Atu X - The Wheel of Fortune

[smw]

7 hours ago, Aeon418 said:

 

At the conclusion of the vision of the 11th Aethyr, when Crowley is about to leave the Fortress on the frontier of the Abyss, he hears the words of Christ on the cross;  "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani," and then experiences the "anguish of Gethsemane" where Jesus asks "let this cup pass from me.

I find it confusing as to why there  is such vehement anti - Christian sentiment (earlier) on one hand - the woolly kind teeth ripping Christ figure and then using the beauty of Gethsemane as similar aspiration to crossing the abyss.
 

7 hours ago, Aeon418 said:

But to successfully cross the Abyss from the personal to the transpersonal he must surrender everything into the Cup of Babalon. Only after this, and the interlude with Choronzon, is he admitted entrance to the House of the Virgin in the vision of the 9th Aethyr. It is there that he beholds the Virgin Daughter of Babalon (see Atu XXI, which only the "pure of heart" can fully comprehend), or the Universe as it really is without the conceptual filters of the ego that "shut her up" and hide her behind the "veil of sorrow, & the pall of death" (Liber AL, II:52) characteristic of Mary inviolate. 
 

 

The Virgin daughter of Babalon  at the 9th Aethyr seems to be at Yesod (9) the foundation, and the visions are astral ones. 
 

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Images keep arising like clouds, or veils, exquisite Chinese ivories, and porcelains, and many other things of great and delicate beauty; for such things are informed by Her spirit, for they are cast off from her into the world of the Qlippoth, or shells of the dead, that is earth. For every world is the shell or excrement of the world above it 

That makes sense of the verse in Liber AL concerning Mary, described as the Queen of the specks of Choronzon on the earth in Liber AL ( can’t remember atm which one) 

 

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he taketh me aside into a little chamber in one of the nine towers. This chamber is furnished with maps of many mystical cities. There is a table, and a strange lamp, that gives light by jetting four columns of vortex rings of luminous smoke. And he points to the map of the Aethyrs, that are arranged as a flaming sword, so that the thirty Aethyrs go into the ten sephiroth. And the first nine are infinitely holy. 

The first 9  to me, looks to include 11 the fortress frontier. 30-12 Malkuth

 

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I perceive that all this army is defended by fortresses, nine mighty towers of iron upon the frontier of the Aethyr. Each tower is filled with warriors in silver armour.

 
What is puzzling me is that if this is correct, the infamous 10th  cursed Aethyr and fight with Choronzon would have taken place at the crossing of Malkuth to Yesod - not the Abyss of the Supernals. AC describes it himself as the ‘outermost’ Abyss.

 

Yet in the book of lies the 10th Aethyr dramatic experience is to be read in connection to crossing the ‘Abyss’. Or the abyss referred to actually means the Universe itself; it is the desert. The watering then of the universe is the greening.

Edited March 22, 2024 by smw

[Aeon418]

4 hours ago, smw said:

I find it confusing as to why there  is such vehement anti - Christian sentiment (earlier) on one hand - the woolly kind teeth ripping Christ figure and then using the beauty of Gethsemane as similar aspiration to crossing the abyss.

 

I think the contrast is between Vicarious Atonement, where the Lamb does everything on your behalf, and direct experience through surrender to the Cup of Babalon. The Lamb represents an obsolete way that no longer facilitates spiritual growth and keeps one attached to the Wheel. This is why he is described as feasting upon the blood of the saints. The same blood (life) that rightfully belongs to Babalon. 

 

4 hours ago, smw said:

The Virgin daughter of Babalon at the 9th Aethyr seems to be at Yesod (9) the foundation, and the visions are astral ones. 

 

All 30 of the Aethyrs are recorded as astral visions. That's the only reason why we have a written record in the shape of Liber 418. Crowley could have gone much deeper and experienced the Aethyrs directly and then related his experience afterwards. But how much of that would have been the genuine experience of the Aethyr and how much of it would have been Crowley's interpretive filters? Crowley is warned about this in the vision of the 18th Aethyr.

 

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I wanted to go back to the King's Chamber. The Angel pushed me away, saying: "Thou shalt see these visions from afar off, but thou shalt not partake of them save in the manner prescribed. For if thou change so much as the style of a letter, the holy word is blasphemed.

 

Prior to this Victor Neuburg noted that Crowley went completely silent for 20 minutes before resuming his visionary experience of the Vault of the Pastos / King's Chamber. What happened during that time? Crowley does not say. But he does get a warning from the Angel when he tries to turn back and continue the direct experience of that which is only symbolised by the Vault of the Pastos. 

 

4 hours ago, smw said:

That makes sense of the verse in Liber AL concerning Mary, described as the Queen of the specks of Choronzon on the earth in Liber AL ( can’t remember atm which one) 

 

It's in the vision of the 3rd Aethyr. But it references the 7th Aethyr, where the little specks of howling people run around and blindly bump into one another because they have "shut themselves up in fortresses of Love." In place of the Universal Love of Babalon, they cling to a restricted love that has individual identity as its core. This in turn references the 12th Aethyr.

 

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12th Aethyr: "And this is the meaning of the Supper of the Passover, the spilling of the blood of the Lamb being a ritual of the Dark Brothers, for they have sealed up the Pylon with blood, lest the Angel of Death should enter therein. Thus do they shut themselves off from the company of the saints. Thus do they keep themselves from compassion and from understanding. Accurs'd are they, for they shut up their blood in their heart.

 

They keep themselves from the kisses of my Mother Babylon, and in their lonely fortresses they pray to the false moon. And they bind themselves together with an oath, and with a great curse. And of their malice they conspire together, and they have power, and mastery, and in their cauldrons do they brew the harsh wine of delusion, mingled with the poison of their selfishness.

 

Thus they make war upon the Holy One, sending forth their delusion upon men, and upon everything that liveth. So that their false compassion is called compassion, and their false understanding is called understanding, for this is their most potent spell.

 

Yet of their own poison do they perish, and in their lonely fortresses shall they be eaten up by Time that hath cheated them to serve him, and by the mighty devil Choronzon, their master, whose name is the Second Death, for the blood that they have sprinkled on their Pylon, that is a bar against the Angel Death, is the key by which he entereth in."

   

 

4 hours ago, smw said:

What is puzzling me is that if this is correct, the infamous 10th  cursed Aethyr and fight with Choronzon would have taken place at the crossing of Malkuth to Yesod - not the Abyss of the Supernals. AC describes it himself as the ‘outermost’ Abyss.

 

Yet in the book of lies the 10th Aethyr dramatic experience is to be read in connection to crossing the ‘Abyss’. Or the abyss referred to actually means the Universe itself; it is the desert. The watering then of the universe is the greening.

 

The trouble with applying the Tree of Life model to the Enochian Aethyrs is that it is only an interpretive filter. It allows us to see a certain kind of structure to the visions, but it does not explain everything. So while the 10th Aethyr and the confrontation with Choronzon does correspond to Malkuth in Atziluth (with associated themes of ossification of the creative impulse), it doesn't mean the entirety of the vision has to be forced into that limiting model. It helps to be flexible if you are going to reconcile the message of the 9th Aethyr with the 12th regarding the Aethyrs and the Sephiroth.

 

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9th Aethyr: "And he points to the map of the Aethyrs, that are arranged as a flaming Sword, so that the thirty Aethyrs go into the ten Sephiroth."

 

12th Aethyr: "But I reveal unto thee a mystery of the Aethyrs, that not only are they bound up with the Sephiroth, but also with the Paths. Now, the plane of the Aethyrs interpenetrateth and surroundeth the universe wherein the Sephiroth are established, and therefore is the order of the Aethyrs not the order of the Tree of Life. And only in a few places do they coincide. But the knowledge of the Aethyrs is deeper than the knowledge of the Sephiroth, for that in the Aethyrs is the knowledge of the Aeons, and of Θελημα. And to each shall it be given according to his capacity."

 

Edited March 22, 2024 by Aeon418

[smw]

On 3/22/2024 at 4:12 PM, Aeon418 said:

The trouble with applying the Tree of Life model to the Enochian Aethyrs is that it is only an interpretive filter. It allows us to see a certain kind of structure to the visions, but it does not explain everything. So while the 10th Aethyr and the confrontation with Choronzon does correspond to Malkuth in Atziluth (with associated themes of ossification of the creative impulse), it doesn't mean the entirety of the vision has to be forced into that limiting model.

 

Ah, yes, that makes sense. There seems to be limited info on what the Aethyrs contain, apart from unknown treasures and that they are described as overlapping onion layers reaching from the sun to the earth. 
 

What do you mean by  confrontation corresponds to Malkuth at Atzilututh & ossification of the creative impulsive? 
 

On 3/22/2024 at 4:12 PM, Aeon418 said:

It helps to be flexible if you are going to reconcile the message of the 9th Aethyr with the 12th regarding the Aethyrs and the Sephiroth

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9th Aethyr: "And he points to the map of the Aethyrs, that are arranged as a flaming Sword, so that the thirty Aethyrs go into the ten Sephiroth."

 

12th Aethyr: "But I reveal unto thee a mystery of the Aethyrs, that not only are they bound up with the Sephiroth, but also with the Paths. Now, the plane of the Aethyrs interpenetrateth and surroundeth the universe wherein the Sephiroth are established, and therefore is the order of the Aethyrs not the order of the Tree of Life. And only in a few places do they coincide. But the knowledge of the Aethyrs is deeper than the knowledge of the Sephiroth, for that in the Aethyrs is the knowledge of the Aeons, and of Θελημα. And to each shall it be given according to his capacity."

 

A bit of inconsistency  seems more authentic than neatly packaged visions that all fit exactly together. Also, in the 12th there is the message that the paths as well as the sephiroth are bound up with the Aethyrs, even if the overlaps are only in a few  places.

 

In the 9th Aethyr, the Angel  in the tower is described as ‘pointing’ ( I’m sure with a little golden stick 😂) which reminds me of the way information was conveyed to Dee & Kelly, by one of the Angels… I haven’t found anything concrete or got  very far - but I suspect that “ And the first nine are infinitely holy”relate somehow to all 49 calls rather that just the 30 Aethyrs contained in the 19th call.  

 

Edited April 1, 2024 by smw

[Aeon418]

10 hours ago, smw said:

What do you mean by  confrontation corresponds to Malkuth at Atzilututh & ossification of the creative impulsive?

 

Firstly, Malkuth in Atziluth is the crossover point where Atziluth suddenly transforms into Briah. It might be useful to compare it to the descent of energy in the suit of Wands, that starts with the Ace of Wands and ends up in the 10 of Wands - Oppression. With the arrival of the 10 the creative impulse symbolized by the suit of Wands has reached its final form and can't go any further unless it transforms into something completely different - the Ace of Cups in the world of Briah. If that transformation does not happen things start to look a little ..... erm, constipated.

 

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Choronzon: "I am the Master of Form, and from me all forms proceed."

 

In terms of the actual confrontation recorded by Victor Neuburg, Crowley had "retired to a secret place" within the triangle. During this time he was in a Samadhi so deep that, in the words of James Eshelman:

 

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"What was left behind was the shell of his personality, devoid of a guiding central principle. It was in this q'lipphah of the Adept that Choronzon manifested fully."

 

In that deep trance state, Crowley's supernal triad withdrew to such an extent that it left those aspects of himself corresponding to the seven lower sephiroth, completely vacant and open to possession. In a certain sense, Neuburg was left to talk to a soulless machine. Form without Spirit. A Wheel without an Axle. The lights may have been on, but no one was home. (It makes one pause for thought when you consider the way A.I. is going.) 

 

Bringing this back to the vision of the Wheel. The Lamb may once have been a vibrant, living conduit for the energies of the divine. But, because it has lasted so long, it has ossified into a rigid and fixed form that no longer serves the current needs of an evolving humanity, "who but for me should come to the centre of the Wheel."

 

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3rd Aethyr: "And Satan is worshipped by men under the name of Jesus; and Lucifer is worshipped by men under the name of Brahma; and Leviathan is worshipped by men under the name of Allah; and Belial is worshipped by men under the name of Buddha."

 

And Choronzon sits above these "four great princes of the evil of the world."

[smw]

5 hours ago, Aeon418 said:

Firstly, Malkuth in Atziluth is the crossover point where Atziluth suddenly transforms into Briah.

I like the reference to the four worlds, that is interesting, though what  do you see as indicating that the vision is Malkuth in Atziluth? Is it because of Malkuth being in Kether and vice versa? 
 

5 hours ago, Aeon418 said:

 

It might be useful to compare it to the descent of energy in the suit of Wands, that starts with the Ace of Wands and ends up in the 10 of Wands - Oppression. With the arrival of the 10 the creative impulse symbolized by the suit of Wands has reached its final form and can't go any further unless it transforms into something completely different - the Ace of Cups in the world of Briah. If that transformation does not happen things start to look a little ..... erm, constipated.

wouldn’t want to be ossified or constipated then…😏

 

 

[Aeon418]

2 hours ago, smw said:

I like the reference to the four worlds, that is interesting, though what  do you see as indicating that the vision is Malkuth in Atziluth?

 

The correspondence of the 10th Aethyr to Malkuth in Atziluth comes from the mapping of the 30 Aethyrs to the qabalistic, interpretive filter that we discussed previously.

 

• Aethyrs 30 to 21 = Malkuth to Kether in Yetzirah.
• Aethyrs 20 to 11 = Malkuth to Kether in Briah.
• Aethyrs 10 to 1 = Malkuth to Kether in Atziluth. 

Thus:

• 11th Aethyr = Kether in Briah.
• 10th Aethyr = Malkuth in Atziluth.
• 9th Aethyr = Yesod in Atziluth. Etc., etc.

 

Choronzon's opening remark: "I am the Master of Form, and from me all forms proceed," fits rather nicely with the attribution to Malkuth.  

 

Btw. on a bit of a tangent, I believe you have Gunther's, The Angel and the Abyss. See chp.4 - Forces of Life - pages 149 - 162, The Enemy, where Gunther introduces several verses (with accompanying trigrams) from Liber Trigrammaton. 4 of the trigrams show Tao in the central position, reminiscent of the Axle of the Wheel. 

		O
Also certain secret ones concealed the Light of Purity in themselves, protecting it from the Persecutions.
		G
Likewise also did certain sons and daughters of Hermes and of Aphrodite, more openly
		Z
But the Enemy confused them. They pretended to conceal that Light, that they might betray it, and profane it.
		B
Yet certain holy nuns concealed the secret in songs upon the lyre.   The first two trigrams correspond to Atu's IX - The Hermit and VII - The Chariot. These are the ones who are "confused" by the Enemy in the third trigram, which corresponds to Atu X - Fortune. (The final trigram corresponds to Atu VI - The Lovers, but they appear to avoid the confusion of the Enemy.)   For the most part, Gunther interprets the Enemy (the Four Great Princes of Evil) in its macrocosmic sense as the four great religions of the world - Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. These represent external, societal influences that my confuse anyone seeking to follow their True Will, the Axle of the Wheel. (I wonder if this is partly the reason why Crowley moved the Kerubim from card X to card V, to show the overthrow of the "gods of men" by the Law of Thelema.) In a microcosmic sense they represent unruly aspects of the elemental self that must be brought under the control of the Adept who has attained the K&C of the HGA. But the ordeal of Choronzon is for the Master of the Temple who "understandeth."   11th Aethyr:    Quote Yet must he that understandeth go forth unto the outermost Abyss, and there must he speak with him that is set above the four-fold terror, the Princes of Evil, even with Choronzon, the mighty devil that inhabiteth the outermost Abyss. And none may speak with him, or understand him, but the servants of Babylon, that understand, and they that are without understanding, his servants.   Behold! it entereth not into the heart, nor into the mind of man to conceive this matter; for the sickness of the body is death, and the sickness of the heart is despair, and the sickness of the mind is madness. But in the outermost Abyss is sickness of the aspiration, and sickness of the will, and sickness of the essence of all, and there is neither word nor thought wherein the image of its image is reflected.   The two different forms of three-fold sickness are interesting. The first three seem to correspond to the three stations of the Wheel. While the second seem to relate to the Axle itself.

Edited April 2, 2024 by Aeon418

[smw]

18 hours ago, Aeon418 said:

Btw. on a bit of a tangent, I believe you have Gunther's, The Angel and the Abyss. See chp.4 - Forces of Life - pages 149 - 162, The Enemy, where Gunther introduces several verses (with accompanying trigrams) from Liber Trigrammaton. 4 of the trigrams show Tao in the central position, reminiscent of the Axle of the Wheel. 

		O
Also certain secret ones concealed the Light of Purity in themselves, protecting it from the Persecutions.
		G
Likewise also did certain sons and daughters of Hermes and of Aphrodite, more openly
		Z
But the Enemy confused them. They pretended to conceal that Light, that they might betray it, and profane it.
		B
Yet certain holy nuns concealed the secret in songs upon the lyre.   The first two trigrams correspond to Atu's IX - The Hermit and VII - The Chariot. These are the ones who are "confused" by the Enemy in the third trigram, which corresponds to Atu X - Fortune. (The final trigram corresponds to Atu VI - The Lovers, but they appear to avoid the confusion of the Enemy.)   For the most part, Gunther interprets the Enemy (the Four Great Princes of Evil) in its macrocosmic sense as the four great religions of the world - Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. These represent external, societal influences that my confuse anyone seeking to follow their True Will, the Axle of the Wheel.

Yes, I do have the Angel & Abyss, & have read the chapter on confronting the Enemy. Tbh, I don’t really understand it in any depth.  It seems to be an advanced guide for those students that are experientially working through the grades. 

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During their Initiation, candidates for Neophyte of the A.A are required to pass by these Four Princes and be assailed by their wrath on all sides. During that experience, aspiring Neophytes are protected by Officers of the Order and the purity of the AA. 

 

Edited April 3, 2024 by smw

[smw]

22 hours ago, Aeon418 said:

Btw. on a bit of a tangent, I believe you have Gunther's, The Angel and the Abyss. See chp.4 - Forces of Life - pages 149 - 162, The Enemy, where Gunther introduces several verses (with accompanying trigrams) from Liber Trigrammaton. 4 of the trigrams show Tao in the central position, reminiscent of the Axle of the Wheel. 

		O
Also certain secret ones concealed the Light of Purity in themselves, protecting it from the Persecutions.
		G
Likewise also did certain sons and daughters of Hermes and of Aphrodite, more openly
		Z
But the Enemy confused them. They pretended to conceal that Light, that they might betray it, and profane it.
		B
Yet certain holy nuns concealed the secret in songs upon the lyre.   The first two trigrams correspond to Atu's IX - The Hermit and VII - The Chariot. These are the ones who are "confused" by the Enemy in the third trigram, which corresponds to Atu X - Fortune. (The final trigram corresponds to Atu VI - The Lovers, but they appear to avoid the confusion of the Enemy.)

I have no idea what any of this means, or why the Lovers are spared the confusion of the ‘Enemy’ when the Hermit is not…
 

There is a horned ‘lamb’ that speaks like a dragon in revelations, indicating a false Christ or Enemy. However, this false lamb is the emissary of the Beast, the anti-Christ and helps all to adore him. Crowley considered  he was the beast 666… 🤷🏼‍♀️

 

Edited April 3, 2024 by smw

[Aeon418]

4 hours ago, smw said:

Yes, I do have the Angel & Abyss, & have read the chapter on confronting the Enemy. Tbh, I don’t really understand it in any depth.  It seems to be an advanced guide for those students that are experientially working through the grades. 

 

Although the A.'.A.'. teaching is couched in specifically Thelemic symbolism, it still has wider applicability. Gunther states this in the first volume, Initiation of the Aeon of the Child (p.23).

 

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The formulae of Initiation, insofar as they may be openly revealed, have always been and still remain generally homomorphic and therefore have a catholic connotation. The formulae presented in this discussion are the Initiatic system and formulae of the A∴A∴ in particular, although many aspects of what will be discussed herein impact any system directly involved with the Spiritual evolution of mankind.

 

These sentiments apply equally to the second book, The Angel & the Abyss. Even though different esoteric systems use different symbolic maps and models, the actual territory - human consciousness - is common to all of them. This is why there is a lot of overlap between different esoteric systems. Contrast this with exoteric religion, where the differences are axiomatic and non-negotiable. The best that can be hoped for is a kind of Truce (4 of Swords), in which they agree to disagree, accepting each others existence, while maintaining the belief that they, individually, are the right way and the others are wrong.

 

In this sense exoteric religion belongs on the rim of the Wheel. No matter where one is on the rim, there is always an opposing point of view on the other side. And so the Wheel spins and spins. But esoteric systems are concerned with the Axle of the Wheel. While each of these esoteric systems may be connected to an exoteric religion by a particular "spoke" on the Wheel, the differences increasingly disappear as the distance to the central Axle shortens.

 

This is why in Liber Porta Lucis sub figura X, we read:

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19. To you who yet wander in the Court of the Profane we cannot yet reveal all; but you will easily understand that the religions of the world are but symbols and veils of the Absolute Truth. So also are the philosophies. To the adept, seeing all these things from above, there seems nothing to choose between Buddha and Mohammed, between Atheism and Theism.

20. The many change and pass; the one remains. Even as wood and coal and iron burn up together in one great flame, if only that furnace be of transcendent heat; so in the alembic of this spiritual alchemy, if only the zelator blow sufficiently upon his furnace all the systems of earth are consumed in the One Knowledge.

 

As one travels down any one of the individual spokes there is a growing awareness of the unitary nature of all religions. Gunther comments on this graduated change in perception on pages 160-161. But reaching the centre of the Wheel is dependent upon non-attachment to any particular point on the rim. This attachment can manifest in a myriad of ways, both external and internal. But all theses religious bonds are the Enemy that prevent one from realizing the central Truth of one's own being. A truth that is a "blasphemy against all gods of men."

 

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28. The red three-angled heart hath been set up in Thy shrine; for the priests despised equally the shrine and the god.

29. Yet all the while Thou wast hidden therein, as the Lord of Silence is hidden in the buds of the lotus.

 

Edited April 3, 2024 by Aeon418
Typo

[smw]

5 hours ago, Aeon418 said:

In this sense exoteric religion belongs on the rim of the Wheel. No matter where one is on the rim, there is always an opposing point of view on the other side. And so the Wheel spins and spins. But esoteric systems are concerned with the Axle of the Wheel. While each of these esoteric systems may be connected to an exoteric religion by a particular "spoke" on the Wheel, the differences increasingly disappear as the distance to the central Axle shortens.

I like that better than the ‘Enemy’ focus. That seems a splitting perspective, good here, & the bad guy over there…

 

5 hours ago, Aeon418 said:

 

This is why in Liber Porta Lucis sub figura X, we read:

 

As one travels down any one of the individual spokes there is a growing awareness of the unitary nature of all religions. Gunther comments on this graduated change in perception on pages 160-161. But reaching the centre of the Wheel is dependent upon non-attachment to any particular point on the rim. This attachment can manifest in a myriad of ways, both external and internal. But all theses religious bonds are the Enemy that prevent one from realizing the central Truth of one's own being. A truth that is a "blasphemy against all gods of men."

 

 

Thanks, that makes sense. I must have skimmed those pages 😳

Edited April 3, 2024 by smw

[Aeon418]

9 hours ago, smw said:

I have no idea what any of this means, or why the Lovers are spared the confusion of the ‘Enemy’ when the Hermit is not…

 

The Lamb: "I am the greatest of the deceivers, for my purity and innocence shall seduce the pure and innocent, who but for me should come to the centre of the wheel. .... But I am he of whom it is written: He shall deceive the very elect."

 

The Hermit according to Liber Trigrammaton conceals the Light of Purity within himself because of the symbolic identity between the letter Yod and the Axle of the Wheel. (Yod spelt in full is YVD = 20 = Kaph, Atu X.) He is seduced by the false purity of the Lamb, who simulates the "pure prompting of the soul." But he only "pretends."

 

Likewise, the Chariot card, symbolising the sons and daughters of Hermes and Aphrodite, who seek the divine through either Knowledge or Love, are "betrayed" and "profaned" by the Lamb who falsely claims, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”

 

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But the Enemy confused them. They pretended to conceal that Light, that they might betray it, and profane it.

 

Notice the threefold symbolism of pretence, betrayal, and profanation, designed lure them away from the Light or Axle of the Wheel.

 

But what about the nuns symbolised by Atu VI - The Lovers? "Yet certain holy nuns concealed the secret in songs upon the lyre." (Nuns = Isis and Nephthys?) Is this some sort of Fifth Column? People who conceal their true intentions by blending in, while spreading a secret tradition through unusual and expected ways that would slip through the net of a persecuting Church? The associated trigram is composed of two female, broken Yin lines that suggest a womb protecting the Tao in the middle. Perhaps the adaptability of the Yin energy is required to protect the secret and convey it for future generations. The songs upon the lyre may indicate art or entertainments that conceal the secret, while simultaneously revealing it to those who have the "ear to hear." Hearing is the sense corresponding to Spirit.

Edited April 4, 2024 by Aeon418
Typo

[smw]

8 hours ago, Aeon418 said:

People who conceal their true intentions by blending in, while spreading a secret tradition through unusual and expected ways that would slip through the net of a persecuting Church? 

That sounds the same as the false lamb but just the other way round. Deception, betrayal & profanity. A question of perspective and the position you are coming from. 
 

Terrorist or freedom fighter…. songs of the revolution 
 

[Aeon418]

1 hour ago, smw said:

That sounds the same as the false lamb but just the other way round. Deception, betrayal & profanity. A question of perspective and the position you are coming from.

 

The Enemy proclaims itself to be the sole repository of truth and you must accept it or else. The Secret Tradition merely points the way to the door, but you must choose to walk through it and find out for yourself.

 

These two are the same? Is this simply a matter of perspective or a false equivalence?

[Aeon418]

There's a good example on Crowley's recommended reading list.

 

In 1675 a Roman Catholic priest named Michael de Molinos wrote a small book called the Spiritual Guide.* This book, and the spiritual practice it examined, became very popular among a wide variety of people. Unfortunately it also attracted the notice of the Jesuits, the Dominicans, and the Inquisition. Molinos was subsequently arrested and tried for heresy. Found guilty, he was imprisoned and horribly tortured until he eventually recanted. (With all his works placed on the Church's, Index Expurgatorius.)

 

And what was the nature of the heinous crime Molinos was found guilty of? A crime the Church declared to be "heretical, erroneous, blasphemous, dangerous, and in practice, incompatible with Christian morality." It was nothing more than inwardly directed prayer and contemplation.

 

What irked the Church was that one of their own was writing about a practice that circumvented the need for a mediating priesthood and went against the words of Jesus, "no man cometh unto the Father but by me." Although he would not have conceptualised it this way, Molinos' practice was aimed at that which is represented by the Axle of the Wheel. His "subversive crime" was to indirectly suggest this while being a Roman Catholic Priest.

 

[* The full title is, "The Spiritual Guide which Disentangles the Soul and Brings it by the Inward Way to the Getting of Perfect Contemplation and the Rich Treasure of Internal Peace."]

Edited April 4, 2024 by Aeon418
Typo

[smw]

1 hour ago, Aeon418 said:

There's a good example on Crowley's recommended reading list.

 

In 1675 a Roman Catholic priest named Michael de Molinos wrote a small book called the Spiritual Guide.* This book, and the spiritual practice it examined, became very popular among a wide variety of people. Unfortunately it also attracted the notice of the Jesuits, the Dominicans, and the Inquisition. Molinos was subsequently arrested and tried for heresy. Found guilty, he was imprisoned and horribly tortured until he eventually recanted. (With all his works placed on the Church's, Index Expurgatorius.)

 

And what was the nature of the heinous crime Molinos was found guilty of? A crime the Church declared to be "heretical, erroneous, blasphemous, dangerous, and in practice, incompatible with Christian morality." It was nothing more than inwardly directed prayer and contemplation.

 

What irked the Church was that one of their own was writing about a practice that circumvented the need for a mediating priesthood and went against the words of Jesus, "no man cometh unto the Father but by me." Although he would not have conceptualised it this way, Molinos' practice was aimed at that which is represented by the Axle of the Wheel. His "subversive crime" was to indirectly suggest this while being a Roman Catholic Priest.

 

[* The full title is, "The Spiritual Guide which Disentangles the Soul and Brings it by the Inward Way to the Getting of Perfect Contemplation and the Rich Treasure of Internal Peace."]

 

I’m out atm - but I remember this, I think I bought  a copy 

[Aeon418]

1 hour ago, smw said:

I’m out atm - but I remember this, I think I bought  a copy 

 

Despite the archaic language, I hope you got one of the more faithful editions. I've seen some awful ones that have been butchered to make them more acceptable to modern day Evangelicals.

 

Reading Molinos I'm always reminded of the Death card and the 5 of Cups - Disappointment. The inward way that he describes is a Scorpionic-like fiery purge, full of darkness, spiritual "dryness," and feelings of desolation, not unlike St. John of the Cross and the Dark Night of the Soul.

 

It's a good warning against basing a spiritual practice on feelings or the pursuit of the "warm fuzzies." After all, it is desire that spins the Wheel. Once the purging begins, those emotional "consolations" will quickly disappear. At this point the temptation to stop or turn back will increase as the urge to "quench the thirst" or extinguish the purging fires in the Waters of rest and peace that characterise the Path of the Death card. (Cf. Matthew 11:28-20)  As Crowley says in Liber Aleph: "This Path is perilous, for it seeketh the Level, and may abase thee, except thou take Heed unto the Going."       

Edited April 4, 2024 by Aeon418
Typo

[smw]

On 4/4/2024 at 6:42 PM, Aeon418 said:

 

Despite the archaic language, I hope you got one of the more faithful editions. 

Mine is just an Amazon transcription copy -  but it does says it  is ‘ From the London 1688 English translation of the Italian Copy, printed in Venice in 1685. 

Edited April 6, 2024 by smw

[Aeon418]

10 hours ago, smw said:

Mine is just an Amazon transcription copy -  but it does says it  is ‘ From the London 1688 English translation of the Italian Copy, printed in Venice in 1685. 

 

The edition published by "Seed Sowers" is the worst one. In the introduction the editor freely admits that, "I have also left some things in the book that seem to be uniquely Miguel Molinos." What!? 😲😂

 

In my reading of Molinos I see a lot of what the Lamb describes in Liber 418 as the "wrath of the raven and the wolf."

 

Quote

Them that are fallen a prey to the wolf and the raven I have not scathed; but them that have rejected me, I have given over to the wrath of the raven and the wolf. And the jaws of the one have torn them, and the beak of the other has devoured the corpse.

 

Quote

Molinos: "War is very usual in this internal Recollection, which on the one hand will deprive thee of sensibility, to try, humble, and purge thee. On the other, invisible Enemies will assault thee with continual Suggestions, to trouble and disquiet thee. Nature her self, apparently, will torment thee, she being always an Enemy to the Spirit, which in depriving her of sensible Pleasures, remains Weak, Melancholy, and full of Irksomness, so that it feels a Hell in all Spiritual Exercises, particularly in that of Prayer, hence it grows extreamly impatient to be at an end of it, through the uneasiness of Thoughts, the lassitude of Body, importunate Sleep, and the not being able to curb the Senses, every one of which would for it own share, follow its own Pleasure. Happy art thou if thou canst persevere amidst this Martyrdom!"

 

Rejecting the pseudo-Neshamah (false spiritual intuition) turns the Wolf/Intellect and the Raven/Instincts against the aspirant, who must now practice Vairagya, "non-attachment," working without "lust of result." But to the extent that the aspirant clings onto the distractions thrown up by the mind and the body, they are "torn upon the Wheel."

[smw]

On 4/6/2024 at 1:47 PM, Aeon418 said:

 

The edition published by "Seed Sowers" is the worst one. In the introduction the editor freely admits that, "I have also left some things in the book that seem to be uniquely Miguel Molinos." What!? 😲😂

 

that is bizarre! what else is in there…

Edited April 8, 2024 by smw

[smw]

On 4/4/2024 at 1:40 PM, Aeon418 said:

 

The Enemy proclaims itself to be the sole repository of truth and you must accept it or else. The Secret Tradition merely points the way to the door, but you must choose to walk through it and find out for yourself.

 

These two are the same? Is this simply a matter of perspective or a false equivalence?

 

 For there is no other way into the Supernal Mystery but through her, and the Beast on which she rideth.

 

“the words of Jesus, "no man cometh unto the Father but by me."

 

These look pretty similar to me 🤷🏼‍♀️

[smw]

On 4/4/2024 at 4:00 PM, Aeon418 said:

There's a good example on Crowley's recommended reading list.

 

In 1675 a Roman Catholic priest named Michael de Molinos wrote a small book called the Spiritual Guide.* This book, and the spiritual practice it examined, became very popular among a wide variety of people. Unfortunately it also attracted the notice of the Jesuits, the Dominicans, and the Inquisition. Molinos was subsequently arrested and tried for heresy. Found guilty, he was imprisoned and horribly tortured until he eventually recanted. (With all his works placed on the Church's, Index Expurgatorius.)

 

And what was the nature of the heinous crime Molinos was found guilty of? A crime the Church declared to be "heretical, erroneous, blasphemous, dangerous, and in practice, incompatible with Christian morality." It was nothing more than inwardly directed prayer and contemplation.

 

What irked the Church was that one of their own was writing about a practice that circumvented the need for a mediating priesthood and went against the words of Jesus, "no man cometh unto the Father but me

 

The Catholic inquisition was terrible. It is hard to imagine being burnt at the stake and tortured for your beliefs. No wonder people made confessions. 

 

A long while back I remember reading (& being very taken with) the Cathars and the holy crusade led by Simon de Monfort against them for being heretics. Some stories suggest that at the final Battle of Monsegur  where they escaped to and were slaughtered - some of the opposing soldiers joined them 😞

 

 

Edited April 8, 2024 by smw

[Aeon418]

6 hours ago, smw said:

These look pretty similar to me 🤷🏼‍♀️

 

Only after the first part is omitted.

 

Quote

I am the way, the truth, and the light.

 

The way into the Supernal Mystery is only possible because each one of us is the way, the truth, and the life. Vicarious Atonement through the Lamb keeps one bound to the Wheel. The inward journey to the Axle can't be done by someone else on your behalf. You must do it yourself.

 

This is where Molinos got himself into hot water. His system of yoga-meditation does not require an intermediary in the form of Jesus because it is rooted in personal, first hand experience of the divine. The Church saw the danger in this "heresy." If each person is capable of experiencing divinity for themselves, why world they need a mediating priesthood? If each individual is essentially their own church, why would they need the Church?

[Aeon418]

Another aspect of the Wheel can be seen in the Probationer grade of A.'.A.'. described by Crowley in Book 4, part 2 - The Wand.

 

Quote

Every one who signs the oath of a Probationer is stirring up a hornets' nest. A man has only to affirm his conscious aspiration; and the enemy is upon him.

 

It seems hardly possible that any one can ever pass through that terrible year of probation – and yet the aspirant is not bound to anything difficult; it almost seems as if he were not bound to anything at all – and yet experience teaches us that the effect is like plucking a man from his fireside into mid-Atlantic in a gale. The truth is, it may be, that the very simplicity of the task makes it difficult.

 

The Probationer must cling to his aspiration – affirm it again and again in desperation. He has, perhaps, almost lost sight of it; it has become meaningless to him; he repeats it mechanically as he is tossed from wave to wave. But if he can stick to it he will come through.

 

On the surface the Probationer grade is deceptively simple. All they are required to do is choose any practices that appeal to them and keep a record of the same for one whole year. (One complete rotation.) To this end they swear the Oath of the Probationer to "obtain a scientific knowledge of the nature and powers of my own being." But the Oath is, knowingly or not, sworn to that which is symbolised by the Axle of the Wheel.

 

For a being who believes they have 'Free Will' the task of the Probationer should be child's play. What could be simpler? And yet by swearing a magical oath to the Still Point in the Centre the Probationer will be brought face-to-face with aspects of themselves that are bound to the Wheel. External circumstance and a growing awareness of internal resistance to the Oath will make the Probationer realise that they are much more a creature of Fate then they ever realised before.

 

And yet, by affirming their aspiration, the Probationer is placing themselves in the midst of three contending forces - Sphinx, Hermanubis, Typhon - who become the Officers who administer the real Ordeal of Initiation upon the Probationer. Should they be successful the Probationer will subsequently pass through ritual 671 - Pyramidos, where they ceremonially re-enact and reaffirm the year of probation by being initiated by three Officers who form the triangle of forces that is the base of the Pyramid of Initiation (3 of Disks - Works).

 

But the original Oath of aspiration forges the unbreakable link in the Chain that unites the Circle and the Triangle on Atu X - Fortune. Book 4 again:

 

Quote

A real Magical Oath cannot be broken: you think it can, but it can't.

This is the advantage of a real Magical Oath.

However far you go around, you arrive at the end just the same, and all you have done by attempting to break your oath is to involve yourself in the most frightful trouble.

   

Edited April 9, 2024 by Aeon418
Typo

[smw]

10 hours ago, Aeon418 said:

 

Only after the first part is omitted.

Quote

I am the way, the truth, and the light.

 

but what a first part…

 

It is a simple powerful quote, which I think includes both second parts, through Christ or Thelemic Babalon & the Beast.

 

What is interesting, is whether the vitality of the verse  (which seems to really concern immortality) keeps this strength, revitalised as Babylon & Beast or pales with over familiarity.  I’m reminded of what you said earlier about exoteric religion having lost meaning and ‘ossification of the creativity’.  Jung also mentions the Christian mysteries and symbols that “have stiffened into mere objects of belief”. 
 

Apparently, this decay of dominant thought can lead to numinous archetypal urges (from the unc) that throw up prophets, people who identify & can be possessed by them. I think this is a warning on the movement between the exoteric spokes of the wheel & the inner. Where the exoteric has shifted internally, so seems to be the axle but has just swopped over. 
 

10 hours ago, Aeon418 said:

The way into the Supernal Mystery is only possible because each one of us is the way, the truth, and the life.

 

ok, I think I am getting you. 

 

So this  is at the esoteric axle, which could pass up a spectrum on the spoke to the exoteric outer doctrine rim of the wheel, either be the Christian church or Thelemic or whatever. 
 

10 hours ago, Aeon418 said:

Vicarious Atonement through the Lamb keeps one bound to the Wheel. The inward journey to the Axle can't be done by someone else on your behalf. You must do it yourself.

 

Not having a religious Christian background, I don’t really understand the doctrine of vicarious atonement in any great detail.  Personally, though I have never thought it made any sense. On the cross, Jesus calls out to his Father who he feels has  ‘forsaken’ him. Sounds like he feels abandoned not accepting his fate as a kind of sin eating sacrificial lamb.

 I suspect though   that there is more depth to these mysteries, including the earlier archetypal themes of resurrection that re-appears in the story of his return. 

ETA… *it is John the Baptist 1;29 who refers to Jesus as the lamb of God - ‘behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin  of the world. 

Edited April 9, 2024 by smw

[Aeon418]

2 hours ago, smw said:

I’m reminded of what you said earlier about exoteric religion having lost meaning and ‘ossification of the creativity’.  Jung also mentions the Christian mysteries and symbols that “have stiffened into mere objects of belief”.

 

This is the difference between esoteric spirituality and exoteric religion. In the former the deific imagery and symbols are a portal into something deeper that may be accessed and realized through the imagery. (A bit like Tarot.) While in the latter the symbols and deific imagery have become objects of worship in their own right.

 

Gunther comments on this in Initiation in the Aeon of the Child, chapter 6 (p.130-131), where he quotes from Jung's Psychology and Alchemy on the potential severing of the "participation mystique" that may occur when the emphasis shifts from internal connection to external imagery.

 

Of course you can argue that mainstream religions still try to foster a kind of connection through participation in communal worship. However, with the rise of the scientific worldview, many people are finding it increasingly difficult to engage in this kind "communion" without their rational intellect objecting to elements of belief that are patently superstitious and absurd.

 

Aleister Crowley recognised this when he wrote the Gnostic Mass as the centre piece of the participatory "Thelemic mystery religion" he hoped to propagate for the masses through the Ordo Templi Orientis. (This still left the A.'.A.'. as the deeper mystical path for the individual.) 

 

The Confessions of Aleister Crowley, chapter 73: 

 

Quote

Human nature demands (in the case of most people) the satisfaction of the religious instinct, and, to very many, this may best be done by ceremonial means. I wished therefore to construct a ritual through which people might enter into ecstasy as they have always done under the influence of appropriate ritual. In recent years, there has been an increasing failure to attain this object, because the established cults shock their intellectual convictions and outrage their common sense. Thus their minds criticize their enthusiasm; they are unable to consummate the union of their individual souls with the universal soul as a bridegroom would be to consummate his marriage if his love were constantly reminded that its assumptions were intellectually absurd.

 

I resolved that my ritual should celebrate the sublimity of the operation of universal forces without introducing disputable metaphysical theories. I would neither make nor imply any statement about nature which would not be endorsed by the most materialistic man of science. On the surface this may sound difficult; but in practice I found it perfectly simple to combine the most rigidly rational conceptions of phenomena with the most exalted and enthusiastic celebration of their sublimity.

 

Edited April 9, 2024 by Aeon418
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