The Book of The Law Study Group 3.34
Always Wondering
This, to me, has to be the most confusing verse in the whole book. It sounds like the prediction of the end of this Aeon. But if that is the case, it doesn't seem to fit somehow. I don't know, I've thought about it too hard I guess.
AW
AW
Aeon418
To me this verse makes perfect sense. What's frustrating the hell out of me is my complete inability to communicate my ideas today. I just don't know what's wrong with me at the minute. I've made four attempts at a comment. I deleted one by accident, and the other three turned into verbal diarrhea right before my very eyes.
It all started this morning when I became convinced that the initial "But" in this verse is the Hebrew letter Beth. I kept reading it as "Beth, your holy place". Then I counted the letters in this verse. 498, the value of BITh ALHIM, (Beth Elohim) the House of God. It all went a bit wonky after that.
Anyway, bear with me on this one. I think I'm going to have to let this pot boil for a while. It's a good stew though. There's reincarnation, K&C, collective and individual initiation. I just need to find a way to explain it... hmm.
Always Wondering
I do this too. Probably a lot more often than you, as I am still learning how to play.Aeon418 said:
Some things to look for.
Thanks.
AW
Aeon418
A few rambling thoughts on this verse...
There seems to be a dual meaning to this verse. On one level this verse appears to be a prediction of the end of the Aeon of Horus. At some point in the distant future the "next step" for humanity as a species will be something beyond that which is symbolised by Horus. The Horus attainment is the K&C of HGA (a.k.a. cosmic consciousness, super consciousness, etc.) being established as the new base-line conscious level of humanity as a whole. Once this is the new "norm" for humanity Horus will leave the throne and will no longer be the image of the "next step".
At the moment the "norm" is fully individualised and developed Ruach - intellect mind. But there are frequently individuals who run ahead, or feel the need to begin to move faster than the general slow plod of the herd-mind. This is where I feel the dual meaning comes into this verse, because individuals who undertake practices that ultimately culminate in K&C are in effect consciously trying to speed up the process of Aeonic change in their own lives. The fascinating thing about this is that the developmental path taken by the individual will be mirrored over the course of the Aeon by changes in humanity as a whole. In my opinion this is the main source of Aleister Crowley's uncanny prophetic power. But he didn't gaze into a crystal ball and foresee the future direction of human progress. He actually lived and experienced the future of humanity in his own life time.
Ok, with this dual meaning in mind it seems that this verse's prediction of the end of Aeon is also a description of what happens at the individual level when someone achieves K&C. Horus vacates the throne of the East because someone who has attained to K&C doesn't need a stand-in deific image anymore. They've united themselves with the real thing. But from this point the goal changes. Tiphareth has been attained, the next step is the crossing of the Abyss. (Master of the Temple of A.'.A.'. - M.A.A.T., "the double wanded one assume my throne and place".)
[Another prophet shall arise, and bring fresh fever from the skies]. To me this describes the Ruach opening up to Neshamah. Before the attainment of K&C communication with the Angel is primarily subconscious. An Adept is one who has attained to conscious union with the Angel.
[another woman shall awake the lust & worship of the Snake] This seems to indicate the Nephesh that is fully illuminated by Neshamah. This is the union of the two Heh's in IHVH.
[another soul of God and beast shall mingle in the globèd priest] Seems to be a description of the Union achieved at Tiphareth.
[another sacrifice shall stain the tomb] Here I get the sense of release from the prison of individual consciousness. The personal "blood/life" of the individual has been offered up to the Angel. Crowley interpreted this a sexual sense (Tomb/Womb) and possibly connects it with the moment of climax when the Tomb/Womb is "stained" with the sacrifice. You get the picture.
[another king shall reign] Throughout this book we have seen King being used to symbolise an Adept. One who wears the Crown.
[and blessing no longer be poured To the Hawk-headed mystical Lord!] Aww.
Poor Horus. But his purpose is to guide the aspirant to Tiphareth. Once they've reached that point the symbols of attainment change because the goal has changed. From that point onwards the symbols of attainment transform from Horus(Tiphareth) to Babalon/Nuit(Binah). This is mirrored in the way the intiatory formulae switches from LVX to NOX.
(David Shoemaker talked about this transition from LVX to NOX in one of his Living Thelema segments. But I can't remember which one. )
Trivia time. In my previous post I mentioned that the number of letters in this verse is 498. But there are two ampersands in there too. If you add them to the total we get 500. That's the value of the letter Kaph in it's final form. The last time we encountered the letter Kaph (Atu X Fortune) was in chp. III verse 11. There it seemed to be linked with the Ordeal X. In the present verse we seem to have come full circle and passed through the Ordeal.
I'm sorry if this is confusing, but now having got the main body of this verse out of the way I want to go back to the beginning of this verse.
But your holy place shall be untouched throughout the centuries: though with fire and sword it be burnt down & shattered, yet an invisible house there standeth, and shall stand until the fall of the Great Equinox
The Body is the Temple of the Spirit.
Personal opinion warning. I see a reincarnation theme here, but like the rest of this verse there is a dual meaning behind it. In one sense I see this part of the verse referring to Crowley's teachings, and what would happen if they should be destroyed or lost due to various disasters or wars in the future. Crowley identified his house, Boleskine, with his Great Work. (BVLShKIN = 418) Crowley's Great Work was the teaching of the "next step" to humanity and the proclamation of the Law of Thelema. In a way his writings are the "house" of his 418. But what if they should be lost or destroyed before the end of the Aeon. Is that it? Game over? I don't think so. The spiritual source of his teachings, "the Invisible House", will still be there for people to connect to the 93 current. If Crowley's teaching should be wiped out in an uncertain future they will be reincarnated again and again. Quite possibly this will be in radically different form to Crowley's enunciation of Thelema, but the essential source will still be the same. The gift wrapping may change, but the thought behind the gift remains. If you want an example consider how the Osirian principle was expressed in different ways through the religions of the past.
On another level I see the opening lines of this verse as a message to the individual aspirant who is striving and struggling on the path of Samekh and Peh. For a number of incarnations they may fail to cross the path of Peh and won't have the opportunity to move on to Tiphareth. (the House destroyed by the Fire and Sword = Atu XVI The Tower. Note my previous reference to this verse and 498 - The House of God) Is that the end? Game over? No. Occult doctrine tells us that a person on the path will find the path again in another life and pick up where they left off. Their labours, though unfinished in previous lives of effort, still exist as an Invisible House. Though the earthly houses of mind and flesh may be repeatedly "burnt down & shattered", the Invisible House will stand from life to life until the Fall of the Great Equinox - The Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.
And if anyone reading this far is thinking, "what the f*ck is he going on about", I won't hold it against you.
There seems to be a dual meaning to this verse. On one level this verse appears to be a prediction of the end of the Aeon of Horus. At some point in the distant future the "next step" for humanity as a species will be something beyond that which is symbolised by Horus. The Horus attainment is the K&C of HGA (a.k.a. cosmic consciousness, super consciousness, etc.) being established as the new base-line conscious level of humanity as a whole. Once this is the new "norm" for humanity Horus will leave the throne and will no longer be the image of the "next step".
At the moment the "norm" is fully individualised and developed Ruach - intellect mind. But there are frequently individuals who run ahead, or feel the need to begin to move faster than the general slow plod of the herd-mind. This is where I feel the dual meaning comes into this verse, because individuals who undertake practices that ultimately culminate in K&C are in effect consciously trying to speed up the process of Aeonic change in their own lives. The fascinating thing about this is that the developmental path taken by the individual will be mirrored over the course of the Aeon by changes in humanity as a whole. In my opinion this is the main source of Aleister Crowley's uncanny prophetic power. But he didn't gaze into a crystal ball and foresee the future direction of human progress. He actually lived and experienced the future of humanity in his own life time.
Ok, with this dual meaning in mind it seems that this verse's prediction of the end of Aeon is also a description of what happens at the individual level when someone achieves K&C. Horus vacates the throne of the East because someone who has attained to K&C doesn't need a stand-in deific image anymore. They've united themselves with the real thing. But from this point the goal changes. Tiphareth has been attained, the next step is the crossing of the Abyss. (Master of the Temple of A.'.A.'. - M.A.A.T., "the double wanded one assume my throne and place".)
[Another prophet shall arise, and bring fresh fever from the skies]. To me this describes the Ruach opening up to Neshamah. Before the attainment of K&C communication with the Angel is primarily subconscious. An Adept is one who has attained to conscious union with the Angel.
[another woman shall awake the lust & worship of the Snake] This seems to indicate the Nephesh that is fully illuminated by Neshamah. This is the union of the two Heh's in IHVH.
[another soul of God and beast shall mingle in the globèd priest] Seems to be a description of the Union achieved at Tiphareth.
[another sacrifice shall stain the tomb] Here I get the sense of release from the prison of individual consciousness. The personal "blood/life" of the individual has been offered up to the Angel. Crowley interpreted this a sexual sense (Tomb/Womb) and possibly connects it with the moment of climax when the Tomb/Womb is "stained" with the sacrifice. You get the picture.
[another king shall reign] Throughout this book we have seen King being used to symbolise an Adept. One who wears the Crown.
[and blessing no longer be poured To the Hawk-headed mystical Lord!] Aww.
Poor Horus. But his purpose is to guide the aspirant to Tiphareth. Once they've reached that point the symbols of attainment change because the goal has changed. From that point onwards the symbols of attainment transform from Horus(Tiphareth) to Babalon/Nuit(Binah). This is mirrored in the way the intiatory formulae switches from LVX to NOX.(David Shoemaker talked about this transition from LVX to NOX in one of his Living Thelema segments. But I can't remember which one.
)Trivia time. In my previous post I mentioned that the number of letters in this verse is 498. But there are two ampersands in there too. If you add them to the total we get 500. That's the value of the letter Kaph in it's final form. The last time we encountered the letter Kaph (Atu X Fortune) was in chp. III verse 11. There it seemed to be linked with the Ordeal X. In the present verse we seem to have come full circle and passed through the Ordeal.
I'm sorry if this is confusing, but now having got the main body of this verse out of the way I want to go back to the beginning of this verse.
But your holy place shall be untouched throughout the centuries: though with fire and sword it be burnt down & shattered, yet an invisible house there standeth, and shall stand until the fall of the Great Equinox
The Body is the Temple of the Spirit.
Personal opinion warning. I see a reincarnation theme here, but like the rest of this verse there is a dual meaning behind it. In one sense I see this part of the verse referring to Crowley's teachings, and what would happen if they should be destroyed or lost due to various disasters or wars in the future. Crowley identified his house, Boleskine, with his Great Work. (BVLShKIN = 418) Crowley's Great Work was the teaching of the "next step" to humanity and the proclamation of the Law of Thelema. In a way his writings are the "house" of his 418. But what if they should be lost or destroyed before the end of the Aeon. Is that it? Game over? I don't think so. The spiritual source of his teachings, "the Invisible House", will still be there for people to connect to the 93 current. If Crowley's teaching should be wiped out in an uncertain future they will be reincarnated again and again. Quite possibly this will be in radically different form to Crowley's enunciation of Thelema, but the essential source will still be the same. The gift wrapping may change, but the thought behind the gift remains. If you want an example consider how the Osirian principle was expressed in different ways through the religions of the past.
On another level I see the opening lines of this verse as a message to the individual aspirant who is striving and struggling on the path of Samekh and Peh. For a number of incarnations they may fail to cross the path of Peh and won't have the opportunity to move on to Tiphareth. (the House destroyed by the Fire and Sword = Atu XVI The Tower. Note my previous reference to this verse and 498 - The House of God) Is that the end? Game over? No. Occult doctrine tells us that a person on the path will find the path again in another life and pick up where they left off. Their labours, though unfinished in previous lives of effort, still exist as an Invisible House. Though the earthly houses of mind and flesh may be repeatedly "burnt down & shattered", the Invisible House will stand from life to life until the Fall of the Great Equinox - The Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.
And if anyone reading this far is thinking, "what the f*ck is he going on about", I won't hold it against you.
Always Wondering
Fascinating. You've given me a lot to think about.
Plus I am back into a questions phase. And funny, or embarrassing, how many of them are the same questions.
What does crossing the Abyss mean to you? I have read numerous things about this and just about the time I think I understand somebody else writes something that changes it.
What would be the difference between between evolution and reincarnation? I've been wrestling with this for a while. Remove personalities and it all seems the same to me.
AW
Plus I am back into a questions phase. And funny, or embarrassing, how many of them are the same questions.
What does crossing the Abyss mean to you? I have read numerous things about this and just about the time I think I understand somebody else writes something that changes it.
What would be the difference between between evolution and reincarnation? I've been wrestling with this for a while. Remove personalities and it all seems the same to me.
AW
Grigori
Thinking about from a very literal perspective, leads me to wonder, what is the holy place? A house apparently, that will be burnt down and shattered with fire and swords. The two likely contenders are Boleskine, Crowley house in Scotland and intended location for the Great Work (though not the actual location). The house is designated as the kibblah of Thelema and many rituals are orientated with this location as "east". It seems the house was previously owned by Jimmy Paige from Led Zepplin, a thelemite. It's now owned by a private individual who rather understandably dislikes crowds of motley thelemites showing up on their doorstop making holy pilgrimages
http://www.geocities.com/athens/parthenon/7069/bole-1.html
Another option discussed is the site of the Abbey of Thelema at Cefalu. A now ramshackle building falling apart and neglected, it may fit better the description of a holy site being burnt down and shattered. I've seen a few online discussions of people wanting to fund-raise enough capital to purchase it back, though seems an unlikely goal. A shame as many of the wall murals remain, so it contains a lot of Crowley's art and is not just a "building once used".
http://abbeytoday.blogspot.com/
A third option could be simply the Stele of Revealing. There was a bit of anxious discussion happening during the recent riots and invasions of the museum in Egypt. There was destruction and loss of some artifacts at the same museum where the Stele is housed, though it seems that that part of the museum was not affected and that Stele is not damaged.
Lastly the holy place may be something internal for each of us, and so safe from any fire or sword. I quite like that perspective also.
Are there any other possible thelemic holy places?
Always Wondering
Thanks for the links Grigori. I have a hard time getting literial with this book, so I can relate to your last thought about it being internal. Though life is temporary in one sense, my own experience is going to happen no matter what. Crowley writes about such a relish of life in the holy books that I often see life as the Thelemic holy place. LVX comes to mind also.
AW
AW
Aeon418
I think you are already well versed in the A.'.A.'. grade structure, so I'll jump right in.
At the grade of Adeptus Minor Within the aspirant attains to conscious communion with the Angel. From this point on they begin to deepen and strengthen this replationship and also begin to transform their outer and inner life to make themselves an ever more perfect vehicle for the Will of the Angel. This process continues through the subsequent Adept grades of Adeptus Major and Adeptus Exemptus.
At some stage in the process the Adeptus Exemptus reaches the end of the road. He/she has become such a perfect vehicle for the Angel that there is nothing left for them to do, except for one thing. They must try to hand over the keys to the car (of their life) and let the Angel drive the rest of the way. It's a huge step.
But from the very first step on the path this song is playing on the radio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ts2U1mkfz4
Exactly!
The trouble with some peoples ideas of reincarnation is that they can't separate their personality from it. But the personality is just a tool, a vehicle of expression that gets created throughout our lives. Unfortunately we end up getting very attached to this thing and end it thinking it is the real Self. As I'm sure you are aware this creates all sorts of problems.
Evolutionary reincarnation can be viewed as a process wereby the True Self repeatedly tries to create an ever more perfect vehicle of experience for itself. At some point in this repeating process the personalities that get created reach a stage of evolution where they begin to actively take part in the process. Suddenly the personality thinks it would be a good idea to start doing "spiritual practices". But was it ever really their idea?
A word of warning. Mentioning reincarnation in certain Thelemic circles will lead to some negative reactions. Even though Crowley believed in, and taught the doctrine, some poeple don't like the "belief" aspect. I'm fine with that, as long as they don't start telling me what to believe.
Always Wondering
I think you are already well versed in the A.'.A.'. grade structure, so I'll jump right in.
At the grade of Adeptus Minor Within the aspirant attains to conscious communion with the Angel. From this point on they begin to deepen and strengthen this replationship and also begin to transform their outer and inner life to make themselves an ever more perfect vehicle for the Will of the Angel. This process continues through the subsequent Adept grades of Adeptus Major and Adeptus Exemptus.
At some stage in the process the Adeptus Exemptus reaches the end of the road. He/she has become such a perfect vehicle for the Angel that there is nothing left for them to do, except for one thing. They must try to hand over the keys to the car (of their life) and let the Angel drive the rest of the way. It's a huge step.
But from the very first step on the path this song is playing on the radio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ts2U1mkfz4
Exactly!
Love it. I may have a new mantra.Now I think I understand how somebody could survive crossing the abyss. Their personality doesn't survive? Kind of?
Well I made a small step out of rigid thinking anyway, and am probably haveing a brain fart. The trouble with some peoples ideas of reincarnation is that they can't separate their personality from it. But the personality is just a tool, a vehicle of expression that gets created throughout our lives. Unfortunately we end up getting very attached to this thing and end it thinking it is the real Self. As I'm sure you are aware this creates all sorts of problems.
Evolutionary reincarnation can be viewed as a process wereby the True Self repeatedly tries to create an ever more perfect vehicle of experience for itself. At some point in this repeating process the personalities that get created reach a stage of evolution where they begin to actively take part in the process. Suddenly the personality thinks it would be a good idea to start doing "spiritual practices". But was it ever really their idea?
A word of warning. Mentioning reincarnation in certain Thelemic circles will lead to some negative reactions. Even though Crowley believed in, and taught the doctrine, some poeple don't like the "belief" aspect. I'm fine with that, as long as they don't start telling me what to believe.
First of all, I did not intend to drag you or this thread into any controversy. Sometimes I forget about all that. Second, no kidding. I just went to another Thelemic circle and searched reincarnation and got an eyeful of controversy.
No worries, I am mostly just a reader at these places.Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me. It does get confusing when people I read and learned form like Case and Crowley speak of their beliefs and I forget this is all a dream anyway and everything is, in a way, a lie. But in my own inner process of seperating the wheat from the shaft it helps to bounce this stuff off people on occasion.
Aeon418 said:
I think I understand what you are getting at now.
Aeon418 said:
So about how many people do you reckon have accomplished this? If you have any thoughts on this.
Aeon418 said:
Yes, this was exactly my reaction to this thought. Not that I have to worry, yet, but I didn't like hearing about the end of Horus. I will have to go listen to Shoemaker's talk on LVX to NOX.
Thanks. The rest I am still processing.
AW
