The thelemic Hermit

MasterJm

"Behold! these be grave mysteries; for there are also of my friends who be hermits. Now think not to find them in the forest or on the mountain; but in beds of purple, caressed by magnificent beasts of women with large limbs, and fire and light in their eyes, and masses of flaming hair about them; there shall ye find them. Ye shall see them at rule, at victorious armies, at all the joy; and there shall be in them a joy a million times greater than this".

Book of the Law, II 24

I wonder how that kind of Hermit could be in agreement with the common Hermits card interpretations in a spread ? Prudence, circumspection, retirement, introversion etc ?
 

Barleywine

"Behold! these be grave mysteries; for there are also of my friends who be hermits. Now think not to find them in the forest or on the mountain; but in beds of purple, caressed by magnificent beasts of women with large limbs, and fire and light in their eyes, and masses of flaming hair about them; there shall ye find them. Ye shall see them at rule, at victorious armies, at all the joy; and there shall be in them a joy a million times greater than this".

Book of the Law, II 24

I wonder how that kind of Hermit could be in agreement with the common Hermits card interpretations in a spread ? Prudence, circumspection, retirement, introversion etc ?

Crowley isn't alone in this. Here is a quote from Paul Foster Case, written in 1947:

"The sense of Touch is that which is attributed to Yod, and the same letter, in Qabalah, corresponds to the function of Coition, in which the sense of touch is particularly active. Esoterically, the letter Yod corresponds to the experience of union with the Supreme SELF, the true I AM of the cosmos, This experience, intensely blissful, is often compared by occult writers, both ancient and modern, to the intense physical ectasy of the sex-embrace. Prudes may quarrel with this comparison. Let them read the Song of Solomon, the mystical poetry of Persian Sufis, or some of the narratives of Christian experience, and they will learn that some of the best minds the human race has ever produced have not scrupled to employ intensely erotic imagery in their endeavors to describe the bliss of union with the ONE."

I suggest that those are the "grave mysteries" the BoL quote is referring to. Crowley just had a tendency to hyperventilate more than most ;)
 

MasterJm

Crowley isn't alone in this. Here is a quote from Paul Foster Case, written in 1947:

"The sense of Touch is that which is attributed to Yod, and the same letter, in Qabalah, corresponds to the function of Coition, in which the sense of touch is particularly active. Esoterically, the letter Yod corresponds to the experience of union with the Supreme SELF, the true I AM of the cosmos, This experience, intensely blissful, is often compared by occult writers, both ancient and modern, to the intense physical ectasy of the sex-embrace. Prudes may quarrel with this comparison. Let them read the Song of Solomon, the mystical poetry of Persian Sufis, or some of the narratives of Christian experience, and they will learn that some of the best minds the human race has ever produced have not scrupled to employ intensely erotic imagery in their endeavors to describe the bliss of union with the ONE."

I suggest that those are the "grave mysteries" the BoL quote is referring to. Crowley just had a tendency to hyperventilate more than most ;)


Thank you very much for the answer. I think that i like very much that kind of Hermit :) Not a monk, but a Suffi or a similar type. Virgo sign, i didnt ever like the prudes, but i am thinking that coition is a act of two people, not a lonely act. In some interpretations, i find for Hermit, the masturbation as sexual act, because it's a lonely act. My mind goes also to tantric sex or sex magic, because i see those "magnificent beasts of women with large limbs, and fire and light in their eyes, and masses of flaming hair about them" of Book of the Law, as Lust, and one of the interpretation of Lust card is sexual magik. Am i right ?
 

Aeon418

I wonder how that kind of Hermit could be in agreement with the common Hermits card interpretations in a spread ? Prudence, circumspection, retirement, introversion etc ?
The Hermit in verse you quoted does not need to 'physically' remove himself in order to find solitude. His hermitage is an internal state of mind that allows him to fully live life in the world while being simultaneously apart from it.

Alternatively anyone going their own way through the world in accordance with their Will is in a certain sense solitary.
 

MasterJm

The Hermit in verse you quoted does not need to 'physically' remove himself in order to find solitude. His hermitage is an internal state of mind that allows him to fully live life in the world while being simultaneously apart from it.

Alternatively anyone going their own way through the world in accordance with their Will is in a certain sense solitary.

Υes, i agree with that thelemic view and like very much that kind of hermits, besides it's my sign. I was that kind of hermit for many years, but in the last years i lost much time with psycho pharisees hermits and prudes who led me away from my real thelema. It has been proved very dangerous to meet people who import christian elements to Thelema.
 

Barleywine

t has been proved very dangerous to meet people who import christian elements to Thelema.

To paraphrase John Calvin, you could always "chastise them according to their desserts" :)
 

ravenest

"Behold! these be grave mysteries; for there are also of my friends who be hermits. Now think not to find them in the forest or on the mountain; but in beds of purple, caressed by magnificent beasts of women with large limbs, and fire and light in their eyes, and masses of flaming hair about them; there shall ye find them. Ye shall see them at rule, at victorious armies, at all the joy; and there shall be in them a joy a million times greater than this".

Book of the Law, II 24

I wonder how that kind of Hermit could be in agreement with the common Hermits card interpretations in a spread ? Prudence, circumspection, retirement, introversion etc ?

Sitting up in bed writing right now ... sheets are purple :) A magnificent beast hasn't dropped in for a while (large everything and yes, with fire and light in their eyes) and I am always a sucker for a redhead. Where are they now? Off ruling a victorious army I suppose ... thats ok, it gives me time for prudence, circumspection, retirement, introversion, etc.

As usual there is a diff between an inner a la Crowley meaning and a 'common card interpretation. For a magician they might be similar or inter-twined.

See http://www.sacred-texts.com/oto/lib194.htm @ point 2.
 

MasterJm

Sitting up in bed writing right now ... sheets are purple :) A magnificent beast hasn't dropped in for a while (large everything and yes, with fire and light in their eyes) and I am always a sucker for a redhead. Where are they now? Off ruling a victorious army I suppose ... thats ok, it gives me time for prudence, circumspection, retirement, introversion, etc.

As usual there is a diff between an inner a la Crowley meaning and a 'common card interpretation. For a magician they might be similar or inter-twined.

See http://www.sacred-texts.com/oto/lib194.htm @ point 2.


I thought that those thelemic Hermits were in those armies, not the Women...I thought also that the thelemic Hermits could be a pair only with the Star - not with Lust, because Star's and Hermit's common connection with Underworld's Goddess Hecate.
 

ravenest

Serves me right for having my tongue in my cheek ... now I have to extract it.

At rule (comma) at victorious armies (comma) ... not 'ruling victorious armies'.

A woman can have 'beds of purple' and be a Hermit.

Purple = as well as relating to Hod purple has elements of violet as well " The deep violet is episcopal. It combines 2 and 3, a bishop being the manifestation of heavenly or starry existence ..."

Now relate that to what a 'bed' signifies .; rest, repose, sleep, dream, the other side of conscious life. Maintaining the magical perspective through that.

I never liked that Christian 'night prayer' so I rewrote it.

Now I lay me down to sleep
I give Nuit my soul to keep
in drifting, dreaming floating form
to rise refreshed in the light of morn'.
And when I die I shall be awake
to no one I give my soul to take
but ride the raft of Ra to morn'
and welcome in a brand new dawn.

But that is all a personal take on things too.

I dont know what you mean about the Star and Hermit's connection to Hecate ... or 'a pair only with '.
 

Barleywine

I never liked that Christian 'night prayer' so I rewrote it.

Now I lay me down to sleep
I give Nuit my soul to keep
in drifting, dreaming floating form
to rise refreshed in the light of morn'.
And when I die I shall be awake
to no one I give my soul to take
but ride the raft of Ra to morn'
and welcome in a brand new dawn.

Apropos to absolutely nothing, your prayer rewrite made me think of some interesting song lyrics written by Ed Sanders and recorded by his hippie band, The Fugs, in 1968. It could have been a sly, veiled commentary on the death of Elvis Presley if Elvis hadn't lived for another nine years ;) It was performed as a "cry-in-your-beer" country gospel hymn with choir and some wonderfully syncopated piano playing. It reads as kind of disjointed poetry but converted beautifully to music, especially with the sarcastic yodeling at the beginning.

Ramses II is dead, my love
He's left from Memphis for heaven
Ptah has taken him in the solar bargue
And walked him to Nuit's celestial shores

Ramses II is dead, my love
He's wandering the plains where the Blessed live
Ptah and Ra and Sokaris too
Are taking him on the celestial boat

Ramses II Ramses II Ramses II
With the Savior
He walked to his bier
Where his pylons did wave
With the flags of his victorys

Ramses II is dead
He died and he lies in the boat
He's floating down those cool grey waters
To his tomb by the Nile's surging wave

Standing in the harsh, harsh grey granite
Standing by Ramses forever!
With a coffin of gold and the pretty pale carvings
Lifting you to heaven

Heaven was waiting for Ramses II
He's gone to great Ptahs huge side

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnZ9moy4Qj4&feature=kp