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Dreaming Thelema
Aquarius and the Nightside
Posted on 12th February 2018 by admin
The Thoth Tarot trump for the 15th path of Aquarius is The Star XVII. The esoteric title of the path is Daughter of the Firmament: Dweller between the Waters.
The placing of The Star XVII on the 15th path is to end the ages old confusion between the blood of material generation and the pure essence that is the substance of spiritual regeneration. The 15th path of Hé connects Chokmah, the sphere of the Zodiac, with Tiphereth, the sphere of the Sun. The 15th path is called the Constituting Intelligence because it is the essence of creative force that arises in pure darkness; the word used for 'essence' is etzem, which has the same root as OTz, 'tree', from whence the Tree of Life. The same word etzem can mean 'bone', 'body', 'life', and 'substance'.
The power of manifesting or begetting is the primal power of the Goddess, which is that of division into two; the path therefore corresponds to the Goddess of the Stars. As declared by Nuit in the (Egyptian) Book of the Law, Liber AL vel Legis, I: 59,
My incense is of resinous woods and gums; and there is no blood therein: because of my hair the trees of Eternity.
Chokmah is the chakra of the Zodiac, as separate and distinct from the fixed stars, which are the domain of Kether and the North Pole of the universe. The Zodiac is the belt or girdle of Venus, which is the planetary symbol of Nuit in her manifestation as visible nature. Incense and fragrance are ancient metaphors for pure spirit or essence—"that essence of creative force that arises in pure darkness". The darkness itself is a metaphor, since it is more than merely an absence of light. Visible light is a veil, an appearance that clothes the nakedness of Nuit, whose essence is interior radiance. According to the book of Genesis, there were two trees in the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge. Originally, there was one eternal Tree of Life embracing heaven, earth and the underworld.
'Blood' is the self-replicating power or energy that moves through all incarnated creatures, yet the oracle of Nuit in Liber AL, I: 59 asserts that her creative essence has "no blood therein". It is therefore necessary to counterchange the Tarot trumps on the 15th and 28th paths. Aries, previously assigned to the 15th path, is the sign of the fire of blood, which is the blood of the Lamb as depicted in Christian mysticism. Aquarius, on the other hand, is the sign of the Waters of Space, typified by the Egyptian hieroglyph of two streams of water or radiation.
Nuit is the Star Goddess particularly concerned with the occult or hidden side of nature; her mysteries are those of sex and generation—not the generation of physical progeny but the generation of the magical 'child' that is the true son or sun-star of Nuit.
The magical weapons are the Aspigillum for the sprinkling of the lustral water, and the Censor for the perfumes. The magical power of the 15th path is that of Astrology; the starry wisdom of the 15th path should not be confused with popular notions of astrology.
Nuit is depicted in the Tarot trump numbered 17 not as cosmic space but as visible nature, her manifestation. The esoteric title of the trump is Daughter of the Firmament: Dweller between the Waters. The 'waters' are symbolised by the two cups that Nuit bears, gold for the blood or energy of the universe and silver for the dew of the stars, the elixir of life. The seven-pointed star in the Crowley-Harris image is that of Venus; esoterically the number seven also relates to Set or Sirius, the Sun-behind-the-Sun.
Kenneth Grant, who devoted his life to an exploration of the Nightside of the Tree, is the primary source for a study of the 'dark' aspects of the path that is both detailed and imaginative. In his book Nightside of Eden, concerning the fifteenth Tunnel of Set he says that,
Seven, or Sevekh, was the primal goddess of the seven stars (Ursa Major) of the planisphere, and these stars or rays were the seven heads of the Dragon of the Deep that later appeared in the Christian myth as the Beast of the Apocalypse. The Star of the 15th kala is therefore the Star of Sothis or Shaitan, and is concealed in the feminine generative essence known as the soul or blood of Isis.[1]
Grant then goes on to note, regarding the magical power of the fifteenth path that,
The magical siddhi associated with this kala is Astrology which—on the other side of the Tree—has a very different connotation to that which it usually obtains, for it is there the genuine science of the stars, or kalas, and differs from the popular conception of astrology as does the Tarot from the vulgar playing-card game.
That which Kenneth Grant terms as "stars, or kalas" is not the visible gems of the night sky—though they have their correspondence with them. More often than not he is referring to the nodes and constellations of a matrix—perceptible to the seer as a shining gossamer web—that extrudes from the body of the consecrated Shakti. The Sri Yantra of the Eastern Tantras is a geometric symbol of this matrix. The same matrix was displayed in ancient Egyptian depictions of the Goddess, especially the polymorphic variations of Nuit and Hathoor, by networks of five-pointed or five-fingered stars. The Egyptian hieroglyph for the radiation of light or transmission of energy is identical to the astrological wave-glyph for the zodiacal sign of Aquarius.
1. Quotations from Nightside of Eden by Kenneth Grant, Part Two, Chapter 5 [Starfire Publishing].
The Egyptian Tarot of Thelema trump for Aquarius is Nuit XVII. The card and its description may be viewed here at Ordo Astri.
All the zodiacal Thoth Tarot trumps and their descriptions may be viewed here.
© Oliver St. John 2013, 2019
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Posted in Astrology, Qabalah, Thoth Tarot	| Tagged Flaming Sword
Babalon Unveiled!
Posted on 12th May 2018 by admin
Babylon the Great and the Sphinx of Egypt
In the region of Old Cairo, or Keraha-Babylon, there are remains of a colossus that once stood in the vicinity of the ancient Egyptian temple of Babylon. The mighty image was of Hathoor, as can be determined by the intact base of her ruined crown. By historical accounts, there is a meaningful association between Hathoor (or Isis) and the sphinx that guards the nearby pyramids. The association will become self evident as we proceed with our investigation.
The ancient Egyptian city of Keraha-Babylon is east of the Giza plateau, north of the modern city of Cairo. It is of great historical significance, for its situation on the Nile meant it was both port and fortified gateway to the old sacred road to On, or Heliopolis (Egyptian Aunnu). The pyramids and sphinx of the Giza plateau are in full view of the gateway to On. Additionally, the temple of Per-Hapi on the Nile port, south of Keraha, at one time contained a line of sphinxes, among other extraordinary relics found scattered throughout the region.
This article is abridged from the book, Babalon Unveiled! Thelemic Monographs. The book is a collection of 36 monographs, of which 'Babalon Unveiled!' forms the centrepiece. The description and cover art can be viewed here at Ordo Astri.
The name of the Sphinx of Egypt is Harmachis, as borne forth on its own stele, called the Dream Stela. The vastly antique statue depicting the woman and lion in one image is otherwise known as Hrumachis or Hormaku. The great statue of Hathoor, crowned with the sun, gazes eternally at the Sphinx of Egypt, her child-star, consort and divine image. While this may be construed metaphorically, it was a literal fact while the colossus, Babylon the Great, stood at the gates of On.
Babylon as Alchemical Catalyst
Babylon was the pre-historical name of the great centre even before it was called Keraha. The name of Babylon owes to a corruption, or linguistic simplification, of the ancient Egyptian name: pr-hpi-n-iunu, 'Nile temple of the nome Aunnu'. A nome is an ancient Egyptian earth location regarded as sacred centre. According to the Pyramid Texts the name Keraha refers to the field of the battle between Horus and Set.
Left: Per Het Temple of Hathoor Logogram
The battle becomes self-explanatory when it is considered that Keraha marks the exact division or boundary between the two lands of Khem, Upper and Lower Egypt. It is the geographic meeting or union of the red and white crowns of the North and South. Over long ages of time the symbolism of the union of the red and white has become embedded in magical and alchemical literature as the mystic marriage or royal wedding of Sol and Luna. The Persian temple of Babylon was known to the Arabs as Qubbat Babylon, 'cupola of Babylon', a fire temple. The cupola, a square tower with a rounded dome, is frequently used in alchemical literature to signify the furnace or athanor.
In modern times, the alchemical texts have been misconstrued. A rudimentary and false explanation of the secrets of alchemy as either pertaining to occult mysteries of physical sex or to psychological process has resulted in ludicrous attributions. For example, the athanor has been associated by Aleister Crowley and others with the male sexual organ whereas it is in fact a feminine symbol. The cucurbit, while seemingly an emblem of the female, is better understood as the containing principle of the entire occult anatomy.
Babylon: Lost Word of the Aeons
The rationalisation of the fragmentary knowledge that survived the fall of Egypt to be filtered through the distorting mirror of uninitiated scholarship has continued to the present day. The 'lost word', far from being recovered, is buried more deeply than ever in the substratum of human consciousness. Nonetheless, through the dark ages of man's reign on earth, the living voice of Babylon the Great, whom we know as BABALON, emerges from the depths, calling us to truth and justice.
I was sent forth from Mystery,
And I will come to them that reflect upon me,
For those that seek me, shall find me.
Behold me, ye who reflect upon me,
And listen to me, ye that have ears to hear!
Ye who have waited for me, take me to yourselves,
And do not banish me from your sight.
Do not say hateful things of me, do not hear them spoken.
Do not be ignorant of me anywhere or at any time.
Be vigilant! Do not forget me.
The Gnostic scripture, Thunder Perfect Mind, was undoubtedly received in oracular fashion. By the time the biblical New Testament gospels were composed, the ancient Egyptian language was forgotten along with the secrets veiled by its hieroglyphs. Scriptural writers and editors were strongly influenced by the intensely dualistic Greek and Persian cults, and so driven by the rigours of military male asceticism.
Babylon the Fallen
Mighty Babylon, gigantic symbol of the spiritual authority of the ancient Egyptian priesthood, was long ago desecrated by a Persian king who thought that treasure might be buried underneath! According to the book of Revelation, 14: 8:
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Thus the irony deepens, for to religious zealots down the ages it is Babylon that symbolises the pride and arrogance of materialism. Perhaps the adultery, confusion or mixing up of things, was after all on the side of scriptural scribes. The mythical 'fall' of Babylon the Great may now be seen as having its origin in literal fact.
Babalon and Ouarda the Seer
Liber AL vel Legis is a contentious oracle since a religion has been formed around it, and its so-called prophet, Aleister Crowley. However, there most certainly was a pythoness that brought forth luminous shards of the ancient Egyptian wisdom, albeit heavily cloaked in Crowley's conceit once he had determined that it might place power in his hands. It is likely that Rose Edith Kelly (Rose Crowley) had far more to do with the transmission and writing of Liber AL than is evident from the account given by Aleister Crowley. It has been suggested we might rename the oracular book in question as the Book of Ouarda the Seer, or of Soror Ouarda, 576, for that was Rose's magical name.
Rose was by all accounts the medium and intelligence for the transmission activated through the Stele of Revealing in the Cairo museum in 1904. We know that Aleister Crowley needed her help when he wished to change some of the wording after the transmission, even though he later claimed she had not even been present in the room when the book was received! Babalon appears in two aspects in the Book of the Law. Firstly, in cosmic form as Nuit, and secondly as the Scarlet Woman or soul, who may 'fall' or undergo resurrection. The words that Crowley wanted to change were from Nuit, Liber AL, I: 26:
And the sign shall be my ecstasy, the consciousness of the continuity of existence, the unfragmentary non-atomic fact of my universality.
Crowley received permission (presumably) to change the last five words to, "the omnipresence of my body", a rather trite theological intervention compared to the vitality of the original phrase. Although superficially the meaning is the same, the neologism 'unfragmentary', used in conjunction with 'non-atomic', specifically declares the geometry of space-time as non-Euclidian and the atomic world as a mere conventional illusion. Since Einstein produced his theory of relativity the instruments of material science have proved, for example, that starlight bends around the gravitational field of the sun. The curvature of the sun's rays forms a timeless, dimensionless sphere of sensation around the star. This is comparable to the naked splendour of the body of Nuit, which is the ancient Egyptian principle of universal containment.
Babalon: Heart and Soul
Moving forward to the present time, Babalon figures prominently in certain theurgical rites. For example, in the reformed Ritual of the Pentagram, Nuit assumes four faces about the circle of the place. In the South, attributed to elemental fire and the zodiacal sign of Leo, Babalon stands guard. She is also regarded as Mistress of Magick. It is in her name that the temple is opened and closed. The Communion Mass, which involves three primary symbols of Incense, Light and Wine, is dedicated to Hormaku, the Sphinx of Egypt and the image of the Hermetic Light as magical child.
Babylon the Great of Egypt, our Lady BABALON, as we know her through our rites and ceremonies, oracles, dreams and aspirations, is the heart and soul of the ancient Egyptian civilisation. She stands forever upon the threshold between the two lands, union of the red lion and white eagle, the kingdom of earth and that of heaven, body and soul, mind and heart. Empirical evidence supports the ideal, echoed down the ages through countless instances of inspired writing and thought, that those who put in place the magical science and art of Khem were not human, but an elder race of which very few on earth may now bear the image. The continuity of existence was therefore known aeons before Einstein produced his theories for the assistance of man's self-destruction. The surviving remnants of the Egyptian arts declare a doctrine that is both rational and non-rational. Long ages before the general law of relativity was known by science, the priesthood of Set understood that the geometry of space-time is non-Euclidian. It is not the phallus of Osiris that is the 'lost word', but the soul of Nature that is as yet unknown to those who dwell in darkness and ignorance. We call this Thelema, which is the living seed of creative power latent within the dwarf-soul or star of man.
While man sleeps, a myriad of forms arise to bewilder and enchant him. Yet these forms, each masking the formless reality of bornless space, may equally enslave man or illumine the path to enlightenment and ultimate liberation. We may suppose the motive for founding upon the earth an exact mirroring of the complexities of nature was inspired through love. The mirror of the black land of Egypt expresses truth through mathematics, astronomy, hieroglyphics, art, gods, magical rites and ceremonies. Those preeval seers, skrying across aeons of time, could doubtless foresee that the race of humans is predoomed to spread violence, warfare, contagion and disease across the entire planet. Out of love, they planted the seeds of the soul's salvation deep within the hidden matrix of our existence. The Gnosis is in itself indestructible. While the colossus of Babylon-Hathoor was pulled down and broken into fragments by slaves of a mad king, her temple yet stands, inviolate until the end of time. And, as according to all ancient wisdom sources, the end is with the beginning.
© Oliver St. John 2018
This article is an abridgement. The fulll length essay, with annotations and citations, appears in the book, Babalon Unveiled! Thelemic Monographs.
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True Will and Word of Thelema
Posted on 15th April 2019 by admin
This is Esoteric Thelema: The Will is esoteric. Effect, appearance, is exoteric. 'True Will' in its full expression may be written in Egyptian hieroglyphs thus:
The Greek word 'Thelema', through its number 93, is equal to Agape, 'love'. The ancient Egyptian word for 'will' or 'desire' is the same word used for the verb 'to love'.[1] True Will is spelled here with the sickle-ma Lion of Truth determinative. The phonetic 'm' is glyphed by the twilight owl of Sophia that calls the soul to resurrection. The sealed scroll is the esoteric determinative, indicative of 'secret or hidden things'. The word, mer-t, is pronounced, meret. On the reverse side of the Stele of Revealing, it is declared,
Ankh-af-na-khonsu shall go forth in the light, bearing the lamp and staff of Thelema among the living souls that dwell upon the earth.[2]
The root of the word, mer, forms countless words in the ancient Egyptian language. Many more are found in other languages, both ancient and modern. Mer has every meaning of flowing like a river, or watery as a lake. It is life giving, the animating will. It is a light-flowing stream, a transmission or communicative path. It is the Song of Songs, the vibration of love and life. It is the compass of every book of spells ever written. The word embraces love in all its forms. Merut means, 'sweetheart' or 'beloved woman'. Merit is desire itself, the flame arising in void space. Mera is a 'lover' or 'friend', denoting (in prayer) the Holy Guardian Angel.
True Will and the Temple Priestess
In Latin, the word merus, mera or merum has the meaning of 'unmixed wine', denoting purity. The (Egyptian) Book of the Law, Liber AL, I: 44 states,
For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.
The word also has the meaning of 'bare', 'unadorned'—naked as truth herself. Ironically, over time the feminine noun, meratrix, came to mean 'courtesan' or 'harlot'. When religious patriarchs usurped the rôle of the priestesses, all women were thrown out of the temples and subjected to slavery or prostitution.[3]
The Egyptian word for the True Will, mer-t, was anciently used as the highly respected title of priestesses serving at the temple of Tahuti (Thoth) in Khemenu (Hermopolis), the 'City of the Eight'. The name refers to the Ogdoad of primal gods arising from the watery abyss called the nun. The principal deities of Khemenu were Set-Typhon and Tahuti, the resurrection word-bird and god of scribes. Set-Typhon was depicted at Khemenu in the form of a hippopotamus, upon which was a hawk fighting with a serpent. The hippopotamus or 'river horse' was also sacred to Hathoor, as its great bulk and semi-aquatic domain keys in to the foundations of the universe, perceived as the hub or axis about which the constellations revolve.
As the word of Will, Love and Truth, mer-t has a close association with Ma'at, goddess of Truth and Justice. We can spell 'Lion of Truth', incorporating Ma'at and Zain the Sword, Upholder of Truth, in hieroglyphics.
Two of the hieroglyphs are determinatives, so there is no need to add a number value. The sickle can be given the value of 30, as it is the original lamed, 'L'. The phonetic 'T' (half circle) can be given the value of 9. Therefore, when spelled in hieroglyphs, Ma'at has the value of 93. The original title of the Book of the Law is thus apt, for 'L' (30) spells out the Book of Ma'at, the book of her occult lore.
1. See Budge, An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, Volume I, pp. 309–10.
2. The translation is from 'New Light on Stele 666', Babalon Unveiled! Thelemic Monographs, pp. 43.
3. See 'Fall and Resurrection of Babalon', Babalon Unveiled! Thelemic Monographs.
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