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Page 1 of 11913 · PDF PAGE 54
…Will. There are, of course, few Probationers who understand themselves sufficiently to be able to formulate this will to themselves, and therefore at the end of their probation they choose a new name. adding to 463. Now 400 is Tau, the path leading from Malkuth to Yesod. Sixty is Samekh, the path leading leading from Yesod to Tiphereth ; and 3 is Gimel, the path leading thence to Kether. The whole rod therefore gives the paths from the Kingdom to the Crown. ^ In one, the best, system of Magick, the Absolute is called the Crown, God is called th…
1913 · PDF PAGE 87
…' is but a reflection, how tremendously important it becomes that it should be still ! If the cup is shaken the light will be broken up. Therefore the Cup is placed upon the Altar, which is foursquare, will multiplied by will, the confirmation of the will in the Magical Oath, its fi.xation in Law. ' The water in this Cup (the latter is also a heart, as shown by the transition from the ancient to the modern Tarot ; the suit " Hearts" in old packs of cards, and even in modern Spanish and Italian cards, is called " Cups ") is the letter Mem (the H…
1913 · PDF PAGE 171
…he Urim and Thummim.^ The modern Lamen is, however, a simple plate which (being worn over the heart) symbolizes Tiphereth, and it should therefore be a harmony of all the other symbols in one. It connects natur- ally by its shape with the Circle and the Pentacle; but it is not sufficient to repeat the design of either. The Lamen of the spirit whom one wishes to evoke is both placed in the triangle and worn on the breast; but in this case, since that 1 Scholars are uncertain as to what these really were, though apparently they were methods of di…
1913 · PDF PAGE 95
…ot meaning Light, from which spring such words as Bo-tree, Bodhisattva, and Buddha. And " Peep " is Apep, the serpent Apophis. This poem therefore contains the same symbol as that in the Egyptian and Hebrew Bibles. The snake is the serpent of initiation, as the Lamb is the Saviour. This ancient one, the Wisdom of Eternity, sits in its old anguish awaiting the Redeemer. And this holy verse triumphantly assures us that there is no need for anxiety. The Saviours will come one after the other, at their own good pleasure, and as they may be needed, …
1913 · PDF PAGE 45
…f the lower to reach the higher ; but it is that spark of the higher in the Magician which wishes to unite the lower with itself. Unless therefore the Magician be first anointed with this oil, all his work will be wasted and evil. D
1913 · PDF PAGE 130
… South. What is the breadth of this Temple? From East to West. What is the height of this Temple? From the Abyss to the Abyss. There is, therefore, nothing movable or immovable under the whole firmament of heaven which is not included in this pantacle, though it be but " eight inches in diameter, and in thickness half an inch." Fire is not matter at all; water is a combination of elements; air almost entirely a mixture of elements; earth contains all both in admixture and in combination. So must it be with this Pantacle, the symbol of earth. An…
1913 · PDF PAGE 117
…" But if the point itself could be moved it would cease to be itself, for position is the only attribute of the point. The Magician must therefore make himself absolutely free in this respect. It is the constant practice of Demons to attempt to terrify, to shock, to disgust, to allure. Against all this he must oppose the Steel of the Sword. If he has got rid of the ego-idea this task will be comparatively easy; unless he has done so it will be almost impossible. So says the Dhammapada: Me he abused, and me he beat, he robbed me, he insuhed me: …
1913 · PDF PAGE 124
…ne at the marriage feast of Cana was non-alcoholic. It is a sort of mad syllogism. Nobody whom I respect does this. I respect So-and-so. Therefore, So-and-so did 7iot do this. The moralist of to-day is furious when one points to the fact that practically every great man in history was grossly and notoriously immoral. Enough of this painful subject ! As long as we try to fit facts to theories instead of adopting the scientific attitude of altering the theories (when necessary) to fit the facts, we shall remain mired in falsehood. The religious t…
1913 · PDF PAGE 101
… Note that Beth, the letter of Mercury and " The Magus," means "a house." The beef is the symbol of the Bull, Apis the Redeemer. This is therefore that which is written: " Oh my God, disguise thy glory I Come as a thief, and let us steal away the sacraments ! " In the following verse we find that Taffy is " in bed," owing to the operation of the sacrament. The great task of the Alchemist has been accomplished; the mercury is fixed. One can then take the Holy Dagger, and separate the Caput Mortuum from the Elixir. Some Alchemists believe that th…
1913 · PDF PAGE 99
…is so simple as hardly to require explanation. Humpty Dumpty is of course the Egg of Spirit, and the wall is the Abyss — his " fall " is therefore the descent of spirit into matter; and it is only too painfully familiar to us that all the king's horses and all his men cannot restore us to the height. Only The King Himself can do that!
1913 · PDF PAGE 88
…ontinuous One of Heaven," and it is that Dew which bathes the body of the Adept " in a sweet-smelling perfume of sweat."' ^ In this cup, therefore, though all things are placed, by virtue of this ^ See Liber Legis. Equinox VIT.
1913 · PDF PAGE 100
…chool. The pumpkin is of course the symbol of resurrection, as is familiar to all students of the story of Jonah and the gourd. Peter is therefore the Arahat who has put an end to his series of resurrections. That he is called Peter is a reference to the symbolizing of Arahats as stones in the great wall of the guardians of mankind. His wife is of course (by the usual symboHsm) his body, which he could not keep until he put her in a peanut shell, the yellow robe of a Bhikkhu.
1913 · PDF PAGE 55
43 It is convenient therefore for the student to express his will by taking Magical Oaths. Since such an oath is irrevocable it should be well considered; and it is better not to take any oath permanently; because with increase of understanding may come a perception of the incompatibility of the lesser oath with the greater. This is indeed almost certain to occur, and it must be remembered that as the whole essence of the will is its one-pointedness,^ a dilemma of this sort is the worst in which the Magus can find himself. Another great point i…
1913 · PDF PAGE 52
…ince, then, we may want anything^ let us see to it that our will is strong enough to obtain anything we want without loss of time. It is therefore necessary to develop the will to its high- est point, even though the last task but one is the total sur- render of this will. Partial surrender of an imperfect will is of no account in Magick. The will being a lever, a fulcrum is necessary; this fulcrum is the main aspiration of the student to attain. All wills which are not de- pendent upon this principal will are so many leakages ; they are like f…
1913 · PDF PAGE 46
…th Kether and Malkuth, the First and the Last, the One and the Many, since in this Oil they are One. These oils taken together represent therefore the whole Tree of Life. The ten Sephiroth are blended into the perfect gold. This Oil cannot be prepared from crude myrrh, cinnamon, and galangal. The attempt to do so only gives a brown mud with which the oil will not mix. These substances must be themselves refined into pure oils before the final combination. This perfect Oil is most penetrating and subtle. Gradually it will spread itself, a gliste…
1913 · PDF PAGE 135
123 tis" is one of the many meanings of the aphorism "solve," correspond- ing to the "coagula " implied in Samadhi,and this Pantacle therefore represents all that we are, the resultant of all that we had a tendency to be. In the I)hamniai)ada we read: All that wc are from mind results; on mind is founded, built of mind; Who acts or speaks with evil thought him doth pain follow sure and blind. So the ox plants his foot, and so the car wheel follows hard behind. All that we are from mind results; on mind is founded, built of mind; Who acts or spe…
1913 · PDF PAGE 89
dew all lose their identity. And therefore this Cup is in the hand of BABALON, the Lady of the City of the Pyramids, wherein no one can be distinguished from any other, wherein no one may sit until he has lost his name. Of that which is in the Cup it is also said that it is wine. This is the Cup of Intoxication. Intoxication means poisoning, and in particular refers to the poison in which arrows are dipped (Greek ro^or, " a bow "). Think of the Vision of the Arrow in Liber 418, and look at the passages in the Holy Books which speak of the actio…
1913 · PDF PAGE 24
…chymical nuptials," and in a hundred other ways. Whatever the form chosen, it is the symbol of the Great Work. This place of his working therefore declares the nature and object of the "Work. Those persons who have supposed that the use of these symbols implied worship of the generative organs, merely attributed to the sages of every time and country minds of a calibre equal to their own. The Tau is composed often squares for the ten Sephiroth/ About this Tau is escribed a triangle, which is inscribed in the great Circle; but of the triangle no…
1913 · PDF PAGE 25
15 sides; they have therefore the shape of the diamond, one form of the Yoni. The significance of this is too complex for our simple treatise; it may be studied in Crowley's "Berashith." The size of the whole figure is determined by the size of one square of the Tau. And the size of this square is that of the base of the Altar, which is placed upon Malkuth. It will follow then that, in spite of the apparent freedom of the Magician to do anything he likes, he is really determined absolutely; for as the Altar must have a base proportionate to its…
1913 · PDF PAGE 79
… the three principles which, according to the Hindus, have course in the body.* This is the Cup of Purification; as Zoroaster says: '*So therefore first the priest who governeth the works of fire must sprinkle with the lustral water of the loud-resounding sea." It is the sea that purifies the world. And the " Great Sea " is in the Qabalah a name of Binah, " Understanding." stands in the Circle, and the spirit in the Triangle; so the Magician is in the Triangle with respect to his own God. ' An ugly form. A better is given in the illustration. ^…