Part 2 - The Book of Wisdom or Folly, Liber Aleph vel CXI by Aleister Crowley

Βδ.
DE MENSTRUO ARTIS.

But concerning the Medium by whose sensitive Nature our Magick Force is transmitted to the Object of our Working, doubt not. For already in other Galaxies of Physics have we been compelled to postulate an Æthyr wholly hypothetical in order to explain the Phenomena of Light, Electricity, and the like; nor doeth any Man demand Demonstration of the Existence of that Æthyr other than its Conformity with general Law. Thou therefore, Creator and Transmitter of thine own Energy, needest not to ask whether by this or by some other Means thou performest thy Work. Yet I know not why this Æthyr of the Mathematicians and the Physicians should not be one with the Astral Light, or Plastic Medium or Aub, Aud, Aur (these three being a Trinity) of which our own Sages have spoken. And this Meditation may bring forth much Knowledge physical, which is good, for that which is above is like that which is beneath, and the Study of any Law leadeth to the Understanding of all Law. So mayst thou learn in the End that there is no Law beyond Do what thou wilt.

Βε.
DE NECESSITATE VOLUNTATIS.

And how then (sayst thou) shall I reconcile this Art Magick with that Way of the Tao which achieveth all Things by doing nothing? But this have I already declared to thee in Part, showing that thou canst do no Magick save it be thy Nature to do Magick and so the true Nothing for thee. For to do nothing signifieth to interfere with nothing so that for a Magician to do no Magick is to commit Violence on himself. Yet learn also that all Action is in some sense Magick, being an essential Part of that Great Magical Work which we call Nature. Then thou hast no free Will? Verily, thou hast said. Yet nevertheless it is thy necessary Destiny to act with that free Will. Thou canst do nothing save in accordance with that true Nature of thine and of all Things, and every Phenomenon is the Resultant of the Totality of Forces; Amen. Then thou needest take no Thought and make no Effort? Thou sayst sooth; yet, art thou not compelled to Thought and Effort in the Way of Nature? Yea, I, thy Father, work for thee solicitously, and also I laugh at thy Perplexities; for so was it fore- ordained that I should do, by Me, from the Beginning.

Βϝ.
DE COMEDIA UNIVERSA, QUAE DICTUR PAN.

So, therefore, o my Son, count thyself happy when thou understandest all these Things, being one of those Beings (or By-comings) whom we call Philosophers. All is a never ending Play of Love wherein our Lady Nuit and Her Lord Hadit rejoice; and every Part of the Play is Play. All pain is but sharp Sauce to the Dish of Pleasure; for it is the Nature of the Universe that hath devised this everlasting Banquet of Joy. And he that knoweth not this is necessary as an Ingredient even as thou art; wouldst thou change all and spoil the Dish? Art thou the Master-Cook? Yea, for thy Palate is become fine with thy great Dalliance with the Food of Experience; therefore thou art one of them that rejoice. Also it is thy Nature as it is mine, o my Son, to will that all Men share our Mirth and Jollity; wherefore have I proclaimed my Law to Man, and thou continuest in that Work of Joyaunce.

Βζ.
DE CAECITIA HOMINUM.

Learn also of my wisdom that this Vision of the Cosmos whereof I have written unto thee is not given unto thy Sight at all Times; for in that Vision is all Will fulfilled. Thou seest the Universe as None, and as One, and as many, and the Play thereof; and therewith art thou (who art no longer thou) content. For in one Phase art thou also None, in another One, and in the third an organised and necessary Part of that great Structure, so that there is no more conflict at all in thy whole By-coming. But now will I make Light for thine Eyes in this Matter as thou gropest, asking: but of them that see not this, what sayst thou, o my Father? But in that Vision thou sayst not thus, my Son! Learn then of me the Secret Mystery of Illusion, and how it Worketh, and other Holy Law that is its Nature, and of thine Action therein; for this is an Arcanum of the Wisdom of the Magi, and proper unto thee that dwellest in the Land of Understanding.

Βη.
ALLEGORIA DE CAISSA.

Consider for an Example the Game and Play of the Chess, which is a Pastime of Man, and worthy to exercise him in Thought, yet by no means necessary to his Life, so that he sweepeth away Board and Pieces at the least Summons of that which is truly dear to him. Thus unto him this Game is as it were an Illusion. But insofar as he entereth into the Game he abideth by the Rules thereof, though they be artificial and in no wise proper to his Nature; for in this Restriction is all his Pleasure. Therefore, though he hath All-Power to move the Pieces at his own Will, he doth it not, enduring Loss, Indignity, and Defeat rather than destroy that Artifice of Illusion. Think then that thou hast thyself created this Shadow-world the Universe, and that it pleasureth thee to watch or to actuate its Play according to the Law that thou hast made, which yet bindeth thee not save only by Virtue of thine own Will to do thine own Pleasure therein.

Βθ.
DE VERITATE FALSORUM.

Moreover this Matter touches the Nature of Truth. For although to thee in thy True Self, absolute and without Conditions, all this Universe, which is relative and conditioned is an Illusion; yet to that Part of Thee by which thou perceivest it, the Law of its Being (or By-coming) is a Law of Truth. Learn then that all Relations are true upon their own Plane, and that it would be a Violation of Nature to adjust them skewwise. Thus, albeit thou hast found thy Self, and knowest Thy Self immortal and immutable beyond Time and Space, free of Causality, so thoroughly that even thy Mind partaketh constantly thereof, thou hast in no wise altered the Relations of thy Body with its Syndromics in the World whereof it is a Part. Wouldst thou lengthen the Life of thy Body? Then accommodate thou the Conditions of thy Body to its Environment by giving it Light, Air, Food, and Exercise as its Nature requireth. So also, mutatis mutandis, do thou cherish the Health of thy Mind.

Βι.
DE RELATIONE ILLUSIONUM.

Of this will I speak further with thee, for here behold a great Rock of Ignorance on the one Hand, and on the other a Whirlpool of Error; in this Strait are many Wrecks of Magick Ships. Knowest thou not that Riddle of old, whether it be lawful to pay Tribute to Cæsar or no? Give therefore to the Body the Things of the Body, and to the Mind the Things of the Mind. Yet because of the interior Harmony of all Things that proceedeth from their Original One Nature, there is Action and Reaction of the one upon the other, as I have already set forth in this mine Epistle. But Law is universal, and between these two Kinds of Illusion there is an ordered Proportion, and it is proper to thy Science to delimit and describe this Law of Interaction, for to deny it wholly (as to extend it to Infinity) is Folly, born of Ignorance, Idleness, and Incapacity to observe Fact.

Βκ.
DE PRUDENTIA.

Consider Drunkenness, how by Variation of bodily Conditions thou mayst alter its Effect upon the Mind, and the Contrary, remembering the Discipline of Theophrastus Paracelsus, how, opposing Wine to bodily Exercise, he obtained a certain Purification and Exaltation/ Yet, were he seven times greater, he had not done this with Oil of Vitriol. Learn then that there are certain definite Channels of Action and Reaction between Body and Mind; sound these, and trim thy Sails accordingly, not thinking that thou art in the open Sea. And if so be that thou in thy sounding findest new Channels, rejoice and map them for the Profit of thy Fellows; But remember always that to find a new Way up a Precipice removeth not the Precipice. For where thou, o Angel and yet Man, hast trod delicately albeit without Fear, Fools will rush in to their Destruction.

ΒΛ.
DE RATIONE MAGI VITAE.

Study Logic, which is the Code of the Laws of Thought. Study the Method of Science, which is the Application of Logic to the Facts of the Universe. Think not that thou canst ever abrogate these Laws, for though they be Limitations, they are the rules of thy Game which thou dost play. For in thy Trances though thou becomest That which is not subject to those Laws, they are still final in respect of these Things which thou hast set them to govern. Nay, o my son, I like not this Word, govern, for a Law is but a Statement of the nature of the Thing to which it applieth. Nor nothing is compelled save only by Nature of its own true Will. So therefore human Law is a Statement of the Will and of the Nature of Man, or else it is a Falsity contrary thereunto, and becometh null and of no Effect.

Βμ.
DE CORDE CANDIDO.

Think also, o my Son, of this Image, that if two States be at Peace, a Man goeth between them without Let; but if there be War, all Gateways are forthwith closed, save only for a few, and these are watched and guarded, so that the Obstacles are many. This then is the Case of Magick; for if thou have brought to Harmony all Principles within thee, thou mayst work easily to transmute a Force into its semblable upon another Plane, which is the essential Miracle of our Art; but if thou be at War within thyself, how canst thou work? For our Master Hermes Tresmegistus hat written at the Head of His Tablet of Emerald this Word: That which is above is like that which is below, and that which is below is like that which is above, for the Performance of the Miracle of the One Substance. How then, if these be not alike? If the Substance of Thee be Two, and not One? And herein is the Need of the Confession of a pure Heart, as is written in the Book of the Dead.

Βν.
DE CONFORMITATE MAGI.

See to it therefore, o my Son, that thou in thy Working dost no Violence to the whole Will of the All, or to the Will common to all those Beings (or By-comings) that are of one general Nature with thee, or to thine own particular Will. For first of all thou art necessarily moved toward the One End from thine own Station, but secondly thou art moved toward the End proper to thine own Race, and Caste, and Family, as by Virtue of thy Birth. And these are, I may say it, Conditions or limits, of thine own individual Will. Thou dost laugh? Err not, my Son! The Magus, even as the Poet is the Expression of the true Will of his Fellows, and his Success is his Proof, as it is written in "The Book of the Law". For his Work is to free Men from the Fetters of a false or a superannuated Will, revealing unto them, in Measure attuned to their Needs, their true Natures.

Βξ.
DE POETIS.

For this Reason is the Poet called an Incarnation of the Zeitgeist, that is, of the Spirit or Will of his Period. So every Poet is also a Prophet, because when that which he sayeth is recognized as the Expression of their own Thought by Men, they translate this into Act, so that, in the Parlance of the Folk vulgar and ignorant, "that which he foretold is come to pass". Now then the Poet is Interpreter of the Hieroglyphs of the Hidden Will of Man in many a matter, some light, some deep, as it may be given unto him to do. Moreover, it is not altogether in the Word of any Poem, but in the quintessential Flavour of the Poet, that thou mayst seek this Prophecy. And this is an Art most necessary toe every Statesman. Who but Shelley foretold the Fall of Christianity, and the Organisation of Labour, and the Freedom of Woman; who by Nietzsche declared the Principle at the Root of the World-War?

See thou clearly then that in these Men were the Keys of the Dark Gates of the Future; Should not the Kings and their Ministers have taken heed thereto, fulfilling their Word without Conflict.

Βο.
DE MAGIS ORDINIS A∴ A∴ quibus caro fit verbum.

Now, o my Son, the Incarnation of a Poet is particular and not Universal; he sayeth indeed true Things but not the Things of All-Truth. And that these may be said it is necessary that One take human Flesh, and become a Magus in our Holy Order. He then is called the Logos, or Logos Aiones, that is to say, the Word of the Aeon or Age, because he is verily that Word. And thus may be be known, because He hath it given unto Him to prepare the Quintessence of the Will of God, that is, of Man, in its Fullness and Wholeness, comprehending all Planes, so that his Law is simple, and radical, penetrating all Space from its single Light. For though His Words be many, yet is His Word One, One and Alone; and by this Word he createth Man anew, in an essential Form of Life, so that he is changed in his inmost Knowledge of himself. And this Change worketh outwards, little by little, unto its visible Effect.

Βπ.
DE MAGIS TEMPORI ANTIQUI: IMPRIMIS, DE LAO-TZE.

It may be unto thy Profit, o my Son, if I relate unto thee the secret History of those who have gone before me in this Grade of Magus, so far as their Memory hath remained among Mankind. For what would it avail thee should I recount the deeds of those whom I indeed may know, but thou not? Thou knowest well how I keep me from all Taint of Fable, or any Word unproven and undemonstrable. First then I speak of Lao-Tze, whose word was the Tao. Hereof have I already written much unto thee, because His Doctrine has been lost or misinterpreted, and it is most needful to restore it. For this Tao is the true Nature of Things, being itself a Way or Going, that is, a kinetic and not a static Conception. Also He taught this Way of Harmony in Will, which I myself have thought to show thee in this little book. So then this Tao is Truth, and the Way of Truth, and therefore was He Logos of His Aeon, and His true Name or Word was Tao.

Βϟ.
DE GAUTAMA.

Whom Men call Gotama, or Siddartha, or the Budha, was a Magus of our Holy Order. And His Word was Anatta; for the Root of His whole Doctrine was that there is no Atman, or Soul, as Men ill translate it, meaning a Substance incapable of Change. Thus, He, like Lao-Tze, based all upon a Movement, instead of a fixed Point. And His Way of Truth was Analysis, made possible by great Intention of the Mind toward itself, and that well fortified by certain tempered Rigour of Life. And He most thoroughly explored and Mapped out the Fastnesses of the Mind, and gave the Keys of its Fortresses into the Hand of Man. But of all this the Quintessence is in this one Word Anatta, because this is not only the foundation and the Result of his whole Doctrine, but the Way of its Work.

Βρ.
DE SRI KRISHNA ET DE DIONYSO.

Krishna has Names and Forms innumerable, and I know not His true Human Birth, for His Formula is of the Major Antiquity. But His Word hath spread into many Lands, and we know it to- day as INRI with the secret IAO concealed therein. And the Meaning of this Word is the Working of Nature in Her Changes; that is, it is the Formula of Magick whereby all Things reproduce and recreate themselves. Yet this Extension and Specialisation was rather the Word of Dionysus; for the true Word of Krishna was AUM, importing rather a Statement of the Truth of Nature than a practical Instruction in detailed Operations of Magick. But Dionysus, by the Word INRI, laid the Foundation of all Science, as We say Science to-day in a particular Sense, that is, of causing external Nature to change in Harmony with our Wills.

Βσ.
DE TAHUTI.

Tahuti, or Thot, confirmed the Word of Dionysus by continuing it; for he showed how by the Mind it was possible to direct the Operations of the Will. By Criticism and by recorded Memory Man avoideth Error. But the true Word of Tahuti was A M O U N, whereby He made Men to understand their secret Nature, that is, their Unity with their true Selves, or, as they then phrased it, with God. And He discovered unto them the Way of this Attainment, and its Relation with the Formula of INRI. Also by His Mystery of Number He made plain the Path for His Successor to declare the Nature of the whole Universe in its Form and in its Structure, as it were an Analysis thereof, doing for Matter what the Buddha was decreed to do for Mind.

Βτ.
DE QUODAMM MAGO AEGYPTIORUM. QUEM APPELUNT JUDAEI MOSHEH.

The Follower of Tahuti was an Egyptian whose Name is lost; but the Jews called Him Mosheh, or Moses, and their Fabulists made Him the Leader of their Legendary Exodus. Yet they preserved His Word, and it is IHVH, which thou must understand also as that Secret Word which thou hast seen and heard in Thunders and Lightnings in thine Initiation to the Degree thou wottest of. But this Word is itself a Plan of the Fabrick of the Universe, and upon it hath been elaborated the Holy Qabalah, whereby we have Knowledge of the Nature of all Things soever upon every Plane of By-coming, and of their Forces and Tendencies and Operations, with the Keys to their Portals. Nor did He leave any Part of His Work unfinished, unless it be that accomplished three hundred Years ago by Sir Edward Kelly, of whom I also come, as thou knowest.

Βυ.
DE MAGO ARABICO MOHAMMED.

Behold! In these Chapters have I, thy Father, restricted myself, not speaking of any immediate Echo of a Word in the World, because, there Men being long since withdrawn into their Silence, it is their One Word, and that Alone, that resoundeth undiminished through Time. How Mohammed, who followeth, is darkened and confused by His Nearness to our own Time, so that I say not save with Diffidence that His Word ALLH may mean this or that. But I am bold concerning His Doctrine of the Unity of God, for God is Man, and he said therefore: Man is One. And His Will was to unite all Men in One reasonable Faith: to make possible international Co- operation in Science. Yet, because He arose in the Time of the greatest possible Corruption and Darkness, when every Civilisation and Every Religion had fallen into Ruin, by the malice of the great Sorcerer of Nazareth, as some say, He is still hidden in the Dust of the Simoom, and we may not perceive Him in His true Self of Glory.

Nevertheless, behold, o My Son, this Mystery. His true Word was La ALLH, that is to say: (there is) No God, and LA AL is that Mystery of Mysteries which thine own Eye pierced in thine Initiation. And of that Truth have the Illusion and Falsehood enslaved the Souls of Men, as is written in the Book of the Magus.

Βφ.
DE SE IPSO ΩΙ ΜΕΓΑΛΩΙ ΘΡΙΩΙ, ΩΙ ΛΟΓΩΙ ΑΙΩΝΟΣ CUJUS VERBUM EST ΘΕΛΜΑ.

O my son! me seemeth in certain Hours that I am myself fallen on a Time even more fearful and fatal than did Mahommed, peace be upon Him! But I read clearly the Word of the Aeon, that is A B R A H A D A B R A, wherein is the whole Mystery of the great Work, as thou knowest. And I have "The Book of the Law", that was given unto me by Him thou wottest of; and it is the Interpretation of the Secret Will of Man on every Plane of his By-coming; and the Word of the Law is T H E L E M A. "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." Now because "Love is the law, love under will." do I write this Epistle for thee, that thou mayst fulfil this inmost Will of Mankind, making them capable of Light, Live, Love and Liberty by the Acceptance of this Law. And the Hindrance thereunto is but as the Shell of its Egg to an Eaglet, ad Thing foreign to itself, a Protection till the Hour strike, and then — no more!

Βχ.
MANDATUM AD FILIUM SUUM.

Here I reach forth mine Hands against thee in the Sign of the Enterer, o son of my Bowels, for with all my Magical Might I will that thou fight manfully and labour with Diligence (with Sword and Trowel; say I) in this Work. For this is the first and last of all, that thou bid every Man do What he will, in accord with his own true Nature. Therefore also blast thou that Lie that Man is of a fallen and evil Nature. For the Word of Sin is Restriction, the Doubt of his own Godhead, the Suppression of, which is the Blasphemy against, his own Holy Spirit. Saith not "The Book of the Law" that "...It is a lie, this folly against self. ..."? Therefore to every Man, in every Circumstance, say thou: Do what thou wilt; and teach him, if he yet waver, how to discover his true Nature, earnestly and with Ardour, even as I have striven to teach thee — yea, and more also!

Βψ.
QUARE FILIUM CREAVIT: UT FIAT LIBERTAS.

Do what thou wilt! be this our Slogan of Battle in every Act; for every Act is Conflict. There Victory leapeth shining before us; for who may thwart true Will, which is the Order of Nature Herself? "...thou hast no right but to do thy will. Do that, and no other shall say nay." For if that Will be true, its Fulfilment is of a Surety as Daylight following Sunrise. It is as certain as the Operation of any other Law of Nature; it is Destiny. Then, if that Will be obscured, if thou turn from it to Wills diseased or perverse, how canst thou hope? Fool! Even thy Turns and Twists are in the Path to thine appointed End. But thou art not sprung of a Slave's Loins; thou standest firm and straight; thou dost thy Will; and thou are Chosen, nay, for this Work wast thou begotten in a Magick Bed, that thou shouldst make Man free.

Β.
DE SUA DEBILITATE.

Listen attentively, my Son, while I with heavy Heart make Confession to thee of mine own Frailty. Thou knowest that I made Renunciation of my Wage, taking this Body immediately after my Death, the Death of Eliphas Levi Zahed, as Men say, that I might attain to this great Work. It is now twenty Years, as Men count years, that I came to my first Understanding of my true Nature, and aspired to that Work. Now then at first I made no Error. I abandoned my chosen Career; I poured out my whole Fortune without one Thought; I gave my Life utterly to the Work, without keeping back the least imaginable Thing. So then I made swift Strides along the Path. But in the Dhyanas that were granted unto me in Kandy, in the Island of Lanka, I used up my whole Charge of Magical Energy; and for two Years I fell away from the Work.

Γα.
DE MANU QUAE MAGUM SUSTINET.

Now it may be well that such Periods of Recuperation are necessary to such souls as mine; and so no Ill. But I fell from my Will, and sought other Ends in Life; and so the Hand came upon me, and tore away that which I desired, as thou knowest; also it is written in the Temple of Solomon the King. Yet consider also these two Years as a necessary Preparation for that greatest of all Events which befell me in El-Kahira, in the Land of Khem, the Choice of me as the Word of the Aeon. Now then for a while I worked with my Will, though not wholly; and again the Hand reached forth and smote me. This, albeit my Slackness was but as a Boy playing Truant, not a revolt against my Self. Wherefore, despite all, I made much Progress in short Time.

Γβ.
DE SUO PECCATO.

Now then, well schooled, I strove no more against my Nature, and worked with all my Will. Thou knowest well how greatly I was rewarded. Yet in this last Initiation to the Grade of Magus, wherein three-and-seventy Days, as Men count Days, is but One Day, the Ordeal grew so fierce and intolerable that I gave back a Step. I did not utterly renounce the Work, but I swore not to continue unless mine Agony were abated. But after fifteen Days, I came to myself in a certain Ordeal, wherein I knew myself finally, that I could do no other than take up that fearful Burden that had broken my Spirit. And for these fifteen Days have I not suffered infinite Things? Was not the Tree of my Work frozen, one Branch withered, and on blasted? Look no more, o my son, upon thy Father's Shame!

Γγ.
DE SUA VICTORIA PER NOMEN B A B A L O N.

And after? This Dawn (for I have toiled through the Night in my great Love and Care of thee) how is it with me? it is well. For I have found myself; I have found my Will; the Obstacles that daunted me are seen to be by the Shadows of Shadows. Grace be unto Lady B A B A L O N.

Thus it is written in "The Book of the Law": "Remember all ye that existence is pure joy; that all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass & are done; but there is that which remains."

Learn then that it is in the contemplation of Division that Sorrow is, for Division is the Formula of Choronzon. It is therefore discreet for thee to unite each element of Sorrow with its Opposite; in whose Triumph of Hymen is Ekstacy, until by Apprehension of the new great Opposite the Idea is again seen as Sorrow. This then is the Issue from Sorrow; and thou mayst understand that I now also am confident in the Necessity of this my Fall to prepare the formula of my Exaltation. Therefore, my Son, thus Hail Me: Blessing and worship to the Beast, the Prophet of the Lovely Star.

Γδ.
DE ARCANO NEFANDO.

O my Son, learn this concerning Magick, that the Yang moveth, and thus giveth itself up Eternally; but the Yin moveth not, seeking ever to enclose or restrict, reproducing in its own likeness what Impressions soever it made thereon, yet without Surrender. Now the Tao absorbeth all without Reproduction; so then let the Yang turn thereto, and not unto the Yin. And that thou mayst understand this, I say: It is a Mystery of O.T.O. For the Sun ariseth not and entereth to strike upon the High Altar of the Minster by the Great Western Gates, but by the Rose Oriel doth he make Way and Progress in His Pageant. O my Son, the Doors of Silver are wide open, and they tempt thee with their Beauty: but by the narrow Portal of Pure Gold shalt thou come nobly to thy Sanctuary. Behold! Thou knowest not how perfect is this Magick; it is the dearest-bought and holiest of our Arcana. What then is like unto my Love toward Thee, that bestoweth upon thee this Treasure of my Wisdom? My Son, neglect it not; for it is the Exorcism of Exorcisms, and the Enchantment of Enchantments.

Γε.
DE ARCANO, PER QUOD SPIRITUS QUIDAM IN CORPORE RECIPIATUR.

Here now is another Formula of Power, good to invoke any Being to manifest in thyself. First, invoke him by the Power of all thy Spells and conjurations, with Mind concentrated and Will vehement, toward him, as I have written in many Books. But because thou are NEMO, thou mayst safely invoke him, no matter of what Nature, within thy Circle. Now then do thou confer on him as a Guerdon of his Obedience the Dignity of a Soul seeking Incarnation, and so precede to consecrate thine Act by performing the Mass of the Holy Ghost. Then shall that Spirit make himself Body from those Elements, and thou partaking thereof makest thine own Body his Machinery of Manifestation, and thus mayst thou work with any Spirit soever; yet this shall serve thee most in common Life. Also the Qualities are well defined in the Cards of the Tarot, so that thou hast a clear-cut Means of developing thy Powers according to the Needs of the Time. But learn also this, to work constantly under the Guidance of thine Holy Guardian Angel, so that thy Workings be alway in Harmony and Accord with thy true Will.

Γϝ.

Now then to thee who art long since Master of High Magick, it will be easy to shew how the Mass of the Holy Ghost, sung even in Ignorance, may work many a Wonder by Virtue of the Force generated being compelled to manifest on other than its own Plane. Here then is a Theory of the Mystery of the Aeon, that I, being the Logos appointed thereunto, did create an Image of my little Universe in the Mind of the Woman of Scarlet; that is, I manifested my whole Magical Self in her Mind. Thus then in Her, as in a Mirror, have I been able to interpret myself to myself. Thou also in thine own Way hast the Power to create such an Image; but be thou sure and alert, testing constantly the Persons in that Image by the Holy Qabalah and by the true Signs of Brotherhood. For each Person therein shall be a Part of thyself, made individual and perfect, able to instruct thee in thy Path. Yet often there shall be others, that are to aid thee in thy Working, or to oppose it. And in this Matter thou shalt read especially the Record of thy Father His Workings with Soror Ahita (blessed be Her Name unto the Ages) and certain others to Boot.

Γζ.
DE MISSA SPIRITUS SANCTI.

Now at last, o my son, may I being thee to understand the Truth of this Formula that is hidden in the Mass of the Holy Ghost. For Horus that is Lord of the Aeon is the Child crowned and conquering. The formula of Osiris was, as thou knowest, a Word of Death, that is, the Force lay long in Darkness, and by Putrifaction came to Resurrection. But we take living Things, and pour in Life and Nature of our own Will, so that instantly and without Corruption the Child (as it were the Word of that Will) is generated; and again immediately taketh up his Habitation among us to manifest in Force and Fire. This Mass of the Holy Ghost is then the true Formula of the Magick of the Aeon of Horus, blessed by He in His Name Ra-Hoor-Khuit! And thou shalt bless also the Name of our Father Merlin, Frater Superior of the O.T.O., for that by seven Years of Apprenticeship in His School did I discover this most excellent Way of Magick. Be thou diligent, o my son, for in this wondrous Art is no more Toil, Sorrow, and Disappointment, as it was in the dead Aeon of the Slain Gods.

Γη.
DE FORMULA TOTA.

Here then is the Schedule for all the Operations of Magick. First, thou shalt discover thy true Will, as I have already taught thee, and that Bud thereof which is the Purpose of this Operation.

Next, formulate this Bud-Will as a Person, seeking or constructing it, and naming it according to thine Holy Qabalah, and its infallible Rule of Truth. Third, purify and consecrate this Person, concentrating upon him and against all else. This Preparation shall continue in all thy daily Life. Mark well, make ready a new Child immediately after every Birth. Fourth, make an especial and direct Invocation at thy Mass, before the Introit, formulating a visible Image of this Child, and offering the Right of Incarnation. Fifth, perform the Mass, not omitting the Epiklesis, and let there be a Golden Wedding Ring at the Marriage of thy Lion with thine Eagle. Sixth, at the Consumption of the Eucharist accept this Child, losing thy Consciousness in him, until he be well assimilated with thee. Now then do this continuously, for by Repetition cometh forth both Strength and Skill, and the Effect is cumulative, if thou allow no Time to dissipate itself.

Γθ.
DE HAC FORMULA CONSIDERATIONES KABBALISTICAE.

Behold moreover, my Son, the Œconomy of this Way, how it is according to the Tao, fulfilling itself wholly within thine own Sphere. And it is utterly in Tune with thine own Will on every Plane, so that every Part of thy Nature rejoiceth with every other Part, communicating Praise. Now then learn also how this Formula is that of the Word ABRAHADABRA. First, HAD is the Triangle erect upon twin Squares. Of Hadit need I not to write, for He hath hidden Himself in "The Book of the Law". This Substance is the Father, the Instrument is the Son, and the Metaphysical Ekstacy is the Holy Ghost, whose Name is HRILIU. These are then the Sun, Mercury, and Venus, whose sacred letters are R (ר), B (ב), and D (ד). But the last of the Diverse Letters is H (ה), which in the Tarot is the Star whose Eidolon is D (ד); and herein is that Arcanum concerning the Tao of which I have already written. Of this will I not write more plainly. But mark this, that our Trinity is our Path inwards in the Solar System, and that H being of our Lady Nuith starry, is an Anchor to this Magick which else were apt to deny our wholeness of Relation to the Outer as to the Inner. My son, ponder these Words, and profit by them; for I have wrought cunningly to conceal or to reveal, according to thine Intelligence, o my Son!

Γι.
DE QUIBUSDAM ARTIBUS MAGICIS.

Now of those Operations of Magick by which thou seekest to display unto some other Person the Righteousness of thy Will I make haste to instruct thee. First, if thou have a reasonable Link with him by Word or Letter, it is most natural simply to create in thyself, as I have taught, a Child or Bud-Will, and let that radiate from thee through the Channels aforesaid. But if thou have no Link, the Case is otherwise and is not easy. Here thou mayst make Communication through others, as it were by Relays; or thou mayst act directly upon his Aura by Magical Means, such as the Projection of the Scin-Laeca. But unless he be sensitive and well-attuned, thou mayst fare but ill. Yet even in this Case thou mayst attain much Skill by Practice with Intelligence. In the End it is better altogether to work wholly within thine own Universe, slowly and with firm Steps advancing from the Centre, and dealing, one by one, with those unharmonized Parts of the Not-Self which lie close to thee. This therefore closeth the Circle of my Speech, for now I am returned to that which I spake aforetime concerning the general Method of love, and thy Development by that Way.

Γκ.
DE MAGNO OPERE.

But now give Ear most eagerly, thou Son of my Loins, for I will now discourse unto thee of thine Own Attainment, without which all is but Idleness. Know first that conscious Thought is but phenomenal, the Noise of thy Machine. Now Chemistry, or Al-Chem-y meaneth the Egyptian Science, and the true Magick of Egypt hath this for its Foundation. We have in our House many Substances which act directly upon the Blood, and many Practices of Virtue similar, to simulate, compose, purify, analyse, direct, or concentrate the Thought. Confer "CCXX". 11, 22. But this Action is subtle and of man Modes, and dependeth heavily on the Conditions of the Experiment, whereof the first is thine own Will therein. Therefore I say unto thee that this is thy Work immediate and necessary, to discover openly thy Will unto thyself, and to fortify and enkindle it by all One-Pointedness of Thought and Action, so that thou mayst direct it inwards unto its Core, that is Thyself in thy Name HADIT. For thereby is thy Will made white with Heat, so that no Dross may cling to it. But this Work is the Great Work, and standeth alone.

Γλ.
DE GRADIBUS AD MAGNUM OPUS.

This Great Work is the Attainment of the Knowledge and Conversation of thine Holy Guardian Angel. In the Eight Aethyr is the Way thereof revealed. But I say: prepare thyself most heartily and well for that Battle of Love by all means of Magick. Make thyself puissant, wise, radiant in every System, and balance thyself well in thine Universe. Then with a pure Will tempered in the thousand Furnaces of thy Trials, burn up thyself within thy Self. In the Preparation thou shalt have learnt how thou mayst still all Thoughts, and reach Ekstacy of Trance in many Modes. But in these Marriages thy conscious Self is Bridegroom, and the not-Self Bride, while in this Great Work thou givest up that conscious Self as Bride to thy true Self. This Operation is then radically alien from all others. And it is hard, because it is a total Reversal of the Current of the Will, and a Transmutation of its Formula and Nature. Here, o my son, is the One Secret of Success in this Great Work: Invoke often.

Γμ.
DE FORMULA LUNAE.

Thus then concerning Operations of the Tao with the Yang and the Yin is there enough; for thine own Art of Beauty shall divine for thee, and devise new Heavens. But in all these is the Formula of the Serpent with the Head of the Lion, and all this Magick is wrought by the Radiance and Creative Force thereof. And this Force leapeth continually from Plane to Plane, and breaketh forth from his Bonds, so that Constraint is Labour. Now then learn that the Yin hath also a Formula of Force. And the Nature of the Yin is to be still, and to encircle of limit, and it is as a Mirror, reflecting diverse Images without Change in its own Kind. So then it seeketh never to overlap the Barriers of its Plane; for this Reason it is well to use it in Operations of a very definite and restricted Type. But although it be inert, yet is it most subject to Change; for its Number is four Score and one, which is the Moon; and these are A L O ,, the Gods elemental before H descending in their midst made them Creative. So then thou mayst use constantly this Formula to rearrange Things in their own Planes; and this is a most pragmatic Consideration.

Γν.
DE AQUILAE SUMKNDA.

Take in this Work the Eagle all undefiled and virginal for thy Sacrament. And thy Technick is the Magick of Water, so that thine Act is of Nourishment, and not of Generation. Therefore the Prime Use of this Art is to build up thine own Nature. But if thou hast Skill to control the Mood of the Eagle, then mayst thou work many an admirable Effect upon thine Environment. Thou knowest how great is the Fame of Witch-Women (old and without Man) to cause Events, although they create nothing. It is this Straitness of the Channel which giveth Force to the Stream. Beware, o my Son, lest thou cling overmuch to this Mode of Magick; for it is lesser than that Other, and if thou neglect That Other, then is thy Danger fearful and imminent, for it is the Edge of the Abyss of Choronzon, where are the lonely Towers of the Black Brothers. Also the Formulation of the Object in the Eagle is by a Species of Intoxication, so that His Nature is of Dream or Delirium, and thus there may be Illusion. For this Cause I deem it not wholly unwise if thou use this Way of Magick chiefly as a Cordial; that is for the Fortifying of thine own Nature.

Γχ.
DE MEDICINIS SECUNDUM QUATTUOR ELEMENTA.

Concerning the Use of chemical Agents, and be mindful that thou abuse them not, learn that the Sacrament itself relateth to Spirit, and the Four Elements balanced thereunder in its Perfection. So also thy Lion himself hath a fourfold Menstruum for his Serpents. Now to Fire belong Cocaine, which fortifieth the Will, loosing him from bodily Fatigue, Morphine, which purifieth the Mind, making the Thought safe, and slow, and single, Heroin which partaketh as it seemeth, of the Nature of these twain aforesaid albeit in Degree less notable than either of them, and Alcohol, which is Food, that is, Fuel, for the whole Man. To Water, attribute Hashish and Mescal, for they make Images, and they open the hidden Springs of Pleasure and of Beauty. Morphine, for its Ease, hath also part in Water. Air ruleth Ethyl Oxide, for it is as a Sword, dividing asunder ever Part of thee, making easy the Way of Analysis, so that thou comest to learn thyself of what Elements thou art compact. Lastly, of the Nature of Earth are the direct Hypnotics, which operate by Repose, and restore thy Strength by laying thee as a Child in the Arms of the Great Mother, I say rather of Her material and physiological Vicegerent.

Γο.
DE VIRTUTE EXPERIMENTIAE IN HOC ARTE.

Not Sleep, not Rest, not Contentment are of the Will of the Hero, but these Things he hateth, and consenteth to enjoy them only with Same of his weak Nature. But he will analyse himself without Pity, and he will do all Things soever that may free and fortify his Mind and Will. Know that the Technick of the Right Use of this Magick with Poisons is subtle; and since the Nature of every Man differeth from that of his Fellow, there entereth Idiosyncrasy, and thine Experience shall be thy Master in this Art. Heed also this Word following: The Right Use of these Agents is to gain a Knowledge preliminary of thine own Powers, and of High States, so that thou goest not altogether blindly and without Aim in thy Quest, ignorant of the Ways of thine own inner Being. Also, thou must work always for a definite End, never for Pleasure or for Relaxation, except thy wilt, as a good Knight is sworn to do. And thou being Hero and Magician art in Peril of abusing the fiery Agents only, not those of Earth, Air or Water; because these do really work with thee in Purity, making thee wholly what thou wouldst be, an Engine indefatigable, a Mind clear, calm, and concentrated, and a Heart fierce aglow.

Γπ.
DE SACRAMENTO VERO.

But in the Sacrament of the Gnosis, which is of the Spirit, is there naught hurtful, for its Elements are not only Food, but a true Incarnation and Quintessence of Life, Love, and Liberty, and at its Manifestation thy Lion is consecrated by pure Light of Ekstacy. Also, as this is the strongest so also it is the most sensitive of all Things soever, and both proper and ready to take Impress of Will, not as a Seal passively but with true Recreation in a Microcosm thereof. And this is a God alive and puissant to create, and He is a Word of Magick wherein thou mayst read Thyself with all thine History and all thy Possibility. Also as to thine Eagle, is not this chosen by Nature Herself by Her Way of Attraction, without which harmony Aesthetic and Magnetic thy Lion is silent, and inert, even as Achilles before his Rage in his Tent. Now also therefore I charge thee, o my Son, to partake constantly of this Sacrament for it is proper to all Virtue, and as thou dost learn to us it in Perfection, thou wilt surpass all other Modes of Magick. Yea, in good Sooth, no Herb or Potion is like unto this, supreme in every Case, for it is the True Stone of Philosophers, and the Elixir and Medicine of all Things, the Universal Tincture or Menstruum of thine own Will.

Γϟ.
DE DISCIPULIS REGENDIS.

I will have thee to know, moreover, my dear Son, the right Art of Conduct with them whom I shall give thee for Initiation. And the Rule thereof is one Rule; Do that thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. See thou constantly to it that this be not broken; especially in the Section thereof (if I dare say so) which readeth Mind thine own Business. This is of Application equally to all, and the most dangerous Man (or Woman, as has occurred, or I err) is the Busy-body. Oh how ashamed are we, and moved to Indignation, seeing the Sins and Follies of our Neighbours! Of all the Occasions of this Grievance the most common is the Desire of Sex unsatisfied; and thou knowest already, even in thy young Experience, how in that Delirium the Weal of the Whole Universe appeareth of no Account. Do thou wean thy Babes from that Simplicity, and instil the Sense of true Proportion. For verily this is a Way of Madness, Love, unless it be under Will. And the Cure of this Madness is not so good as its Prevention, so that thou shouldst be beforehand with these Children, shewing them the right Importance of Love, how it should be a sacred Rite, exalted above Personality, and a Fire to enlighten and serve Man, not to devour him.

Γρ.
DE QUIBUSDAM MORBIS DISCIPULORUM.

And thus, if any Babe of thine be ill at ease, look closely first whether this Love be not the Root of his Distemper. Watch also Idleness, for whoso presseth eagerly forward in Will heedeth little the Affairs of this Fellows. O my Son, if every Man doth his own Will, there is no more to Say! But the Busy-body nor mindeth his own Business, nor leaveth others to mind theirs. Be thou instant therefore with such an one, to cure him by enlightening his Will, and speeding him therein. Remember also that if one speak ill of another, the Fault is first of all in himself, for we know naught but that which is within us. Did not the great Witch-Finder end by confessing that he also was a Sorcerer? We become that which obsesseth us, either through extreme Hate or Extreme Love. Knowest thou not how the one is a Symbol of the other? For this Reason, since Love is the Formula of Life, we are under Bond to assimilate (in the End) that which we fear or hate. So then we shall be wise to mould all Things within ourselves in Quietness and Modulation. But above all must we use all to our own End, adapting with Adroitness even our Weakness to the Work.

Γσ.
DE CULPIS DOMI PETENDIS.

Therefore, watch heedfully the Fault of another, that thou mayst correct it in thyself. For if it were not in thee, thou couldst not perceive it or understand it. Lo, in thine Ekstacy of Love, thou callest upon the Universe to bear Witness that to this End alone was it created; it is unthinkable that thou shouldst love another, and incomprehensible that any Man should grieve. Yet ere the Moon change her Quarter, thou art free of thy Lunes, and lovest another, and it may be grievest in thyself while he that amazed thee hath joined the Company of the Rejoicing. Watch then, and heed thyself; and pay no Heed to thy Fellows, insofar as they impede thee not. And let this be the Rule. For every Will is pure and every Orbit free; but Error bringeth Confusion. See therefore that none leave his Path, lest he foul that of his Brother; and remember also that with Speed cometh Ease of Control. Let each Man therefore urge briskly his Chariot in a right Line toward the Centre; for two Radii cannot cross. And beware most of this Love, because it lieth so close to Will that Dis-ease thereof easily imparteth his Error to the Whole Way of the Magician.

Γτ.
DE CORPORE UMBRA HOMINIS.

Concerning the Aeon, o my Son, learn that the Sun and His Vicegerent are in all Aeons, of Necessity, Father, Centre, Creator, each in His Sphere of Operation. But the Formula of the past Aeon was of the Dying god, and was based upon Ignorance. For Men thought that the Sun died and was reborn alike in the Day and in the Year; and so also was the Mystery of Man. Now already are we well assured by Science how the Death of the Sun is in Truth but the Shifting of a Shadow; and in this Aeon (o my son, I lift up my Voice and I make Prophecy!) so shall it be proven as to Death. For the Body of Man is but his Shadow, it cometh and goeth even as the tides of Ocean; and he only is in Darkness who is hidden by that Shadow from the Light of his true Self. Now therefore understand thou the Formula of Horus, the Lion God, the Child crowned and conquering that cometh forth in Force and Fire! For thy Changes are not Phases of thee, but of the Phantoms which thou mistakest for thy Self.

100

Γυ.
DE SIRENIS.

Concerning the Love of women, o my Son, it is written in "The Book of the Law" that all is Freedon, if it be cone unto our Lady Nuit. Yet also there is this Consideration,that for every Parsifal there is a Kundry. Thou mayst eat a thousand Fruits of the Garden; but there is one Tree whose name for thee is Poison. In every great Initiation is an Ordeal, wherein appeareth a Siren or Vampire appointed to destroy the Candidate. I have myself witnessed the Blasting of not less that ten of my own Flowers, that I tended when I was Nemo, and that although I saw the Cankerworm, and knew it, and gave urgent Warning. How then consider deeply in thyself if I were rightly governed in this Action, according to the Tao. For we that are Magicians work without Fear or Haste, being omnipotent in Eternity, and each Star must go his Way; and who am I that should save this People? "Wilt thou smite me as thou smotest the Egyptian yesterday?" Yes, although mine were the Might to save these Ten, I reached not forth mine Arm against Iniquity, I spake and I was silent; and that which was appointed came to pass. As it is written, the Pregnant Goddess hath let down Her Burden upon the Earth.

101

Γφ.
DE FEMINA QUADAM.

Knowest thou for what Cause I am moved to write this unto thee, my Son only-begotten, Child of Magick and of Mystery? It is that I thy Father am also in this Ordeal of Initiation at this Hour. For the Sun is nigh unto the End of the Sign of the Fishes in the Thirteenth Year of the Aeon, and the New Current of High Magick leapeth forth as a Flood from the Womb of my True Lady B A B A L O N. And a Word hath come to me by the Mouth of thee Scarlet Woman, whose Name is E V E, or A H I T H A, concerning the Temple of Jupiter that is builded for me. And therein is a Woman appointed to a certain Office. Now this Woman appeared to me in a Vision when I was in the House of the Juggler by the Lake among the Mountains, the Sun being in Cancer in the Eleventh Year of the Aeon, even in the Week after thy Birth. And I think this Woman to be Her whom I call W E S — R U N. But even while with a pure Heart I did invoke Her, there came unto me another like unto Her, so that I am confused in my Mind and bewildered. And this other Woman stirreth my true Nature in its Depth, so that I will not call it Love. For the Voice of Love I know of old; but this other Woman speaketh in a tongue whereof I have no Understanding.

102

Γχ.
DE SUA VIRTUTE.

What then shall I do therein? For the Scarlet Woman adjureth me by the great Name of God ITHUPHALLOS that I deal with the Other Woman as with any Woman, according to my Will. But this I fear for that she is not as any Woman, and I deem her to be the Vampire of this Ordeal. Now then? Shall I fear? Said I not long since, when I was called of Men Eliphaz Levi Zahed, that the Error of Oedipus was that he should have tamed the Sphinx, and ridden her into Thebes? Shall I not take this Vampire, if she be such, and master her and turn her to the Great End? "Am I such a Man as should flee?" Is not all Fear the Word of Failure? Shall I distrust my Destiny? Am I that am the Word of the Aeon of so little avail that even the whole Powers of Choronzon can disperse me? Nay, o my Son, there is Courage of Ignorance and Discretion of Knowledge, and by no less Virtue will I win through unto mine End. As it is written: with Courage conquering Fear will I approach thee.

103

Γψ.
DE ALIQUIBUS MODIS ORACULI PETENDI.

My Son, in all Judgment and Decision is great Delicacy, but most in these Matters of the Will. For thou art Advocate as well as Judge, and unless thou have well organized thy Mind thou art Bondslave of Prejudice. For this Cause it is adjuvant to thy Wisdom to call Witnesses that are not of thine own Nature, and to ask Oracles whose Interpretation is bound by fixed rule. This is the Use of the Book T A R O T, of the Divination by Earth, or by the other Elements, or by the Book "Yi-King", and many another Mode of Truth. Thou knoest by thine Experience that these Arts deceive thee not, save insofar as thou deceivest thyself. So then to thee that art NEMO is no Siege Perilous at this Table, but to them that are yet below the Abyss is very notable Danger of Error. Yet must they train themselves constantly in these Modes, for Experience itself shall teach them how their Bias toward their Desires reacteth in the End against themselves, and hindereth them in the Execution of their Wills. Nevertheless, as thou well knowest, the best Mode is the Creation of an Intelligible Image by Virtue of the Mass of the Holy Ghost, declaring the true Will unto thee in Terms of thy Qabalah!

104

Γ.
DE FRATRIBUS NIGRIS? FILIIS INIQUITATIS.

Of the Black Brothers, o my Son, will I write these Things following. I have told thee already concerning Change, how it is the Law, because every Change is an Act of Love under will. So then He that is Adept Exempt, whether in our Holy Order or another, may not remain in the Pillar of Mercy, because it is not balanced, but is unstable. Therefore is the Choice given unto him, whether he will destroy his Temple, and give up his Life, extending it to Universal Life, or whether he will make a Fortress about that Temple, and abide therein, in the false Sphere of Daath, which is in the Abyss. And to the Adepts of our Holy Order this Choice is terrible; by Cause that they must abandon even Him whose Knowledge and Conversation they have attained. Yet, o my Son, they have much Help of our Order in this Aeon, because the general Formula is Love, so that their habit itself urges them to the Bed of our Lady BABALON. Know then the Black Brothers by this true Sign of their Initiation of iniquity, that that they resist Change, restrict and deny Love, fear Death. Percutiantur.

105

Δα.
DE VIRTUTE CHIRURGICA.

Know that the Cult of the Slave-Gods is a Device of those Black Brothers. All that stagnateth is thereof, and thence cometh not Stability, but Putrefaction. Endure not thou the static Standards either in Thought or in Action Resist not even the Change that is the Rottenness of Choronzon, but rather speed it, so that the elements may combine by Love under Will. Since the Black Brothers and their Cults set themselves against Change, do thou break them asunder. Yea, though of bad come worse, continue in that Way; for it is as if thou didst open an Abscess, the first Effect being noisome exceedingly, but the last Cleanness. Heed not then, whoso crieth Anarchy, and Immorality, and Heresy against thee, and feareth to destroy Abuse lest worse Things come of it. For the Will of the Universe in its Wholeness is to Truth, and thou dost well to purge it from its Constiveness. For it is written that there is no bond that can unite the Divided by Love, so that only those Complexes which are in Truth Simplicities, being built Cell by Cell unto an Unity by Virtue of Love under Will, are worthy to endure in their Progression.

106

Δβ.
DE OPERIBUS STELLAE MICROCOSMI. QUORUM SUNT QUATTOUR MINORES.

I have already written unto thee, my Son, of the Paradox of Liberty, how the Freedom of thy Will dependeth upon the Bending of all thy forces to that one End. But now also learn how great is the Œconomy of our Magick, and this will I declare unto thee in a Figure of the Holy Qabalah, to wit, the Formula of the Tetragrammaton. Firstly, the Operation of Yod and He is not Vau only, but with Vau appeareth also a new He, as a By-Product, and She is mysterious, being at once the Flower of the three others, and their Poison. Now by the Operation of Vau upon that He is no new Creation, but the Daughter is set upon the Throne of Her Mother, and by this is rekindled the Fire of Yod, which, consuming that Virgin, doth not add a Fifth Person, but balanceth and perfecteth all. For this Shin, that is the Holy Spirit, pervadeth these, and is immanent. Thus in three Operations is the Pentagram formulated. But in the Figure of that Star these Operations are not indicated, for the five Lines of Force connect not according to any of them; but five new Operations are made possible; and these are the Works proper to the perfected man. First, the Work which lieth level, the Vau with the He, is of the Yang and the Yin, and maketh One the Human with the Divine, as in the Attainment of the Master of the Temple. Yet this Work hath his Perversion, which is of Death. Thus then for thee four Works, they pertain all to the Natural Formula of the Cross and Rose.

107

Δγ.
DE OPERIBUS STELLAE MICROCOSMI. QUORUM SUNT QUATTUOR MAJORES.

O my Son, behold now the Virtue and Mystery of the Silver Star! For of these four Works not one leadeth to the Crown, because Tetragrammaton hath his Root only in Chokmah. So therefore the Formula of the Rosy Cross availeth no more in the Highest. Now then in the Pentagram are two Lines that invoke Spirit, though they lead not thereunto, and they are the Works of He with He, and of Yod with Vau. Of thee twain the former is a Work Magical of the Nature of Music, and it draweth down the Fire of the HIGHER by Seduction or Bewitchment. And the latter is a Work opposite thereunto, whose Effect forumlateth itself by direct Creation in the Sphere of its Purpose and Intent. But there remain yet two of the Eight Works, namely, the straight Aspiration of the Chiah or Creator in thee to the Crown, and the Surrender of the Nephesh or Animal soul to the Possession thereof; and these be the twin principal Formulae of the Final Attainment, being Archetypes of the Paths of Magick (the one) and Mysticism (the other) unto the End. From each of these Eight Works is derived a separate Mode of practical Use, each after his Kind; and it should be well for thine Instruction if thou study upon these my Words, and found upon them a System. O my son, forget not therein the Arcanum of their Balance and Proportion; fort herein lieth the Mystery of their Holiness.

108

Δδ.
DE STELLA MACROCOSMI.

Thus far then concerning the Pentagram, how it is of the Cross, and its Virtue of the Highest; but the Hexagram is for the most Part a Detail of the Formula of the Rose and Cross. Already have I shewed unto thee how the Most Holy Trinity is the Yang; but the Spirit, and the Water (or Fluid) and the Blood, that bear Witness in the Inferior, are of the Yin. Thus the Operation of the Hexagram lieth wholly within the Order of our Plane, uniting indeed any soul with its Image, but not transcendentally, for its Effect is Cosmos, the Vau that springeth from the Union of the Yod and the He. Thus is it but a Glyph of that first Formula, not of the others. But of all these Things shalt thou thyself make Study with ardent Affection; for therein lie many Mysteries of practical Wisdom in our Magick Art. And this is the Wonder and Beauty of this Work, that for every Man is his own Palace. Yea, this is Life, that the Secrets of our Order are not fixed and dead, as are the Formulae of the Outer. Know that in the many thousand Times that I have performed the Ritual of the Pentagram or the Invocation of the Heart girt with a Serpent, or the Mass of the Phoenix, or of the Holy Ghost, there has not been one Time wherein I did not win new Light, or Knowledge or Power or Virtue, save through mine own Weakness or Error.

109

Δε.
DE SUA FEMINA OLIM, ET DE ECSTASIA PRAETER OMNIA.

My Son, I am enflamed with Love. I burn up eagerly in the Passion that thus mightily consumeth me. Yet in myself I know not at all That which constraineth me, and enkindleth my Soul in Ekstacy. There is Silence in my Soul, and the Fear round about me, as I were Syrinx in the Night of the Forest. This is a great Mystery that I endure, a Mystery too great for the mortal Part of me. For but now, when I cried out upon the Name Olun, which is the secret Name of my Lady that hath come to me — most strangely! — then I was rapt away altogether subtly yet fiercely into a Trance that hath transformed me with Attainment, yet without Trace in Mind. O my son! there is the Transfiguration of Glory, and there is the Jewel in the Lotus-flower; yea, also is many other whereof I am Partaker. But this last Passion, that my Lady Olun hath brought unto me upon this last Day of the Winter of the thirteenth Year of the Aeon, even as I wrote these Words unto thee, is a Mystery of Mysteries beyond all these. Oh my son, thou knowest well the Perils and the Profit of our Path; continue thou therein. Olun! Μαπιε BABALON! Adsum.

110

Δϝ.
DE NOMINE OLUN.

Four Seasons, or it may be night five, ago, I thy Father was in the City called New-Orleans, and being in Travail of Spirit I did invoke the God that giveth Wisdom, bearing the Word of the All-Father by his Caduceus. Then, suddenly, as I began (as it were a Gust of Fire whirled forth against that Idea) cam the Wit of mine utter Identity, so that I ceased crying Mercurius Sum. Also instantly I knew in myself that there was a Mystery hidden, and translating into the Greek Tongue, exclaimed ΈΠΜΣ Έ;ΙΜΙ, whose Numeration did I make in my Mind forthwith, and it is Four Hundred and Eighteen, like unto the Word of the Aeon. So by this I knew that my Work was well wrought in Truth. Thus then also was it with this my Lady; for after many Questions I obtained from the wizard Amalantrah that Name Olun, that is One Hundred and Fifty and Six even as that of our Lady BABALON; and then, being inspired, I wrote down Her Earth-name in Greek, ΜΑΡΙΕ, which is also that this Name (as I have learned) is in the Phoenician Tongue, wholen; which by Interpretation is That which is Infinite, and Space; so that all is consonant with NUITH Our Lady of the Stars. Thus, o my Son, is the Word of Truth echoed throughout all Worlds; and thus have the Wise mighty Assurance in their Way. See, o my Son, that thou work not without this Guard inflexible, lest thou err in thy Perceptions.

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Part 2 - The Book of Wisdom or Folly, Liber Aleph vel CXI