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Page 1 of 21929 · PDF PAGE 100
…ing and hacking at things, no clumsiness and no hésitation. If you strike a blow at ail, strike with your strength! “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with ail thy might!” If you are going to take up Magick, rnake no compromise. You cannot make révolutions with rose-water, or wrestle in a silk hat. You will find very soon that you must either iose the hat or stop wrestling. Most people do both. They take up the magical path with ou t sufficient reflection, without that détermination of adamant which made the author of this book exclaim, …
1929 · PDF PAGE 49
…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, H…
1929 · PDF PAGE 65
…g 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 Jésus Christ, and of many other mythical god-men worshipped in different countries.3 A magical ceremony constructed on this formula is thus in close essential harmony with the natural mystic process. We find it the 1. It is, for ail that, His instrument, acquired by Him as an astrono- mer buys a telescope. See Liber Aleph, for a full…
1929 · PDF PAGE 109
…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 expérience.2 In order to aid concentration, and to increase the supply of Energy, it has been customary for the Magician to employ assist¬ ants or colleagues. It is doubtful whether the obvious advantages of this plan compensate the difficulty of procur…
1929 · PDF PAGE 93
…neself to oneself. Suppose, for example, that you feel an instinctive aversion to some particular kind of wine. Try as you will, you can find no reason for your idiosyncrasy. Suppose, then, that when you explore some previous incarnation, you remember that you died by a poison administered in a wine of that character, your aversion is explained by the proverb, aA burnt. child dreads the fire.” It may be objected that in such a case your libido has created a phantasm of itself in the manner which Freud has explained. The criticism is just, but i…
1929 · PDF PAGE 38
…An immeasurable abyss divides it from ail manifestations of Reason or the lower qualifies of man. In the ultimate analysis of Reason, we find ail reason identified with this abyss. Yet this abyss is the crown of the mind. Purely intellectual faculties ail obtain here. This abyss has no number, for in it ail is confusion. Below this abyss we find the moral qualifies of Man, of which there are six. The highest is symbolised by the number Four. Its nature is fatherly s; Mercy and Authority are the attributes of its dignity. The number Five is bala…
1929 · PDF PAGE 70
Aeon of his. 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 Her- metic seed. It becornes 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 (F = the letter of Tiphareth, 6, even when spelt as Oméga, in Coptic. See 777). Aeon of Osiris. Patriarchal âge.…
1929 · PDF PAGE 94
…to observe that the ambition of Napoléon has diminished the average stature of Frenchmen. We Know that somehow or other every force must find its fulfilment; and those people who hâve grasped the fact that external events are merely symptoms of external ideas, cannot find any difficulty in attributing the correspondences of the one to the identities of the other. Far be it from any apologist for Magick to insist upon the objective validity of these concaténations! It would be childish to cling to the belief that Marius de Aquila actually existe…
1929 · PDF PAGE 46
…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: 46Call the Ambulance!” io
1929 · PDF PAGE 74
The first process is to find the I in the V — initiation, purifica¬ tion, finding the Secret Root of oneself, the epicene Virgin who is io (Malkuth) but spelt in fui! 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 and 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 t…
1929 · PDF PAGE 95
…e solution of some enigma which is propounded by the Sphynx of our own unknown birth-city, Thebes. The complicated situation in which we find ourselves is composed of éléments \ and no element of it came out of nothing. Newton’s First Law applies to every plane of thought. The theory of évolution is omniform. There is a reason for one’s prédisposition to goût, or the shape of one’s ear, in the past. The symbolism may change ; the facts do not. In one form or another, everything that exists is derived from some previous manifestation. Hâve it, i…
1929 · PDF PAGE 104
…ain types. The “preliminary invocation” in the “Goetia” consists principally of corruptions of Greek and Egyptian names. For example, we find “Osorronnophris” for “Asor Un-Nefer”.1 The conjurations given by Dr. Dee (vide Equinox I, VIII) are an a language called Angelic, or Enochian. Its source has hnherto baffled research, but it is a language and not a jargon, for it possesses a structure of its own, and there are traces or grammar and syntax. However this may be, it works. Even the beginner finds that “things happen” when he uses it: and thi…
1929 · PDF PAGE 60
…. But Yod is not the natural letter of Fire. Its juxta¬ position with Hé sanctifies that fire to the Yod of Tetragrammaton. Similarly we find Lamed for Earth, where we should expect Tau — in order to emphasize the influence of Venus, who rules Libra. ALHIMy therefore, represents rather the formula of Consécra¬ tion than that of a complété ceremony. It is the breath of bénédiction, 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 flame…
1929 · PDF PAGE 128
…he story of Hercules or Melcarth; the legends of Dionysus and of Mithra, are ail connected with this one idea. In the Hebrew religion we find the same thing inculcated. The first ethical lesson in the Bible is that the only sacrifice pleasing to the Lord is the sacrifice of bloodj Abel, who made this, finding favour with the Lord, while Cain, who offered cabbages, was rather naturally considered a cheap sport. The idea recurs again and again. We hâve the sacrifice of the Passover, following on the story of Abraham s being commanded to sacrifice…
1929 · PDF PAGE 28
them to find their own paths and pursue them. Every man that becomes a Magician helps others to do likewise. The more firrnly and surely men move, and the more such action is accepted as the standard of morality, the less will conflict and confusion hamper humanity. ) I hope that the above principles will ciemonstrate 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 wha…
1929 · PDF PAGE 48
…apons and furniture of the Temple. To consider in a more particular mammer 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 some Deity who expres…
1929 · PDF PAGE 62
… 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 féminine AM A becoming AIMA 1 through the operation of the phallic Yod, while ALIM, the congress of dead éléments, only fructifies by the brooding of Spirit. This being so, how can we describe ALIM as containing a Magical formula ? Inquiry discloses the fact that this formula is of a very spécial kind. The word adds up to 81, which is a number of the moon. It is thus the formula of witchcraft, which i…
1929 · PDF PAGE 79
…e Egg (small a — the image of the Father) — The Massacre of the Innocents, tz (winepress) — The Draught of Ecstasy, y). The student will find it well worth his while to seek out these ideas in detail, and develop the technique of their application. There is also the Gnostic Name of the Seven Vowels, which gives a musical formula most puissant in évocations of the Soûl of Nature. There is moreover ABRAXAS; there is XNOUBIS; there is MEITHRAS; and indeed it may briefly be stated that every true name of God gives the formula of the invocation of t…
1929 · PDF PAGE 88
…rs of the two men présent subtle identities in many points. Both seem to be constantly trying to reconcile insuperable antagonisms. Both find it hard to destroy the delusion that men’s fixed beliefs and customs may be radically altered by a féw friendly explanations. Both show a curious fondness for oüt-the-way learning, preferring recondite sources of knowledge they adopt eccentric appearances. Both inspire what can only be called panic fear in absolute strangers, who can give no reason wFatever for a repulsion which sometimes almost amounts t…
1929 · PDF PAGE 29
…esperate! Y et, 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 every element alien or hostile to success, and deve…