The Book of Babalon

Liber 49

Received by John Whiteside “Jack” Parsons (Belarion 8○ = 3□)

February 29, 1946 EV


1. Yea, it is I, BABALON.

2. And this is my book, that is the fourth chapter of the Book of the Law, He completing the Name, for I am out of NUIT by HORUS, the incestuous sister of RA-HOOR-KHUIT.

3. It is BABALON. TIME IS. Ye fools.

4. Thou hast called me, oh accursed and beloved fool.

[5-8 missing and presumed lost. Ed.]

“

”

“

9. Now know that I, BABALON, would take flesh and come among men.

10. I will come as a penelous [sic] flame, as a devious song, a trumpet in judgement halls, a banner before armies.

11. And gather my children unto me, for THE TIME is at hand.

12. And this is the way of my incarnation. Heed!

13. Thou shalt offer all thou art and all thou hast at my altar, withholding nothing. And thou shalt be smitten full sore and thereafter thou shalt be outcast and accursed, a lonely wanderer in abominable places.

14. Ye Dare. I have asked of none other, nor have they asked. Else is vain. But thou hast willed it.

15. Know then that thus I came to thee before, thou a great Lord, and I a maid enrapt. Ah blind folly.

16. And thereafter madness, all in vain. Thus it has been, multiform. How thou hast burned beyond.

17. I shall come again, in the form thou knowest. Now it shall be thy blood.

18. The altar is aright, and the robe.

19. The perfume is sandal, and the cloth green and gold. There is my cup, our book, and thy dagger.

20. There is a flame.

21. The sigil of devotion. Be it consecrated, be it true, be it daily affirmed. I am not scorned. Thy love is to me. Procure a disk of copper, in diameter three inches paint thereon the field blue the star gold of me, BABALON.

22. It shall be my talisman. Consecrate with the supreme rituals of the word and the cup.

23, My calls as thou knowest. All love songs are of me. Also seek me in the Seventh Aire.

24. This for a time appointed. Seek not the end, I shall instruct thee in my way. But be true. Would it be hard if I were thy lover, and before thee? But I am thy lover and I am with thee.

25. I shall provide a vessel, when or whence I say not. Seek her not, call her not. Let her declare. Ask nothing. Keep silence. There shall be ordeals.

26. My vessel must be perfect. This is the way of her perfection.

27. The working is of nine moons.

28. The Astarte working, with music and feasting, with wine and all arts of love.

29. Let her be dedicated, consecrated, blood to blood, heart to heart, mind to mind, single in will, none without the circle, all to me.

30. And she shall wander in the witchwood under the Night of Pan, and know the mysteries of the Goat and the Serpent, and of the children that are hidden away.

31. I will provide the place and the material basis, thou the tears and blood.

32. Is it difficult, between matter and spirit? For me it is ecstasy and agony untellable. But I am with thee. I have large strength, have thou likewise.

33. Thou shalt prepare my book for her instruction, also thou shalt teach that she may have captains and adepts in her service. Yea, thou shalt take the black pilgrimage, but it will not be thou that returnest.

34. Let her prepare her work according to my voice in her heart, with thy book as guide, and none other instructing.

35. And let her be in all things wise, and sure, and excellent.

36. But let her think on this: my way is not in the solemn ways, or in the reasoned ways, but in the wild free way of the eagle, and the devious way of the serpent, and the oblique way of the factor unknown and unnumbered.

37. For I am BABALON, and she my daughter, unique, and there shall be no other women like her.

38. In My Name shall she have all power, and all men and excellent things, and kings and captains and the secret ones at her command.

39. The first servants are chosen in secret, by my force in her—a captain, a lawyer, an agitator, a rebel—I shall provide.

40. Call me, my daughter, and I shall come to thee. Thou shalt be full of my force and fire, my passion and power shall surround and inspire thee; my voice in thee shall judge nations.

41. None shall resist thee, whom I lovest. Though they call thee harlot and whore, shameless, false, evil, these words shall be blood in their mouths, and dust thereafter.

42. But my children will know thee and love thee, and this will make them free.

43. All is in thy hands, all power, all hope, all future.

44. One came as a man, and was weak and failed.

45. One came as a woman, and was foolish, and failed.

46. But thou art beyond man and woman, my star is in thee, and thou shalt avail.

47. Even now thy hour strikes upon the clock of my FATHER. For He prepared a banquet and a Bridal Bed. I was that Bride, appointed from the beginning, as it was written T.O.P.A.N.

48. Now is the hour of birth at hand. Now shall my adept be crucified in the Basilisk abode.

49. Thy tears, thy sweat, thy blood, thy semen, thy love, thy faith shall provide. Ah, I shall drain thee like the cup that is of me, BABALON.

50. Stand thou fast, and I shall pass the first veil to speak with thee, through the stars shake.

51. Stand thou fast, and I shall pass the second veil, while God and Jesus be smitten with the sword of HORUS.

52. Stand thou fast, and I shall pass the third veil, and the shapes of hell shall be turned again to loveliness.

53. For thy sake shall I stride through the flames of Hell, though my tongue be bitten through.

54. Let me behold thee naked and lusting after me, calling upon my name.

55. Let me receive all thy manhood within my Cup, climax upon climax, joy upon joy.

56. Yea, we shall conquer death and Hell together.

57. And the earth is mine.

58. Thou shalt (make the?) Black Pilgrimage.

59. Yea it is even I BABALON and I SHALL BE FREE. Thou fool, be thou also free of sentimentality. Am I thy village queen and thou a sophomore, that thou shouldst have thy nose in my buttocks?

60. It is I, BABALON, ye fools, MY TIME is come, and this my book that my adept prepares is the book of BABALON.

61. Yea, my adept, the Black Pilgrimage. Thou shalt be accursed, and this is the nature of the curse. Thou shalt publish the secret matter of the adepts thou knowest, withholding no word of it, in an appendix to this my Book. So they shall cry fool, liar, sot, traducer, betrayer. Thou art not glad thou meddled with magick?

62. There is no other way, dear fool, it is the eleventh hour.

63. The seal of my Brother is upon the earth, and His Avatar is before you. There is threshing of wheat and a trampling of grapes that shall not cease until the truth be known unto the least of men.

64. But you who do not accept, you who see beyond, reach out your hands my children and reap the world in the hour of your harvest.

65. Gather together in the covens as of old, whose number is eleven, that is also my number. Gather together in public, in song and dance and festival. Gather together in secret, be naked and shameless and rejoice in my name.

66. Work your spells by the mode of my book, practicing secretly, inducing the supreme spell.

67. The work of the image, and the potion and the charm, the work of the spider and the snake, and the little ones that go in the dark, this is your work.

68. Who loves not hates, who hates fears, let him taste fear.

69. This is the way of it, star, star. Burning bright, moon, witch moon.

70. You the secret, the outcast, the accursed and despised, even you that gathered privily of old in my rites under the moon.

71. You the free, the wild, the untamed, that walk now alone and forlorn.

72. Behold, my Brother cracks the world like a nut for your eating.

73. Yea, my Father has made a house for you, and my Mother has prepared a Bridal Bed. My Brother has confounded your enemies.

74. I am the Bride appointed. Come ye to the nuptials—come ye now!

75. My joy is the joy of eternity, and my laughter is the drunken laughter of a harlot in the house of ecstasy.

76. All you loves are sacred, pledge them all to me.

77. Set my star upon your banners and go forward in joy and victory. None shall deny you, and none shall stand before you, because of the Sword of my Brother. Invoke me, call upon me, call me in your convocations and rituals, call upon me in your loves and battles in my name BABALON, wherein is all power given!

And in the middle the six-rayed star

Q:

The universe is multidimensional; each thing, action or event is infinite in its depth. How can the mortal and finite adept estimate his or her attainment in these abyssal depths? How can one measure the level of personal attainment when the depths of each sephira or chakra may unfold eternally? The man is a mortal and restricted being, so how can one define what exactly and to what extent should be worked through on the path of initiation?

»Each thing, action, or event is infinite in its depth...«

Well, that statement is as good as any, shallow, and without any real meaning...if we take it without any examination and if we question not its validity.

And here I'd like to start: ignorance, immaturity, and a priori acceptance of »spiritual« truths.
One cannot progress along the »path of initiation« based solely on mental capacities. Mental capacities in this context refer to intellect, speculation, reason, and other thought processes.

And herein lays the dilemma: whom to trust, what to read, what to do, and what not to do?
We are told that there are higher levels of awareness to be attained deeper, and more fulfilling truths to be realized. And what do most of the aspirants do? Well, they join some “spiritual” or religious corporation or some other organization that offers meetings, training, masses, teachings, supervision, texts, etc.

And in 5, 10, or 20 years of effort along the lines of such organizations, progress is realized, and degrees are attained. Well, isn’t that lovely?

But what is truly happening?
What if the existing organizations offer nothing but smoke and mirrors?
What if no one can give us anything from the outside?
What if all structures we are so used to are false, a lie?
What if what we already are is enough?

And what if we need no one to progress in life?

Well, I have met only one human being (so far) who made all the progress along the empirical lines of human conscious psycho-transpersonal identity development on his own: no Orders, no masters, no degrees.

Total freedom and total independence.

That being said, and speaking for the rest of us (I am generalizing, of course), such freedom and responsibility demand way too much, and most of us do not want to bear the pressure of freedom and possess that kind of strain of knowing…

…it is simply too much to an unenlightened heart… and so we invent (yes, we make these things up) various structures (Orders, degrees, various trees, etc) to feel safer, more in control. Mind and immature heart need something to cling to, and if that does not exist yet, it makes it up.

OK, so now that I have denigrated all that I have been doing for the last 25-odd years, now we can go on, for:

“In the beginning doth the Magus speak Truth and send forth Illusion and Falsehood to enslave the soul. Yet therein is the Mystery of Redemption.”
-Liber B, 1.

Everything that one does on the path of liberation is, in reality, not helpful; it is just as effective as visiting a fitness gym in dreaming. Upon waking up, dreams vanish.

But the game is still on; sincere aspirants worldwide invest effort, time, and money into spiritual progress.

So, if no truth can ever be conveyed (as Liber B shares and empirical knowledge concurs) here on Earth and all is falsehood, what is the point?

Well, let’s at least try to produce or come in contact with those useless things and illusions that will somehow direct us toward the Real Truth. How does that sound?

Q:
Should one, on the path of initiation, strive toward the realization of oneself and the world, and does this realization have limits? If the man REALLY realizes that he or she is the infinitesimal and meaningless speck in the Universe and his or her labors are vain attempts in the web of illusion, then what should he or she do further in such an existential cul-de-sac? What should one do with the realization that is incompatible with the life and capacities of man?

Real, deep, and truly transpersonal states of awareness have nothing whatsoever to do with the life of a man here on Earth. Even slight conscious contact with the HGA tends to disrupt the life of an aspirant, what to speak of crossing the Abyss or maybe even attaining the Magus level.
So what to do?

Four elements are in play upon this world: fire, water, air, and earth. With all the funky transitions between the four and the symbolism involved, well, we are still only speaking and thinking, aren’t we?

And real and deep transpersonal (meaning above reason, above personality, transcendental, spiritual, non-material, eternal, and not impermanent) realizations bring into the existing human system completely new awareness, new depth, and new openness, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay above reason.

And that’s the trick, isn’t it: not only to attain a certain state of awareness but to bring it down into life, so to speak, to integrate.

And, speaking for my level of understanding, this is quite a challenge, for the four elements mentioned above are in no way spiritual in and by themselves. Integration needs to take place.

Liber B again contributes here:

“Let Him beware of abstinence from action. For the curse of His grade is that He must speak Truth, that the Falsehood thereof may enslave the souls of men. Let him then utter that without Fear, that the Law may be fulfilled…”
Liber B, 14

“… aspirant’s labors are vain attempts in the web of illusion…”; although I agree with these thoughts, I maintain that the actual labor starts when the true Truth is attained (above various structures and way above reason) and when all the illusions are seen as they are: a magickal display on the (empty) screen of consciousness.

And the only thing that is left to do is to start to integrate the realizations into the illusions; the six-rayed star in the middle has to recognize herself in the four elemental pentagrams around her.

In other words, as Truth is ineffable, it is of no use to try to convey it, so the next best thing is to use the illusions with clear Understanding and Wisdom that everyone needs to find the Truth on their own from within and no amount of illusions from without will produce results, for:

»It is the truth that liberates, not your effort to be free.«
- J. Krishnamurti

Q
Who had fulfilled him- or herself as a human to a greater extent – a milkmaid who goes about her business in a state of full comfort and satisfaction with life, or an adept who has debunked the myths and discovered within him- or herself too many things to enjoy being-in-the-world?

It is just a process, a tough one for sure, to try to live in a world where people downright deny their spiritual inheritance and superficial pleasures are a measure of happiness.

And that’s the whole point, in my opinion:

If a milkmaid is happy with her life, let her be satisfied.

And if an aspirant has attained realizations that put her outside this superficial world, well, maybe it is time to go even deeper, and deeper, and deeper still.....until it is not possible to go any deeper.

At that stage, the only way is back again, back up again, into the same superficial world she has been trying to escape for who knows how many incarnations.

In both cases, the same applies: »There is no law beyond do what thou wilt«.

Fr. 418 .'.

Liber Daath

Liber OS ABYSMI

vel

DAATH

sub figura CDLXXIV

A.·. A.·.

Publication in Class B

1. This book is the Gate of the Secret of the Universe.

2. Let the Exempt Adept procure the Prolegomena of Kant, and study it, paying special attention to the Antinomies.

3. Also Hume's doctrine of Causality in his “Enquiry.”

4. Also Herbert Spencer's discussion of the three theories of the Universe in his “First Principles,” Part I.

5. Also Huxley's Essays on Hume and Berkeley.

6. Also Crowley's Essays: Berashith, Time, The Soldier and the Hunchback, et cetera.

7. Also the “Logik” of Hegel.

8. Also the “Questions of King Milinda” and the Buddhist Suttas which bear on Metaphysic.

9. Let him also be accomplished in Logic. (Formal Logic, Keynes.) Further let him study any classical works to which his attention may be sufficiently directed in the course of his reading.

10. Now let him consider special problems, such as the Origin of the World, the Origin of Evil, Infinity, the Absolute, the Ego and the non-Ego, Freewill and Destiny, and such others as may attract him.

11. Let him subtly and exactly demonstrate the fallacies of every known solution, and let him seek a true solution by his right Ingenium.

12. In all this let him be guided only by clear reason, and let him forcibly suppress all other qualities such as Intuition, Aspiration, Emotion, and the like.

13. During these practices all forms of Magick Art and Meditation are forbidden to him. It is forbidden to him to seek any refuge from his intellect.

14. Let then his reason hurl itself again and again against the blank wall of mystery which will confront him.

15. Thus also following is it said, and we deny it not. At last automatically his reason will take up the practice, suâ sponte, and he shall have no rest therefrom.

16. Then will all phenomena which present themselves to him appear meaningless and disconnected, and his own Ego will break up into a series of impressions having no relation one with the other, or with any other thing.

17. Let this state then become so acute that it is in truth Insanity, and let this continue until exhaustion.

18. According to a certain deeper tendency of the individual will be the duration of this state.

19. It may end in real insanity, which concludes the activities of the Adept during this present life, or by his rebirth into his own body and mind with the simplicity of a little child.

20. And then shall he find all his faculties unimpaired, yet cleansed in a manner ineffable.

21. And he shall recall the simplicity of the Task of the Adeptus Minor, and apply himself thereto with fresh energy in a more direct manner.

22. And in his great weakness it may be that for awhile the new Will and Aspiration are not puissant, yet being undisturbed by those dead weeds of doubt and reason which he hath uprooted, they grow imperceptibly and easily like a flower.

23. And with the reappearance of the Holy Guardian Angel he may be granted the highest attainments, and be truly fitted for the full experience of the destruction of the Universe. And by the Universe We mean not that petty Universe which the mind of man can conceive, but that which is revealed to his soul in the Samadhi of Atmadarshana.

24. Thence may he enter into a real communion with those that are beyond, and he shall be competent to receive communication and instruction from Ourselves directly.

25. Thus shall We prepare him for the confrontation of Choronzon and the Ordeal of the Abyss, when we have received him into the City of the Pyramids.

26. So, being of Us, let the Master of the Temple accomplish that Work which is appointed. (In Liber CDXVIII. is an adequate account of this Ordeal and Reception. See also Liber CLVI. for the preparation.)

27. Also concerning the Reward thereof, of his entering into the Palace of the King's Daughter, and of that which shall thereafter befall, let it be understood of the Master of the Temple. Hath he not attained to Understanding? Yea, verily, hath he not attained to Understanding?


__________________________

Note: Crowley - "An instruction in a purely intellectual method of entering the Abyss."
Also known as The Book of the Mouth of the Abyss or of Knowledge (Daath).
First published in The Equinox Vol.I:7 (Weiland & Company, London) 1912.

The Oath of the Abyss

“ I (motto, titles, etc.), 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:
- that I will lead a pure life, as a devoted servant of the Order:
- that I will understand all things:
- that I will love all things:
- that I will perform all things and endure all things:
- that I will continue in the Knowledge and Conversation of My Holy Guardian Angel,
- that I will work without attachment:
- that I will work in truth:
- that I will rely only upon myself:
- 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 be closed upon me!”

- published in John St. John



I'd like to share a few thoughts on the subject of the Oath of the Abyss and the crossing itself. Needless to say, these are my subjective thoughts, relative and impermanent. Let us say that this is alive in me at the moment:

I was surprised to learn (from FB of all places) that individuals are taking the above-shared Oath without even attaining the K&C of the HGA.

Ehm, excuse me? Well, on my planet that is like deciding to swim across the Pacific ocean without even knowing how to swim.

On the intellectual level, loving all things, working in truth, leading a pure life, etc., all these things sound rather cool, don't they. There is no way, however, that these elements of the Oath can be put into practice without certain realizations.

One can try and think (or read)  oneself right to death, to no avail. Dogs of reason can bark in any which direction, it will amount to exactly nothing.

There really is a reason why the grades are set up as they are. You really really need to not only attain but to firmly stabilize at the Chesed long before you even think of moving on.
In the A.A. scheme of things, this translates to a 7=4 grade.

In practical terms that means you really ARE a happy individual here on this Earth, healthy, knowing, and easily executing your Will, having no burning issues in everyday life, and certainly not rebelling anymore against Father and/or Mother authority (in all shapes and forms).

You easily deal with your own emotions, face your truth without deceiving yourself.

And these are not some empty words. There is a reason one has to deal with his personal stuff first. And after having dealt with (what is perceived as) the inner limiting tendencies and outer oppressions, the progress has to be actualized here and now, in everyday life. Success is the proof, right?

When we drink up and consume all the fancy philosophy, when the magic and mystic stuff has been all freshed out and when we empty the psychology too, we always come down to one single remaining thing: physical brain and nervous systems.

And there is noooooooooooooo way your (or mine) nervous systems and brain can handle pure transpersonal vibrations and energies of the reality above the Abyss when you (or me) still have personal issues in life and when you (or me) (try to) handle emotions and suffering (your/my own and that of other sentient beings) with intellect or even not at all.

The above-shared Oath of the Abyss is a perfect description of someone who has already crossed the Abyss.

And taking the Oath prematurely amounts to insisting on celibacy while still craving sex. It is gonna be a rough ride indeed.

The real celibate or Brahmachari is not someone who denies or forces himself, but someone who has attained higher taste, and that's why he has no interest in anything else - not with hard work and effort but with ease.

So, following this line of thought right through, the  "...I will interpret every phenomenon as a particular dealing of God with my soul" notion can not be really put into practice by merely taking the Oath, but by crossing the Abyss and breathing the freshness in the air thereof.

Thank you for your time.

:)

One Star in Sight

One Star in Sight, parts 3 - 8:

3. 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 paths.

They are all, however, 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.

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.

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

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

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.

4. The Grade of Ipsissimus is not to be described fully; but its opening is indicated in Liber I vel Magi.

There is also an account in a certain secret document to be published when propriety permits. Here it is only said this: The Ipsissimus is wholly free from all limitations soever, existing in the nature of all things without discriminations of quantity or quality between them. He has identified Being and not-Being and Becoming, action and non-action and tendency to action, with all other such triplicities, not distinguishing between them in respect of any conditions, or between any one thing and any other thing as to whether it is with or without conditions.

He is sworn to accept this Grade in the presence of a witness, and to express its nature in word and deed, but to withdraw Himself at once within the veils of his natural manifestation as a man, and to keep silence during his human life as to the fact of his attainment, even to the other members of the Order.

The Ipsissimus is pre-eminently the Master of all modes of existence; that is, his being is entirely free from internal or external necessity. His work is to destroy all tendencies to construct or to cancel such necessities. He is the Master of the Law of Unsubstantiality (Anatta).

The Ipsissimus has no relation as such with any Being: He has no will in any direction, and no Consciousness of any kind involving duality, for in Him all is accomplished; as it is written “beyond the Word and the Fool, yea, beyond the Word and the Fool”.

5. The Grade of Magus is described in Liber I vel Magi, and there are accounts of its character in Liber 418 in the Higher Aethyrs.

There is also a full and precise description of the attainment of this Grade in the Magical Record of the Beast 666.

The essential characteristic of the Grade is that its possessor utters a Creative Magical Word, which transforms the planet on which he lives by the installation of new officers to preside over its initiation. This can take place only at an “Equinox of the Gods” at the end of an “Aeon”; that is, when the secret formula which expresses the Law of its action becomes outworn and useless to its further development.

(Thus “Suckling” is the formula of an infant: when teeth appear it marks a new “Aeon”, whose “Word” is “Eating”).

A Magus can therefore only appear as such to the world at intervals of some centuries; accounts of historical Magi, and their Words, are given in Liber Aleph.

This does not mean that only one man can attain this Grade in any one Aeon, so far as the Order is concerned. A man can make personal progress equivalent to that of a “Word of an Aeon”; but he will identify himself with the current word, and exert his will to establish it, lest he conflict with the work of the Magus who uttered the Word of the Aeon in which He is living.

The Magus is pre-eminently the Master of Magick, that is, his will is entirely free from internal diversion or external opposition; His work is to create a new Universe in accordance with His Will. He is the Master of the Law of Change (Anicca).

To attain the Grade of Ipsissimus he must accomplish three tasks, destroying the Three Guardians mentioned in Liber 418, the 3rd Aethyr; Madness, and Falsehood, and Glamour, that is, Duality in Act, Word and Thought.

6. The Grade of Master of the Temple is described in Liber 418 as above indicated. There are full accounts in the Magical Diaries of the Beast 666, who was cast forth into the Heaven of Jupiter, and of Omnia in Uno, Unus in Omnibus, who was cast forth into the sphere of the Elements.

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; His word is to comprehend the existing Universe in accordance with His own Mind. He is the Master of the Law of Sorrow (Dukkha).

To attain the grade of Magus he must accomplish Three 235} Tasks; the renunciation of His enjoyment of the Infinite so that he may formulate Himself as the Finite; the acquisition of the practical secrets alike of initiating and governing His proposed new Universe and the identification of himself with the impersonal idea of Love. 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 his presumption.

7. 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.

8. The Grade of Adeptus Exemptus confers authority to govern the two lower Orders of R. C. and G. D.

The Adept must prepare and publish a thesis setting forth His knowledge of the Universe, and his proposals for its welfare and progress. He will thus be known as the leader of a school of thought.

(Eliphas Levi's Clef des Grands Mysteres, the works of Swedenborg, von Eckarshausen, Robert Fludd, Paracelsus, Newton, Bolyai, Hinton, Berkeley, Loyola, etc., etc., are examples of such essays.)

He will have attained all but the supreme summits of meditation, and should be already prepared to perceive that the only possible course for him is to devote himself utterly to helping his fellow creatures.

To attain the Grade of Magister Templi, he must perform two tasks; the emancipation from thought by putting each idea against its opposite, and refusing to prefer either; and the consecration of himself as a pure vehicle for the influence of the order to which he aspires.

He must then decide upon the critical adventure of our Order; the absolute abandonment of himself and his attainments. He cannot remain indefinitely an Exempt Adept; he is pushed onward by the irresistible momentum that he has generated.

Should he fail, by will or weakness, to make his self-annihilation absolute, he is none the less thrust forth into the Abyss; but instead of being received and reconstructed in the Third Order, as a Babe in the womb of our Lady BABALON, under the Night of Pan, to grow up to be Himself wholly and truly as He was not previously, he remains in the Abyss, secreting his elements round his Ego as if isolated from the Universe, and becomes what is called a “Black Brother”. Such a being is gradually disintegrated from lack of nourishment and the slow but certain action of the attraction of the rest of the Universe, despite efforts to insulate and protect himself, and to aggrandise himself by predatory practices. He may indeed prosper for a while, but in the end he must perish, especially when with a new Aeon a new word is proclaimed which he cannot and will not hear, so that he is handicapped by trying to use an obsolete method of Magick, like a man with a boomerang in a battle where every one else has a rifle.



____________________

Full text >>

Liber Cheth

LIBER CHETH

VEL

VALLVM ABIEGNI

SVB FIGVRA

CLVI

A.'. A.'.

Publication in Class A.

Imprimatur:

N. Fra A.'. A.'.

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.
2. Thou shalt drain out thy blood that is thy life into the golden cup of her fornication.
3. Thou shalt mingle thy life with the universal life. Thou shalt keep not back one drop.
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.
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.
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. {25}
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 accursed 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.
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.
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.
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. {26}
15. Yet shalt thou not be therein, for thou shalt be forgotten, dust lost in dust.
16. Nor shall the aeon 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.
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.
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.

After Abyss (II.): Changeless Reality

A post on the FB caught my attention, it is authored by IAO131 (Ben S.) and it deals with the True Self.
A few thoughts on the subject are arising and I am sharing them below.

Lets take a look at it first:

"The True Self never dies as it is beyond all limitation, containing all things and relations within Itself. The body along with the mind surely will expire but it is only through the mysterious mechanisms of this mind and body that the Self, beyond all limits and opposites, may become self-aware and consciously experience the rapture of existence. 

This Self does not need to be redeemed or perfected: there is no Fall of Man to be rectified (Abrahamic religions) nor a Wheel of Suffering to be liberated from (Dharmic religions). There is even no sense of the soul incarnating to attain to higher and higher 'spiritual states' or towards 'enlightenment.' 

In the New Aeon, the 'starting point' is not a fallen, suffering, and sinful state, but rather we are all Royal and Divine, Divinity-made-manifest, and 'existence is pure joy' (AL II:9) if it is seen with eyes that 'Bind nothing!' (AL I:22) i.e. eyes that see the unity underlying apparent dualities."
- Ben's web site >>)

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law

Beyond time & space

True Self is described as something eternal, which never ever dies, is unborn and beyond space-time continuum.

The author of the above text points out that there is no need to redeem the True Self and no need to liberate it.
Well put indeed.

I would love bring this a bit further, though:

Not only that the True Self, our Ultimate Identity / Quality needs no redemption or liberation, it is perfect by Itself, eternally. No change can touch it, no wind can dry it, no water or fire influence it.

"The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind."
- Bhagavad Gita 2.23

It is forever the Same, ever Fresh and Always present Here and Now. It is the absolute Reality.

And being Absolute, every man and every woman that has experienced "The Star" so far, has experienced The Same Reality, no matter what Aeon in.
What else, for there is only One, having different names, but still only One.

"For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain."
- Bhagavad Gita 2.20

I really do not want to rain on any parade here, but it is a rather superficial thinking that New Aeon brought some "New Reality", some new, upgraded and deeper version of the Absolute Self/Non-Self.
If that was the case, then it wouldn't really be Absolute, right?

Many scriptures from old Aeons speak about this Reality, this True Self, the Bhagawad Gita being only one of many. There are also non Vedic scriptures, i.e. Tantras, that speak about this True Self or Non-self.

Above the Abyss nothing ever changes, only the drama below the Abyss is different from Aeon to Aeon.

Granted, these high truths were always kept hidden from uninitiated men and women. Nowadays, however, even the top secret scriptures and techniques (Yoni Tantra and Yeshe Lama, for example) are available online even for free.

So, can we say that the 'dying god and the old Aeon' theory applies only to the relative reality, not to the Real (experienced for certain after Abyss)?

Can we agree that only the natural and eternal Star / True Self needs no redemption?

It is the "I am presence", the pristine and totally fulfilling state of awareness that is the Cause of everything. The Causal self.

It is already realized, it is already fully present. No need to develop it, or transform it into something Eternal by some mysterious alchemy and/or magickal process. It is already here.

It is not a matter of development or attainment, it is a matter of noting what already Is.

And it is Everything. Nothing apart from It possibly exists.

It takes a direct experience to realize that, for sure.

It is also not. It is also beyond all God forms:

"I am alone. There is no God where I am." - Liber AL II-23

And it has always been that way. No New Aeon can change that. Beyond all symbols, and beyond even the most exalted sex rituals,
It is always the Same, nothing new to be gained, nothing whatsoever.

Masters of ancient times have realized IT, and while the time & space characteristics are changing and the New Aeon may indeed be the most suitable for not only realizing but also for expressing IT in dynamic and utterly positive fashion (which indeed IS new) -  IT   is   still   the   Same, beyond the waking state, dreams and dreamless sleep.

"The three states come and go, but you are always there. It is like a cinema. The screen is always there. Several types of pictures appear on the screen and disappear. Nothing sticks to the screen; it remains a screen. Similarly, you remain your own Self in all the three states. If you know that, the three states will not trouble you, just as the pictures which appear on the screen do not stick to it. That means that the three states will not stick to you."
- Sri Ramana Maharshi


No religion can touch IT, no old or new ritual can come close to IT, not even Mother, Father or the Child can define it.

It is thoroughly Beyond, for it is non-dual with the Light, Life, Love and Liberty.

Always the Same.

It always has been.

In our New Aeon it is just easier to attain, for:

"There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt." - Liber AL III-60


And it is You.
It is Me.
Nah, it is Not.

Yes, it is Not.

Aum ha.

Love is the law, love under will

See the next blog post in the After Abyss series: After Abyss (III.): total identity collapse >>

Back to Thelema and reincarnation, here >>