Section I.3: A Brief Description of Lilith.

 

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
– William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Romeo and Juliet Act II, scene ii

Lilith is the Mother of the Night, Queen of Succubi, Incubi and all other Denizens of the Night. She is wild, passionate and independent. When humanity feared the Night, she was cast in a negative light. Now that we have grown up (or at least reached puberty), we can see that the frightening shadows gather their power from our projected fears.

The Legend of Lilith

Lilith was once the wife of Sammael, who is incorrectly known as Lucifer. This marriage did not last long for She is a wild, passionate and heroic soul, quite incompatible with the cold demeanor of Sammael. After leaving Sammael, She joined with Adam.

Her time with Adam did not go well. Adam would insist and rail upon Her. “I am your lord and master,” claimed Adam. However, Lilith would say, “We are both equal, for we are both issued from the dust, and I will not be your slave.” This went on, Adam claiming he was superior and Lilith stating that they were equal. Eventually, Lilith became tired of Adam’s self-perceived superiority and flew away.

Adam decided that this was too much and beseeched three angels – whose names were Senoi, Sansenoi and Sammengelof, to fetch Lilith back to him. They caught Lilith above what is now known as the Red Sea, and a great battle took place.

During the battle they realized that Lilith’s powers were too great for them to force Her into obedience, and they attempted to drown Her. She fought them off but, during the battle, drops of Her blood fell into the sea, thus giving the Red Sea its name.

When the angels returned to report their failure, Adam went to Yahweh and said, “Oh, Almighty Lord, the creature that was my wife has left me, claiming that since we both came from the dust, we were equal and she refused to be my servant.”

So the Almighty in his wisdom, caused a sleep to fall upon Adam, and in his slumber removed a rib. This He fashioned into a woman. As She had come from man, She was a part of man and, thus, belonged to man.

This is pretty much a literal retelling of the story found in Angelo S. Rappoport’s Ancient Israel - Myths & Legends (3 Volumes in one). I changed the bias to positive and took poetic license with the naming of the Red Sea (though that is where the battle took place).

Originally found in Liber Atri Matris, a book I wrote back when I was set on forming my own Magickal Order. Amazing what one will do when one doesn’t know how much they don’t know.

The Star Sapphire (Notes and Translations)

The Star Sapphire, Liber XXXVI, is the Thelemic Hexagram Ritual. It is interesting for a variety of reasons. First, it contains the proper order of the NOX signs: Puer, Vir, Puella, Mulier, and Mater Triumphans. Second, it has both a tantric and non-tantric interpretation. Finally, there is no stated elemental, planetary, nor astrological attribution. One can infer from the Tetragrammaton, the Tarot, or even the hexagram itself — however, to my knowledge, this is all conjectural. I suspect there may be no attributions other than that of Male-Female, Yang-Yin, and Lingam-Yoni. I see this ritual as ultimately an invocative or evocative rite, just as I saw the Star Ruby as primarily a banishing rite.

One does not call god names in the Star Sapphire. Instead we get the repeated paeans to the Unity. The hexagrams are drawn with variations of “X et Y Unus Deus” followed with “ARARITA”. ARARITA was explained in the earlier post on the Thelemic Hexagram Ritual. “Et” means “and”. “Unus Deus” means “One God”. Thus the formula is “X and Y are One God”. This is consonant with the meaning of ARARITA. The terms are Pater, Mater, Filius, and Filia. These are Father, Mother, Son, and Daughter.

After placing the Hexagrams, the practitioner is charged with “making the Rosy Cross as he may know how”. This is a tantric metaphor. For the non-tantric, people often make the Sign of ‘Orus (aka, Sign of Osiris Slain or Sign of the Cross). You then say “ARARITA” three times while making the Signs of Set Triumphant and of Baphomet (more tantra). The Sign of Set Triumphant is also known as Sign of the Joy of Iacchus or Sign of Typhon and Apophis. The Sign of Baphomet is better known as Mulier.

The rest of the instruction, prior to the Latin, pertains to the tantric performance of the ritual. The Latin translates as follows:

Omnia in Duos	All in Two
Duo in Unum	Two in One
Unus in Nihil	One in Nothing
Haec nec Quatuor nec Omnia nec Duo nec Unus nec Nihil Sunt	These are not Four nor All nor Two nor One nor Nothing

This is followed by another paragraph in Latin:

Gloria Patri et Matri et Filio et Filiae	Glory be to the Father and Mother and Son and Daughter
et Spiritui Sancto externo et Spiritui Sancto interno	and to the Holy Spirit without and within
ut erat est erit	which was, is, and shall be
in saecula Saeculorum	world without end
sex in uno per nomen Septem in uno	Six in One through the names of the Seven in One
Ararita	"One is His Beginning; One is His Individuality; His Permutation is One."

We close with the LVX signs.

The hexagram, both traditional and unicursal, have the planets arranged in sephirotic order. Starting at the top and moving clockwise (that is, doesil or to the right, for those unfamiliar with analog clocks) they are: Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, Luna, Mercury, and Mars. Sol resides in the center. For this, I use the unicursal hexagram and progress my starting point along the drawn lines of the hexagram.

Latin	Translation	Starting Point
Pater et Mater Unus Deus	Father and Mother are One God	Saturn
Mater et Filus Unus Deus	Mother and Son are One God	Venus
Filius et Filia Unus Deus	Son and Daughter are One God	Mars
Filia et Pater Unus Deus	Daughter and Father are One God	Luna

Finally, a Rood is a Crucifix. The Rosy Cross is the result of this rite.

Pentagram Rituals (Notes and Translations): Lesser, Greater, and Supreme

The bulk of the Pentagram Rituals are in English. Only the Qabalistic Cross and God names are in Hebrew. The Supreme variant adds Enochian. This Enochian is spoken while tracing the pentagrams, otherwise it is identical to the Greater Ritual.

The Thelemic variants do nothing more than add “Aiwass” to the Qabalistic Cross. Aiwass should be taken as representing the Holy Guardian Angel. As with the Thelemic Hexagram Ritual, the change is minor, but significant.

The text for the Greater and Lesser Rituals of the Pentagram can be found in Liber O. The Greater Ritual is performed by tracing the proper spirit pentagram prior to elemental pentagram. The active elements, Fire and Air, get the Active Spirit pentagram, and the passive elements, Water and Earth, get the Passive Spirit pentagram. E.g., trace Active Spirit pentagram, vibrate EHIH, trace Air pentagram, vibrate YHWH, proceed to next quarter. The Supreme ritual is done by vibrating the Enochian for each quarter while tracing the appropriate pentagrams. E.g. trace Active Spirit pentagram while vibrating EXARP, vibrate EHIH, trace Air pentagram while vibrating ORO IBAH AOZPI, vibrate YHWH, proceed to next quarter.

The original phrase for the Qabalistic Cross is “Ateh Malkuth Ve-Geburah Ve-Gedulah Le-Olahm, Amen” Which translates to “Unto thee, the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory to the ages, amen”. The Thelemic version, “Ateh Aiwass Malkuth Ve-Geburah Ve-Gedulah Le-Olahm, Amen” translates to “Unto thee, Aiwass, the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory to the ages, amen”. This changes the focus from the tribal desert totem of the early Hebrews to the personal Holy Guardian Angel.

The God names used in these rituals are: EHIH, AGLA, YHWH, ALHIM, EL, ADNI (not all are used in the lesser variant). These names of god mean (in order): I am, Atah Gibor Le-olam Adonai (Notariqon), Tetragrammaton, Gods/Goddesses, God, and My Lords. The Notariqon of “Atah Gibor Le-olam Adonai” translates to “You, O Lord, are mighty forever”. I should also note that in Thelemic parlance, Adonai is a title referring to the Holy Guardian Angel, so this could be "You, my Holy Guardian Angel, are mighty forever".

The Supreme variant uses Enochian. They will be given in order of use, with the Enochian followed by the translation. For Air, EXARP (”Air of Spirit”) and ORO IBAH AOZPI (”He who cries aloud in the place of desolation”). Fire is BITOM (”Fire of Spirit”) and OIP TEAA PDOCE (”He whose name is unchanged from what it was”). Next is Water with HCOMA (”Water of Spirit”) and MPH ARSL GAIOL (”He who is the 1st true creator,the horned one”). Finally, Earth is NANTA (”Earth of Spirit”) and MOR DIAL HCTGA (”He who burns up iniquity without equal”).

For reference, I am summarizing all of this into tables:

Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram
Name	Translation	Quarter / Planet (Element)
YHWH	Tetragrammaton	East / Sol (Air)
ADNI	My Lord(s) / HGA	South / Mercury (Fire)
AHIH	I am	West / Luna (Water)
AGLA	You, O Lord / my HGA, are mighty forever	North / Venus (Earth)

Greater Ritual of the Pentagram
Name	Translation	Quarter / Sign (Element)
AHIH	I am	East & South / (Active Spirit)
AGLA	You, O Lord / my HGA, are mighty forever	West & North / (Passive Spirit)
YHWH	Tetragrammaton	East / Aquarius (Air)
ALHIM	Gods/Goddesses	South / Leo (Fire)
El/AL	God	West / Scorpio (Eagle, Water)
ADNI	My Lord(s) / HGA	North / Taurus (Earth)

Enochian Additions to Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram
Name	Translation	Quarter / Element
EXARP	Air of Spirit	East / Air
ORO IBAH AOZPI	He who cries aloud in the place of desolation	East / Air
BITOM	Fire of Spirit	South / Fire
OIP TEAA PDOCE	He whose name is unchanged from what it was	South / Fire
HCOMA	Water of Spirit	West / Water
MPH ARSL GAIOL	He who is the 1st true creator, the horned one	West / Water
NANTA	Earth of Spirit	North / Earth
MOR DIAL HCTGA	He who burns up iniquity without equal	North / Earth

Thelemic Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram

I primarily use this in its banishing form. Further, I use the form published by David Cherubim, and recommended to me by Gerald del Campo, many years ago. I can no longer find the original online, so I will begin by posting this form of the ritual. As with the “Thelemic” variant of the Pentagram Rite, the changes are minor but hardly cosmetic. Following the text of the ritual will be David Cherubim’s commentary, then mine.

1. Facing East, in the center, stand upright, with your feet together, left arm at side, right arm across body, holding the wand or other weapon upright in the median line. Then say:
2. I. N. R. I.
   Yod. Nun. Resh. Yod.
   Virgo, Iacchus, Holy Father.
   Scorpio, Asi, Holy Mother.
   Sol, Orus, Holy Child.
   Iacchus, Asi, Orus,
   IAO.
3. Extend your arms in the form of a Cross, and say: "The Sign of Orus."
4. Raise your right arm to point upwards, keeping the elbow square, and lower your left arm to point downward, keeping the elbow square, while turning your head over your left shoulder looking down so that your eyes follow your left forearm, and say: "The Sign of the Dance of Asi."
5. Raise your arms at an angle of sixty degrees to each other above your head, which is thrown back, and say: "The Sign of the Joy of Iacchus."
6. Cross your arms on your breast, bow your head, and say: "The Sign of the Blazing Star."
7. Extend your arms again as "L" and cross them again as in "X", saying: "L.V.X., Lux, the Light of the Cross."
8. Advance to the East, and with the magical weapon trace the Hexagram, and vibrate: "ARARITA".
9. Turn to the South and do the same.
10. Turn to the North and do the same.
11. Return to the East, completing the Circle, then repeat 1 through 7

Notes by David Cherubim
In the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn you did not start the Hexagram Ritual with the Analysis of the Key Word, but with the Qabalistic Cross. Aleister Crowley changed this to balance the ritual, for it pertains to the Hexagram, which is a symbol of Tiphareth, the Sephira of Balance. Unless you feel inclined to do otherwise, I suggest that you always use the Analysis of the Key Word and never the Qabalistic Cross in the Hexagram Ritual. For as it is written, "Equilibrium is the basis of the Great Work."

The Signs used in the Hexagram Ritual are connected with the four Elements and the four Seasons of the Year. They are called the L.V.X. Signs. L.V.X., or Lux, is the Light of the Cross. It is that Great Light which is referred to in the Golden Dawn proclamation, "Khabs Am Pekht. Konx Om Pax. Light In Extension." In the Old Order of the Golden Dawn, the L.V.X. Signs were known as "The Sign of Osiris Slain", "The Sign of the Mourning of Isis", "The Sign of Apophis and Typhon", and "The Sign of Osiris Risen."

The Sign of Orus (or Osiris Slain) is also called the Sign of the Cross; the Sign of the Dance of Asi (or Isis Mourning) is also called the Sign of the Svastika, and by shape it is the letter L of the word LVX; the Sign of the Joy of Iacchus (or Apophis and Typhon) is also called the Sign of the Trident, and by shape it is the letter V of the word LVX; the Sign of the Blazing Star (or Osiris Risen) is also called the Sign of the Pentagram, and by shape it is the letter X of the word LVX. [images omitted]

The Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram is to be performed after the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram. To use this ritual to invoke or banish, you trace the invoking or banishing Hexagram of Earth in all four quarters of your Temple. The so-called Hexagram of Earth can be used in a general way, for simple operations, like the Pentagram of Earth in the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram. In Liber O Vel Manus et Sagittae we are instructed to trace the four so-called Elemental Hexagrams, which were designed by S. L. MacGregor Mathers. These, however, are unessential. The Hexagram of Earth alone is sufficient. Or you may employ the Unicursal Hexagram, as illustrated below. [images omitted]

In the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram, the Four Elements of Fire, Water, Air and Earth are attributed differently to the four quarters than in the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram to correspond with the nature of the Zodiac: Fire is in the East for Aries, Earth is in the South for Capricorn, Air is in the West for Libra, and Water is in the North for Cancer. When tracing the Hexagrams in the Lesser Ritual, they should be visualized in golden flame. When going from quarter to quarter, you must trace around yourself a Circle of Light by connecting the center of a completed Hexagram to the area that will become the center of the next Hexagram, just like in the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram.

Notes by Nexist Xenda’ths
The images are readily available, so I did not include them in this post. For the Signs, they are published under their old aeonic names in Liber O. The Invoking unicursal hexagram is drawn from the top point moving in a downward right direction. The banishing is done likewise, but in a downward left motion. I tend to use the elemental hexagrams from Liber O rather than the only the Earth or unicursal hexagrams. These are Fire in the East, Earth in the South, Air in the West, and Water in the North. Note that this is different that given by Shoemaker in his Living Thelema, which uses the attributions of the Lesser Pentagram Ritual.

David Jones explained to me that the Hexagram ritual’s elemental attributions corresponds to the Enochian system, so I use the Elemental colors of Enochian (White=Fire, Black=Earth, Red=Air, and Green=Water).

Since this ritual is in English, for the most part, little translation is needed. Only INRI and ARARITA need some explanation. INRI is a formula that was adapted from Christianity. An Acronym for Iēsus Nazarēnus, Rēx Iūdaeōrum, or Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews, the Latin alphabet is mapped to the Hebrew (as given on the second line), which corresponds to the Tarot cards of The Hermit (and here), Death (and here), and The Sun (and here). Their study is recommended in understanding this term.

ARARITA is another acronym (Notariqon). It is a latinization of the Hebrew phrase “Achad Rosh Achdotho Rosh Ichudo Temurato Achad”, or, as commonly translated, “One is His Beginning; One is His Individuality; His Permutation is One.”

Again with the Star Ruby (Translation and Notes)

Language is important. Magicians use “barbarous”, “dead” and other strange languages as an aid in bringing about magical consciousness. Some Hebrew, a bit of Enochian, and some Latin force one to enter a state of altered consciousness, if for no other reason, simply because it is something unusual. Still, there is no excuse for not knowing what you are saying. As Abraham von Worms points out, the spirits are not impressed by false erudition. To recite a bunch of syllables is ultimately meaningless, those syllables must have meaning. To this end, I am providing some preliminary notes and translations of the various rituals that I use regularly. The first of these is the Star Ruby, also known as Liber XXV. The primary language of the Star Ruby is Greek.

The first spoken line is “Apo pantos kakadaimonos”. This translates (roughly) to “Flee in terror malevolent (shit) spirits”.

Next is the Qabalistic cross: “Soi” (head), “O phalle” (phallus), “ischuros” (right), and “eukaristos” (left). This can be translated as “Unto thee o phallus, strength and thanksgiving”.

Finally, we have the invocation of the quarters, which goes “Pro mou Junges” (”Before me, Junges”), “Opiso mou Teletarchai” (”Behind me, Teletarchai”), “Epi deksia Synoches” (”On my right hand, Synoches”), and “Eparistera Daimonos”(”On my left hand, Daimonos”). This is wrapped up with “Flegei gar peri mou o aster ton pente. Kai en tee stelle o aster ton hex esteeke” which can be translated as “About me flames the pentagrams. In the column shines the six rayed star”.

The only thing left is to explain what you are calling in the four quarters.

Junges
This class of beings are the children of the Father, the bearers of the primordial fire which gives rise to magick and concepts which give rise to motion. This fire & passion is delivered to the Synoches.

Teletarchai
These beings represent the guiding forces of initiation, of progress. They are the children of Junges and Synoches. They are responsible for shaping our Will so that we progress forward toward accomplishing that Will.

Synoches
These beings are the containers of the fire, the mothers which birth creation. The Will, originating from the Junges, is formed by the Synoches and manifested by the Teletarchai. That which we strive to be determines our experiences which result in our current path, the expression of our Will in the current physio-temporal frame.

Daimonos
These are the saints, those who have achieved their will and whose blood fills the Cup of Babalon. They inspire and motivate us, they are our support and our emancipation.

I’ll admit that I am still working on internalizing and expanding my understanding of the beings evoked by the Star Ruby. These descriptions are meant as a starting point.

I find the basic purposes of the attributions correlative with those of the Standard Pentagram rituals. In the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, we have Sol/Raphiel, Luna/Gabriel, Mercury/Michael, and Venus/Uriel. Sol resides in Tiphareth to which is associated the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. Luna resides in Yesod which is commonly equated with prophecy, Magick, and Initiation. Mercury is the manifestation of the Will, and Venus is easily the support and benediction of the community.

Crowley viewed this ritual as a Thelemic equivalent to the Greater Pentagram Ritual. However, there are notable changes to the attributions of the pentagrams (though not so much the symbolism of the archangels, as noted in the previous paragraph). While not mentioned explicitly in the text, the attributions are obvious by virtue of the calling of the god-names. Therion is roared like a lion (Leo), Nuit is spoken as a human (Aquarius), Babalon is hissed like a snake (one of the forms of Scorpio), and finally, Hadit is bellowed like a bull (Taurus). Since this is said to be a replacement for the Greater Pentagram Ritual, the sigil of Scorpio should probably be that of an eagle, though one could easily argue that it should be a snake (an eagle would be “cry”).

On Fuck-ups & an Apology

Why should you study and practice Magick? Because you can't help doing it, and you had better do it well than badly. - AC, MWT:2

I don’t believe in hiding my mistakes. Assumptions of infallibility lead to stagnation. I do not deny my error, neither do I attempt to clear the record of all evidence of my mistakes. I will, however, make notes on prior posts to indicate that there are errors and where corrections can be found. This records the evolution of thought and progress of the thing involved.

The goal of occultism is, in my estimation, perfection. Perfection is (most likely) unattainable. The moment we achieve, or come close to, perfection, our new clarity of vision allows us to see flaws in our original conception. From this we can formulate a new goal. By admitting our mistakes, we can thereby rectify them, and thus become one step closer to perfection. Rejoice in those who correct you, for they are aiding you in your quest for perfection. [One should differentiate between someone disagreeing with you and proving that you are wrong. Test the spirits of the corporeal as well as those summoned to your circle.]

That being said, let me get to the point of this post. While I have been studying, and practicing, Thelemic ritual for some time, they tended to move in bursts and spurts. I committed the various rituals to memory and continued on. Sadly, it seems that the fallow periods caused me to forget some elements and when I started up again, my brain filled in the forgotten pieces. Some of these were probably correct, but many were wrong. This can be evidenced by the various addenda and errata I have had to make for the various articles I have posted. Over the past year or so, I have been performing these rituals daily and their errors have become more pronounced. People would come and drop information that clarified points. The frustration of being corrected has caused me to refer to the source documents again and again.

This brings me to the first point, constantly review the source material. Liber O is invaluable. Any ritual not there can be found on the web. Check multiple versions to ensure that you aren’t finding some strange variant. This is especially important if one has taken a hiatus. Reverify to make sure you haven’t regressed to prior misconceptions and bad habits. Make notes and use them. When I start a new ritual, I type it up and set it with my collection for reference during my practices. Eventually, it will be committed to memory and then it goes into an inactive pile which is available “just in case”.
So, to sum up, I apologize to any and all of you who may have been led astray by my errors. Please look forward to corrected versions being written.

Confucianism, Thelema, and Tradition [418 Words]

This is the last of my targeted word count writings. Future work will be less artificially constrained.

Recently, I have been fascinated by Confucianism. It created a meritocratic system of self-cultivation that lasted for centuries. While its practice may never have matched its ideals, I think we can learn much from this tradition. The official Thelemic viewpoint on Confucianism is favorable as well. The prophet references it in his new comment for verse III:53. Mongol is taken to be a probable reference to Confucianism (personally, I think it refers to all traditions of the “Mongols”). It, along with Buddhism, Hinduism, and the Qabalah, are taken as correct in essence, but imperfect in practice.

These practices have, by virtue of Crowley, Guénon, and Evola, had their flesh torn, as per III:53. The sole exception seems to be Confucianism. Crowley addressed Buddhism, Qabalah, Taoism, and the two traditions from III:51-52 (Christianity and Islam). Guénon dealt with Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. Evola addressed Buddhism. These aren’t exhaustive, but reflect their work in conjunction with III:50-54. Other than a brief mention in Evola’s work on Taoism (in itself, a brief gloss), Confucianism has been largely ignored. This is unfortunate, as few traditions have the innate restorative power for a world fallen into the Kali Yuga as does Confucianism. It’s meritocratic methodology would restore the “confusion of the castes” that Guénon and Evola chronicled. Further, it would be self-selected and free from any bias other than the inherent bias of ascription to the principles being espoused (in this case, Thelema). Also, the intent of Confucianism seems to be replicated in Crowley’s vision of the AA and the reading lists.

The purpose of Confucianism is the cultivation of the superior man. To achieve this, one studies and practices the prescribed teachings. Beyond this, many Chinese dynasties utilized Confucian knowledge as the base for selecting government officials. Testing was a necessary component and one’s score determined one’s position within the government. These tests looked much like those I have seen for entrance into the A∴A∴. While some questions were capable of being answered by rote memorization, certain questions were designed so as to allow the student to show their own comprehension and internalization of the material. These questions had no specific answer (though they probably had wrong answers).


The A∴A∴ system, as it was written by Crowley, seems to be Confucian in nature. One is given Thelemic texts to study, along with materials meant to illuminate understanding and provide background to the texts. These are conjoined to practices which are meant to provide an experiential reference.

Liber Resh [666 Words from May 23]

Liber Resh vel Helios sub figurâ CC is listed as the second practice in de Cultu. The first being to study and practice the Holy Books. The initial version I was taught had two parts: the adoration of the solar god of the quarter and the “adoration that is taught thee by thy Superior.” The initial adoration that I was taught was a subset of “A Paraphrase of the Inscription upon the Obverse of the Stèle of Revealing,” starting with the verse “Unity uttermost showed!” Since then, I have learned an extended form. This form is said to have been taught by Crowley at the Abbey of Thelema. I will break this down into five parts. Parts two through four have associated footwork. Steps one, three, and five have associated god forms.

Resh is to be performed at dawn, noon, dusk, and midnight. For these I use solar noon and midnight, so it is not at precisely 12 o’clock. Also, if I forget a station, I will still perform it. E.g., if I forget noon, at dusk I will do Noon Resh, then Evening Resh. As for fitting this into the daily practice, My morning has Star Ruby, Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram, and Resh. Noon/Midnight has Resh. Evening has Resh, (Phoenix)*, and the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.

In the Morning, face East (which you will be if you just finished your TLIRP), make the Sign of the Enterer and say “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” From the Sign of the Enterer, flow into the Sign of Vir. Next, make your feet into a reversed ‘L,’ with the right foot facing forward and the left forming a 90° angle.

Facing forward from this position, recite the solar adoration from Liber Resh, “Hail unto Thee who art Ra in Thy rising…” Once complete, bring the left foot parallel to the right, forming an ‘I.’ Cross the arms to assume the Sign of Osiris Risen and recite the entire Obverse of the Stèle of Revealing. Once that is complete, rotate the right foot to form a 90° angle, drop your arms, face the next quarter, and sing “A ka dua / Tuf ur biu / bi a'a chefu / Dudu nur af an nuteru” as per the instructions in Liber XV.

Finally, make the Sign of Mulier, and say “Love is the law, love under will.” Finish with the Sign of Silence.

The other quarters are similar. For Noon, face South, make the Sign of Mulier, adore Ahathoor, and finish with the Sign of Puer. Dusk requires one to face West, adore Tum, and close with the Sign of Puer. Midnight faces North, has the Sign of Puella, adores Kephra, and creates a loop by ending with Vir. One should notice that the Signs of NOX of each quarter match the Thelemic deity from the Star Ruby and Liber V.

The Obverse of the Stèle of Revealing can be recited in various ways. One can sing it. It can sound quite beautiful. I believe it is reminiscent of Christian devotionals. Since I cannot sing, I avoid this. For me, I chant the adorations in full sentences, or at least in component parts. (“Above the gemmed azure is the naked splendour of Nuit” *pause* “She bends in ecstacy to kiss the secret ardours of Hadit.”) Choose the method that you enjoy best.

The image of Ra is that of a hawk-headed lord. On his head rests a solar disk entwined with a serpent. Ahathoor, a variation of Hathor, is a Cow Goddess, depicted as a woman with long cow horns in which is nestled a solar disk and serpent. Tum is depicted as the one who takes the soul of the departed king to the stars. He is depicted as a man wearing the royal headdress or dual crowns, and is associated with the serpent. Kephra is imagined as a dung beetle. One should imagine these forms when performing one’s adoration.

Another Addendum/Errata on the TLRP [77 Words]

I originally visualized an Artemis image for AHIH, but she was unclear, perhaps because I view the Judaic names as patriarchal. I tried to visualize a young bowman. That failed. The only image I could consistently visualize, and to which the other forms morphed, was a bearded viking with a bow (no helmet, but braided hair). Key is to visualize images that are meaningful and symbolize the quarter. Avoid forcing an image to fit a preconceived notion.

[TLRP]
[Errata/Addendum 1]

Metaphysical Avoidance [77 Words]

Theological argument is a method for avoiding interaction with the divine. Does it matter how many angels can dance on the head of a pin? No, but it occupies one’s time. Instead of interacting with the angels, one is arguing about them. One sees the same behavior in Magick. Time is spent arguing how one should end the Star Ruby, or whether it should be fill or kill in the adorations. Nothing changes, it only gets worse.

How I View the World (Bird's Eye View)

Limited to 156 words.

A note on my metaphysics. At the top of the tree are Values. Values has two items underneath it, Religion and Art. These are cultural interpretations of the values held by that culture — or, the manifestation of these values in the world within a specific socio-political grouping. Note that they reinforce and influence each other. Below Religion is Politics. As Schmitt says, political theories are merely secularized theology. To put it differently, one’s conception of the eternal will obviously determine one’s conception of the temporal. Below Politics are Morals. These are the day to day impulses which comprise the culturally contextualize definition of a “good” person.

The magician operates in the realm of Values, or should. He often utilizes Art and the trappings of Religion, but the difference between a Magician and a Mystic is that the Magician operates within the realm of Values directly. This, I think, is why Crowley warned against Religion and Mysticism.

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This is not a part of the writing.

Values
 |   +——————————+
Religion                               Art
 |
Politics
 |

Morals

Tao Teh Ching #38 (excerpt)

Therefore, the Tao is lost, and then virtue
Virtue is lost, and then benevolence
Benevolence is lost, and then righteousness
Righteousness is lost, and then etiquette
Those who have etiquette
are a thin shell of loyalty and sincerity
And the beginning of chaos
(Translation by Derek Lin) 

Finding God

Another piece from my writing project. For this I am constrained to 77 words. OZ.

The simple fact that things in our reality are greater than the sum of their parts constitutes proof of the divine. If we take all of the elements that comprise a rose, in proper proportion, and mixed them together, we would not have a rose. I don’t pretend that I understand the agency behind this anti-entropic force, but I can see it reflected in the natural world about me. This is god, both immanent and transcendent.

The Context of Knowledge

The following was a response I posted on a blog which, whether due to the holidays, or it not being seen as conducive to where the conversation was meant to head, or some other issue, was not approved. I sort of liked it, so when I stumbled across a copy of it in my writing 'to do' list, I thought I would share it.

Knowledge and understanding come from "growth." Each new datum is added to the whole of our knowledge and understanding. People prefer to think of it as a museum where the data is laid out on nice little pedestals where they can be appreciated in isolation from the other data present. Instead, it is a mosaic, where each datum is taken and placed within the whole. Each piece is modulated and understood in context of those pieces around it, and if there is no place where the datum can fit without destroying the pre-existing mosaic, people tend to throw that datum out rather than create a new mosaic.

Knowing Your Work

The great work is not some social club inhabited by people too timid to present their opinions, to expound on what they know and to challenge those things which, by their understanding, they have determined to be incorrect. Some would have us to willingly deny what we know to be true. "Accept all" is the pass-phrase of those to whom truth is a foreign concept.

What is the first step on the path of the Magus? TO KNOW

If we have certainty rather than faith (I:58) then we can KNOW the Truth.

“Nevertheless have the greatest self-respect, and to that end sin not against thyself. The sin which is unpardonable is knowingly and wilfully to reject truth, to fear knowledge lest that knowledge pander not to thy prejudices.” (Librae 15)

There is a fundamental difference between the life giving harmony of the dynamic tension known as Tiphareth & the muted qliphotic shell resounding of the silence of the grave.

Music: Cawatana - In Your Father's Eyes

Finding an Adept.

Many people will use the argument that because one has not achieved Knowledge & Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel (K&C), or even crossed the Abyss, one cannot determine if another person is an adept.

I must disagree. We know the following automatically. Thelema is something different. Looking over Crowley’s notes (e.g. Magic Without Tears, Ch XLVIII) we find that Thelema is to some extent in conflict with Modern Society. Given repeated verses in Liber AL (e.g., II:25) we can also assume that this conflict is fairly severe.

Given this line of reasoning, which I encourage any & all to continue, it is easy to determine that if something is not in some form of conflict with mainstream, modern society (as was the prophet himself), we can infer that it is not Thelema. The only caveat to this method is from applying a logical fallacy (Affirming the Consequent) to infer that just because something is transgressive of modern society that it must be Thelemic.