." This line must be studied in the light of Liber LXV (Equinox XI. p. 65). Section H. This recapitulation demands the going forth together of the Adept and his Angel "to do their pleasure on the Earth among the living." Section J. The Beast 666 having devised the present method of using this Ritual, having proved it by his own practice to be of infallible puissance when properly performed, and now having written it down for the world, it shall be an ornament for the Adept who adopts it to cry Hail to His name at the end of his work. This shall moreover encourage him in Magick, to recall that indeed there was One who attained by its use to the Knowledge and Conversation of His Holy Guardian Angel, the which forsook him no more, but made Him a Magus, the Word of the Aeon of Horus! For know this, that the Name IAF in its most secret and mighty sense declareth the Formula of the Magick of the BEAST whereby he wrought many wonders. And because he doth will that the whole world shall attain to this Art, He now hideth it herein so that the worthy may win to His Wisdom. Let I and F face all;<> yet ward their A from attack. The Hermit to himself, the Fool to foes, {289} The Hierophant to friends, Nine by nature, Naught by attainment, Five by function. In speech swift, subtle and secret; in thought creative, unbiassed, unbounded; in act gentle, patient and persistent. Hermes to hear, Dionysus to touch, Pan to behold. A Virgin, A Babe, and a Beast! A Liar, an Idiot, and a Master of Men! A kiss, a guffaw, and a bellow; he that hath ears to hear, let him hear! Take ten that be one, and one that is one in three, to conceal them in six! Thy wand to all Cups, and thy Disk to all Swords, but betray not thine Egg! Moreover also is IAF verily 666 by virtue of Number; and this is a Mystery of Mysteries; Who knoweth it, he is adept of adepts, and Mighty among Magicians! Now this word SABAF, being by number Three score and Ten,<> is a name of Ayin, the Eye, and the Devil our Lord, and the Goat of Mendes. He is the Lord of the Sabbath of the Adepts, and is Satan, therefore also the Sun, whose number of Magick is 666, the seal of His servant the BEAST. But again SA is 61, AIN, the Naught of Nuith; BA means go, for Hadit; and F is their Son the Sun who is Ra-Hoor-Khuit. So then let the Adept set his sigil upon all the words he hath writ in the Book of the Works of his Will. {290} And let him then end all, saying, Such are the Words!<> For by this he maketh proclamation before all them that be about his Circle that these Words are true and puissant, binding what he would bind, and loosing what he would loose. Let the Adept perform this Ritual aright, perfect in every part thereof, once daily for one moon, then twice, at dawn and dusk, for two moons, next, thrice, noon added, for three moons, afterwards, midnight making up his course, for four moons four times every day. Then let the Eleventh Moon be consecrated wholly to this Work; let him be instant in continual ardour, dismissing all but his sheer needs to eat and sleep.<> For know that the true Formula<> whose virtue sufficed the Beast in this Attainment, was thus: INVOKE OFTEN<> So may all men come at last to the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel: thus sayeth the Beast, and prayeth His own Angel that this book be as a burning Lamp, and as a living Spring, for Light and Life to them that read therein. 666 {291} (Note to page 291) The Oracles of Zoroaster utter this: "And when, by often invoking, all the phantasms are vanished, thou shalt see that Holy and Formless Fire, that Fire which darts and flashes through all the Depths of the Universe; hear thou the Voice of the Fire! "A similar Fire flashingly extending through the rushings of Air, or a Fire formless whence cometh the Image of a voice, or even a flashing Light abounding, revolving, whirling forth, crying aloud. Also there is the vision of the fire-flashing Courser of Light, or also a Child, borne aloft on the shoulders of the Celestial Steed, fiery, or clothed with gold, or naked, or shooting with the bow shafts or light, and standing on the shoulders of the horse, then if thy meditation prolongeth itsel This passage --- combined with several others --- is paraphased in poetry by Aleister Crowley in his "Tannhauser". "And when, "invoking often," thou shalt see That formless Fire; when all the earth is shaken, The stars abide not, and the moon is gone, All Time crushed back into Eternity, The Universe by earthquake overtaken; Light is not, and the thunders roll, The World is done: When in the darkness Chaos rolls again In the excited brain: Then, O then call not to thy view that visible Image of Nature; fatal is her name! It fitteth not thy Body to behold That living light of Hell, The unluminous, dead flame, Until that body from the crucible Hath passed, pure gold! For, from the confines of material space, The twilight-moving place, The gates of matter, and the dark threshold, Before the faces of the Things that dwell In the Abodes of Night, Spring into sight Demons, dog-faced, that show no mortal sign Of Truth, but desecrate the Light Divine, Seducing from the sacred mysteries. But, after all these Folk of Fear are driven Before the avenging levin That rives the opening skies, Behold that formless and that Holy Flame {292} That hath no name; The Fire that darts and flashes, writhes and creeps Snake-wise in royal robe Wound round that vanished glory of the globe, Unto that sky beyond the starry deeps, Beyond the Toils of Time, --- then formulate In thine own mind, luminous, concentrate, The Lion of the Light, a child that stands On the vast shoulders of the Steed of God: Or winged, or shooting flying shafts, or shod With the flame-sandals. Then, lift up thine hands! Centre thee in thine heart one scarlet thought Limpid with brilliance of the Light above! Drawn into naught All life, death, hatred, love: All self concentred in the sole desire --- Hear thou the Voice of Fire!" ----------- {293} POINT III SCHOLION ON SECTIONS G & Gg. red this Ritual, successfully realising the full import of this controlled rapture, ought not to allow his mind to loosen its grip on the astral imagery of the Star-spate, Will-Symbol, or Soul-symbol, or even to forget its duty to the body and the sensible surroundings. Nor should he omit to keep his Body of Light in close touch with the phenomena of its own plane, so that its privy consciousness may fulfil its proper functions of protecting his scatte But he should have acquired, by previous practice, the faculty of detaching these elements of his consciousness from their articulate centre, so that they become (temporarily) independent responsible units, capable of receiving communications from headquarters at will, but perfectly able (1) to take care of themselves without troubling their chief, and (2) to report to him at the proper time. In a figure, they must be like subordinate officers, expected to display self-reliance, initiative, The Adept should therefore be able to rely on these individual minds of his to control their own conditions without interference from himself for the time required, and to recall them in due course, receiving an accurate report of their adventures. This being so, the Adept will be free to concentrate his deepest self, that part of him which unconsciously orders his true Will, upon the realization of his Holy Guardian Angel. The absence of his bodily, mental and astral consciousness is indeed cardinal to success, for it is their usurpation of his attention which has made him deaf to his Soul, and his preoccupation with their affairs that has prevented him from perceiving that Soul. {294} The effect of the Ritual has been (a) to keep them so busy with their own work that they cease to distract him; (b) to separate them so completely that his soul is stripped of its sheaths; (c) to arouse in him an enthusiasm so intense as to intoxicate and anaesthetize him, that he may not feel and resent the agony of this spiritual vivisection, just as bashful lovers get drunk on the wedding night, in order to brazen out the intensity of shame which so mysteriously coexists with their desire; (d) to concentrate the necessary spiritual forces from every element, and fling them simultaneously into the aspiration towards the Holy Guardian Angel; and (e) to attract the Angel by the vibration of the magical voice which invokes Him. The method of the Ritual is thus manifold. But the results of the Ritual are too various to permit of rigid description. One may say that, presuming the union to be perfect, the Adept need not retain any memory soever of what has occurred. He may be merely aware of a gap in his conscious life, and judge of its contents by observing that his nature has been subtly transfigured. Such an experience might indeed be the proof of perfection. Now the Angel will make contact with the Adept at any point that is sensitive to His influence. Such a point will naturally be one that is salient in the Adept's character, and also one that is, in the proper sense of the word, pure< Thus an artist, attuned to appreciate plastic beauty is likely to {296} receive a visual impression of his Angel in a physical form which is sublimely quintessential of his ideal. A musician may be rapt away by majestic melodies such as he never hoped to hear. A philosopher may attain apprehension of tremendous truths, the solution of problems that had baffled him all his life. Conformably with this doctrine, we read of illuminations experienced by simple-minded men, such as a workman who "saw God" and likened Him to "a quantity of little pears". Again, we know that ecstasy, impinging upon unbalanced minds, inflames the idolised idea, and produces fanatical faith fierce even to frenzy, with intolerance and insanely disordered energy which is yet so powerful as to effect the destinies of empires. But the phenomena of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel are a side issue; the essence of the Union is the intimacy. Their intimacy (or rather identity) is independent of all partial forms of expression; at its best it is therefore as inarticulate as Love. The intensity of the consummation will more probably compel a sob or a cry, some natural physical gesture of animal sympathy with the spiritual spasm. This is to be criticised as incomplete self-control. Silence is nobler. In any case the Adept must be in communion with his Angel, so that his Soul is suffused with sublimity, whether intelligible or not in terms of intellect. It is evident that the stress of such spiritual possession must tend to overwhelm the soul, especially at first. It actually suffers from the excess of its ecstasy, just as extreme love produces vertigo. The soul sinks and swoons. Such weakness is fatal alike to its enjoyment and its apprehension. "Be strong! then canst thou bear more The Adept must therefore play the man, arousing himself to harden his soul. So then saying this word or that, let the Adept wrestle with his Angel and withstand Him, that he may constrain Him to consent to continue in communion until the consciousness becomes capable of clear comprehension, and of accurate transmission< The firm repetition of one of these Words ought to enable the Adept to maintain the state of Union for several minutes, even at first. In any case he must rekindle his ardour, esteeming his success rather as an encouragement to more ardent aspiration than as a triumph. He should increase his efforts. Let him beware of the "lust of result", of expecting too much, of losing courage if his first success is followed by a series of failures. Just so one's first dazzled delight in a new landscape turns, as one continues to gaze, to the appreciation of exquisite details of the view. At first they were blurred by the blinding rush of general beauty; they emerge one by one as the shock subsides, and passionate rapture yields to intelligent interest. > He usually loses his sense of proportion, of humour, of reality, and of sound judgment. His ego is often inflated to the bursting point, till he would be abjectly ridiculous if he were not so pitifully dangerous to himsel It is wise to keep silence about those things "unlawful to utter" which one may have heard "in the seventh heaven". This may not apply to the sixth. The Adept must keep himself in hand, however tempted to make a new heaven and a new earth in the next few days by trumpeting his triumphs. He must give time a chance to redress his balance, sore shaken by the impact of the Infinite. As he becomes adjusted to intercourse with his Angel, he will find his passionate ecstasy develop a quality of peace and intelligibility which adds power, while it informs and fortifies his mental and moral qualities instead of obscuring and upsetting them. He will by now have become able to converse with his Angel, impossible as it once seemed; for he now knows that the storm of sound which he supposed to be the Voice was only the clamour of his own confusions. The "infinity" nonsense was The truth told by the Angel, immensely as it extends the horizon of the Adept, is perfectly definite and precise. It does not deal in ambiguities and abstractions. It possesses form, and confesses law, in exactly the same way and degree as any other body of truth. It is to the truth of the material and intellectual spheres of man very much what the Mathematics of Philosophy with its "infinite series" and "Cantorian continuity" is to schoolboy arithmetic. Each implies the other, though by This then is the true aim of the Adept in this whole operation, to assimilate himself to his Angel by continual conscious communion. For his Angel is an intelligible image of his own true Will, to do which is the whole of the law of his Being. Also the Angel appeareth in Tiphereth, which is the heart of the Ruach, and thus the Centre of Gravity of the Mind. It is also directly inspired from Kether, the ultimate Self, through the Path of the High Priestess, or initiated intuition. Hence the Angel is in truth the Logos or articulate expression of the whole Being of the Adept, so that as he increases in the perfect understanding of {300} His name, he approaches the solution of the ultimate problem, Who he himself truly is. > None therefore save He hath the knowledge requisite for calculating the combinations of conduct which will organise and equilibrate the forces of the Adept, against the moment whe I, The Beast 666, lift up my voice and swear that I myself have been brought hither by mine Angel. After that I had attained unto the Knowledge and Conversation of Him by virtue of mine ardour towards Him, and of this Ritual that I bestow upon men my fellows, and most of His great Love that He beareth to me, yea, verily, He led me to the Abyss; He bade me fling away all that I had and all that I was; and He forsook me in that Hour. But when I came beyond the Abyss, to be reborn within the w Also He made me a Magus, speaking through His Law, the Word of the new Aeon, the Aeon of the Crowned and Conquering Child.<> Thus he fulfilled my will to br Yea, he wrought also in me a Work of wonder beyond this, but in this matter I am sworn to hold my peace. {301} APPENDIX V A FEW OF THE PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDENCES OF THE QABALAH. REPRINTED WITH ADDITIONS FROM 777 {303} TABLE I .===========.=========================.======================. : I : II : III : : KEY SCALE : HEBREW NAMES OF NUMBERS : ENGLISH OF COLUMN II : : : & LETTERS : : :-----------+-------------------------+----------------------: : :Aleph-Yod-Nunfinal : Nothing. : : 0 :Aleph-Yod-Nunfinal : No Limit. : : :Samekh-Vau-Pehfinal : : : :Aleph-Yod-Nunfinal : Limitless L.V.X. : : :Samekh-Vau-Pehfinal : : : :Aleph-Vau-Resh : : : 1 :Koph-Taw-Resh : Crown. : : 2 :Chet-Koph-Mem-Heh : Wisdom. : : 3 :Bet-Yod-Nun-Heh : Understanding. : : 4 :Chet-Samekh-Dalet : Mercy. : : 5 :Gemel-Bet-Vau-Resh-Heh : Strength. : : 6 :Taw-Peh-Aleph-Resh-Taw : Beauty. : : 7 :Nun-Tzaddi-Chet : Victory. : : 8 :Heh-Vau-Dalet : Splendour. : : 9 :Yod-Samekh-Vau-Dalet : Foundation. : : 10 :Mem-Lamed-Koph-Vau-Taw : Kingdom. : : 11 :Aleph-Lamed-Pehfinal : Ox. : : 12 :Bet-Yod-Taw : House. : : 13 :Gemel-Mem-Lamed : Camel. : : 14 :Dalet-Lamed-Taw : Door. : : 15 :Heh-Heh : Window. : : 16 :Vau-Vau : Nail. : : 17 :Zain-Yod-Nunfinal : Sword. : : 18 :Chet-Yod-Taw : Fence. : : 19 :Tet-Yod-Taw : Serpent. : : 20 :Yod-Vau-Dalet : Hand. : : 21 :Koph-Pehfinal : Palm. : : 22 :Lamed-Mem-Dalet : Ox Goad. : : 23 :Mem-Yod-Memfinal : Water. : : 24 :Nun-Vau-Nunfinal : Fish. : : 25 :Samekh-Mem-Kophfinal : Prop. : : 26 :Ayin-Yod-Nunfinal : Eye. : : 27 :Peh-Heh : Mouth. : : 28 :Tzaddi-Dalet-Yod : Fish-hook. : : 29 :Qof-Vau-Pehfinal : Back of Head. : : 30 :Resh-Yod-Shin : Head. : : 31 :Shin-Yod-Nunfinal : Tooth. : : 32 :Taw-Vau : Tau (as Egyptian). : : 32 "bis" :Taw-Vau : --- : : 31 "bis" :Shin-Yod-Nunfinal : --- : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : {304 & 305} TABLE I .===========.=========================.===============================. : I : VI : VII : : KEY SCALE : THE HEAVENS OF ASSIAH : ENGLISH OF COLUMN VI : :-----------+-------------------------+-------------------------------: : 1 :Resh-Aleph-Shin-Yod-Taw : Sphere of the Primum Mobile : : :Heh-Gemel-Lamed-Gemel- : : : Lamed-Yod-Memfinal : : : 2 :Mem-Samekh-Lamed-Vau-Taw : Sphere of the Zodiac : : : : Fixed Stars : : 3 :Shin-Bet-Taw-Aleph-Yod : Sphere of Saturn : : 4 :Tzaddi-Dalet-Qof : Sphere of Jupiter : : 5 :Mem-Aleph-Dalet-Yod- : Sphere of Mars : : : Memfinal : : : 6 :Shin-Mem-Shin : Sphere of Sol : : 7 :Nun-Vau-Gemel-Heh : Sphere of Venus : : 8 :Koph-Vau-Koph-Bet : Sphere of Mercury : : 9 :Lamed-Bet-Nun-Heh : Sphere of Luna : : 10 :Chet-Lamed-Memfinal : Sphere of the Elements : : :Yod-Samekh-Vau-Dalet- : : : : Vau-Taw : : : 11 :Resh-Vau-Chet : Air : : 12 : (Planets following : MERCURY : : : Sephiroth corresponding): : : 13 : : Luna : : 14 : : Venus : : 15 :Tet-Lamed-Heh : Aries Fire : : 16 :Shin-Vau-Resh : Taurus Earth : : 17 :Taw-Aleph-Vau-Mem-Yod- : Gemini Air : : : Memfinal : : : 18 :Samekh-Resh-Tet-Nunfinal : Cancer Water : : 19 :Aleph-Resh-Yod-Heh : Leo Fire : : 20 :Bet-Taw-Vau-Lamed-Heh : Virgo Earth : : 21 : : Jupiter : : 22 :Mem-Aleph-Zain-Nun-Yod- : Libra Air : : : Memfinal : : : 23 :Mem-Yod-Memfinal : Water : : 24 :Ayin-Qof-Resh-Bet : Scorpio Water : : 25 :Qof-Shin-Taw : Sagittarius Fire : : 26 :Gemel-Dalet-Yod : Capricornus Earth : : 27 : : Mars : : 28 :Dalet-Lamed-Yod : Aquarius Air : : 29 :Dalet-Gemel-Yod-Memfinal : Pisces Water : : 30 : : Sol : : 31 :Aleph-Shin : Fire : : 32 : : Saturn : : 32 "bis" :Aleph-Resh-Tzaddifinal : Earth : : 31 "bis" :Aleph-Taw : Spirit : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : {306 & 307} TABLE I .=========.================.===================.=======================. : : IX : XI : XII : : : THE SWORD : ELEMENTS : : : : AND :(WITH THEIR PLANE- : THE TREE OF LIFE : : : THE SERPENT : TARY RULERS) : : : : :Do not confuse with: : : : :rulers of Zodiac. : : :---------+----------------+-------------------+-----------------------: : 0 :................:...................:.......................: : 1 : The Flaming : Root of Air :1st Plane Middle Pillar: : 2 : Sword follows : " " Fire :2nd " Right " : : 3 : the downward : " " Water :2nd " Left " : : 4 : course of the : " " Water :3rd " Right " : : 5 : Sephiroth, and : " " Fire :3rd " Left " : : 6 : is compared : " " Air :4th " Middle " : : 7 : to the Light- : " " Fire :5th " Right " : : 8 : ning Flash. : " " Water :5th " Left " : : 9 : Its hilt is : " " Air :6th " Middle " : : 10 : in Kether and : " " Earth :7th " " " : : : its point in : : : : : Malkuth. : : : : : : : : :11 :The Serpent of : Hot and Moist Air :Path joins 1-2 : : 12 :Wisdom follows :...................: " " 1-3 : : 13 :the course of :...................: " " 1-6 : : 14 :the paths or :...................: " " 2-3 : : 15 :letters upward, : Sun Fire Jupiter : " " 2-6 : : 16 :its head being : Venus Earth Moon : " " 2-4 : : 17 :thus in Aleph, : Saturn Air Mercury: " " 3-6 : : 18 :its tail in Taw.: Mars Water : " " 3-5 : : 19 :Aleph, Mem, & : Sun Fire Jupiter : " " 4-5 : : :Shin are : : : : 20 :the Mother : Venus Earth Moon : " " 4-6 : : 21 :letters, re- :...................: " " 4-7 : : 22 :ferring to the : Saturn Air Mercury: " " 5-6 : :23 :Elements; Bet, : Cold & Moist Water: " " 5-8 : : 24 :Gemel, Dalet, : Mars Water : " " 6-7 : : :Koph, Peh, Resh : : : : 25 :and Taw, the : Sun Fire Jupiter : " " 6-9 : : 26 :Double letters, : Venus Earth Moon : " " 6-8 : : 27 :to the Planets; :...................: " " 7-8 : : 28 :the rest, : Saturn Air Mercury: " " 7-9 : : 29 :Single letters, : Mars Water : " " 7-10 : : 30 :to the Zodiac. :...................: " " 8-9 : :31 : : Hot and Dry Fire : " " 8-10 : : 32 :................:...................: " " 9-10 : :32 "bis" : : Cold and Dry Earth:.......................: :31 "bis" :................:...................:.......................: : : : : : {WEH NOTE: Row 29 has been corrected, original had a typo of Mars Fire} {308} TABLE I .=========.====================================.=======================. : : XIV : XV : : : GENERAL ATTRIBUTION : THE KING SCALE : : : OF TAROT : OF COLOUR : :---------+------------------------------------+-----------------------: : 1 :The 4 Aces :Brilliance : : 2 :The 4 Twos --- Kings or Knights :Pure Soft Blue : : 3 :The 4 Threes --- Queens :Crimson : : 4 :The 4 Fours :Deep violet : : 5 :The 4 Fives :Orange : : 6 :The 4 Sixes --- Emperors or Princes :Clear pink rose : : 7 :The 4 Sevens :Amber : : 8 :The 4 Eights :Violet purple : : 9 :The 4 Nines :Indigo : : 10 :The 4 Tens --- Empresses or :Yellow : : : Princesses : : :11 :The Fool --- (Swords) Emperors or :Bright pale yellow : : : Princes : : : 12 :The Juggler :Yellow : : 13 :The High Priestess :Blue : : 14 :The Empress :Emerald Green : : 15 :The Emperor :Scarlet : : 16 :The Hierophant :Red Orange : : 17 :The Lovers :Orange : : 18 :The Chariot :Amber : : 19 :Strength :Yellow, greenish : : 20 :Hermit :Green yellowish : : 21 :Wheel of Fortune :Violet : : 22 :Justice :Emerald Green : :23 :The Hanged Man --- (Cups) Queens :Deep blue : : 24 :Death :Green blue : : 25 :Temperance :Blue : : 26 :The Devil :Indigo : : 27 :The House of God :Scarlet : : 28 :The Star :Violet : : 29 :The Moon :Crimson (ultra violet) : : 30 :The Sun :Orange : :31 :The Angel or Last Judgment --- :Glowing orange scarlet : : : (Wands) Kings or Knights : : : 32 :The Universe :Indigo : :32 "bis" :Empresses (Coins) :Citrine, olive, russet : : : : and black(1) : :31 "bis" :All 22 trumps :White merging into grey: :----------------------------------------------------------------------: : (1) The Pure Earth known to the Ancient Egyptians, during that : : Equinox of the Gods over which Isis presided (i.e. The Pagan Era) was: : taken as Green. : {309} TABLE I .=========.=============================.==============================. : : XIX : XXII : :KEY SCALE: SELECTION OF EGYPTIAN GODS : SMALL SELECTION OF : : : : HINDU DEITIES : :---------+-----------------------------+------------------------------: : 0 :Harpocrates, Amoun, Nuith. :AUM. : : 1 :Ptah, Asar un Nefer, Hadith. :Parabrahm (or any other whom : : : : one wishes to please). : : 2 :Amoun, Thoth, Nuith (Zodiac).:Shiva, Vishnu (as Buddha ava- : : : : tara).Akasa(as matter).Lingam: : 3 :Maut, Isis, Nephthys. :Bhavani (all forms of Sakti), : : : : Prana (as Force), Yoni. : : 4 :Amoun, Isis. :Indra, Brahma. : : 5 :Horus, Nephthys. :Vishnu, Varruna-Avatar. : : 6 :Asar, Ra. :Vishnu-Hari-Krishna-Rama. : : 7 :Hathoor. :Bhavani (all forms of Sakti). : : : : Prana (as Force), Yoni. : : 8 :Anubis. :Hanuman. : : 9 :Shu. :Ganesha Vishnu (Kurm Avatar). : : 10 :Seb. Lower (i.e. unwedded), :Lakshmi, etc. (Kundalini) : : : Isis and Nephthys. : : :11 :Nu. :The Maruts (Vayu). : : 12 :Thoth and Cynocephalus. :Hanuman, Vishnu (as Parasa- : : : : Rama). : : 13 :Chomse. :Chandra (as Moon). : : 14 :Hathoor. :Lalita(sexual aspect of Sakti): : 15 :Men Thu. :Shiva. : : 16 :Asar Ameshet Apis. :Shiva (Sacred Bull). : : 17 :Various twin dieties, Rehkt :Various twin and hybrid : : : Merti, etc. : Deities. : : 18 :Kephra. :..............................: : 19 :Ra-Hoor-Khuit, Pasht, Sekhet,:Vishnu (Nara-Singh Avatar). : : : Mau, Sekhmet. : : : 20 :Isis (as Virgin). :The Gopi Girls, the Lord of : : : : Yoga. : : 21 :Amoun-Ra. :Brahma, Indra. : : 22 :Ma. :Yama. : :23 :Tum Athph Auramoth (as Water):Soma (apas). : : : Asar (as Hanged Man), : : : : Hekar, Isis. : : : 24 :Merti goddesses, Typhon, :Kundalini. : : : Apep, Khephra. : : : 25 :.............................:Vishnu (Horse-Avatar). : : 26 :Khem (Set). :Lingam, Yoni. : : 27 :Horus. :..............................: : 28 :Ahephi, Aroueris. :..............................: : 29 :Khephra (as Scarab in Tarot :Vishnu (Matsya Avatar). : : : Trump). : : : 30 :Ra and many others. :Surya (as Sun). : :31 :Thoum-aesh-neith, Mau, Ka- :Agni (Tejas) Yama, (as God of : : : beshunt, Horus, Tarpesheth.: last Judgment). : : 32 :Sebek, Mako. :Brahama. : :32 "bis" :Satem, Ahapshi, Nephthys, :(Prithivi). : : : Ameshet. : : :31 "bis" :Asar. :(Akasa). : : : : : {310 & 311} TABLE I .=========.=============================.==============================. : : XXXIV : XXXV : :KEY SCALE: SOME GREEK GODS : SOME ROMAN GODS : :---------+-----------------------------+------------------------------: : 0 :Pan..........................:..............................: : 1 :Zeus, Iacchus :Jupiter : : 2 :Athena, Uranus :Janus : : 3 :Cybele, Demeter, Rhea, Here :Juno, Cybele, Saturn, Hecate : : 4 :Poseidon :Jupiter : : 5 :Ares, Hades :Mars : : 6 :Iacchus, Apollo, Adonis :Apollo : : 7 :Aphrodite, Nike :Venus : : 8 :Hermes :Mercury : : 9 :Zeus (as Air), Diana of :Diana (as Moon) : : : Ephesus (as phallic stone) : : : 10 :Persephone (Adonis), Psyche :Ceres : :11 :Zeus :Jupiter : : 12 :Hermes :Mercury : : 13 :Artemis, Hecate :Diana : : 14 :Aphrodite :Venus : : 15 :Athena :Mars, Minerva : : 16 :(Here) :Venus : : 17 :Castor & Pollux, Apollo the :Casto & Pollux (Janus) : : : Diviner : : : 18 :Apollo the Charioteer :Mercury : : 19 :Demeter (borne by lions) :Venus (repressing the fire of : : : : Vulcan) : : 20 :(Attis) :(Attis) Ceres, Adonis : : 21 :Zeus :Jupiter (Pluto) : : 22 :Themis, Minos, AEacus, and :Vulcan : : : Rhadamanthus : : :23 :Poseidon :Neptune : : 24 :Ares :Mars : : 25 :Apollo, Artemis (hunters) :Diana (as Archer) : : 26 :Pan, Priapus (Erect Hermes :Pan, Vesta, Bacchus, Priapus : : : and Bacchus) : : : 27 :Ares :Mars : : 28 :(Athena), Ganymede :Juno : : 29 :Poseidon :Neptune : : 30 :Helios, Apollo :Apollo : :31 :Hades :Vulcan, Pluto : : 32 :(Athena) :Saturn : :32 "bis" :(Demeter) :Ceres : :31 "bis" :Iacchus :(Liber) : : : : : {312} TABLE I .=========.=============================.==============================. : : XXXVIII : XXXIX : :KEY SCALE: ANIMALS, REAL AND : PLANTS, REAL AND : : : IMAGINARY : IMAGINARY : :---------+-----------------------------+------------------------------: : 0 :.............................:..............................: : 1 :God. :Almond in flower. : : 2 :Man. :Amaranth. : : 3 :Woman. :Cypress, Opium Poppy. : : 4 :Unicorn. :Olive, Shamrock. : : 5 :Basilisk. :Oak, Nux Vomica, Nettle. : : 6 :Phoenix, Lion, Child. :Acacia, Bay, Laurel, Vine. : : 7 :Lynx. :Rose. : : 8 :Hermaphrodite, Jackal, Twin :Moly, Anhalonium Lewinii. : : : Serpents. : : : 9 :Elephant. :(Banyan) Mandrake, Damiana, : : : : Yohimba. : : 10 :Sphinx. :Willow, Lily, Ivy. : :11 :Eagle or Man (Cherub of Air).:Aspen. : : 12 :Swallow, Ibis, Ape, Twin :Vervain, Herb Mercury, : : : Serpents. : Marjolane, Palm. : : 13 :Dog. :Almond, Mugwort, Hazel, : : : : (as Moon). Moonworth, : : : : Ranunculus. : : 14 :Sparrow, Dove, Swan. :Myrtle, Rose, Clover. : : 15 :Ram, Owl. :Tiger Lily, Geranium. : : 16 :Bull (Cherub of Earth). :Mallow. : : 17 :Magpie, Hybrids. :Hybrids, Orchids. : : 18 :Crab, Turtle, Sphinx. :Lotus. : : 19 :Lion (Cherub of Fire). :Sunflower. : : 20 :Virgin, Anchorite, any :Snowdrop, Lily, Narcissus. : : : solitary person or animal. : : : 21 :Eagle. :Hyssop, Oak, Poplar, Fig. : : 22 :Elephant. :Aloe. : :23 :Eagle-snake-scorpion :Lotus, all Water Plants. : : : (Cherub of Water). : : : 24 :Scorpion, Beetle, Lobster or :Cactus. : : : Crayfish, Wolf. : : : 25 :Centaur, Horse, Hyppogriff, :Rush. : : : Dog. : : : 26 :Goat, Ass. :Indian Hemp, Orchis Root, : : : : Thistle. : : 27 :Horse, Bear, Wolf. :Absinthe, Rue. : : 28 :Man or Eagle (Cherub of Air).:(Olive) Cocoanut. : : : Peacock. : : : 29 :Fish, Dolphin, Crayfish, :Unicellular Organisms, Opium. : : : Beetle. : : : 30 :Lion, Sparrowhawk. :Sunflower, Laurel, Heliotrope.: :31 :Lion (Cherub of Fire). :Red Poppy, Hibiscus, Nettle. : : 32 :Crocodile. :Ash, Cypress, Hellebore, Yew, : : : : Nightshade. : :32 bis :Bull (Cherub of Earth). :Oak, Ivy. : :31 bis :Sphinx (if Sworded and :Almond in flower. : : : Crowned). : : : : : : {WEH NOTE: lines 11, 16, 28 & 32 bis corrected as to element; original had typos of Fire, Air, Fire and Water respectively.} {313 & 314} TABLE I .=========.=============================.================================. : : XL : XLI : :KEY SCALE: PRECIOUS STONES : MAGICAL WEAPONS : :---------+-----------------------------+--------------------------------: : 0 :.............................:................................: : 1 :Diamond. :Swastika or Fylfat Cross, : : : : Crown. : : 2 :Star Ruby, Turquoise. :Lingam, the Inner Robe of : : : : Glory. : : 3 :Star Sapphire, Pearl. :Yoni, the Outer Robe of : : : : Concealment. : : 4 :Amethyst, Sapphire. :The Wand, Sceptre, or Crook. : : 5 :Ruby. :The Sword, Spear, Scourge or : : : : Chain. : : 6 :Topaz, Yellow Diamond. :The Lamen or Rosy Cross. : : 7 :Emerald. :The Lamp and Girdle. : : 8 :Opal, especially Fire Opal. :The Names and Versicles, : : : : the Apron. : : 9 :Quartz. :The Perfumes and Sandals. : : 10 :Rock Crystal. :The Magical Circle & Triangle .: :11 :Topaz, Chalcedony. :The Dagger or Fan. : : 12 :Opal, Agate. :The Wand or Caducesus. : : 13 :Moonstone, Pearl, Crystal. :Bow and Arrow. : : 14 :Emerald, Turquoise. :The Girdle. : : 15 :Ruby. :The Horns, Energy, the Burin. : : 16 :Topaz. :The Labour of Preparation. : : 17 :Alexandrite, Tourmaline, :The Tripod. : : : Iceland Spar. : : : 18 :Amber. :The Furnace. : : 19 :Cat's Eye. :The Discipline (Preliminary). : : 20 :Peridot. :The Lamp and Wand (Virile : : : : Force reserved), the Bread. : : 21 :Amethyst, Lapis Lazuli. :The Sceptre. : : 22 :Emerald. :The Cross of Equilibrium. : :23 :Beryl or Aquamarine. :The Cup and Cross of Suffer- : : : : ing, the Wine. : : 24 :Snakestone. :The Pain of the Obligation. : : 25 :Jacinth. :The Arrow (swift and straight : : : : application of Force). : : 26 :Black Diamond. :The Secret Force, Lamp. : : 27 :Ruby, any red stone. :The Sword. : : 28 :Artificial Glass. :The Censer or Aspergillus. : : 29 :Pearl. :The Twilight of the Place, : : : : Magic Mirror. : : 30 :Crysoleth. :The Lamen or Bow and Arrow. : :31 :Fire Opal. :The Wand, Lamp, Pyramid of Fire.: : 32 :Onyx. :The Sickle. : :32 "bis" :Salt. :The Pantacle, the Salt. : :31 "bis" :.............................:................................: : : : : {315 & 316} TABLE I .=========.===================.==========.==============================. : : XLII : LIII : XLIX : :KEY SCALE: PERFUMES :THE GREEK : LINEAL FIGURES OF THE : : : :ALPHABET : PLANETS AND GEOMANCY : :---------+-------------------+----------+------------------------------: : 0 :...................: :The Circle. : : 1 :Ambergris. : :The Point. : : 2 :Musk : (sigma) :The Line, also the Cross. : : 3 :Myrrh, Civet : :The Plane, also the Diamond, : : : : : Oval, Circle and other Yoni : : : : : Symbols. : : 4 :Cedar : (iota) :The Solid Figure. : : 5 :Tobacco : (phi) :The Tessaract. : : 6 :Olibanum : omega : Sephirotic Geomantic Fi- : : 7 :Benzoin, Rose, : epsilon : gures follow the Planets. : : : Red Sandal : : Caput and Cauda Draconis : : 8 :Storax : : are the Nodes of the Moon, : : 9 :Jasmine, Jinseng, : chi : nearly = Herschel and : : : all Odoriferous : : Neptune respectively. : : : Roots : : They belong to Malkuth. : : 10 :Dittany of Crete : Sampi : : :11 :Galbanum : alpha :Those of Airy Triplicity. : : 12 :Mastic, White : beta :Octagram. : : : Sandal, Mace, : : : : : Storax, all Fu- : : : : : gitive Odours. : : : : 13 :Menstrual Blood, : gamma :Enneagram. : : : Camphor, Aloes, : : : : : all Sweet : : : : : Virginal Odours. : : : : 14 :Sandalwood, Myrtle : delta :Heptagram. : : : all Soft Volup- : : : : : tuous Odours. : : : : 15 :Dragon's Blood. : epsilon :Puer. : : 16 :Storax. : digamma :Amissio. : : 17 :Wormwood. : zeta :Albus. : : 18 :Onycha. : eta :Populus and Via. : : 19 :Olibanum. : theta :Fortuna Major & Fortuna Minor.: : 20 :White Sandal, : iota :Conjunctio. : : : Narcissus. : : : : 21 :Saffron, all : kappa :Square and Rhombus. : : : Generous Odours. : : : : 22 :Galbanum. : lambda :Puella. : :23 :Onycha, Myrrh. : mu :Those of Watery Triplicity. : : 24 :Siamese Benzoin, : nu :Rubeus. : : : Opoponax. : : : : 25 :Lign-aloes. :xi (sigma):Acquisitio. : : 26 :Musk, Civet (also : omicron :Carcer. : : :Saturnian perfumes): : : : 27 :Pepper, Dragon's : pi :Pentagram. : : : Blood, all Hot : : : : : Pungent Odours. : : : : 28 :Galbanum. : psi :Tristitia. : : 29 :Ambergris. : koppa :Laetitia. : : 30 :Olibanum, Cinamon, : rho :Hexagram. : : :all Glorious Odours: : : :31 :Olibanum, all : sampi :Those of Firey Triplicity. : : : Fiery Odours. : : : : 32 :Assafoetida, : tau :Triangle. : : : Scammony, Indigo, : : : : : Sulphur, all Evil : : : : : Odours. : : : :32 bis :Storax, all Dull : upsilon :Those of Earthy Triplicity. : : : Heavy Odours. : : : {WEH NOTE: on line 9, Chi was omitted; lines 21 & 32 bis, Chi and Tau there by error. These have been restored from Liber 777} {317 & 318} TABLE II .=========.==========.===============.====================.============. : : LIV : LV : LXIII : LXIV : :KEY SCALE: THE :THE ELEMENTS : :SECRET NAMES: : :LETTERS OF: AND : THE FOUR WORLDS : OF THE FOUR: : : THE NAME : SENSES : : WORLDS : :---------+----------+---------------+--------------------+------------: : 11 : Vau : Air, Smell. :Yetzirah, Formative :Mem-Heh Mah: : : : : World. : : : 23 : Heh : Water, Taste. :Briah, Creative :Samekh-Gemel: : : : : World. : Seg: : 31 : Yod : Fire, Sight. :Atziluth, Archetypal:Ayin-Bet Ob: : : : : World. : : :32 "bis" : Heh : Earth, Touch. :Assiah, Material :Bet-Nunfinal: : : : : World. : Ben: :31 "bis" : Shin : Spirit, :....................:............: : : : Hearing. : : : : : : : : : :=========+========.=.========.======.====.===============.===.========: : : LXVIII : LXIX : LXX : LXXV : LXXVI : : :THE PART: THE :ATTRIBUTION:THE FIVE ELEMENTS :THE FIVE: : : OF :ALCHEMICAL: OF : (TATWAS) :SKANDHAS: : :THE SOUL: ELEMENTS : PENTAGRAM : : : :---------+--------+----------+-----------+-------------------+--------: : 11 :HB:RVCh : Mercury :Left Upper :Vayu - The Blue :Sankhara: : :Ruach : : Point. : Circle. : : : 23 :HB:NShMH: Salt :Right Upper:Aupas - The Silver :Vedana. : : :Neshamah: : Point. : Crescent : : : 31 :HB:ChYH : Sulphur :Right Lower:Agni or Tejas - :San~~n~~a. : : :Chiah : : Point. : The Red Triangle.: : :32 "bis" :HB:NPSh : Salt :Left Lower :Prithivi - The :Rupa : : :Nephesh : : Point. : Yellow Square. : : :31 "bis" :H:YChYDH: :Topmost :Akasa - The Black :Vin~~nanam: : :Iechidah: : Point. : Egg. : : :---------.--------.----------.-----------.-------------------.--------: : : : TABLE III : :=========.===================.=============.==========================: : : LXXVII : LXXXI : LXXXIII : : : THE PLANETS : : THE ATTRIBUTION OF : : : AND THEIR NUMBERS : METALS : THE HEXAGRAM : :---------+-------------------+-------------+--------------------------: : 12 : Mercury 8 : Mercury. : Left Lower Point. : : 13 : Moon 9 : Silver. : Bottom Point. : : 14 : Venus 7 : Copper. : Right Lower Point. : : 21 : Jupiter 4 : Tin. : Right Upper Point. : : 27 : Mars 5 : Iron. : Left Upper Point. : : 30 : Sun 6 : Gold. : Centre Point. : : 31 : Saturn 3 : Lead. : Top Point. : {319} TABLE IV .=========.======.=======.=================.=========.===================. : :XCVII : CXVII : CXVIII : CXXIV : CXXXIII : :KEY SCALE:PARTS : THE : THE CHAKKRAS OR : THE : TITLES AND : : : OF : SOUL : CENTRES OF :HEAVENLY : ATTRIBUTIONS OF : : : THE :(HINDU): PRANA :HEXAGRAM : THE WAND SUIT : : : SOUL : : (HINDUISM) : : (CLUBS) : :---------+------+-------+-----------------+---------+-------------------: : 0 :......:.......:.................:.........:...................: : 1 :YChYDH:Atma :Sahasrara (above : Jupiter :The Root of the : : : : : Head). : : Powers of Fire. : : 2 :ChYH :Buddhi :Ajna (Pineal : Mercury :Mars in Aries : : : : : Gland). : : Dominion. : : 3 :NShMH :Higher :Visuddhi : Moon :Sun in Aries Esta- : : : : Manas : (Larynx). :[Saturn : blished Strength. : : : : : : Daath] : : : -. .- .- : : : : 4 : :.......:.................: Venus :Venus in Aries : : : : : : : Perfected Work. : : 5 : :Lower -:Anahata (Heart) : Mars :Saturn in Leo : : : : : : : Strife. : : : : Manas : : : : : 6 : :.......:.................: Sun :Jupiter in Leo : : : : : : : Victory. : : : : .- : : : : 7 :-RVCh :Kama :Manipura (Solar : :Mars in Leo Valour.: : : : : Plexus). : : : : 8 : :Prana :Svadistthana : :Mercury in Sagit- : : : : : : : tarius Swiftness.: : : : : (Navel). : : : : 9 : :Linga .- -. :Moon in Sagittarius: : -. .Sharira: : : Great Strength. : : : : -:Muladhara (Lingam: : : : 10 :NPSh :Sthula : and Anus). : :Saturn in Sagit- : : : : : : : tarius Oppression.: : : :Sharira: : : : : : : .- -. : : :---------.------.-----------------------------------.-------------------: : XCVIII --- English of Col. XCVII : : The Self........... 1 The Intellect. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. : : The Life Force..... 2 The Animal soul which : : The Intuition...... 3 perceives and feels.. 10 : {320} TABLE IV .=========.====================.===================.===================. : : CXXXIV : CXXXV : CXXXVI : :KEY SCALE: TITLES AND : TITLES AND : TITLES AND : : :ATTRIBUTIONS OF THE : ATTRIBUTIONS OF : ATTRIBUTIONS OF : : :CUP OR CHALICE SUIT : THE SWORD SUIT :THE COIN, DISC OR : : : (HEARTS) : (SPADES) : PANTACLE SUIT : : : : : (DIAMONDS) : :---------+----------------------+---------------------+---------------------: : 0 :......................:.....................:.....................: : 1 :The Root of the :The Root of the :The Root of the : : : Powers of Water. : Powers of Air. : Powers of Earth. : : : : : : : 2 :Venus in Cancer Love. :Moon in Libra :Jupiter in Capricorn : : : : The Lord of : The Lord of : : : : Peace restored. : Harmonious Change : : : : : : : 3 :Mercury in Cancer :Saturn in Libra :Mars in Capricorn : : : Abundance. : Sorrow. : Material Works. : : : : : : : 4 :Moon in Cancer :Jupiter in Libra :Sun in Capricorn : : : Blended Pleasure. : Rest from Strife. : Earthly Power. : : : : : : : 5 :Mars in Scorpio :Venus in Aquarius :Mercury in Taurus : : : Loss in Pleasure. : Defeat. : Material Trouble. : : : : : : : 6 :Sun in Scorpio :Mercury in Aquarius :Moon in Taurus : : : Pleasure. : Earned Success. : Material Success. : : : : : : : 7 :Venus in Scorpio :Moon in Aquarius :Saturn in Taurus : : : Illusionary Success.: Unstable Effort. : Success Unfulfilled.: : : : : : : 8 :Saturn in Pisces :Jupiter in Gemini :Sun in Virgo : : : Abandoned Success. : Shortened Force. : Prudence. : : : : : : : 9 :Jupiter in Pisces :Mars in Gemini :Venus in Virgo : : : Material Happiness. : Despair & Cruelty. : Material Gain. : : : : : : : 10 :Mars in Pisces :Sun in Gemini :Mercury in Virgo : : : Perfected Success. : Ruin. : Wealth. : : : : : : : : : : : {WEH NOTE: Two typos have been corrected in column CXXXIV by Liber 777: 4, Moon in place of Sun and 6, Sun in place of Moon.} {321} TABLE V .=========.====================.===================.===================. : : CXXXVII : CXXXVIII : CXXXIX : :KEY SCALE: SIGNS OF THE : PLANETS RULING IN : PLANETS EXALTED IN: : : ZODIAC : COLUMN CCXXXVII : COLUMN CXXXVII : :---------+--------------------+-------------------+-------------------: : : : : : : 15 : Aries : Mars : P. M. (Sun) : : : : : : : 16 : Taurus : Venus : Uranus (Moon) : : : : : : : 17 : Gemini : Mercury : Neptune : : : : : : : 18 : Cancer : Moon : P. M. (Jupiter) : : : : : : : 19 : Leo : Sun : Uranus : : : : : : : 20 : Virgo : Mercury : Neptune (Mercury): : : : : : : 22 : Libra : Venus : P. M. (Saturn) : : : : : : : 24 : Scorpio : Mars : Uranus : : : : : : : 25 : Sagittarius : Jupiter : Neptune : : : : : : : 26 : Capricorn : Saturn : P. M. (Mars) : : : : : : : 28 : Aquarius : Saturn : Uranus : : : : : : : 29 : Pisces : Jupiter : Neptune (Venus) : : : : : : : : : : : {WEH NOTE: Liber 777 gives different entries for column CXXXIX, and these have been added in parenthesis without deletion of original.} {322} TABLE I .=========.=======.=============.=========.============.========. : : CLXXV : : CLXXVI : CLXXVII : CLXXIX : :KEY SCALE:HEBREW : ENGLISH :NUMERICAL: YETZIRATIC :NUMBERS : : :LETTERS: VALUES OF : VALUE :ATTRIBUTION :PRINTED : : : : HEBREW :OF COLUMN: OF COLUMN :ON TAROT: : : : LETTERS : CLXXV : CLXXV : : :---------+-------+-------------+---------+------------+--------: :11 :Aleph :A Aleph : 1 : Air : 0 : : 12 :Bet :B Beth : 2 : Mercury : 1 : : 13 :Gemel :G Gimel : 3 : Moon : 2 : : 14 :Dalet :D Daleth : 4 : Venus : 3 : : 15 :Heh :H He : 5 : Aries : 4 : : 16 :Vau :V or W Vau : 6 : Taurus : 5 : : 17 :Zain :Z Zain : 7 : Gemini : 6 : : 18 :Chet :Ch Cheth : 8 : Cancer : 7 : : 19 :Tet :T Teth : 9 : Leo : 11 : : 20 :Yod :Y Yod : 10 : Virgo : 9 : : 21 :Koph,Kf:K Kaph : 20, 500 : Jupiter : 10 : : 22 :Lamed :L Lamed : 30 : Libra : 8 : :23 :Mem,M-f:M Mem : 40, 600 : Water : 12 : : 24 :Nun,N-f:N Nun : 50, 700 : Scorpio : 13 : : 25 :Samekh :S Samekh : 60 : Sagittarius: 14 : : 26 :Ayin :O Ayin : 70 : Capricorn : 15 : : 27 :Peh,P-f:P Pe : 80, 800 : Mars : 16 : : 28 :Tzaddi,:Tz Tzaddi : 90, 900 : Aquarius : 17 : : : Tz-f : : : : : : 29 :Qof :(K soft) Qoph: 100 : Pisces : 18 : : 30 :Resh :R Resh : 200 : Sun : 19 : :31 :Shin :Sh Shin : 300 : Fire : 20 : : 32 :Taw :(T soft) Tau : 400 : Saturn : 21 : :32 "bis" :Taw :.............: 400 : Earth : -- : :31 "bis" :Shin :.............: 300 : Spirit : -- : :---------.-------.-------------.---------.------------.--------: : NOTE. "Ch" like "ch" in "loch". : : : {WEH NOTE: The English value in row 27 has been corrected, original had O.} -323- TABLE I .=========.=========================================================. : : CLXXX : :KEY SCALE: : : : TITLES OF TAROT TRUMPS : :---------+---------------------------------------------------------: :11 :The Spirit of 'GR:Alpha-iota-theta-eta-rho : : 12 :The Magus of Power. : : 13 :The Priestess of the Silver Star. : : 14 :The Daughter of the Mighty Ones. : : 15:Sun of the Morning, Chief among the Mighty. : : 16:The Magus of the Eternal. : : 17:The Children of the voice: the Oracle of the Mighty Gods.: : 18:The Child of the Powers of the Waters: the Lord of the : : : Triumph of Light. : : 19:The Daughter of the Flaming Sword. : : 20:The Prophet of the Eternal, the Magus of the Voice of : : : Power. : : 21 :The Lord of the Forces of Life. : : 22:The Daughter of the Lords of Truth; The Ruler of the : : : Balance. : :23 :The Spirit of the Mighty Waters. : : 24:The Child of the Great Transformers. The Lord of the : : : Gate of Death. : : 25:The Daughter of the Reconcilers, the Bringer-forth of : : : Life. : : 26:The Lord of the Gates of Matter. The Child of the : : : forces of Time. : : 27 :The Lord of the Hosts of the Mighty. : : 28:The Daughter of the Firmament; the Dweller between the : : : Waters. : : 29:The Ruler of Flux & Reflux. The Child of the Sons of : : : the Mighty. : : 30 :The Lord of the Fire of the World. : :31 :The Spirit of the Primal Fire. : : 32 :The Great One of the Night of Time. : :31 "bis" :.........................................................: :32 "bis" :.........................................................: : : : {324} APPENDIX VI A FEW PRINCIPAL RITUALS Grimorium Sanctissimum. Arcanum Arcanorum Quod Continet Nondum Revelandum ipsis Regibus supremis O.T.O. Grimorium Quod Baphomet X Degree M... suo fecit. De Templo. 1. Oriente ............... Altare 2. Occidente ............. Tabula dei invocandi 3. Septentrione .......... Sacerdos 4. Meridione ............. Ignis cum thuribulo, GR:chi. GR:tau. GR:lambda. 5. Centro ................ Lapis quadratus cum Imagine Dei Maximi Igentis Nefandi Ineffabilis Sanctissimi et cum ferro, tintinnabulo, oleo. Virgo. Stet imago juxta librum GR:Theta-Epsilon-Lambda-Eta-Mu-Alpha. De ceremonio Principii. Fiat ut in Libro DCLXXI dicitur, sed antea virgo lavata sit cum verbis "Asperge me..." GR:chi. GR:tau. GR:lambda., et habilimenta ponat cum verbis "Per sanctum Mysterium," GR:chi. GR:tau. GR:lambda. Ita Pyramis fiat. Tunc virgo lavabit sacerdotem et vestimenta ponat ut supra ordinatur. (Hic dicat virgo orationes dei operis). De ceremonio Thuribuli. Manibus accedat et ignem et sacerdotem virgo, dicens: {325} "Accendat in nobis Dominus ignem sui amoris et flamman aeternae caritatis. De ceremonio Dedicationis. Invocet virgo Imaginem Dei. M.I.N.I.S. his verbis. --- Tu qui es prater omnia... GR:chi. GR:tau. GR:lambda." Nec relinquet alteram Imaginem. De Sacrificio Summo. Deinde silentium frangat sacerdos cum verbis versiculi sancti dei particularitur invocandi. Ineat ad Sanctum Sanctorum. Caveat; caveat, caveat. Duo qui fiunt UNUS sine intermissione verba versiculi sancti alta voce cantent. De Benedictione Benedicti. Missa rore, dicat mulier haec verba "Quia patris et filii s.s." GR:chi. GR:tau. GR:lambda. De Ceremonio Finis Fiat ut in Libro DCLXXI dicitur. GR:Alpha-Upsilon-Mu-Gamma-Nu. {326} LIBER XXV THE STAR RUBY. Facing East, in the centre, draw deep deep deep thy breath closing thy mouth with thy right forefinger prest against thy lower lip. Then dashing down the hand with a great sweep back and out, expelling forcibly thy breath, cry GR:Alpha-Pi-Omicron GR:Pi-Alpha-Nu-Tau-Omicron-Sigma GR:Kappa-Alpha-Kappa-Omicron-Delta-Alpha-Iota-Mu-Omicron-Nu-Omicron-Sigma. >, thy right shoulder, and say GR:Iota-Sigma-Chi-Upsilon-Rho-Omicron-Sigma, thy left shoulder, and say GR:Epsilon-Upsilon-Chi-Alpha-Rho-Iota-Sigma-Tau-Omicron-Sigma; then clasp thine hands, locking the fingers, and cry GR:Iota-Alpha-Omega. Advance to t GR:Theta-Eta-Rho-Iota-Omicron-Nu. Retire thine hand in the sign of Hoor-paar-Kraat. Go round to the North and repeat; but say NUIT. Go round to the West and repeat; but whisper BABALON. Go round to the South and repeat; but bellow HADIT. Completing the circle widdershins, retire to the centre and raise thy voice in the Paian, with these words GR:Iota-Omega GR:Pi-Alpha-Nu, with the signs of N.O.X. Extend the arms in the form of a Tau and say low but clear: Repeat the Cross Qabalistic, as above, and end as thou didst begin. {327} LIBER XXXVI THE STAR SAPPHIRE. Let the Adept be armed with his Magick Rood [and provided with his mystic Rose]. In the centre, let him give the L.V.X. signs; or if he know them, if he will and dare do them, and can keep silent about them, the signs of N.O.X. being the signs of Puer, Vir, Puella, Mulier. Omit the sign. I.R. Then let him advance to the East and make the Holy Hexagram, saying: "Pater et Mater unus deus Ararita." Let him go round to the South, make the Holy Hexagram and say: "Mater et Filius unus deus Ararita." Let him go round to the North, make the Holy Hexagram and then say: "Filia et Pater unus deus Ararita." Let him then return to the Centre, and so to The Centre of All (making the "Rosy Cross" as he may know how) saying "Ararita Ararita Ararita". (In this the Signs shall be those of Set Triumphant and of Baphomet. Also shall Set appear in the Circle. Let him drink of the Sacrament and let him communicate the same.) Then let him say: "Omnia in Duos: Duo in Unum: Unus in Nihil: Haec nec Quatuor nec Omnia nec Duo nec Unus nec Nihil Sunt. Gloria Patri et Matri et Filio et Filiae et Spiritui Sancto externo et Spiritui Sancto interno ut erat est erit in saecula Saeculorum sex in uno per nomen Septem in uno Ararita." Let him then repeat the signs of L.V.X. but not the signs of N.O.X.: for it is not he that shall arise in the Sign of Isis Rejoicing. {328} LIBER XLIV THE MASS OF THE PHOENIX "The Magician, his breast bare, stands before an altar on which are his Burin, Bell, Thurible, and two of the Cakes of Light. In the Sign of the Enterer he reaches West across the Altar, and cries:" Hail Ra, that goest in thy bark Into the caverns of the Dark! "He gives the sign of Silence, and takes the Bell, and Fire, in his hands." East of the Altar see me stand With light and musick in my hand! "He strikes Eleven times upon the Bell" 333 - 55555 - 333 "and places the Fire in the Thurible." I strike the Bell: I light the Flame; I utter the mysterious Name. ABRAHADABRA "He strikes eleven times upon the Bell." Now I begin to pray: Thou Child, Holy Thy name and undefiled! Thy reign is come; Thy will is done. Here is the Bread; here is the Blood. Bring me through midnight to the Sun! Save me from Evil and from Good! That Thy one crown of all the Ten Even now and here be mine. AMEN. "He puts the first Cake on the Fire of the Thurible." I burn the Incense-cake, proclaim These adorations of Thy name. "He makes them as in Liber Legis, and strikes again Eleven times upon the Bell. With the Burin he then makes upon his breast the proper sign." {329} Behold this bleeding breast of mine Gashed with the sacramental sign! "He puts the second Cake to the wound." I stanch the Blood; the wafer soaks It up, and the high priest invokes! "He eats the second Cake." This Bread I eat. This Oath I swear As I enflame myself with prayer: "There is no grace: there is no guilt: This is the Law: DO WHAT THOU WILT!" "He strikes Eleven times upon the Bell, and cries" ABRAHADABRA. I entered in with woe; with mirth I now go forth, and with thanksgiving, To do my pleasure on the earth Among the legions of the living. "He goeth forth." {330} LIBER V vel REGULI. A.'. A.'. publication in Class D. Being the Ritual of the Mark of the Beast: an incantation proper to invoke the Energies of the Aeon of Horus, adapted for the daily use of the Magician of whatever grade. THE FIRST GESTURE. The Oath of the Enchantment, which is called The Elevenfold Seal. "The Animadversion towards the Aeon." 1. Let the Magician, robed and armed as he may deem to be fit, turn his face towards Boleskine,<> that is the House of The Beast 666. 2. Let him strike the battery 1-3-3-3-1. 3. Let him put the Thumb of his right hand between its index and medius, and make the gestures hereafter following. "The Vertical Component of the Enchantment." 1. Let him describe a circle about his head, crying NUIT! 2. Let him draw the Thumb vertically downward and touch the Muladhara Cakkra, crying, HADIT! 3. Let him, retracing the line, touch the centre of his breast an cry RA-HOOR-KHUIT! "The Horizontal Components of the Enchantment." 1. Let him touch the Centre of his Forehead, his mouth, and his larynx, crying AIWAZ! 2. Let him draw his thumb from right to left across his face at the level of the nostrils. 3. Let him touch the centre of his breast, and his solar plexus, crying, THERION! 4. Let him draw his thumb from left to right across his breast, at the level of the sternum. {331} 5. Let him touch the Svadistthana, and the Muladhara Chakkra, crying, BABALON! 6. Let him draw his thumb from right to left across his abdomen, at the level of the hips. (Thus shall he formulate the Sigil of the Grand Hierophant, but dependent from the Circle.) "The Asseveration of the Spells." 1. Let the Magician clasp his hands upon his Wand, his fingers and thumbs interlaced, crying LAShTAL! GR:Theta-Epsilon-Lambda-Eta-Mu-Alpha! GR:Digamma-Iota-Alpha-Omicron-Digamma! GR:Alpha-Gamma-Alpha-Pi-Eta! GR:Alpha-Upsilon-Mu-Gamma-Nu! (Thus shall be declared the Words of Power whereby the Energies of the Aeon of Horus work his will in the World.) "The Proclamation of the Accomplishment." 1. Let the Magician strike the Battery: 3-5-3, crying ABRAHADABRA. The SECOND GESTURE. "The Enchantment." 1. Let the Magician, still facing Boleskine, advance to the circumference of his circle. 2. Let him turn himself towards the left, and pace with the stealth and swiftness of a tiger the precincts of his circle, until he complete one revolution thereof. 3. Let him give the Sign of Horus (or The Enterer) as he passeth, so to project the force that radiateth from Boleskine before him. 4. Let him pace his path until he comes to the North; there let him halt, and turn his face to the North. 5. Let him trace with his wand the Averse Pentagram proper to invoke Air (Aquarius). 6. Let him bring the wand to the centre of the Pentagram and call upon NUIT! 7. Let him make the sign called Puella, standing with his feet together, head bowed, his left hand shielding the {332} Muladhara Cakkra, and his right hand shielding his breast (attitude of the Venus de Medici). 8. Let him turn again to the left, and pursue his Path as before, projecting the force from Boleskine as he passeth; let him halt when he next cometh to the South and face outward. 9. Let him trace the Averse Pentagram that invoketh Fire (Leo). 10. Let him point his wand to the centre of the Pentagram, and cry, HADIT! 11. Let him give the sign Puer, standing with feet together, and head erect. Let his right hand (the thumb extended at right angles to the fingers) be raised, the forearm vertical at a right angle with the upper arm, which is horizontally extended in the line joining the shoulders. Let his left hand, the thumb extended forwards and the fingers clenched, rest at the junction of the thighs (Attitude of the gods Mentu, Khem, etc.). 12. Let him proceed as before; then in the East, let him make the Averse Pentagram that invoketh Earth (Taurus). 13. Let him point his wand to the centre of the pentagram, and cry, THERION! 14. Let him give the sign called Vir, the feet being together. The hands, with clenched finger and thumbs thrust out forwards, are held to the temples; the head is then bowed and pushed out, as if to symbolize the butting of an horned beast (attitude of Pan, Bacchus, etc.). (Frontispiece, Equinox I, III). 15. Proceeding as before, let him make in the West the Averse Pentagram whereby Water is invoked. 16. Pointing the wand to the centre of the Pentagram, let him call upon BABALON!! 17. Let him give the sign Mulier. The feet are widely separated, and the arms raised so as to suggest a crescent. The head is thrown back (attitude of Baphomet, Isis in Welcome, the Microcosm of Vitruvius). (See Book 4, Part II). {333} 18. Let him break into the dance, tracing a centripetal spiral widdershins, enriched by revolutions upon his axis as he passeth each quarter, until he come to the centre of the circle. There let him halt, facing Boleskine. 19. Let him raise the wand, trace the Mark of the Beast, and cry AIWAZ! 20. Let him trace the invoking Hexagram of The Beast. 21. Let him lower the wand, striking the Earth therewith. 22. Let him give the sign of Mater Triumphans (The feet are together; the left arm is curved as if it supported a child; the thumb and index finger of the right hand pinch the nipple of the left breast, as if offering it to that child). Let him utter the word GR:Theta-Epsilon-Lambda-Eta-Mu-Alpha! 23. Perform the spiral dance, moving deosil and whirling widdershins. Each time on passing the West extend the wand to the Quarter in question, and bow: a. "Before me the powers of LA!" (to West.) b. "Behind me the powers of AL!" (to East.) c. "On my right hand the powers of LA!" (to North.) d. "On my left hand the powers of AL!" (to South.) e. "Above me the powers of ShT!" (leaping in the air.) f. "Beneath me the powers of ShT!" (striking the ground.) g. "Within me the Powers!" (in the attitude of Phthah erect, the feet together, the hands clasped upon the vertical wand.) h. "About me flames my Father's face, the Star of Force and Fire." i. "And in the Column stands His six-rayed Splendour!" (This dance may be omitted, and the whole utterance chanted in the attitude of Phthah.) The FINAL GESTURE. This is identical with the First Gesture. (Here followeth an impression of the ideas implied in this Paean.) {334} I also am a Star in Space, unique and self-existent, an individual essence incorruptible; I also am one Soul; I am identical with All and None. I am in All and all in Me; I am, apart from all and lord of all, and one with all. I am Omniscient, for naught exists for me unless I know it. I am Omnipotent, for naught occurs save by Necessity my soul's expression through my will to be, to do, to suffer the symbols of itself. I am Omnipresent, for naught exists where I am not, who fashioned space as a condition of my consciousness of myself, who am the centre of all, and my circumference the frame of mine own fancy. I am the All, for all that exists for me is a necessary expression in thought of some tendency of my nature, and all my thoughts are only the letters of my Name. I am the One, for all that I am is not the absolute all, and all my all is mine and not another's; mine, who conceive of others like myself in essence and truth, yet unlike in expression and illusion. I am the None, for all that I am is the imperfect image of the perfect; each partial phantom must perish in the clasp of its counterpart; each form fulfil itself by finding its equated opposite, and satisfying its need to be the Absolute by the attainment of annihilation. The word, LAShTAL includes all this. "LA" --- Naught. {335} "AL" --- Two. "L" is "Justice", the Kteis fulfilled by the Phallus, "Naught and Two" because the plus and the minus have united in "love under will." "A" is "the Fool", Naught in Thought (Parzival), Word (Harpocrates), and Action (Bacchus). He is the boundless air, the wandering Ghost, but with "possibilities". He is the Naught that the Two have made by "love under will". "LA" thus represents the Ecstasy of Nuit and Hadit conjoined, lost in love, and making themselves Naught thereby. Their child is begotten and conceived, but is in the phase of Naught also, as yet. "LA" is thus the Universe in that phase, with its potentialities of manifestation. "AL" on the contarary, though it is essentially identical with "LA", shows the Fool manifested through the Equilibrium of Contraries. The weight is still nothing, but it is expressed as if it were two equal weights in opposite scales. The indicator still points to zero. "ShT" is equally 31 with "LA" and "AL", but it expresses the secret nature which operates the Magick or the transmutations. "ShT" is the formula of this particular aeon; another aeon might have another way of saying 31. "Sh" is Fire as T is Force; conjoined they express Ra-Hoor-Khuit. "The Angel" represents the Stele 666, showing the Gods of the Aeon, while "Strength" is a picture of Babalon and The Beast, the earthly emissaries of those Gods. "ShT" is the dynamic equivalent of "LA" and "AL". "Sh" shows the Word of the Law, being triple, as 93 is thrice 31. "T" shows the formula of Magick declared in that Word; the Lion, the Serpent, the Sun, Courage and Sexual Love are all indicated by the card. In "LA" note that Saturn or Satan is exalted in the House of Venus or Astarte, and it is an airy sign. Thus "L" is Father-Mother, Two and Naught, and the Spirit (Holy Ghost) of their Love is also Naught. Love is AHBH, 13, which is AChD, Unity, I, Aleph, who is The Fool who is Naught, but none the less an Individual One, who (as such) is not another, yet unconscious of himself until his Oneness expresses itself as a duality. Any impression or idea is unknowable in itself. It can mean {336} nothing until brought into relation with other things. The first step is to distinguish one thought from another; this is the condition of recognizing it. To define it, we must perceive its orientation to all our other ideas. The extent of our knowledge of any one thing varies therefore with the number of ideas with which we can compare it. Every new fact not only adds itself to our universe, but increases the value of wha In "AL" this "The" or "God" arranges for "Contenance to behold contenance", by establishing itself as an equilibrium, "A" the One-Naught conceived as "L" the Two-Naught. This "L" is the Son-Daughter Horus-Harpocrates just as the other "L" was the Father-Mother Set-Isis. Here then is Tetragrammaton once more, but expressed in identical equations in which every term is perfect in itself as a mode of Naught. "ShT" supplies the last element; making the Word of either five or six letters, according as we regard "ShT" as one letter or two. Thus the Word affirms the Great Work accomplished: 5 Degree = 6Square. "ShT", is moreover a necessary resolution of the apparent opposition of "LA" and "AL"; for one could hardly pass to the other without the catalytic action of a third identical expression whose function should be to transmute them. Such a term must be in itself a mode of Naught, and its nature cannot encroach on the perfections of Not-Being, "LA" or of Being, "AL". It must be purely Nothing-Matter, so as to create a Matter-in-Motion which is a function of "Something". Thus "ShT" is Motion in its double phase, an inertia composed of two opposite currents, and each current is also thus polarized. "Sh" is Heaven and Earth, "T" Male and Female; "ShT" is Spirit and Matter; one is the word of Liberty and Love flashing its Light to restore Life to Earth; the other is the act by which Life claims that Love is Light and Liberty. And these are Two-in-One, the divine letter of Silence-in-Speech whose symbol is the Sun in the arms of the Moon. But "Sh" and "T" are alike formulae of force in action as opposed to entities; they are not states of existence, but modes of motion. They are verbs, not nouns. "Sh" is the Holy Spirit as a "tongue of fire" manifest in triplicity, {337} and is the child of Set-Isis as their Logos or Word uttered by their "Angel". The card is XX, and 20 is the value of Yod (the Angel or Herald) expressed in full as IVD. "Sh" is the Spiritual congress of Heaven and Earth. This is in fact the formula of our Magick; we insist that all acts must be equal; that existence asserts the right to exist; that unless evil is a mere term expressing some relation of haphazard hostility between forces equally self-justified, the universe is as inexplicable and impossible as uncompensated action: that the orgies of Bacchus and Pan are no less sacremental than the Masses of Jesus; that the scars of syphilis are sacred and worthy of honour as such. It should be unnecessary to insist that the above ideas apply only to the Absolute. Toothache is still painful, and deceit degrading, to a man, relatively to his situation in the world of illusion; he does his Will by avoiding them. But the existence of "Evil" is fatal to philosophy so long as it is supposed to be independent of conditions; and to accustom the mind "to make no difference" between any two ideas as such is to emancipate it from the thralldom of terror. We affirm on our altars our faith in ourselves and our wills, our love of all aspects of the Absolute All. {338} And we make the Spirit Shin combine with the Flesh Teth into a single letter, whose value is 31 even as those of "LA" the Naught, and "AL" the All, to complete their Not-Being and Being with its Becoming, to mediate between identical extremes as their mean --- the secret that sunders and seals them. It declares that all somethings are equally shadows of Nothing, and justifies Nothing in its futile folly of pretending that something is stable, by making us aware of a method of Magick through the practice of which we may partake in the pleasure of the process. Love is a virtue; it grows stronger and purer and less selfish by applying it to what it loathes; but theft is a vice involving the slave-idea that one's neighbour is superior to oneself. It is admirable only for its power to develop certain moral and mental qualities in primitive types, to prevent the atrophy of such faculties as our own vigilance, and for the interest which it adds to the "tragedy, Man." {339} Man is indeed not wholly freed, even now. He is still trampled under the hoofs of the stampeding mules that nightmare bore to his wild ass, his creative forces that he had not mastered, the sterile ghosts that he called gods. Their mystery cows men still; they fear, they flinch, they dare not face the phantoms. Still, too, the fallen fetich seems awful; it is frightful to them that there is no longer an idol to adore with anthems, and to appease with the flesh of their firstborn. Each scr So science begins to see that the Initiates were maybe not merely silly and selfish in making their rule of silence, and in protecting philosophy from the profane. Yet still she hopes that the mischief may not prove mortal, and begs that things may go on much as usual until that secret session decide on some plan of action. It has always been fatal when somebody finds out too much too suddenly. If John Huss had cackled more like a hen, he might have survived Michaelmas, and been esteemed for his eggs. The last fifty years have laid the axe of analysis to the root of every axiom; they are triflers who content themselves with lopping the blossoming twigs of our beliefs, or the boughs of our intellectual instruments. We can no longer assert any single proposition, unless we guard ourselves by enumerating countle This digression has outstayed its welcome; it was only invited by Wisdom that it might warn Rashness of the dangers that encompass even Sincerity, Energy and Intelligence when they happen not to contribute to Fitness-in-their-environment. The True Will is thus both determined by its equations, and free because those equations are simply its own name, spelt out fully. His sense of being under bondage comes from his inability to read it; his sense that evil exists to thwart him arises when he begins to learn to read, reads wrong, and is obstinate that his error is an improvement. So also shall he who invoketh often behold the Formless Fire, with trembling and bewilderment; but if he prolong his meditation, he shall resolve it into coherent and intelligible symbols, and he shall hear the articulate utterance of that Fire, interpret the thunder thereof as a still small voice in his heart. And the Fire shall reveal to his eyes his own image in its own true glory; and it shall speak in his ears the Mystery that is his own right Name. {344} Magick in Theory and Practice by Aleister Crowley December 1988 e.v. key entry and proof reading with re-format and conversion from XYWrite to 7-bit ASCII on 11/5/90 e.v. done by Bill Heidrick, T.G. of O.T.O. (further proof reading desirable) Copyright (c) O.T.O. disk 4 of 4 O.T.O. P.O.Box 430 Fairfax, CA 94930 USA (415) 454-5176 ---- Messages only. LIMITED LICENSE Except for notations added to the history of modification, the text on this diskette down to the next row of asterisks must accompany all copies made of this file. In particular, this paragraph and the copyright notice are not to be deleted or changed on any copies or print-outs of this file. With these provisos, anyone may copy this file for personal use or research. Copies may be made for others at reasonable cost of copying and mailing only, no additional charges may be added. ************************************************************************* Pages in the original are marked thus at the bottom: {page number} Comments and notes not in the original are identified with the initials of the source: AC note = Crowley note. WEH note = Bill Heidrick note, etc. All footnotes have been moved up to the place in text indexed and set off in double wedge brackets, viz. <> ************************************************************************ LIBER XV O.T.O. ECCLESIAE GNOSTICAE CATHOLICAE CANON MISSAE. I.<> Of the Furnishings of the Temple. In the East, that is, in the direction of Boleskine, which is situated on the south-eastern shore of Loch Ness in Scotland, two miles east of Foyers, is a shrine or High Altar. Its dimensions should be 7 feet in length, 3 feet in breadth, 44 inches in height. It should be covered with a crimson altar-cloth, on which may be embroidered fleur-de-lys in gold, or a sunblaze, or other suitable emblem. On each side of it should be a pillar or obelisk, with countercharges in black and white. Below it should be the dias of three steps, in black and white squares. Above it is the super-altar, at whose top is the Stele of Revealing in reproduction, with four candles on each side of it. Below the stele is a place for the Book of the Law, with six candles on each side of it. Below this again is the Holy Graal, with roses on each side of it. There is room in front of the Cup for the Paten. On each side beyond the roses are two great candles. All this is enclosed within a great veil. Forming the apex of an equilateral triangle whose base is a line drawn between the pillars, is a small black square altar, of two superimposed cubes. Taking this altar as the middle of the base of a similar and equal triangle, at the apex of this second triangle is a small circular font. Repeating, the apex of a third triangle is an upright tomb. {345} II. Of the Officers of the Mass. The PRIEST. Bears the Sacred Lance, and is clothed at first in a plain white robe. The PRIESTESS. Should be actually Virgo Intacta or specially dedicated to the service of the Great Order. She is clothed in white, blue and gold. She bears the sword from a red girdle, and the Paten and Hosts, or Cakes of Light. The DEACON. He is clothed in white and yellow. He bears the Book of the Law. "Two Children." They are clothed in white and black. One bears a pitcher of water and a cellar of salt, the other a censer of fire and a casket of perfume. III. Of the ceremony of the Introit. "The" DEACON, "opening the door of the Temple, admits the congregation and takes his stand between the small altar and the font. (There should be a door-keeper to attend to the admission.)" "The" DEACON "advances and bows before the open shrine where the Graal is exalted. He kisses the Book of the Law three times, opens it, and places it upon the super-altar. He turns West." The DEACON. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. I proclaim the Law of Light, Life, Love, and Liberty in the name of GR:Iota-Alpha-Omega. The CONGREGATION. Love is the law, love under will. "The" DEACON "goes to his place between the altar of incense and the font, faces East, and gives the step and sign of a Man and a Brother. All imitate him." The DEACON and all the PEOPLE. I believe in one secret and ineffable LORD; and in one Star in the company of Stars of whose fire we are created, and to which we shall return; and in one Father of Life, Mystery of Mystery, in His name {346} CHAOS, the sole viceregent of the Sun upon Earth; and in one Air the nourisher of all that breaths. And I believe in one Earth, the Mother of us all, and in one Womb wherein all men are begotten, and wherein they shall rest, Mystery of Mystery, in Her name BABALON. And I believe in the Serpent and the Lion, Mystery of Mystery, in his name BAPHOMET. And I believe in one Gnostic and Catholic Church of Light, Love and Liberty, the Word of whose Law is GR:Theta-Epsilon-Lambda-Eta-Mu-Alpha. And I believe in the communion of Saints. And, forasmuch as meat and drink are transmuted in us daily into spiritual substance, I believe in the Miracle of the Mass. And I confess one Baptism of Wisdom whereby we accomplish the Miracle of Incarnation. And I confess my life one, individual, and eternal that was, and is, and is to come. GR:Alpha-Upsilon-Mu-Gamma-Nu, GR:Alpha-Upsilon-Mu-Gamma-Nu, GR:Alpha-Upsilon-Mu-Gamma-Nu. "Music is now played. The child enters with the ewer and the salt. The "VIRGIN" enters with the Sword and the Paten, The child enters with the censer and the perfume. They face the "DEACON "deploying into line from the space between the two altars." The VIRGIN. Greeting of Earth and Heaven! "All give the hailing sign of a Magician, the "DEACON "leading. The" PRIESTESS, "the negative child on her left, the positive child on her right, ascends the steps of the High Altar. They await her below. She places the Paten before the Graal. Having adored it, she descends, and with the children following her, the positive next her, she moves in a serpentine manner involving 3 1/2 circles of the Temple. (Deosil about altar, widdershins about font, deosil about altar and font, widdershins about altar and so to the Tomb in the west.) She draws her swo The PRIESTESS. By the power of + Iron, I say unto thee, {347} Arise. In the name of our Lord + the Sun, and of our Lord + that thou mayst administer the virtues to the Brethren. "She sheathes the Sword." "The "PRIEST, "issuing from the Tomb, holding the Lance erect with both hands, right over left, against his breast, takes the first three regular steps. He then gives the Lance to the "PRIESTESS "and gives the three penal signs. He then kneels and worships the Lance with both hands. Penitential music." The PRIEST. I am a man among men. "He takes again the Lance and lowers it. He rises." The PRIEST. How should I be worthy to administer the virtues to the Brethren? "The "PRIESTESS "takes from the child the water and the salt, and mixes them in the font." The PRIESTESS. Let the salt of Earth admonish the Water to bear the virtue of the Great Sea. "(Genuflects)." Mother, be thou adored! "She returns to the West, + on "PRIEST "with open hand doth she make, over his forehead, breast and body." Be the PRIEST pure of body and soul! "The "PRIESTESS "takes the censer from the child, and places it on the small altar. She puts incense therein. "Let the Fire and the Air make sweet the world! "Genuflects." Father, be thou adored! "She returns West, and makes with the censer + before the "PRIEST, "thrice as before." Be the PRIEST fervent of body and soul! "(The children resume their weapons as they are done with.) The "DEACON "now takes the consecrated Robe from the High Altar and brings it to her. She robes the "PRIEST "in his Robe of scarlet and gold." Be the flame of the Sun thine ambiance, O thou PRIEST of the SUN! "The "DEACON "brings the crown from the High Altar. (The" {348} "crown may be of gold or platinum, or of electrum magicum; but with no other metals, save the small proportions necessary to a proper alloy. It may be adorned with divers jewels; at will. But it must have the Uraeus serpent twined about it, and the cap of maintenance must match the scarlet of the robe. Its texture should be velvet.)" Be the Serpent thy crown, O thou PRIEST of the LORD! "Kneeling she takes the Lance between her open hands, and runs them up and down upon the shaft eleven times, very gently." Be the LORD present among us! "All give the Hailing Sign." The PEOPLE: so mote it be. IV. Of the Ceremony of the opening of the Veil. The PRIEST. Thee therefore whom we adore we also invoke. By the power of the lifted Lance! "He raises the Lance. All repeat Hailing Sign. A phrase of triumphant music. The "PRIEST "takes the "PRIESTESS "by her right hand with his left, keeping the Lance raised." I, PRIEST and KING, take thee, Virgin pure without spot; I upraise thee; I lead thee to the East; I set thee upon the summit of the Earth. "He thrones the "PRIESTESS "upon the altar. The "DEACON "and the children follow, they in rank, behind him. The "PRIESTESS "takes the book of the Law, resumes her seat, and holds it open on her breast with her two hands, making a descending triangle with thumbs and forefingers. The "PRIEST "gives the lance to the "DEACON "to hold; and takes the ewer from the child, and sprinkles the "PRIESTESS, "making five crosses, forehead, shoulders, and thighs. The thumb of the "PRIEST "is always between his index and" {349} "medius, whenever he is not holding the Lance. The "PRIEST "takes the censer from the child, and makes five crosses as before. The children replace their weapons on their respective altars. The "PRIEST "kisses the Book of the Law three times. He kneels for a space in adoration, with joined hands, knuckles closed, thumb in position as aforesaid. He rises and draws the veil over the whole altar. All rise and stand to order. The "PRIEST "takes the lance from the "DEACON "and holds it as before, as Osiris or Phthah. He circumambulates the Temple three times, followed by the "DEACON "and the children as before. (These, when not using their hands, keep their arms crossed upon their breasts.) At the last circumambulation they leave him and go to the place between the font and the small altar, where they kneel in adoration, their hands joined palm to palm, and raised above their heads. All imitate this motion. The "PRIEST "returns to the East and mounts the first step of the Altar." The PRIEST. O circle of Stars whereof our Father is but the younger brother, marvel beyond imagination, soul of infinite space, before whom Time is ashamed, the mind bewildered, and the understanding dark, not unto Thee may we attain, unless Thine image be Love. Therefore by seed and root and stem and bud and leaf and flower and fruit we do invoke Thee. "Then the priest answered & said unto the Queen of Space, kissing her lovely brows, and the dew of her light bathing his whole body in a sweet-smelling perfume of sweat: O Nuit, continuous one of Heaven, let it be ever thus; that men speak not of Thee as One but as None; and let them speak not of thee at all, since thou art continuous!" "During this speech the "PRIESTESS "must have divested herself completely of her robe, See CCXX.I.62." "The "PRIEST "mounts the second step." The PRIEST. O secret of secrets that art hidden in the being of all that lives, not Thee do we adore, for that which adoreth is also Thou. Thou art that, and That am I. "I am the flame that burns in every heart of man, and in the core of every star. I am Life, and the giver of Life, yet therefore is the knowledge of me the knowledge of death." "I am alone: there is no God where I am." "(The "DEACON "and all rise to their feet with Hailing Sign.)" The DEACON. "But ye, o my people, rise up & awake! Let the rituals be rightly performed with joy & beauty!" "There are rituals of the elements and feasts of the times." "A feast for the first night of the Prophet and his Bride!" "A feast for the three days of the writing of the Book of the Law." "A feast for Tahuti and the child of the Prophet-secret, O Prophet!" "A feast for the Supreme Ritual, and a feast for the Equinox of the Gods." "A feast for fire and a feast for water; a feast for life and a greater feast for death!" "A feast every day in your hearts in the joy of my rapture!" {351} "A feast every night unto Nu, and the pleasure of uttermost delight!" "(The "PRIEST "mounts the third step.)" The PRIEST: Thou that art One, our Lord in the Universe, the Sun, our Lord in ourselves whose name is Mystery of Mystery, uttermost being whose radiance, enlightening the worlds, is also the breath that maketh every God even and Death to tremble before thee --- by the Sign of Light appear thou glorious upon the throne of the Sun. Make open the path of creation and of intelligence between us and our minds. Enlighten our understanding. Encourage our hearts. Let thy light crystallize itself in our blood, fulfilling us of Resurrection. A ka dua Tuf ur biu Bi a'a chefu Dudu nur af an nuteru! The PRIESTESS. "There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt." "(The "PRIEST "parts the veil with his Lance.) (During the previous speeches the "PRIESTESS "has resumed her robe.)" "The "PRIESTESS "is seated with the Paten in her right hand and the Cup in her left. The "PRIEST "presents the Lance which she kisses eleven times. She then holds it to her breast while the "PRIEST "falling at her knees, kisses them, his arms stretched along her thighs. He remains in this adoration while the Deacon intones the collects. All stand to order, with the Dieu Garde, that is: feet square, hands, with linked thumbs, held loosely. This is the universal position when standing, unl V. Of the Office of the Collects which are Eleven in Number (THE SUN) The DEACON. Lord visible an sensible of whom this earth is but a frozen spark turning about thee with annual and diurnal motion, source of light, source of life, let thy perpetual radiance hearten us to continual labour and enjoyment; so that as we are constant partakers of thy bounty we may in our particular orbit give out light and life, sustenance and joy to them that revolve about us without diminution of substance or effulgence for ever. The PEOPLE. So mote it be. (THE LORD) The DEACON. Lord secret and most holy, source of light, source of life, source of love, source of liberty, be thou ever constant and mighty within us, force of energy, fire of motion; with diligence let us ever labour with thee, that we may remain in thine abundant joy. The PEOPLE. So mote it be. (THE MOON) The DEACON. Lady of night, that turning ever about us art now visible and now invisible in thy season, be thou favourable to hunters, and lovers, and to all men that toil upon the earth and to all mariners upon the sea. The PEOPLE. So mote it be. (THE LADY) The DEACON. Giver and receiver of joy, gate of life and love, be thou ever ready, thou and thine handmaiden, in thine office of gladness. The PEOPLE. So mote it be. (THE SAINTS) May their Essence be here present, potent, puissant, and paternal to perfect this feast! "(At each name the "DEACON "signs + with thumb between index and medius. At ordinary mass it is only necessary to commemorate those whose names are italicised, with wording as is shown.)" The PEOPLE. So mote it be. {354} (THE EARTH) The DEACON. Mother of fertility on whose breast lieth water, whose cheek is caressed by air, and in whose heart is the sun's fire, womb of all life, recurring grace of seasons, answer favourably the prayer of labour, and to pastors and husbandmen be thou propitious. The PEOPLE. So mote it be. (THE PRINCIPLES) The DEACON. Mysterious energy triform, mysterious Matter, in fourfold and sevenfold division; the interplay of which things weave the dance of the Veil of Life upon the Face of the Spirit, let there be harmony and beauty in your mystic loves, that in us may be health and wealth and strength and divine pleasure according to the Law of Liberty; let each pursue his Will as a strong man that rejoiceth in his way, as the course of a Star that blazeth for ever among the joyous company of Heaven. The PEOPLE. So mote it be. (BIRTH) The DEACON. Be the hour auspicious, and the gate of life open in peace and in well being, so that she that beareth children may rejoice, and the babe catch life with both hands. The PEOPLE. So mote it be. (MARRIAGE) The DEACON. Upon all that this day unite with love under will let fall success; may strength and skill unite to bring forth ecstasy, and beauty answer beauty. The PEOPLE. So mote it be. (DEATH) " (All stand, Head erect, Eyes open.)" The DEACON. Term of all that liveth, whose name is inscrutable, be favourable unto us in thine hour. The PEOPLE. So mote it be. (THE END) The DEACON. Unto them from whose eyes the veil of life {355} hath fallen may there be granted the accomplishment of their true Wills; whether they will absorption in the Infinite, or to be united with their chosen and preferred, or to be in contemplation, or to be at peace, or to achieve the labour and heroism of incarnation on this planet or another, or in any Star, or aught else, unto them may there be granted the accomplishment of their Wills. GR:Alpha-Upsilon-Mu-Gamma-Nu, GR:Alpha-Upsilon-Mu-Gamma-Nu, GR:Alpha-Upsilon-Mu-Gamma-Nu. "(All sit.) (The" DEACON "and the children attend the "PRIEST "and "PRIESTESS, "ready to hold any appropriate weapon as may be necessary.)" VI. Of the Consecration of the Elements. "The "PRIEST "makes five croses. "+3+1+2 "on paten and cup; "+4 "on paten alone; "+5 "on cup alone.)" The PRIEST. Life of man upon earth, fruit of labour, sustenance of endeavour, thus be thou nourishment of the Spirit! "(He touches the Host with the Lance.)" By the virtue of the Rod! Be this bread the Body of God! "(He takes the Host.)" GR:Tau-Omicron-Upsilon-Tau-Omicron GR:Epsilon-Sigma-Tau-Iota GR:Tau-Omicron GR:Sigma-Omicron-Mu-Alpha GR:Mu-Omicron-Upsilon. "He kneels, adores, rises, turns, shows Host to the PEOPLE, turns, replaces Host and adores. Music. He takes the Cup.)" Vehicle of the joy of Man upon Earth, solace of labour, inspiration of endeavour, thus be thou ecstasy of the Spirit! "(He touches the Cup with the Lance.)" By the virtue of the rod! Be this wine the Blood of God! "(He takes the Cup)" GR:Tau-Omicron-Upsilon-Tau-Omicron GR:Epsilon-Sigma-Tau-Iota -Tau-Omicron GR:Pi-Omicron-Tau-Eta-Rho-Iota-Omicron-Nu GR:Tau-Omicron-Upsilon GR:Alpha-Iota-Mu-Alpha-Tau-Omicron-Sigma GR:Mu-Omicron-Upsilon. "(He kneels, adores, rises, turns, shows the Cup to the people, turns, replaces the Cup and adores. Music.)" {356} For this is the Covenant of Resurrection. "He makes the five crosses on the "PRIESTESS. Accept, O Lord, this sacrifice of life and joy, true warrants of the Covenant of Resurrection. "The "PRIEST "offers the Lance to the "PRIESTESS, "who kisses it; he then touches her between the breasts and upon the body. He then flings out his arms upward as comprehending the whole shrine.)" Let this offering be born upon the waves of Aethyr to our Lord and Father the Sun that travelleth over the Heavens in his name ON. "(He closes his hands, kisses the "PRIESTESS "between the breasts and makes three great crosses over the Paten, the Cup and Himself. He strikes his breast. All repeat this action.)" Hear ye all, saints of the true church of old time now essentially present, that of ye we claim heirship, with ye we claim communion, from ye we claim benediction in the name of GR:Iota-Alpha-Omega. "(He makes three crosses on Paten and Cup together. He uncovers the Cup, genuflects, takes the Cup in his left hand and the Host in his right. With the host he makes the five crosses on the Cup.)" +1 +3 +2 +5 +4 "(He elevates the Host and the Cup.) (The Bell strikes.)" GR:Alpha-Gamma-Iota-Omicron-Sigma, GR:Alpha-Gamma-Iota-Omicron-Sigma, GR:Alpha-Gamma-Iota-Omicron-Sigma, GR:Iota-Alpha-Omega! "He replaces the Host and the Cup and adores.)" VII. Of the Office of the Anthem. The PRIEST. Thou who art I, beyond all I am, Who hast no nature, and no name, Who art, when all but thou are gone, {357} Thou, centre and secret of the Sun, Thou, hidden spring of all things known And unknown, Thou aloof, alone, Thou, the true fire within the reed Brooding and breeding, source and seed Of life, love, liberty and light, Thou beyond speech and beyond sight, Thee I invoke, my faint fresh fire Kindling as mine intents aspire. Thee I invoke, abiding one, Thee, centre and secret of the Sun, And that most holy mystery Of which the vehicle am I. Appear, most awful and most mild, As it is lawful, in thy child!<> The CHORUS: For of the Father and the Son The Holy Spirit is the norm; Male-female, quintessential, one, Man-being veiled in woman-form. Glory and worship in the highest, Thou Dove, mankind that deifiest, Being that race, most royally run, To spring sunshine through winter storm. Glory and worship be to Thee, Sap of the world-ash, wonder-tree! FIRST SEMICHORUS: MEN. Glory to thee from Gilded Tomb. SECOND SEMICHORUS: WOMEN. Glory to thee from Waiting Womb. MEN. Glory to Thee from earth unploughed! WOMEN. Glory to thee from virgin vowed! MEN. Glory to thee, true Unity Of the Eternal Trinity! WOMEN. Glory to thee, thou sire and dam And Self of I am that I am! {358} MEN. Glory to thee, eternal Sun, Thou One in Three, Thou Three in One! CHORUS. Glory and worship unto Thee, Sap of the world-ash, wonder-tree! "These words are to form the substance of the anthem; but the whole or any part thereof shall be set to music, which may be as elaborate as art can. But even should other anthems be authorised by the Father of the Church, this shall hold its place as the first of its kind, the father of all others.)" VIII. Of the Mystic Marriage and Consummation of the Elements. "(The" PRIEST "takes the Paten between the index and medius of the right hand. The "PRIESTESS "clasps the Cup in her right hand.)" The PRIEST. Lord most secret, bless this spiritual food unto our bodies, bestowing upon {us} health and wealth and strength and joy and peace, and that fulfilment of will and of love under will that is perpetual happiness. "(He makes "+ "with Paten and kisses it. He uncovers the Cup, genuflects, rises. Music. He takes the Host, and breaks it over the Cup. He replaces the right hand portion in the Paten. He breaks off a particle of the left hand portion.)" GR:Tau-Omicron-Upsilon-Tau-Omicron GR:Epsilon-Sigma-Tau-Iota GR:Tau-Omicron GR:Sigma-Pi-Epsilon-Rho-Mu-Alpha GR:Mu-Omicron-Upsilon. GR:Eta-Omicron GR:Pi-Alpha-Tau-Eta-Rho GR:Epsilon-Sigma-Tau-Iota-Nu GR:Eta-Omicron GR:Eta GR:Upsilon-Iota-Omicron-Sigma -Delta-Iota-Alpha<> GR:Tau-Omicron GR:Pi-Nu-Epsilon-Upsilon-Mu-Alpha GR:Alpha-Gamma-Iota-O GR:Alpha-Upsilon-Mu-Gamma-Nu. GR:Alpha-Upsilon-Mu-Gamma-Nu. GR:Alpha-Upsilon-Mu-Gamma-Nu. "(He replaces the left hand part of the Host. The "PRIESTESS "extends the lance point with her left hand to receive the particle.)" The PRIEST and The PRIESTESS. GR:Eta-Pi-Iota-Lambda-Iota-Upsilon. "(The" PRIEST "takes the Lance. The "PRIESTESS "covers the Cup. The "PRIEST "genuflects, rises, bows, joins hands. He strikes his breast.)" {359} The PRIEST. O Lion and O Serpent that destroy the destroyer, be mighty among us. O Lion and O Serpent that destroy the destroyer, be mighty among us. O Lion and O Serpent that destroy the destroyer, be mighty among us. "(The "PRIEST "joins hands upon the breast of the "PRIESTESS, "and takes back his Lance. He turns to the people, lowers and raises the Lance, and makes "+ "upon them.)" Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. The PEOPLE. Love is the law, love under will. "(He lowers the Lance, and turns to East. The "PRIESTESS" take the lance in her right hand, with her left hand she offers to Paten. The "PRIEST "kneels.)" The PRIEST. In my mouth be the essence of the life of the Sun. "(He takes the Host with the right hand, makes "+ "with it on the Paten, and consumes it.) (Silence.) (The "PRIESTESS "takes, uncovers, and offers the cup, as before.)" The PRIEST. In my mouth be the essence of the joy of the Earth. "(He takes the Cup, makes "+ "on the "PRIESTESS, "drains it, and returns it.) (Silence.) (He rises, takes the lance and turns to the people.)" The PRIEST. There is no part of me that is not of the Gods.<> "(Those of the People who intend to communicate, and none other should be present, having signified their intention, a whole Cake of Light and a whole goblet of wine have been prepared for each one. The" DEACON " marshals them; they advance one by one to the altar. The children take the elements and offer them. The "PEOPLE "communicate as" {360} "did the "PRIEST, "uttering the same words in an attitude of Resurrection;" "There is no part of me that is not of the Gods." "The exceptions to this part of the ceremony are when it is of the nature of a celebration, in which case none but the Priest communicate, of a wedding, in which none, save the two to be married, partake; part of the ceremony of baptism when only the child baptised partakes, and of Confirmation at puberty when only the persons confirmed partake. The Sacrament may be reserved by the "PRIEST, "for administration to the sick in their homes.) The "PRIEST "closes all within the veil. With the Lance he makes "+ "on the people thrice, thus.)" The PRIEST. + The LORD bless you. + The LORD enlighten your minds and comfort your hearts and sustain your bodies. + The LORD bring you to the accomplishment of your true wills, the Great Work, the Summum Bonum, True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness. "(He goes out, the "DEACON "and Children following, into the tomb of the West.) Music. (Voluntary.)" NOTE: "The "PRIESTESS "and other officers never partake of the sacrament, they being as it were part of the "PRIEST "himself." NOTE: "Certain secret formulae of this Mass are taught to the "PRIEST "in his ordination." {361} APPENDIX VII. A FEW OF THE PRINCIPAL INSTRUCTIONS AUTHORISED BY THE A.'. A.'. LIBER HHH SUB FIGURA CCCXLI. CONTINET CAPITULA TRIA: MMM, AAA, ET SSS. I. MMM. "I remember a certain holy day in the dusk of the Year, in the dusk of the Equinox of Osiris, when first I beheld thee visibly; when first the dreadful issue was fought out; when the Ibis-headed One charmed away the strife. I remember thy first kiss, even as a maiden should. Nor in the dark byways was there another: thy kisses abide." --- LIBER LAPIDIS LAZULI. VII. 15. 16. 0. Be seated in thine Asana, wearing the robe of a Neophyte, the hood drawn. 1. It is night, heavy and hot, there are no stars. Not one breath of wind stirs the surface of the sea, that is thou. No fish play in thy depths. 2. Let a Breath rise and ruffle the waters. This also thou shalt feel playing upon thy skin. It will disturb thy meditation twice or thrice, after which thou shouldst have conquered this distraction. But unless thou first feel it, that Breath hath not arisen. 3. Next, the night is riven by the lightning flash. This also {362} shalt thou feel in thy body, which shall shiver and leap with the shock, and that also must both be suffered and overcome. 4. After the lightning flash, resteth in the zenith a minute point of light. And that light shall radiate until a right cone be established upon the sea, and it is day. With this thy body shall be rigid, automatically; and this shalt thou let endure, withdrawing thyself into thine heart in the form of an upright Egg of blackness; and therein shalt thou abide for a space. 5. When all this is perfectly and easily performed at will, let the aspirant figure to himself a struggle with the whole force of the Universe. In this he is only saved by his minuteness. But in the end he is overcome by Death, who covers him with a black cross. Let his body fall supine with arms outstretched. 6. So lying, let him aspire fervently unto the Holy Guardian Angel. 7. Now let him resume his former posture. Two and twenty times shall he figure to himself that he is bitten by a serpent, feeling even in his body the poison thereof. And let each bite be healed by an eagle or hawk, spreading its wings above his head, and dropping thereupon a healing dew. But let the last bite be so terrible a pang at the nape of the neck that he seemeth to die, and let the healing dew be of such virtue that he leapeth to his feet. 8. Let there be now placed within his egg a red cross, then a green cross, then a golden cross, then a silver cross; or those things which these shadow forth. Herein is silence; for he that hath rightly performed the meditation will understand the inner meaning hereof, and it shall serve as a test of himself and his fellows. 9. Let him now remain in the Pyramid or Cone of Light, as an Egg, but no more of blackness. 10. Then let his body be in the position of the Hanged Man, and let him aspire with all his force unto the Holy Guardian Angel. 11. The grace having been granted unto him, let him partake mystically of the Eucharist of the Five Elements and let him proclaim Light in Extension; yea, let him proclaim Light in Extension. {363} II AAA "These loosen the swathings of the corpse; these unbind the feet of Osiris, so that the flaming God may rage through the firmament with his fantastic spear." Liber Lapidis Lazuli. VII. 3. 0. Be seated in thine Asana, or recumbent in Shavasana, or in the position of the dying Buddha. 1. Think of thy death; imagine the various diseases that may attack thee, or accidents overtake thee. Picture the process of death, applying always to thyself. (A useful preliminary practice is to read textbooks of Pathology, and to visit museums and dissecting-rooms.) 2. Continue this practice until death is complete; follow the corpse through the stages of embalming, wrapping and burial. 3. Now imagine a divine breath entering thy nostrils. 4. Next, imagine a divine light enlightening the eyes. 5. Next, imagine the divine voice awakening the ears. 6. Next, imagine a divine kiss imprinted on the lips. 7. Next, imagine the divine energy informing the nerves and muscles of the body, and concentrate on the phenomenon which will already have been observed in 3, the restoring of the circulation. 8. Last, imagine the return of the reproductive power, and employ this to the impregnation of the Egg of light in which man is bathed. 9. Now represent to thyself that this Egg is the Disk of the Sun, setting in the west. 10. Let it sink into blackness, borne in the bark of heaven, upon the back of the holy cow Hathor. And it may be that thou shalt hear the moaning thereof. 11. Let it become blacker than all blackness. And in this meditation thou shalt be utterly without fear, for that the blankness that will appear unto thee is a thing dreadful beyond all thy comprehension. And it shall come to pass that if thou hast well and properly {364} performed this meditation that on a sudden thou shalt hear the drone and booming of a Beetle. 12. Now then shall the Blackness pass, and with rose and gold shalt thou arise in the East, with the cry of an Hawk resounding in thine ear. Shrill shall it be and harsh. 13. At the end shalt thou rise and stand in the mid-heaven, a globe of glory. And therewith shall arise the mighty Sound that holy men have likened unto the roaring of a Lion. 14. Then shalt thou withdraw thyself from the Vision, gathering thyself into the divine form of Osiris upon his throne. 15. Then shalt thou repeat audibly the cry of triumph of the god re-arisen, as it shall have been given unto thee by thy Superior. 16. And this being accomplished, thou mayest enter again into the Vision, that thereby shall be perfected in Thee. 17. After this shalt thou return into the Body, and give thanks unto the Most High God IAIDA, yea unto the Most High God IAIDA. 18. Mark well that this operation should be performed if it be possible in a place set apart and consecrated to the Works of the Magick of Light. Also that the Temple should be ceremonially open as thou hast knowledge and skill to perform, and that at the end thereof the closing should be most carefully accomplished. But in the preliminary practice it is enough to cleanse thyself by ablution, by robing, and by the rituals of the Pentagram and Hexagram. 0-2 should be practised at first, until some realisation is obtained; and the practice should always be followed by a divine invocation of Apollo or of Isis or of Jupiter or of Serapis. Next, after a swift summary of 0-2 practice 3-7. This being mastered, add 8. Then add 9-13. Then being prepared and fortified, well fitted for the work, perform the whole meditation at one time. And let this be continued until perfect success be attained therein. For this is a mighty meditation and holy, having power even upon Death, yea, having power even upon Death. (Note by Fra. O.M. At any time during this meditation the {365} concentration may bring about Samadhi. This is to be feared and shunned, more than any other breaking of control, for that it is the most tremendous of the forces which threaten to obsess. There is also some danger of acute delirious melancholia at point 1.) III SSS "Thou art a beautiful thing, whiter than a woman in the column of this vibration. "I shoot up vertically like an arrow, and become that Above. "But it is death, and the flame of the pyre. "Ascend in the flame of the pyre, O my Soul! "Thy God is like the cold emptiness of the utmost heaven, into which thou radiatest thy little light. "When Thou shalt know me, O empty God, my flame shall utterly expire in thy great N.O.X." Liber Lapidis Lazuli. I. 36-40. 0. Be seated in thine Asana, preferably the Thunderbolt. It is essential that the spine be vertical. 1. In this practice the cavity of the brain is the Yoni; the spinal cord is the Lingam. 2. Concentrate thy thought of adoration in the brain. 3. Now begin to awaken the spine in this manner. Concentrate thy thought of thyself in the base of the spine, and move it gradually up a little at a time. By this means thou wilt become conscious of the spine, feeling each vertebra as a separate entity. This must be achieved most fully and perfectly before the further practice is begun. 4. Next, adore the brain as before, but figure to thyself its content as infinite. Deem it to be the womb of Isis, or the body of Nuit. 5. Next, identify thyself with the base of the spine as before, but figure to thyself its energy as infinite. Deem it to be the phallus of Osiris or the being of Hadit. 6. These two concentrations 4 and 5 may be pushed to the {366} point of Samadhi. Yet lose not control of the will; let not Samadhi be thy master herein. 7. Now then, being conscious both of the brain and the spine, and unconscious of all else, do thou imagine the hunger of the one for the other; the emptiness of the brain, the ache of the spine, even as the emptiness of space and the aimlessness of Matter. And if thou hast experience of the Eucharist in both kinds, it shall aid thine imagination herein. 8. Let this agony grow until it be insupportable, resisting by will every temptation. Not until thine whole body is bathed in sweat, or it may be in sweat of blood, and until a cry of intolerable anguish is forced from thy closed lips, shalt thou proceed. 9. Now let a current of light, deep azure flecked with scarlet, pass up and down the spine, striking as it were upon thyself that art coiled at the base as a serpent. Let this be exceedingly slow and subtle; and though it be accompanied with pleasure, resist; and though it be accompanied with pain, resist. 10. This shalt thou continue until thou art exhausted, never relaxing the control. Until thou canst perform this one section 9 during a whole hour, proceed not. And withdraw from the meditation by an act of will, passing into a gentle Pranayama without Kumbhakham, and meditating on Harpocrates, the silent and virginal God. 11. Then at last, being well-fitted in body and mind, fixed in peace, beneath a favourable heaven of stars, at night, in calm and warm weather, mayst thou quicken the movement of the light until it be taken up by the brain and the spine, independently of thy will. 12. If in this hour thou shouldst die, is it not written, "Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord"? Yea, Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord! {367} LIBER E vel EXERCITIORUM SUB FIGURA IX<> I. 1. It is absolutely necessary that all experiments should be recorded in detail during, or immediately after, their performance. 2. It is highly important to note the physical and mental condition of the experimenter or experimenters. 3. The time and place of all experiments must be noted; also the state of the weather, and generally all conditions which might conceivably have any result upon the experiment either as adjuvants to or causes of the result, or as inhibiting it, or as sources of error. 4. The A.'. A.'. will not take official notice of any experiments which are not thus properly recorded. 5. It is not necessary at this stage for us to declare fully the ultimate end of our researches; nor indeed would it be understood by those who have not become proficient in these elementary courses. 6. The experimenter is encouraged to use his own intelligence, and not to rely upon any other person or persons, however distinguished, even among ourselves. 7. The written record should be intelligently<> prepared so that others may benefit from its study. 8. The Book John St. John published in the first number of the "Equinox" is an example of this kind of record by a very advanced student. It is not as simply written as we could wish, but will show the method. 9. The more scientific the record is, the better. Yet the emotions should be noted, as being some of the conditions. Let then the record be written with sincerity and care; thus with practice it will be found more and more to approximate to the ideal. {368} II Physical clairvoyance. 1. Take a pack of (78) Tarot playing cards. Shuffle; cut. Draw one card. Without looking at it, try to name it. Write down the card you name, and the actual card. Repeat, and tabulate results. 2. This experiment is probably easier with an old genuine pack of Tarot cards, preferably a pack used for divination by some one who really understood the matter. 3. Remember that one should expect to name the right card once in 78 times. Also be careful to exclude all possibilities of obtaining the knowledge through the ordinary senses of sight and touch, or even smell. There was once a man whose fingertips were so sensitive that he could feel the shape and position of the pips and so judge the card correctly. 4. It is better to try first the easier form of the experiment, by guessing only the suit. 5. Remember that in 78 experiments you should obtain 22 trumps and 14 of each other suit; so that without any clairvoyance at all, you can guess right twice in 7 times (roughly) by calling trumps each time. 6. Note that some cards are harmonious. Thus it would not be a bad error to call the five of Swords ("The Lord of Defeat") instead of the ten of Swords ("The Lord of Ruin"). But to call the Lord of Love (2 Cups) for the Lord of Strife (5 Wands) would show that you were getting nothing right. Similarly a card ruled by Mars would be harmonious with a 5, a card of Gemini with "The Lovers". 7. These harmonies must be thoroughly learnt, according to the numerous tables given in 777. 8. As you progress you will find that you are able to distinguish the suit correctly three times in four and that very few indeed inharmonious errors occur, while in 78 experiments you are able to name the card aright as many as 15 or 20 times. 9. When you have reached this stage, you may be admitted for {369} examination; and in the event of your passing you will be given more complex and difficult exercises. III Asana --- Posture. 1. You must learn to sit perfectly still with every muscle tense for long periods. 2. You must wear no garments that interfere with the posture in any of these experiments. 3. The first position: (The God). Sit in a chair; head up, back straight, knees together, hands on knees, eyes closed. 4. The second position: (The Dragon). Kneel; buttocks resting on the heels, toes turned back, back and head straight, hands on thighs. 5. The third position: (The Ibis). Stand, hold left ankle with right hand,<> free forefinger on lips. 6. The fourth position: (The Thunderbolt). Sit; left heel pressing up anus, right foot poised on its toes, the heel covering the phallus; arms stretched out over the knees; head and back straight. 7. Various things will happen to you while you are practising these positions; they must be carefully analysed and described. 8. Note down the duration of practice; the severity of the pain (if any) which accompanies it, the degree of rigidity attained, and any other pertinent matters. 9. When you have progressed up to the point that a saucer filled to the brim with water and poised upon the head does not spill one drop during a whole hour, and when you can no longer perceive the slightest tremor in any muscle; when, in short, you are perfectly steady and easy, you will be admitted for examination; and, should you pass, you will be instructed in more complex and difficult practices. IV Pranayama --- Regularisation of the Breathing 1. At rest in one of your positions, close the right nostril with the thumb of the right hand and breathe out slowly and completely {370} through the left nostril, while your watch marks 20 seconds. Breathe in through the same nostril for 10 seconds. Changing hands, repeat with the other nostril. Let this be continuous for one hour. 2. When this is quite easy to you, increase the periods to 30 and 15 seconds. 3. When this is quite easy to you, but not before, breathe out for 15 seconds, in for 15 seconds, and hold the breath for 15 seconds. 4. When you can do this with perfect ease and comfort for a whole hour, practice breathing out for 40 and in for 20 seconds. 5. This being attained, practice breathing out for 20, in for 10, holding the breath for 30 seconds. When this has become perfectly easy to you, you may be admitted for examination, and should you pass, you will be instructed in more complex and difficult practices. 6. You will find that the presence of food in the stomach, even in small quantities, makes the practices very difficult. 7. Be very careful never to overstrain your powers; especially never get so short of breath that you are compelled to breathe out jerkily or rapidly. 8. Strive after depth, fullness, and regularity of breathing. 9. Various remarkable phenomena will very probably occur during these practices. They must be carefully analysed and recorded. V Dharana --- Control of Thought. 1. Constrain the mind to concentrate itself upon a single simple object imagined. The five tatwas are useful for this purpose; they are: a black oval; a blue disk; a silver crescent; a yellow square; a red triangle. 2. Proceed to combinations of simple objects; e.g. a black oval within a yellow square, and so on. 3. Proceed to simple moving objects, such as a pendulum swinging, a wheel revolving, etc. Avoid living objects. 4. Proceed to combinations of moving objects, e.g. a piston {371} rising and falling while a pendulum is swinging. The relation between the two movements should be varied in different experiments. Or even a system of flywheels, eccentrics, and governor. 5. During these practices the mind must be absolutely confined to the object determined upon; no other thought must be allowed to intrude upon the consciousness. The moving systems must be regular and harmonious. 6. Note carefully the duration of the experiments, the number and nature of the intruding thoughts, the tendency of the object itself to depart from the course laid out for it, and any other phenomena which may present themselves. Avoid overstrain; this is very important. 7. Proceed to imagine living objects; as a man, preferably some man known to, and respected by, yourself. 8. In the intervals of these experiments you may try to imagine the objects of the other senses, and to concentrate upon them. For example, try to imagine the taste of chocolate, the smell of roses, the feeling of velvet, the sound of a waterfall or the ticking of a watch. 9. Endeavour finally to shut out all objects of any of the senses, and prevent all thoughts arising in your mind. When you feel you have attained some success in these practices, apply for examination, and should you pass, more complex and difficult practices will be prescribed for you. VI Physical limitations. 1. It is desirable that you should discover for yourself your physical limitations. 2. To this end ascertain for how many hours you can subsist without food or drink before your working capacity is seriously interfered with. 3. Ascertain how much alcohol you can take, and what forms of drunkenness assail you. {372} 4. Ascertain how far you can walk without once stopping; likewise with dancing, swimming, running, etc. 5. Ascertain for how many hours you can do without sleep. 6. Test your endurance with various gymnastic exercises, club swinging, and so on. 7. Ascertain for how long you can keep silence. 8. Investigate any other capacities and aptitudes which may occur to you. 9. Let all these things be carefully and conscientiously recorded; for according to your powers will it be demanded of you. VII A Course of Reading 1. The object of most of the foregoing practices will not at first be clear to you; but at least (who will deny it?) they have trained you in determination, accuracy, introspection, and many other qualities which are valuable to all men in their ordinary avocations, so that in no case will your time have been wasted. 2. That you may gain some insight into the nature of the Great Work which lies beyond these elementary trifles, however, we should mention that an intelligent person may gather more than a hint of its nature from the following books, which are to be taken as serious and learned contributions to the study of Nature, though not necessarily to be implicitly relied upon. "The Yi King" (S.B.E. Series, Oxford University Press.) "The Tao Teh King" (S.B.E. Series.) "Tannhauser", by A. Crowley. "The Upanishads". "The Bhagavad-Gita". "The Voice of the Silence." "Raja Yoga", by Swami Vivekananda. "The Shiva Sanhita". "The Aphorisms of Patanjali". "The Sword of Song". "The Book of the Dead". "Rituel et Dogme de la Haute Magie". {373} "The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage". "The Goetia". "The Hathayoga Pradipika". "The Spiritual Guide of Molinos". Erdmann's "History of Philosophy". "The Star in the West" (Captain Fuller). "The Dhammapada" (S.B.E. Series, Oxford University Press). "The Questions of King Milinda" (S.B.E. Series). "777 vel Prolegomena, etc.". "Varieties of Religious Experience" (James). "Kabbala Denudata". "Knox Om Pax". 3. Careful study of these books will enable the pupil to speak in the language of his master, and facilitate communications with him. 4. The pupil should endeavour to discover the fundamental harmony of these very varied works; for this purpose he will find it best to study the most extreme divergencies side by side. 5. He may at any time that he wishes apply for examination in this course of reading. 6. During the whole of this elementary study and practice he will do wisely to seek out and attach himself to, a master, one competent to correct him and advise him. Nor should he be discouraged by the difficulty of finding such a person. 7. Let him further remember that he must in no wise rely upon, or believe in, that master. He must rely entirely upon himself, and credit nothing whatever but that which lies within his own knowledge and experience. 8. As in the beginning, so at the end, we here insist upon the vital importance of the written record as the only possible check upon error derived from the various qualities of the experimenter. 9. Thus let the work be accomplished duly; yea, let it be accomplished duly. (If any really important or remarkable results should occur, or if any great difficulty presents itself, the A.'. A.'. should be at once informed of the circumstances.) {374} LIBER O vel MANUS ET SAGITTAE SUB FIGURA VI.<> I. 1. This book is very easy to misunderstand; readers are asked to use the most minute critical care in the study of it, even as we have done in the preparation. 2. In this book it is spoken of the Sephiroth, and the Paths, of Spirits and Conjurations; of Gods, Spheres, Planes, and many other things which may or may not exist. It is immaterial whether they exist or not. By doing certain things certain results follow; students are most earnestly warned against attributing objective reality or philosophic validity to any of them. 3. The advantages to be gained from them are chiefly these: (a) A widening of the horizon of the mind. (b) An improvement of the control of the mind. 4. The student, if he attains any success in the following practices, will find himself confronted by things (ideas or beings) too glorious or too dreadful to be described. It is essential that he remain the master of all that he beholds, hears or conceives; otherwise he will be the slave of illusion and the prey of madness. Before entering upon any of these practices the student must be in good health, and have attained a fair mastery of Asana, Pranayama and Dharana. 5. There is little danger that any student, however idle or stupid, will fail to get some result; but there is great danger that he will be led astray, even though it be by those which it is necessary that he should attain. Too often, moreover, he mistaketh the first resting-place for the goal, and taketh off his armour as if he were a victor ere the fight is well begun. {375} It is desirable that the student should never attach to any result the importance which it at first seems to possess. 6. First, then, let us consider the Book "777" and its use; the preparation of the Place; the use of the Magic Ceremonies; and finally the methods which follow in Chapter V. "Viator in Regnis Arboris" and in Chapter VI "Sagitta trans Lunam." (In another book will be treated of the Expansion and Contraction of Consciousness; progress by slaying the Chakkrams; progress by slaying the Pairs of Opposites; the methods of Sabhapaty Swami, etc., etc.) II. 1. The student must first obtain a thorough knowledge of "Book 777", especially of the columns printed elsewhere in this Book.<> When these are committed to memory, he will begin to understand the nature of these correspondences. (See Illustrations in "The Temple of Solomon the King" in Equinox No. 2. Cross references are given.) 2. If we take an example, the use of the tables will become clear. Let us suppose that you wish to obtain knowledge of some obscure science. In column xlv to the <> power , line 12, you will find "Knowledge of Sciences." 3. You would then prepare your Place of Working accordingly. In an orange circle you would draw an eight-pointed star of yellow, at whose points you would place eight lamps. The Sigil of the Spirit (which is to be found in Cornelius Agrippa and other books) you would draw in the four colours with such other devices as your experience may suggest. 4. And so on. We cannot here enter at length into all the necessary preparations; and the student will find them fully set forth in the proper books, of which the "Goetia" is perhaps the best example. These rituals need not be slavishly imitated; on the contrary, the student should do nothing the object of which he does not understand; also, if he have any capacity whatever, he will find his own crude rituals more effective than the highly polished ones of other people. The general purpose of all this preparation is as follows: 5. Since the student is a man surrounded by material objects, if it be his wish to master one particular idea, he must make every material object about him directly suggest that idea. Thus, in the ritual quoted, if his glance fall upon the lights, their number suggests Mercury; he smells the perfumes, and again Mercury is brought to his mind. In other words the whole magical apparatus and ritual is a complex system of mnemonics. (The importance of these lies principally in the fact that particular sets of images that the student may meet in his wanderings correspond to particular lineal figures, divine names, etc. and are controlled by them. As to the possibility of producing results external to the mind of the seer (objective in the ordinary common sense acceptation of the term) we are here silent.) 6. There are three important practices connected with all forms of ceremonial (and the two Methods which later we shall describe). These are: (1) Assumption of God-forms. (2) Vibration of Divine Names. (3) Rituals of "Banishing" and "Invoking". These, at least, should be completely mastered before the dangerous Methods of Chapter V and VI are attempted<>. {377} III 1. The Magical Images of the Gods of Egypt should be made thoroughly familiar. This can be done by studying them in any public museum, or in such books as may be accessible to the student. They should then be carefully painted by him, both from the model and from memory. 2. The student, seated in the "God" position, or in the characteristic attitude of the God desired, should then imagine His image as coinciding with his own body, or as enveloping it. This must be practised until mastery of the image is attained, and an identity with it and with the God experienced. It is a matter for very great regret that no simple and certain tests of success in this practice exist. 3. The Vibration of God-names. As a further means of identifying the human consciousness with that pure portion of it which man calls by the name of some God, let him act thus: 4. (a) Stand with arms outstretched<>. (See illustration, in Equinox No. 2, p. 13<>). (b) Breathe in deeply through the nostrils, imagining the name of the God desired entering with the breath. (c) Let that name descend slowly from the lungs to the heart, the solar plexus, the navel, the generative organs, and so to the feet. (e) Then withdraw the left foot, and place the right forefinger<> {378} upon the lips, so that you are in the characteristic position of the God Harpocrates 5. It is a sign that the student is performing this correctly when a single "Vibration" entirely exhausts his physical strength. It should cause him to grow hot all over or to perspire violently, and it should so weaken him that he will find it difficult to remain standing. 6. It is a sign of success, though only by the student himself is it perceived, when he hears the name of the God vehemently roared forth, as if by the concourse of ten thousand thunders; and it should appear to him as if that Great Voice proceeded from the Universe, and not from himself. In both the above practices all consciousness of anything but the God-form and name should be absolutely blotted out; and the longer it takes for normal perception to return, the better. IV. I. The Rituals of the Pentagram and Hexagram must be committed to memory; they are as follows --- "The Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram" i. Touching the forehead say Ateh (Unto Thee), ii. Touching the breast say Malkuth (The Kingdom), iii. Touching the right shoulder, say ve-Geburah (and the Power)<>, iv. Touching the left shoulder, say ve-Gedulah (and the Glory), v. Clasping the hands upon the breast, say le-Olahm, Amen (To the Ages, Amen). vi. Turning to the East make a pentagram (that of Earth) with the proper weapon (usually the Wand). Say (i.e. vibrate) IHVH. vii. Turning to the South, the same, but say ADNI. viii. Turning to the West, the same, but say AHIH. ix. Turning to the North, the same, but say AGLA (Pronounce: Ye-ho-wau, Adonai, Eheieh, Agla). x. Extending the arms in the form of a cross say, xi. Before me Raphael; xii. Behind me Gabriel; {379} xiii. On my right hand, Michael. xiv. On my left hand, Auriel; xv. For about me flames the Pentagram, xvi. And in the Column stands the six-rayed Star. xvii-xxi. Repeat (i) to (v), the Qabalistic Cross. "The Greater Ritual of the Pentagram" The Pentagrams are traced in the air with the sword or other weapon, the name spoken aloud, and the signs used, as illustrated. The Pentagrams of Spirit. I ' ' B Equilibrium of Actives N / \ / \ A V * / \ # / \ N Name: A H I H (Eheieh) O \---------------- \---------------- I K \ '/ . . \' \ '/ . . \' S I \/ . " . \ \/ . " . \ H N /\' ' \ /\' ' \ I G \ \ N # * G I ' ' B Equilibrium of Passives N / \ / \ A V / \ * / \ # N Name A G L A (Agla). O ----------------/ ----------------/ I K '/ . . \' / '/ . . \' / S I / . " . \/ / . " . \/ H N / ' '/\ / ' '/\ I G / / N # * G The Signs of the Portal (See illustrations): Extend the hands in front of you, palms outwards, separate them as if in the act of rending asunder a veil or curtain (actives), and then bring them together as if closing it up again and let them fall to the side (passives). (The Grade of the "Portal" is particularly attributed to the element of Spirit; it refers to the Sun; the Paths of HB:Samekh , HB:Nun and HB:Ayin are attributed to this degree.< The Pentagrams of Fire. I ' ' B N / \ # / \ * A Name: A L H I M V / \ \ / \ \ N O -------------\-- -------------\-- I (Elohim). K '/ . . \'\ '/ . . \'\ S I / . " . \ \ / . " . \ \ H N / ' ' \ * / ' ' \ # I G N G {380} The signs of 4 Degree = 7Square. Raise the arms above the head and join the hands, so that the tips of the fingers and of the thumbs meet, formulating a triangle (see illustration). (The Grade of 4 Degree = 7Square is particularly attributed to the element Fire; it refers to the Planet Venus; the paths of HB:Qof , HB:Tzaddi and HB:Peh are attributed to this degree. For other attributions see "777" lines 7 and 31). The Pentagrams of Water. I ' ' B N / \ / \ A V #----------* *---------# N O ---------------- ---------------- I Name: A L (El). K '/ . . \' '/ . . \' S I / . " . \ / . " . \ H N / ' ' \ / ' ' \ I G N G The signs of 3 Degree = 8Square. Raise the arm till the elbows are on a level with the shoulders, bring the hands across the chest, touching the thumbs and tips of fingers so as to form a triangle apex downwards. (See illustration). (The Grade of 3 Degree = 8Square is particularly attributed to the element of water; it refers to the planet Mercury; the paths of HB:Resh and HB:Shin are attributed to this degree. For other attributions see "777", lines 8 and 23). The Pentagrams of Air. I ' ' B N / \ / \ A V *----------# #---------* N Name: I H V H O ---------------- ---------------- I (Ye-ho-wau). K '/ . . \' '/ . . \' S I / . " . \ / . " . \ H N / ' ' \ / ' ' \ I G N G The signs of 2 Degree = 9Square. Stretch both arms upwards and outwards, the elbows bent at right angles, the hand bent back, the palms upwards as if supporting a weight. (See illustration). (The Grade of 2 Degree = 9Square is particularly attributed to the element Air; it refers to the Moon, the path of HB:Taw is attributed to this degree. For other attributions see "777" lines 9 and 11). {381} The Pentagrams of Earth I ' ' B N # / \ * / \ A V / / \ / / \ N O -/-------------- -/-------------- I Name: A D N I (Adonai). K / '/ . . \' / '/ . . \' S I / / . " . \ / / . " . \ H N * / ' ' \ # / ' ' \ I G N G The Sign of 1 Degree = 10Square. Advance the right foot, stretch out the right hand upwards and forwards, the left hand downwards and backwards, the palms open. (The Grade of 1 Degree = 10Square is particularly attributed to the element of Earth, See "777" lines 10 and 32 bis). "The Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram." This ritual is to be performed after the "Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram". (I). Stand upright, feet together, left arm at side, right across body, holding Wand or other weapon upright in the median line. Then face East and say: (II). I.N.R.I. Yod, Nun, Resh, Yod. Virgo, Isis, Mighty Mother. Scorpio, Apophis, Destroyer. Sol, Osiris, Slain and Risen. Isis, Apophis, Osiris, GR:Iota-Alpha-Omega. (III). Extend the arms in the form of a cross, and say "The Sign of Osiris Slain." (See illustration). (IV). Raise the right arm to point upwards, keeping the elbow square, and lower the left arm to point downwards, keeping the elbow square, while turning the head over the left shoulder looking down so that the eyes follow the left forearm, and say, "The Sign of the Mourning of Isis". (See illustration). (V). Raise the arms at an angle of sixty degrees to each other above the head, which is thrown back, and say, "The Sign of Apophis and Typhon." (See illustration). (VI). Cross the arms on the breast, and bow the head and say, "The Sign of Osiris Risen". (See illustration). {382} (VII). Extend the arms again as in (III) and cross them again as in (vi) saying: "L.V.X., Lux, the Light of the Cross". /\ # / \ \ (VIII). With the magical weapon trace the / \ \ 1 Hexagram of Fire in the East, saying, / /\ \ * "ARARITA" (HB:Aleph-Resh-Aleph-Resh-Yod-Taw-Aleph). ---------- This Word consists of the initials of a / \ # sentence which means "One is His beginning: / \ \ One is His Individuality: His Permutation is ---------- \ 2 One." * This hexagram consists of two equilateral triangles, both apices pointed upwards. Begin at the top of the upper triangle and trace it in a dextro-rotary direction. The top of the lower triangle and trace it in dextro-rotary direction. The top of the lower should coincide with the central point of the upper triangle. /\ # --------\- (IX). Trace the Hexagram of Earth in the 2* \/ \/\ South, saying "ARARITA". This Hexagram \/\ /\ *1 has the apex of the lower triangle pointing -\-------- downwards, and it should be capable of # \/ inscription in a circle. /\ # / \ \ / \ \ / \ \ 1 ---------- * (X). Trace the Hexagram of Air in the 2* \ / West, saying "ARARITA". This Hexagram \ \ / is like that of Earth; but the bases of the \ \ / triangles coincide, forming a diamond. \ \/ # {383} ---------- * \ / \ \ / \ \ / (XI). Trace the hexagram of Water in the # \/ North, saying "ARARITA". /\ # This hexagram has the lower triangle placed / \ \ above the upper, so that their apices coincide. / \ \ / \ * ---------- (XII). Repeat (I-VII). The Banishing Ritual is identical, save that the direction of the Hexagrams must be reversed. {384} "The Greater Ritual of the Hexagram." INVOKING BANISHING /\ # # /\ --------\- -/-------- 2* \/ \/\ Saturn /\/ \/ *2 \/\ /\ *1 1* /\ /\/ -\-------- --------/- # \/ \/ # 1 2* /\ *--/\--# -/-------- ---------- /\/ \/ # Jupiter \/ \/ # /\ /\/ /\ /\ --------/- ---------- \/ *1 #--\/--* 2 #--/\--* 1 /\ *2 ---------- --------\- \/ \/ # \/ \/\ /\ /\ Mars \/\ /\ # ---------- -\-------- 2 *--\/--# 1* \/ <> 4:9 * # 6:7 #-- / /\ # --*5:8 3:10 *-- / /\ * --# --------\- --------\- 2:11 */\/ \/\# #/\/ \/\* 2:11 #\/\ /\/*1:12 Sun 1:12*\/\ /\/# -\------/- -\------/- 6:7 *-- # \/ * --# #-- * \/ # --* 4:9 3:10 5:8 #--/\--*2 /\ *1 ---------- --------\- \/ \/ Venus # \/ \/\ /\ /\ \/\ /\ # ---------- -\-------- 1*--\/--# 2* \/ To invoke or banish planets or zodiacal signs. The Hexagram of Earth alone is used. Draw the hexagram, {385} beginning from the point which is attributed to the planet you are dealing with. (See "777" col. lxxxiii). Thus to invoke Jupiter begin from the right hand point of the lower triangle, dextro-rotary and complete; then trace the upper triangle from its left hand point and complete. 1* /\ 2*--/\--# Trace the astrological sigil -/-------- ---------- of the planet in the centre of /\/ \/ # Mercury\/ \/ your hexagram. # /\ /\/ /\ /\ For the Zodiac use the --------/- ---------- hexagram of the planet which \/ *2 #--\/--*1 rules the sign you require ("777", col. xxxviii) but draw /\ # # /\ the astrological sigil of the --------\- -/-------- sign, instead of that of the 1* \/ \/\ Moon /\/ \/ *1 planet. \/\ /\ *2 2* /\ /\/ -\-------- --------/- # \/ \/ # For Caput and Cauda Draconis use the lunar hexagram, with the sigil of Caput Draconis or Cauda Draconis. To banish, reverse the hexagram. In all cases use a conjuration first with Ararita, and next with the name of the God corresponding to the planet or sign you are dealing with. The Hexagrams pertaining to the planets are as in plate on preceding page. 2. These rituals should be practised until the figures drawn appear in flame, in flame so near to physical flame that it would perhaps be visible to the eyes of a bystander, were one present. It is alleged that some persons have attained the power of actually kindling fire by these means. Whether this be so or not, the power is not one to be aimed at. But at least make sure of this; that any imaginary figure or being shall instantly obey the will of the student, when he uses the appropriate figure. In obstinate cases, the form of the appropriate God may be assumed. {386} 4. The banishing rituals should be used at the commencement of any ceremony whatever. Next, the student should use a general invocation, such as the "Preliminary Invocation" in the "Goetia" as well as a special invocation to suit the nature of his working. 5. Success in these verbal invocations is so subtle a matter, and its grades so delicately shaded, that it must be left to the good sense of the student to decide whether or not he should be satisfied with his result. V. 1. Let the student be at rest in one of his prescribed positions, having bathed and robed with the proper decorum. Let the place of working be free from all disturbance, and let the preliminary purifications, banishings and invocations be duly accomplished, and, lastly, let the incense be kindled. 2. Let him imagine his own figure (preferably robed in the proper magical garments, and armed with the proper magical weapons) as enveloping his physical body, or standing near to and in front of him. 3. Let him then transfer the seat of his consciousness to that imagined figure; so that it may seem to him that he is seeing with its eyes, and hearing with its ears. This will usually be the great difficulty of the operation. 4. Let him then cause that imagined figure to rise in the air to a great height above the earth. 5. Let him then stop and look about him. (It is sometimes difficult to open the eyes.) 6. Probably he will see figures approaching him, or become conscious of a landscape. Let him speak to such figures, and insist upon being answered, using the proper pentagrams and signs, as previously taught. 7. Let him travel at will, either with or without guidance from such figure or figures. 8. Let him further employ such special invocations as will cause to appear the particular places he may wish to visit. 9. Let him beware of the thousand subtle attacks and deceptions that he will experience, carefully testing the truth of all with whom he speaks. {387} Thus a hostile being may appear clothed with glory; the appropriate pentagram will in such a case cause him to shrivel or decay. 10. Practice will make the student infinitely wary in such matters. 11. It is usually quite easy to return to the body, but should any difficulty arise, practice (again) will make the imagination fertile. For example, one may create in thought a chariot of fire with white horses, and command the charioteer to drive earthwards. It might be dangerous to go too far, or to stay too long; for fatigue must be avoided. The danger spoken of is that of fainting, or of obsession, or of loss of memory or other mental faculty. 12. Finally, let the student cause his imagined body in which he supposes himself to have been travelling to coincide with the physical, tightening his muscles, drawing in his breath, and putting his forefinger to his lips. Then let him "awake" by a well-defined act of will, and soberly and accurately record his experiences. It may be added that this apparently complicated experiment is perfectly easy to perform. It is best to learn by "travelling" with a person already experienced in the matter. Two or three experiments should suffice to render the student confident and even expert. See also "The Seer", pp. 295-333, Equinox I, 2. VI. 1. The previous experiment has little value, and leads to few results of importance. But it is susceptible of a development which merges into a form of Dharana --- concentration --- and as such may lead to the very highest ends. The principal use of the practice in the last chapter is to familiarise the student with every kind of obstacle and every kind of delusion, so that he may be perfect master of every idea that may arise in his brain, to dismiss it, to transmute it, to cause it instan 2. Let him then begin exactly as before, but with the most intense solemnity and determination. 3. Let him be very careful to cause his imaginary body to rise {388} in a line exactly perpendicular to the earth's tangent at the point where his physical body is situated (or to put it more simply, straight upwards). 4. Instead of stopping, let him continue to rise until fatigue almost overcomes him. If he should find that he has stopped without willing to do so, and that figures appear, let him at all costs rise above them. Yea, though his very life tremble on his lips, let him force his way upward and onward! 5. Let him continue in this so long as the breath of life is in him. Whatever threatens, whatever allures, though it were Typhon and all his hosts loosed from the pit and leagued against him, though it were from the very Throne of God Himself that a voice issues bidding him stay and be content, let him struggle on, ever on. > Let him sink (when no longer can he strive, though his tongue by bitten through with the effort and the blood gush from his nostrils) into the blackness of unconsciousness, and then, on coming to himsel EXPLICIT {389} LIBER ASTARTE vel BERYLLI SUB FIGURA CLXXV.<> 0. This is the Book of Uniting Himself to a particular Deity by devotion. 1. "Considerations before the Threshold:" --- First concerning the choice of a particular Deity. This matter is of no import, sobeit that thou choose one suited to thine own highest nature. Howsoever, this method is not so suitable for gods austere as Saturn, or intellectual as Thoth. But for such deities as in themselves partake in anywise of love it is a perfect mode. 2. "Concerning the prime method of this Magick Art:" --- Let the devotee consider well that although Christ and Osiris be one, yet the former is to be worshipped with Christian, and the latter with Egyptian, rites. And this, although the rites themselves are ceremonially equivalent. There should, however, be "one" symbol declaring the transcending of such limitations; and with regard to the Deity also, there should be some "one" affirmation of his identity both with all other similar gods o 3. "Concerning the chief place of devotion:" --- This is the Heart of the Devotee, and should be symbolically represented by that room or spot which he loves best. And the dearest spot therein shall be the shrine of his temple. It is most convenient if this shrine and altar should be sequestered in woods, or in a private grove, or garden. But let it be protected from the profane. 4. "Concerning the Image of the Deity:" --- Let there be an image of the Deity; first because in meditation there is mindfulness induced thereby; and second because a certain power enters and inhabits it by virtue of the ceremonies; or so it is said, and We deny it not. Let this image be the most beautiful and perfect which the devotee is able to procure; or if he be able to paint or to carve the same, it is all the better. As for Deities with whose nature no Image is compatible, let them b 6. "Concerning the Ceremonies:" --- Let the Philosophus prepare a powerful Invocation of the particular Deity according to his Ingenium. But let it consist of these several parts: --- First, an Imprecation, as of a slave unto his Lord. Second, an Oath, as of a vassal to his Liege. Third, a Memorial, as of a child to his Parent. Fourth, an Orison, as of a Priest unto his God. Fifth, a Colloquy, as of a Brother with his Brother. Sixth, a Conjuration, as to a Friend with his Friend. Seventh, a Madrigal, as of a Lover to his Mistress. And mark well that the first should be of awe, the second of fealty, the third of dependence, the fourth of adoration, the fifth of confidence, the sixth of comradeship, the seventh of passion. 7. "Further concerning the ceremonies." --- Let then this Invocation be the principal part of an ordered ceremony. And in this ceremony let the Philosophus in no wise neglect the service of a menial. Let him sweep and garnish the place, sprinkling it with water or with wine as is appropriate to the particular Deity, and consecrating it with oil, and with such ritual as may seem him best. And let all be done with intensity and minuteness. 8. "Concerning the period of devotion, and the hours thereof:" --- Let a fixed period be set for the worship; and it is said that the least time is nine days by seven, and the greatest seven years by nine. And concerning the hours, let the Ceremony be performed {391} every day thrice, or at least once, and let the sleep of the Philosophus be broken for some purpose of devotion at least once in every night. Now to some it may seem best to appoint fixed hours for the ceremony. To others it may seem that the ceremony should be performed as the spirit moves them so to do; for this there is no rule. 9. "Concerning the Robes and Instruments:" --- The Wand and Cup are to be chosen for this Art; never the Sword or Dagger, never the Pantacle, unless that Pantacle chance to be of a nature harmonious. But even so it is best to keep to the Wand and the Cup, and if one must choose, the Cup. For the Robes, that of a Philosophus, or that of an Adept Within is most suitable; or the robe best fitted for the service of the particular Deity, as a bassara for Bacchus, a white robe for Vesta. So also for Vesta, one might use for instrument the Lamp; or the sickle, for Chronos. 10. "Concerning the Incense and Libations." --- The incense should follow the nature of the particular Deity, as, mastic for Mercury, dittany for Persephone. Also the libations, as, a decoction of nightshade for Melancholia, or of Indian hemp for Uranus. 11. "Concerning the harmony of the ceremonies:" --- Let all these things be rightly considered, and at length, in language of the utmost beauty at the command of the Philosophus, accompanied, if he has skill, by music, and interwoven, if the particular Deity be jocund, with dancing. And all being carefully prepared and rehearsed let it be practised daily until it be wholly rhythmical with his aspirations, and as it were, a part of his being. 12. "Concerning the variety of the ceremonies." --- Now, seeing that every man differeth essentially from every other man, albeit in essence he is identical, let also these ceremonies assert their identity by their diversity. For this reason do we leave much herein to the right Ingenium of the Philosophus. 13. "Concerning the life of the devotee." --- First let his way of life be such as is pleasing to the particular Deity. Thus to invoke Neptune, let him go a-fishing; but if Hades, let him not approach the water that is hateful to Him. {392} 14. "Further, concerning the life of the devotee:" --- Let him cut away from his life any act, word or thought, that is hateful to the particular Deity; as, unchastity in the case of Artemis, evasions in the case of Ares. Besides this, he should avoid all harshness or unkindness of any kind in thought, word, or deed, seeing that above the particular Deity is One in whom all is One. Yet also he may deliberately practise cruelties, where the particular Deity manifests His Love in that manner, 15. "Further concerning the life of the devotee:" --- Now, as many are fully occupied with their affairs, let it be known that this method is adaptable to the necessities of all. And We bear witness that this which followeth is the Crux and Quintessence of the whole Method. First, if he have no Image, let him take anything soever, and consecrate it as an Image of his God. Likewise with his robes and instruments, his suffumigations and libations; for his Robe hath he not a nightdress; for his instrument a walking stick; for his suffumigation a burning match; for his libation a glass of water? But let him consecrate each thing that he useth to the service of that particular Deity, and not profane the same to any other use. 16. "Continuation." --- Next, concerning his time if it be short. Let him labour mentally with his Invocation, concentrating it, and let him perform this Invocation in his heart whenever he hath the leisure. And let him seize eagerly upon every opportunity for this. 17. "Continuation." --- Third, even if he have leisure and preparation, let him seek ever to bring inward the symbols, so that even in his well ordered shrine the whole ceremony revolve inwardly in his heart, that is to say in the temple of his body, of which the outer temple is but an image. For in the brain is the shrine, and there is no Image therein; and the breath of man is the incense and the libation. 18. "Continuation." --- Further concerning occupation. Let the devotee transmute within the alembic of his heart every thought, or word, or act into the spiritual gold of his devotion. {393} As thus: eating. Let him say, "I eat this food in gratitude to my Deity that hath sent it to me, in order to gain strength for my devotion to Him." Or: sleeping. Let him say, "I lie down to sleep, giving thanks for this blessing from my Deity, in order that I may be refreshed for new devotion to Him." Or: reading. Let him say: "I read this book that I may study the nature of my Deity, that further knowledge of Him may inspire me with deeper devotion to Him." Or: working. Let him say: "I drive my spade into the earth that fresh flowers (fruit, or what not) may spring up to His glory, and that I, purified by toil, may give better devotion to Him." Or: whatever it may be that he is doing, let him reason it out in his mind<>, drawing it through circumstance and circumstance to that one end and conclusio As it is written: Liber VII, Cap. 5. --- 22. "Every breath, every word, every thought is an act of love with thee. 23. "The beat of my heart is the pendulum of love. 24. "The songs of me are the soft sighs. 25. "The thoughts of me are very rapture. 26. "And my deeds are the myriads of Thy Children, the stars and the atoms." And Remember Well, that if thou wert in truth a lover, all this wouldst thou do of thine own nature without the slightest flaw or failure in the minutest part thereof. 19. "Concerning the Lections." --- Let the Philosophus read solely in his copies of the holy books of Thelema, during the whole period of his devotion. But if he weary, then let him read books which have no part whatever in love, as for recreation. But let him copy out each verse of Thelema which bears upon this matter, and ponder them, and comment thereupon. For therein is a wisdom and a magick too deep to utter in any other wise. 20. "Concerning the Meditations." --- Herein is the most potent method of attaining unto the End, for him who is thoroughly prepared, being purified by the practice of the Transmutation of {394} deed into devotion, and consecrated by the right performance of the holy ceremonies. Yet herein is danger, for that the Mind is fluid as quicksilver, and bordereth upon the Abyss, and is beset by many sirens and devils that seduce and attack it to destroy it. Therefore let the devotee beware, and pr Also there is the love of many saints for their particular deity, as of St. Francis of Assisi for Christ, of Sri Sabhapaty Swami for Maheswara, of Abdullah Haji Shirazi for Allah, of St Ignatius Loyola for Mary, and many more. Now do thou take one such story every night, and enact it in thy mind, grasping each identity with infinite care and zest, and do thou figure thyself as one of the lovers and thy Deity as the other. Thus do thou pass through all adventures of love, not omitting one; and to each do thou conclude: How pale a reflection is this of my love for this Deity! Yet from each shalt thou draw some knowledge of love, some intimacy with love, that shall aid thee to perfect thy love. Thus learn the humility of love from one, its obedience from another, its intensity from a third, its purity from a fourth, its peace from yet a fifth. So then thy love being made perfect, it shall be worthy of that perfect love of His. {395} 22. "Further concerning meditation." --- Moreover let the Philosophus imagine to himself that he hath indeed succeeded in his devotion, and that his Lord hath appeared to him, and that they converse as may be fitting. >three cords separately may be broken by a child, while those same cords duly twisted may bind a giant, let the Philosophus lea To this end let him understand that as they are One, because the end is One, so are they One because the method is One, even the method of turning the mind toward the particular Deity by love in every act. And lest thy twine slip, here is a little cord that wrappeth tightly round and round all, even the Mantram or Continuous Prayer. 24. "Concerning the Mantram or Continuous Prayer." --- Let the Philosophus weave the Name of the particular Deity into a sentence short and rhythmical, as, for Artemis: GR:epsilon-pi-epsilon-lambda-theta-omicron-nu, GR:epsilon-pi-epsilon-lambda-theta-omicron-nu, GR:Alpha-rho-tau-epsilon-mu-iota-sigma; or, for Shiva: Namo Shivaya namaha Aum; or, for Mary; Ave Maria; or for Pan, GR:Chi-alpha-iota-rho-epsilon GR:Sigma-omega-tau-eta-rho GR:Kappa-omicron-sigma-mu-omicron-upsilon, GR:Iota-omega GR:Pi-alpha-nu, GR:Iota-omega GR:Pi-alpha-nu; or, for Allah, Hua Allahu alazi lailaha illa Hua. Let him repeat this day and night without cessation mechanically in his brain, which is thus made ready for the advent of that Lord, and armed against all other. 25. "Concerning the Active and the Passive." --- Let the Philosophus change from the active love of his particular deity to a state of passive waiting, even almost a repulsion, the repulsion not of distaste, but of sublime modesty. As it is written, Liber LXV. ii. 59, "I have called unto thee, and I have journeyed with thee<>, and it availed me not." 60. "I waited patiently, and Thou w Then let him change back to the Active, until a veritable rhythm is established between the states, as it were the swinging of a pendulum. But let him reflect that a vast intelligence is required for this; for he must stand as it were almost without himself to watch those phases of himself, And to do this is an high Art, and pertaineth not altogether to the grade of Philosophus. Neither is it of itself helpful, but rather the reverse in this especial practice. {396} 26. "Concerning silence." --- Now there may come a time in the course of this practice when the outward symbols of devotion cease, when the soul is as it were dumb in the presence of its God. Mark that this is not a cessation but a transmutation of the barren seed of prayer into the green shoot of yearning. This yearning is spontaneous, and it shall be left to grow, whether it be sweet or bitter. For often times it is as the torment of hell in which the soul burns and writhes unceasingly. 27. "Concerning Dryness." --- Another state wherein at times the soul may fall is this dark night. And this is indeed purifying, in such depths that the soul cannot fathom it. It is less like pain than like death. But it is the necessary death that comes before the rising of a body glorified. This state must be endured with fortitude; and no means of alleviating it may be employed. It may be broken up by the breaking up of the whole Method, and a return to the world without. This cowardice not only destroys the value of all that has gone before, but destroys the value of the Oath of Fealty that thou hast sworn, and makes thy Will a mockery to men and gods. 28. "Concerning the Deceptions of the Devil." --- Note well that in this state of dryness a thousand seductions will lure thee away; also a thousand means of breaking thine oath in spirit without breaking it in letter. Against this thou mayst repeat the words of thine oath aloud again and again until the temptation be overcome. Also the devil will represent to thee that it were much better for this operation that thou do thus and thus, and seek to affright thee by fears for thy health or thy reason. Or he may send against thee visions worse than madness. Against all this there is but one remedy, the Discipline of thine Oath. So then thou shalt go through ceremonies meaningless and hideous to thee, and blaspheme shalt thou against thy Deity and curse Him. And this mattereth little, for it is not thou, so be that thou adhere to the Letter of thine Obligation. For thy Spiritual Sight is closed, and to trust it is to be led into< > self-satisfaction or Expansion of thy Spirit, especially in this state of dryness, and thou art lost. For thou m But so many and so subtle are the wiles of Choronzon that the whole world could not contain their enumeration. The answer to one and all is the persistence in the literal fulfilment of the routine. Beware, then, last, of that devil who shall whisper in thine ear that the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life, and answer: Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground, and die, it abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. Yet shalt thou also beware of disputation with the devil and pride in the cleverness of thine answers to him. Therefore, if thou hast not lost the power of silence, let it be first and last employed against him. 30. "Concerning the Enflaming of the Heart." --- Now learn that thy methods are dry, one and all. Intellectual exercises, moral exercises, they are not Love. Yet as a man, rubbing two dry sticks together for long, suddenly found a spark, so also from time to time will true Love leap unasked into thy mediation. Yet this shall die and be reborn again and again. It may be that thou hast no tinder near. In the end shall come suddenly a great flame and devouring, and burn thee utterly. Now of these sparks, and of these splutterings of flame, and of these beginnings of the Infinite Fire, thou shalt thus be aware. For the sparks thy heart shall leap up, and thy ceremony or meditation or toil shall seem of a sudden to go of its own will; and for the little flames this shall be increased in volume and intensity; and for the beginnings of the Infinite Fire thy ceremony shall be caught up unto ravishing song, and thy meditation shall be ecstasy, and thy toil shall be a delight e And of the Great Flame that answereth thee it may not be spoken; for therein is the End of this Magick Art of Devotion. 32. "Considerations of further danger to those not purged of material thought." --- Let it be remembered that in the nature of the love itself is danger. The lust of the satyr for the nymph is indeed of the same nature as the affinity of quicklime for water on the one hand, and of love of Ab for Ama on the other; so also is the triad Osiris, Isis, Horus like that of a horse, mare, foal, and of red, blue, purple. And this is the foundation of Correspondences. But it were false to say "Horus is a foal" or "Horus is purple". One may say: "Horus resembles a foal in this respect that he is the offspring of two complementary beings". > and ocean is that One, therefore earth is ocean. Unto Him good is illusion, Moreover, there are those who take the image for the God; as who should say, my heart is in Tiphereth, an Adeptus is in Tiphereth; I am therefore an adept. And in this practice the worst danger is this, that the love which is its weapon should fail in one of two ways. First, if the love lack any quality of love, so long is it not ideal love. For it is written of the Perfected One: "There is no member of my body which is not the member of some god." Therefore {399} let not the Philosophus despise any form of love, but harmonise all. As it is written: Liber LXV, 32. "So therefore Perfection abideth not in the Pinnacles or in the Foundation, but in the harmony of One with all." Second, if any part of this love exceed, there is disease therein. As, in the love of Othello for Desdemona, love's jealousy overcame love's tenderness, so may it be in this love of a particular Deity. And this is more likely, since in this divine love no element may be omitted. It is by virtue of this completeness that no human love may in any way attain to more than to foreshadow a little part thereof. 34. "Concerning Mortifications." --- These are not necessary to this method. On the contrary, they may destroy the concentration, as counter-irritants to, and so alleviations of, the supreme mortification which is the Absence of the Deity invoked. Yet as in mortal love arises a distaste for food, or a pleasure in things naturally painful, this perversion should be endured and allowed to take its course. Yet not to the interference with natural bodily health, whereby the instrument of the soul might be impaired. And concerning sacrifices for love's sake, they are natural to this Method, and right. But concerning voluntary privations and tortures, without use save as against the devotee, they are generally not natural to healthy natures, and wrong. For they are selfish. To scourge one's self serves not one's master; yet to deny one's self bread that one's child may have cake is the act of a true mother. 36. "Concerning minor adjuvant in the ceremonies." --- I. "Rising on the planes." --- By this method mayst thou assist the imagination at the time of concluding thine Invocation. Act as taught in Liber O, by the light of Liber 777. 37. "Concerning minor methods adjuvant in the ceremonies." --- II. "Talismanic Magic." --- Having made by thine Ingenium a talisman or pantacle to represent the particular Deity, and consecrated it with infinite love and care, do thou burn it ceremonially before the shrine, as if thereby giving up the shadow for the substance. But it is useless to do this unless thou do really in thine heart value the talisman beyond all else that thou hast. 38. "Concerning minor methods adjuvant in the ceremonies." --- III. "Rehearsal." --- It may assist if the traditional history of the particular Deity be rehearsed before him; perhaps this is best done in dramatic form. This method is the main one recommended in the "Exercitios Espirituales" of St. Ignatius, whose work may be taken as a model. Let the Philosophus work out the legend of his own particular Deity, and apportioning days to events, live that life in imagination, exercising the fi 39. "Concerning minor matters adjuvant in the ceremonies." --- IV. "Duresse." --- This method consists in cursing a deity recalcitrant; as, threatening ceremonially "to burn the blood of Osiris, and to grind down his bones to power." This method is altogether contrary to the spirit of love unless the particular Deity be himself savage and relentless; as Jehovah or Kali. In such a case the desire to perform constraint and cursing may be the sign of the assimilation of the spirit of the devot 40. "Concerning the value of this particular form of Union or Samadhi:" --- All Samadhi is defined as the ecstatic union of a subject and object in consciousness, with the result that a third thing arises which partakes in no way of the nature of the two. It would seem at first sight that it is of no importance whatever to choose an object of meditation. For example, the Samadhi {401} called Atmadarshana might arise from simple concentration of the thought on an imagined triangle or on the heart. But as the union of two bodies in chemistry may be endothermic or exothermic, the combination of Oxygen with Nitrogen is gentle, while that of Oxygen with Hydrogen is explosive; and as it is found that the most heat is disengaged as a rule by the union of bodies most opposite in character, and that the compound resulting from such is most stable, so it seems reasonable to suggest that the most important and enduring Samadhi results from the contemplation of the Object most opposite to the dev >On other planes, it has been suggested that the most opposed types make the best marriages and produce the healthiest children. The greatest pictures and operas are those in which violent extremes are blended, and so generally in every field of activity. Even in mathematics, the greatest parallelogram is formed if the lines composing it are set at right ang 41. "Conclusions from the foregoing." --- It may then be suggested to the Philosophus, that although his work will be harder his reward will be greater if he choose a Deity most remote from his own nature. This method is harder and higher than that of Liber E. For a simple object as there suggested is of the same nature as the commonest things of life, while even the meanest Deity is beyond uninitiated human understanding. On the same plane, too, Venus is nearer to man than Aphrodite, Aphr Let him decide therefore according to his discretion on the one hand and his aspiration on the other; and let not one overrun<> his fellow. 42. "Further concerning the value of this Method." --- Certain objections arise. Firstly, in the nature of all human love is illusion, and a certain blindness. Nor is there any true love below the Veil of the Abyss. For this reason we give this method to the Philosophus, as the reflection of the Exempt Adept, who reflects the Magister Templi and the Magus. Let then the Philosophus attain this Method as a foundation of the higher Methods to be given to him when he attains those higher grad Another objection lies in the partiality of this Method. This is equally a defect characteristic of the Grade. 43. "Concerning a notable danger of Success." --- It may occur that owing to the tremendous power of the Samadhi, overcoming all other memories as it should and does do, that the mind of the devotee may be obsessed, so that he declare his particular Deity to be sole God and Lord. This error has been the foundation of all dogmatic religions, and so the cause of more misery than all other errors combined. The Philosophus is peculiarly liable to this because from the nature of the Method he cannot remain sceptical; he must for the time believe in his particular Deity. But let him (1) consider that this belief is only a weapon in his hands, and (2) affirm sufficiently that his Deity is but an emanation or reflection or eidolon of a Being beyond him, as was said in Paragraph 2. For if he fail herein, since man cannot remain permanently in Samadhi, the memorised Image in his mind will be degrade Therefore, after Success, let him not delight overmuch in his Deity, but rather busy himself with his other work, not permitting that which is but a step to become a goal. As it is written, Liber CLXXXV: "remembering that Philosophy is the Equilibrium of him that is in the House of Love." 44. "Concerning the secrecy and the rites of Blood." --- During this practice it is most wise that the Philosophus utter no word concerning his working, as if it were a Forbidden Love that consumeth him. But let him answer fools according to their folly; for since he cannot conceal his love from his fellows, he must speak to them as they may understand. And as many Deities demand sacrifice, one of men, another of cattle, a third of doves, let these sacrifices be replaced by the true sacrifices in thine own heart. Yet if thou must symbolise them outwardly for the hardness of thine heart, let thine own blood and no other's be spilt before that altar.< Nevertheless, forget not that this practice is dangerous, and may cause the manifestation of evil things, hostile and malicious, to thy great hurt. 45. "Concerning a further sacrifice." --- Of this it shall be understood that nothing is to be spoken; nor need anything be spoken to him that hath wisdom to comprehend the number of the paragraph. And this sacrifice is fatal beyond all, unless it be a "sacrificium" indeed.< 2. Let the Zelator observe the current of his breath. 3. Let him investigate the following statements, and prepare a careful record of research. (a) Certain actions induce the flow of the breath through the right nostril (Pingala); and, conversely, the flow of the breath through Pingala induces certain actions. (b) Certain other actions induce the flow of the breath through the left nostril (Ida), and conversely. (c) Yet a third class of actions induce the flow of the breath through both nostrils at once (Sushumna), and conversely. (d) The degree of mental and physical activity is interdependent with the distance from the nostrils at which the breath can be felt by the back of the hand. 4. "First practice." --- Let him concentrate his mind upon the act of breathing, saying mentally, "The breath flows in", "the breath flows out", and record the results. [This practice may resolve itself into Mahasatipatthana (vide Liber XXV) or induce Samadhi. Whichever occurs should be followed up as the right Ingenium of the Zelator, or the advice of his Practicus, may determine.] 5. "Second practice." Pranayama. --- This is outlined in Liber E. Further, let the Zelator accomplished in those practices endeavour to master a cycle of 10, 20, 40 or even 16, 32, 64. But let this be done gradually and with due caution. And when he is steady and easy both in Asana and Pranayama, let him still further increase the period. Thus let him investigate these statements which follow: --- (a) If Pranayama be properly performed, the body will first of all become covered with sweat. This sweat is different in character from that customarily induced by exertion. If the Practitioner rub this sweat thoroughly into his body, he will greatly strengthen it. {405} (b) The tendency to perspiration will stop as the practice is continued, and the body become automatically rigid. Describe this rigidity with minute accuracy. (c) The state of automatic rigidity will develop into a state characterised by violent spasmodic movements of which the Practitioner is unconscious, but of whose result he is aware. This result is that the body hops gently from place to place. After the first two or three occurrences of this experience, Asana is not lost. The body appears (on another theory) to have lost its weight almost completely and to be moved by an unknown force. (d) As a development of this stage, the body rises into the air, and remains there for an appreciably long period, from a second to an hour or more. Let him further investigate any mental results which may occur. >, and payi 8. "Fifth practice." --- Let him practice mental concentration during the dance, and investigate the following experiments: (a) The dance becomes independent of the will. (b) Similar phenomena to those described in 5 (a), (b), (c), (d), occur. 9. A note concerning the depth and fullness of the breathing. In all proper expiration the last possible portion of air should be expelled. In this the muscles of the throat, chest, ribs, and abdomen must be fully employed, and aided by the pressing of the upper arms into the flanks, and of the head into the thorax. In all proper inspiration the last possible portion of air must be drawn into the lungs. In all proper holding of the breath, the body must remain absolutely still. Ten minutes of such practice is ample to induce profuse sweating in any place of a temperature of 17 Degree C or over. The progress of the Zelator in acquiring a depth and fullness of breath should be tested by the respirometer. The exercises should be carefully graduated to avoid overstrain and possible damage to the lungs. This depth and fullness of breath should be kept as much as possible, even in the rapid exercises, with the exception of the sixth practice following. 10. "Sixth Practice." --- Let the Zelator breathe as shallowly and rapidly as possible. He should assume the attitude of his moment of greatest expiration, and breathe only with the muscles of his throat. He may also practice lengthening the period between each shallow breathing. (This may be combined, when acquired, with concentration on the Visuddhi cakkra, i.e. let him fix his mind unwaveringly upon a point in the spine opposite the larynx.)< <> 11. "Seventh practice." --- Let the Zelator practise restraint of breathing in the following manner. At any stage of breathing let him suddenly hold the breath, enduring the need to breathe until it passes, returns, and passes again, and so on until consciousness is lost, either rising to Samadhi or similar supernormal condition, or falling into oblivion. {407} 13. "Ninth practice." -- Let him practice the usual forms of Pranayama, but let Kumbhakam be used after instead of before expiration. Let him gradually increase the period of this Kumbhakam as in the case of the other. 14. A note concerning the conditions of these experiments. It is not desirable that the Zelator should employ any other creature than a man, save in cases of necessity. Yet for some of these purposes a dog will serve, for others a woman. There are also others appointed to serve, but these are not for the Zelator. 15. "Tenth Practice." --- Let the Zelator experiment if he will with inhalations of oxygen, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, and other gases mixed in small proportion with his air during his practices. These experiments are to be conducted with caution in the presence of a medical man of experience, and they are only useful as facilitating a simulacrum of the results of the proper practices and thereby enheartening the Zelator. 16. "Eleventh practice." --- Let the Zelator at an time during the practices, especially during the periods of Kumbhakam, throw his will utterly towards his Holy Guardian Angel, directing his eyes inward and upward, and turning back his tongue as if to swallow it. {408} (This latter operation is facilitated by severing the fraenum linguae, which, if done, should be done by a competent surgeon. We do not advise this or any similar method of cheating difficulties. This is, however, harmless.)< 17. Let the Zelator attach no credit to any statements that may have been made throughout the course of this instruction, and reflect that even the counsel which we have given as suitable to the average case may be entirely unsuitable to his own. {409} LIBER YOD SUB FIGURA DCCCXXI (This book was formerly called Vesta. It is referred to the path of Virgo and the letter Yod.) I. 1. This is the book of drawing all to a point. 2. Herein are described three methods whereby the consciousness of the Many may be melted to that of the One. II. FIRST METHOD 0. Let a magical circle be constructed, and within it an upright Tau drawn upon the ground. Let this Tau be devised into 10 squares (See Liber CMLXIII., Illustration 1.) 1. Let the magician be armed with the Sword of Art.<> 2. Let him wear the black robe of a Neophyte. 3. Let a single flame of camphor burn at the top of the Tau, and let there be no other light or ornament.<> 4. Let him "open" the Temple as in DCLXXI or in any other convenient manner. 5. Standing at the appropriate quarters, at the edge of the circle, let him banish the 5 elements by the appropriate rituals. 6. Standing at the edge of the circle, let him banish the 7 planets by the appropriate rituals. Let him face the actual position of each planet in the heavens at the time of his working. 7. Let him further banish the twelve signs of the Zodiac by the appropriate rituals, facing each sign in turn. 8. Let him at each of these 24 banishings make three circumambulations widdershins, with the signs of Horus and Harpocrates in the East as he passes it. {410} 9. Let him advance to the square of Malkuth in the Tau, and perform a ritual of banishing Malkuth. But here let him not leave the square to circumambulate the circle, but use the formula and God-form of Harpocrates. 10. Let him advance in turn to the squares Jesod, Hod, Netzach, Tiphereth, Geburah, Chesed and banish each by appropriate rituals. 11. And let him know that such rituals include the pronunciation of the appropriate names of God backwards, and also a curse against the Sephira in respect of all that which it is, for that which distinguishes and separates it from Kether. 12. Advancing to the squares of Binah and Chokmah in turn, let him banish these also. And for that by now an awe and trembling shall have taken hold upon him, let him banish these by a supreme ritual of inestimable puissance; and let him beware exceedingly lest his will falter or his courage fail. 13. Finally, let him, advancing to the square of Kether, banish that also by what means he may. At the end whereof let him set his foot upon the light, extinguishing it< SECOND METHOD 1. Let the Hermit be seated in his Asana, robed, and let him meditate in turn upon every several part of his body until that part is so unreal to him that he no longer includes it in his comprehension of himself. For example if it be his right foot, let him touch that foot, and be alarmed, thinking, "A foot! ... foot! What is this foot? Surely I am not alone in the Hermitage!" And this practice should be carried out not only at the time of meditation, but during the day's work. 2. This meditation is to be assisted by reasoning; as "This foot is not I. If I should lose my foot, I should still be I. This foot is a mass of changing and decaying flesh, bone, skin, blood, {411} lymph, etc. while I am the Unchanging and Immortal Spirit, uniform, not made, unbegotten, formless, self-luminous," etc. 3. This practice being perfect for each part of the body, let him combine his workings until the whole body is thus understood as the non-Ego and as illusion. 4. Let then the Hermit, seated in his Asana, meditate upon the Muladhara Cakkra and its correspondence as a power of the mind, and destroy it in the same manner as aforesaid. Also by reasoning: "This emotion (memory, imagination, intellect, will, as it may be) is not I. This emotion is transient: I am immovable. This emotion is passion. I am peace", and so on. Let the other Cakkras in their turn be thus destroyed, each one with its mental or moral attribute. 5. In this let him be aided by his own psychological analysis, so that no part of his conscious being be thus left undestroyed. And on his thoroughness in this matter may turn his success. 6. Lastly, having drawn all his being into the highest Sahasrara Cakkra, let him remain eternally fixed in meditation thereupon. 7. AUM. THIRD METHOD. 1. Let the Hermit stimulate each of the senses in turn, concentrating upon each until it ceases to stimulate. (The senses of sight and touch are extremely difficult to conquer. In the end the Hermit must be utterly unable by any effort to see or feel the object of those senses, O.M.) 2. This being perfected, let him combine them two at a time. For example, let him chew ginger (taste and touch), and watch a waterfall (sight and hearing) and watch incense (sight and smell) and crush sugar in his teeth (taste and hearing) and so on. 3. These twenty-five practices being accomplished, let him combine them three at a time, then four at a time. 4. Lastly, let him combine all the senses in a single object. And herein may a sixth sense be included. He is then to withdraw himself entirely from all the stimulations, "perinde ac cadaver," in spite of his own efforts to attach himself to them. {412} 5. By this method it is said that the demons of the Ruach, that is, thoughts and memories, are inhibited, and We deny it not. But if so be that they arise, let him build a wall between himself and them according to the method. 6. Thus having stilled the voices of the Six, may he obtain in sense the subtlety of the Seventh. 7. GR:Alpha-Upsilon-Mu-Gamma-Nu. (We add the following, contributed by a friend at that time without the A.'. A.'. and its dependent orders. He worked out the method himself, and we think it may prove useful to many. O.M.) (1) The beginner must first practise breathing regularly through the nose, at the same time trying hard to believe that the breath goes to the Ajna and not to the lungs. The Pranayama exercises described in the Equinox Vol. I, No. 4, p. 101 must next be practised, always with the idea that Ajna is breathing. Try to realise that "power," not air, is being drawn into the Ajna, is being concentrated there during Kumbhakam, and is vivifying the Ajna during expiration. Try rather to increase the force of concentration in Ajna than to increase so excessively the length of Kumbhakam as this is dangerous if rashly undertaken. (2) Walk slowly in a quiet place; realise that the legs are moving, and study their movements. Understand thoroughly that these movements are due to nerve messages sent down from the brain, and that the controlling power lies in the Ajna. The legs are automatic, like those of a wooden monkey: the power in Ajna is that which does the work, is that which walks. This is not hard to realise, and should be grasped firmly, ignoring all other walking sensations. Apply this method to every other muscular movement. (3) Lie flat on the back with the feet under a heavy piece of furniture. Keeping the spine straight and the arms in a line with the body, rise slowly to a sitting posture, by means of the force residing in the Ajna (i.e. try to prevent the mind dwelling one any other exertion or sensation.) Then let the body slowly down to its original position. Repeat {413} this two or three times, every night and morning, and slowly increase the number of repetitions. (4) Try to transfer all bodily sensations to the Ajna, e.g., "I am cold" should mean "I feel cold", or better still, "I am aware of a sensation of cold" --- transfer this to the Ajna, "the Ajna is aware", etc. (5) Pain if very slight may easily be transferred to the Ajna after a little practice. The best method for beginner is to imagine he has a pain in the body and then imagine that it passes directly into the Ajna. It does not pass through the intervening structures, but goes direct. After continual practice even severe pain may be transferred to the Ajna. (6) Fix the mind on the base of the spine and then gradually move the thoughts upwards to the Ajna. (In this meditation Ajna is the Holy of Holies, but it is dark and empty.) Finally, strive hard to drive anger and other obsessing thoughts into the Ajna. Try to develop a tendency to think hard of Ajna when these thoughts attack the mind, and let Ajna conquer them. Beware of thinking of My" Ajna". In these meditations and practices, Ajna does not belong to you; Ajna is the master and worker, you are the wooden monkey. {414} LIBER HB:Taw-Yod-Shin-Aleph-Resh-Bet vel THISHARB SUB FIGURA CMXIII.<> 000. May be. (00. It has not been possible to construct this book on a basis of pure Scepticism. This matters less, as the practice leads to scepticism, and it may be through it.) 0. This book is not intended to lead to the supreme attainment. On the contrary, its results define the separate being of the Exempt Adept from the rest of the Universe, and discover his relation to the Universe.< 1. It is of such importance to the Exempt Adept that We cannot overrate it. Let him in no wise adventure the plunge into the Abyss until he has accomplished this to his most perfect satisfaction.< 2. For in the Abyss no effort is anywise possible. The Abyss is passed by virtue of the mass of the Adept and his Karma. Two forces impel him: (1) the attraction of Binah, (2) the impulse of his Karma; and the ease and even the safety of his passage depend on the strength and direction of the latter.< 3. Should one rashly dare the passage, and take the irrevocable Oath of the Abyss, he might be lost therein through Aeons of incalculable agony; he might even be thrown back upon Chesed, with the terrible Karma of failure added to his original imperfection. 4. It is even said that in certain circumstances it is possible to {415} fall altogether from the Tree of Life and to attain the Towers of the Black Brothers. But We hold that this is not possible for any adept who has truly attained his grade, or even for any man who has really sought to help humanity even for a single second< 5. Let then the Adept who finds the result of these meditations unsatisfactory refuse the Oath of the Abyss, and live so that his Karma gains strength and direction suitable to the task at some future period.< 6. Memory is essential to the individual consciousness; otherwise the mind were but a blank sheet on which shadows are cast. But we see that not only does the mind retain impressions, but that it is so constituted that its tendency is to retain some more excellently than others. Thus the great classical scholar, Sir Richard Jebb, was unable to learn even the schoolboy mathematics required for the preliminary examination at Cambridge University, and a special Grace< 7. The first method to be described has been detailed in Bhikkhu Ananda Metteya's "Training of the Mind" (Equinox I, 5, pp. 28-59, and especially pp. 48-57). We have little to alter or to add. Its most important result as regards the Oath of the Abyss, is the freedom from all desire or clinging to anything which it gives. Its second result is to aid the adept in the second method, by supplying him with further data for his investigation.< 8. The stimulation of memory useful in both practices is also achieved by simple meditation (Liber E), in a certain stage of which old memories arise unbidden. The adept may then practise this, stopping at this stage, and encouraging instead of suppressing the flashes of memory. 9. Zoroaster has said, "Explore the River of the Soul, whence {416} or in what order you have come; so that although you have become a servant to the body, you may again rise to that Order (the A.'. A.'.) from which you descended, joining Works (Kamma) to the Sacred Reason (the Tao)". > In other words he should d II. "First Method." Let the Exempt Adept first train himself to think backwards by external means, as set forth here following. --- (a) Let him learn to write backwards, with either hand. (b) Let him learn to walk backwards. (c) Let him constantly watch, if convenient, cinematograph films, and listen to phonograph records, reversed, and let him so accustom himself to these that they appear natural and appreciable as a whole. (d) Let him practise speaking backwards: thus for "I am He" let him say, "Eh ma I". (e) Let him learn to read backwards. In this it is difficult to avoid cheating one's self, as an expert reader sees a a sentence at a glance. Let his disciple read aloud to him backwards, slowly at first, then more quickly. (f) Of his own ingenium, let him devise other methods. 12. In this his brain will at first be overwhelmed by a sense of utter confusion; secondly, it will endeavour to evade the difficulty by a trick. The brain will pretend to be working backwards when {417} it is merely normal. It is difficult to describe the nature of the trick, but it will be quite obvious to anyone who has done practices (a) and (b) for a day or two. They become quite easy, and he will think that he is making progress, an illusion which close analysis will dispel. 14. In the early stages of this practice, the endeavour should be to meticulous minuteness of detail in remembering actions; for the brain's habit of thinking forward will at first be insuperable. Thinking of large and complex actions, then, will give a series which we may symbolically write "opqrstu-hijklmn-abcdefg". If these be split into detail, we shall have "stu-pqr-o-mn-kl-hij-fg-cde-ab" which is much nearer to the ideal "utsrqponmlkjihgfedcba". 15. Capacities differ widely, but the Exempt Adept need have no reason to be discouraged if after a month's continuous labour he find that now and again for a few seconds his brain really works backwards. 16. The Exempt Adept should concentrate his efforts upon obtaining a perfect picture of five minutes backwards rather than upon extending the time covered by his meditation. For this preliminary training of the brain is the Pons Asinorum of the whole process. 17. This five minutes' exercise being satisfactory, the Exempt Adept may extend the same at his discretion to cover an hour, a {418} day, a week, and so on. Difficulties vanish before him as he advances; the extension from a day to the course of his whole life will not prove so difficult as the perfecting of the five minutes. 18. This practice should be repeated at least four times daily, and progress is shown firstly by the ever easier running of the brain, secondly by the added memories which arise. 19. It is useful to reflect during this practice, which in time becomes almost mechanical, upon the way in which effects spring from causes. This aids the mind to link its memories, and prepares the adept for the preliminary practice of the second method. 20. Having allowed the mind to return for some hundred times to the hour of birth, it should be encouraged to endeavour to penetrate beyond that period.<> 21. It may be then that the memory will persuade the adept of some previous existence. Where this is possible, let it be checked by an appeal to facts, as follows: --- 22. It often occurs to men that on visiting a place to which they have never been, it appears familiar. This may arise from a confusion of thought or a slipping of the memory, but it is conceivably a fact. 23. This process of checking his memory should be practised {419} with the earlier memories of childhood and youth by reference to the memories and records of others, always reflecting upon the fallibility even of such safeguards. 24. All this being perfected, so that the memory reaches back into aeons incalculably distant, let the Exempt Adept meditate upon the fruitlessness of all those years, and upon the fruit thereof, severing that which is transitory and worthless from that which is eternal. And it may be that he being but an Exempt Adept may hold all to be savourless and full of sorrow. 25. This being so, without reluctance will he swear the Oath of the Abyss. 26. "Second Method." --- Let the Exempt Adept, fortified by the practice of the first method, enter the preliminary practice of the second method. 28. Next, let him take one of the immediate causes of his position, and trace out its equilibrium. For example, the will. What determines the will to aid in holding the body erect and motionless? 29. This being discovered, let him choose one of the forces which determined his will, and trace out that in similar fashion; and let this process be continued for many days until the interdependence of all things is a truth assimilated in his inmost being. {420} 30. This being accomplished, let him trace his own history with special reference to the causes of each event. And in this practice he may neglect to some extent the universal forces which at all times act on all, as for example, the attraction of masses, and let him concentrate his attention upon the principal and determining or effective causes. For instance, he is seated, perhaps, in a country place in Spain. Why? Because Spain is warm and suitable for meditation, and because cities are noisy and crowded. Why is Spain warm? and why does he wish to meditate? Why choose warm Spain rather than warm India? To the last question: Because Spain is nearer to his home. Then why is his home near Spain? Because his parents were Germans. And why did they go to Germany? And so during the whole meditation. 32. "Second Method." The Practice Proper. --- Having then perfected in his mind these conceptions, let him apply them to his own career, forging the links of memory into the chain of necessity. And let this be his final question: To what purpose am I fitted? Of what service can my being prove to the Brothers of the A.'. A.'. if I cross the Abyss, and am admitted to the City of the Pyramids? 33. Now that he may clearly understand the nature of this question, and the method of solution, let him study the reasoning of the anatomist who reconstructs an animal from a single bone. To take a simple example. --- 35. Similarly, let the adept consider of his own case. Now that he is on the point of plunging into the Abyss a giant Why? confronts him with uplifted club. 36. There is no minutest atom of his composition which can be withdrawn without making him some other than he is; no useless moment in his past. Then what is his future? The "Victoria" is not a wagon; it is not intended for carting hay. It is not a sulky; it is useless in trotting races. 37. So the adept has military genius, or much knowledge of Greek; how do these attainments help his purpose, or the purpose of the Brothers? He was 38. But being thus enlightened, let him swear the Oath of the Abyss; yea, let him swear the Oath of the Abyss. {422} LIBER B vel MAGI SUB FIGURA I. 00. One is the Magus: twain His forces; four His weapons. These are the seven Spirits of Unrighteousness; seven vultures of evil. Thus is the art and craft of the Magus but glamour. How shall He destroy Himself? 0. Yet the Magus hath power upon the Mother both directly and through love. And the Magus is Love, and bindeth together That and This in His Conjuration. 1. In the beginning doth the Magus speak Truth, and send forth Illusion and Falsehood to enslave the soul. Yet therein is the Mystery of Redemption. 2. By his Wisdom made He the Worlds: the World<> that is God is none other than He. 3. Now then shall He end His Speech with Silence? For He is Speech. 4. He is the First and the Last. How shall He cease to number Himself? 5. By a Magus is this writing made known through the mind of a Magister. The one uttereth clearly, and the other Understandeth; yet the Word is falsehood, and the Understanding darkness. And this saying is of All Truth. 6. Nevertheless it is written; for there be times of darkness, and this as a lamp therein. 7. With the Wand createth He. 8. With the Cup preserveth He. 9. With the Dagger destroyeth He. 10. With the Coin redeemeth He. 11. His weapons fulfil the wheel; and on What Axle that turneth is not known unto Him. 12. From all these actions must He cease before the curse of His Grade is uplifted from Him. Before He attain to that which existeth without Form. 13. And if at this time He be manifested upon earth as a Man, and therefore is this present writing, let this be His method, that {423} the curse of His grade, and the burden of His attainment, be uplifted from Him. 14. Let Him beware of abstinence from action. For the curse of His grade is that he must speak Truth, that the Falsehood thereof may enslave the souls of men. Let Him then utter that without Fear, that the Law may be fulfilled. And according to His Original Nature will that law be shapen, so that one may declare gentleness and quietness, being an Hindu; and another fierceness and servility, being a Jew; and yet another ardour and manliness, being an Arab. Yet this matter toucheth the myst 15. Now the grade of a Magister teacheth the Mystery of Sorrow, and the grade of a Magus the Mystery of Change, and the grade of Ipsissimus the Mystery of Selflessness, which is called also the Mystery of Pan. 16. Let the Magus then contemplate each in turn, raising it to the ultimate power of Infinity. Wherein Sorrow is Joy, and Change is Stability, and Selflessness is Self. For the interplay of the parts hath no action upon the whole. And this contemplation shall be performed not by simple meditation --- how much less then by reason! --- but by the method which shall have been given unto Him in His initiation to the Grade. 17. Following which method, it shall be easy for Him to combine that trinity from its elements, and further to combine Sat-Chit-Ananda, and Light, Love, Life, three by three into nine that are one, in which meditation success shall be That which was first adumbrated to Him in the grade of Practicus (which reflecteth Mercury into the lowest world) in "Liber XXVII," "Here is Nothing under its three forms." 18. And this is the Opening of the Grade of Ipsissimus, and by the Buddhists it is called the trance Nerodha-Samapatti. 19. And woe, woe, woe, yea woe, and again woe, woe, woe, unto seven times be His that preacheth not His law to men! 20. And woe also be unto Him that refuseth the curse of the grade of a Magus, and the burden of the Attainment thereof. 21. And in the word CHAOS let the book be sealed, yea, let the Book be sealed. {424} LIBER RESH vel HELIOS SUB FIGURA CC. 0. These are the adorations to be performed by aspirants<> to the A.'. A.'. 1. Let him greet the Sun at dawn, facing East, giving the sign of his grade. And let him say in a loud voice: Hail unto Thee who art Ra in Thy rising, even unto Thee who art Ra in Thy strength, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Uprising of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Night! 2. Also at Noon, let him greet the Sun, facing South, giving the sign of his grade. And let him say in a loud voice: Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy triumphing, even unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy beauty, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Mid-course of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Morning! 3. Also, at Sunset, let him greet the Sun, facing West, giving the sign of his grade. And let him say in a loud voice: Hail unto Thee who art Tum in Thy setting, even unto Thee who art Tum in Thy joy, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Down-going of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Day! 4. Lastly, at Midnight, let him greet the Sun, facing North, giving the sign of his grade, and let him say in a loud voice: Hail unto thee who art Khephra in Thy hiding, even unto Thee who art Khephra in Thy silence, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Midnight Hour of the Sun. {425} Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Evening. 5. And after each of these invocations thou shalt give the sign of silence, and afterward thou shalt perform the adoration that is taught thee by thy Superior. And then do thou compose Thyself to holy meditation. 6. Also it is better if in these adorations thou assume the God-form of Whom thou adorest, as if thou didst unite with Him in the adoration of That which is beyond Him. 7. Thus shalt thou ever be mindful of the Great Work which thou hast undertaken to perform, and thus shalt thou be strengthened to pursue it unto the attainment of the Stone of the Wise, the Summum Bonum, True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness. {426} LIBER III vel JUGORUM. 0.<> 0. Behold the Yoke upon the neck of the Oxen! Is it not thereby that the Field shall be ploughed? The Yoke is heavy, but joineth together them that are separate --- Glory to Nuit and to Hadit, and to Him that hath given us the Symbol of the Rosy Cross! Glory unto the Lord of the Word Abrahadabra, and Glory unto Him that hath given us the Symbol of the Ankh, and of the Cross within the Circle! 1. Three are the Beasts wherewith thou must plough the Field; the Unicorn, the Horse, and the Ox. And these shalt thou yoke in a triple yoke that is governed by One Whip. 2. Now these Beasts run wildly upon the earths<> and are not easily obedient to the Man. 3. Nothing shall be said here of Cerberus, the great Beast of Hell that is every one of these and all of these, even as Athanasius hath foreshadowed. For this matter<<(i.e. the matter of Cereberus).>> is not of Tiphereth without, but Tiphereth within. I. 0. The Unicorn is speech. Man, rule thy Speech! How else shalt thou master the Son, and answer the Magician at the right hand gateway of the Crown? 1. Here are practices. Each may last for a week or more. (a) Avoid using some common word, such as "and" or "the" or "but"; use a paraphrase. (b) Avoid using some letter of the alphabet, such as "t" or "s" or "m"; use a paraphrase. (c) Avoid using the pronouns and adjectives of the first person; use a paraphrase. Of thine own ingenium devise others. {427} 2. On each occasion that thou art betrayed into saying that thou art sworn to avoid, cut thyself sharply upon the wrist or forearm with a razor; even as thou shouldst beat a disobedient dog. Feareth not the Unicorn the claws and teeth of the Lion? 3. Thine arm then serveth thee both for a warning and for a record. Thou shalt write down thy daily progress in these practices, until thou art perfectly vigilant at all times over the least word that slippeth from thy tongue. Thus bind thyself, and thou shalt be for ever free. II. 0. The Horse is Action. Man, rule thine Action. How else shalt thou master the Father, and answer the Fool at the Left Hand Gateway of the Crown? 1. Here are practices. Each may last for a week, or more. (a) Avoiding lifting the left arm above the waist. (b) Avoid crossing the legs. Of thine own ingenium devise others. 2. On each occasion that thou art betrayed into doing that thou art sworn to avoid, cut thyself sharply upon the wrist or forearm with a razor; even as thou shouldst beat a disobedient dog. Feareth not the Horse the teeth of the Camel? 3. Thine arm then serveth thee both for a warning and for a record. Thou shalt write down thy daily progress in these practices, until thou art perfectly vigilant at all times over the least action that slippeth from the least of thy fingers. Thus bind thyself, and thou shalt be for ever free. III. 0. The Ox is Thought. Man, rule thy Thought! How else shalt thou master the Holy Spirit, and answer the High Priestess in the Middle Gateway of the Crown? 1. Here are practices. Each may last for a week or more. (a) Avoid thinking of a definite subject and all things connected with it, and let that subject be one which commonly occupies much of thy thought, being frequently stimulated by sense-perceptions or the conversation of others. {428} (b) By some device, such as the changing of thy ring from one finger to another, create in thyself two personalities, the thoughts of one being within entirely different limits from that of the other, the common ground being the necessities of life.< Of thine own Ingenium devise others. 2. On each occasion that thou art betrayed into thinking that thou art sworn to avoid, cut thyself sharply upon the wrist or forearm with a razor; even as thou shouldst beat a disobedient dog. Feareth not the Ox the Goad of the Ploughman? 3. Thine arm then serveth thee both for a warning and for a record. Thou shalt write down thy daily progress in these practices, until thou art perfectly vigilant at all times over the least thought that ariseth in thy brain. Thus bind thyself, and thou shalt be for ever free. {429} LIBER CHETH vel VALLUM ABIEGNI SUB FIGURA CLVI. 1. This is the secret of the Holy Graal, that is the sacred vessel of our Lady, the Scarlet Woman, Babalon the Mother of Abominations, the Bride of Chaos, that rideth upon our Lord the Beast. 2. Thou shalt drain out thy blood that is thy life into the golden cup of her fornication. 3. Thou shalt mingle thy life with the universal life. Thou shalt keep not back one drop. 4. Then shall thy brain be dumb, and thy heart beat no more, and all thy life shall go from thee; and thou shalt be cast out upon the midden, and the birds of the air shall feast upon thy flesh, and thy bones shall whiten in the sun. 5. Then shall the winds gather themselves together and bear thee up as it were a little heap of dust in a sheet that hath four corners, and they shall give it unto the guardian< 6. And because there is no life therein, the guardian<> of the Abyss shall bid the angels of the winds pass by. And the angels thereof shall be no more.<> 7. Now therefore that thou mayest achieve this ritual of the Holy Graal, do thou divest thyself of all thy goods. 8. Thou hast wealth; give it unto them that have need thereof, yet no desire toward it. 9. Thou hast health; slay thyself in the fervour of thine abandonment unto Our Lady. Let thy flesh hang loose upon thy bones, and thine eyes glare with thy quenchless lust unto the Infinite, with thy passion for the Unknown, for Her that is beyond Knowledge the accursed one. 10. Thou hast love; tear thy mother from thine heart and spit in the face of thy father. Let thy foot trample the belly of thy wife, and let the babe at her breast be the prey of dogs and vultures. 11. For if thou dost not this with thy will, then shall We do {430} this despite thy will. So that thou attain to the Sacrament of the Graal in the Chapel of Abominations. 12. And behold! if by stealth thou keep unto thyself one thought of thine, then shalt thou be cast out into the abyss for ever; and thou shalt be the lonely one, the eater of dung, the afflicted in the Day of Be-With-Us. 13. Yea! verily this is the Truth, this is the Truth, this is the Truth. Unto thee shall be granted joy and health and wealth and wisdom when thou art no longer thou. > in the market place, and the virgins shall fling roses upon thee, and the merchants bend their knees and bring thee gold and spices. Als 15. Yet shalt thou not be therein, for thou shalt be forgotten, dust lost in dust. 16. Nor shall the aeon itself avail thee in this; for from the dust shall a white ash be prepared by Hermes the Invisible. 17. And this is the wrath of God, that these things should be thus. 18. And this is the grace of God, that these things should be thus. 19. Wherefore I charge you that ye come unto me in the Beginning; for if ye take but one step in this Path, ye must arrive inevitably at the end thereof. 20. This Path is beyond Life and Death; it is also beyond Love, but that ye know not, for ye know not Love. 21. And the end thereof is known not even unto Our Lady, nor to the Beast whereon She rideth, nor unto the Virgin her daughter, nor unto Chaos her lawful Lord; but unto the Crowned Child is it known? It is not known if it be known. 22. Therefore unto Hadit and unto Nuit be the glory in the End and the Beginning; yea, in the End and the Beginning. {431} LIBER A'ASH vel CAPRICORNI PNEUMATICI SUB FIGURA CCCLXX. 0. Gnarled Oak of God! In thy branches is the lightning nested! Above thee hangs the Eyeless Hawk. 1. Thou art blasted and black! Supremely solitary in that heath of scrub. 2. Up! The Ruddy clouds hang over thee! It is the storm. 3. There is a flaming gash in the sky. 4. Up. 5. Thou art tossed about in the grip of the storm for an aeon and an aeon and an aeon. But thou givest not thy sap; thou fallest not. 6. Only in the end shalt thou give up thy sap when the great God F.I.A.T. is enthroned on the day of Be-With-Us. 7. For two things are done and a third thing is begun. Isis and Osiris are given over to incest and adultery. Horus leaps up thrice armed from the womb of his mother. Harpocrates his twin is hidden within him. SET is his holy covenant, that he shall display in the great day of M.A.A.T., that is being interpreted the Master of the Temple of A.'. A.'., whose name is Truth. 8. Now in this is the magical power known. 9. It is like the oak that hardens itself and bears up against the storm. It is weather-beaten and scarred and confident like a sea-captain. 10. Also it straineth like a hound in the leash. 11. It hath pride and great subtlety. Yea, and glee also! 12. Let the Magus act thus in his conjuration. 13. Let him sit and conjure; let him draw himself together in that forcefulness; let him rise next swollen and straining; let him dash back the hood from his head and fix his basilisk eye upon the sigil of the demon. Then let him sway the force of him to and fro like a satyr in silence, until the Word burst from his throat. > might have been ten thousandfold the human; but that which floodeth him is {432} the infinite mercy of the Genitor- 15. Nor do thou deceive thyself. It is easy to tell the live force from the dead matter. It is no easier to tell the live snake from the dead snake. 16. Also concerning vows. Be obstinate, and be not obstinate. Understand that the yielding of the Yoni is one with the lengthening of the Lingam. Thou art both these; and thy vow is but the rustling of the wind on Mount Meru. 17. How<> shalt thou adore me who am the Eye and the Tooth, the Goat of the Spirit, the Lord of Creation. I am the Eye in the Triangle, the Silver Star tha 18. I am Baphomet, that is the Eightfold Word that shall be equilibrated with the Three. 19. There is no act or passion that shall not be an hymn in mine honour. 20. All holy things and all symbolic things shall be my sacraments. 21. These animals are sacred unto me; the goat, and the duck, and the ass, and the gazelle, the man, the woman and the child. 22. All corpses are sacred unto me; they shall not be touched save in mine eucharist. All lonely places are sacred unto me; where one man gathereth himself together in my name, there will I leap forth in the midst of him. 23. I am the hideous god, and who mastereth me is uglier than I. 24. Yet I give more than Bacchus and Apollo; my gifts exceed the olive and the horse. 25. Who worshippeth me must worship me with many rites. 26. I am concealed with all concealments; when the Most Holy Ancient One is stripped and driven through the market place, I am still secret and apart. 27. Whom I love I chastise with many rods. 28. All things are sacred to me; no thing is sacred from me. 29. For there is no holiness where I am not. 30. Fear not when I fall in the fury of the storm; for mine acorns are blown afar by the wind; and verily I shall rise again, {433} and my children about me, so that we shall uplift our forest in Eternity. 31. Eternity is the storm that covereth me. 32. I am Existence, the Existence that existeth not save through its own Existence, that is beyond the Existence of Existences, and rooted deeper than the No-Thing-Tree in the Land of No-Thing. 33. Now therefore thou knowest when I am within Thee, when my hood is spread over thy skull, when my might is more than the penned Indus, and resistless as the Giant Glacier. 34. For as thou art before a lewd woman in Thy nakedness in the bazaar, sucked up by her slyness and smiles, so art thou wholly and no more in part before the symbol of the beloved, though it be but a Pisacha or a Yantra or a Deva. 35. And in all shalt thou create the Infinite Bliss and the next link of the Infinite Chain. 36. This chain reaches from Eternity to Eternity, ever in triangles --- is not my symbol a triangle? --- ever in circles --- is not the symbol of the Beloved a circle? Therein is all progress base illusion, for every circle is alike and every triangle alike! 37. But the progress is progress, and progress is rapture, constant, dazzling, showers of light, waves of dew, flames of the hair of the Great Goddess, flowers of the roses that are about her neck, Amen! 38. Therefore lift up thyself as I am lifted up.<> Hold thyself in as I am master to accomplish. At the end, be the end far distant as the stars that lie in the navel of Nuit, do thou slay thyself as I at the end am slain, in the death that is life, in the peace that is mother of war, in the darkness that holds light in his hand, as an harlot that plucks a jewel from her nostrils. 39. So therefore the beginning is delight, and the end is delight, and delight is in the midst, even as the Indus is water in the cavern of the glacier, and water among the greater hills and the lesser hills and through the ramparts of the hills and through the plains, and water at the mouth thereof when it leaps forth into the mighty sea, yea, into the mighty sea. (The Interpretation of this Book will be given to members of the Grade of Dominus Liminis on application, each to his Adeptus.) {434} LIBER A vel ARMORUM SUB FIGURA CCCXII. " ... the obeah and the wanga; the work of the wand and the work of the sword; these he shall learn and teach." Liber L. I. 37.<> "The Pantacle."<> Take pure wax, or a plate of gold, silver-gilt or Electrum Magicum. The diameter shall be eight inches, and the thickness half an inch. Let the Neophyte by his understanding and ingenium devise a symbol to represent the Universe. Let his Zelator approve thereof. Let the Neophyte engrave the same upon the plate with his own hand and weapon. Let it when finished be consecrated as he hath skill to perform, and kept wrapped in silk of emerald green. "The Dagger." Let the Zelator take a piece of pure steel, and beat it, grind it, sharpen it, and polish it, according to the art of the swordsmith. Let him further take a piece of oak wood, and carve a hilt. The length shall be eight inches. Let him by his understanding and ingenium devise a Word to represent the Universe. Let his Practicus approve thereof. Let the Zelator engrave the same upon his dagger with his own hand and instruments. Let him further gild the wood of his hilt.<> Let it when finished be consecrated as he hath skill to perform, and kept wrapped in silk of golden yellow. {435} "The Cup." Let the Practicus take a piece of Silver and fashion therefrom a cup. The height shall be 8 inches, and the diameter 3 inches. Let him by his understanding and ingenium devise a Number to represent the Universe. Let his Philosophus approve thereof. Let the Practicus engrave the same upon his cup with his own hand and instrument. Let it when finished be consecrated as he hath skill to perform, and kept wrapped in silk of azure blue. "The Baculum." Let the Philosophus take a rod of copper, of length eight inches and diameter half an inch. Let him fashion about the top a triple flame of gold. Let him by his understanding and ingenium devise a Deed to represent the Universe. Let his Dominus Liminis approve thereof. Let the Philosophus perform the same in such a way that the Baculum may be partaker therein. Let it when finished be consecrated as he hath skill to perform, and kept wrapped in silk of fiery scarlet. "The Lamp." Let the Dominus Liminis take pure lead, tin, and quicksilver, with platinum, and, if need be, glass. let him by his understanding and ingenium devise a Magick Lamp that shall burn without wick or oil, being fed by the Aethyr. This shall he accomplish secretly and apart, without asking the advice or approval of his Adeptus Minor. Let the Dominus Liminis keep it when consecrated in the secret chamber of Art. This then is that which is written: "Bring furnished with complete armour and armed, he is similar to the goddess." And again, "I am armed, I am armed." {436}  Comments to Maxfield Chandler