Pure Selfishness, with foresight

Magick without tears, ch. Selfishness

Selfishness? I am glad to find you worrying that bone, for it has plenty of meat on it; fine juicy meat, none of your Chilled Argentine or Canterbury lamb. It is a pelvis, what's more; for in a way the whole structure of the ethics of Thelema is founded upon it.
There is some danger here; for the question is a booby trap for the noble, the generous, the high-minded.

'Selflessness', the great characteristic of the Master of the Temple, the very quintessence of his attainment, is not its contradictory, or even its contrary; it is perfectly compatible (nay, shall we say friendly?) with it.

The Book of the Law has plenty to say on this subject, and it does not mince its words. AL,11: 18, 19, 20, 21:

These are dead, these fellows; they feel not. We are not fo r the poor and the sad: the lords of the earth are our kinsfolk.
Is a God to live in a dog? No! but the highest are of us. They shall rejoice, our chosen; who sorroweth is not of us.
Beauty and strength, leaping laughter and delicious /anguour, fo rce and fire, are of us.
We  have  nothing  with  the  outcast  and  the  unfit:  let them  die  in  their  misery.  For  they  feel  not. Compassion  is  the  vice  of  Kings:  stamp  down  the wretched  and  the  weak;  this  is  the  law  of  the  strong: this  is  our  law  and  the  joy  of the  world.

That  sets  up  a  standard,  with  a  vengeance! (Note  "they  feel  not,"  twice  repeated.  There  should  be something  important  to  the  thesis herein  concealed.)

The  passage  becomes  exalted,  but  a  verse  later  resumes  the theme,  setting  forth  the  philosophical  basis  of  these apparently  violent  and  arrogant  remarks. "It  is  a  lie,  this  folly  against  self."  (A L.  II:  22)

This  is  the  central  doctrine  of  Thelema  in  this  matter. What  are  we  to  understand  by  it?  That  this  imbecile  and nauseating  cult  of  weakness-democracy  some  call  it-is utterly  false  and  vile.

Let  us  look  into  the  matter.  (First  consult  AL.  II:  24,  25, 48,  49,  58,  59,  and  III:  18,  58,  59.  It  might  be  confusing  to quote  these  texts  in  full;  but  they  throw  much  further  light on  the  subject.)
The  word  "compassion"  in  its  accepted sense-which  is  bad  etymology-implies  that  you  are  a  fine fellow,  and  the  other  so  much  dirt;  that  is,  you  insult  him  by pity  for  his  misfortunes.  But  "Every  man  and  every  woman  is a  star";  so  don't  you  do  it!  You  should  treat  everybody  as  a King  of  the  same  order  as  yourself.

Of  course,  nine  people out  of  ten  won't  stand  for  it,  not  for  a  minute;  the  mere  fact of  your  treating  them  decently  frightens  them;  their  sense  of inferiority  is  exacerbated  and  intensified;  they  insist  on grovelling.  That  places  them.  They  force  you  to  treat  them  as the  mongrel  curs  they  are;  and  so  everybody  is  happy!

The  Book  of  the  Law  is  at  pains  to  indicate  the  proper attitude  of  one  "King"  to  another.  When  you  fight  him,  "As brothers,  fight  ye!"  Here  we  have  the  old  chivalrous  type  of warfare,  which  the  introduction  of  reason  into  the  business has  made  at  the  moment  impossible.  Reason  and  Emotion; these  are  the  two  great  enemies  of  the  Ethic  of  Thelema. They  are  the  traditional  obstacles  to  success  in  Yoga  as  well a s  in  Magick.

Now  in  practice,  in  everyday  life,  this  unselfishness  is always  cropping  up.  Not  only  do  you  insult  your  brother King  by  your  "noble  self-sacrifice,"  but  you  are  almost bound  to  interfere  with  his  True  Will.  "Charity"  always means  that  the  lofty  soul  who  bestows  it  is  really,  deep down,  trying  to  enslave  the  recipient  of  his  beastly  bounty!

In  practice,  I  begin  afresh,  it  is  almost  entirely  a  matter  of the  point  of  view.  "That  poor  chap  looks  as  if a  square  meal wouldn't  hurt  him";  and  you  chuck  him  a  half-crown.  You offend  his  pride,  you  pauperize  him,  you  make  a  perfect  cad of  yourself,  and  you  go  off  with  a  glow  of having  done  your good  deed  for  the  day.  It's  all  wrong.  In  such  a  case,  you should  make  it  the  request  for  a  favour.  Say  you're  "dying for  someone  to  talk  to,  and  would  he  care  to  join  you  in  a spot  of  lunch"  at  the  Ritz,  or  wherever  you  feel  that  he  will be  the happiest.

When  you  can  do  this  sort  of  thing  as  it  should  be  done, without  embarrassment,  false  shame,  with  your  whole  heart in  your  words-do  it  simply,  to  sum  up-you  will  find yourself  way  up  on  the  road  to  that  royal  republic  which  is the  ideal  of  human  society.

...

P.P.P.S.  An  amusing  coincidence.  Just  as  I  was  polishing  up this  letter  the  lady  whom  I  had just  engaged  to  help  me  with some  of  my  work  irritated  me  to  the  point  when  my  screams became  so  heartrending  that  the  village  will  never  sleep  again as  smoothly  as  its  wont.  They  split  the  welkin  in  several places;  and  although  invisible  menders  were  immediately  put on  the  job  it  is  generally  felt  that  it  will  never  more  be  its own  original  wholeness. And  why?  Just  because  of her  anxiety  to  please!  She  asked me  if  she  might  do  somefhing;  I  said  "Yes";  she  then  went  on begging  for  my  consent,  explaining  why  she  had  made  the request,  apologizing  for  her  existence! She  could  not  understand  that  all  she  had  to  do  was  to  try and  please  herself-the  highest  part  of  herself-to  be  assured of  my  full  satisfaction.

P.P.P.P.S.  "But the A:. A:. oath;  aren't  you - we - all out to improve the race, not counting the cost to ourselves?" Pure selfishness, child, with foresight! I want a decent place to live in next time I come back. And a longer choice of first rate vehicles for my Work.

- Magick without tears, ch. Selfishness

From beyond the Abyss (V.)

May all adepts attain the City of Pyramids

No amount of effort will do. It is like hitting hard the surface of a placid lake and dealing with the water that is splashing around, hoping to calm the lake.

In the words of Master Therion:

"...The Masters of Truth are the only happy men, though they constantly observe what men stupidly call Sorrow.". (Liber 73).

Permanent transformation of perception can only happen from within.

As Krishnamurti said:

From beyond the Abyss (V.)

May ALL adepts attain the City of Pyramids

"..What's been felt
What's been known
Never shined through in what's been shown
Never be
Never see
Won't see what might have been
What's been felt
What's been known
Never shined through in what's shown
Always free
Never me
So "I" dub thee all-forgiving..."

From beyond the Abyss (lV.)

May ALL adepts attain the City of Pyramids

How to get there, one might wonder.

One way:


"The only correct and adequate mode of the Attainment of Understanding is to shut off and to inhibit the rational mind altogether, thus leaving a Tabula rasa upon which the entirely alien faculty -- de novo and sui generis -- can write its first word.

But then (it will surely be said) what is more unintelligent than this supposed Intelligence? than this formless, even delirious Ecstasy which sweeps away all shapes of thought? No sane man would deny this premiss: but the explanation is that this Ecstasy is (so to say) the throe of Birth of the new faculty. It is surely natural for an observer to be startled, for the moment, by the discovery of a new Universe. Ananda must be mastered manfully, not indulged as a vice in the manner of the Mystic! Samadhi must be clarified by Sila, by the stern virtue of constraint: and then appears the paradox that the new Law of the Mind has "come not to destroy but to fulfil" the old. 
The Understanding takes full cognizance of all that vast material which the Reason was unable to build into any coherent structure. The contradictions have disappeared by absorption; they have been accepted as essential factors in the nature of Truth, which without them were a mere congeries of Facts.

It will be clear from all these considerations that there need be no surprise at this primordial paradox: that Scepticism, absolute in every dimension, is the sole possible basis of true Attainment. All attempts to shirk the issue by appeals to "faith," by mystic transcendental sophistries, or any other spiritual varieties of the Three-Card-Trick, are devoted to the most abject destruction.

One cannot "find the Lady" by any other way than that of the Knight-Errant, of the Great Fool -- the Way of the Eagle in the Air -- whose Sacred Number is the Sacred Zero. Yea also, Naught being All, and All being Pan, the only due address to Godhead is in the dual form

[GRK WRDS (all-devourer, all-begetter)] PAMPHAGE PAGGENETOR.

For all must be destroyed that All may be begotten."

- The Little Essays, Understanding by A. Crowley

From beyond the Abyss (lll.)

May ALL adepts attain the City of Pyramids

Thus I have heard:

0.
There is no me; there is no you; there are no forms, skandhas(1) are empty. And yet, nothing else exists apart from me and you; skandhas are imputed upon the ever-(non)-existing Thusness(2), and they appear (not) like clouds from the empty sky.

Trillions of forms are imputed from within upon the Thusness and are non-dual with It. (3)

And one who has attained the Mind-of-no-effort(4), has completed the non-journey, and is joyfully abiding in the Union of No-more-learning(4).

1.
He is utterly indifferent(5) to positive, negative, and neutral states within and without, for he has seen the ultimate truth.

The infinite power seemingly drives him on, and on, and yet, he does nothing, for events are non-arising, non-abiding, ever non-existent, and self-liberated.

He is fully aware of the twelve deceptions(6) that bind those without the Right view.

Having seen through the sphere of neither-perception nor-non-perception (7), nothing binds him, for he is not. And since he is not, object and subject are (not), and everything is as it always has been, is, and forever will be (not), he is free.

He doesn't care at all about anything. And yet, the Love and Compassion is the Word at one with the Light.

2.
Just by being, he is constantly creating the manifested Universe. (8)

What is seen is he in myriad forms, and through these forms, he can be known. (8)

When he looks within, the Universe collapses; when he looks without, he is (in) Love.

And through being (in) Love, he is omnipresent, directing herself and her children.

3.
She can be known only through her powerful presence, for she is darkness in its uttermost transparent sense.

In this no man's land, only the seen can be seen, only the heard can be heard, and there is no one there to say, 'We are one, we are none'. (9)

And yet, her nature is all-embracing, receiving and giving.

She has united with innumerable adepts in the most intimate of ways, for she is the Mother of all the wise ones, the Sacred whore, the Everlasting yoni, the Queen of demons and men and women alike.

There is none else besides Her.

_______________________________________

1. Skandhas: aggregates that generate everything in the field of the mind in the broadest sense.

2. Thusness: words lose their meaning here, but he seems to refer to the so-called dharmadhatu, the primordial nothing that is everything. In Liber B vel magi, this is referred to as "...the grade of Ipsissimus the Mystery of Selflessness, also called the Mystery of Pan." (Liber B, 15.)

3. It Seems he is talking about the Heart sutra (forms are empty, emptiness is form, etc.).

4. These two phrases denote final spiritual attainment, the level of Ipsissimus.

5. Nothing touches the madman.

6. He is sharing the doctrine of "dependent origination", twelve links that "produce" duality and suffering/enjoyment on all levels.

7. He has attained the trance nirodha samapatti.

8. "By His Wisdom made He the Worlds; the Word that is God is none other than He." - Liber B, 2

9. No mental identification of being something or someone remains.

 

Joy of the unknown

Looking back, it was always my attachment to already attained insights

and knowledge that de facto kept me from moving onto deeper Reality.

And so, I second J. Krishnamurti's words:

"One is never afraid of the unknown; one is afraid of the known coming to an end."

The After Abyss blogs

Checking the stats of visits on this Blog, I see that the post on the subject of Crossing the Abyss - Liber Cheth commentary and posts that deal with the whole After Abyss affairs are quite well received.

To make the searching and reading easier, here are all the blogs on the topic of Abyss and then some:

• Crossing the Abyss (Liber Cheth commentary) >>

• After Abyss >>

• After Abyss II.: Changeless reality >>

• After Abyss III.: Total identity collapse >>

• The Oath of the Abyss >>

• There is none else besides Him >>

• City of pyramids >>

• Magister Templi >>

• Simplicity >>

• Liber B vel Magi reading >>

• Fresh aliveness every day >> 

• From beyond the Abyss >>,  II. >>,   III. >>,   IV.>>

• Liber B vel Magi commentary - soon!

• Gone, gone, gone beyond: anatta >>

• From Beyond: cessation trance: nirodha-samāpatti >>

I am alone

"I am alone. There is no God where I am."

Liber AL II-23

Magister Templi

Magister Templi (8=3) attainment is explained from various standpoints. Re-posting the text from Heruraha.org, Temple of Thelema (link >>). I added a few remarks on the attainment of arhat and eight trances in yellow text. The original text appears in this color.

Here we go:

"The essential Attainment is the perfect annihilation of that personality which limits and oppresses his true self.
"The Magister Templi is pre-eminently the Master of Mysticism, that is, His Understanding is entirely free from internal contradiction or external obscurity… He is the Master of the Law of Sorrow (Dukkha)." [OSIS - One Star in Sight]

"MAGISTER TEMPLI. – (Master of the Temple): whose functions are fully described in Liber 418, as is this whole initiation from Adeptus Exemptus. See also 'Aha!'." [OSIS]

"The Order of the Star called S.S. is, in respect of its existence upon the Earth, an organized body of men and women distinguished among their fellows by the qualities here enumerated. They exist in their own Truth, which is both universal and unique. They move in accordance with their own Wills, which are each unique, yet coherent with the universal will.
"They perceive (that is, understand, know, and feel) in love, which is both unique and universal." [OSIS]

"The Order of the S.S. is composed of those who have crossed the Abyss; the implications of this expression may be studied in Liber 418, the 14th, 13th, 12th, 11th, 10th and 9th Aethyrs in particular.
"All members of the Order are in full possession of the Formulae of Attainment, both mystical or inwardly-directed and Magical or outwardly-directed. They have full experience of attainment in both these path.” [OSIS]

"Any neophyte of the Order (or, as some say, any person soever) possesses the right to claim the Grade of Master of the Temple by taking the Oath of the Grade. It is hardly necessary to observe that to do so is the most sublime and awful responsibility which it is possible to assume, and an unworthy person who does so incurs the most terrific penalties by the presumption." [OSIS]


TASK

"His principle business is to tend his 'garden' of disciples, and to obtain a perfect understanding of the Universe. He is a Master of Samadhi." [OSIS]

"His word is to comprehend the existing Universe in accordance with His own Mind." [OSIS]

"The function of the Magister Templi is to cause the desert to blossom by transmitting the Logos of the Æon to those that are below the Abyss." [Commentary to Liber LXV, IV:61-63]

"They are all… bound by the original and fundamental Oath of the Order, to devote their energy to assisting the Progress of their Inferiors in the Order. Those who accept the rewards of their emancipation for themselves are no longer within the Order." [OSIS]


THE PATHS: Vav, Heh, Daleth

"TO ATTAIN THE GRADE OF MAGUS he must accomplish Three Tasks; the renunciation of His enjoyment of the Infinite so that he may formulate Himself as the Finite [Heh]; the acquisition of the practical secrets alike of initiating and governing His proposed new Universe [Vav] and the identification of himself with the impersonal idea of Love [Daleth]." [OSIS]

Liber Viarum Viæ assigns to the Path of Vav, "The Forthcoming of the Hierophant," Liber VIII, and to the Path of Daleth, "The Incarnation of the Inmost Light," Liber DLV (Liber Had). To the Path of Heh, it assigns "The Formulation of the Flaming Star," Liber V; most likely this should now be adjusted to read, "The Adoration under the Starry Heaven," Liber XI (Liber Nu).

"…to him who would be a Master of the Temple, the reverse applies. He wishes to remain perpetually in Samadhi, and it is therefore his renunciation to descend further and further into matter. He has volatilized the fixed; now he must fix the volatile. He has ascended from his particular body to the Universal Soul. That Universal Soul must now incarnate itself ever more completely in that body, and in the bodies and minds of all men. He has made his darkness light; that light must illuminate the darkness of all…. The Great Work is accomplished. The new Great Work is proclaimed. He has finished with Solve. He must begin Coagula."
[The Temple of Solomon the King]


VISION OF WONDER

"Only one other [grade besides 5=6] is equally cardinal: the grade of Master of the Temple, which is the Threshold of the Order of the A.'.A.'. I have called the vision corresponding to this the 'Vision of Wonder' which permeates one's daily life in a similar way. The difference [between this and the 'Beatific Vision' of the 5=6] is that penetrating beyond sensory perceptions, one is aware of the mechanism of events, of the subtle chain of causes which connect them. One perceives in detail how each impression necessarily succeeds its forerunner. The effect is that one is lost in wonder at the ingenuity of the universe, to use a very inadequate word, as being the only one available. One feels the intense awed admiration which the greatest masterpieces of Kant, Beethoven, Shakespeare, Rembrandt, Riemann, Kelvin, and such as they inspired, with this difference: that all impressions are equally puissant to produce it." [Confessions, Cap. 78]


NATURAL GRADE

"Every active Member of the Order has destroyed all that He is and all that He has on crossing the Abyss; but a star is cast forth in the Heavens to enlighten the Earth, so that he may possess a vehicle wherein he may communicate with mankind. The quality and position of this star, and its functions, are determined by the nature of the incarnations transcended by him." [OSIS]

"Every person, whatever his grade in the Order, has also a 'natural' grade appropriate to his intrinsic virtue. He may expect to be 'cast out into that grade when he becomes 8=3. Thus one may, throughout his career, may be essentially of the type of Netzach; another, of Hod. In the same way Rembrandt and Raphael retained their respective points of view in all stages of their art."
[MT&P, Cap. VII, Sec. 5.]


MISC.

Magisteri shall be addressed as S.'.H.'. (Supremely Honored) Frater/Soror. (NOTE: This was a later development. The original designation was G.'.R.'. (Greatly Revered) Frater/Soror.)

"10 reflects 3" [NW Ms.]. That is, the Neophyte Grade (1=10) is a reflection, on a lower level, of the Magister Templi Grade (8=3).

"All members of the Order are in possession of the Word of the existing Aeon, and govern themselves thereby." [OSIS]

"They are entitled to communicate directly with any and every member of the Order, as they may deem fitting." [OSIS]

"Members of the Order are each entitled to found Orders dependent on themselves on the lines of the R.C. and G.D. orders, to cover types of emancipation and illumination not contemplated by the original (or main) system. All such orders must, however, be constituted in harmony with the A.'.A.'. as regards the essential principles." [OSIS]


THE OATH

(Oath taken by Him that was to become To Mega Therion on His initiation to the grade of Master of the Temple.)

I. I, ___________, a member of the Body of God, hereby bind myself on behalf of the Whole Universe, even as we are now physically bound unto the cross of suffering:
II. that I will lead a pure life, as a devoted servant of the Order:
III. that I will understand all things:
IV. that I will love all things:
V. that I will perform all things and endure all things:
VI. that I will continue in the Knowledge and Conversation of my Holy Guardian Angel
VII. that I will work without attachment
VIII. that I will work in truth:
IX. that I will rely only upon myself:
X. that I will interpret every phenomenon as a particular dealing of God with my soul.
And if I fail herein, may my pyramid be profaned, and the Eye closed to me.


REMARKS

"And by the power of this transcendent faculty [Sammasati, "constant recollection and keeping in mind of holy things" – grade of Adeptus Exemptus], rising through the Eight High Trances to the very threshold of Nirvana, he at last, in the Trance called Nirodha Samapatti, attains, even in this life, to the Deathless Shore of Nirvana, by the power of Sammasamadhi, Right Concentration. Such a one has finished the path – he has destroyed the cause of all his chain of lives, and has become Arahan, a Saint, a Buddha himself." (Science & Buddhism)

Actually, there is a difference between attainment of Arahan or Arhat (supreme attainment in Small Vehicle or Hinayana - Theravada Buddhism) and Buddhahood (ultimate attainment in Great Vehicle or Mahayana and/or Diamond Vehicle or Vajrayana Buddhism).

In Hinayana, aspirants "only" free themselves and are not willing to give up their attainment for the wellbeing of others so they are called 'solitary practitioners' or 'the hearers' (sravakas in Sanskrit). After quitting the present body, they attain their Pure land (spiritual plane above material ones) but not the highest Pure lands. Those are attained only by the Buddhas, not Arahats.

Theravada or Small Vehicle is also called Sutrayana or Sutra Vehicle because practitioners of this path depend primarily on Sutras or scriptures. It is said that it takes long eons to attain final freedom that way.

Vajrayana or the Diamond vehicle is also called Mantrayana because practitioners on this path depend on the Tantric approach. It is said that the final Buddhahood is attainable in the present body and one life on the path of Tantra, Anuttarayoga Tantra.

Crowley had no access to these advanced and secret teachings (Vajrayana), it seems.

Also, the attainment of nirodha-samapatti is NOT equal to Buddhahood. One does not attain the final emancipation by experiencing this state. Anagamis and Arhats attain it, but that attainment is just a step on the Path, not the end of the Path.

Buddhahood is the dynamic stage, not a trance where everything, including awareness itself, turns off as is the case with nirodha-samapatti. 



"…it's true that as 8=3 one gets a sort of look round at the Supernal Triad, but it can only be a glimpse." [Crowley letter to C.S. Jones, 1916]

[Following a commentary on "The Ordeal of Ida Pendragon":] This story marks a stage in my own understanding of the formula of initiation. I began to see that one might become a Master of the Temple without necessarily knowing any technical Magick or mysticism at all. It is merely a matter of convenience to be able to represent any expression as x + y = 0. The equation may be solved without words. Many people may go through the ordeals and attain the degrees of the A.'.A.'. without ever hearing that such an Order exists. The universe is, in fact, busy with nothing else, for the relation of the Order to it is that of the man of science to his subject. He writes CaCl2 + H2SO4 = CaSO4 + 2HCl for his own convenience and that of others, but the operation was always in progress independently." [Confessions, p. 68]

“In The Vision and the Voice, the attainment of the grade of Master of the Temple was symbolized by the adept pouring every drop of his blood, that is his whole individual life, into the Cup of the Scarlet Woman, who represents Universal Impersonal Life. There remains therefore (to pursue the imagery) of the adept 'nothing but a little pile of dust'. In a subsequent vision the Grade of Magus is foreshadowed; and the figure is that this dust is burnt into 'a white ash', which ash is preserved in an Urn. It is difficult to convey the appropriateness of this symbolism, but the general idea is that the earthly or receptive part of the Master is destroyed. That which remains has passed through fire; and is therefore, in a sense, of the nature of fire. The Urn is engraved with a word or symbol expressive of the nature of the being whose ash is therein. The Magus is thus, of course, not a person in any ordinary sense; he represents a certain nature of idea. To put it otherwise, we may say, the Magus is a word. He is the Logos of the Aeon which he brings to pass." [Confessions, Cap. 81]

From "The Temple of Solomon the King," EQUINOX I:10:

"…There had been a bar to the progress of Frater Perdurabo, a dualism in his conception of the Cosmos. He had not fully understood that the Universe was One, that one might in very truth eat and drink to the glory of God. He knew that by eating and drinking one did not necessarily detract from the glory of God, but had not fully understood the sacramentalism of the simplest actions…. He had still the old illusion that to succeed on one plane you must fail on another; still thought the mind more than the body, the soul more than the mind; did not see that these three must be one in exactly the same sense as the Christian Trinity (as understood by the truest Christians) is One. It was in the course of this illumination that the Truth was ceremonially conveyed to him on the Magical plane, although it was not for three years later that it fully illuminated his mind.

"This illusion, of which it is here spoken, is a most necessary step for the beginner, because to the beginner his ordinary life is not a sacrament. To him things are really common and unclean. He must, therefore, cut them out of his life, and hence to him the name of the Path of Renunciation. But to him who would be a Master of the Temple, the reverse applies. He wishes to remain perpetually in Samadhi, and it is therefore his renunciation to descend further and further into matter. He has volatilized the fixed; now he must fix the volatile. He has ascended from his particular body to the Universal Soul. That Universal Soul must now incarnate itself ever more completely in that body, and in the bodies and minds of all men. He has made his darkness light; that light must illuminate the darkness of all…."

"…it is necessary to emphasize the very peculiar nature of the attainment of this grade. In all previous grades the nature of the Initiation has been light through darkness. In this it is darkness through light. The word of the Adept was L V X, Light. The word of the Master of the Temple is N O X, Night. This is the Night of Pan. The direction of the Path is definitely changed. The Master of the Temple cannot go to the Magus unless bringing the Neophyte himself in his hand, and in this task there is no consolation, as there has always been before. The visions are no more. Silence and stillness and darkness rule the grade. The Adept has throughout his progress been unifying himself. As it is written in Liber CCCXXXIII, Chapter III, the Brothers of A.'.A.'. are women; the Aspirants to A.'.A.'. are men. The Master of the Temple has given birth to a child, which child appears as an Adept among men. But that which was the Adept is but a little pile of dust. Samadhi has been attained once and for all. The process is complete and permanent. The Great Work is accomplished. The new Great Work is proclaimed. He has finished with Solve. He must begin Coagula…."

"…The Master of the Temple is not only the dust in the Pyramid, and the Blood in the Cup, but he is also that which was cast down through the Abyss into the Heaven of Jupiter. The brain reels before such a conception. And the human brain of the Master of the Temple is but little more fitted to understand this in his life as a man than if he had never entered the Path at all. For the Ego has been totally destroyed, and he has nothing wherewith to bind together these things. He is not any of these things, for there is no He. Those things are. And of the results of this, and of how it may bear upon the question of his advancement to the Grade of Magus, who can say? It is not the Master of the Temple even who could answer such a question. For, in relation to his advancement, he is but that little pile of dust which is to burn up, and from which shall be prepared a white ash by Hermes the Invisible. And in relation to his true life, it is mixed with the blood of all his fellows in the Cup of BABALON. And in relation to his body and mind he is but a vehicle of the forces that are beyond the Abyss. He will therefore speak, but as a man among men, of that which he has seen and heard. But he will claim no authority. He will not proclaim dogma. For all that in him from which such things proceed is no more. He will remain in the darkness of the City of Pyramids under the Night of Pan, sitting silent through 106 seasons, the name of every one of which is Death, ever seeking to make his understanding perfect, until the time comes for him to seek that yet more fearful ordeal which must evidently be involved in the attainment of the Grade of Magus…."


THE EIGHT HIGH TRANCES
(NOTE FWIW: The current Praemonstrator of the A.'.A.'., signing himself in his 7=4 identity, wrote that the formal work of the 8=3 includes working the Eight High Trances. - JAE)

Well, the teachings on the Eight trances or Jhanas belong to Small Vehicle or Theravada Buddhism (see my remarks above). 
You can find more info on Eight states here >>
Tedious path, in my experience. It also takes or may take a long time. Tantric path or Anuttarayoga Tantra from Vajrayana Buddhism is quicker and may lead to final emancipation in the present life and this current body.

Of course, the teachings on Dzogchen or Mahamudra or Ati yoga map the path of instant and permanent awakening.

Again, it is obvious that Master Therion had no knowledge of these advanced practices, regretfully.

After Abyss (III.): total identity collapse

Although inseparable (from a certain point of view), personal and transpersonal or spiritual development is indeed manifested as two distinctive processes:
- growing up (personal growth) and
- waking up (spiritual or transpersonal awakening).

In this blog post, I'd like to elaborate on the latter since the underlying subject in these blogs is states of awareness after crossing the Abyss. I'll present my thoughts on psychological-transpersonal identity development through two attainments: Binah and Chokmah, or Understanding and Wisdom.

Of course, Understanding and Wisdom do not and can not stand alone; they both rely on the Crown, Kether. So, I will submit the concept of "identity collapse" as a very important, if not the most important, experience up here above the Abyss.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law

After crossing the Abyss, the identity of an adept is infused by the light so powerful that it looks like darkness. Our holy texts have labeled that light as NOX.

It is, of course, pure Light; it has nothing to do with the darkness of ignorance or anything else below the Abyss.

It is just so far beyond even the reach of the current state of consciousness of an adept that it appears as dark.

Interestingly enough, in the Vedanta teachings, there is a "cover" that dwells above the highest subtle material worlds, and it is dark or black. Yogis who wish to attain liberation must penetrate that dark cover (again, the Brhad Bhagavatamritam by Sanatan Gosvami comes to mind here; an eager adept ought to look into it.).

To attain this not-light or NOX, one has to choose to surrender all that she thinks or feels she is, along with every single spiritual attainment to the Babalon, our Lady, who resides in Binah.

You can find information on some aspects of that surrender in the blog post on Crossing the Abyss, here >>

After the successful crossing of the Abyss, an adept, now Master (of Samadhi, as per One star in sight, see below) promptly identifies with the Mother. Hmm. Maybe the word "identifies" is not precise enough; I think 'notices' or 'becomes aware of' or 'embraces the evident' is more accurate. It is not a question of attainment but a matter of noting what or Who has always been here.

The point I am making here is that the state of awareness attained in Binah is not new; it is not created anew, and therefore, it only has to be noticed. The Mother is always here; our Lady Babalon is forever present, even if some are not yet aware of Her fully.

And the one process, the only one to really become thoroughly identified with Her  (as far as I can see), is to surrender completely to Her. Surrendering here means to surrender everything not by cutting off or renouncing but by embracing everything. In practice, of course, this means opening up and embracing sorrow, too. And this might take a long time.

Consider this: how much suffering has already been experienced by you that has not yet been fully processed (faced with, felt through and through, and thus transformed)? And how much sorrow is present out there?

Well, all of that has to be embraced. And that is a very good thing! The more one opens up, the more inner support one receives!

When the process of surrender is complete, there is nothing left to embrace. There is not even one iota of sorrow (among other things) left to face, to really experience and to feel, and thus integrate into this state of awareness.

Tantric Master Khyentse Rinpoche has put this beautifully:

"The everyday practice is simply to develop a complete acceptance and openness to all situations and emotions, and to all people, experiencing everything totally without mental reservations and blockages, so that one never withdraws or centralizes into oneself.

This produces a tremendous energy which is usually locked up in the process of mental evasion and a general running away from life experiences.

Clarity of awareness, may, in its initial stages, be unpleasant or fear inspiring; if so, then one should open oneself completely to the pain or the fear and welcome it.

In this way the barriers created by one's own habitual emotional reactions and prejudices are broken down. When performing the meditation practice one should develop the feeling of opening oneself completely to the whole universe with absolute simplicity and nakedness of mind, ridding oneself of all protecting barriers.

One should realize that one does not meditate to go deeply into oneself and withdraw from the world. In buddhist yoga, even when meditating on chakras there is no introspection concentration; complete openness of mind is the essential  point."
(Source >>, emphasis mine. Download PDF here >>)


In fact, complete openness to everything, extreme sorrow included, is the natural state of a Master at the level of existence called Binah. And the Lady Herself is just as open, receiving, and lovingly giving Herself to everyone without exception and reservation.

And the Master is one with Her.

In our 'One star in sight', the Magister Templi is described as "...the Master of the Law of Sorrow (Dukkha)." (VI.) and "Master of samadhi." (II.).

An adept, now a Master, has won the dynamic and all-inclusive dance with sorrow or suffering and has integrated everything (including sorrow or suffering) into her consciousness by seeing through it. And one way to do that (in my experience) is through repeatedly entering and re-entering the Absolute Truth via samadhi, thus seeing it clearly.

Heh, it is all just one elaborate joke, watching the world go by from up here, you see. People are raising stormy waves in perfectly calm seas. My Tantric Master used to say: "You are all just playing out your dramas!".

Or, as our Prophet has so eloquently put it: "...The Masters of Truth are the only happy men, though they constantly observe what men stupidly call Sorrow.". (Liber 73).

It is really liberating to see through suffering, very much so. Kind of lonely, though.
But it sure is fun! :)

And yet, one can not stay forever at this level. When the new Master has acquired enough fluidity and integrated the Understanding of other Masters into his (daily) awareness, it is time to move on.


Identity collapse

Above the Abyss, there is no separation, meaning that the newcomer at the City of Pyramids is already aware of both Wisdom and Illumination. Only the focus differs.

And not before long, the focus from being Her, as it were, will shift on to......Him. And only the Mother can show you your Father, for only She really knows who and what He is.

The words lose their meaning right about here, I think. It is difficult to convey these experiences, to be sure. Initiation is a must; mere speculation will not do.

Let us just say that the more focus Master has on herself, the more Love she intends. And the more Love translates to more openness and surrender.

Liber B vel Magi comes to mind here: "And the Magus is Love..." (Liber B, 0).

What starts to happen (at least that's my experience and adepts from the Theravada Path share similar notions) is that the awareness and the Presence of Him/Love manifests more and more into everyday life awareness. According to the Theravada Path of four stages to Enlightenment, this starts to happen at the Anagami stage (third stage).

And the might of this Presence, the Presence of the One/Crown, sooner or later instigates what has in modern transpersonal psychology been dubbed as 'identity collapse'.

Leaving the usual drama and warnings and threats from our Holy books behind, this "collapse" is, at this level, a most joyous event. It is like finally being able to let go of, well, the Identity. And it 'feels' so good!

Our friends in Buddhist tradition call these experiences anatta and sunyata insights.

And the identity that collapses at this level is not the personal one or the ego. No. That was seen through at the K&C of the HGA attainment. And it is not even the HGA-infused identity. No. That was left behind in the process of crossing the Abyss.

The identity collapse here "collapses" the identity of being Her and/or Him.

Beyond personal identity, beyond the identity of a soul, and even beyond the identity of the One (emanated as Father and Mother, Wisdom and Understanding, Bliss and Emptiness, Light and Dark and manifested as the One Child, Heruraha, Baphomet or any other "entity") - beyond all of that, there is that which is formless. 

Formless here translates to essence-less-ness, emptiness or sunyata, and anatta or anatman (not-self).



One way of putting this:

"The very meaning of the 'Mahamudra - Great Perfection', refers to the true primordial state of every individual and not to any transcendent reality."
— Chogyal Namkhai Norbu

These experiences are so abstract that words convey not nearly enough!

From the practical side of things, the collapse discussed herein contributes to a really deep sense of peace (as no one is here to disturb the peace), clarity of perception, and freedom of expression or activity in a variety of ways.

Of course, even these experiences at this level do not last long, for there is an even deeper and more liberating neutral and natural Reality to be attained.....

......and here we must embark on the path that leads to Illumination through the state of consciousness called nirodha samapatti.

In Liber AL (III-67) this event is described as "the fourth ordeal" (emphasis mine, source >>):

"Through the fourth, ultimate sparks of the intimate fire."

"Beyond the one, how shall he pass on? What is this One, which is in every place the Centre of All? Indeed the logic-girders of our souls need lightening, if we would win to freedom of such Truth as this!

Now in the 'stones of precious water' the Light leapt clear indeed, but they were not themselves that Light. This sphere of the One is indeed Ra-Hoor-Khuit; is not our Crowned and Conquering Child the source of Light? Nay, he is finite form of Unity, child of two married infinities; and in this last ordeal the aspirant must go beyond even his Star, finding therein the core thereof Hadit, and losing it also in the Body of Nuit.

Here is no Path that he may tread, for all is equally everywhere; nor is there any sphere to attain, for measure is now no more.

There are no words to make known the Way; this only is said, that to him that hath passed through this fourth ordeal this Book is as 'ultimate sparks'. No more do they reflect or transmit the Light; they themselves are the original, the not-to-be-analysed Light, of the 'intimate fire' of Hadit! He shall see the Book as it is, as a shower of the Seed of the Stars!"

Love is the law, love under will.

More on this subject in the forthcoming commentary to Liber B vel Magi.

Check out also The Oath of the Abyss here >>

All blogs on the subject of Reality above Abyss, The after Abyss blogs >>

Crossing the Abyss

I offer thanks to my Goddess / HGA in Her various manifestations and to my Teacher, the Tantric Master.

I also acknowledge the sacredness of the A∴A∴ Order.

In this blog, I will try to share some of my impressions and experiences of the event described in Western hermetic culture as "Crossing the Abyss" mainly from a Tantric position, supported by notions from Thelema holy texts.

I will elaborate on the progress from Geborah to Binah and on to Chokmah, refraining from using complicated symbolism and Sanskrit terms as much as I can.

Needless to say, these are only my interpretations of most abstract and intimate experiences and may as well be irrelevant to you. Each of us must attain these states of awareness on our own.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law

Prologue

There are various opinions about the Abyss here in the West. Apart from the traditional and accepted one outlined in the V&V (which is pregnant with mystical and magical symbolism worthwhile exploring),
Alan Chapman and Duncan Barford offer fascinating insights (their experiences of the crossing and beyond are shared in these books >>); I also appreciate the insights of Ben Rowe.

It is my observation that not every inner conflict or crisis amounts to crossing the Abyss; when I was (re)introduced to my Ishta Devi or HGA years ago, I fell into the bottomless pit of despair for about two months. The presence of the HGA cleared out a lot of mental identifications that my life used to be based upon. It was an excruciating experience, but it was not even close to crossing the Abyss.

So, what one might be experiencing in the Great Work (or spiritual sadhana), even when it is ultra painful, may or may not be the actual crossing of the Abyss.

In fact, the notion that crossing the Abyss is (or ought to be) linked to suffering and pain is severely overrated, in my opinion.

Interestingly enough, in the Tantric tradition, there is no explicit notion of crossing the Abyss (or, to the best of my knowledge, it is not recognised). A "struggle" is evident in the practice when one shifts the focus from Form to the Formless or from saguna to nirguna (Ramakrishna's case is a glaring example of this transition), but that's all.

There are a lot of instructions and Tantric practices, however, that aim strictly at what a Qabalist might describe as arriving and stabilising at Chesed, Binah, and Chokmah. Notably, numerous instructions are very similar to those found in the A∴A∴ Order, specifically Liber Stella Rubeae and Liber Cheth.


Liber 156

My point is that one can't really tell whether s/he is crossing the Abyss merely by experiencing the "dark night of the soul" in its various manifestations. Or maybe one can - it is all very subjective, I admit.

But while the initiation experiences are always entirely subjective, the Map of states of consciousness or the Initiation System itself, well, that is universal. 

So, one could (in theory) simply sit back and observe the changes in the resulting state of awareness and see what is going on.

While I formally claim no attainment (I can produce no official  A∴A papers), profound changes are manifesting in my perception. Changes are based on insights into the nature of human/divine awareness.

And I still can not find better and clearer text on the subject under discussion than Liber Cheth. Granted, given my previous involvement with Tantric practices, I certainly feel an affinity for this path, the path of Cheth (in Qabalah, which links Binah and Geburah).

Liber Cheth offers us 22 verses linked to the 22 Paths in Qabalah. Interesting connections there. The point is, if one is to attain Understanding, everything below the Abyss is to be dealt with.

With the intention that maybe some of the visitors of my Blog might find the sharing helpful, I offer the following: 




Liber Cheth vel Vallum Abigni sub figurâ CLVI
A∴A∴
Publication in Class A.
(a note: only Liber Cheth is classified as a Class A publication, not my comments, of course)

• 1. This is the secret of the Holy Graal, that is the sacred vessel of our Lady the Scarlet Woman, Babalon the Mother of Abominations, the bride of Chaos, that rideth upon our Lord the Beast.

Things are not as gloomy as they might appear to a reader with less than a solid background in Master Therion's empirical system of thought.

We can easily view the "...Lady the Scarlet Woman, Babalon the Mother of Abominations..." as the Divine Mother, so often revered in the Left Hand Tantra and other traditions from the East.

She has many forms; in our Tantric lore, she manifests as Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Matangi Devi, Kamalatmika, etc. Some of the Mahavidyas are more "intimately oriented" than others.

Devi is all-tolerant, all-giving, and embracing all, refusing or rejecting nothing whatsoever. 

But the innermost quality of the Divine Lady, at least from the intimacy angle, is that while She is entirely self-sufficient and can and does stand alone without Her "better half", She is most satisfied with the acts of complete surrender, especially in intimate settings. 

She is receiving the penetration of the Will.

But when She is "united" with Her male counterpart, there comes Bliss and Unity.

12th Aethyr shares on the subject:

This is the Mystery of Babylon, the Mother of Abominations, and this is the mystery of her adulteries, for she hath yielded up herself to everything that liveth, and hath become a partaker in its mystery. And because she hath made her self the servant of each, therefore is she become the mistress of all. Not as yet canst thou comprehend her glory.

Beautiful art thou, O Babylon, and desirable, for thou hast given thyself to everything that liveth, and thy weakness hath subdued their strength. For in that union thou didst understand. Therefore art thou called Understanding, O Babylon, Lady of the Night!

• 2. Thou shalt drain out thy blood that is thy life into the golden cup of her fornication. 

Yes, "intimate settings" translate to the golden cup of Her fornication. It is the psychological-transpersonal energy current that is so very,  very strong, which is referred to here, in my opinion.  

It is the Life energy that sustains these bodies, and it comes from within (apana vaju might ring a bell?) and manifests according to the level one is focused on.

To sum up, at the ground level, it manifests as existential needs; at the sacrum level, it manifests as needs for relationships, sex, etc...; at the solar plexus,  it manifests as a personal assertion, personal power, etc...; at the heart level it manifests as love, giving and receiving, etc...; at the throat level it manifests as creativity, mental clarity, articulate expression,  etc...; at the eye level it manifests as seeing the things as they really are, clairvoyance maybe, etc...; at the top, it may manifest as consciousness realizing itself, the I-I experience, the sabikalpa samadhi and beyond.

As stated in Liber ABA:
“...the Ego-idea must be ruthlessly rooted out before Understanding can be attained.”
(Liber ABA, page 78.)

This blood is sometimes referred to as the blood of the saints, a saint who sacrifices everything, even his life, in devotion to a deity or the principle of enlightenment.

“Blessed are the saints, that their blood is mingled in the cup, and can never be separate any more.”
- 12th Aethyr of Liber 418 (Equinox IV:2, page 151).

This is one of the most interesting, if not most essential, aspects of Understanding: a new master has all the Understanding of other Masters at his disposal.

• 3. Thou shalt mingle thy life with the universal life. Thou shalt keep not back one drop. 

And ALL of the above, everything, one is invited to not only offer but to drain into Her. So "thy blood" may refer to not only the mind, emotions, and physical body but everything else as well (intentions, hopes, fears, transpersonal and personal realisations, attachments, detachments, enjoyments, etc).

Where shall one pour their lifeblood? Into Her golden cup of Her fornication. It is Her Yoni, the All-inviting quality of the Devi. 

As I have already said, the intimate settings and intimate exchanges are most pleasing to Her, as any Tantric worth his salt can affirm.

Ancient sages have put it like this:
"The brahmanas have copiously sacrificed to that Krshna. They have
worshiped him as Govinda. He is Gopi-jana-valabha, who has taken hold
of the planets. Taking shelter of swaha, he became the virile semen
that quickened the universe."
- Gopali Tapani Upanishad, I-15

To an experienced reader, the text reveals a great deal. :)

"Mingling with the universal life" means just that, opening up entirely and draining oneself utterly for Her sake, for her Name (see Lishma >>), for Her satisfaction, leaving behind everything, even those insignificant little single and innocent thoughts.

And not by employing the dry and "righteous" practice of the right-hand paths, but by utilising the exquisite and very juicy loving affair of the Soul with the Lady, the Scarlet Woman. It is the intense magickal sexual exchange that eradicates (read: transforms) everything.

I think the O.T.O. IX. degree points in a similar direction, as well as Liber Stella Rubeae. In our Tantric tradition, however, it is explained in even more detail, offered in the (in)famous Yoni Tantra text. This practice can be performed with a lover in a body or, even more satisfying, with the Goddess Herself.

In Anuttarayoga Tantra (The Unsurpassed Yoga Tantra), this practice is performed at three levels: with the so-called action mudra (accompanied by an initiated and qualified female lover), with secret mudra (a secret practice), and Mahamudra. The Mahamudra practice is, in itself, both the Means and the End at the same time.

"Leaving behind" in this context does not translate to renouncing or pushing away but implies embracing, transforming, and taking on board. Everything is to be included; everything needs to be transformed - that is the Tantric way, a path of denying nothing and embracing everything, wholeheartedly.

At this juncture, I would like to point out that before one can truly transform their material/personal identity, they must first acquire it by building a powerful and flexible ego personality (attaining 7=4, perhaps, as per Hermetic orders such as the A∴A∴). 

There is no point in renouncing something that one does not yet possess. That's why it is so important to live out all personal/material tendencies before attempting to cross the Abyss.

And that is one way, the Tantric way, of "getting rid" of everything by embracing everything that is still "tainted" with the personal (human) and not wholly transformed into transpersonal (divine). There are other paths, of course.

• 4. Then shall thy brain be dumb, and thy heart beat no more, and all thy life shall go from thee; and thou shalt be cast out upon the midden, and the birds of the air shall feast upon thy flesh, and thy bones shall whiten in the sun. 

Again, this may or may not be as bad as it sounds, LOL.

The dumb brain, the stopped heart, etc., may translate to standing naked and stripped of everything.

Even the so much lovingly valued and cherished experiences which the HGA has been showering the adept with, and everything else, are stripped away. One stands completely naked before the "Abyss" (at least that's my experience). 

Only the individual remains alone. And s/he may or may not become aware of the equality with the Night Sky in the process; it may help, though.

Additionally, the text may refer to the formless samadhi, specifically the Kevala Nirbikalpa Samadhi, where brain functions are minimised and the heart nearly ceases to beat. It is an experience entirely transcendental, even surpassing those of the upper Briah realm.

It is a great mystery, all of this. On the one hand, we have a perfectly functioning individual who already knows and effortlessly executes his Will in everyday life, and on the other hand, we have the promise of an even greater reality.

• 5. Then shall the winds gather themselves together, and bear thee up as it were a little heap of dust in a sheet that hath four corners, and they shall give it unto the guardians of the abyss. 

So why should this be happening? What on earth is instigating this "movement" onward?
Winds of mostly extinguished Prarabdha Karma, supported by the mercy and blessings of the One.

It is the momentum that is the crucial factor here. Eventually, every adept will face all of this, by choice, of course.

There is an interesting notion in Tantric lore that I have not yet found in Western mysticism terminology. It is called Sukriti, the positive trans-personally (not materially) accumulated merit or  "good points", as it were. And it is this accumulated amount of positive influences from who knows how many lives that is carrying adept forward, not only material Karma and intention.

• 6. And because there is no life therein, the guardians of the abyss shall bid the angels of the winds pass by. And the angels shall lay thy dust in the City of the Pyramids, and the name thereof shall be no more. 

And because there is no life in the adept left, meaning that most of the Prarabdha Karma is burned out, all human identifications are left behind, the transition across the Abyss (which, at this point, is not even there), will be swift and easy.

If not, the process of "draining out" the lifeblood will take a while. Master Therion refers to that state of awareness as "the babe of the abyss". That was my case. It took a looooong time the first time around. In the present life, however, the crossing was swift and painless.

One Star in Sight shares:
"The Order of the R.C. The Grade of the Babe of the Abyss is not a Grade in the proper sense, being rather a passage between the two Orders. Its characteristics are wholly negative, as it is attained by the resolve of the Adeptus Exemptus to surrender all that he has and is for ever. It is an annihilation of all the bonds that compose the self or constitute the Cosmos, a resolution of all complexities into their elements, and these thereby cease to manifest, since things are only knowable in respect of their relation to, and reaction on, other things."

If the adept is not willing to utterly drain the lifeblood, she surrenders not completely and retains some of her identifications. These adepts are referred to as the Black or Dark Brothers. I see no problem whatsoever with that; even the ego with all of its identifications is a divine manifestation, so... After all, the adept that failed to cross the Abyss IS a high initiate and way beyond usual human limitations.

City of the Pyramids, the Binah, is, of course, the level of existence of those who are completely surrendered to the One/None. Many adepts are on this plane, alone and focusing on whatever they are focused on, all far above human limitations and having no material form or name.

In Tantric tradition, I think Tapaloka is the level of existence referred to as the City of the Pyramids.

There is a text, the Sri Brhad Bhagavatamrta penned by Sanatana Gosvami, where levels of existence above the physical are very well portrayed, including the Satyaloka (the topmost level, even above Tapaloka) and beyond.

• 7. Now therefore that thou mayest achieve this ritual of the Holy Graal, do thou divest thyself of all thy goods.
• 8. Thou hast wealth; give it unto them that have need thereof, yet no desire toward it.
• 9. Thou hast health; slay thyself in the fervour of thine abandonment unto Our Lady. Let thy flesh hang loose upon thy bones, and thine eyes glare with thy quenchless lust unto the Infinite, with thy passion for the Unknown, for Her that is beyond Knowledge the accursèd one.
• 10. Thou hast love; tear thy mother from thine heart, and spit in the face of thy father. Let thy foot trample the belly of thy wife, and let the babe at her breast be the prey of dogs and vultures.

Not only is one invited to let go of the earthly wealth, health, love, and family, but one is even invited to transform even the notions regarding both the Father and the Mother. 

Everything must go, even reverence for God the Father and Goddess the Mother. At this level, even reverence for God/Goddess is an obstacle.

 "Letting go" doesn't necessarily mean physical actions. The important thing here is that the inner psychological climate is altered, and the "I and Mine" notion is renounced or transformed. 

The "I and Mine" notion (ahamkara in Sanskrit) implies separateness and is the primary generator of Karma (ahamkara means "I am the doer/actor")

At this level, only the intention will change anything; actions alone will not. 

No action is needed at this level, only increasing desire, an intense yearning, and a forceful need only for the Light will change anything: "...and thine eyes glare with thy quenchless lust unto the Infinite, with thy passion for the Unknown...".

It is this need, this yearning and voiceless desire for the Infinite, that is the only thing needed here. 

Even Knowledge (Daath) will do nothing. 

It is the intention, not the action, meaning that no ritual will help. Only intention, inner intent, or Will, if you will, is all that is needed there—inner orientation only for the Infinite, only for the Light.

A similar process is best used at a much lower level (5=6).

And again, Tantric Master Ramakrishna comes to mind here. He was weeping like a baby in front of the image of his Ishta Devi, Kali Ma, yearning to see Her, to unite with Her. He was dying inside; it was as if someone was manually squeezing his heart in his chest repeatedly, according to his own words. And when he decided to kill himself, only then Kali Ma revealed Herself to him and stayed with him forever (see Gospel of Ramakrishna for details).

• 11. For if thou dost not this with thy will, then shall We do this despite thy will. So that thou attain to the Sacrament of the Graal in the Chapel of Abominations. 

And, of course, there is no need to worry. If one is not willingly undertaking the process discussed herein, it will be ensured that it happens anyway, ego notwithstanding.

So, fear not, LOL :)

The critical fact is that the crossing discussed herein has to be instigated by a conscious choice. But then again, She does everything, so...

The "...Sacrament of the Graal in the Chapel of Abominations" is happening at the level of awareness called Binah. It is complete Oneness with Her. Only Her remains. She is The actor, always has been, and this is asserted in the text above.

• 12. And behold! if by stealth thou keep unto thyself one thought of thine, then shalt thou be cast out into the abyss for ever; and thou shalt be the lonely one, the eater of dung, the afflicted in the Day of Be-with-Us.
• 13. Yea! verily this is the Truth, this is the Truth, this is the Truth. Unto thee shall be granted joy and health and wealth and wisdom when thou art no longer thou. 

Since"...there is no dread hereafter..." (Liber AL: II-44), I see no rhyme or reason for the warning in the text above. So one does not surrender completely, so what? It is their life. Perhaps s/he will do it better next time.

The above warning strikes me more like a didactic tool than anything hazardous.

"...when thou art no longer thou" (meaning, when you are no longer you) means that most of the personal Karma (the Prarabdha Karma) is gone; it has lost its grip over the Soul.

What remains is not the "you" from before and not even the self-realised and HGA-infused Soul from before. No, that "you" was left behind, willingly and lovingly, for Her sake, for Her name, for Her satisfaction.

And so now only Her remains:

"The Brothers of A∴A∴ are one with the Mother of the Child.
The Many is as adorable to the One as the One is to the Many. This is the Love of These; creation-parturition is the Bliss of the One; coition-dissolution is the Bliss of the Many.
The All, thus interwoven of These, is Bliss.
Naught is beyond Bliss.
The Man delights in uniting with the Woman; the Woman in parting from the Child.

The Brothers of A∴A∴ are Women: the Aspirants to A∴A∴ are Men.

COMMENTARY
Gimel is the High Priestess of the Tarot. This chapter gives the initiated feminine point of view; it is therefore called the Oyster, a symbol of the Yoni. In Equinox X, The Temple of Solomon the King, it is explained how Masters of the Temple, or Brothers of A∴A∴ have changed the formula of their progress. These two formulae, Solve et Coagula, are now explained, and the universe is exhibited as the interplay between these two.
This also explains the statement in Liber Legis I, 28-30."
 - Liber CCCXXXIII, Chapter III

• 14. Then shall every gain be a new sacrament, and it shall not defile thee; thou shalt revel with the wanton in the market-place, and the virgins shall fling roses upon thee, and the merchants bend their knees and bring thee gold and spices. Also young boys shall pour wonderful wines for thee, and the singers and the dancers shall sing and dance for thee.
• 15. Yet shalt thou not be therein, for thou shalt be forgotten, dust lost in dust. 

This is one of the changes I was referring to above: nothing is new, I mean, personality tendencies and personal stuff in the four worlds within - all of that is as before. The remarkable change is that there is nothing "personal" left to identify with; nothing touches anything anymore. Things are only happening without ego to instigate them.

For example, I used to run frequently to ease inner tension and stress. After the 10 K run, I used to feel refreshed and alive. Well, now, nothing. No change whatsoever. It isn't even "me" that is running—only Her/me, as it were.

Yes, things are happening, positive/negative/neutral, yet there is nothing in the experiences to identify with. It's as if I am somewhere else, not here in this world. And what is left here upon this plane is only a reflection, a reflection composed of the remaining Prarabdha Karma.

If all of the Prarabdha Karma had been extinguished, no one would be left here to write these words. In fact, in some cases, that is precisely what happens (at a higher level, however). 

And yet, some remain here, for how else would we know these things?

For more information on this vital subject, refer to the Vedanta Sutra of Badarayana, accompanied by commentary from Baladeva (not Shankaracharya).

And so, as the Nahar forever flows, pouring its Life down below the Abyss, the reflection of the attainment must exist below the Supernals. In my case, that is Chesed, Mercy, Remembering, and the Bhakti therein as a means to real reflection below the Supernals: Tipharet.

"Then shall every gain be a new sacrament" - meaning that every event is freshly new, as there is no material association of the attained consciousnesses therein.

 
In Sanskrit, this is called rasa - ever fresh and new, always instigated by the Devi. And She is ever fresh, new, Absolute, and Dynamically Perfect in Her Stillness and Omnipresence—freedom from inner oppression and outer demands.

The same (and more) is shared in "The Temple of Solomon the King," EQUINOX I:10:

"…For the Ego has been totally destroyed, and he has nothing wherewith to bind together these things. He is not any of these things, for there is no He. Those things are.
And of the results of this, and of how it may bear upon the question of his advancement to the Grade of Magus, who can say?
It is not the Master of the Temple even who could answer such a question. For, in relation to his advancement, he is but that little pile of dust which is to burn up, and from which shall be prepared a white ash by Hermes the Invisible. And in relation to his true life, it is mixed with the blood of all his fellows in the Cup of BABALON.
And in relation to his body and mind he is but a vehicle of the forces that are beyond the Abyss. He will therefore speak, but as a man among men, of that which he has seen and heard. But he will claim no authority. He will not proclaim dogma. For all that in him from which such things proceed is no more. He will remain in the darkness of the City of Pyramids under the Night of Pan, sitting silent through 106 seasons, the name of every one of which is Death, ever seeking to make his understanding perfect, until the time comes for him to seek that yet more fearful ordeal which must evidently be involved in the attainment of the Grade of Magus…"

The Cup of Babalon represents the collective awareness of all Magistri Templi at the level of existence known as Binah, sharing their attainment with all Masters at this level.

•  16. Nor shall the æon itself avail thee in this; for from the dust shall a white ash be prepared by Hermes the Invisible.
• 17. And this is the wrath of God, that these things should be thus.
• 18. And this is the grace of God, that these things should be thus. 

The text points in the direction of 9=2, in the direction of Father, the Wisdom. And only the Mother can really show one the true Father, for only She truly knows Him.

• 19. Wherefore I charge you that ye come unto me in the Beginning; for if ye take but one step in this Path, ye must arrive inevitably at the end thereof.
• 20. This Path is beyond Life and Death; it is also beyond Love; but that ye know not, for ye know not Love. 

Yes. As already mentioned, eventually, everyone will reach the point discussed herein, with ego probably resisting.

Hmm. In Tantra, we have a saying: "If you really want to remain here and enjoy the material life, do not approach Krishna, for He will take everything from you and give Himself to you."

It seems to me that the state of awareness discussed herein is well beyond, well, anything one has experienced up to that point in the sadhana.

And as I have already said, only the Mother knows who the real Father is, right? So the right path to the Father is through the Mother. Only She can reveal Him.

Love here refers to attaining the Wisdom, 9=2, for "...the Magus is Love..." (Liber B vel Magi).

• 21. And the end thereof is known not even unto Our Lady or to the Beast whereon She rideth; nor unto the Virgin her daughter nor unto Chaos her lawful Lord; but unto the Crowned Child is it known? It is not known if it be known.
• 22. Therefore unto Hadit and unto Nuit be the glory in the End and the Beginning; yea, in the End and the Beginning.

Here it is hinted at much higher attainment, that of the Source itself, and at this stage, Understanding yields no answers to the above question.

Indeed, glory to the Hadit and Goddess Nuit.
Glory to the Goddess Nuit.
Glory to the Goddess Nuit.
Glory to the Goddess Nuit.
Glory to the Goddess Nuit.
Glory to the Goddess Nuit.

It is She who is doing everything. Before the crossing, I had been entering samadhi at will for years, in the sense that "I" was "taken" or "merged into" Her by will, by effort.

Now, everything has changed. Now, this is the permanent reality: "The Khabs is in the Khu, not the Khu in the Khabs.", Liber AL, I:8.

Practices, rituals, and methods of "contacting" Divinity or Her no longer work. It is not that the methods are dysfunctional. No. The matter of fact is that there is no need to enter or contact anyone. She is here. She is. She. Not.

Only Her remains:

"…it is necessary to emphasize the very peculiar nature of the attainment of this grade. In all previous grades the nature of the Initiation has been light through darkness. In this it is darkness through light. The word of the Adept was L V X, Light. The word of the Master of the Temple is N O X, Night. This is the Night of Pan.
The visions are no more. Silence and stillness and darkness rule the grade. The Adept has throughout his progress been unifying himself. As it is written in Liber CCCXXXIII, Chapter III:
"the Brothers of A.'.A.'. are women; the Aspirants to A.'.A.'. are men."
The M. T. has given birth to a child, which child appears as an Adept among men. But that which was the Adept is but a little pile of dust. Samadhi has been attained once and for all. The process is complete and permanent. The Great Work is accomplished. The new Great Work is proclaimed. He has finished with Solve. He must begin Coagula…." 
- From "The Temple of Solomon the King," EQUINOX I:10

That is (a part of) the Understanding, as I can see now.

Nuit says in the Liber AL:
"Since I am Infinite Space, and the Infinite Stars thereof, do ye also thus." - Liber AL, I-22.

There is none else beside Her.

Love is the law, love under will.

See the next blog post, After Abyss >>