Tarot of Ceremonial Magic Study Group - The Magus

smw

Thanks Abrac. I missed seeing that.
 

Zephyros

According to the book, Babalon is a Thelemic goddes of The Great Mother, or Mother of Abominations, who is also known as the Scarlet Woman. How could a goddes be also the world?

When you say, "Emanating from Kether," who emanates it? Itself? God? The Magus? Or the magician?

From Lon Milo DuQuette's Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot:

The three "deities" of the The Book of Law are the main figures that appear on the Stele of Revealing; they express the abstract dynamics of the universe. They are Nuit (sometimes spelled "Nu" or "Nuith"), the goddess of infinite space, the personification of an infinitely expanded universe; Hadit (sometimes spelled "Had" or "Hadith"), the god at the heart of Nuit, the personification of an infinitely contracted point; and their child, Ra-Hoor-Khuit(sometimes spelled "Ra-Hoor-Khu-it," Ra-Hoor-Khu," "Ra Hoor Khut," Ra-Hoor-Khut"), who, on the Stele, is the hawk-headed god enthroned behind an altar of oferrings.

These three deities are, in a very real way, the personification of the key elements of projective geometry: Nuit the periphery, Hadit the center, and Ra-Hoor-Khuit the transcendent "being" that is created when it is recognized that the periphery and center simultaneously occupy the same position. As Nuit is infinite out-ness, and Hadit is infinite in-ness[/i], they are both equally every and locked in infinite embrace. This is lovemaking on a cosmic scale, and Ra-Hoor-Khuit is the product of this union.

From Thelemapdia:

BABALON, as the Great Mother, represents MATTER, a word which is derived from the Latin word for Mother. She is the physical mother of each of us, the one who provided us with material flesh to clothe our naked spirits; She is the Archetypal Mother, the Great Yoni, the Womb of all that lives through the flowing of Blood; She is the Great Sea, the Divine Blood itself which cloaks the World and which courses through our veins; and She is Mother Earth, the Womb of All Life that we know.

In my opinion the seal in the back of the Magus's head represents the Thelemic version of the Waite infinity symbol because in a way it means the same thing. Babalon represents all that there is, a personification in herself of Nuit who is all that there is and isn't. On the Tree of Life the Magus is the path pf Beit, which emanates from Keter, the Crown, itself a symbol of Hadit the infinitely contracted point.
 

Abrac

That's a good point. I never made a connection with Waite's infinity symbol.

Here's something else from DuQuette's Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot, the "Glossary of Thelemic and Tarot Terms" starting on page 290:

"Babalon: In the Thelemic pantheon, Babalon is one of two major aspects of female deity, Nuit being the other. Just as Nuit is paired with Hadit, her male counterpart, Babalon, joins with the Therion, the Beast. The following is excerpted from The Magick of Thelema.

'Therion/Babalon as Chokmah/Binah—To the student of the Qabalah the easiest way to begin to understand Therion [Beast] and Babalon is to conceptualize them as personifications of the second and third Sephiroth of the Tree of Life, Chokmah and Binah, respectively.

The second Sephira, Chokmah represents the original concept of duality, and as such is the chaotic despoiler of the perfect unity of the first Sephira, Kether. Chaos is another title of Chokmah and in certain Thelemic rituals is identified with Therion. Chokmah is also the Divine Will, the Logos, the Word whose vibration is the creative essence of the universe. As the supernal Father, Chokmah/Therion is the archetype of the lingam, the universal Male.

The third Sephira, Binah represents the original reconciliation and balance of the Divine Self (Kether) and the reflected Not Self (Chokmah). She is viewed as the all-receptive mate of Chokmah and when they are united the primal unity of Kether is realized. As Binah/Babalon resides just above the Abyss, She eventually receives unto Herself the totality of the life of the evolving universe. This universal life is symbolized as the "blood of the Saints" which She gathers up into her great cup (the Holy Grail). This she shares with the Beast, and they unite in drunken ecstasy. Thus she is called the Great Whore for in her "shamelessness" she receives all and refuses none.' "​

"Beast: In the Thelemic pantheon, the Beast is one of two major aspects of male deity, Hadit being the other. On the Tree of Life, the Beast is associated with the second sephira, Chokmah. See Babalon."

The whole image seems to be a reflection of the Mercurial Genii image in the lower left-hand corner. Crowley's wand mirrors the lingam and he's pointing to the cup which mirrors the yoni. The union of the two, which is shown on the Genii image as the crown of Kether is mirrored by the Beast's head in union with Babalon.
 

ravenest

The outer ring of the seal says: Sigilum Sanctum Fraternitatis A. A. [Holy Seal of the Brotherhood of the A. A.] I posted a picture of it before, here it is again.

Babalon Sigil

Again, it is not a 'Babalon sigil' ... again , it says on it what it is .

One person mentions some idea about 'Crowley channelling Babalon' and now its taken off.... now several people are saying it .... and still calling the seal of the AA a Babalon sigil... even posting pics of it and calling it that, even though it says on the seal what it is .

The sacred seal of the brotherhood of the AA
 

Zephyros

Again, it is not a 'Babalon sigil' ... again , it says on it what it is .

One person mentions some idea about 'Crowley channelling Babalon' and now its taken off.... now several people are saying it .... and still calling the seal of the AA a Babalon sigil... even posting pics of it and calling it that, even though it says on the seal what it is .

The sacred seal of the brotherhood of the AA

I agree, I don't see any suggestion of channelling anything. But why do you think the symbol is there? Would it be because the Magus represents the Master of the Temple?
 

foolMoon

Maybe the channeling of Babylon for the Magus is already done here. Like the Fool who appears to be an adept jumping over the abyss, this Magus could represent a Master of the Temple who has now crossed the abyss. He/she having drained their blood in the cup of Babalon or I think sacrificed their ego for the service of humanity.

I can't remember where I saw it, there was also a reference to not being able to cross the abyss with out realising the maternal feminine aspect in yourself.


Interesting. I always wanted to know more about the abyss in TOL, and crossing it in detail.
How is it to be done, and why.
 

foolMoon

From Lon Milo DuQuette's Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot:



From Thelemapdia:



In my opinion the seal in the back of the Magus's head represents the Thelemic version of the Waite infinity symbol because in a way it means the same thing. Babalon represents all that there is, a personification in herself of Nuit who is all that there is and isn't. On the Tree of Life the Magus is the path pf Beit, which emanates from Keter, the Crown, itself a symbol of Hadit the infinitely contracted point.

Great references and explanation. Although, the definition of Babalon seems still too abstract. When it says, "a personification in herself of Nuit who is all that there is and isn't , it sounds like a self contradiction and irony.
 

foolMoon

Try looking up 'anima mundi' - and animism generally .

I feel that 'anima mundi' and animism doesn't seem to explain the connection of the goddes Babalon to the world as we know it.

Goddes is a divine concept. They are somehow separate entity from us humanity. Hence humans try to connect with the deity via worship, meditation, prayers, rituals or even crossing the abyss.

Anima mundi or animism is a belief that all living existences are connected by so called world spirit.

Maybe Thelemic deity is different from deity in general?