Magick in Theory and Practice (Section 3)

and that His Angel is indeed himself, with inti- macy 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 ail cases, though its character may vary within wide limits. 1 The spate of stars shoots from the head of the Will-Symbol, and is scattered over the sky in glit- tering galaxies. This dispersion destroys the con¬ centration 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 expérience but a vague though vivid impression of complété release and ineffable rapture. Répéti¬ tion fortifies him to réalisé the nature of his attain* ment 5 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 sub- conscious 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 Eléments of that Self, that his normal consciousness contains alien enemies I. These phenomena are not wholly subjective; they may be perceived, though often under other forms, by even the ordinary man. — 286 —