The Magister Volume 0 Section 3 of 3

Citation preview

THE MAGISTER MAGICK IN HISTORY, THEORY & P RACTICE Volume 0: The Order of Revelation The Worker Enters the Workshop Part 3 of 3 parts on Kindle

O.E.D. Neophyte Grade Material Publication in Class B

FORGE PRESS

Keswick, Cumbria, 2016 www.westernesotericism.com Copyright © Frater V. (Marcus Katz) 2014, 2016. This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism, or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Enquiries should be made to the author. Tarosophy® and Western Esoteric Initiatory System® are registered trademarks. First paperback edition published 2015 by Salamander and Sons. This Kindle edition and all further print editions published by Forge Press, authorized by the author to whom all rights belong to this work. This Kindle section includes a complete list of over 700 recommended reference books and links to essential material for your further study. Edited by Paul Hardacre & Marcus Katz.

ALSO BY FRATER V. (MARCUS KATZ) The Path of the Seasons (Forge Press, forthcoming 2016) The Magician’s Kabbalah (Forge Press, 2015) NLP Magick (Forge Press, forthcoming 2016) Tarosophy: Tarot to Engage Life, Not Escape It (Forge Press, 2016) After the Angel (Forge Press, 2011) The Alchemy Workbook (Forge Press, 2008) The Zodiacal Rituals (Forge Press, 2008) Secrets of the Thoth Tarot (Forthcoming, 2016) Secrets of the Celtic Cross (Forthcoming, 2016) With Tali Goodwin Tarot Edge: Tarot for Teens and Young Adults (Forge Press, forthcoming 2016) Secrets of the Waite-Smith Tarot (Llewellyn Worldwide, 2015) The English Lenormand (Forge Press, 2013) Tarot Life (in 12 books, Forge Press, 2013) Abiding in the Sanctuary: A. E. Waite’s Second Tarot (Forge Press, 2013) Learning Lenormand (Llewellyn Worldwide, 2013). Tarot Turn (in three volumes, Forge Press, 2012) Tarot Inspire (Forge Press, 2012) Tarot Face to Face (Llewellyn Worldwide, 2012) Around the Tarot in 78 Days (Llewellyn Worldwide, 2012) Tarot Twist (Forge Press, 2010)

Tarot Flip (Forge Press, 2010) Easy Lenormand (Llewellyn Worldwide, 2015) I-Ching Counters (Forge Press/TGC, 2015) The Original Lenormand Deck (Forge Press/TGC, 2012) With Tali Goodwin, Sasha Graham (ed.), Giordano Berti, Mark McElroy, Riccardo Minetti & Barbara Moore. Tarot Fundamentals (Lo Scarabeo, 2015) Tarot Experience (Lo Scarabeo, forthcoming 2016) With Derek Bain & Tali Goodwin A New Dawn for Tarot: The Original Tarot of the Golden Dawn (Forge Press, 2015) As Andrea Green (with Tali Goodwin) True Tarot Card Meanings (Kindle, 2014) Tarot for True Romance (Kindle, 2014) Kabbalah & Tarot: A Step-up Guide (Kindle, 2015) Visit Author Sites for Complete Bibliography & Details www.marcuskatz.com www.taligoodwin.com

For all Applications to the Crucible Club and Order of Everlasting Day www.westernesotericism.com

Ded ications This third section of Magister Vol. 0 on Kindle is dedicated to The Glitch Mob. And as ever, and above all, this book is spiritually dedicated to Antistita Astri Argentei The Priestess of the Silver Star She whose light leads the way to the Arcanum Arcanorum, the Secret of Secrets Vos Vos Vos Vos Vos V.V.V.V.V. In Memorium Professor Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke (1953-2012), for opening the door another degree. We will teach on the avenues and in gardens more perfect than we can imagine when the walls of the world have long fallen.

When the fruit of my tree Shall be quite melted down Then I shall awake And be the mother of a King.

Christian Rosencreutz, The Hermetic Romance: or, The Chymical Wedding (1616)[1]

“I’ll read the Rosicrucian manifestoes.” “But you said the manifestoes were fake,” Belbo said. “So? What we’re putting together is fake.” “True,” he said, “I was forgetting that.”

Umberto Eco, Foucault’s Pendulum[2]

Table of Contents In the Shadow of the Bright Circle Strange Prisoners Naturphilosophie and Jung, the Development of the Unconscious The Nancy School and the Technique of Suggestion The Golden Dawn and the Development of the Self Dion Fortune and Israel Regardie, Psychoanalysts and Magicians Israel Regardie: The Sage of Sedona Dion Fortune: Priestess of the Soul Contemporary Syntheses of Psychology and Magic The Oath of Harpocrates Flying Roll XIII on Secrecy and Hermetic Love Sermons Through Stones: The Secret Masters No Man Hath Seen me Unveiled Considerations on the Division of the Soul Vignette: The Goddess of Sais The Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel The Sacred Magic of Abramelin The Holy Guardian Angel Vignette: 13 Dancing Girls on a Wednesday The Angel and the Higher Self On the Egregore The Abyss

Vignette: The Cube of Undoing The Fourth Way Work The Kundabuffers Watching for Kundabuffers The Initiatory Tarot. The Three Decks The Mystery of the Monogram The World The Fool The Blasted Tower The High Priestess Your Magical Journal and Dream Diary Optional Journal Practices The Dreaming Mind Zosimos of Panopolis The Vision of Zosimos The Seven Steps Contemplation Optional Dream Practices The Fountain of Morpheus (An Initiated Method of Dream Recall) Hand Observation for Lucid Dreaming The Dream Journal: Liber Somniorum The Magical Name The Purpose and Nature of the Magickal Name

Salutations, Forms and Greetings Formal Framing in the Order of Everlasting Day Selected List of Magical Names and Mottos The Rituals and Practices Liber Resh (Solar Adoration) Liber Resh vel Helios sub figura CC Commentary & Practice Vignette: Airport Adoration Liber Qoph vel Lunae The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. Notes Prior to Commencing the Practice The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram Visualisations. The Self in Relationship (Middle Pillar) Notes Prior to Commencing the Practice The Middle Pillar Method Circulation of the Light The Peace Profound of the Rose Cross and Key The Rose Cross Ritual The Opening of the Golden Dawn into the Everlasting Day The Opening of the Everlasting Day The Rituals of the Sapphire Temple 1. Kether: The Ritual of the Altar and the Lamp. 2. Chockmah: The Ritual of the Circle and Candle.

3. Binah: The Ritual of the Temple and Triangle. 4. Chesed: The Ritual of the Square. 5. Geburah: The Ritual of the Incense and the Pentagram. 6. Tiphareth: The Ritual of the Pillars and the Rose. 7. Netzach: The Ritual of the Oath. 8. Hod: The Ritual of the Crystal. 9. Yesod: The Ritual of the Treasure-House. 10. Malkuth: The Ritual of Binding Together. 11. The Kingdom Ritual. The Oath of the Tarot Majors Conclusion Frequently Asked Questions Reading Outline Part One: General Reading Part Two: A Magical Curriculum Bibliography

In the Shadow of the Bright Circle “You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners.” — Glaucon to Plato, ‘The Allegory of the Cave’ (The Republic, Book VII)

Strange Prisoners We start this final section of the Magister Volume 0 on Kindle by looking at the relationship between psychology and esotericism. We then move on to more practical matters with magical rituals, exercises and ceremonies, having laid out in detail the development of our curriculum and these psychological aspects.

This chapter surveys the historical relationship between psychology and the Western esoteric tradition from the naturphilosophie of the 1800s to contemporary manifestations of psychology in modern occultism. We first examine the development of the idea of the unconscious from the work of Schelling, Carus and Jung. Then we trace the self-development concerns of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. In a case study of Dion Fortune and Israel Regardie we see an explicit synthesis of psychology and occultism. Then we will conclude by reviewing a number of contemporary manifestations of this synthesis. Plato’s analogy of the cave serves throughout both as metaphor for the human state and as common ground between psychology and the Western esoteric tradition. In both cases it is assumed that there is an apparent reality, but that this is cast as a shadow – on the wall of our perceptions – from a reality that is initially occulted. In this, both psychology and esotericism return to a primarily Gnostic concern – that of the ‘great ignorance’[3] of our own nature and that of the universe of which we are part. Psychology and esotericism set out to explore the darkness outside of our knowledge, whether it be dwelling in the ‘unconscious’ or the ‘astral’, the mundus imaginalis or the dark side of the Tree of Life. Dion Fortune, whose life and work we shall examine further, wrote:

As soon as I touched the deeper aspects of practical psychology and watched the dissection of the mind under psycho-analysis, I realised that there was very much more in the mind than was accounted for by the accepted psychological theories. I saw that we stood in the centre of a small circle of light thrown by accurate scientific knowledge, but around us was a vast, circumambient sphere of darkness, and in that darkness dim shapes were moving. It was in order to understand the hidden aspects of the mind that I originally took up the study of occultism.[4] In this small circle of light, surrounded by darkness, we are, as Plato says, “strange prisoners” and psychology and esotericism both seek the keys to our escape and redingreation.[5] Indeed, the writer Philip K. Dick’s Gnostic concept of a ‘black iron prison’, the ‘unredeemed world of everyday consciousness’,[6] is a chilling re-statement of our predicament as are the monstrous tales of H. P. Lovecraft, to which we will return. The tools of our escape are common again to both psychology and esotericism: willed imagination leading – through symbols – to selfknowledge, initiation into increasingly comprehensive world-views through release of limiting attachments and beliefs, tested through experience in the crucible of self-awareness. As we will see in this section, the Gnostic concerns remain consistent throughout the history of both psychology and esotericism; the quest for self-knowledge is primary. As we read in The Apocryphon of James, “I tell you this so that you may know yourself.”[7] Naturphilosophie and Jung, the Development of the Unconscious

We will first highlight the concerns of naturphilosophie, specifically those which came to inform the work of Carl Carus and, in turn, shape the esoteric leanings of Carl Gustav Jung. The general scope of this school of thought is a significant template and could be considered an essential in which to cultivate ideas of self-development. According to Faivre, “Jung may be considered as the last major representative of naturphilosophie,”[8] a specific current of thought developed towards the end of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th, particularly in Germany. This philosophy, synthesising extant thinking ranging from Christian theosophy to animal magnetism, drew also from French naturalism, the metaphysics of Kant and Fichte, and Spinozan philosophy. Out of these streams flowed a single river of thinking, encompassing the concepts of: Nature having a history of a mythical order, i.e. the world is engaged in a process of a highly dramatic character – see ‘The Alchemical Amphitheatre’ in this present work for a discussion of the relationship of this ontological position with recent advances in quantum physics, as depicted in Louise B. Young’s The Unfinished Universe; The ‘philosophy of identity’ (viz. Schelling), i.e. the relationship of Nature and spirit, that spirit becomes Nature, and Nature becomes spiritualised. This relationship speaks to contemporary ecological concerns, and at the time underpinned the research of naturphilosophen Baader, Schubert and Kerner in mesmerism, animal magnetism and dreams;

Nature is a living net of correspondences to be deciphered and integrated into a holistic worldview. Although after about 60 years this current faded away during the 1850s, naturphilosophie left a legacy in both its approach and its constellation of concerns to later esoteric thinkers such as Rudolf Steiner and Carl Jung. More importantly, the concept of the unconscious represents the historical origin of psychoanalysis, leading from works such as Carl Carus’ Psyche: Entwicklungsgeschite der Seele (or, Psyche: The Developmental History[9] of the Soul, 1846) and Schubert’s Die Symbolik des Traums (or, Symbolism of Dreams, 1814). Carus developed the idea of the unconscious in the naturphilosophie framework, in a position James Hillman refers to as psychological idealism, avoiding the contextualisation of psychology as empirical science or idealism as philosophical metaphysics (Kant, Fichte, Hegel).[10] He further wrote, “The light of consciousness shines – in a manner to be discussed later – and illuminates the area within us. Light makes us aware of the darkness of the night.”[11] It is to illuminate this darkness – the unconscious – that we require techniques to encourage self-knowledge and improvement of the self to fulfil its place in the ‘mythic history’ of Nature. [12]

The Nancy School and the Technique of Suggestion

In addition to the emergence of the idea of the unconscious, the technique of suggestion, arising from Mesmer’s work with ‘animal magnetism’, is a primary thread crossing between esoteric thought and psychology. The notion of magical influence, strengthening the Will, and developing the conscious mind by suggesting concepts – via verbalisation or symbology – to the unconscious through imagination, underpin many methods of both schools. This relationship is clearly seen when, for example, discussing selfsuggestion, the author and physician Edwin Ash, writes in 1906, “There can be no more powerful means of backing up and rendering efficacious simple suggestion than by a religious ceremony.”[13] The development of self-suggestion follows Mesmer, with the colourful character Abbé Faria (actually José Custódio de Faria, 17461819), who took Mesmer’s initial work and brought to it a scientific viewpoint, soon dismissing the theory of ‘animal magnetism’ and introducing the idea of suggestion as the primary actor in the process. It was this work that Ambroise-Auguste Liébault (1823-1904) built upon as he founded the Nancy School in the city of Nancy in 1866. Hippolyte Bernheim, a professor from the University of Nancy, and at first a doubter of the techniques being employed at the School, to treat digestion, health and circulation ailments, joined the School where he conducted clinics with Liébault.[14] Bernheim was instrumental in overturning the previously held notion of hypnosis as a hysteria-like state, as was held by Charcot.

Both Émile Coué and Sigmund Freud visited the Nancy School.[15] Coué (1857-1926) was a French psychologist and pharmacist who is now known as the father of applied conditioning. He learned hypnosis from Liébault and went on to found the Lorraine Society of Applied Psychology. He modified Faria’s original concept of suggestion, and proposed that autosuggestion could be self-induced, leading to self-conditioning. His enduring legacy is the mantra, “Day by day, in every way, I am getting better and better” (tous les jours a tous points de vue je vais de mieux en mieux). This is now known as the Coué method, and was further developed by Johannes Schultz as autogenic training. This mantra-like technique is one further developed in the esoteric tradition, although intensified by ritual activity and the presentation of symbols to the initiate.

The Golden Dawn and the Development of the Self Having examined the world-view of naturphilosophie and the techniques of the Nancy School, we will now turn to arguably the most influential ‘jewel’ in the crown of Victorian esotericism, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. This ‘strange attractor’ of academics, Freemasons, artists, playwrights, poets, and dilettantes established a synthetic modus operandi of human development in the wake of naturphilosophie, but very much in the same contextual framework. Its techniques used the heightened expectation (a key determinant of success in hypnotic induction) of ritual initiation, willed self-suggestion of symbolism in the imagination, keyed to complex correspondences, and a structured map of self-development based on the kabbalistic Tree of Life and the degrees of Freemasonry.

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, founded in 1888 by Westcott, Mathers and Woodman and splintering in 1903, for 15 years provided arguably the most important synthesis of esoteric teaching of the late 19th century and early 20th century, in which the darkness outside the bright circle of consciousness could be explored both theoretically and practically in the consciousness of the initiates.[16] They also claimed an ancient pedigree, stretching back to Egypt, for the connection between hypnotism and magic.[17] Moina MacGregor Mathers wrote in 1918, that the establishment of the mysteries provided a “penetralia that which even the highest then known forms of religion had not, namely, a philosophico-religious reply resumed in Formulas and Ceremonies, to the problems of Life and Death, of Nature, of the Gods, of Spritual Beings, etc., and lastly of the linking of these things as a whole back to the First Cause of all things.”[18] In this we perceive echoes of naturphilosophie, and the holistic thinking at the centre of the inner order of the Golden Dawn, where the aim was to become “that Perfect Man,” and the Adept was to “apply myself to the Great Work – which is, to purify and exalt my Spiritual Nature so that with Divine Aid I may at length attain to be more than human.”[19] It is important to note that mesmerism and spiritualism were handled differently by the Golden Dawn; the Neophyte oath contains the lines, “I will not suffer myself to be hypnotised, or mesmerised, nor will I place myself in such a passive state that any uninitiated person, power, or being may cause me to lose control of my thoughts, words or actions.” It has been suggested that it was Anna Kingsford’s doctrines against passive mediumship that were instrumental in this clause[20] – certainly, Mathers and Westcott knew Kingsford and thought highly of her.[21]

Dion Fortune and Israel Regardie, Psychoanalysts and Magicians Israel Regardie and Dion Fortune are two individuals who in a sense developed through the Golden Dawn society, were to greater and lesser extents influenced by the shadow of Aleister Crowley,[22] and sought, more than any other members of that order, a psychological parallel to their understanding and experience of the Western esoteric tradition. Fortune studied and practiced analysis in her early years, drawing upon Adler, Jung and Freud, whilst Regardie sought out Freudian and Reichian analysis, particularly in the latter half of his life. In this section we will highlight key interfaces which these two individuals created between magic and psychoanalysis, and expose the legacy this presented to contemporary esotericists. Israel Regardie: The Sage of Sedona In Israel Regardie’s The Eye in the Triangle, he writes that “Equilibrium is the basis of the soul,”[23] and that such equilibrium is the aim of the elemental grades of the Golden Dawn, which, as depicted in the diagram of the Fall shown to initiates during the ritual, “point to a higher type of consciousness, the beginning of a spiritual rebirth.”[24] However, he saw this equilibrium as being granted by psychoanalysis as much as initiatory experience. Gerald Suster, biographer and friend of Regardie, considered that Regardie sought the answer to five questions:

1. How could the disciplines of magic and psychoanalysis be brought together? 2. Could magical and mystical illumination co-exist with neurosis? 3. Was the free association technique effective (as it consisted of verbalisation)? (A question that led Regardie to study non-verbal therapies, namely Reichian, indicating perhaps his answer in finding Fruedian psychoanalysis lacking); 4. How could the processes of magic and psychoanalysis be practically combined to aid the individual? 5. Was Freud right in asserting that our primary drive is sex? It is presently the first and fourth questions that concern us, despite the fascination of the remaining three avenues that Regardie pursued. In the early 1940s, his study of Wilhelm Reich – particularly the concept of psychological armouring and the connecting of schizophrenia and the autonomic nervous system – led him to combine these healing techniques with magical systems, in the ‘Middle Pillar’ exercise and related methods. In the writing of such titles as The Middle Pillar, Energy, Prayer and Relaxation, and The Art of True Healing, as Suster points out, Regardie was “uniting magic with therapy.”[25]

On the efficacy of the Golden Dawn rituals, Regardie wrote that “Without the least conscious effort on the part of the aspirant, an involuntary current of sympathy is produced by this dramatic delineation of psychic events which may be sufficient to accomplish the intrinsic purpose of the ceremony or ritual.”[26] He later refers to the participation mystique of the Adeptus Minor initiation, and indeed, uses Reichian terminology – in reference to the shattering of the character armour – to analyse the mechanism of the ceremony.[27] It is in the Middle Pillar exercise that Regardie separated and resynthesised his esotericism and his psychotherapy into one technique, applicable outside of the structure of the Golden Dawn, and in this he paved the way for others to begin to deconstruct the legacy of the order into selfdevelopmental exercises.

Dion Fortune: Priestess of the Soul In the unassuming grounds of Studley Agricultural College,[28] between 1911 and 1913, a battle of wills was fought between the College Warden and a young woman, aged 20, in her employment. The young woman described the lowest depth of this abusive encounter when she wrote, “I entered her room [the Warden’s] at ten o’clock, and I left it at two. She must have said these two phrases [‘You are incompetent and you know it. You have no self-confidence, and you have got to admit it.’] several hundreds of times. I entered it a strong and healthy girl. I left it a mental and physical wreck and was ill for three years.”[29] That young girl was Violet Firth (1890-1946), known more popularly by a form of her magical name, Deus Non Fortuna (God, Not Luck), Dion Fortune. Her natural desire for understanding, this abusive experience and subsequent illness drove her to study psychology and psychoanalysis at the University of London. She was influenced by Freud and Adler and, later, Jung (from around 1943).[30] She became interested in the writings of Francis Aveling, author of Personality and Will, and Directing Mental Energy. Her pursuit drew her towards not only psychoanalysis but also occultism. Fortune joined a daughter lodge of the Golden Dawn in 1919 and between 1924 and 1927 was also a member of the Theosophical Society. In 1922 she formed the Fraternity of the Inner Light as an ‘outer court’ of the Golden Dawn, although she was later expelled from the Golden Dawn by Moina Mathers. It was also in 1922 that she wrote an article ‘Psychology and Occultism’, which Gareth Knight notes, “marked a transitional phase between Violet Firth as psychologist and Dion Fortune as occultist.”[31]

Throughout, her abiding interest was in the untapped power of the mind. Her interest in the power of suggestion is evident in The Machinery of the Mind, where she writes, Autosuggestion, or the insertion of ideas in the subconscious by the conscious mind of the person concerned, has been reduced to a therapeutic system by the New Nancy School of psychology, and is associated with the name of Emile Coeué. It is held by this school that suggestibility, or the faculty of permitting ideas to so possess the mind that they express themselves in action, is a normal human faculty.[32] Her learning eventuated in a realisation that esoteric principles, to the initiate, had real practical use, and that application often answered for her problems that were unanswered in psychotherapy. In The Mystical Qabalah, she takes “the problem of the sublimation of the sex-drive” which she says “besets the psychotherapists, concerning which they talk so glibly and say so little.”[33] She provides a qabalistic interpretation of this ‘problem’, archly veiled in symbolism, demonstrating a complex model of sexuality on many levels. Indeed, this is a model, concern and theme to which she would return many times in her fictionalised works, such as The Sea Priestess and Moon Magic. Her writing on the physiological aspects of psychology, in particular the influences of drugs, both in Machinery of the Mind and The Mystical Qabalah, shows an intuitive but advanced appreciation of the physical and psychological mechanisms employed in ritual.[34] Her legacy was to introduce psychological concerns into the esoteric tradition, and demonstrate that esoteric models comprehended those of psychology.

Contemporary Syntheses of Psychology and Magic Having analysed the crossing-points of psychology and esotericism since the rise of naturphilosophie in the late 18th century and into the 19th century, through Jung, the Golden Dawn, and individuals such as Regardie and Fortune, we can briefly examine contemporary usages of psychology in occultism, particularly where that usage continues to develop from the foundations we have traced. The analysis of self-development through both psychology and the Western esoteric tradition continued in the late 1960s with the publication of a little known book, The Christ, Psychotherapy and Magic, written by a Christian parish priest, Anthony Duncan. Duncan spent time working with the occultist Gareth Knight in Tewkesbury and, using his knowledge of psychosynthesis,[35] began to draw comparisons between pathworking – a technique favoured by Knight and his school - Christian active prayer, and a psychotherapeutic technique known as initiated symbol projection (ISP)[36] developed in West Germany since 1948, referenced by Assagioli, based upon the work of three therapists, Happich, Leuner and Desoille. The common ground Duncan finds is in the use of will and the use of symbols – he refers to prayer as “a dialogue of wills”[37] and quotes Assagioli’s three functions of symbols: 1. As containers and preservers of a dynamic psychological charge; 2. As transformers of psychological energies (see ‘Use of Metaphor’); 3. As conductors or channels of psychological energies.

This willed initiation of a symbolic dialogue is common, Duncan argues, between psychology, religion, mysticism, and the Western esoteric tradition. He goes on to illustrate this commonality by examining a psychotherapeutic group working described by Assagioli which, in its use of Arthurian and Grail symbology, is identical to a similar working performed by Gareth Knight’s esoteric group. In this similarity, Duncan finds a bridge to the ‘corporate act’ of the Christian Mass, also underpinned by a claim “by both schools [of] an enhancement of the whole enterprise by the linkage of minds on a common object, via the unconscious.”[38] He uses Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s description of ‘Noosphere’ (a form of group mind) in passing, as a unifying model for these concepts.

Duncan’s work largely draws upon the kabbalah of Dion Fortune, which he quotes at length in his introductory sections, and begins his analysis of pathworking by quoting Regardie’s The Art and Meaning of Magic and using a working described in that book to illustrate his points. In 1983, we can read Regardie again, introducing Wilson’s Prometheus Rising, based upon the methods of Crowley and the psychological eight-circuit model of consciousness developed by Timothy Leary. Wilson continues the synthetic experiment of Fortune and Regardie and blends in the esotericism of Gurdjieff and the general semantics of Alfred Korzybski. Regardie notes that the scientific view-points that Wilson develops are, for him, reminiscent of the Reichian vegetotherapy, in that “everything alive is really alive in the fullest and most dynamic sense of the word. It twitches, searches, throbs, organizes and seems aware of an upward movement”[39] This foundation would be familiar to naturphilosophie, and Prometheus Rising could be seen as continuing in that tradition of synthesis. Indeed, Wilson leaves the reader with a quote from the futurologist Barbara Marx Hubbard: “The Future exists first in imagination, then in will, then in reality.”[40]

Most recently, the experiment to integrate the methods of psychology and magic have resulted in such works as Jason Newcomb’s The New Hermetics, which describes itself as a “synthesis of Western esoteric thought, Jungian psychology, the ideas of neuro-linguistic programming, the eight-circuit model of consciousness, and Scientific Illuminism.”[41] Newcomb interprets techniques such as the Middle Pillar (as we have seen, also used by Regardie as an integrative technique between magic ritual and psychotherapy) in the context of NLP. He directly acknowledges Jung, Reich and Leary as the psychological underpinnings of the “new Hermetics”[42] and his “empowering beliefs of the new Hermetic masters” are direct echoes or re-statements of those of naturphilosophie, where we commenced the scope of this present section:[43] 1. Naturphilosophie: Nature has a mythical order. The New Hermetics: The possibilities are unlimited and the universe functions according to rules, although, at any given time, some of these rules may not be understood. 2. Naturphilosophie: Spirit becomes Nature, Nature becomes spiritualised. The New Hermetics: There is a subtle realm beyond matter, from which the physical universe manifests. In life, you are constantly learning, growing and evolving. 3. Naturphilosophie: Nature is a living set of correspondences. The New Hermetics: The universe is ultimately one thing. It is possible to make your own luck and synchronicities.

This restatement of the beliefs encapsulated by naturphilosophie inevitably leads to the urge to self-development, in the case of the ‘new Hermetics’ through a contemporary re-codification of techniques originally designed by Mathers, Westcott and Waite, and opened to a wider audience and psychological interpretation by Regardie and Fortune. NLP itself derives from modelling the work of Milton Erickson (1902- 1980), a hypnotherapist, and its formative books were deliberately entitled The Structure of Magic to reflect a modelling of the ‘magical’ techniques utilised by therapists such as Milton Erickson, Fritz Perls and Virginia Satir. [44] The concerns of contemporary esotericists continue to derive from the same current as was evident in naturphilosophie. The post-Crowley Thelemic writings of Kenneth Grant refer to the ‘nightside’ of esoteric work,[45] echoing Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert’s work on dreams and the ‘nightside’ of the soul.[46] Esoteric artist and author Maggie Ingalls (writing as Soror Nema) refers to the relationship between the individual unconscious and the global unconscious (whom she personifies as an entity named Na’aton),[47] as did Carus in 1846: “we must realise that our unconscious life is affected by all humanity, by the life of the earth and by the universe, for it is definitely an integral part of this totality.”[48] PostCrowley Thelemites and Chaos magicians look to titles such as Future Ritual for a re-presenting of Coué’s self-suggestion as ‘meta-programming the self ’ with techniques modified from the Middle Pillar as used by Regardie.[49]

We have seen how as ‘footnotes of Plato’[50] esoteric and psychological approaches seek out the contents of the darkness outside of the bright circle of consciousness, whether that darkness is seen as the mundus imaginalis or the unconscious mind. In travelling the planes, ritual magic, alchemy, or psychoanalysis, the individual is driven to discover – in their own state of consciousness – more of themselves. In this, they discover more of their relationship to the universe of which they are necessarily an intrinsic part. From the naturphilosophie of Schelling through the rituals of the Golden Dawn, through the work of Carus and Jung, and in the syntheses proposed by Fortune and Regardie, not only are we all perhaps footnotes of Plato, we are all also working in that same temple whose portal has inscribed upon it, ‘Know thyself’.

The Oath of Harpocrates I provide below one of the Golden Dawn Flying Rolls. These papers were privately circulated by members of the order for initiates only, although they have been in public circulation and published for many years now.[51] Be that as it may, the Flying Rolls still contain a great deal of power when studied at the relevant time in the initiatory journey. For your present consideration I have attached Roll No. 13, and particularly refer you to the first section on ‘Secrecy’. This was written by MacGregor Mathers. The secrecy of which we speak is that of Hermeticism; a true seal on the vessel in which calcination – the slow fire – is taking place. Like a pressure cooker, our work must be regulated and not opened to the outer lest the pressure be entirely lost to the environment. In maintaining a secret, we easily and efficiently provide ourselves such pressure – an inner dynamic that maintains the work in which we are engaged. It leads to results, whereas openly speaking to all and sundry about our views, practices and values does not lead to anything useful at all. The Ancient Egyptian god-form given for the Neophyte in the Golden Dawn is that of Harpocrates, the child-god of innocence with his finger to his lips in the universal sign of silence. This is the first asana which we must learn – that of secrecy. Only when this is mastered do we learn the balancing Neophyte sign, that of Horus, the Avenger – a sign of projection; a willed and deliberate projection with all our values behind it, as any magical act should be. The following section is quoted verbatim from the Flying Roll.

Flying Roll XIII on Secrecy and Hermetic Love We have all no doubt heard of the terrible physical tests applied in Egyptian Initiations and are aware that violence amounting to torture was used in the Ancient Mysteries before the Neophyte was considered fit to take the first steps in his Ascent of the Mountain of God. Though the methods of our Order are different the Spirit is the same, and unless we have learned indifference to physical suffering, and have become conscious of a Strong Will, a will which fears nothing fate can do to us, we can never receive a real Initiation. These ceremonies in the lower grades of Our Order are principally active in disciplining our minds; they lead us to analyse and understand ourselves. They deal with the Four states of Matter, the Four Elements of the Ancients which with their synthesis answer to the five Senses. Our Senses are the paths through which our Consciousness approaches the central power which for want of a more accurate word I will call the Will. It is the object of our lives as initiates to bring this Will to such a state of perfection, strength, and wisdom, that instead of being the plaything of fate and finding our calculations entirely upset by trivial material circumstances, we build within ourselves a fortress of strength to which we can retire in time of need. The natural Man is a chaotic mass of contradictory forces. In the higher grades of the First Order, (by presenting a perfectly balanced series of symbols to the senses) we endeavour to impress upon the imagination of the initiates, the forms under which they can obtain perfection and work in harmony with the world force.

In the 0°=0° Ceremony the principles most insisted on are Secrecy and Brotherly Love. Apart entirely from the practical necessity for secrecy in our Order, it is the fact that Silence is in itself a tremendous aid in the search for Occult powers. In darkness and stillness the Archetypal forms are conceived and the forces of nature germinated. If we study the effects of calm concentration we shall find that in silence, thoughts which are above human consciousness clothe themselves with symbolism and present things to our imagination, which cannot be told in words. The more thought and concentration of purpose that precedes an action, the more effective and effectual it will be. Again in talking on subjects such as these, there is always a terrible danger of personal influence or obsession coming into action. The Eagle does not learn to fly from the domestic fowl ‘nor does the Lion use his strength like the horse’, and although knowledge is to be gained from every available source the Opinion of others should receive the very smallest attention from the true student of Life. Free yourselves from your environments. Believe nothing without weighing and considering it for yourselves; what is true for one of us, may be utterly false for another. The God who will judge you at the day of reckoning is the God who is within you now; the man or woman who would lead you this way or that, will not be there then to take the responsibility off your shoulders. ‘The old beauty is no longer beautiful; the new truth is no longer true’, is the eternal cry of a developing and really vitalised life.

Our civilisation has passed through the First Empire of pagan sensualism; and the Second Empire of mistaken sacrifice, of giving up our own consciousness, our own power of judging, our own independence, our own courage. And the Third Empire is awaiting those of us who can see – that not only in Olympus, not only nailed to the Cross, – but in ourselves is God. For such of us, the bridge between flesh and spirit is built; for such among us hold the Keys of life and death. In this connection I may mention that the 0°=0° of the Grade of Neophyte has a deep significance as a symbol; a 0 means nothing to the world – to the initiate in the form of a circle it means all, and the aspiration of the Neophyte should be ‘In myself I am nothing, in Thee I am all; Oh bring me to that self, which is in Thee’. Having so far considered some of the thoughts that the practice of silence may bring you let us proceed to the subject of brotherly love. We must of course take the word, as we take all higher teaching, as a symbol, and translate it for ourselves into a higher plane. Let me begin by saying that any love for a person as an individual is by no means a Hermetic virtue; it simply means that the personalities are harmonious; we are born under certain influences, and with certain attractions and repulsions, and, just like the notes in the musical scale some of us agree, some disagree. We cannot overcome these likes and dislikes; even if we could, it would not be advisable to do so. If in Nature, a plant were to persist in growing in soil unsuited to it, neither the plant nor the soil would be benefited. The plant would dwindle, and probably die, the soil would be impoverished to no good end.

Therefore brotherly love does not imply seeking, or remaining in the society of those to whom we have an involuntary natural repulsion. But it does mean this, that we should learn to look at people’s actions from their point of view, that we should sympathise with and make allowances for their temptations. I would then define Hermetic or Brotherly Love as the capacity of understanding another’s motives and sympathising with his weaknesses, and remember that it is generally the unhappy who sin. A crime, a falsehood, a meanness often springs from a vague terror of our fellows. We distrust them and ourselves. It is the down-trodden and the weak whom we have to fear; and it is by offering them sympathy and doing what we can to give them courage, that we can overcome evil. But in practising Hermetic Love, above all things conquer that terrible sting of love – jealousy. The jealousy of the benefactor, the jealousy of the lover, or the friend, are alike hateful and degrading passions. Jealousy is deeply rooted in human nature nourished by custom, even elevated to a virtue under the pretence of fidelity. To see human nature at its very worst you have only to listen to the ravings and threats of a person who considers his monopoly of some other person’s affection is infringed. This kind of maniacal passion is the outcome of the egotism á deux, which has been so fostered by romance. But it is natural to wish to help and be necessary to those we love, and when we find others just as necessary or helpful, to feel bitterly that our ‘occupation’ is gone; but these regrets will be impossible to us when we can live in the world realising from day to day more fully that the highest and best principle within us is the Divine Light which surrounds us, and which, in a more or less manifested condition, is also in others.

The vehicle may be disagreeable to us, the personality of another may be antipathetic, but latent light is there all the same, and it is that which makes us all brothers. Each individual must arrive at the consciousness of Light in his own way; and all we can do for each other is to point out that the straight and narrow path is within each of us. No man flies too high with his own wings; but if we try to force another to attempt more than his strength warrants, his inevitable fall will lie at our door. This is our duty towards our neighbours; our duty towards God, is our duty towards ourselves; for God is identical with our highest genius and is manifested in a strong, wise, will freed from the rule of blind instinct. He is the Voice of Silence, The Preparer of the Pathway, The Rescuer unto the Light.

Sermons Through Stones: The Secret Masters

“Travellers have met these adepts on the shores of the sacred Ganges, brushed against them on the silent ruins of Thebes, and in the mysterious deserted chambers of Luxor. Within the halls upon whose blue and golden vaults the weird signs attract attention, but whose secret meaning is never penetrated by idle gazers, they have been seen, but seldom recognised. Historical memoirs have recorded their presence in the brilliantly illuminated salons of European aristocracy. They have been encountered again on the arid and desolate plains of the Great Sahara, or in the caves of Elephanta. They may be found everywhere, but they make themselves known only to those who have devoted their lives to unselfish study and are not likely to turn back.”

-

H. P. Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled[52]

In this section we will introduce the concept of the Secret Masters, also known as the Hidden Chiefs, to which we will return much later in the work of The Magister, in Volume 9. As this concept was picked up by the Golden Dawn through theosophy, it is to that latter path that we will first turn our attention. Theosophy, as developed by H.P. Blavatsky, H.S. Olcott and those who followed – such as Annie Besant, C.W. Leadbeater, Katherine Tingley, Anna Kingsford, and A.P. Sinnett – may be considered one of the most voluminous and dense of esoteric movements. The claims of the movement to be in contact with Hidden Masters, variously termed Mahatmas, Adepts, etc., who precipitated communications remotely from Tibet through occult means, is possibly one of the most contentious issues in esoteric circles. The debate within and without the movement, stretching over a century, has resulted in an astonishing amount of material arguing the very existence of these Masters and their nature, both as historical personages and as adepts informing – from the East – the Western esoteric tradition. As such, it might be considered that the existence and nature of the Masters is indeed a question at the very heart of the Western esoteric tradition. To question their existence and nature is to question all who practice the tradition which ultimately promises similar adepthood to those who achieve a mastery of the disciplines of esoteric schools. And many contemporary schools claim a ‘contacted’ nature; that is to say that they assert their own connection to Hidden Masters.[53] As this section suggests, the concept of the Masters and their identity is fundamental to the WEIS, and not unique to the theosophical movement. It should be stated that this examination can only briefly touch upon certain issues, which remains wide-ranging and awash with unusually detailed, elaborate and obtuse claims and counter-claims – even for esotericism.

It is also proposed that the concept of ‘Hidden Masters’ might be considered an intrinsic component of the WEIS. Those components described by Faivre certainly are supportive of the concept, and the concept itself presupposes those components. It is the intention here to elucidate the context – and to suggest, indeed, a certain necessity – of the ‘Masters’, specifically in regard of the Theosophical Society. The scope will be limited to specific configurations of that society, and other occurrences of the concept will be referenced to support the intrinsic nature of the concept to the WEIS as a whole. We will begin by reviewing the occurrence of the Masters in the work of H.P. Blavatsky and significant others in the theosophical movement, such as A.P. Sinnett. We will see the role of the concept in esoteric thought, and its necessity. Furthermore, we will note how the appearance of the Masters pre-dated Blavatsky in the accounts of early theosophers, and has outlived her in contemporary occultism. The esoteric context in which the Masters exist will be touched upon, in particular the ideas of evolution, reincarnation and degrees of reality. To conclude, we will comment upon approaches to the subject, in particular the quest to answer the question of the identity of the Masters, by mundane physical identification. Madame Helena Petrova Blavatsky (1831-1891), founder of the Theosophical Society, related first having met a Master in 1843, at the age of 13, after a fall off a runaway horse in Asiatic Russia. There she was cared for by an ‘extraordinary’ man who suddenly appeared and who disappeared just as suddenly. She afterwards saw him sporadically in visions. However, Blavatsky admits that her reports of later encounters with the Masters are poorly recalled. She writes of that period:

Everything is hazy, everything confused and mixed. I can hardly remember where I have been or where I have not been in India since 1880.

And goes on to say: I saw Master in my visions ever since my childhood. In the year of the first Nepaul Embassy (when?) saw and recognised him. Saw him twice. Once he came out of the crowd, then He ordered me to meet Him in Hyde Park. I cannot, I must not speak of this. I would not publish it for the world.[54] There is a confused debate about these reports, including another account of a diary entry which has Blavatsky referring to Ramsgate rather than London, which she later referred to as a ‘blind’ to the truth. There is argument as to her debt to the writings of the English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton, and her possible relationship to the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, another esoteric movement. Whatever the nature of the truths behind the argument, for which particularly see Webb[55] and Johnson,[56] the centrality of these Masters is unarguable in the tenets of the theosophy movement. So, firstly, what – rather than whom – are these Mahatmas? Blavatsky writes:

A Mahatma is an individual who, by special training and education, has evolved those higher faculties, and has attained that spiritual knowledge, which ordinary humanity will acquire after passing through numberless series of reincarnations during the process of cosmic evolution, provided, of course, that they do not go, in the meanwhile, against the purposes of Nature and thus bring about their own annihilation.[57] However, these individuals, though human, are described as transcending their humanity in immeasurable ways, including those of physical limitations. In the inner teachings of the Theosophical Society, Blavatsky spoke about the Masters’ relationship to physical manifestation: The Masters’ bodies are, so far as they are concerned, illusionary, and hence do not grow old, become wrinkled, etc.[58] The location of the Masters in Tibet has been a question of some consideration. One Theosophical writer remarked that this location was obvious: The reason why the Mahatmas live in remote mountain regions is easily stated. In such high places the atmosphere is naturally the purest and most refined on the earth’s surface, and therefore suitable to the cultivation and development of psychic powers. The powerful magnetism engendered and thrown off by ordinary humanity, especially when crowded together in cities, is extremely trying to the sensitive natures of the Adepts.[59]

Blavatsky did not wholly elaborate the structure of the Masters’ organisation – a Great White Brotherhood – nor the concepts of Rays, the nature of the living quarters of her Masters, or many other elements that later accreted to this central concept of superhuman development. The sudden appearance of a guiding Master is not uncommon in theosophical literature. Early theosophers such as Jacob Boehme (15751624) and Emmanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) both received such appearances. In the case of both men, a mysterious guide is present to initiate their teachings. In Boehme’s case, a stranger who appears at his master’s shop and calls the young Jacob out into the street, to tell him that he will become a great man and cause wonder in the world. In Swedenborg’s case, in the account given by Carl Robsahm, a man who appeared to Swedenborg in a vision was clearly identified as Christ.[60] Precedents to the concept of the Masters may be found in earlier literature outside of theosophy. It has been suggested by Hanegraaf that a precedent is in the ‘unknown superiors’ of the high-degree masonry of the Strikte Observanz (18th century) which, in turn, may have derived from the Rosicrucian mythos first made public in 1614.[61] However, the Masters described may not be of the same typology. The unknown superior of the Strict Observance is that of Karl Gotthelf Hund (1722-1776), founder of the Rite, about whom Jean Ursin questioned, “There is a debate over whether or not he made a voyage to England, or if it was in Paris that he was received into a Templar Chapter, in the presence of Lord Kilmarnock, by a mysterious knight of the red feather, Eques a Penna Rubra ...”[62]

It is claimed by the less-than-sympathetic Peter Washington that the “immediate source for this idea in Western esotericism was almost certainly the English novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873), whose work she [Blavatsky] knew well. It would not be unjust to say that her new religion was virtually manufactured from his pages.”[63] Of course, Lytton was familiar with the esoteric current through wide reading of Boehme, Swedenborg and Mesmer, and working with Eliphas Lévi (1810-1875). In a listing of the various terms for prophets and seers within the literature of esotericism, the theosophist Geoffrey Farthing refers to “Adepts, Initiates, Rishis, Mahatmas, Maha-Gurus, Masters of Wisdom.” However, he closes the paragraph with the statement: What is more, they affirm that the knowledge and powers which they possess and demonstrate are accessible to all who will undergo the disciplines by which, and by which alone, such attainment is possible.[64] It might be stated that if the Masters did not exist, they would have to be invented, in order to demonstrate that the discipline of esoteric science leads to some worthwhile attainment. William Wynn Westcott, Freemason and co-founder of the Golden Dawn Society, in speaking of the Rosicrucians to the Theosophical Society, was keen to draw parallels between the two movements. In particular, on the Hidden Masters he states:

My intention is the more admissible because H. P. B. ever declared that the school of learned men who instructed HER to promulgate their doctrines, has been in continuous existence for ages; and that they have at several times, notably in the closing twenty-five years of each century, authorised and guided some effort at the spread of true occult philosophy.[65] The development of the Masters into a wider brotherhood was a gradual revelation. In 1925, C.W. Leadbeater dealt with the subject at length, in particular identifying the Masters with the Great White Brotherhood, whose whole object is “to promote the work of evolution.”[66] The connection of theosophy with the Masters is stated in clear terms by Annie Besant in her address to the Theosophical Congress held at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, entitled ‘Theosophy is a System of Truths Discoverable and Verifiable by Perfected Men’: These truths [are] preserved in their purity by the great brotherhood, given out from time to time as the evolution of man permits the giving; so that we are able to trace in all the religions the source whence they flow, the identical teaching which underlies them.[67] The Masters are here arranged as some university, with a similar hierarchy and organisation of mentoring and presentation for examination. The Master and the Adept are interchangeable terms, for the sponsoring agent between the initiate and the Brotherhood. However, the most pertinent comment on the role of the Masters is when Leadbeater points out that ‘Oriental’ material refers very little to Masters, as though none existed. In answering his own question, he asks that without the Masters:

How is a man living in the ordinary world brought to this Probationary Path, and how does he come to know that such a thing exists?[68] It is as an indication of the esoteric tradition and its relevance to the development of man that the Masters function; as exemplars of the evolutionary concerns of esotericism and embodiments of an other-wise occult teaching. It is also noted that many contemporary esoteric movements hold the concept of the Masters, hence supporting the present proposal that this element is indeed intrinsic to the esoteric milieu. New Age authors, equally voluminous in their writings as Blavatsky, include Jane Roberts (Seth), J.Z. Knight (Ramtha), Elizabeth Clare Prophet and revealed writings such as A Course In Miracles (Helen Schucman), The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield), Mutant Message Down Under (Marlo Morgan), and more recently, Conversations with God (Neale Donald Walsch),[69] all referring to one or more Masters. These masters are identified in a bewildering range of types, including, as found by Hanegraaf, “the Committee” described as “a geometrical consciousness comprised of a line, a spiral and a multi-dimensional triangle!”[70]

There are a number of presuppositions embedded within theosophy which support the concept of the Masters, and which indeed would lead to their inevitable conceptualisation if the ideas are developed. These are evolution, reincarnation and multiple planes of existence. In theosophy, and in particular the identity of the Masters, we find a greater weight on one of the ‘relative’ conditions of the six (four primary, two relative) conditions denoted by Faivre as identifying the esoteric tradition – that of transmission.[71] In the primary component of imagination and mediation, in theosophy we also see the “accent is placed on vision and certainty, rather than on belief and faith.”[72] The Secret Doctrine of Madame Blavatsky makes clear that the context in which the Masters are to be seen is truly esoteric – in accord with Faivre’s components – in that: The whole Kosmos is guided, controlled, and animated by almost endless series of Hierarchies of sentient Beings, each having a mission to perform ... They vary infinitely in their respective degrees of consciousness and intelligence ...[73] The universe as a living and connected entity, with mediated degrees of existence, is one which will support the concept of Adepts who can navigate this universe.

We must also account for the concept of karma in this vision of the Secret Masters. Karma is defined by Blavatsky as “the Ultimate Law of the Universe, the source, origin and fount of all other laws which exist throughout Nature.” More importantly, she deepens this concept by noting that karma is “that unseen and unknown law which adjusts wisely, intelligently and equitably each effect to its cause, tracing the latter back to its producer.”[74] Karma is thus seen as the law of evolution, in which the hierarchies are seated and “what is called ‘unconscious nature’ is in reality an aggregate of forces manipulated by semi-intelligent beings (Elementals) guided by High Planetary Spirits (Dhyani-Chohans), whose collective aggregate forms the manifested verbum of the unmanifested LOGOS ...”[75] Here Blavatsky again addresses a key component of esotericism defined by Faivre – that of a mediated universe, in which the Masters, as man, have a place. Blavatsky wrote that to see a real Mahatma, one must use “spiritual sight” and elevate the manas – the mind – “that its perception will be clear and all mists created by Maya [illusion] must be dispelled.” However, following that elevation, it is apparent that the Mahatmas are then to be considered as “ubiquitous and omnipresent” and the viewer will “see the Mahatmas wherever he may be.” This does not indicate a verifiable opportunity for one not versed in merging into the “sixth and seventh principles” to attain.[76] It is more in the relationship between the Master and the chela (pupil) that a new identity emerges; one based upon perception and communication, not verifiable externalisation. The Masters communicate through the pupil: “We employ agents – the best available,” says Master K.H. in a letter to H.S. Olcott, referring no doubt to Blavatsky.

This relationship is not verifiable and not predictable, even to the chosen agents: Our ways are not your ways. We rarely show any outward signs by which to be recognised or sensed.[77] And furthermore; ‘Sermons may be preached through stones’. Do not be too eager for ‘instructions’.[78] Not only are perceptions of the Masters open to question and unverifiable, their own perception is given as uniquely placed: The Mahatmas are persistent in asserting that they are not infallible, that they are men, like the rest of us, perhaps with a somewhat more enlarged comprehension of nature than the generality of mankind, but still able to err both in the direction of practical business with which they may be concerned, and in their estimate of the characters of other men, or the capacity of candidates for occult development.[79] The communication and relationship between the individual and the Master is equally unique. The disciple is seen in some senses as merely “the extension of the Master’s nervous system.”[80] The Master “outlines the work; the disciple is left free to decide within his own limits how his share of it should best be carried out.”[81]

In this context, it is not surprising that there is difficulty in formally identifying what is at once a human personage, an Adept whose own body has a double, an astral form, a transcended being, a form of communication, and an omnipresent existence. So can we identify such a Master? There are few other areas of the Western esoteric tradition that make so clear the line between esoteric articles of faith and academic epistemologies than the concept of Hidden Masters. Indeed, of this, Godwin suggests that here the “scholarly investigator [is] doomed to frustration.”[82] Blavatsky herself was less than forthright in her identification of her Master as a physical personage. In a letter to her aunt, reported by Jean Overton-Fuller, she says that she has “known” her Master for about 26 years, having first met him in London in 1851, in the train of the “premier of Nepaul” and later with the “Queen of Oudh.” Further background was given: He is a Buddhist, but not of the dogmatic Church, but belonging to Shivabhavika, the Nepaul so-called Aetheists (?!!!) … He who could be on the throne, according to the rights of birth, renounced all, to live quite unknown, and gave all his enormous income to the poor. [83]

The first external attempt to establish the veracity and identity of the Masters came from the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) investigation into the phenomena associated with the Theosophical Society in 1884, which led to a second investigation following claims of fraud (made by Emma and Alex Coulomb). The report of the second investigation, known as the Hodgson Report, published on 24 June 1885, concluded that the Coulomb’s accusations were true: the letters supposedly written by the Mahatmas Koot Hoomi Lal Sing and Morya had in fact been written by either Blavatsky or her theosophical assistant and disciple, Damodar K. Mavalankar. Furthermore, the Mahatmas were “mere fictions.”[84] However, this research has been questioned, with an alternative conclusion that there was no evidence that the Mahatma letters were fabricated.[85] Other authors have sought to establish the identity of the Masters and “move from the mythical to the historical.” One controversial study is that presented by K. Paul Johnson, who profiles 32 of the “hidden sponsors” of Blavatsky, seeking to identify the Masters as historical personages. Master K.H. is identified as Thakar Singh Sandhanwalia, and Master Morya is identified as Maharaja Kanbir Singh of Kashmir.[86] The physicality of the Masters is also another contentious area. In 1882, Olcott himself wrote to the Spiritualist magazine in response to this question: I have seen them, not once but numerous times. I have talked to them. I was not entranced, nor mediumistic, nor hallucinated, but always in my sober senses. I have corresponded with them, receiving their letters ... I have seen them, both in their bodies and their doubles, usually the latter ... Since November last, four different Brothers have made themselves visible to visitors at our headquarters.

I know the Brothers to be living men and not Spirits; and they have told me that there are schools, under appointed living adepts, where their Occult science is regularly taught.[87] As men – even transcended – the politics of the Masters is a deeper question outside the scope of this current work, but it could be suggested that the Masters provide a bridge between occult speculation and practical politics. Fritz Kunz talks of: ... the state of a man who is independent, original and simple, with regard to his duty to society, not only as an isolated individual with a unique experience, but as a person with a high social sense, such as the Masters are [my bold]. Unquestionably, such a man would believe in a greater democracy, one with forms unknown to us today except by such meaningless terms as Socialism, Communism — or even an anarchy, in which every individual is a law unto himself, because he knows the eternal laws, and therefore lives at a better and much more useful level in society than could a man of good intention who is without a knowledge of nature’s laws.[88] Ultimately, the Masters state their own reason for existence and their cause. The Master K.H. writes: The cause I live for, that Battle of Light against Darkness.[89]

In fact, Blavatsky indicates, in a statement not often quoted, that in the final analysis, there are two Masters: God and the Devil.[90] In this we see that the Masters provide a fundamental conceptual placeholder for the theosophical tradition, as agents representing the positive side of a dualistic world-view. In the identification of the Masters by their role and function, rather than their physical identity, we can see that the Masters function as a template in which the theosophist can contextualise their own personal spiritual evolution: I can come nearer to you, but you must draw me by a purified heart and a gradually developing will.[91] The Master provides a confidante and mentor to the aspiring student in the absence of the love of a Christ-figure: The Master is our friend and co-worker, or rather – we can be His, each in his own sphere, and according to our best judgement.[92] They transcend our own limitations; they are “able to see far into the future and see in an individual more of his potentialities than his present capacities.”[93] This function provides encouragement to those following the disciplines of the school, including the practice of right living and meditation. Furthermore, the Masters provide an overarching sentience to the events of the world, in the absence of a singular controlling deity:

We claim to know more of the secret cause of events than you men of the world do.[94] It is in this representation of the secret cause of events – the very occult heart of the universe – that the Masters provide their deepest function, as mediators between the world of the apparent and the world of divine wisdom; theo-sophia: Buddhism, stripped of its superstitions, is eternal truth, and he who strives for the latter is striving for theo-sophia, Divine Wisdom, which is a synonym of truth.[95] It has not been possible here to begin to examine a number of related issues to that singular question posed; that is to say, not only who are the Masters, but why are they generally identified as male, what are the mechanisms by which they perform transmutation of the world in order to communicate across space, and how is their transcendence of time to be explained? To these issues we will return in Volume 9 of The Magister. The identity of the Masters, it has been proposed, is not as relevant a question as to their role – their necessary function as exemplars and conceptual placeholders within the context of the WEIS, as evinced within the theosophy movement. As Kunz states, the obstacle to the emergence (or identification) of the Masters is “whether we are trying to make a world suitable to them,”[96] and this is the stumbling block of which Godwin writes to the academic approach.

The concept itself requires what Blavatsky terms “that enlightened belief,” faith, leading to knowledge, which is experience, and that – as we have concluded – is itself the prompt to “work in harmonious accord with Nature, instead of going against its purposes through ignorance.”[97] It was in the early part of what is now the previous century that these Masters wrote to Laura C. Holloway and warned that mankind was: drifting into two classes ... one preparing for long periods of temporary annihilation or states of non-consciousness (through bigotry or superstition), the other unrestrainingly indulging its animal propensities with the deliberate intention of submitting to annihilation pure and simple. In the face of that constant threat, the path of all human evolution into a state of mastery remains a relevant and compelling article of esoteric faith.

No Man Hath Seen me Unveiled

In this section we will look at the experience of the Dweller on the Threshold and begin to explore the magical constitution of the Self in relation to the universe, through the Ancient Egyptian schema and the kabbalah. This introduces the idea that the Self is experiencing a reorganisation in relation to the universe throughout the initiatory system, and as it does, various difficulties will be encountered. These may manifest in a variety of ways – self-delusion, boredom, pride, attraction to esoteric powers and experiences, and much more. The primary experience is that of the Dweller on the Threshold, which in effect is a standard entry into every initiatory grade which follows, not just the first on our occult progress. After a while one welcomes the Dweller as a signpost, rather than rejecting it as a terrifying evil presence.

The nature of events surrounding the initiatory work are extremely variable. However, there are usually effects both internal and external, so I will attempt to give a couple of examples. In one, a student found that they were suddenly experiencing waves of ‘insecurity’ about their personal situation/s and wanted to leave the Work in order to ‘deal with the situation’. It was not to be made easily clear to them that the ‘situation’ was the Work. Their ‘insecurity’ resulted from a growing knowledge and experience that they didn’t know themselves as well as they thought, so therefore this was also projected out onto those close to them. Another student found that they were experiencing a run of ‘bad luck’ which resulted in them ‘quitting’ the apprenticeship scheme in order to ‘get back to a normal life and come back later’. They couldn’t be convinced that this was part of their Work and they were unlikely to come back later or, if they did, that the same thing would probably happen again. They have not come back. These experiences are part of the ‘Dweller on the Threshold’ syndrome, which I best describe in a chemistry analogy. If you measure the temperature of water as it is heated, by the second, you get a steadily rising graph with a gentle curve. However, as the water approaches boiling point (100 degrees Celsius), at about 97-98 degrees Celsius, the graph suddenly dips slightly, as if the water isn’t heating up uniformly, but doing ‘something else’. The temperature then – after this briefest of blips – returns to rising steadily to 100 degrees Celsius, when it starts to boil and the water turns from liquid to gas. This ‘blip’ is caused by the water molecules, bonded atoms of hydrogen and oxygen, ‘stealing’ the heat energy in order to ‘break’ the bonds holding them in a liquid form, which turns them into a gaseous form. It is not a steady rise – there is an initiatory moment prior to the state-change.

That ‘blip’ seems to me a wonderful model of what happens to a life when it is about to undergo a state-change; and the magical faith is that it happens both internally and externally, with seemingly no apparent causality that can be measured, predicted or discerned. With regard to the Dweller on the Threshold, and other such matters, then ‘terror’ is often seen as your only chosen response (whether you like it or not!), but it is not something that is implicit in the experience itself. There is a line in Jacob’s Ladder, a film which I show my students at some point or another if they have not already seen it, where a character paraphrases a mystical saying, “If you’re holding on, then angels seem like demons, tearing your life away, but if you let go, you’ll see them as angels, freeing you.” It is very true. Heart-breakingly so. Each grade has its Dweller experience, appropriate to the nature of the sephirah to which it maps. At the grade of Adeptus Exemptus, corresponding to Chesed, ‘mercy’, one such experience was a terrifying lucid dream of such vehemence and power that it flung the initiate off the path for more than a year. The dreamer was placed in a blue cube, composed of a living water. A sound commenced, which he knew was of the ‘engines of undoing’. The water upon the walls started to create vast ripples and patterns of increasing complexity and speed, as his very soul became unravelled. He glanced across the room to see another figure – possibly himself – tearing out their own eyes as they could not endure the process. It may be that the Dweller is often ourselves, but this helps us not at all to know.

The gates and their guardians in the initiatory path are also found in the Tibetan Bardo Thodol, and the ancient Egyptian Book of Coming Forth by Day; a model of stages of progression, through which an initiate may pass. Each stage has its own obstacles, rewards and perspective. They are usually sequential, but not necessarily so. They are usually attained when one has learnt the lesson of the following stage, but not necessarily so. They are usually passed through only once, but not necessarily so. They are a useful map of the initiatory process that becomes engaged when you start to seek truth and flee falsity. In the Theosophical Glossary we read about the Moon and the Dweller on the Threshold: In Tarot tradition, the Moon represents unconscious desires and the fears that accompany the sense of losing control or falling into the unconscious realm of sleep and dreams. However, if one is afraid to enter one’s own astral territory, one can never truly know oneself – and the mystery of initiation is about little more than this. The real confrontation that the Moon represents is the meeting with the ‘Dweller on the Threshold’ of which occult and esoteric teachers speak. This is the giant force of accumulated evil or wrongdoings, the hideous part of the self that a person would rather not look at and would like to pretend doesn’t exist, and which rises up at the point of real psychic growth. This ‘demon’ must not only be looked at, but integrated into the being, in order to establish wholeness.[98]

There are two or three separate considerations here. Firstly, at the point of growth, there has to be energy (for want of a better word) turned inwards in order to affect the change. I have mentioned the chemistry example of water boiling – the slight dip in temperature prior to the ‘boiling point’ which is the heat being used to break the bonds of the atoms, changing state from liquid to gas. This is common in all forms of initiation. I also liken it to a great light approaching us from behind. Whilst this light approaches, all we see is a shadow getting bigger and bigger, until we turn to face the light and step into it, when the shadow simply vanishes. The Moon represents another process – an alchemical one – which you will encounter if you follow on from the Crucible to later work. This process I won’t discuss as yet. At present, though, from the view-point of Malkuth, the Moon is a cyclical process, returning many times over to show us what we need to learn from what is presently unknown or rejected by us – the Shadow. The ‘psychic growth’ we encounter is a simple dissolution of the state of consciousness that allows us to remain in avoidance with relationship to universe. Whilst we hold onto this state, we have shadows, dwellers, thresholds, lessons, karma, and all other devices, props and illusions that support our separation. When we are ready to have exhausted these props, we can move on. The initiatory system allows us to formulate a series of stages which challenge these supports and illusions in a relatively efficient manner, although it is always – always – going to be difficult. But the rewards become greater.

Considerations on the Division of the Soul All cosmologies include some attempts to describe and model the elements that constitute the human experience. Their complexity and lucidity varies from culture to culture, and often models are variations on a theme, or expanded versions of earlier systems. It is useful to study at least one system – like the Tree of Life – for it provides us with a stable comparison to our ongoing experience, and acts as a placeholder for process and pattern. The simplest model might well be that implied in Descarte’s famous dictum, cogito ergo sum, “I think, therefore I am.” His model further includes a dubious proof for the existence of God, thereby composing the most basic dualistic system of Self / God, which may be seen as separate entities, ultimately identical entities, or entities of which one is the enclosure of the other. The Self is one of the basic experiences of the human psyche, in that it is that to which we constantly refer our experience, both in the environment (e.g. “I am having a cup of tea.”) and in our inner world (e.g. “I am feeling happy.”). It is impossible to define these two worlds as separate except in our mundane experience, in that the so-called external world is in part – if not in totality – an experience equally generated by our own internal world.

In kabbalah, this is indicated by the separation of Tiphareth, ‘Selfconsciousness’, to Malkuth by Yesod, the ‘persona’. Our thoughts (Hod) and emotions (Netzach) constantly alter the process of Yesod (ego) in acting as our interpreter of the environment such that what we perceive is in fact our shared vision of the world, not the actual world itself. The philosopher Kant expressed this in his Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics: As the senses never and in no single instance enable us to know things in themselves, but only their appearances, and as these are mere representations ... all bodies, together with the space in which they are, must be held to be nothing but mere representations in us, and exist nowhere else than merely in our thought.[99] The actual world is termed by Kant the Ding-an-sich, the ‘thing-in-itself’. The medieval kabbalists, such as Abraham ibn Ezra, followed on from the Neo-Platonic school of Plotinus in utilising a threefold division of the functions of the psyche. These were: Nefesh (NPSh, breath, spirit, soul, person, character in drama, tombstone); Ru’ah (RVCh, wind, spirit, ghost, disposition); Neshamah (NShMH, breath, soul, life, living creature). This trinity, as developed by such kabbalists as Rabbi Moses Korduero and Rabbi Yitzchaq Loria, is usually taken to represent:

Nefesh - Animal vitality Ru’ah - Self-awareness Neshamah - Transcendent awareness Eliphas Lévi summarises these elements as the passions, the reason and the higher aspirations, and puts it that “The body is the veil of the Nephesch, the Nephesch is the veil of Ruach, Ruach is the veil of the shroud of Neschemah.”[100] A further development of these divisions, after the original Zoharic teachings, appended the Chiah (ChIH, soul, life) to the system, thereby making a parallel to the four kabbalistic worlds: Chiah - Atziluth Neschamah - Briah Ru’ah - Yetzirah Nefesh - Assiah A final addition to these teachings came with the 13th century occultists, when the concept of a ‘Yechidah’ was added, referring to the ultimate spark of God within the psyche. The word comes from the root IChID, meaning ‘oneness’, and is a similar root to IChID, ‘privacy, union with God’. The trinity of Yechidah, Chiah and Neschamah were all bound up under the title of the Neschamah, and attributed to Kether, Chockmah and Binah. The Ru’ah was attributed to the sephiroth of Chesed to Yesod, and the Nefesh to Malkuth.

Crowley, in Little Essays Towards Truth, describes the elements finally arrived at: Yechidah - Point, quintessential principle of soul Chiah - Creative impulse (Will) of Yechidah Ruach - Mind, spirit Nephesch - Animal soul Crowley noted that the Ruach, centred in Tiphareth, reaches its culmination in Da’ath, the union of Chockmah and Binah, and positioned at the Abyss. Thus the ultimate transcendence of the Self is brought about by this divine knowledge.[101] Kabbalists saw their work as ultimately bringing about the descent of the Neschamah by the holy union of the King (Melekh) and Queen (Matronita), which refer to Tiphareth and Malkuth. As the Ramak stated in Pardes Rimonim: The Nefesh (Lower soul) can motivate the Ruach (Middle Spirit) and the Ruach in turn motivates the Neshamah (Upper soul). The Neschamah then ascends from one essence to the next, until it reaches its source. The kabbalah is only one of many cosmologies which attempt to describe the functions of human experience. The Ancient Egyptians developed a complex system of souls inhabiting the individual, and as these may be contrasted against the kabbalistic divisions, I will mention them here briefly.

The Egyptian model used by many occultists from the late 19th century into the early 20th century was usually based upon the works of Sir E.A. Wallis Budge. As knowledge of the subject expanded, many of the phrases they may have used have been significantly updated and in some cases replaced. For example, the ‘Khu’ is referred to by Keith Perkins in Egyptian Life and the Tree of Life and rendered as ‘intelligence of divinity’ attributed to Kether.[102] However, ‘Khu’ is actually the now discredited reading of the word ‘Akh’, and is one of the spirit forms released at death, with the root meaning of ‘to be bright’ (the ‘Akhu’ are the spirits of the dead). Thus it is not applicable to divinity or Kether in the way that Perkins sees it, as it would rather be allocated to Yesod in terms of the sephiroth or the Nefesh in terms of the divisions of the soul. Egyptian Name – Glyph - Qualities Khat (Kat, Xat, Kab) – Fish - Body Sahu - Mummy and seal – Spiritual body Ka (Kai) - Upraised hands - Image, double Ba (Baie) - Various birds - Spirit-soul Khaibt - Fan

Shadow - aura

Akh (Khu, Khou, Yekh) - Bennu bird - Bright spirit Sekhem – Owl - Vital power Ren - Kneeling man - Name Hati – Lion - Whole heart Ab – Jar - Will Tet (Zet) - Upright snake - Soul Hammemit - Radiating Sun - Unborn soul

Florence Farr, in her book Egyptian Magic,[103] saw these divisions acting through magical practice by influencing the Ka and the Ba in the Ab. This representation is a mirror image, she said, of the Ka reaching up to provide a resting place for the Ba, symbolised by the hawk. This latter is an emanation of the Hammemmit, and signified the sacrifice of the lower Self to the Higher Self. In ritual, she explained the process of magic in terms of the above as follows: a. The symbolism of the ritual is fully recognised; b. The imagination is extended to encompass this symbolism; c. The Will is concentrated firmly and repeatedly; d. The Ka (ego) is thus put into tension, and acts on its counterpart in the heart (Ab), which is the vessel of conscious desire; e. This in turn reacts on the Hati (unconscious executant); f. The whole psyche thus in a state of theurgic excitation, the Ba (divine link) descended, and the whole body becomes a Khu (shining one or Augoides); g. This new being is established in the midst of the Sahu (elemental body), and by its radiation can awaken corresponding potencies in Nature. The Sahu could hence be seen in modern terms as a morphogenetic field; h. For this purpose, the Khaibt is used as the link between the ego and nonego, and the Tet (spiritual body) is established.

We will see how this model can be applied to the structure and mechanism of ritual – and the whole of magic – in the next volume of The Magister. Other models for the psyche include Gurdjieff’s ‘octaves’ scheme, and two other eight-fold systems, being the psychosynthesis construct of Dr. Roberto Assagioli and the ‘circuit grid’ model developed by Dr. Timothy Leary and expounded upon by Robert Anton Wilson. The psychosynthesis model has been compared to its kabbalistic counterpart in Hardy’s A Psychology With A Soul,[104] and it is heartening to find that she states kabbalah has a more effective model in this instance. The circuit system has been matched to a kabbalah scheme of YHVH and the tarot by R. A. Wilson in his unique workbook Prometheus Rising. In the end, it is up to the individual to utilise whichever scheme they find their experience best falls into. A combination of schemes may not necessarily be contradictory, but may illuminate different facets of the infinitely faceted gemstone that is the human being.

Vignette: The Goddess of Sais Never let it be said that the deities do not have a sense of humour. When working with the goddess Neith for a working of Liber Astarte, Frater Ash found himself visited by her on two very real occasions. As he had originally planned to work with the goddess Diana, he had been sent a dream the night before the six-month working was planned, in which he was to open a door on which was written ‘The Goddess of Sais’. On looking that up in the morning, he discovered the goddess to be Neith, about whom he knew little, unlike Diana, for whom the altar and workings had been prepared. So scrapping that, Frater Ash learnt that Neith was the goddess of mummy binding and bandages, the wrappings and shrouds of the dead. He began to work with this lesser known deity. One day, several weeks into this intense dedicatory practice, whilst at work in the accounts department of an engineering company, he was left alone and the door chime sounded. He went downstairs to open the door and find a rough looking woman with a basket. She looked at him and asked if the company was interested in buying from her? When he looked askance at her, she pulled a blanket back from the basket, and there were tens of rolls of white bandage. Without thinking, Frater Ash hurried the woman away, saying how busy he was and telling her not to come back. It was only when he returned to his chair that the chill started down his spine, and he realised that he had turned away a real life avatar of his own goddess, exactly as might be written in any folk tale.

Several years later, on a Nile cruise, he found himself involved in a party game, which unexpectedly turned into a game in which his wife had to run around him wrapping him with rolls of tissue paper as a mummy. Again, it was only the following day that he thought to check where the boat had been sailing that night. It was – of course – what used to be called in ancient Egypt, the town of Sais. Whatever else may be said about Neith, she has a long memory and a good sense of humour.

The Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel We now turn to arguably one of the most important element of the Western esoteric tradition – the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.[105] There has been more misleading material written about this most profound experience and state than any other aspect of the tradition. This is, in part, inevitable given that the language is based in the Christian heritage from which many Western practitioners seek to distance themselves. It is also ironic that Western practitioners will enthusiastically embrace the most complex doctrines of other religious systems – notably karma, chakras, and reincarnation – and yet remain confused and ambivalent with regard to the Western cultural milieu in which we are already positioned.

Order of 15, A Christian Occult Group

We will begin to discuss the nature of the Holy Guardian Angel, the Self, the Higher Self, and the True Will. Of these things, we may actually speak little but practice much – for angels weary of talk and are most evident on the battlefield, in labour, strife, and struggle. They are also to be found in the quiet groves, the silence of the shoreline, and in-between the aisles of both church and supermarket. We will here learn how the concept has entered into the popular imagination of the Western esoteric tradition, how the experience may be contextualised in our initiatory schema, and how it may eventually be gained.

The Sacred Magic of Abramelin The main introduction of the Holy Guardian Angel into Western esotericism is through the book known as the Sacred Magic of Abramelin.[106] Although there are rarer and lesser known examples of the Holy Guardian Angel being spoken of in Western magic – and more commonly understood examples such as the Genius or Daimon of the Neo-Platonists – it is through this magical text that the idea found its root in contemporary magic. The book was first translated from a French version held in Paris, by MacGregor Mathers, one of the three founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. It acquired notoriety in the later work of Aleister Crowley, who – it must be said – developed the concept in various and contradictory ways throughout his life.[107]

In essence, the work is in three parts: a biographical account of the supposed author and his encounters with teachers across the world; a second part containing the instructions for a six month reclusion culminating in the ‘knowledge and conversation of one’s Holy Guardian Angel’ and subsequent three days of calling forth and commanding the demons; and a third part, considered an appendix, listing so-called ‘magical squares’ to be activated under the guidance of the angel and the subservience of the demons. Many have approached this book as a magical grimoire and simply worked rituals to activate the magical squares. Many view it as a dated and outmoded relic of superstitious magic. Some view it as dangerous and others are repelled by the requirements to humble oneself repeatedly to a Christian conception of God. Later criticisms have pointed out the psychological impact of performing the constant practices as advocated in the instructions, claiming that this could lead to delusions, psychological imbalance and obsession. However, very few have read the book in detail – as is repeatedly suggested within the text itself – and very, very few have attempted the ritual exactly as prescribed within the text (although the text allows for some modifications). And only one or two of those have claimed to have accomplished the working and attained its result. One of those who made this claim was William Bloom, who wrote of his experience with the ritual when he performed it over a six-month period in retreat outside Marrakech in 1972 – this was published originally as The Sacred Magician under the pseudonym Georges Chevalier.[108]

There are a few other written accounts of the complete working perhaps four or five. I have a private publication of a diary written by an Australian theosophist who conducted the working, and there are a couple of accounts online, although their veracity is uncertain. Similarly, there is an Abramelin newsgroup where at least three people claim to have performed the operation to its conclusion. In terms of the original translation by MacGregor Mathers from the French version, this has since been superceded by a better translation of a German version, The Book of Abramelin, by Georg Dehn and Steven Guth. This promotes an 18-month version of the working.

The Holy Guardian Angel There are as many descriptions of the Holy Guardian Angel (HGA) as there are practitioners, which is possibly emblematic of its individual conception. The practices which lead to this experience range far beyond the Abramelin working which is its most common association.[109] I can only offer the advice that the practitioner should seek towards this working as a culmination of their work between the grades of Neophyte and Adeptus Minor. It requires a significant amount of mental, psychological, emotional, and spiritual stability, as well as the physical and environmental capability to leave work and social bonds for six months. This is where your faith in magic and your spiritual path is truly tested – so by that point you had better be sure that there aren’t any other alternatives for your development and exploration. This is why, in the main, the work of the early grades is an exhaustive process, slowly undoing all the attachments and distractions, leaving an exit door that leads in. The actual working is possible, the result undeniable, and the resultant experience profound beyond any measure. It is to the successful accomplishment of this singular aim that the work of the Crucible Club and the Order of Everlasting Day is the basic introduction and foundation stone.

Vignette: 13 Dancing Girls on a Wednesday Frater F.P. resolved with his angel to establish a working with the magical squares and got to choose a random square. This could have been anything from invisibility to having a siege army appear at the walls of the town. Luckily he had chosen a random talisman from another grimoire which offered the opportunity of conjuring ‘13 dancing girls on a Wednesday’. He activated the square in the manner which his angel informed him, and duly forgot about it. He mentioned the working to his wife, but not its nature. If he recalls correctly, she asked him why it could not have been about money or some other practical aim, because he told her it was an ‘unusual request’ of the magick. The following week he was asked to accompany his wife to a lesson in raqs sharqi, which was being held in Manchester. Unbeknownst to either of them, as it was a sudden urge of his wife, the class she joined unexpectedly had decided to put on an impromptu performance to visiting relatives. So there sat Frater F.P., lounging on Arabian-themed cushions, with live drummers and string instruments from another time, with – count them – exactly 13 dancing girls, of course on the obligatory Wednesday. It was not that the square worked which surprised him; it was that he had forgotten all about it. This working without lust of result is the most essential component of magick.

The Angel and the Higher Self On a personal note, I would like to dispel some of the confusion that others seem to have created with regard to New Age or psychological interpretations of this working and its aim. The HGA is not the same as the Higher Self. It is not a ‘higher part’ of oneself. Nor is it entirely a ‘discrete entity’ as some might imagine an angel. Rather the nomenclature indicates a fullyengaged-in-divine-communication-emergent-from-self-in-relation-touniverse-messenger-carrier-state-presence. This manifests in a unique manner. A good model of how this can be contextualised can be found hidden in Florence Farr’s description of the Ancient Egyptian aspects of the soul and their activation during magical ritual. In that description is to be found a useful map of the correspondence of the human being, the Self and the HGA on the Tree of Life, in the four worlds. Without experiencing the working, any presumption of the result is forcing the mysteries to become reduced to fit into the mind, not the mind being enlarged to comprehend the mysteries. This seems to be the curse of the contemporary period, where rapid communication leads to an implicit assumption that such experiences and states can be efficiently compressed to superficial learning.

This is not the case – indeed, the Abramelin ritual is a self-extracting file; much that is not apparent becomes obvious within the text itself as one performs the operation. And it modifies itself in practice to suit the nature of the practitioner, and the cultural, temporal and spatial conditions. I imagine that the operation, far from being a quaint superstition, could easily be performed on a Mars base a century from now. In many ways, another metaphor for this particular culmination of work is as a tuning fork between one Tree of Life in one world and the Tree/s in the other worlds. The Adept attunes to the angel to sing of one song above and below. As Crowley wryly remarked, the name Holy Guardian Angel is so ludicrous as not to be taken seriously and as a true indication of what one might expect. However, it turns out that this is equally and somewhat paradoxically a blind. It has not been intended here to confuse or obscure, but rather to hint at this stage the culmination of the magical work from Neophyte to Adept. It is an aim worth pursuing but it costs everything you currently believe yourself to possess – although, as Gurdjieff often remarked, you can only truly sacrifice the only thing you really possess: your suffering. Furthermore, if we hold with Crowley that “There is a single main definition of the object of all Magical Ritual. It is the uniting of the Microcosm and the Macrocosm. The Supreme and Complete Ritual is therefore the Invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel; or, in the language of mysticism, Union with God,” then we might see this angel as an ‘emergent property’ of our own unification.[110] The more that we see through separation and the illusion of separation, commencing with our own beliefs, the more that this angel is able to communicate – that being a two-way process, whether we can recognise it or not in the earliest days of the initiatory journey to this singular goal.

As Crowley says, “It is obviously impossible to communicate with an independent intelligence – the one real object of astral research – if one allows one’s imagination to surround one with courtiers of one’s own creation.”[111] That is why we must concentrate our work on examining and questioning: “Enquiry is Everything!” as I once wrote in my own magickal journal, to break down the buffers that allow us to maintain the sense of separation within ourselves and to others. If you cannot communicate clearly within yourself, what chance to communicate with your fellows? If you cannot communicate with your fellows, what chance of communicating with more ethereal constructs? And if you cannot talk with angels, what chance of walking with God?

On the Egregore

Of uncertain origin, the term ‘egregore’ is often considered as a group mind which ‘watches over’ a group in some manner. This mind is created by the shared will of the group, directed to a common purpose, and it is suggested by some writers that the entity can become, in a sense, distinct from the individuals of the group, so that when they pass away, many years later the egregore can be somehow ‘contacted’ by those pursuing the same aims as the original founders of the group mind. An egregore is a kind of group mind which is created when people consciously come together for a common purpose. Whenever people gather together to do something an egregore is formed, but unless an attempt is made to maintain it deliberately it will dissipate rather quickly. However, if the people wish to maintain it and know the techniques of how to do so, the egregore will continue to grow in strength and can last for centuries.[112]

We can consider the egregore as an ‘emergent property’, that is to say, something which exists as a result of the interaction and communication between individuals, and nothing intrinsic within the individuals or any individual themselves.[113] In this sense, when even two individuals come together and communicate, if they communicate in a focused manner, they will generate a powerful egregore – for example, the Enochian work of John Dee and Edward Kelly. It is noticeable that magical work generates such things more frequently because all truly magical work is willed, and involves the whole consciousness of the individual, focused in one act. Football crowds do not generate such long-standing egregores as the activity is based upon mixed emotional requirements being satisfied, albeit to a common purpose by a great number of individuals. More so, it is only magical – and occasionally religious or corporate leadership – activity that recognises and is expressly designed to create such entities.[114] Emergent systems require three significant components that we can recognise in the creation of egregores: simplicity, feedback and iteration. That is to say: Simplicity – simple observations and definition of the entity; Feedback – contemplation, channelling, meditation of the entity; Iteration – repetition over time, ritual devoted to the entity.

In kabbalistic terms, it can be seen that the sephiroth are emergent properties of each other; the so-called ‘Orchard’ or Fractal Tree. From the relationship between Binah and Chockmah emerges Da’ath, and the Veil of Paroketh (veiling Tiphareth) is the emergent property from the interaction of the lower sephiroth. Once these Sephiroth are aligned and working in equibilirium, the ‘noise’ is removed and the ‘signal’ can be transmitted clearly between them and what is revealed as Tiphareth after the noise is gone and naught but silence remains.

The Abyss

As with all constructs, the nature of the Abyss is seen otherwise from either side of its experience as a real event. As with most of the mystical metaphors, it is entirely necessary and entirely misleading. It is further confused by being in the public domain enough for anyone – and almost everyone – to write about it. We will deal with this towards the conclusion of The Magister. In this present volume we introduce the term and place it upon the Tree of Life as part of the initiatory schema, and at least provide indications of what it is not.[115] The Abyss represents a significant event in the life of the magicianmystic. As such, it is a culmination of thousands of hours of work towards its attainment. It is not a vision, nor can it be visualised.[116] Nor can it be simply attained by taking the ‘Oath of the Abyss’ at any moment of your life.[117] It is an emergent property of a fundamental re-orientation of awareness in relation to the universe, given divine grace by its reception within the individual. It is the moment to which the HGA deigns to lead us, at which point it too vanishes, as it was never there.

The HGA is the edge of light, the bridge, interface, component of awareness that arises from the shadow of the Abyss – the amaneusis of the soul. When the rememberance of the true state is attained, the light is entered and no longer casts a shadow (Abyss) nor has an edge (angel). The Abyss is the only step onwards from the grade of the Exempt Adept, one who has reached the edges of all self-awareness and fulfilled (and thus exhausted) the possibilities of that self. As Benjamin Rowe considers: By the time the person has achieved and absorbed the highest purely human level and become an ‘Exempt Adept’, both these processes have pretty much been exhausted. Those parts of the person’s being that are capable of being controlled and coordinated by the individual self are as integrated as they are ever going to be. The contents of the mind have been reduced to an integrated scheme and an encompassing philosophy. He is the Complete Individual, so to speak. Such people – as Crowley notes – tend to become leaders of ‘schools of thought’ for spreading their philosophy; or they become priests or social leaders of some sort.[118] At this stage, the only task of the Exemptus is to await absorption. We picture this as The Fool in the Union Deck falling back into the Abyss. The ego has been transcended and the Self-centre gained; the Self-centre has been completed and then transcended (although it was never there to transcend); the awareness of the other has been surrendered, and there is only a tripartite awareness now functioning, above the Abyss. It is there that the Master of the Temple literally triangulates the three remaining aspects of reality until they themselves are one – and none.

Vignette: The Cube of Undoing Frater V. had a lucid dream in which he was being held within a perfect blue cube, with a stranger. The walls of the cube were composed of living and vibrant conscious patterns. It was within the awareness of the vision that there was no space or time within the cube itself. At this point, the walls of the cube began to swirl in dynamic flow, and the fabric of reality within the space began to change in an indescribable manner. The other person in the cube began to scream and clutch at themselves as their body and soul began to literally unravel in the transition of the space. Frater V. felt a fear unlike anything he had ever encountered. This was the very undoing of the Adeptus Major into the realm of Chesed and it had little to do with the Mercy or loving kindness associated with the sephirah. When awakened from the dream, he considered what the real experience might be like – and why anyone would wish to undo themselves so.

The Fourth Way Work “And it’s all ‘bout your ego All the I’s in you, that you think make up your self Know yourself and maybe they’ll go Waking from an illusion you believe that’s awake.” — Garry Kennedy, ‘The Fourth Way’,[119]

In the work of the mystic G.I. Gurdjieff, he proposed that each of us has a kundabuffer, an organ “to prevent men seeing the reality of their situation.” Whilst this was proposed in a semi-fictional sense (like much of Gurdjieff’s writings), it is an important concept in self-awareness work.

In the WEIS we introduce some of the elements of Gurdjieff ’s work at a later stage, but here we introduce a few basic concepts to promote understanding of how the Fourth Way work – as termed by Gurdjieff – assists self-knowledge. It is of value that the Fourth Way work has received contemporary attention, particular as to the original issues with its comprehension and reception. The work also admits to and fits neatly into the graduated ascent narrative, for example in statements such as “consciousness has degrees.”[120] One way of seeing the kundabuffers is that they are the psychological defense mechanisms that connect and absorb the minor shock of our everchanging sense of self from one identity or personality to another. Usually in our day we ride these shocks on an almost momentary basis as we change our state and role. The Fourth Way of Gurdjieff promotes observation of these shocks to wake us up to the reality of our situation. There are many authors, artists, musicians, and other professionals who have been intrigued and attracted to the Fourth Way work. A notable contemporary case is Kate Bush, whose song, ‘Them Heavy People’, from her debut album The Kick Inside (EMI, 1978), mentions Gurdjieff by name and commences with lines describing how the work first appeared to her in a time of despair. However, there is little further evidence that she had anything other than a cursory interest in the Fourth Way.[121] Both Robert Anton Wilson – whose Prometheus Rising workbook I highly recommend to all Zelators – and Colin Wilson were heavily influenced by Gurdjieff ’s work. In the fiction, The Mind Parasites, Colin Wilson writes of the experience of attaining freedom from our attachment to the present:

If we could learn the trick of putting the mind in and out of gear, man would have the secret of godhead. But no trick is more difficult to learn. We are ruled by habit. Our bodies are robots that insist on doing what they have been doing for the last million years: eating, drinking, excreting, making love – and attending to the present.[122] Another contemporary interpreter of Gurdjieff’s work is E.J. Gold, whose books Life in the Labyrinth and The Human Biological Machine as a Transformational Apparatus are essential reading for later Theoricus work, albeit very testing works. It is often said that Gurdjieff ’s original works are somewhat inaccessible, so it is to his students that we tend to turn for explanation. These students include C.S. Nott, P.D. Ouspensky (whose The Fourth Way is essential reading), R. Orage, and J.G. Bennett. I would also recommend the more contemporary interpretations of the Fourth Way work by Sophia Wellbeloved, Gurdjieff: The Key Concepts, and Charles T. Tart, Waking Up. The Kundabuffers It is to Tart’s work that we will turn for our praxis contemplative work. He gives a brilliant interpretation of the kundabuffers in terms of psychological self-defence mechanisms. This also reminds us of the constant mantra proposed by the late Da Free John, whose work we will arrive at towards the end of The Magister. He proposed that the only consideration we should hold from moment to moment is the answer to the simple question, “Avoiding relationship?”

In Tart’s list of defence mechanisms, we will select several, and you may wish to choose one or two for a couple of weeks to examine in yourself. This prepares the ground for later work which is more demanding in terms of analysing oneself and one’s behaviours. The Gurdjieff work is very concerned with breaking habits, ending automatic responses or interrupting them, so here, we make a suggestion that you do something unexpected or unique every time you notice your chosen kundabuffer. It doesn’t matter what, so long as it is not the same thing as the previous times. Watching for Kundabuffers In Orage’s exercise book, Psychological Exercises and Essays, he provides a brief section on ‘Living a Fuller Life’. In this section he equates our usual sense of time – and our failing strategies to manage it – as a single string of beads. He notes that we try and either stretch the string, snapping it, or add more beads to it, which again results in snapping it. His solution is to point out that the analogy is due to our habitual training of time as a single string. He suggests that we can actually lay out three strings at the same time, and be aware of them, trebling our engagement of life. He also notes that this is not easy. In this practice appropriate for the Theoricus of the OED and given here as an example, we at least start to make an effort towards this Work. We must first learn to pause, and this contemplation of kundabuffers is designed to bring about regular pauses in daily activity without too much of a shock. Here are three kundabuffers from which you should choose one to explore over a month-long period:

LYING: Whilst not concerning ourselves with the morality of lying, it is sufficient to state that the act of lying is a distortion of our representation of the world. At any time that you consciously lie over the month chosen for this practice, you should use it as a trigger to pause – nothing more. SUPRESSION: In suppression, we fall prey not to an incorrect action or lack of action, but again, an invalid model of the world. We assume that we are suppressing an action – a spoken word, an opinion, even a thought – because of our knowledge of the expectations of others. However, this knowledge can never be accurate. So, any time that you begin to suppress your action, for whatever reason, simply ... pause.

REGRESSION: A third example of a failing of what Tart calls our ‘world simulator’ is when we regress to an earlier sense of self in our identity. We may throw a tantrum, feel jealousy or want attention – states belonging to a child-like self. We can ask ourselves, or have someone ask us, when we are emotional: “How old are you?” The answer is usually not what we expect. When asked that question, we break out of the regression to answer it. Again, when such regression occurs in you, use it as a moment to just ... pause. There are many other buffers that operate automatically to keep us asleep to the true nature of the passing moments in front of us. The Fourth Way work is an essential adjunct in the WEIS at the grade of Theoricus, to free us from these automatic responses to the world.

The Initiatory Tarot.

The Three Decks The Tarot of Everlasting Day is a unique creation in that it is composed of three decks, each layered in design upon the other. These three decks represent the Outer World, the Inner World, and their Union. A complex web of correspondences works not only between individual cards in their own deck, and between the same card in each deck, but also between different cards in each deck. They form a mystical labyrinth and a true library of Babel.[123] The three levels are designed to provide an accessible learning device on the Outer Deck, an initiatory schema in the Union Deck, and a mystical contemplative sequence on the Inner Deck. Whilst all three decks can be used for divinatory readings, it is the Outer and Union Decks that are particularly designed for this use.

In this volume of The Magister, we illustrate and provide interpretation of four of the Union cards met by the Adept on their journey up the Tree of Life, utilising the Waite-Trinick correspondences. The first two encountered are The World (which is positioned the same as per the Golden Dawn / Crowley) and The Blasted Tower. We also look at The Fool as the final outcome of the initiatory journey of Union, and The High Priestess who provides illustration of the Crossing of the Abyss, a fundamental experience in the initiatory system. In following volumes, we will explore the other card images as they indicate the relevant stages of initiatory progress. The Mystery of the Monogram The monogram emblazoned on the images is that of the acronym of Goodwin-Hall-Katz in the style of the alphabet of desire. The single line and circle motif can also be read as an emblem of the horizon and the Sun, the ‘everlasting day’. It is also the line and the circle, the two building blocks of form, the male and the female, and duality.

The Goodwin-Hall-Katz Monogram from the Tarot of Everlasting Day

The World The World card (called ‘The Apparent’ in the Inner Deck) is here the depiction of the original state of the Neophyte, who is pictured sleeping at the foot of the staircase in a foetal position. This echoes the depiction of The Fool in the Outer Deck as a child taking their first steps. The Fool and The World are intimately connected – ‘as above, so below’ – and they remind us that not only does every journey begin with the first step, we are all – always – already at our destination. When we take our step on what is literally a fool’s journey (for it is not necessary), it is always already too late – we are moving away from our goal of union, not towards it. It is fortunate then that The World does not recognise The Fool and our steps always lead back to the beginning, where we may discover our foolishness. At the base of this image is a black border, signifying the limits of all things. Above it is a black and white checkerboard floor on which a 10 stepped stairway arises. This is similar to the stairway to heaven, Jacob’s ladder, and the staircase in the film Matter of Life and Death with David Niven (directed by Michael Powell, 1946). At the bottom step of the stairway we see a figure (very small) asleep in the foetal position. He is The Fool in his first incarnation, at the start and end of his journey. Also on the step we see a staff with 12 segments (representing the zodiac) and a bag. These are the same as are transformed in the final Fool image of the Union Deck.

At the top of the stairs, taking up the majority of the image is a vesica piscis / mandorla. It is floating in a field of stars alike to the Hubble Deep Field view of the cosmos. There are the seven classical planets easily seen in the background. Four circles hold the vesica piscis in place, in each a pair of hands, symbolising four elemental approaches to life: Prayer / air (top circle) Passion / earth (left circle) Penitence / fire (right circle) Peace / water (bottom circle) The vesica piscis is constructed of 78 interlocking rings symbolising the whole of the tarot (not 72 which symbolise the name of God, Shem haMephorash, the explicit name of God, as used in many other designs). Within the vesica piscis is a female figure in a trance dance. She has tattoos of the four elemental cherubim, and is veiled in swirling ribbons, skirts, belts, beads, and buckles. This adornment is in ‘tribal fusion’ style showing the old revisioned in the new, the primitive and the modern, the fusion and synthesis of the card’s meaning. Her movement is a spinning spiral.

Above her is a light source (Kether) which relates back to the point of light in The Fool card at the bottom of the Abyss. Below her is a dark sphere (Malkuth) upon which she dances. The light source emits a single ray which shines down, through the dark sphere (cracking it slightly), and upon the head of the sleeping figure. In this it mirrors the work of Athanasius Kircher, Ars Magna lucis et umbrae (Amsterdam, 1671), on optics. We see later in The Fool of the Inner Deck the final and nihilistic resolution of this play of light, distortion and mirroring. This light is emblematic of the Golden Dawn phrase uttered to the Neophyte, that “The Light shineth in the darkness, but the darkness comprehendeth it not.” It breaks through the apparent but it remains up to the sleeper to awaken. The ray of light is mirrored too by the long shadow which is cast by The Fool in his final fall depicted on the Union Deck, where he returns to this World card to commence his journey again in an endless cycle of seeking.[124] The floor is tiled with black and white, symbolising duality, from which The Fool has not yet arisen. These black and white tiles also appear on the candy stick of the Outer Fool, who offers us this choice, yet at the same time implicitly presents duality.

The World (Tarot of Everlasting Day, Union Deck)

The whole scene is well lit, very still and formal. It is the nascent beginning of all things, and their end. It is somewhat akin to the final surreal room scenes in 2001: A Space Odyssey (directed by Stanley Kubrick, 1968). It is hyper-real and yet cannot be real. On the columns of the stairway are carved the two Trees of Knowledge and Life, which also appear on The Herald and The Fool card, as well as elsewhere through the symbolism of the Order of Everlasting Day. Here in The World card they are calcified and sterile; ancient reliquaries of their living reality, forgotten by most other than as decorative elements of the lowest order. In the Union Deck of the Tarot of Everlasting Day, the Major Arcana are brighter in the lower branches of the Tree and get darker as we progress to our own source and roots. In the Inner Deck, the lower card images are darker and become brighter as we progress up the Tree, for it is a divine tree that we now ascend, not a tree of self-discovery or recovery. Lying on the middle steps are a discarded carnival mask and a white angelic feather, symbolising the Abramelin work which we will cover in a following volume of The Magister. This feather appears as a pin on the swaddling cloth of the child in The Fool of the Outer Deck and on the head of The Fool in the Union Deck. It also appears as the emblem of Maat on the Herald of Everlasting Day. The World card is a synthesis of all that has come before and the promise of all that will follow. In Tarot Flip we discovered that the unconscious meaning given to this card by hundreds of readers through tens of thousands of mappings to real life in their readings is ‘beginning’.[125]

The Fool The Fool is the most paradoxical image, and was created first in the deck. He is a symbol of all that transcends time, space and identity. He is not just beyond duality – he knows no duality and is numberless. The Fool’s dog represents the faith in reality that is ever-present, until the very last moment when even that must be sacrificed. It is the final story in the Elric fantasy tales of Michael Moorcock. Elric is a doomed albino prince of a decadent empire, who lives through the power of a demonic sword called Stormbringer. The sword can drink the souls of its victims and transfer the energy to Elric, so they have a co-dependent relationship. Elric also has a constant companion, Moonglum. In the very last tale of Elric, in the epic war of Chaos versus Evil, when the old world is destroyed, Elric must blow the horn which will bring about the new world. However, he does not have the energy remaining after the battle. So Moonglum sacrifices himself on the sword to give Elric the energy. Elric uses this last remaining energy and blows the horn, bringing about the dawn of a new age ... however, as he dies, the sword turns back into a demon, and rises into the sky to enter the new world, putting back into it the spirit of chaos, with the words “I was always a thousand times more evil than thou.” It is that twist that The Fool, with his dog, contains. That one thing is always borne out of the last. The coiling dark turning light represents a DNA helix and the orbit of light when it approaches a black hole. The two Trees are the Moringa tree and the Tamarind tree from the Herald of Everlasting Day.

On the side of the Tree of Knowledge the Fool’s staff is discarded on the path, turning into a serpent. On the side of the Tree of Life, the dog tugs at the shadow of The Fool, which extends from The Fool down the path to the Tree. The Fool is seen breaking from his shadow as he falls backwards. The other objects (attachments) left on the path are one of time and one of space – instead of the tropes of hourglass and compass, we see instead a prism (for space) and a piece of cloth looped in a Möebius strip (for time). There is some similarity of The Fool with Asclepius, the healer (whole).

The Fool (Tarot of Everlasting Day, Union Deck)

The Hebrew letter meaning ‘sword’, ‘weapon’, is placed as a small Zayinshaped scar on The Fool’s exposed chest. This is a letter of ‘time’ and the concept of Chozer or ‘returning light’. The dog is shown as a devouring beast and looks suitably dream-like. His Ancient Egyptian depiction varies; sometimes he has crocodile-like warts for hair, sometimes a dark hair-like mane. The atmosphere of the card is timeless and eerie. The card also has that ‘edge of known law’ vibe to it, so light and time are being distended, distorted, dragged into the event horizon of the Abyss.

The Blasted Tower In the Waite-Trinick arrangement of the paths on the Tree of Life, The Blasted Tower takes the place of The Last Judgement on the path connecting Malkuth up to Hod. It thus represents one of the three paths open to the Zelator in their progress up the Tree of Life. It is an unbalanced path, yet it must be taken first before returning, having exhausted its possibilities. At that stage, the opposite path is usually taken by the Zelator – for what other choice do they have – until that too finds itself a cul-desac. Then the Zelator can return to their initial state and make the now obvious step into self-observation that was probably apparent in their original work. It is a step that cannot be taken whilst the temptations or imbalances of other possibilities have not yet been explored and exhausted. We see in this image the top of the ‘false tower’ which is struck by the lightning flash of realisation. This is the awakening above consciousness of the soul. The Neophyte, now taking a step forward and engaging with their work, is represented by a red robed acolyte plucking a red rose from a copious garden, but walking out of that garden, bearing the rose.[126] This symbolises the initial steps taken in the Great Work, which are predicated on one’s existing state and knowledge. It also indicates that we believe we can bring – indeed, offer as sacrifice – something from the apparent world, whether it be ourself or some other attachment. At this stage we do not see the eventual transformation of the red rose to the white, seen on The Fool image.

The Blasted Tower (Tarot of Everlasting Day, Union Deck)

The High Priestess In this card we look most to the Waite-Trinick High Priestess, with elements of the mystical teachings of the card from Crowley, and the Masonic / traditional symbolism of Waite. We also go further back to The Papess-type Marseilles demarcation of the card. There are two figures, an Upper Priestess and a Lower Priestess (as per the Trinick design). Below, a robed female figure stands facing towards us, behind an altar, upon which is an oyster containing a pearl. She holds high a mirror in which is reflected the light from above. Behind her are arches, pillars and drapes in a semi-circle; the drapes decorated with pomegranates, and the arches depicting a scene where five camels march across a desert between two seas, with a pyramid in the background. The letter ‘V’ stands atop each pillar. A pillar on the right is black, and marked with the Hebrew letter Cheth. The Upper Priestess dominates the majority of the image, and is depicted in the posture of the Greek maiden. She is Isis, the goddess. Her robes are similar to Waterhouse’s Cleopatra. A lunar light shines from her like a net – indeed, she is almost composed of light herself. It is this light that shines in the mirror below and the pearl. The figure of the Lower Priestess, who is naked, carries some semblance to The Truth, by Lefebvre, in terms of posture. We get the sense that she is the same woman who later (or earlier, for time is not the same here), in older age, is depicted in The Emperor image. The titles of this card are: The Oracle. The Sibyl. The Shekinah. Isis Veiled. The Papess of Antiquity.

Robert Place compares her to the priestess of Venus (or Isis) in the mystical romance, Hypnerotomachia, the Dream of Poliphilo (Venice, 1499), so we look to bring in the idea of her as a priestess of the mystery schools.[127] We also nod to Masonic influence in using pillars and arches as a backdrop.

The High Priestess (Tarot of Everlasting Day, Union Deck)

Her letter in the mystical schema (Waite-Trinick) is Cheth. The letter Cheth corresponds to life and devotion. It signifies a fence, barrier, enclosure, and also awe and fear. The letter is composed of Vau and Zayin. We think that The Priestess and The Magician should both be in temples – enclosures that reflect their nature. The Priestess with a circle of arched columns behind her, and drapes, bearing the pomegranate. The 18th path is called the ‘House of Influence’, so we reference this in terms of the ‘drawing down of the Moon’ which is clearly depicted in the Waite-Trinick version. The Sepher Yetzirah states, “From the midst of the investigation of the arcana and hidden senses are drawn forth, which dwell in its shade and cling to it, from the cause of causes”. It is an image of the secrets of Nature – the unveiled, the virgin, the mysterious. Other keywords include: unity through devotion, serenity, mystery, revelation and secrecy, transcendental change. The image illustrates the connection between Binah and Geburah (instead of Tipahreth to Kether on the Golden Dawn / Crowley schema) so this is between ‘Understanding’ and ‘Might’. It is the matrix card, weaving the net of all structure, giving form to light itself. It is the veiling of energy in matter, in a more ethereal manner than The Empress above. It is, indeed, the next graduation of the feminine formative energy below The Empress. In a spiritual sense, Jodorowsky says of this card, “she intransigently purifies everything that could form a barrier to the vibration of divine energy.”[128] I feel that Crowley states this also when he says “it is important for high initiation to regard Light not as the perfect manifestation of the Eternal Spirit, but rather as the veil that hides that Spirit … Thus she is light and the body of light.”[129]

There is an oyster and pearl on the altar, reflecting Crowley’s notes from The Book of Lies, of a sexual magick nature: “This is the Love of These; creation-parturition is the Bliss of the One; coition-dissolution is the Bliss of the Many.”[130] I also like the idea that Crowley gives of the Crossing of the Abyss that each traveller crossing that desert drops a drop of water, until eventually the whole path is irrigated and blossoms with life. He also alludes to the ‘five footprints of the camel’, V.V.V.V.V., which should be on the card. So we have a great sea (Binah) and a desert, the oyster with a pearl like the Moon, five drops of water, forming five Vs. The Upper High Priestess figure is in the posture of the Greek maiden. Her left hand is bunching up the skirts / robe, as if about to mount stairs. The scroll is replaced by the oyster and the mirror as far more appropriate representations of the type of law of The High Priestess. The pillars are modified, and the veil is shown on two levels; the veil of light above and the veils in the temple below. The Abyss and its journey are depicted on the Masonic stonework.

Your Magical Journal and Dream Diary “From one point of view, magical progress actually consists in deciphering one’s own record.” — Aleister Crowley, Magick[131]

Although the keeping of a diary is a reasonably mundane activity at heart – a mere recording of the day’s events – taken as part of a magical life it has a cumulative effect and proves an increasingly powerful tool in the magical toolkit. In conjunction with the technical work that the student is required to conduct in the Crucible Club (the solar observations) the first month of your journal will record this work, and your success or otherwise in maintaining this regular practice. You may also choose to record the general events of the day, and any other magical work in which you are currently engaged. The diary entries should be succinct and not overly-analysed. Here is an example from my own diaries, dated Friday 17 June 1983:

I received The Practice of Ritual Magic by Gareth Knight today in the post. I used an exercise in the book and meditated to the East on the balcony, in the light of the rising sun. I sat in the Sankhya-yoga position. East: Sword, Air, Yellow, Dawn, Spring, Life, Faith, Childhood, IHVH, Raphael, Paralda (Sylphs). What came to mind mostly was the idea of ‘birth’. At noon I did likewise with the Fire (South) correspondences. South: Wand, Red, Noon, Summer, Light, Hope, Youth, ADNI, Michael, Djinn (Salamanders). A dominant image arose of ‘Power’. Shortly before dusk I tried the Water (West) correspondences. West: Water, Cup, Blue, Dusk, Autumn, Love, Charity, Maturity, AHIH, Gabriel, Nixsa (Undines). Concentrating on the idea of a Keatsian [John Keats, the poet] ‘autumnal ripeness’ helped, as it was difficult to hold the ideas. [It was June, so Autumn felt distant]. Finally, not at midnight [I tended then and still do, write the journal at the end of the evening] went through the Earth (North) set: Disc, Green, Midnight, Winter, Law, Understanding, Old Age, AGLA, Auriel, Ghob (Gnomes). This gave me a very cold feeling, eventually, and the arising idea of ‘stability’. I finished by practising some vocal vibrating exercises, counting letters and numbers. By the following year, the entries were becoming far more esoteric and obscure, as the frequency of practice and the breadth of reading expanded, incorporating tarot, ancient Egyptian mythology, the I-Ching, astral projection group exercises (I had found a few people with whom to work), and correspondence with other occultists.

May 17th 1984. Day of Maat. 9:21 am. Last night, the LBRP was very clear. I actually saw a yellow figure outlined in the East. The Astral was very busy on retiring. At home today, cannot get into college. I tried a couple of Tarot readings as usual, but didn’t feel right today. 11:00 am. Roughly designed a pack of ten Egyptian Cards, based on the Tree of Life. I spread four in a Cross shape, making both an Ankh and Scales, after invoking Maat. The top position (1) is the Spiritual Aspect, the left position (2) is What Aids, right (3) is what opposes, bottom (4) is the Resources / Material aspects. I shuffled and drew: 1: The card of Isis (3) – things will develop naturally. A good card here for she is Magick. 2: The card of Thoth (2) – what assists is learning and wisdom. More study! 3: The card of Pthah (1) – what opposes, so stop, wait. 4: The card of Maat (4) – Truth. Keep to what is right. Note the cards, even though shuffled, the first 4 of 10! 1+2+3+4 = 10 = 1! 11:20 am. Phoned the Sorcerers Apprentice [a mail-order shop in Leeds] to ask about Lamp of Thoth #14. They have my order OK. 1:20 pm. Went out and posted two letters to S [a Satanist] and CP [Chaos magician].

11.36 pm. Been out at S’s all evening. M is very ill, and K has left the house because she is pregnant (!). The results of the Osirian Ritual have not yet come to pass. Nothing conclusive anyhow. We compared notes for the astral working. Did some work with Kabbalah from A.C.’s Diaries. Midnight: Interruption to this writing. Hail Khephra! Must strengthen Aura.

With regard to your journals, they are mainly for your own use to discern patterns in retrospect and partially to advise any supervisor or teacher as to how your practices are progressing. Crowley idealises the writing of the journal in Chapter 13 of Magick in Theory and Practice. His own journals and diaries are usually a far cry from his requirements of “virgin vellum, made from the calf which was born by Isis-Hathor” and written in a pen which is “the feather of a young male swan.” However, in terms of the symbolism, ideally the diary should be the perfect representation of the world, and one’s experience and relationship to it – for it is truly then “a book of incantation.”[132] A selected collation of Crowley’s voluminous journal entries and diaries is made by James Wasserman in Aleister Crowley and the Practice of the Magical Diary, mainly drawing upon ‘John St. John’ and ‘A Master of the Temple’, two of Crowley’s more significant magical journals.[133] The basic purpose of the journal is to provide a form of enquiry which matches your belief structure to your recorded actions. There is always going to be a ‘creative tension’ to choose the content and style of your writing, and this tension is an outer sign of the alignment between Will and Action. If all is well, there is no specific thought that goes into the ego-less record; Will, Belief and Action are in accord and aligned, there is no problem! However, until that state can be attained, the action of writing an external account serves to drive out the demons that lurk in the buffers between our beliefs. The journal may also provide assistance to those who follow in the ‘golden chain’ of initiation, providing them with useful information on the short-cuts and dead-ends in the labyrinth.

Edward Hoffman also comments on the kabbalistic references to both the ‘Recording Angel’ and ‘The Book of Life’ that records our deeds for later judgement.[134] He goes on to explore the technique of ‘reviewing’ the day advocated by Rabbi Nachman, which is actually a common technique taught to Neophytes. You do not need to specifically carry out such a review, as your Liber Resh practice, meditation and maintenance of a journal provide the same result – teaching you that you can ‘rise’ outside of yourself and judge your actions from a detached viewpoint. This is the secret teaching that is actually being communicated by this practice – the journal and the meditations are only means to that end. As such, the significance we place upon them is later abandoned. Optional Journal Practices “This life of ours is like a journey undertaken by the soul for the study of Divine Aspects, and of these is the pageant of the cosmos”[135] The Book of Light and the Book of Night: Take two pages of your diary and label one Liber Lumen, the ‘Book of Light’, and one Liber Nocte, the ‘Book of Night’. In the former, maintain a list of your positive qualities and actions taken; in latter maintain a list of your negative qualities, limiting beliefs and unwanted behaviour. The Book of the Unbound: On a page of your diary, start an entry which commences “If I could not fail at anything, I would …” and complete it in as much detail as possible. The Book of Belief: Take a page of your diary and list your beliefs in the form, “I believe …”

The Thread: Write in your journal, on the top of an empty page: “Every time I see this page I will write the date below, and my feelings about the purpose and usefulness of keeping a magical diary.” As the years go by, you may need to add a new sheet into this page. The journal provides a ‘thread’ to your everyday activities which, like the practice of Liber Resh, begin to consolidate your Will towards a singular aim. Crowley once said that the magician’s sole aim was to interpret his own magickal record, and after many years I have come to agree with him. Most people’s activities are disassociated, so their accomplishments are minimal and serve no aim; their light is diffuse. We are aiming to be focused like a laser beam, which is sometimes referred to as ‘coherent light’. You are to make your life a coherent light.

Rare Magical Book (Private Collection)

The Dreaming Mind

It is important to realise that imagination has become a misused word in Western society and it is part of our work to reclaim its importance in our life. It is to the author and philosopher Henry Corbin that we turn to remind ourselves of the importance of imagination. In Corbin’s perspective, imagination is an act of thought not grounded in Nature, but rather a divine act and knowing of the divine mind. It is the manner in which we participate in the mundus imaginalis – the world of imagination – which is no less real than the apparent world of the senses. It is in this world, through a hierarchy of levels and intermediaries, that the magician operates. We recognise that the world is composed of the imagination in its true sense; a living interpretation of whatever reality may be, re-visioned by our own perception into our own universe. As such, we choose to engage with our imagination through dream, vision, ritual, and symbolism as a profound encounter with reality and all that may be.

Many magical techniques incorporate an element of imagination or, more specifically, methods of visualisation. It must be remembered by the student that we are here teaching such methods not as means in themselves, but as preparation and practice for higher states. We are exercising our faculties (of imagination, will, discipline, etc.) and installing new perspectives and appreciation by our techniques. As such they remain rungs on the ladder, not the space into which we are ascending. The techniques of the magical system are tools of transcendence in a technology of transformation; they are not to be dropped into our imprisoned world-view, but better seen as means of escape and sign-posts of our way home. In this light, we do not argue better methods one against another; we do not debate variations of practice; we do not engage ourselves in discussion of pronunciation and effect – the worker remains hidden in the workshop. Zosimos of Panopolis Zosimos was a Greek-Egyptian alchemist and Gnostic mystic from the end of the 3rd century and beginning of the 4th century, who was born in Panopolis. His most famous work, also referenced by the psychoanalyst Carl Jung, is the Vision. In this vision, Zosimos describes an alchemical process which he sees in a dream. He then returns several times to the dreaming state and receives a series of visions.

We have chosen this work in its entirety as, much like the Emerald Tablet, it is worth ongoing contemplation and reflection. It is an important foundation in our Western esoteric tradition, and Zosimos was also one of the earliest writers to define alchemy, which he described, c. 300 A.D., as “the study of the composition of waters, movement, growth, embodying and disembodying, drawing the spirits from bodies and bonding the spirits within bodies.”

The Vision of Zosimos The composition of the waters, and the movement, and the growth, and the removal and restitution of bodily nature, and the splitting off of the spirit from the body, and the fixation of the spirit on the body are not operations with natures alien one from the other, but, like the hard bodies of metals and the moist fluids of plants, are One Thing, of One Nature, acting upon itself. And in this system, of one kind but many colours, is preserved a research of all things, multiple and various, subject to lunar influence and measure of time, which regulates the cessation and growth by which the One Nature transforms itself. And saying these things, I slept, and I saw a certain sacrificing priest standing before me and over and altar which had the form of a bowl. And that altar had 15 steps going up to it. Then the priest stood up and I heard from above a voice say to me, “I have completed the descent of the 15 steps and the ascent of the steps of light. And it is the sacrificing priest who renews me, casting off the body’s coarseness, and, consecrated by necessity, I have become a spirit.” And when I had heard the voice of him who stood in the altar formed like a bowl, I questioned him, desiring to understand who he was.

He answered me in a weak voice saying, “I am Ion, Priest of the Adytum, and I have borne an intolerable force. For someone came at me headlong in the morning and dismembered me with a sword and tore me apart, according to the rigor of harmony. And, having cut my head off with the sword, he mashed my flesh with my bones and burned them in the fire of the treatment, until, my body transformed, I should learn to become a spirit. And I sustained the same intolerable force.” And even as he said these things to me and I forced him to speak, it was as if his eyes turned to blood and he vomited up all his flesh. And I saw him as a mutilated image of a little man and he was tearing at his flesh and falling away. And being afraid I woke and considered, “Is this not the composition of the waters?” I thought that I was right and fell asleep again. And I saw the same altar in the shape of a bowl and water bubbled at the top of it, and in it were many people endlessly. And there was no one whom I might question outside of the bowl. And I went up to the altar to view the spectacle. And I saw a little man, a barber, whitened with age, and he said to me, “What are you looking at?” I answered that I wondered at the boiling water and the men who were burning but remained alive. And he answered me saying, “The spectacle which you see is at once the entrance and the exit and the process.” I questioned him further, “What is the nature of the process?” And he answered saying, “It is the place of the practice called the embalming. Men wishing to obtain virtue enter here and, fleeing the body, become spirits.” I said to him, “And are you a spirit?”

And he answered, saying, “Both a spirit and a guardian of spirits.” As he was saying these things to me and the boiling increased and the people wailed, I saw a copper man holding a lead tablet in his hand. He spoke aloud, looking at the tablet, “I counsel all those in mortification to become calm and that each take in his hand a lead tablet and write with his own hand and that each bear his eyes upward and open his mouth until his grapes be grown.” The act followed the word and the master of the house said to me, “Have you stretched your neck up and have you seen what is done?” And I said that I had and he said to me, “This man of copper whom you have seen is the sacrificial priest and the sacrifice and he who vomited out his own flesh. To him was given authority over the water and over those men in mortification.” And when I had seen these visions, I woke again and said to myself, “What is the cause of this vision? Is this not the white and yellow water, boiling, sulphurous, divine?”

And I found that I understood well. And I said that it was good to speak and good to hear and good to give and good to receive and good to be poor and good to be rich. And how does the Nature learn to give and to receive? The copper man gives and the water stone receives; the thunder gives the fire that flashed from it. For all things are woven together and all things are taken apart and all things are mingled and all things combined and all things mixed and all things separated and all things are moistened and all things are dried and all things bud and all things blossom in the altar shaped like a bowl. For each, by method and by weight of the four elements, the interlacing and separation of the whole is accomplished for no bond can be made without method. The method is natural, breathing in and breathing out, keeping the orders of the method, increasing and decreasing. And all things by division and union come together in a harmony, the method not being neglected, the Nature is transformed. For the Nature, turning on itself, is changed. And the Nature is both the nature of the virtue and the bond of the world.

And, so that I need not write to you of many things, friend, build a temple of one stone, like ceruse, like alabaster, like marble of Proconnesus in appearance, having neither beginning nor end in its building. Let it have within, a pure stream of water glittering like sunlight. Notice on what side the entry to the temple is and take your sword in hand and seek the entry. For thin-mouthed is the place where the opening is and a serpent lies by it guarding the temple. First seize him in your hands and make a sacrifice of him. And having skinned him, cut his flesh from his bones, divide him, member from member, and having brought together again the members and the bones, make them a stepping stone at the entry to the temple and mount upon them and go in, and there you will find what you seek. For the priest whom you see seated in the stream gathering his colour, is not a man of copper. For he has changed the colour of his nature, and become a man of silver whom, if you wish, after a little time, you will have as a man of gold. Then, again wishing to ascend the seven steps and to behold the seven mortifications and, as it happened, one day only did I ascend the way. Retracing my steps, I thereupon ascended the way many times. And on returning, I could not find the way, and becoming discouraged, not seeing how to get out, I fell asleep. And I saw in my sleep a certain little man, a barber, wearing a red robe and royal garments, and he stood outside of the place of the mortifications and said, “What are you doing, Man?” I said to him, “I stand here because I have missed every road and am lost.” He said, “Follow me”.

And going out, I followed him. And being near to the place of the mortifications, I saw the little barber man leading me and he cast into the place of the mortifications and his whole body was consumed by fire. Seeing this, I fled and trembled from the fear and I woke and said to myself, “What is this that I have seen?” And again I took thought and determined that this barber man is the man of copper. It is necessary for the first step to throw him into the place of the mortifications. My soul again desired to ascend – the third step also. And again, alone, I went along the way, and as I drew near the place of the mortifications, again I got lost, losing sight of the path, and stood, out of my mind. And again I saw an old man of hair so white my eyes were blinded by the whiteness. His name was Agathodaemon. And the white old man, turning, looked on me for a whole hour. And I asked him, “Show me the right way.” He did not turn toward me but hastened to go on the right way. And going and coming in this manner he quickly affected the altar. As I went up to the altar I saw the white old man. He was cast into the mortifications. O Creator-gods of celestial natures – straightaway the flames took him up entire, which is a terrible story, my brother. For from the great energy of the mortifications his eyes became full with blood. And I questioned him saying, “Why do you lie there?” And he opened his mouth and said, “I am the man of lead and I am withstanding an intolerable force.”

And then I woke out of fear and sought in myself the cause of this fact. And again I reflected and said to myself, “I understand well that thus must one cast out the lead – truly the vision is concerning the combination of liquids.” And again I knew the theophany and again the sacred altar and I saw a certain priest clothed in white celebrating those same terrible mysteries and I said, “Who is this?” And answering he said to me, “This is the priest of the Adytum. He wishes to put blood into the bodies, to make the eyes clear, and to raise up the dead.” And again I fell asleep for a while and while I was mounting the fourth step I saw one with a sword in his hand coming out of the east. And I saw another behind him, holding a disk, white and shining and beautiful to behold. And it was called the meridian of the Sun and I approached the place of the mortifications and the one who held the sword said to me, “Cut off his head and sacrifice his meat and muscles part by part so that first the flesh may be boiled according to the method and that he might then suffer the mortifications.” And waking, I said, “I understand well that these matters concern the liquids of the art of the metals.” And the one who held the sword said, “You have fulfilled the seven steps beneath.” And the other said at the same time as the casting out of the lead by all the liquids, “The Work is completed.”[136]

The Seven Steps Contemplation In the Vision of Zosimos, we see key roles being enacted by a variety of figures, namely the Priest Ion, the copper man, the red-robed barber, and Agathodaemon. We also see key processes being carried out at different stages of the vision. There are also fragments of teaching which are directly given by the figures in their speeches and symbolically given by their actions. You may wish to contemplate how this series progresses and, more importantly, take it as a reflection of your magical and spiritual progress. You may also choose to relate this tale to any transformative or significant event in your own personal history or current life. For example, you might take the process of grief, moving house, the start of a new relationship, a journey abroad, or any other significant event, which you can then perceive through the deeper pattern alluded to within the vision. This type of contemplation provides a means of mapping our living experience to deeper archetypal patterns. In doing so, we come to practice our method of correspondence, creating ever-increasing connections in our world-view. We hence move towards a comprehensive, consistent and congruent state of unity, rather than simply adding more and more discrete items of separation.

Such mappings also provide meta-models of experience that are flexible in application. This should lead to an increasing ability to recognise patterns and predict behaviour in any system, whether it be a relationship, a company, a queue, or a crowd on the stock exchange or soccer pitch. If the learning is not useful, it should not be distracting – it is true that by our works we are known. The magician should come to lead an increasingly successful life if these models are useful; maybe not to the extent of a fulfilment of all worldly desires – knowing the context of such things is not a key driver in their attainment – but certainly the strength and wisdom should manifest to meet all events with a thorough appreciation of consequence and an ability to take action. Optional Dream Practices The most direct route into the mundus imaginalis and an appropriate technique to start to develop over the Crucible work is that of dream-work. We give here two techniques to recall dreams and work towards lucid dreaming. The recording of dreams is a useful adjunct to your magical journal – a practice which is commenced during the first month of the Crucible Club. The Fountain of Morpheus (An Initiated Method of Dream Recall)

As you approach sleep, begin to visualise an elaborate garden of labyrinthine design. Proceed in your imagination to the centre of this garden, taking time to feel the evening breeze, inhale the perfumes of the closing flowers, hear the call of nightingales as the Sun begins to set, touch the overhanging leaves of the bowing trees, and see the evening sky darken in hue. At the centre of this garden at last come to a fountain of intricate design, drawing water from some hidden depth, splashing and playing in streams and jets on marble dishes. Find a seat against the edge of the pool into which this fountain flows so that you can watch the individual globes of water as they fall in slow and precise patterns across your gaze. Notice that in each globe a nascent dream is being born – images swirling in moving crystal reflections. As you drift into sleep, find in one particular globe of water the dream you feel opening and fall into it, allowing yourself to enjoy the unfolding scenes, seeing what you would see, hearing what you would hear, feeling what you would feel in that very scene. If sleep does not find you immediately, you may choose to emerge from one globe of water to another, enjoying wholly different and various environments as your unconscious ingenuity provides. Know that when you awake you will leave these flowing beads of water to return briefly to the seat by the fountain of Morpheus so that you may recall your experiences before fully awakening. The practice of this meditation sequence prior to sleep, allied to the positioning of a notebook and pen by the sleeping space, will greatly improve dream recall and the vividness of dreams. It may also be used as a precursor to lucid dreaming experimentation.

Hand Observation for Lucid Dreaming The first step in learning to lucid dream is to observe one’s hands in activity prior to taking to one’s bed of an evening. Spend 10 minutes as you attend to your boudoir, noticing your hands in motion. Then rest and sleep as per your normal habit. Repeat this for several days with intention, and you may notice your sleep pattern changing or becoming disrupted with occasional waking starts during the night. This is when you observe your hands in your dreaming state and, due to the anchoring of your sight to your attention, you are brought to full awareness, awakening you. For a further three or four nights, add into your routine a certain sense of gentle curiosity. That is, start to idly wonder if what you are seeing as you ready for bed is in your awake state or your asleep state. Is it usual for the light switch to be there on the wall, the giraffe in the corner, and so forth? Remain unattached but curious – cultivate a certain sense of bemusement. If this works for you, you will suddenly find yourself in a dream-state, observing your own hands, whilst maintaining a certain curiosity that does not awaken you physically. You are now lucid dreaming. After a few false starts and sudden awakenings from this state, you will be able to maintain it long enough to look around, and lucidly interact with your dream environment. The Dream Journal: Liber Somniorum

Record any results in your regular magickal journal, or you may wish to open a new Liber Somniorum (Book of the Dreamers) to maintain that as a separate record. I recommend a Jungian approach to dream interpretation, allied to an understanding of correspondence. The advantage of working with systems of correspondence is that they are then utilised by the unconscious processes as means of communication. It becomes the case that kabbalists have kabbalistic dreams, and tarot students have dreams involving the figures on the cards. In this section we have started to look at the importance of imagination in our work. This relates to the sephirah of Yesod on the Tree of Life, which corresponds to The Moon. There are many other methods of visualisation, contemplation, imagination, and reflection, but a good foundation is to commence with dream recall and dream-work. Given contemplations on such powerful texts as the Emerald Tablet and the Vision of Zosimos, you will find your creative and imaginative realms being engaged far more vibrantly and ecstatically than mundane life usually allows.

The Magical Name “... at this bar you leave your name and assume another to be known only within our walls. Brethren and Sisters of Thelema, you know this novice; give her a name.”

W. Besant and J. Rice, The Monks of Thelema. [137]

The magickal name is an underrated magical tool, as powerful as the altar, wand or pentacle in defining our Will. In a sense, it is also an oath of aspiration; a naming of the rung on the ladder and our best guess at the next rung up. It should always be the highest ambition or aim we possess, stated in the most succinct manner. As an oath the taking of a magical name is also a contract with one’s angel, albeit one not reciprocated in the first grades. So we make it to ourselves and then we try to live up to it, slowly moving our centre from our given name to our inner name – our true and magical name.

We take a magical name at each grade, representing the 10 unique states and our personal experience and expression of our encounter with these states. The magical name should produce a strain on our being as a result of its ambition. Crowley likened this (when writing about the oath) as grasping a snake, previously safely asleep in the Sun. Once we have grasped it, we awaken it and must then engage in a constant battle with it, grasping it ever tighter, lest it escape and bite us. The temptations and distractions we face in everyday life are like the snake, as Crowley goes on to say: We have all of us these tendencies [ego ideas, inhibitions, points of view, temptations] latent in us; of most of them we might remain unconscious all our lives – unless they were awakened by our Magick. They lie in ambush. And every one must be awakened, and every one must be destroyed. Everyone who signs the oath of the Probationer is stirring up a hornets’ nest. A man has only to affirm his conscious aspiration; and the enemy is upon him.[138] The Purpose and Nature of the Magickal Name We choose a magickal name to accomplish a range of results: 1. An act of self-determination; 2. A reflection of our inner nature; 3. A statement of our aim/s; 4. An acknowledgement that we are an evolving identity;

5. An initiation into the tradition. The name can be a name or a motto. It is usually translated into another language, often classical, such as Latin or Greek. It can also be translated into Hebrew or Gaelic, for example, if you identify strongly with another culture.[139] The magickal name is often then abbreviated as an acronym of the full name or motto. This is partially for secrecy, partially for elitism and partially because it is how it has been done before. The magickal name should be chosen after considering your primary aim in pursuing this avenue of enquiry. Why are you working magickally? What’s the point? What is it that you are looking for? What is it that you truly desire? What is it that you think is ultimately true about your relationship to universe? What is your highest ideal or value? If you were stripped down to the core, what would be the last sentence? The name or motto can, of course, be entirely unrealistic and idealised. However, it is best stated in the positive; rather than ‘I Seek to Escape Darkness’, perhaps better, ‘I Seek to Enter into Light’. The gematria (Hebrew / kabbalistic numerology) of the name may have relevance, or the correspondence of the letters to tarot cards, or even the shape of the letters of the acronym themselves may have meaning. In one case, Aleister Crowley saw the initials of his motto, V.V.V.V.V., as being the ‘footprints of a camel’. This had profound significance to his image of the grade he was working within.

In a sense, this process of choosing a magickal name is modelled on the Tree of Life by the path of The Last Judgement, the tarot card on the path between Hod and Malkuth. The pillar of form descends into Malkuth, the Kingdom, corresponding to Assiah, the World of Action, with every decision and action. This determines what follows, and is always a last judgement, as time appears to move forwards from each decision. The difficulty in choosing a name, or the ease, is a symptom of your relationship to universe in the context of making decisions. It reflects your ability to function in a changing world by fixing a point, being content that it will serve you, and working with it. This is the trumpet call of The Last Judgement, being played time and time again in life. In one esoteric workbook, you did not get to choose a name until your fourth month of practice, as it is seen therein that you are presenting that name to the inner plane Adeptii, who “have strict ideas about how those entering their service should conduct themselves.”[140] We would not dare to disagree on this point. Salutations, Forms and Greetings The common form in many Western esoteric orders is to refer to fellow members as ‘brothers’ or ‘sisters’. This is done under the Latin, ‘brother’ being ‘frater’ and ‘sister’ being ‘soror’. From at least the 9th century, liturgy in the church utilised the phrase, “Orate, fraters et sorores,” meaning, “pray, brethren and sisters.” Some authors state that the usage is ‘from ancient times’, part of the ‘mystery schools’ or used secretly by ‘Rosicrucians’, but it has a far more common heritage and has been used openly in magical orders for some time. [141]

To address a fellow brother or sister, one uses the Latin word for ‘dear’, being ‘care’ (male) or ‘cara’ (female). Thus, for ‘dear brother’, ‘Care Frater’, or ‘dear sister’, ‘Cara Soror’. If you know the magickal name of the member, then you can use this following the ‘frater’ or ‘soror’, for example, ‘Care Frater F.P.’ The various plural forms for addressing ‘dear brothers’, ‘dear sisters’ or ‘dear brothers and sisters’ are as follows: Cari Fratres; Carae Sorores; Cari Fratres et Sorores; Carae Sorores et Fratres. A few variations of this favoured by groups as diverse as AMORC and the O.T.O., Freemasons and even Wiccans or Chaos magicians include: Avete (or Valete) literally ‘be healthy’, but generally used as ‘hello’; Ave, similar, meaning ‘goodbye’. That means that you could start an email, lecture or letter to the whole order with the rather cumbersome “Avete, Cari Fratres et Sorores!” or greet another member of the order whose magickal name you know with “Avete, Cara Soror D.O.” Formal Framing in the Order of Everlasting Day

Within the Crucible work, as an Outer Court of the Order of Everlasting Day, and within the full apprenticeship, we utilise two ‘framing’ sentences when we communicate, to remind ourselves of the important principles of our work. These frames are also used when I deliver lectures, whether they be to an esoteric or academic audience, publically or privately. They set the scene for a more considered communication. If you wish to adopt a formal framing of communication within the Work, the simplest one is to sign off your communication with: In the Great Work, Frater / Soror [your magickal name]. That reminds you, and the recipient, that the communication is within the context of the work that you are mutually embarked upon. The alternative full framing for the Outer Court and apprenticeship work is to commence all communication with: By our Work we are changed. And to sign off all communication with: The Worker is hidden in the workshop.

This reminds us that all our work and communication is to serve the process of self-development, understanding and change, and is not merely idle gossip or ego-serving delivery. It also reminds us that we are working on ourselves, not on others, and need not demonstrate any change other than that which occurs naturally within our work. Later grades within the order, for those that choose to go beyond the Crucible or apprenticeship program, have corresponding frames which remind us of the work, challenge and nature of the particular grade. The frames are also a form of breathing in and out at the start of a piece of communication, and for an advanced concept, may be considered as the Sign of the Enterer (projection) and the Sign of Silence (withdrawal) at the start and end of a magical ritual, which should apply to all true communication. Here is a sample communication showing this form: Care Frater F.P. By our work we are changed. It is with interest that I read ... [text of message] The Worker is hidden in the workshop. Soror S.L.I.

The tool of the magical name is also a long term exploration. It is something that we return to later and find new insight and perspective. In terms of coming to understand our history – our enquiry – it is a useful exercise to review the reasons for choosing our name at regular intervals. This is a cumulative process if one proceeds through the grades of the initiation system and takes a new name for each grade. For example, my Zelator name was Propositum Perfectio Est, which is Latin for ‘I propose perfection’. The best way of wording my initial motto which was ‘All things tend to perfection’. I was very much influenced by such books as The Unfinished Universe which gave a scientific view on the incompleteness of universe and for me embodied the evolutionary spirit of magick.[142] Looking back 30 years later, of course, I see that it was me who felt incomplete, unfinished and imperfect, and wished to see myself as ideally tending towards a perfect state. My Adeptus Minor name was F.P. for ‘Firmitatem Petere’ which comes from the full motto, ‘Cognitatione sui secumque colloquio firmitatem petere’. This means (in essence) ‘he comes to himself through knowledge and conversation’, and it was the name I took after the Abramelin ritual. It stayed with me for seven years. We will now list a selection of magical names and translations for your own inspiration.

Selected List of Magical Names and Mottos Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn Julian Baker – Causa Scientiae (Latin: ‘For the sake of knowledge’) Edward Berridge – Resurgam (Latin: ‘I will rise again’) Aleister Crowley – Perdurabo (Latin: ‘I Will endure to the end’)[143] Florence Farr – Sapientia Sapienti Dona Data (Latin: ‘Wisdom is a gift given to the wise’) F.L. Gardner – De Profundis Ad Lucem (Latin: ‘From the depths to the light’) Maud Gonne – Per Ignem ad Lucem (Latin: ‘Through fire to the light’) Annie Horniman – Fortiter et Recte (Latin: ‘Strongly and rightly’) Moina Bergson Mathers – Vestigia nulla retrorsum (Latin: ‘I never retrace my steps’) Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers (founder) – ‘S Rioghail Mo Dhream (Gaelic: ‘Royal is my race’) Mrs. Simpson – Perseverantia et Cura Quies (Latin: ‘Perseverance and care for rest’) Miss Elaine Simpson –Fidelis (Latin: ‘Faithful’) Colonel Webber – Non Sine Numine (Latin: ‘Not without divine favour’) William Wynn Westcott (founder) – Sapere Aude (Latin: ‘Dare to Know’)

A.F.A. Woodford – Sit Lux et Lux Fuit (Latin: ‘Let there be light, and there was light’) William Robert Woodman (founder) – Magna est Veritas (Latin: ‘Great is the Truth’) William Butler Yeats – Demon est Deus inversus (Latin: ‘The demon is the reverse of God’) Alpha et Omega Allen Bennett – Iehi Aour (Hebrew: ‘Let there be light’) J.W. Brodie-Innes – Sub Spe (Latin: ‘Under hope’) Dion Fortune – Deo, non fortuna (Latin: ‘By God, not by chance’) Mrs. Tranchell-Hayes – Ex Fide Fortis (Latin: ‘Strong through faith’) Stella Matutina Harriet Felkin – Soror Quaestor Lucis (Latin: ‘Seeker of light’) Robert Felkin – Frater Finem Respice (Latin: ‘Look to the end’) Mr. Meakin – Frater Ex Orient Lux (Latin: ‘Light from the East’) Israel Regardie – Ad Majoram Adonai Gloriam (Latin: ‘For the greater glory of the Lord’) Argenteum Astrum J.F.C. Fuller – Per Ardua ad Astra (Latin: ‘By struggle to the stars’) Charles Stansfeld Jones – Unus In Omnibus (Latin: ‘One in All’) and also Parsival George Cecil Jones – Volo Noscere (Latin: ‘I Wish to Know’)

Victor Neuburg – Omnia Vincam (Latin: ‘I will conquer all’) Austin Osman Spare – Yihoveaum Jane Wolfe – Estai (Greek: ‘It will be’) Ordo Templi Orientis William Breeze – Hymenaeus Beta George Macnie Cowie – Fiat Pax (Latin: ‘Let there be peace’) Karl Germer – Saturnus Grady McMurtry – Hymenaeus Alpha

The Rituals and Practices “There is no greater miracle than being present. Everything begins and never ends from this.” — Robert Earl Burton, Self-Remembering[144]

In this section we will present the basic ritual exercises of the Neophyte in the O.E.D. which are similar in procedure to many other groups. However, our contextualisation of these rituals is informed by four decades of exploration and practice, so they are given in a new light – a light that shines from their ultimate destination. We say “by our work we are changed” and there is indeed no other simple truth at this grade than ‘you get what you put in’. These rituals are preparatory in different ways for the ritual of Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. It is far more likely to accomplish that demanding work if you have several years or more practice of these components.

We cannot stress highly enough that nothing will happen without work. Boring, repetitive, often non-resultant work. If you are not willing to rather sweep the temple floor for the rest of your life than live as you are, and demonstrate such even if the gates remain closed, you will never be invited one summer into the monastery. The rituals and practices of the Neophyte are embodied in four tarot cards: Temperance - Middle Pillar exercise The Magician - Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram The Hierophant - Rose Cross The Sun - Liber Resh The corresponding letters for these cards are Samekh + Beth + Vau + Resh which spell SBVR or “thinking”. It here refers to us acting ourselves into a new way of thinking, rather than thinking our way into a new way of acting. In the technical practice for the first month of membership of the OED, the student is asked to perform an ‘observation’. This is a regular ritual that has no direct intention other than to mark the passage of time. However, as you will come to learn and experience, it can have powerful effects upon your life. It works with one of the foundations of our encounter with the universe: time. We ourselves are built from the trinity of time, values (beliefs and actions) and self-image. In tarot these fundamental building blocks of our relationship to reality are seen as: Wheel of Fortune - Time (fate and destiny)

The Hanged Man - Values (beliefs and actions) The Star - Self-image (vision) If we were to create a square of this triangle, we would add: The Blasted Tower - Communication It is these cornerstones that our initial magical work attacks, to release their hold upon the dreaming mind. The constant repetition of spells, rituals, magical exercises, and divinations (or any other habitual act of life – for from one perspective, all acts are spells, rituals, exercises, and a form of divination) is often an ego-created trap; for the simple but overarching purpose of these acts as experiments and demonstrations of our reality structure is often forgotten. When allied to the WEIS, they become powerful components leading to initiatory state-change, and whilst attractive, must not become simply more wallpaper on the inside of our cell. We aim to escape, not decorate. The transcendence of time is a commonly realised experience in mystical states, and Philip K. Dick goes further to suggest that “the purpose of the mysteries was to free the initiate from ‘astral determinism’, which roughly equals fate.” He further saw this task as belonging to the WEIS:

It all had to do with time. “Time can be overcome,” Mircea Eliade wrote. That’s what it’s all about. The great mystery of Eleusis, of the Orphics, of the early Christians, of Serapis, of the Greco-Roman mystery religions, of Hermes Trismegistos, of the Renaissance Hermetic alchemists, of the RoseCross Brotherhood, of Apollonius of Tyana, of Simon Magus, of Asklepios, of Paracelsus, of Bruno, consists of the abolition of time. The techniques are there.[145] Although the Liber Resh observation is a commonly known practice, and can be found with many variations, it is often given by default, without a clear indication of its place in the overall initiatory scheme. We will first look at some of the many reasons this observation is important, and additionally comment upon and discuss its actual practice in the real world. The ritual itself uses Ancient Egyptian god-forms. There are a number of reasons for this, including that the author, Aleister Crowley, was versed in the myths of Ancient Egypt, and that the Egyptians had a system in which the Sun was seen in different forms dependent upon the time of day and night. Hence, a different god-form was associated with the Sun on the Eastern horizon and the Western horizon, or for the midnight Sun. It reminds us in practice of our model from the Emerald Tablet that we saw at the opening of this volume of The Magister: “so all things were born from this one thing by adaptation.” In the performance of Liber Resh we remind ourselves constantly and implicitly that the one thing is being observed as many apparently different things. This is the true secret of the ritual.

Although Egyptology has moved on dramatically since Crowley’s day, in some cases revising the names of the gods entirely, or clarifying obscure concepts, we here utilise the original names for the sake of learning the basic form as originally composed and taught. In later work, one can revise the names and stations to accord with a more contemporary understanding of ancient Egyptian myth and religious thought. In the second practice (the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram) you will start to re-orientate yourself to magickal space. As a result, after several months you will start to experience yourself in relation to the universe in a whole new light; your awareness existing in a new matrix of time and space which will progressively strengthen and bring insight the more it is practiced.

Liber Resh (Solar Adoration) This observational ritual is taken directly from the work of Aleister Crowley who we will meet later in a whole volume of The Magister. It is a practice for the student to conduct at regular intervals during the day and night. At first, you should carry out this practice as you find it convenient – there is no initial requirement to perform it exactly at the stated times of sunrise, noon, sunset, and midnight. However, you should aim to practice as close to these times as possible. The aim is to make the practice a regular and consistent observation, with as little variation as possible. As we have noted, the unstated intention of this work – from many years of practice and review – is to establish a re-orientation of yourself to time. This is absolutely fundamental to preparing yourself for later magical and mystical experience. There are future experiences that you will look back upon and find yourself realising that you are looking at time differently. This solar observation establishes a framework in which these experiences can manifest and be maintained without throwing your whole life out of balance. Another of the many effects of this practice is to widen your perspective. The word ‘perspective’ comes from the Latin ‘to see through’, and when we work on perspective our aim is to ‘see through’ the apparent world and our experience into another realm – a magical world. In the practice of Liber Resh we align our sense of time to the orbit of the Earth about the Sun, and so become attendant on that more cosmic cycle.

You may find yourself experiencing the ‘breath’ or ‘tides’ of energy that your body goes through during the day and night with more sensitivity as a result of this practice. Another aspect of this simple but powerful ritual is that we make a physical statement of our ‘grade’ of understanding at each point of the cycle. That is to say, we not only say “Hey, here I am, a being in time,” but we also reaffirm, “And here is what I currently know about my relationship to the universe,” in making the sign of our ‘grade’. This aligns our oath to enquire about this relationship at every point of the cycle, and reaffirms it constantly as a powerful statement of our Will. We will first give the ritual exactly as it was given by Aleister Crowley and then we will make a few comments to assist your performance of the ritual.[146]

Liber Resh vel Helios sub figura CC These are the adorations to be performed by aspirants to the A

∴ A ∴ Let

him greet the Sun at dawn, facing East, giving the sign of his grade. And let him say in a loud voice: Hail unto Thee who art Ra in Thy rising, even unto Thee who art Ra in Thy strength, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Uprising of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Night! Also at Noon, let him greet the Sun, facing South, giving the sign of his grade. And let him say in a loud voice: Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy triumphing, even unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy beauty, who travellest over the heavens in thy bark at the Mid-course of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Morning! Also, at Sunset, let him greet the Sun, facing West, giving the sign of his grade. And let him say in a loud voice:

Hail unto Thee who art Tum in Thy setting, even unto Thee who art Tum in Thy joy, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Down-going of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Day! Lastly, at Midnight, let him greet the Sun, facing North, giving the sign of his grade, and let him say in a loud voice: Hail unto thee who art Khephra in Thy hiding, even unto Thee who art Khephra in Thy silence, who travellest over the heavens in Thy bark at the Midnight Hour of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Evening! And after each of these invocations thou shalt give the sign of silence, and afterward thou shalt perform the adoration that is taught thee by thy Superior. And then do thou compose Thyself to holy meditation. Also it is better if in these adorations thou assume the God-form of Whom thou adorest, as if thou didst unite with Him in the adoration of That which is beyond Him. Thus shalt thou ever be mindful of the Great Work which thou hast undertaken to perform, and thus shalt thou be strengthened to pursue it unto the attainment of the Stone of the Wise, the Summum Bonum, True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness.

Commentary & Practice In using these names, we recognise the eternal light as passing through different forms in time. In a sense, this mirrors our awareness of reality – light passing through different configurations in time. It prepares our awareness for later lessons, which you will come to learn as we progress. This regular adoration practice also teaches you a relationship to a ‘higher’ force that is one of recognition and respect, but not slavery or worship. It also sets up a regular rhythm of practice outside and within your everyday life. It also places your awareness in the centre of time as you perceive it, again a useful foundation for later work. The language is not too important. It is the words used by Crowley, based upon poor translations of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, whose actual pronunciation is unknown. The ‘sign of the grade’ is important but not essential. For a beginner student within the OED, it is the Neophyte sign. It is a sign of projection, raising both arms ahead and parallel to your eyes, with palms down – almost as it about to perform a dive into water. You look down your arms into the far distance, and visualise light streaming into infinity. You then drop your right arm and hand, and raise your left hand to your mouth to make the ‘Sign of Silence’ which is a finger to the lips. This ‘seals’ back the energy that you have projected. These signs are also explained as follows:

The Sign of the Enterer: Stand erect. Your palms facing down, draw your hands up the sides of your body until they point, fingers forward, at either side of your head. Step forward with your left foot and thrust your arms forward. Called the Sign of Horus, this sign assists you in sending your energy forward towards an object of adoration. It is usually accompanied by an outgoing of breath. The Sign of Silence: This sign has the effect of withdrawing the energy projected in the Sign of the Enterer, and ending your identification with the object of adoration. It is also called the Sign of Harpocrates, and its significance as such is without end. Stand upright. Bring your left index finger to your lips as though telling someone to be quiet. Simultaneously stamp your left foot, gently and firmly, or take an in-breath. The meditation to perform once you have completed the adoration and the signs is upon The Sun tarot card (or simply take a few moments to be with yourself in silence). You can also contemplate the words of the Emerald Tablet or consider the Vision of Zosimos. At this stage there is no requirement for heavy meditation; a simple marking of time and attention of awareness is all that is necessary. This practice should be done as close to sunrise, noon, sunset, and midnight as convenient, and regularly. If you cannot see the Sun, or are slightly late or early, no matter – perform the adoration. If you miss an adoration, perform the next one as usual and leave the missed one. You should also record the observation in your magical diary or journal.

With regard to the positions adopted in the Liber Resh, you are advised to make the ‘sign of your grade’, which as a Neophyte is the Sign of the Enterer followed by the Sign of Silence. This projects energy and withdraws it, and symbolises that as a Neophyte you are awakening and learning to control (albeit unconsciously at present) elemental energies. I do not believe that you should do different signs at different times of the day; to me, you are recognising your state-of-being (‘grade’) in time when you do Liber Resh, and your state-of-being in space when you practice the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. Unless you have changed grade during the day, then you would adopt the same sign at all times. The Sign of Harpocrates is made with the left hand, although the figure is historically most often depicted with the right hand to the mouth. It is certainly made with the left in the Golden Dawn. Strangely, the gesture as made by Harpocrates is not actually anything to do with ‘silence’ or the ‘hush’ motion or sound, but was actually a sign which represented the particular hieroglyph of the god. It is only after the Ancient Egyptians that the sign, and therefore the god’s association with silence, was made. At a more mystical level, Harpocrates also represents the ‘Silent Watcher’ which is your Holy Guardian Angel, and the aim of the elemental grades of initiation. You are already falling back into yourself to prepare to meet your angel, even within this basic signing and practice.

Vignette: Airport Adoration Frater F.P. found himself at dawn in an airport whilst performing the Abramelin operation, for which Liber Resh is in part a preparation and practice. As it was essential that he performed the observation, he managed to locate the ‘All Faith Chapel’ room and find a member of staff to unlock it. However, he was still dressed in a suit and tie, and carrying his briefcase and laptop, required for the business trip. So he performed the practice (also involving a Banishing Ritual and vibrating names) and prayers so dressed. At the point of completion, he looked up and realised that there was a closed-circuit television camera in the room. He imagines that is still doing the rounds as the security company’s top 10 videos.

Liber Qoph vel Lunae The Book of the Moon, a Lunar Observation. In this variant form of the Liber Resh practice, initiates of the OED equilibriate their solar and conscious observations with a reflective recognition of unconscious patterns. The Moon is symbolic of our inner life, and as corresponding with Yesod, as the Sun corresponds to Tiphareth, their equal activation in our life, Malkuth, is depicted by the Temperance tarot card. The lunar observation is only made once daily, at night or before sleep, ideally gazing upon the Moon in her station. The wording, given as a cycling litany, is given as appropriate for the Moon in her four aspects: waxing, full, waning, and new.[147] Litany of the Younger Daughter (Waxing Moon) O Younger Moon, blessed be thou, O Daughter of my Soul, blessed be thou, O Thou Who Grows in Darkness, blessed be thou, O Silent Seed of Light, blessed be thou. Come forth my soul, to know its depths in Thy Light, reflected in mine eye. Litany of the Mother (Full Moon) O Mother Moon, honoured be thou, O Mirror of Creation, honoured be thou,

O Thou who holds all Secrets, honoured be thou, O Memory Full of Treasures, honoured be thou. Come forth my soul, to know its depths In Thy Light, reflected in mine eye.

Litany of the Older Daughter (Waning Moon) O Elder Moon, remembered be thou, O Pale Dew, remembered be thou, O Thou who changes all, remembered be thou, O Well of Tears, remembered be thou. Come forth my soul, to know its depths in Thy Light, reflected in mine eye. Litany of the Innocent (New Moon) O Innocent Moon, enchanted be thou, O Lost Soul, enchanted be thou, O thou who is unknown and unbidden, enchanted be thou, O secret sea, enchanted be thou. Come forth my soul, to know its depths in Thy Light, reflected in mine eye.

The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. The practice of casting a circle is well documented in magical work and a common element to many esoteric practices and traditions.

The word

‘temple’ comes from a root meaning to ‘separate’, as does ‘sacred’, to ‘remove from the profane’. Thus, any circle cast creates a temple boundary. When I teach this personally, I teach students to create a circle, charge it with a colour / sound / texture that reflects their will, then extend it to the edges of universe. Thus universe becomes the temple, and all boundaries are removed. I would encourage you to adopt this approach. In the Temple of Anubis, who is guardian of the gates, we learn here to create a circle and space of working with four elemental guardians at the four geographical quarters. We also perform a simple gestural ritual called the Kabbalistic Cross which maps to the sephiroth on the Tree of Life. In doing this ritual – ideally at the commencement and completion of each day – we establish a space in which our world becomes a magical temple. Notes Prior to Commencing the Practice 1. There is no particular pronunciation, as I have heard magicians with a very ‘Geordie’ (North-East England) accent performing the ritual, and it is a very different sound to a Californian or native speaker of Hebrew! The vibration should be controlled by the breathing out – the exhalation – and should vibrate through the whole body, so aim for a deep, sonorous tone and a comfortable volume.

2. You can use your index finger, or an elemental weapon. It is best to start with your own body before extending the practice to other objects, which you need to ensure carry the same intention. 3. Start East. 4. The vibration of those names are four aspects of the universe, or ‘names of God’. Each represents a certain configuration of energies, which can be ascertained by looking at the Hebrew letters that compose each name and relating them to their corresponding tarot cards. 5. The Kabbalistic Cross is the statement, “Ateh, Malkuth, veh-Geburah, veh-Gedulah, Amen,” with the corresponding actions of drawing a Cross upon the body – this activates the Tree of Life in your aura. 6. The direction of the line drawn for the banishing pentagram starts with the bottom left corner, goes up to the top point, then follows that direction until the pentagram is drawn. I always relate this to my left hip, ahead of me, then my head, ahead, then my right hip, left shoulder, right shoulder, then back to the level of my left hip. What you are doing for the banishing is drawing the first line AWAY from the point attributed to EARTH on the pentagram. When you invoke, you draw the line starting from the top point, TOWARDS the point attributed to EARTH. For the ‘Greater’ Banishing Ritual, you learn the attribution of the elements to the points, then, for example, to INVOKE FIRE, you would draw the first line TOWARDS the point attributed to FIRE. Although when you do this, because you are in effect working with an ‘unbalanced’ energy, you have to draw an ‘equilibrating’ pentagram first. I hope that makes sense in theory – don’t worry about it too much at the moment in practice.

The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram 1. Stand facing East in the centre of room with feet together. 2. Perform the Kabbalistic Cross: Touch forehead and say, “Ateh” Touch chest and say, “Malkuth” Touch right shoulder and say, “Ve-Geburah” Touch left shoulder and say, “Ve-Gedulah” Put palms together over chest and say, “Le-Olahm, Amen” 3. Surround yourself with pentagrams: Draw a large pentagram before you, starting at the bottom left point; Point to the centre of the pentagram and vibrate “Y-H-V-H” Draw a line to the centre of what will become the South pentagram; Draw a large pentagram before you, starting at the bottom left point. [If you are unsure about the pentagram, see www.westernesotericism.com for a fully illustrated version] Point to the centre of the pentagram and vibrate “Adonai” Draw a line to the centre of what will become the West pentagram; Draw a large pentagram before you, starting at the bottom left point; Point to the centre of the pentagram and vibrate “Eheieh”

Draw a line to the centre of what will become the North pentagram; Draw a large pentagram before you, starting at the bottom left point; Point to the centre of the pentagram and vibrate “AGLA” Draw a line to the centre of the East pentagram. 4. The Elemental Kerubim – with your feet still together and facing East, extend your arms horizontally, palms up, and say: “Before me, Raphael, Behind me, Gabriel, On my Right, Michael, On my Left, Auriel, For before me flames the pentagram, And behind me shines the six-rayed star.” 5. Repeat the Kabbalistic Cross. Visualisations. 1. Visualise yourself as being of immense height, standing with your head among the stars, and with your feet on the Earth like someone balancing on a soccer ball. 2. Kabbalistic Cross visualisations: “Ateh (m), Ata (f)” – Kether above your head, a sphere of pure brilliance; “Malkuth” – Malkuth in your chest cavity, in radiant yellow-gold; “VeGeburah” – Geburah envelopes your right shoulder, in radiant red; “Ve-Gedulah” – Chesed envelopes your left shoulder, in radiant blue; “Le-Olahm, Amen” – You fill the Universe, encased in light.

3. Pentagrams and their connecting lines are drawn on the boundaries of the universe. Draw pentagrams and connecting lines in electric blue (like a laser or welding torch). As you vibrate the names, visualise them within the pentagram in black Hebrew letters on a white background – ‘white fire on black’, as the kabbalists say of holy script. To vibrate the names, take a deep breath, visualising a current of light descending from Kether (above your head) to Malkuth (below, but slightly enveloping, your feet). Hold your breath and maintain the visualisation of light in Malkuth for a moment, while you mentally rehearse the divine name. Then, as you expel the air from your lungs in the saying of the name, visualise the light rising up from Malkuth like a fountain, flowing out through the top of your head, overflowing and enveloping your body in the ovoid form of the aura. East: YHVH (Yod-Heh-Vau-Heh) South: ADONAI (Aleph-Daleth-Nun-Yod) West: EHEIEH (Aleph-Heh-Yod-Heh) North: AGLA (Aleph-Gimel-Lamed-Aleph) 4. The Elemental Kerubim should be visualised accompanying the Pentagrams. They are tall winged humans with heads appropriate to their Elements: Raphael - Human Gabriel - Eagle

Michael - Lion Auriel - Bull ‘The pentagram’ – these are the five Sephiroth from Tiphareth to Malkuth; visualise as the apparent Universe. ‘The six-rayed star’ – these are the six sephiroth from Kether to Tiphareth; visualise as a star of enormous brilliance. 5. Kabbalistic Cross (as per above). This ritual should be practised in stages until you can perform the whole in a simple yet forceful manner. It should be practised at the start and end of each day. Its continual working over an extended period of time will establish its own routine and revelations. You may notice that in establishing such a willed and equilibrated space, those elements of your life that are not so balanced will be called into attention. This may result in some disruption to your routine. Such disruptions should be taken as evidence that you are working towards balance and not as distractions or challenges to your work. The regular performance of this ritual in a particular place should generate an atmosphere which is noticeable to those entering the space, even in a domestic setting. As one unknowing friend once remarked, “Have you done something with the room? Redecorated?”

The Self in Relationship (Middle Pillar) The Middle Pillar exercise completes a triad of practices given to the Neophyte. In Liber Resh, we re-orientate ourselves to magickal time; in the Banishing Ritual, we re-orientate ourselves to magickal space; and in the Middle Pillar exercise, we re-orientate ourselves to the magickal Self. Although there are many other useful effects of these rituals – a sense of balance, of equilibrium, a serenity and calmness of movement and rhythm that permeates the aura after several months of practice – it is these three orientations that begin to have a profound effect over practice. We are apparent selves existing in time and space. These three methods integrate themselves into this apparent state to achieve the building blocks of later mystical experience. This is not to be underestimated nor taken as basic techniques; they can provide the conduits for intense mystical experience later in the work and assist us integrate that experience into our life. Our practice in the next Temple, the Rose Cross Ritual, will weave these three orientations together into a whole in order to maintain an ongoing synthesis of practice in a harmonious manner. For now, it is useful – indeed essential – to pick up the pace and maintain your practices of three rituals – Liber Resh at regular daily intervals, the Lesser Banishing Ritual at least daily, and the Middle Pillar at least once a week.

Later work beyond the Crucible sees us learn the Greater Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, and also an invoking version which allows us to work more dynamically with the four elements. Beyond even that we learn the hexagram version, which takes us from equilibriating and interacting with the forces of the elemental world into the forces of the planetary world. There are further versions of Liber Resh and the Middle Pillar which change in accordance with our progress in the ascent upon the Tree of Life and our own changes of awareness and state. It is Israel Regardie to whom we owe most of the development of the Middle Pillar method. As a therapist as well as a magician he saw the potential of this practice to equilibrate the Self. As you progress with your theory work, learning more about the Tree of Life, these two elements will inform each other and deepen both.[148] Although we see this ritual as re-orientating to the Self, we also see it as the Self-in-relationship. This is important in our contemplation of the method; to see the Self not in itself, but as an entity defined by its relationship – to others, to the world, to the divine, and to itself. It is an eye that sees itself. Notes Prior to Commencing the Practice As you learn the correspondences in your theory work, and learn the colours of the sephiroth, then you may visualise them in the appropriate colours during this exercise. I also recommend obtaining information on the Golden Dawn techniques of building the Tree of Life into the aura and the work of Israel Regardie by the same name, The Middle Pillar, to deepen your appreciation of this exercise.

In this exercise we establish ourselves as the Middle Pillar of the Tree of Life by visualising the central sephiroth of the Tree within our own body / aura. We visualise the sephiroth as spheres – although we must remind ourselves they are ‘numerical emanations’ and not spheres nor objects of any description – and vibrate (chant slowly with intent) the corresponding divine name in Hebrew. The meanings of these divine names is given, and as your practice continues you can contemplate these names as demonstrating different stages and states of Self-relationship, and notice to which you are more attracted or repelled. This is a powerful method hidden within the method and a secret of initiatory work. You may also contemplate the individual Hebrew letters and the corresponding tarot cards, in order to see how these sephiroth function as building blocks of the Self / universe in relation to itself.

The Middle Pillar Method 1. Stand facing West in your temple or working area (or imagine that you are, if you are elsewhere). The Pillars of Mercy and Severity should be to your left and right, with the white Pillar of Mercy on your left, and the black Pillar of Severity on your right hand side. You form (or become) the Middle Pillar as you stand between them. You may also visualise a ladder behind you [this is specific to the work of the Order of the Everlasting Day for which the Crucible is the Outer Court].

2. Imagine that the black pillar is reflected into your right side, and the white pillar reflected into your left side. 3. Now raise your consciousness to the light of your Kether – the area just above the crown of your head (the literal meaning of the word, Kether). Formulate in your mind a sphere of brilliant white light there. This is the divine core of your being. When you can see it and feel it in your mind strongly enough, vibrate (three or four times) slowly: “Eheieh” (Eh-HEH-yeh) meaning ‘I am that I am (Existence is Existence)’ Hebrew letters: Aleph-Heh-Yod-Heh Tarot sequence: The Fool / The Emperor / The Hermit / The Emperor Vibrate this word until it is the only thought in your conscious mind. 4. Imagine a shaft of light beaming down from your Kether into the energy centre about the level of the nape of your neck / throat. Here, visualise another sphere of light similar to your Kether, though smaller in size. This is your Da’ath centre. It is an important gateway of knowledge and communication, and represents knowledge. When you can feel this sphere strongly, vibrate slowly (three or four times, etc.): “YHVH Elohim” (Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh Eh-loh-heem) meaning ‘Lord of Hosts’ Hebrew letters: Yod-Heh-Vau-Heh Aleph-Heh-Yod-Mem

Tarot sequence: The Hermit / The Emperor / The Hierophant / The Emperor + The Fool / The Emperor / The Hermit / The Hanged Man 5. Bring a shaft of light from your Da’ath center straight down until it reaches the level of your heart. This is your Tiphareth centre. Visualise a sphere of light similar to the others. Regardie says in The Middle Pillar, “from there a warmth and a quite different sense of power will gently radiate as though from an interior sun.” This is your inner beauty and the beauty of the Self in relation to the divine through gnosis / knowledge (Tiphareth – Da’ath – Kether). When you can feel this sphere strongly, vibrate slowly: “YHVH Eloah Ve-Daath” (Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh Eh-loh-ah Veh-Dah-Ath) meaning ‘Lord of Knowledge’ Hebrew letters: Yod-Heh-Vau-Heh Aleph-Lamed-Vau-Heh Vau-DalethAyin-Tau Tarot sequence: The Hermit / The Emperor / The Hierophant / The Emperor + The Fool / Justice / The Hierophant / The Emperor + The Hierophant / The Empress / The Devil / The World 6. Bring the shaft of light from your Tiphareth centre straight down until it reaches the Yesod center in the genital region. Imagine another sphere of light there. When you can feel it strongly, vibrate slowly as before:

“Shaddai El Chai” (Shah-dye-El-Chai, with ‘Ch’ being a coughy ‘kH’ sound as in the German ‘Ch’ or the Scottish ‘Loch’) meaning ‘Almighty Living God’ Hebrew letters: Shin-Daleth-Yod Aleph-Lamed Cheth-Yod Tarot sequence: The Last Judgement / The Empress / The Hermit + The Fool / Justice + The Chariot / The Hermit 7. Imagine the shaft of light descending from Yesod into your Malkuth centre at your feet and ankles. You should be stood upon this sphere. When you can feel this sphere strongly, vibrate slowly as before: “Adonai ha-Aretz” (Ah-doh-nye ha-Ah-retz) meaning ‘Lord of Earth’ Hebrew letters: Aleph-Daleth-Nun-Yod Heh-Aleph-Resh-Tzaddi Tarot sequence: The Fool / The Empress / Death / The Hermit + The Emperor / The Fool / The Sun / The Star 8. At this point, according to Regardie, you may “make the Kabbalistic Cross [that you have learnt as part of your previous Crucible work in the Lesser Banishing Ritual] to indicate that you have called the Light of your Kether and balanced it in your aura.” Circulation of the Light

Here are some additional energy circulation exercises that are worth experimentation following the Middle Pillar exercise. You may find that each method works in a different way, some more appropriate for you than others. I personally recommend the third circulation which is that also favoured by Regardie. Here we draw up the light from our Malkuth to our Kether on the in-breath, and cascade it like a fountain down all around us back to Malkuth on the out-breath. This forms an oval seed-like shape around our whole self, through which we enter into a relationship with our Self and our environment mediated by the sephiroth. If you choose to experiment with these methods, I also recommend using one for a couple of days in order to notice its effect before moving onto another (unless it makes you dizzy, or feel unbalanced, in which case move to another). Circulation 1: Exhale and visualise the light from your Kether travelling down the left side of your body and into Malkuth. Inhale and bring it from Malkuth up the right side of your body back into Kether. Circulation 2: Imagine a ribbon of light descending from your Kether and going down along the front of your body to Malkuth, and then going up along your back and returning to Kether. Circulation 3: Bring the light up your Middle Pillar and when it reaches your Kether, imagine it showering down along the outside of your body as it returns to Malkuth.

Circulation 4: Spiral the energy around the outside of your body from Malkuth to Kether. This ritual should be practised in stages until you can perform the whole in a simple yet forceful manner. It should be practised at least once a week, or preferably daily, certainly when learning the method. You may write out the divine names on cards and have them where you can read them out loud. As with our previous exercises, its continual working over an extended period of time will establish its own routine and revelations. You will also begin to experience how the triad of exercises you are now performing integrate with each other and other emergent properties arise. You might see this exercise in the tarot card of Temperance. It should also be repeated that you may notice that in establishing such a willed and equilibrated space in the banishing ritual, which may precede the Middle Pillar (although later we will use the Rose Cross before the Middle Pillar, as a gentler method and more appropriate preparation), and then establishing a willed and calibrated relationship to the Self and relationship to the environment through the Middle Pillar, that those elements of your life that are not so balanced will be called into attention. This may result in some disruption to your routine and the way that you see others and your relationship to them. Such disruptions and changes of perspective should be taken as evidence that you are working towards balance and not as distractions or challenges to your work. At this stage, if you have not already started the practical work, or started and dropped it, then you should consider whether this path is for you, as it is not too late to re-commence your work and establish the calcination required for later revelations and initiation.

The Peace Profound of the Rose Cross and Key Our technical practice of the Rose Cross (and Key) squares the triangle of previous techniques and prepares us for another order of work. It is a spatial method similar to the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, but one in which we work to the centre rather than out from the centre. It is called the Rose Cross Ritual and was developed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and, like the Middle Pillar, was favoured and popularised by Israel Regardie.[149] As we have previously discussed in Liber Resh, we re-orientate ourselves to magickal time, and in the Banishing Ritual, we re-orientate ourselves to magickal space. In the Midlle Pillar exercise, we re-orientate ourselves to the magickal Self. Here we now re-orientate that Self to the centre and its relationship to the whole. The energy of this ritual can be compared with the Lesser Banishing Ritual and you should find it a more calming, passive, meditative state after initial practice. This is an ideal technique for meditation, contemplation and healing work. It is said that this method closes down the astral, whereas the Lesser Banishing Ritual lights it up. It is certainly a powerful and profound method of moving into a state of tranquility, in contrast to the dynamic force of the pentagram which prepares us for active magical work. I would recommend learning this ritual and performing it with peaceful music and lightly-fragranced incense. Japanese incense is ideal, or a blended incense of rose or jasmine.

In the sense of the map of the Tree of Life, this method corresponds to the sephirah Tiphareth, meaning ‘beauty’ and the grade of Adeptus Minor. As such, it corresponds to the experience of the pure Self, undifferentiated awareness, and a lightness of being. These may all be experienced within this technique after practice.

The Rose Cross Ritual 1a. Light a stick of incense. Go to the South-East corner of the room. Make a large cross and circle thus:

The Rose Cross

1b. And holding the point of the incense in the centre, vibrate the word: “Yeheshuah.” 2. With arm outstretched on a level with the centre of the cross, and holding the incense stick, go to the South-West corner and make a similar cross, repeating the word. 3. Go to the North-West corner and repeat the cross and the word. 4. Go to the North-East corner and repeat the cross and the word. 5. Complete your circle by returning to the South-East corner and bringing the point of the incense to the central point of the first cross which you should imagine astrally there. 6. Holding the stick on high, go to the centre of the room, walking diagonally across the room towards the North-West corner. In the centre of the room, above your head, trace the cross and circle and vibrate the name. 7. Holding the stick on high, go to the North-West and bring the point of the stick down to the centre of the astral cross there.

8. Turn towards the South-East and retrace your steps there, but now, holding the incense stick directed across the floor. In the centre of the room, make the cross and circle towards the floor, as it were, under your feet, and vibrate the name. 9. Complete this circle by returning to the South-East and bringing the point of the stick again to the centre of the cross, then move with arm outstretched to South-West corner. 10. From the centre of this cross, and raising the incense stick in front of you as before, walk diagonally across the room towards the North-East corner. In the centre of the room, pick up again the cross above your head previously made, vibrating the name. It is not necessary to make another cross. 11. Bring the stick to the centre of the North-East cross and return to the South-West, incense stick down, and pausing in the centre of the room to link up with the cross under your feet. 12. Return to the South-West and rest the point of the incense a moment in the centre of the cross there. Holding the stick out, retrace your circle to the North-West, link on to the North-West cross – proceed to the North-East cross and complete your circle by returning to the South-East, and the centre of the first cross.

13. Retrace the cross, but larger, and make a big circle, vibrating for the lower half “Yeheshuah,” and for the upper half “Yehovashah.” 14. Return to the centre of the room, and visualise the six crosses in a network around you.

Rose Cross Ritual

This ceremony can be concluded by the ‘analysis of the Keyword’ given as follows: 1. Stand with arms outstretched in the form of a cross, facing East. 2. Vibrate these words: I.N.R.I. (Yod-Nun-Resh-Yod) – The Sign of Osiris Slain. 3. Right arm up, left arm extended out from shoulder, head bowed toward left hand. L – The Sign of the Mourning of Isis. 4. Both arms up in a V shape. V – The Sign of Typhon and Apophis. 5. Arms crossed on breast, head bowed. X – The Sign of Osiris Risen. 6. Make the signs again as you repeat L.V.X. L.V.X. Lux. 7. Arms folded on breast, head bowed. The Light of the Cross.

8. Then arms extended in the Sign of Osiris Slain (see 1). Virgo – Isis – Mighty Mother Scorpio – Apophis – Destroyer Sol – Osiris – Slain and Risen 9. Gradually raise arms. Isis – Apophis – Osiris 10. Arms above head, face raised. I.A.O. [This following section 11 is in the Enochian language and for now you can choose whether you wish to use it or otherwise.] 11. Except when in the Vault, now vibrate the four Tablet of Union names to equilibriate the light. Exarp – Hcoma – Nanta – Biton 12. Aspire to the light and draw it down over your head to your feet. Let the Divine Light Descend.

GD 2-1-2 p134 INRI from Original Golden Dawn Manuscripts

GD 2-1-2 p135 INRI from Original Golden Dawn Manuscripts

The Opening of the Golden Dawn into the Everlasting Day

All rituals are constructed upon basic principles, such as confirming a space of working, purification, consecration, invocation, and banishing prior to opening and closing. These principles establish a state in which magical work can be undertaken. In the following simple ritual format, we create an opening in which we might practice one of the exercises that we have already learnt, such as the Middle Pillar. This opening and closing of the temple is a fundamental practice and precedes initiatory and magical work. The ritual is an essential component of the elemental workings that follow in later work, and more advanced methods such as the Greater Pentagram Rituals, Hexagram Rituals, elemental, planetary and zodiacal workings, as well as advanced methods beyond that including invocations, evocations, Enochian, and angelic workings. There are also elements of this ritual that will stand the Adept in good stead when he or she attempts the Abramelin Ritual in order to attain the Knowledge and Conversation of their Holy Guardian Angel, as discussed earlier. The performance format given here is suitable for an individual working, but might easily be modified for other participants. You can build upon this ritual with appropriate visualisations, which will be covered in later volumes.

The Opening of the Everlasting Day

Opening Ritual in the Grade of Neophyte of the Order of Everlasting Day: One knock (K) – give a knock (usually with a staff or wand). You may wish to use a bell, allowing the ring to completely ring out ‘onto the astral’ each chime. Perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP). Exclaim: “Hekas Hekas Este Bebeloi! Be ye hence far from us, O ye profane, for we are about to open a Temple of the Everlasting Day. Enter this place with hands clean of deed and heart pure of thought, lest ye defile the source of all life itself.” Sign of Neophyte – Make the Sign of Entering and of Silence. Go to the South. Say: “In the South stands the Dadouchos, symbolising heat and dryness. Here is the incense attended and from here the Dadouchos assists in the consecration by fire.” Go to the North.

Say: “In the North stands the Stolistes, symbolising cold and moisture. Here is the cup attended and from here the Stolistes assists in the purification by water.” Go to the West. Say: “In the throne of the West sits the Hiereus, symbolizing increase of darkness, decrease of light. He presides over twilight and darkness and guards the gate of the West.” Go to the East. It is here that you should stand or have a chair for your working. Say: “In the throne of the East I sit, symbolising the rise of the Sun of light and life.” Purify with water and consecrate with fire. Trace the temple floor with water, saying: “So therefore first the priest(ess) who governeth the works of fire must sprinkle with the lustral waters of the loud coagulating sea ...”

Trace the temple perimeter with a candle or incense, saying: “... and when, after all the phantoms of illusion have departed, thou shalt see that holy formless fire, that fire which darts and flashes throughout the hidden depths of the universe.” Raise the light above the altar or in the East, proclaiming: “Hear thou the voice of the fire!” Make three circumabulations of the temple, deosil (clock-wise walks of the temple area), and each time passing the East make the Sign of the Enterer. Imagine that the light is pouring into the temple through the East, and that you are projecting it into the circle as you make the sign. Furthermore, feel that you are rising higher with each circle, making a threefold spiral ascent. This is usually written in shorthand as: 3 x C (0=0 Signs in East). Take a moment to centre yourself in the temple space, and then make the following adoration: Holy art Thou, Lord of the Universe! Holy art Thou, Whom Nature hath not Formed! Holy art Thou, the Vast and the Mighty One! Lord of the Light and of the Darkness! Pause a moment in reflection of this adoration.

Say: “In the name of the Lord of the universe, I declare that the Sun hath arisen and the light shineth in the darkness.” Make the following mystic statements, knocking or ringing a chime at each: Khabs am Pekht (K) Konx om Pax (K) Light in Extension (K) Say: “I now declare open this temple for the works of the Order of Everlasting Day.” Practice the Middle Pillar exercise or similar working as appropriate. You can then close the temple as follows: One knock (K). Purify with water and consecrate with fire as before (“So therefore first ...”) Make the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP). Say: “I now declare closed this meeting of the temple of light.”

You may wish to build up the practice of turning a space into a magical temple through this opening ritual. It provides an important and fundamental structure to later ritual practice, particularly initiatory rituals. There are also essential elements of this practice that lay foundations for spiritual progress in later grades of the initiatory system.

The Rituals of the Sapphire Temple

The following rituals have been composed to demonstrate the application of kabbalistic methods in the production of magical ceremonies. Each ritual is based around the letters that compose the title of the sephiroth to which the ritual is allocated – so there are 10 rituals, one for each of the sephirah on the Tree of Life. I have then provided a Kingdom ritual, which binds all 10 rituals together, using the first letter of each of the names of the 10 sephiroth to provide the 10 points of the ritual. In addition, the letters of the Hebrew names for the implements and furnishing of the ritual have been analysed to provide further expansion of their functions. Such analysis is useful to the magician using kabbalah, but each individual must develop their own basic ‘language’ from which these expansions can be derived. The rituals have been written in such a way that they can act as templates for more elaborate ceremonies, but contain within themselves a simple statement about the nature of each particular sephirah in its manifestation through the Hebrew letters.

The rites are modular in format, and can be pieced together as required in order to accomplish a variety of tasks. They are given here as designed to follow a particular project, providing focus and meaning through the ceremonies associated with it. Thus they could be used together when beginning a new relationship, or to discover and activate aspects associated with dissatisfaction over a job. Equally, they can be used purely as written to get a sense of the role of each of the sephiroth in any process taking place throughout the universe or within oneself. Note that in Hebrew, the words for altar, lamp, triangle, pentagram, and hexagram all commence with the letter Mem, symbolic through the image of The Hanged Man of initiation and the fastening to the ‘on-high’, which is a state of being rather than a place or plane. The words for the triangle and the hexagram (two triangles) both contain two occurrences of the letter Shin, which in itself is symbolic of fire, represented by a triangle. We will commence with the Kether ritual, involving the altar and the lamp, and work our way to the ritual of Malkuth.

1. Kether: The Ritual of the Altar and the Lamp. Altar; MZBTh; the altar is the foundation of initiation, the link to the onhigh. Offerings are made and intuition received here. The magician arranges the four elements and makes manifest his magic. Lamp; MNVRH; the light of on-high, transforming the dark, bringing grace and enlightenment. The light of the lamp is the window through which we see. The lamp pertains to two of the sephiroth, and is used here to represent Kether. The lamp hanging above the altar is symbolic of Kether, as it illuminates all the work below. The lamp which is carried in the hand, or any other form of light thus carried, symbolises Netzach, in that it represents the light of love, which is brought by the magician, and only illuminates that to which it is directed. This is an important point of symbolism. The purpose of this first ritual is to link your goals with your environment by recognising the inherent unity between Kether and Malkuth, symbolised by the lamp and altar respectively. Kether in this context symbolises whatever enlightenment you wish to attain, and Malkuth is your base of work. This ritual can hence be used to throw light on a particular facet of the environment, or some other problem that is facing you. The lamp must be suspended above the altar, but if this is not possible then a tall candleholder will suffice. The altar itself can be either the traditional double-cube altar or simply a tray upon which your implements are placed, or the top of a table. The ritual follows the influence of the letters that spell out Kether, being Kaph, Tau and Resh.

Point Kaph. Stand or kneel before the altar and hold your hands above it, palms open and facing up. Visualise the altar as the centre of the universe, about which everything turns, like the spokes of a wheel. Say: “My life is the life I choose to lead. I am the centre myself, and that of all about me.” Point Tau. Now turn both hands over and place them on the altar, one over the other, both bent slightly inwards making an ‘X’ shape. Feel the altar beneath your hands and say: “My life is the place of the Great Work, and myself the altar on which the Work is done.” Point Resh. Light the lamp above the altar and state: “Let the Eternal Light of which this is part be visible to me in all that I accomplish.” The meditation for this ritual is to take your problematic situation, or question, and think about it. Then visualise the question in some symbolic form, such as a question mark, sigil or other object, and see it as hanging between the lamp and the altar. Then slowly visualise the light of the lamp becoming brighter, and the altar becoming larger and larger until one is lost in the other, and the visualised object is lost amidst them. Then slowly contract this vision to a singular point of light and hold it as long as possible. This will have the effect of simplifying and clarifying your work at regular intervals. 2. Chockmah: The Ritual of the Circle and Candle. Circle; A’aGVL; the circle is the eye of the mind, containing the mystery to be worked. Within, all things are fixed and placed in equilibrium. Candle; NR; the candle dies to release the light.

The second ritual builds the Sapphire Temple further by creating a circle within which the Work is performed. The altar is usually the centre of the circle, or can be placed in the East, which is where the Sun rises and hence is symbolic of the dawning of light. As the ritual is assigned to Chockmah, the actions are circular and involve the candle as a pillar of light. Again, the actions follow the pattern of energy indicated by the letters composing Chockmah. Point Cheth. Draw a circle about your temple space in any manner that seems appealing, using either your hand to point, or a wand or stick. This represents the enclosure (Cheth) within which you will work. Point Kaph. Light a candle on your altar and place it in the centre of the circle, if this is not the position of your altar already. Warm the palm of your hand by the candle flame, feeling the warmth enter your arm. Point Mem. Take a small container of water – either a shell, cup or other small pot – and walk around the circle in a clockwise motion, sprinkling the water. Say: “I purify the Circle by Water, and cleanse it and myself of all that is unnecessary to my Work.” Point Heh. Take the candle and walk around the circle once again, holding it up and saying: “I consecrate this Circle by Fire, focusing everything in it and myself to the Work I will do.” Place the candle down again, raise your arms above your head and say, firmly: “BEHOLD!”

The meditation for the ritual of Chockmah is that of a spiral. Visualise yourself as the centre of a circle, and then visualise that circle spinning around you as a wheel. From that point, visualise the circle vibrating upwards and downwards, so that the path of any point on the circle will form a spiral. Imagine that this spiral is the same spiral as that which forms the shape of a great galaxy, and then bring your attention back to the microscopic realm by imagining the spiral as forming the curve of a spiral of DNA within your body, or the shape of a seashell. Attempt to view time, and your own personal history as a spiral event rather than a linear one. What light does this template throw on the events which have taken place in your life? 3. Binah: The Ritual of the Temple and Triangle. Temple; HIKL; the temple is existence itself, the window in which the Great Work is seen. The temple is our place of being and our place of study. Triangle; MShLSh; in the triangle is both the water of purification and the fire of consecration. Their equilibrium gives energy to the Work. Chalice; KVS; in the vault of the graal is the wine of inspiration which alone can truly support us.

In this ritual, which is of the third sephirah, Binah, we complete the building of the temple itself. This completes the triangle of actions in the three sephiroth above the Abyss. Whereas Chockmah gives us the energy (in a spiral form) for the Work, Binah provides the form through which it is manifest. We must recall that the temple itself is equally a symbol, and symbolises our whole life, and the environment we live in. We must not forget to live in one world, and not see our temple work as separate to our ‘normal’ or everyday world. As with each of the rituals of the Sapphire Temple, this working can be performed in itself, or be preceded by the earlier rituals. The full set is intended to create a master ceremony which can be modified according to requirements whilst still retaining the key elements and sequence of kabbalistic ritual. Point Beth. Take the chalice up from the altar and elevate it, saying: “Let this Temple be a working place of the elements, force and form in harmony.” Pour water into the chalice, contemplating it as a symbol of Chockmah pouring energy into Binah. Beth is the archetype of containers, and can mean ‘temple’. Point Yod. Take a seed and place it into the chalice. Say: “Let the seed of this Work I am to perform grow to fruition in peace and safety.” Yod is the letter attributed to The Hermit tarot card, and symbolises the guiding principle of light, to which Nature aspires, as a seed becomes a plant which turns to the light. Point Nun. Light the candle in front of the chalice as symbolic of the Sun (see also the point above regarding the candle, NR). Say: “Let the gross be removed that the light may shine forth and fill this temple.”

Point Heh. Visualise a triangular window in the East, through which light shines, and fills the temple. Raise your hands and state: “Let the Spirit of Understanding fill this Temple I have built.” The meditation of this ritual is that of the triangle, which is one of the symbols of Binah, having three sides. It is also the first of the solid shapes after the circle, and is symbolic of the first equilibrium of unities, being composed of both the monad (Kether) and the duad (Chockmah). In Pythagorean numerology, three is sacred to Saturn, ruler of time, which is the planet attributed to Binah. The meditation is simply to take any situation and attempt to resolve it into three principles, visualised as words on each side of the triangle. Thus, a relationship might be drawn onto the triangle as ‘time’, ‘love’ and ‘space’. This triangle is that which binds the situation, and can be used to see the most basic form of any event or process. 4. Chesed: The Ritual of the Square. Square; RBVA’a; building the square of the elements provides a base of light from which to work our will, with inspiration and energy. With the ritual of the square, we awaken the powers of the elements in their most archetypal form, as they begin to appear in the flux of energies sent forth from Chesed to be differentiated in Geburah and disseminated through Tiphareth into the four lower sephiroth. The letters of Chesed; Cheth, Samekh, Daleth, conceal the square in a number of ways. Firstly, Cheth itself has the value of 8, the double square, and in full the value of 418, the number of the Great Work accomplished, according to Crowley. This sums to 4 + 1 + 8 = 13 = 1 + 3 = 4. Daleth has the value of 4 also.

Point Cheth. Draw a double square about the temple. The corners of the first square are the quarters, commencing in the East, then South, West and North. The corners of the second square are the cross-quarters, commencing in the South-East, then South-West, North-West, and North-East. This makes another form of enclosure (Cheth) about the temple. Point Samekh. Take a staff or stick to each point of the double square in turn, commencing with the East. Say: “Within this Temple, the Powers of the (quarter or cross-quarter name) are awakened!” Point Daleth. Take the staff to each of the quarters in turn, saying as appropriate: East: “I open the Portal of the East and awaken the energy of Air.” South: “I open the Portal of the South and awaken the energy of Fire.” West: “I open the Portal of the West and awaken the energy of Water.” North: “I open the Portal of the North and awaken the energy of Earth.”

The meditation for the ritual is one used in many opening rituals, which involves facing each quarter in turn and meditating on the properties of the element associated with that quarter. Thus for East, one visualises the Air, and attempts to awaken within oneself the positive qualities of Air, being lightness, swiftness, clarity and so forth. Most systems, including kabbalah, also use personifications for the powers of the quarters, such as Michael for the South, or djinn in the Wiccan system. However, in the Sapphire Temple sequence, it is best to begin with the abstract principle of the element, and then build up suitable personifications at a later stage. This avoids some of the dangers involved with working with personified energy when first beginning ritual work, the worst of which is attributing personal qualities to these archetypal forms. 5. Geburah: The Ritual of the Incense and the Pentagram. Pentagram; MChMSh; the pentagram initiates a separation and forges the link to on-high. It initiates the energy of the Work. Incense; QTRTh; the incense pervades, appealing to our deepest senses. The smoke coils and twists like a snake, and from the point of light, burning, we are surrounded by manifestation.

With Geburah, we begin to impose constraints on the energies awoken in the Chesed ritual. Geburah is the sephirah of discrimination and discernment, being the defining aspect of form. As the pentagram is the symbol of Geburah, having five points, it is appropriate that the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram is here introduced, being the most common form of preliminary temple ritual in ritual magic. However, as this ritual is of primary importance in most magical work, I here offer a kabbalistic commentary on its nature, and have provided the full ritual elsewhere in this book. Point Gimel. Light incense. Pause and meditate briefly on the nature of sacrifice, where one substance changes its form entirely, hence dying, only to allow another form of itself to rise, like incense. Points Beth, Vau and Resh. These points together form the basis of the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, which is now performed. The Hebrew word, Beth Vau Resh, BVR, means ‘to be empty, uncultivated’, and hence indicates the nature of the temple after a successful banishing. The tarot cards which relate to these letters are The Magician, The Hierophant and The Sun, which show that the banishing is performed according to Will in order to reveal and work with the mysteries of Light. The letters themselves demonstrate that the banishing aims to ‘fix’ (Vau) the ‘temple’ (Beth) in one’s ‘head’ (Resh) or awareness. Point Heh. Raise hands after the banishing and say: “BEHOLD!” 6. Tiphareth: The Ritual of the Pillars and the Rose. Pillar; A’aMVD; between the pillars the eye of the mind is awakened to the on-high. The sacred things are shown and the portal is opened.

Rose; VRD; the rose recalls love, light and unity to those who look upon it. Hexagram; MShShH; the hexagram symbolises two triangles of energy (Shin and Shin), one of an ascending nature, providing the symbols of Fire and Air (Heh, air hole), and the other of a descending nature, providing the symbols of Water (Mem) and Earth (the synthesis of the four letters). For the Tiphareth ritual, we reach a critical junction in the sequence, and hence the working seeks to provide the full equilibrium of the temple, and fasten it to the kabbalistic Tree as strongly as possible. This is done by a series of visualisations which map the Tree and the pillars to the temple, which is a technique favoured by the Golden Dawn Society. The two pillars of the temple are often called Boaz and Jachin in Freemasonry and derived groups, without other explanation than their Biblical origin or that Boaz is Zoab, ‘fortify’ backwards, and Jachin is Nikaj, ‘prepared’, backwards. Boaz is translated as BA’aZ, ‘in strength’, and Jachin as YHKN, ‘he that strengthens, or will establish’, hence ‘in strength shall this my house be established’. I have used an alternative rendering which reads ‘I have entered in’ for Boaz, and ‘seeking Mercy’ for Jachin. The ritual is analysed as the Geburah ritual, and the central point could be replaced or added to by the performance of the Rose Cross Ritual of the Golden Dawn, or a banishing hexagram ritual. A rose should be placed on the altar for the duration of this ceremony. Point Tau. Move to the left of the temple, standing in the North, facing the Eastern wall, and state firmly: “I have entered in.”

Visualise standing in the sephirah of Hod, which can be as complex or simple as you like. The simplest form would be to visualise an orange circle beneath your feet. Now visualise the Pillar of Severity stretching out in front of you to Geburah, which is outside of the temple, and beyond that to Binah, which can only dimly be seen. When you are ready, turn to face the West and touch your right shoulder with your right hand, saying: “Geburah.” This activates the Pillar of Severity and identifies it with your right side and the actions of your right hand. Points Peh, Aleph and Resh. The word PhAR means ‘beauty’ and from it is derived Tiphareth. Move to the centre of the temple and meditate on the symbol of the rose for a moment. Imagine it as a symbol of your true self, and visualise it blooming as the light comes to it. Point Tau. Move now to the right of the temple, standing in the South and facing East again. State: “I have entered in, seeking Mercy.” Visualise standing now in Netzach, and the Pillar of Mercy extending outwards and away to Chesed, and beyond to Chockmah. When ready, turn to face West and, touching your left shoulder, say: “Gedulah.” This activates the Pillar of Mercy and identifies it with the actions of your left side and any movements you make with your left hand. Thus if you were to use a crook and flail in an Egyptian based ritual, you would hold the crook in the left hand and the flail in the right hand. 7. Netzach: The Ritual of the Oath.

In the preceding rituals we have built up the Sapphire Temple and placed ourselves firmly within its pillars. We now need to align our will with the workplace by making an oath. For this ritual, the implements attributed to the letters of Netzach (see 777 by Crowley) have defined the form of the ceremony itself. The oath may take any form, but it would be appropriate to structure it around a particular project you are involved with, and lay it out according to your understanding of kabbalah. For example, an oath taken as part of a car-buying ritual might begin, “The point of this work is to buy a car (Kether). I wish to buy a car with all the energy I have (Chockmah). I require the car to be a model most suitable to my needs (Binah). I seek a car which is affordable (Chesed) and for which I will be able to strike a good bargain for (Geburah),” and so on. Point Nun is the oath itself; point Tzaddi is the censer and aspergillum; point Cheth is the furnace and graal. On the altar is the rose, cup with wine, pen and paper, incense, bowl of water, and candle of colour appropriate to the oath to be made. About the circle visualise or inscribe the God-Name ARARITA. Begin with the Lesser Banishing Ritual of Pentagram. Take the water and sprinkle the circle, saying: “The Seven of Perfection is purified and resolved to the One circle of Light.” Take the incense and cense the circle, saying: “The Seven of Perfection is consecrated and resolved to the One circle of Light.” Take the cup and hold it up, saying: “I invoke the power of Netzach, the power of Glory, the power of Victory, in the name of Jehovah Tzabaoth, Lord of Hosts, to work this Oath of Transmutation.”

Drink some wine. Write the oath on paper. Holding the oath above the candle, say: “By the Furnace of Victory, by the Graal of Understanding, by the Oath of Transmutation, I bind this Work of mine unto its perfection.” Burn the oath. Finish with the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. 8. Hod: The Ritual of the Crystal. Crystal; BDLCh; The crystal acts as a receptacle and focus of light, demonstrating the structure of Nature. It encourages equilibrium and the clarity of definition, that we may know our own direction. Once the oath has been made, the stage of Hod in the sequence is reached, which is primarily concerned with reverberation and vibration. A suitable ritual implement for this is a crystal, which symbolises the manner in which the form of Hod refracts the light which reaches it from Netzach in the creative process. In a sense, Hod, and this rite, seal the intention of the Work before it is manifest through Yesod and Malkuth. Point Heh. Light the candle and place it in the East. Say: “BEHOLD! The Dawn is the rising of the Light. I face the East and see the Sun rise.” Point Vau. Take the crystal or prism and look at the light of the candle as it passes through the object. Say: “The Light is vibration. The Crystal is vibration. All things move according to their own nature.”

Point Daleth. Return to the East and ring a bell or make one chime of a gong. Listen to the vibrations of the sound and visualise a door opening in the East through which light and sound pass. State aloud your particular purpose and visualise the words passing through the door and resonating with the Light. State: “My voice vibrates between the light and the darkness. The portal of light is opened and nature responds.” The meditation for the ceremony is that of a crystal cave, in which you may visualise light pouring and illuminating scenes in the crystals. Make a note of these scenes and discover what they reveal about your Work. 9. Yesod: The Ritual of the Treasure-House. In Yesod, we reach the penultimate stage of the sequence, and one of compilation, as all the prior aspects of the Work are brought together. To symbolise this, choose 10 objects which relate to each of the sephiroth. At its most simple, the set might be simply of pieces of card with the numbers one to 10 written on them. It could be a set of 10 coloured stones, or statuettes of appropriate gods and goddesses. You will also need a box of some description into which the objects may be placed. This symbolises the ‘treasure house of images’, a title of Yesod. Point Yod. Place the objects in your hand and take them about the temple. Return to the altar and say: “This is Aleph, single most Unity, the One that is the Many, the Many that is the One.” Point Samekh. Place the objects in the box, one by one, saying with each:

“This is (name of sephirah). This assists my work by (appropriate wording, for example, ‘... by bringing me joy,’ whilst placing a symbol of Netzach in the box).” Point Vau. Close the box, pause and then open it again, saying: “Let inspiration proceed from this treasure house of images, which is of my own nature.” Point Daleth. Take up the box and take it to each of the four quarters in turn. Say at each point: “This box is my foundation. This box is made one with the powers of the (name of quarter, e.g. East).” 10. Malkuth: The Ritual of Binding Together. The components of Work gathered together in Yesod must now be united and the Work completed. As a result of this a new state is initiated, and the sequence commences again as Malkuth is inherently joined to Kether. This ritual is most suitable when change is taking place in your work, and there is a particular event, manner of behaviour, or belief, that is important to release. Before the ritual is commenced, write the pattern to be changed on a piece of slate, in chalk, or some other material that may be easily wiped clean. Also choose an object which represents the offending event, memory, behaviour, etc. and place it into your ‘treasure house of images’ box. Point Mem. Face East and state: “In order to pass through the gate from the Old to the New, I must leave behind (state pattern).” Point Lamed. Take the object out of the box and say: “I recognise that I must adjust to a new way of being if I leave this behind.” Point Kaph. Place the object on the altar and say: “It is time to release this pattern, loose it in the wheel of life’s changes.”

Point Vau. Take the slate and wipe the words or drawing from it, and place the object on the altar in a cloth. State: “As the old is relinquished, the new way is revealed and will be fixed in me from this moment.” Point Tau. Pause for a moment and allow any feelings or thoughts to makes themselves known, especially those that might indicate new patterns that have been opened by the giving up of the old behaviour. As an alternative or addition to the Malkuth ritual, the Kingdom ritual below is based upon the first letters of each of the names of the sephiroth, and can be used as a simple framework for ritual work. 11. The Kingdom Ritual. Point Kaph. Point hand towards the altar, palm up and state the aim of working. Point Cheth. Draw a circle about the temple. Point Beth. Elevate a chalice filled with wine and visualise light descending from above. This completes the first triad above the Abyss. The elevation of the chalice is symbolic of the creation of Da’ath, or ‘knowledge’, from the union of Chockmah and Binah. Point Cheth. Draw the double-cube of the quarters and cross-quarters. Activate the quarters. Point Gimel. Light incense. Point Tau. Hold out arms in the form of a cross and visualise the pillars.

This completes the second triad above the Veil, which prepares the place of working. Point Nun. Write the oath or perform the main working, meditation, as appropriate. Point Heh. Light a candle in the East, visualise light blessing the working and drink wine. Point Yod. Hold hand back over the altar and make a fist, visualising the sealing of the working. This completes the third and final triad, bringing about the actual conclusion of the ritual – that is to say, by the time a process has reached Yesod, it is virtually unstoppable, aside from perhaps the way in which it manifests. All that remains is to state that the Work has been completed. Point Mem. Say: “I have entered by the Gate, I have initiated my will, I leave by the Gate.” This concludes the rituals of the Sapphire Temple. There will be many further rituals described in the following volumes of The Magister, particularly suited to each grade of the initiatory system and for general practice.

The Oath of the Tarot Majors And she said to me, “This doubt is but a bridge of dust, that we can cross.” And so we did, for the empty laments of the mind were silenced in that hour, and our bodies became light. My soul, she turned to me and beckoned. “Come,” she said, “let us dance in the scattered dust of doubt, we shall make of it the stars of all the heavens, the dew upon the mornings of eternity and the seeds of every moment of awakening.” I took her hand, and was gone.

-

The Magister

In the order, we take the tarot as a means of engaging life, not escaping it. We take the pattern of the Major Arcana as an illustration of the relationship between awareness and divinity, and as such, the lessons we learn on the path. To encourage our own reception of these lessons, we take an oath each day to fully aspire to the highest principles taught by tarot. The oath should be taken until it is a living breathing attitude or asana for every moment of life. You may feel the necessity to change this as it informs you from experience, or work on particular cards or sections. It commences with The Fool (0) and works through to The World (21).

1. Without pause, I will step into every experience and engage it fully, as if it were my last. 2. Without doubt, I will create wilfully, wantonly, astonishingly, and authentically. 3. Without blinking, I will connect only to my deepest source and quietest voice. 4. Without cessation, I will recognise that Nature teaches me all that I need to know. 5. Without hesitation, I will not go back, nor return, nor halt for those who face backwards. 6. Without shame, I will teach what I need to teach and learn what I should learn. 7. Without guilt, I will love life and connect to all that is in relationship with truth. 8. Without stopping, I will act as if every moment were my last. 9. Without fear, I will wrestle both my angels and my demons, and be their measure. 10. Without need, I will find myself in my own company and recover my own light in that place. 11. I will turn the Wheel and not be turned upon it; I will be the Wheel but not be bound upon it. 12. With my eyes open, I will see truth manifest in all things beneath the lie. 13. With my face forward, I will stand in the light of my highest values in every situation.

14. With joy, I will laugh and embrace every opportunity for ceaseless change. 15. With peace, I will comprehend that my garden is divinely designed for my gardening. 16. With courage, I will realise that all shadows are in themselves terrified. 17. With energised enthusiasm, I will break down what imprisons me and build my freedom. 18. With vision abiding in the sanctuary, I will write with the language of stars. 19. With utter abandon, I will tread out into what adventure awaits me in that which I do not yet know. 20. With awareness, I will encompass the follies of others. 21. With my own ears, I will hear the calling in the clamour, the signal in the noise. 22. There will be no pause, doubt or blinking, no cessation or hesitation, no shame or guilt; I will not stop, I will not fear. There is no need. I will turn with my eyes open, my face forward. Where I am there is joy and peace. I find courage, enthusiasm and vision abiding. With utter abandon and in full awareness I answer all that calls me to attend the hidden sanctuary of the world.

Conclusion “The Soul is at prayer. The world of action calls us through the open Temple door and we are conscious of its power and its claim. Not yet, however, do we surrender utterly. The light fades. We close our eyes to keep it in its radiance near us. Serenely we step forward to the task.” E. Eaton, The Hours of Isis[150]

As we opened this volume, inviting you into the Workshop, we also presented you a symbol: a Rose Key. The Rose is aflame and the Key has no door. The door is open always and is yourself, your true and only Workshop. The Rose is your soul and the Key is reality. When forged together in experience, reality immolates the soul and they become one, opening a door which is not there – the Everlasting Day of the divine life. In order to perceive that door, we must extinguish all that appears to be light, for that inner light is hidden in the outer light of the apparent, and is not comprehended. These are as symbolic as your representation of the universe, and hence as real. Through the Key we attain the Rose, and through the Rose we attain the Key.

We have presented here only the briefest of outlines, the most tentative of sketches of a living spiritual path, obscured by the ages of symbolism, passed from hand-to-hand and ear-to-ear by the most unlikely of men and women. Our Work continues in the Everlasting Day, and whilst we have no need of company, no necessity in our Order of Revelation, the door is always open, for it is not there. You are invited to enter this Workshop and our subsequent volumes will provide instruction for what you discover therein. We continue in our next volume, Volume 1: The Light of the Labyrinth, covering the grade material of the Zelator, where we detail further practical work and come to discover that ‘The Worker is Hidden in the Workshop’. Mane nobiscum Domine, quoniam adversperascit.[151] Frater V. Winter Solstice, 2012 Imbolc, 2016 (Kindle Version).

Frequently Asked Questions As a nod to contemporary idiom, The Equinox and Magick Without Tears in which Aleister Crowley collated letters from a student and his responses, throughout the decade in which The Magister will be constructed we will gladly receive specific and general questions about the tradition which will be collated for response in subsequent volumes under a FAQ section.[152] These should be sent to [email protected]. We provide below a selection of typical and frequent questions asked by Neophytes-to-be.

1. Does magick work? The philosopher Xenophanes wrote that the nature of things is in the habit of concealing itself. The interesting thing to an initiate is not whether magick works, but whether their universe works. Thus, there is a constant act of enquiry – we take every act as a comprehension test of our reality. Does time work? Does it work the way I think? Is there truth? If so, to whom does it belong? If a god speaks to me, do I have to listen? The fundamental act of the universe is awareness. How does that work? Can we indeed know ourselves? When we try, what happens? Where do we go when we step back from ourself? Does magick work? If so, what does that tell us about the universe? Does it tell us that beliefs can change, and thus we can change? What do we change into and how does fate, destiny and free will work in a universe that allows such change? If nothing else, the test of magick leads to the test of everything – for the world is indeed a magical place, and our time here, as I have said, is short. The question I ask in return is, “What are you going to do about it?”

2. Why does it appear so complicated?

The universe is a complex construction as is our mind. In relationship they generate a staggering bewilderment of possibilities, constrained only by your imagination. We can condense those possibilities into a set of 78 images and call it tarot, a ‘full deck of possibilities’. In arranging just 10 of those images, selected at random from a shuffled deck, and placed in a pattern of 10 positions each of which carries a contextual meaning, we can generate several quintillion possible patterns. To put that into context, if each person on the planet read a ‘Celtic Cross’ tarot spread today, using a standard tarot deck, and every person on the planet did the same again tomorrow, and every day thereafter, we would be long gone as a species before any of us got the same cards in the same pattern. And the mystery is this: after just a couple of days of learning, any of us could read any of those quintillions of emergent patterns. We are built for complexity, even if we have forgotten. The work of magick is the work of fulfilling our highest vision, and opening up to possibilities, abilities, activities, creations, and sights as yet undreamt. Dream harder. 3. What about all the Latin, Hebrew and Greek? Western culture has a lot to offer those who pursue its history and roots, and its tradition of esotericism. The fact that there may be no demonstrated direct connections between one mystery school and another, the fact that there is merely a tendency to re-invent, re-interpret and re-imagine golden ages of the past, is not a problem to us. The synthesis of Western esotericism is an ongoing creative act of ridiculous audacity and ambition, and if we learn some Latin, Greek and Hebrew along the way, that is to be applauded.

4. Can I self-initiate myself? No. Well, not at every grade. Sometimes you require another to pull you out of the swamp in which you may be unwittingly mired. And sometimes it is an act of Grace that must be awaited in faith. However, it all comes from you and the ever-burning lamp that is lit by your unique and individual relationship to the universe. It is up to you to continually attend that lamp of devotion. 5. What is the point of it all? In a mystical sense, the end of suffering, seeking and the constant realisation of the ongoing unity of all things. In a magical sense, the experience of the simple magic of reality. In a philosophical sense, a congruent, consistent and comprehensive awareness of experience. 6. Wasn’t Aleister Crowley an evil person?

Aleister Crowley, one of numerous personages who we will encounter in our journey within The Magister, was indeed branded ‘the wickedest man in the world’. He was a brute of a man with a strange and strong intellect, a passion for life, and was way ahead of his time in many and most regards. He had no issues with challenging people to escape their own boundaries, thresholds and limitations, even if they were not ready to then manage that liberated state. He also held contradictory viewpoints quite gleefully, and was subject to what some would no doubt view as perverse desires and addictions. He was also capable of charm, wit and mystical poetry of the highest devotional order. On one occasion, unemployed and out of money, he designed golf courses based upon myth and applied for employment at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in Scotland. Whether one judges the man as evil or otherwise, complex or simple, his life is notable and worth studying.

7. What do I do next if I am interested in becoming an initiate on this path? The next volume of The Magister will continue to provide practical information, ritual and practice to open up the possibilities of this path. In the meantime, you may contact us via http://www.westernesotericism.com, the online home of The Magister and related projects. 8. If it goes wrong, can I go back?

There are various points in the initiatory system from which there is no ‘going back’, as it would be an impossible collapse of state-awareness. Our goal and ambition is to ensure that the initiate is always – within what is possible – prepared to maintain or endure the highs and lows of the journey. The mind also has a reasonable failsafe mechanism, which can shut down or reinterpret experience which is not holistically healthy to possess. It does that all the time anyway.

Reading Outline This reading outline is divided into two parts: a general reading list and a magical curriculum. The reading list is sectioned into themes based upon the ten sephiroth on the Tree of Life. The magical curriculum is given as suggested reading by the grades of the initiatory system. Neither section is to be taken as essential or comprehensive, but may provide some nascent structure to your personal studies. This reading list will also be provided and kept updated on the main website at www.westernesotericism.com with links and further references.

Part One: General Reading Section 1. Kether: Essential Seeds and Overviews a. Overviews of the Curriculum (i) The Complete Golden Dawn, Israel Regardie or the revised and updated Golden Dawn, Chic Cicero (ii) Magick, or Magick in Theory and Practice (Book 4), Aleister Crowley b. Allegorical Accounts of the Journey (i) Vision of Zosimos http://www.levity.com/alchemy/zosimos.html (ii)

Chymical Wedding, Christian Rosenkreutz:

http://www.levity.com/alchemy/chymwed1.html

(iii)

The Wake-World, Aleister Crowley:

www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/liber095.pdf

Section 2. Chockmah: Academic Works a. Western Esotericism (i) Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation, Henrik Bogdan (ii) Western Esotericism, Kocku von Stuckrad (iii) The Path of the Chameleon, Nevill Drury (iv) The Place of Enchantment, Alex Owen (v) The History of British Magic after Aleister Crowley, Dave Evans (vi) The Book of English Magic, Philip Carr-Gom and Richard Heygate

Section 3. Binah: World-Views and Cosmologies a. Hermetic Teachings (i) Hermetica (translated by Brian P. Copenhaver) pp. 5-6 for the grades, p. 53 for the Hymnodia (prayer to the Sun) (ii) The Emerald Tablet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_Tablet b. Neo-Platonic Teachings (i) Timaeus, Plato Particularly E.8, ‘Time, the Moving Likeness of Eternity’ c. Gnostic Teachings

(i) The Gnostic Gospels, Elaine Pagels (ii) The Dead Sea Scrolls in English, Geza Vermes d. Kabbalistic Teachings (i) Ascensions on High in Jewish Mysticism, Moshe Idel (ii) Sepher Yetzirah, William Wynn Westcott (iii) Sepher Yetzirah, Aryeh Kaplan (iv) The Mystical Qabalah, Dion Fortune (v) The Kabbalah Decoder, Janet Berenson-Perkins e. Christian Mystical Teachings (i) Bonaventure: The Soul’s Journey into God, the Tree of Life, the Life of St. Francis (translated by Ewert Cousins) (ii) John Climacus: The Ladder of Divine Ascent (translated by Colm Luibheid and Norman Russell) (iii) Meister Eckhart (translated by Edmund Colledge and Bernard McGinn) (iv) The Spiritual Canticle and Poems of St. John of the Cross (translated by E. Allison Peers) (v) The Interior Castle or The Mansions (Saint Teresa of Jesus) (vi) The Mystical Writings of Rulman Merswin (translated by Thomas S. Kepler) (vii) The Book of the Nine Rocks (viii) The Cloud of Unknowing (translated by James Walsh) (ix) The Mystical Doctrine of Saint John of the Cross (selected by R.H.J. Steuart)

Breaks the ‘dark night of the soul’ into stages and grades, such as the Passive Night of Sense, the Active Night of the Spirit, the Purgation of Memory, etc. See also the ‘Ascent of Mount Carmel’ (x) Pseudo-Dionysius (translated by Colm Luibheid) f. General Mysticism (i) Mysticism, Evelyn Underhill (ii) A Dazzling Darkness: An Anthology of Western Mysticism, Patrick Grant (iii) An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mysticism and Mystery Religions, John Ferguson g. General Philosophy (i) The Story of Philosophy, Bryan Magee (ii) The Perennial Philosophy, Aldous Huxley

Section 4. Chesed: Western Esoteric Schools and Teachers a. Western Esoteric Schools and Teachers (i) The Training and Work of an Initiate, Dion Fortune (ii) The Way of Initiation and Initiation and Its Results, Rudolf Steiner (iii) The Hidden Way Across the Threshold, J.C. Street (1887) Particularly ‘Chapter XIII: The Great Mystery, or the Hidden Way’ (iv) The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor, Godwin, Chanel and Deveney b. Contemporary (i) The Experience of No-Self (Bernadette Roberts)

(ii) The Spectrum of Consciousness (Ken Wilber) (iii) The Love-Ananda Gita, Da Free John. Particularly pp. 305-306, ‘There are degrees of Realisation’ (iv) The Adept, Da Free John. Particularly, pp. 79-84, ‘The Adept is the Unborn Reality’ and ‘Appendix: The Seven Stages of Life’ (v) The Inner Reality, Paul Brunton (vi) The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga, Paul Brunton (vii) Le Millieu Divin, Teilhard de Chardin (viii) The Cosmic Consciousness of Edward Carpenter, Richard M. Bucke c. Sufi Mysticism (i) Daughter of Fire, Irina Tweedy. Also published abridged as The Chasm of Fire.

Section 5. Geburah: Workbooks, Practices and Techniques a. General Workbooks (i) Prometheus Rising, Robert Anton Wilson (ii) A Year to Live: How to live this year as if it were your last, Stephen Levine (iii) On the Prayer of Jesus: Unceasing Prayer, Ignatius Brianchaninov (iv) The Art of Contemplation of Ramon Lull (translated by E. Allison Peers) (v) Meditation and Kabbalah, Aryeh Kaplan b. Meditation and Visualisation

(i) The Inner Guide Meditation, Edwin Steinbrecher c. The Abramelin Working (i) The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage (translated S.L. MacGregor Mathers) (ii) The Sacred Magician, William Bloom (diary account) (iii) The Book of Abramelin (New Translation), Georg Dehn, translated by Steven Guth

Section 6. Tiphareth: Rare Works by Adepts a. Rare Works by Adepts (i) The Path of the Magus, Eldon Templar (ii) The Hymn of Jesus, G.R.S. Mead (iii) The Way of an Initiate, A. Greville-Gasgoigne (iv) The Hours of Isis, Evelyn Eaton

Section 7. Netzach: Methods and Practices a. Astrology (i) The K.I.S.S. Guide to Astrology, Julia and Derek Parker (ii) The Watkins Astrology Handbook, Lyn Birkbeck (iii) The Horary Textbook, John Frawley b. Tarot (i) 78 Degrees of Wisdom, Rachel Pollack (ii) Tarot Plain and Simple, Anthony Louis

c. I-Ching (i) Total I-Ching, Stephen Karcher d. Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism (i) The Spiral Dance, Starhawk (ii) Eight Sabbats for Witches, Janet and Stewart Farrar e. Alchemy (i) The Golden Game, Stanislas Klossowski De Rola (ii) The Alchemy Reader, Stanton J. Linden (iii) Transformation of the Psyche, Henderson and Sherwood (iv) The Black Arts, Richard Cavendish. See ‘Chapter 4, Part 2: The Making of the Stone’ (v) Anatomy of the Psyche: Alchemical Symbolism in Psychotherapy, Edward F. Edinger (vi) The Hermes Paradigm, Rubaphilos Salfluĕre (vii) In Pursuit of Gold and The Pass-Keys to Alchemy, Lapidus (David Curwen) (viii) The Forge and the Crucible, Mircea Eliade f. The Fourth Way Work (i) The Fourth Way (P.D. Ousepensky) (ii) Waking Up: Overcoming the Obstacles to Human Potential (Charles T. Tart) (iii) Gurdjieff: The Key Concepts, Sophia Wellbeloved

Section 8. Hod: Essential Reference Works a. Dictionaries and Reference Works (i) 777, Aleister Crowley (ii) A Dictionary of Symbols, J.E. Cirlot (iii) An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols, J.C. Cooper

Section 9. Yesod: Psychology (i) The Feeling of What Happens, Antonio Damasio (ii) The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, Julian Jaynes (iii) Mind Time: The Temporal Factor in Consciousness, Benjamin Libet (iv) Strangers to Ourselves: Discovering the Adaptive Unconscious, Timothy D. Wilson (v) Breakdown of Will, George Ainslie (vi) The Illusion of Conscious Will, Daniel M. Wegner (vii) Field, Form and Fate: Patterns in Mind, Nature and Psyche, Michael Conforti (viii) A Psychology with a Soul: Psychosynthesis in Evolutionary Context, Jean Hardy. Particularly on p.138, ‘the Self is depicted somewhat more precisely in the Kabbalah’

Section 10. Malkuth: Science

a. Science (i) The Unfinished Universe, Louise B. Young (ii) Chaos, James Gleick (iii) Gaia, J.E. Lovelock (iv) The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins

Section 11. Da’ath: Fiction a. Novels (i) Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein (ii) Valis, Philip K. Dick (iii) In the Country of Last Things, Paul Auster (iv) The Mind Parasites, Colin Wilson (v) Foucault’s Pendulum, Umberto Eco (vi) The Chymical Wedding, Lindsay Clarke b. Short Stories (i) I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon, Philip K. Dick (ii) ‘The God’s Script’ in Labyrinths, Jorges Louis Borges (iii) ‘The Lottery in Babylon’ in Labyrinths, Jorges Louis Borges

Part Two: A Magical Curriculum I have here listed and linked several books for reading by grade. Whilst any book can be read at any time, they are arranged here by grade in order to provide a graduated curriculum. This is a partial list only, as an extended list with commentary is given in following volumes addressing each grade. Further, this list only covers the Outer Order, but is given to highlight several books that may not reflect the usual recommendations found elsewhere. This list will also be maintained with links at: www.westernesotericism.com. Malkuth: Neophyte / Zelator What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do, Neil Eskelin Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, Susan Jeffers The Middle Pillar, Israel Regardie The One Year Manual, Israel Regardie The Unfinished Universe, Louise B. Young Field, Form and Fate, Michael Conforti The Spectrum of Consciousness, Ken Wilbur The Golden Game: Alchemical Engravings of the Seventeenth Century, Stanislas Klossowski de Rola Journey Notes: Writing for Recovery and Spiritual Growth, Richard Solly and Roseann Llyod Create Your Personal Sacred Text: Develop and Celebrate Your Spiritual Life, Bobbi L. Parish

Yesod: Theoricus The Act of Will, Roberto Assagioli What We May Be, Piero Ferrucci Prometheus Rising, Robert Anton Wilson The Inner Guide Meditation, Edwin Steinbrecher The Examined Life, Robert Nozick The Dice Man, Luke Rhinehart Waking Up, Charles T. Tart I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon, Philip K. Dick The Experience of No-Self, Bernadette Roberts Hod: Practicus Beyond Logic and Mysticism, Tom McArthur Straight and Crooked Thinking, Robert H. Thouless Symbolic Logic, Lewis Carroll Vicious Circles and Infinity: An Anthology of Paradoxes, Patrick Hughes and George Brecht Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge, Edward O. Wilson Nervous Breakdown: What is it? What causes it? Who can help? Jenny Cozens Labyrinths (particularly ‘The God’s Script’), Jorge Luis Borges The Knee of Listening, Bubba Free John Netzach: Philosophus

A Year to Live: How to live this year as if it were your last, Stephen Levine In the Country of Last Things, Paul Auster The Perennial Philosophy, Aldous Huxley

Additional reading for these grades and further materials for the Adept grade and above will be referenced in future volumes of the Magister and are provided within the Crucible Club.

Bibliography A full linked version of this bibliography will be maintained for reference and use at www.westernesotericism.com with titles added as the Magister progresses. Author names are repeated for multiple titles to assist reference on Kindle.

Abbot, R. & Warrington, P. The Works of Arthur H. Norris, Volume I. Natural Living Books: Northamptonshire, 2012. Abraham, L. A Dictionary of Alchemical Imagery. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1988. Abram, D. The Spell of the Sensuous. Vintage Books: New York, 1997. Adler, M. Drawing Down the Moon. Beacon Press: Boston, 1986. Ankarloo B. & Clark, S. (editors). Witchcraft and Magic in Europe. University of Pennsylvania Press: Philadelphia, 1999. Anon. Notes of An Adept: Being the Outline and Study of the Grade Zelator Adeptus Minor. Portal Publications, 2005. Arguelles, J. Earth Ascending. Bear and Company, 1988. Ash, E. Hypnotism and Suggestion. William Rider & Son: London, 1912. Ashcroft-Nowicki, D. (editor). The Forgotten Mage: The Magical Lectures of Colonel C.R.F. Seymour. Thoth Publications: Loughborough, 1999. Ashcroft-Nowicki, D. Wellingborough, 1982.

First

Steps

in

Ritual.

Aquarian

Press:

Ashcroft-Nowicki, D. The New Book of the Dead. Aquarian: London, 1992. Ashcroft-Nowicki, D. The Ritual Magic Workbook. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1986. Ashcroft-Nowicki, D. The Shining Paths. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1983. Assagioli, R. Psychosynthesis. Turnstone Press: Wellingborough, 1975. Assagioli, R. The Act of Will. Crucible: Wellingborough, 1990. Babinsky, E.L. (translator). The Mirror of Simple Souls. Paulist Press: New York, 1993. Bach, R. Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. Pan Books: London, 1978. Bach, R. Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Scribner: New York, 1998. Baddeley, G. Lucifer Rising: Sin, Devil Worship & Rock ‘n’ Roll. Plexus: London, 1999. Baker, P. Austin Osman Spare: The Life and Legend of London’s Lost Artist. Strange Attractor Press: London, 2011. Bandler, R. & Grinder, J. The Structure of Magic. Science and Behaviour Books: Palo Alto, 1985. Bardon, F. Initiation into Hermetics. Osiris-Verlag: Kettig Uber Koblenz, 1962. Barker, A.T. (editor). The Letters of H.P. Blavatsky to A.P. Sinnett. Theosophical University Press: Pasadena, 1973. Barker, P. Using Metaphors in Psychotherapy. Brunner/Mazel Inc: New York, 1985. Barnes, D. Practical Curriculum Study. Routledge & Kegan Paul: London, 1985.

Barton, G. (translator). The Imitation of Christ. Guidance House: 1942. Beck, D.E. & Cowan, C.C. Spiral Dynamics. Blackwell Publishing: Malden, 1996. Bell, C. Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1997. Benoist, L. The Esoteric Path. Crucible: Wellingborough, 1988. Berenson-Perkins, J. Kabbalah Decoder. Barron’s: Happauge, 2000. Besant, W. & Rice, J. The Monks of Thelema. Chatto & Windus: London, 1910. Birkbeck, L. Understanding the Future. Watkins: London, 2008. Blakemore, L.B. Masonic Lodge Methods. Macoy Publishing: Richmond, 1953. Blavatsky, H.P. The Key to Theosophy. Theosophical Publishing House: London, 1987. Blavatsky, H.P. The Secret Doctrine. Theosophical University Press: Pasadena, 1988. Bloom, H. Global Brain. John Wiley & Sons: New York, 2000. Bly, R. Iron John. Element: Shaftesbury, 1990. Blystone, W. Paenitere: An Introduction to the Occult Arts for the Neophyte. 1st Books, 2003. Bogdan, H. & Starr, M.P. (editors). Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2012. Bogdan, H. Western Esotericism and Rituals of Initiation. State University of New York Press: Albany, 2007. Booth, M. A Magick Life. Hodder & Stoughton: London, 2000.

Borges, J.L. Fictions. London: Penguin Books, 2000. Brueton, D. Many Moons. Prentice Hall Press: New York, 1991. Brunton, P. The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga. Rider & Company: London, 1941. Bryce, D. The Mystical Way and the Arthurian Quest. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1996. Bubba Free John, The Knee of Listening. Dawn Horse Press: Middleton, 1978. Budge, E.A.W. The Book of the Dead. University Books: Secaucus, 1981. Budge, E.A.W. Amulets and Superstitions. Oxford University Press: London, 1930. Burgoyne, T.H. The Light of Egypt: The Science of the Soul and the Stars. H.O. Wagner: Denver, 1963, in two volumes. Burton, R.E. Self-Remembering. Red Wheel/Weiser: York Beach, 1995. Butler, A. & Evans, D. (editors). The Journal for the Academic Study of Magic. Mandrake: Oxford, 2003. Butler, E.M. Ritual Magic. Sutton Publishing: Stroud, 1998. Butler, W.E. Apprenticed to Magic. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1981. Butler, W.E. Lords of Light: Teachings of the Ibis Fraternity. Destiny Books: Rochester, 1990. Campbell, J. The Hero With A Thousand Faces. Paladin: London, 1988. Carnes, M.C. Secret Ritual and Manhood in Victorian America. Yale University Press: New Haven, 1989. Carr, T. Best Science Fiction of the Year #9. Ballantine Books: London, 1980.

Carroll, P. Psychonaut. Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Leeds, n.d. Carroll, P.J. Liber Kaos: The Psychonomicon. Antony Rowe: Chippenham, n.d. Carroll, P.J. Liber Null. Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Leeds, n.d. Carter, J. Sex and Rockets: The Occult World of Jack Parsons. Feral House: Port Townsend, 2004. Case, P.F. The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order. Weiser Books: York Beach, 1989. Cavendish, R. (foreword). The Key of Solomon the King, trans. S.L. MacGregor Mathers. Routledge & Kegan Paul: London, 1981. Chapman, A. Advanced Magick for Beginners. Aeon Books: London, 2008. Chapman, J. The Quest for Dion Fortune. Samuel Weiser: Maine, 1993. Chappell, V. Sexual Outlaw, Erotic Mystic: The Essential Ida Craddock. Weiser Books: San Francisco, 2010. Chertok, L. & De Saussure, R. The Therapeutic Revolution: From Mesmer to Freud. Brunner/Mazel: New York, 1979. Churton, T. Aleister Crowley: The Biography. Watkins: London, 2011. Churton, T. Freemasonry: The Reality. Lewis Masonic: Heresham, 2009. Churton, T. The Gnostics. George Weidenfeld & Nicolson Limited: London, 1987. Churton, T. The Golden Builders. Red Wheel/Weiser: York Beach, 2005. Cirlot, J.E. A Dictionary of Symbols. Routledge & Kegan Paul: London, 1962. Clarke, R.B. An Order Outside of Time: A Jungian View of the Higher Self from Egypt to Christ. Hampton Roads: Charlottesville, 2005.

Clifton, C.S. Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America. Alta Mira Press: Oxford, 2006. Codd, C.M. Theosophy as the Masters See It. Theosophical Publishing House: Adyar, 1926. Coelho, P. The Alchemist. Thorsons: London, 1995. Colquhoun, I. Sword of Wisdom: MacGregor Mathers and ‘The Golden Dawn’. Neville Spearman: London, 1975. Compton, M. Archetypes on the Tree of Life: The Tarot as Pathwork. Llewellyn: St. Paul, 1991. Conforti, M. Field, Form and Fate: Patterns in Mind, Nature & Psyche. Spring Journal Books: New Orleans, 2003. Conway, D. Magic Without Mirrors: The Making of a Magician. Logios, 2011. Cooper, D.J. Mithras: Mysteries and Initiation Rediscovered. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1996. Cooper, P. Basic Magic. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1996. Copenhaver, B.P. Hermetica. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1992. Corbin, H. En Islam Iranien: Aspects spirituels et philosophiques, Tome IV: L’Ecole d’Ispahan – L’Ecole Shaykhie – Le Douzieme Imam, Gallimard, Bib. Des Idees: 1973. Cousins, E. (translator). Bonaventure: The Soul’s Journey Into God, The Tree of Life, The Life of St. Francis. SPCK: London, 1978. Crowley, A. Equinox Volume III, Number I. Universal Publishing Co: Detroit, 1919. Crowley, A. Little Essays Towards Truth. Sut Anubis: Northampton, 1985.

Crowley, A. Magick Without Tears. Falcon Press: Las Vegas, 1989. Crowley, A. Magick. Guild Publishing: Bungay, 1989. Crowley, A. The Book of Lies. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1984. Crowley, A. The Book of Thoth. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1985. Crowley, A. The Holy Books of Thelema. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1983. Crowley, A. The Revival of Magick and Other Essays. New Falcon: Tempe, 1998. Crowley, A., Symonds, J. & Grant, K. (editors). Magick. Guild Publishing: London, 1988. Crowley, V. The Magickal Life. Penguin: New York, 2003. Crowther, P. From Stagecraft to Witchcraft. Capall Bann: Chieveley, 2002. Crowther, P. The Witches Speak. Samuel Weiser: New York, 1976. Crowther, P. Witch Blood! The Diary of a Witch High Priestess. House of Collectibles: New York, 1974. d’Arch Smith, T. (editor). The Magus: A Complete System of Occult Philosophy by Francis Barrett. Citadel Press: Cecaucus, 1980. d’Este, S. (editor). Priestesses, Pythonesses, Sybils. Avalonia: London, 2001. Da Free John, The Four Fundamental Questions. The Dawn Horse Press: Clearlake Highlands, 1980. Damasio, A.R. The Feeling of What Happens. William Heinemann: London, 2000. Dawkins, P. & Trevelyan, G. The Pattern of Initiation in the Evolution of Human Consciousness. Francis Bacon Research Trust: Northampton, 1981.

de Chardin, P.T. The Phenomenon of Man. Harper & Row: London, 1961. de Chardin, T. Le Millieu Divin. William Collins Sons: London, 1964. de Shazer, S. Words Were Originally Magic. W.W. Norton & Co, Inc.: New York, 1994. Dehn, G. & Guth, S. (translators). The Book of Abramelin. Ibis Press: Lake Worth, 2006. del Campo, G. New Aeon Magick: Thelema Without Tears. Llewellyn: St. Paul, 1994. Denning, M. & Philips, O. Magical States of Consciousness. Llewellyn: St Paul, 1985. Denning, M. & Phillips, O. The Magical Philosophy. Llewellyn: Saint Paul, 1974, in five volumes. Deutch, R. The Ecstatic Mother: Portrait of Maxine Sanders. Bachman and Turner: London, 1977. di Fiosa, J. A Coin for the Ferryman: The Death and Life of Alex Sanders. Logios, 2010. Dick, P.K. I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon. Victor Gollancz Ltd: London, 1986. Dick, P.K. Valis. Gollancz: London, 1981. Dobbs, J.R. The Book of the SubGenius. Simon & Schuster, Inc.: New York, 1987. Dowd, F.B. The Way: A Textbook for the student of Rosicrucian Philosophy. Health Research: Pomeroy, 1972. Drury, N. Dark Spirits: The Magical Art of Rosaleen Norton and Austin Osman Spare. Salamander & Sons: Chiang Mai, 2012. Drury, N. Pan’s Daughter. Mandrake: Oxford, 1993.

Drury, N. The Path of the Chameleon: Man’s Encounter with the Gods and Magic. Nevillle Spearman: Jersey, 1973. Dukes, R. S.S.O.T.B.M.E. Revised: An Essay on Magic. The Mouse That Spins, 1974, revised 2000. Duquette, L.M. Ask Baba Lon: Answers to Questions of Life and Magick. New Falcon Publications: Las Vegas, 2011. Duquette, L.M. My Life with the Spirits: The Adventures of a Modern Magician. Red Wheel/Weiser: York Beach, 1999. Duquette, L.M. The Magick of Thelema. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1993. Eaton, E. The Hours of Isis. The Baskerville Press: London, 1928. Eco, U. Foucault’s Pendulum. Pan Books: London, 1990. Edighoffer, R., Faivre, A., Hanegraaff, W.J., Goodrick-Clarke, N. (editors). Aries. Brill: Leiden, 2001. Edinger, E.F. Anatomy of the Psyche. Open Court: Chicago and La Salle, 1994. Edwards, D. Dare to Make Magic. Rigel Press: London, 1974. Ellenberger, H.F. The Discovery of the Unconscious. Basic Books Inc: New York, 1970. Emtsev, M. & Parnov, E. World Soul. Macmillan: New York, 1978. Ephraim, F.G. Der Rosenkreutzer in Seiner Blösse. Amsterdam, 1781. Evans, D. The History of British Magic after Crowley. Hidden Publishing: Oxford, 2007. Evans-Wentz, W.Y. (editor). The Tibetan Book of the Dead. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1985. Evolva, J. Introduction to Magic. Inner Traditions: Rochester, 2001.

Evolva, J. Ride the Tiger. Inner Traditions: Rochester, 2003. Evolva, J. The Hermetic Tradition. Inner Traditions: Rochester, 1995. Faivre, A. & Needleman, J. (editors). Modern Esoteric Spirituality. SCM Press Ltd: London, 1993. Faivre, A. & Voss, K. Western Esotericism and the Science of Religions. Peeters: Leuven, 1998. Faivre, A. Access to Western Esotericism. State University of New York Press: Albany, 1994. Faivre, A., Brock, R., & Brach, J-P. (editors). Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism. Brill: Amsterdam, 2005. Fanger, C. (editor). Conjuring Spirits: Texts and Traditions of Medieval Ritual Magic. Sutton Publishing Ltd: Stroud, 1998. Farber, P.H. Future Ritual: Magick for the 21st Century. Eschaton: Chicago, 1995. Farr, F. Egyptian Magic. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1983. Farrar, J. & Farrar, S. The Life and Times of a Modern Witch. Headline: London, 1998. Farrell, N. King Over The Water: Samuel Mathers and the Golden Dawn. Kerubim Press: Dublin, 2012. Farrell, N. Mathers’ Last Secret: The Rituals and Teachings of the Alpha et Omega. Rosicrucian Order of the Golden Dawn: Laguna Niguel, 2011. Farrell, N. Magical Pathworking: Techniques of Active Imagination. Llewellyn: St. Paul, 2001. Farthing, G.A. Deity, Cosmos and Man. Point Loma Publications: San Diego, 1993.

Faulkner, R.O. The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead. University of Texas Press: Austin, 2000. Fielding C. & Collins, C. The Story of Dion Fortune. Thoth Publications: Loughborough, 1998. Firth, V. (Dion Fortune). Machinery of the Mind. George Allen & Unwin, Ltd: London, 1922. Flinders, D.J. & Thornton, S.J. (editors). The Curriculum Studies Reader (Third Edition). Routledge: New York, 2009. Fohrer, G. Hebrew and Aramaic Dictionary of the Old Testament. Walter de Gruyter: 1973. Fortune, D. Moon Magic. Weiser: York Beach, 1986. Fortune, D. Mystical Meditations on the Collects. Weiser: York Beach, 1991. Fortune, D. Psychic Self-Defence. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1981. Fortune, D. Sane Occultism. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1979. Fortune, D. The Demon Lover. Star: London, 1976. Fortune, D. The Goat-Foot God. Star: London, 1976. Fortune, D. The Mystical Qabalah. Ernest Benn Limited: London & Tonbridge, 1979. Fortune, D. The Sea Priestess. Weiser: York Beach, 1981. Fortune, D. The Training and Work of an Initiate. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1986. Fortune, D. The Winged Bull. Star: London, 1976. Fowles, J. The Aristos. Pan Books: London, 1968.

Fox-Davies, A.C. The Complete Guide to Heraldry. Wordsworth: Ware, 1996. Fr. Wittemans. A New and Authentic History of the Rosicrucians. Rider & Co: London, 1938. Frater Achad. Q.B.L. or The Bride’s Reception. Samuel Weiser: New York, 1974. Frater Achad. The Egyptian Revival. Samuel Weiser: New York, 1973. Frater U.D. High Magic. Llewellyn: St. Paul, 2005. Frost, G. & Frost, Y. Power Secrets from a Sorcerer’s Private Magnum Arcanum. Goldolphin House: Hinton, 1980. Fuller, J.O. The Magical Dilemma of Victor Neuburg. Mandrake: Oxford, 1990. Gaby, A.J. The Covert Enlightenment: Eighteenth Century Counterculture and Its Aftermath. Swedenborg Foundation Publishers: West Chester, 2005. Geffarth, R.D. Religion und arkane Hierarchie. Brill: Leiden, 2007. Geldard, R. The Esoteric Emerson. Lindisfarne Press: Hudson, 1993. Gibbons, B.J. Spirituality and the Occult. Routledge: London, 2001. Gibson, W. Pattern Recognition. Putnam: New York, 2003. Gilbert, R.A. (editor). Hermetic Papers of A.E. Waite. Aquarian: Wellingborough, 1987. Gilbert, R.A. (editor). The Sorcerer and his Apprentice: Unknown Writings of S.L. MacGregor Wellingborough, 1983. Gilbert,

R.A.

A.E.

Wellingborough, 1987.

Mathers Waite:

and

Magician

J.W. of

Brodie-Innes. Many

Aquarian:

Parts. Crucible:

Gilbert, R.A. The Golden Wellingborough, 1986.

Dawn

Companion.

Aquarian

Press:

Gilbert, R.A. The Golden Dawn Scrapbook. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1997. Gilbert, R.A. The Golden Dawn: Twilight of the Magicians. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1983. Gilbert, R.A. A.E. Waite: A Bibliography. Aquarian: Wellingborough, 1983. Gilbert, R.A. A.E. Waite: Magician of Many Parts. Crucible: 1987. Gilbert, R.A. Hermetic Papers of A.E. Waite. Aquarian: 1987. Gilbert, R.A. Revelations of the Golden Dawn. Quantum: 1997. Gilbert, T. Messages from the Archetypes. White Cloud Press: Ashland, 2004. Gladwell, M. The Tipping Point. Little, Brown and Company: London, 2000. Glouberman, D. Life Choices and Life Changes through Imagework. Mandala: London, 1989. Goddard, D. The Tower of Alchemy. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1999. Godwin, J. The Pagan Dream of the Renaissance. Thames & Hudson: London, 2002. Godwin, J. The Theosophical Enlightenment. State University of New York Press: Albany, 1994. Godwin, J., Chanel, C. & Deveney, J.P. The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1995. Gold, E.J. Life in the Labyrinth. IDHHB, INC: Nevada City, 1986.

Gold, E.J. New American Book of the Dead. IDHHB Publishing: Nevada City, 1981. Goodman M. & Goodman, S. (translators). Johann Reuchlin, On the Art of the Kabbalah. University of Nebraska Press: Lincoln and London, 1993. Goodrick-Clarke, N. Wellingborough, 1990.

Paracelsus:

Essential

Readings.

Crucible:

Goodwin, T. and Bain, D. A New Dawn for Tarot: The Original Tarot of the Golden Dawn. Forge Press: Keswick, 2013. Gorak, J. Making of a Modern Canon. Athlone Press: London, 1991. Gorman, M. Stairway to the Stars. Aeon: London, 2010. Graf, S.J. W.B. Yeats: Twentieth Century Magus. Samuel Weiser, Inc: York Beach, 2000. Grant, K. Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God. Frederick Muller: London, 1976. Grant, K. Nightside of Eden. Frederick Muller: London, 1977. Grant, K. Outside the Circles of Time. Frederick Muller Ltd: London, 1980. Grant, P.

A Dazzling Darkness: An Anthology of Western Mysticism.

Fount: London, 1985. Gray, E. Mastering the Tarot. New American Library: New York, 1971. Gray, W.G. An Outlook on our Inner Western Way. Samuel Weiser: New York, 1980. Gray, W.G. Qabalistic Concepts. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1997. Green, M. Magic for the Aquarian Age. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1983.

Green, M. The Path Through The Labyrinth. Thoth Publications: Loughborough, 1994. Greene, L. and Sasportas, H. Seminars in Psychological Astrology, Volume 1: The Development of the Personality. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1987. Greenwood, S. Magic, Witchcraft and the Otherworld. Berg: Oxford, 2000. Greenwood, S. The Anthropology of Magic. Berg: Oxford, 2009. Greer, J.M. Inside a Magical Lodge. Llewellyn: St. Paul, 1998. Greer, M.K. Women of the Golden Dawn. Park Street Press: Rochester, 1995. Greville-Gascoigne, A. The Way of an Initiate. T.B.O.T.P. Publications: North Ferriby, 1940. Guénon, R. Initiation and Spiritual Realization. Sophia Perennis: Hillsdale, 2004. Guénon, R. L’Erreur Spirit. Rivière: Paris, 1921. Guénon, R. Perspectives of Initiation. Sophia Perennis: Hillsdale, 2004. Gunther, J.D. Initiation in the Aeon of the Child: The Inward Journey. Ibis Press: Lake Worth, 2009. Gurdjieff, G.I. Life is Real Only Then, When “I Am”. Routledge and Kegan Paul: London, 1981. Gurdjieff, G.I. Views From the Real World. Arkana: London, 1984. Hakes, J.E. (editor). An Introduction to Evangelical Christian Education. Moody Press: Chicago, 1964. Hall, M.P. The Adepts in the Western Esoteric Tradition, Part 3: Orders of Universal Reformation. Philosophical Research Society: Los Angeles, 1949.

Hamill, J. (editor). The Rosicrucian Seer. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1986. Hamill, J. The Craft: A History of English Freemasonry. Crucible, 1986. Hanegraaff, W.J. (editor) with Faivre, A., van den Broek, R. & Brach, J-P. Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism. Brill: Leiden, 2005, in two volumes. Hanegraaff, W.J. Esotericism and the Academy: Rejected Knowledge in Western Culture. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2012. Hanegraaff, W.J. New Age Religion and Western Culture. Brill: Leiden, 1996. Hardy, J. A Psychology with a Soul. Arkana: London, 1987. Harper, G.M. Yeats’s Golden Dawn. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1974. Harris, T.A. I’m OK – You’re OK. Arrow Boooks: London, 1995. Harrison, F. & Shadrach, N. Magic That Works: Practical Training for the Children of Light. Ishtar Publishing: Barnaby, 2005. Hart, G. A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. Routledge & Kegan Paul: London, n.d. Harvey, A. A Journey in Ladakh. Picador: London, 1993. Harvey, A. The Direct Path: Creating a Journey to the Divine Using the World’s Mystical Traditions. Rider: London, 2000. Harvey, G. Contemporary Paganism. New York University Press: New York, 1997. Hauck, D.W. The Emerald Tablet. Arkana: London, 1999. Haule, J. Pilgrimage of the Heart: The Path of Romantic Love. Shamballa: Boston, 1992.

Hawkins, J.D. Understanding Chaos Magic. Capall Bann: Chieveley, 1996. Hedsel, M. The Zelator. Century Books: London, 1998. Henderson, J.L. & Sherwood, D.N. Transformation of the Psyche: The Symbolic Alchemy of the Splendor Solis. Routledge: Hove, 2003. Henderson, J.L. Thresholds of Initiation. Chiron Publications: Wilmette, 2005. Hine, P. Condensed Chaos. New Falcon Publications: Tempe, 1992. Hoffman, E. The Heavenly Ladder: Kabbalistic Techniques for Inner Growth. Prism Press: Sturminster Newton, 1996. Hollis, J. Swamplands of the Soul: New Life in Dismal Places. Inner City Books: Toronto, 1996. Holman, J. The Return of the Perennial Philosophy: The Supreme Vision of Western Esotericism. Watkins: London, 2008. Holroyd, S. Gnosticism. Element Books: Dorset, 1994. Hornung, E. The Secret Lore of Egypt: Its Impact on the West. Cornell University Press: Ithaca & London, 2001. Howe, E. (editor). The Alchemist of the Golden Dawn. Aquarian: 1985. Howe, E. The Magicians of the Golden Dawn. RKP: London, 1972. Hutchinson, R. Aleister Crowley: The Beast Demystified. Mainstream Publishing: Edinburgh, 1998. Hutton, R. The Triumph of the Moon. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1999. Huxley, A. The Perennial Philosophy. HarperPerennial: New York, 2009. Hyatt, C.S. with Willis, J. The Psychopath’s Bible. New Falcon Publications: Tempe, 2003.

Idel, M. Ascensions on High in Jewish Mysticism: Pillars, Lines, Ladders. CEU Press: New York, 2005. Irwin, R. Satan Wants Me. Bloomsbury: London, 2000. Iversen, E. The Myth of Egypt and Its Hieroglyphs in European Tradition. Princeton University Press: Princeton, 1993. Jackson, P. & Lethem, J. (editors). The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick. Gollanz: London, 2011. Jacobi, J. (editor). Paracelsus: Selected Writings. Princeton University Press: Princeton, 1979. James, T. & Woodsmall, W. Time Line Therapy and the Basis of Personality. Meta Publications: 1998. Jensen, K.F. The Story of the Waite-Smith Tarot. ATS: 2006. Jinarajadasa, C. (editor). H.P.B. Speaks. The Theosophical Publishing House: Adyar, 1950. Jinarajadasa, C. (editor.) Letters from the Masters of Wisdom. The Theosophical Publishing House: Adyar, 1973. Jodorowsky, A. & Costa, M. The Way of Tarot. Destiny Books: Rochester, 2004. Johnson, K.P. The Masters Revealed. State University of New York Press: Albany, 1994. Joshi, S.T. & Schultz, D.E. An H.P. Lovecraft Encyclopaedia. Hippocampus Press: New York, 2001. Joshi, S.T. A Subtle Magick: The Writings and Philosophy of H.P. Lovecraft. Wildside Press: Berkeley Heights, 1999. Joshi, S.T. Primal Sources. Hippocampus Press: New York, 2003. Jung, C.G. Man and His Symbols. Picador: London, 1978

Jung, C.G. Symbols of Transformation (CW5). Kaczynski, R. Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley. New Falcon Publications: Tempe, 2002. Kaltsas, N. & Shapiro, A. (editors). Worshipping Women: Ritual and Reality in Classical Athens. Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation: New York, 2011. Kansa, S. Wormwood Star: The Magickal Life of Marjorie Cameron. Mandrake: Oxford, 2011. Kaplan, A. Meditation and Kabbalah. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1985. Katz, M. & Goodwin, T. Around the Tarot in 78 Days. Llewellyn: Woodbury, 2012. Katz, M. & Goodwin, T. Abiding in the Sanctuary: The Waite-Trinick Tarot. Forge Press: Keswick, 2011. Katz, M. & Goodwin, T. Learning Lenormand. Llewellyn: Woodbury, 2013. Katz, M. & Goodwin, T. Tarot Face to Face. Llewellyn: Woodbury, 2012. Katz, M. & Goodwin, T. Tarot Flip. Forge Press: Keswick, 2010. Katz, M. & Goodwin, T. Tarot Inspire. Forge Press: Keswick, 2011. Katz, M. After the Angel. Forge Press: Keswick, 2011. Katz, M. Tarosophy: Tarot to Engage Life, Not Escape It. Salamander & Sons: Chiang Mai, 2011. Katz, M. The Alchemical Amphitheatre. Forge Press: Keswick, 2008. Katz, M. The Zodiacal Rituals. Forge Press: Keswick, 2008. Keith, W. (editor). The Grimoire of Armadel, trans. S.L. MacGregor Mathers. Weiser: York Beach, 2001.

Kelly, A.A. Crafting the Art of Magic, Book I: A History of Modern Witchcraft 1939-1964. Llewellyn: St. Paul, 1991. Kelly, A.V. The Curriculum: Theory & Practice (Sixth Edition). Sage: London, 1977. Kepler, T.S. Mystical Writings of Rulman Merswin. Westminster Press: Philadelphia, n.d. Kieckhefer, R. Forbidden Rites: A Necromancer’s Manual of the Fifteenth Century. Sutton Publishing: Stroud, 1997. King, F. (editor). Astral Projection, Ritual Magic and Alchemy. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1987. King, F. Modern Ritual Magic. Prism Press: Bridport, 1989. King, F. Ritual Magic in England. New English Library: London, 1973. King, F. The Magical World of Aleister Crowley. Weidenfield & Nicolson: London, 1977. Kingsford, A.B. & Maitland, E. The Perfect Way, or the Finding of Christ. Cosimo: New York, 2007. Knight, G. & McLean, A. Commentary on the Chymical Wedding. Magnum Opus: Edinburgh, 1984. Knight, G. Dion Fortune and the Inner Light. Thoth Publications: Loughborough, 2000. Knight, G. I Called It Magic. Skylight Press: Cheltenham, 2011. Knight, G. Magic and the Western Mind. Llewellyn: St. Paul, 1991. Kraft, N.R. Ogdoadic Magick. Weiser/Red Wheel: York Beach, 2001. Kraig, D.M. Modern Magic. Llewellyn: St. Paul, 1991.

Küntz, D. The Complete Golden Dawn Cipher Manuscript. Holmes Publishing Group: Edmonds, 1996. Küntz, D. The Golden Dawn Court Cards. Holmes Publishing Group: Edmonds, Wash., c. 1996. Küntz, D. The Golden Dawn Legacy of MacGregor Mathers. Holmes Publishing Group: Sequim, 2005. Küntz, D. The Golden Dawn Source Book. Holmes Publishing Group: Edmonds, WA, 1996. Kunz, F. The Men Beyond Mankind. The David McKay Company: Philadelphia, 1937. Lancaster, B. The Elements of Judaism. Element: Shaftesbury, 1993. Lankton, S. Practical Magic. Meta Publications: Capitola, 1980. LaVey, A.S. The Satanic Bible. Avon: New York, 1969. LaVey, A.S. The Satanic Rituals. Avon: New York, 1972. Lawton, D., Gordon, P., Ing, M., Gibby, B., Pring, R. & Moore, T. Theory and Practice of Curriculum Studies. Routledge & Kegan Paul: London, 1978. Leadbeater, C.W. The Masters and the Path. The Theosophical Publishing House: Adyar, 1953. Leitch, A. Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires. Llewellyn: Woodbury, 2005. Libet, B. Mind Time: The Temporal Factor in Consciousness. Harvard University Press: London, 2004. Livingstone, G. PaGaian Cosmology: Re-Inventing Earth-based Goddess Religion. iUniverse: New York, 2008. Lockhart, D. Sabazius: The Teachings of a Greek Magus. Element: Shaftesbury, 1997.

Louth, A. The Origins of the Christian Mystical Tradition from Plato to Denys. Clarendon Press: Oxford, 1981. Mead, G.R.S. Fragments of a Faith Forgotten. University Books: New York, 1960. Louth, A. The Origins of the Christian Mystical Tradition. Clarendon Press: Oxford, 1981. Lovecraft, H.P. The Lurking Fear and Other Stories. Panther: London, 1964. Luhrmann, T.M. Persuasions of the Witch’s Craft: Ritual Magic in Contemporary England. Picador: London, 1994. Luibheid, C. & Russell, N. (translators). John Climacus: The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Paulist Press: Mahwah, NJ, 1982. Lurker, M. The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson: London, 1980. MacGregor-Mathers, S.L. The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage. Thorsons: Wellingborough, 1977. MacGregor-Mathers, S.L. The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage. Dover Press: New York, 1975. MacGregor-Mathers, S.L. The Grimoire of Armadel. Weiser: Boston, 2001. MacGregor-Mathers, S.L. The Kabbalah Unveiled. Routledge Kegan & Paul: London, 1981. MacGregor-Mathers, S.L. The Key of Solomon the King. Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd: London, 1981. Mackenzie, K. The Royal Masonic Cyclopaedia. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1987.

Madden, K.W. Dark Light of the Soul. Lindesfarne Books: Great Barrington, 2008. Magister Pianco. Der Rosenkreuzer in seiner Blösse. Amsterdam, 1781. Main, R. Revelations of Chance: Synchronicity as Spiritual Experience. State University of New York Press: Albany, 1997. Mauss, M. A General Theory of Magic. RKP: London, 1972. Mavromatis, A. Hypnagogia: The Unique State of Consciousness between Wakefulness and Sleep. Routledge: London, 1991. Mavromatis, A. Travelling Light: Glimpses of Modern Day Initiation. Thyrsos Press: London, 2010. McCarthy, J. Magical Knowledge, Book I and II. Mandrake: Oxford, 2012. McCutcheon, R.T. (editor). The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion. Continuum: London, 2005. McGinn, B. The Growth of Mysticism. SCM Press: London, 1995. McIntosh, C. The Rosicrucians. Crucible: Wellingborough, 1987. McKenna, T. The Invisible Landscape. HarperCollins: New York, 1993. McKenna, T. True Visions and the Archaic Revival. MJF Books: New York, 1993. McLean, A. & Knight, G. Commentary on The Chymical Wedding. Magnum Opus: Edinburgh, 1984. McLean, A. The Western Mandala. Hermetic Research Series: Edinburgh, 1983. McQuay, M. The Nexus. Headline: London, 1989. Metzger, R. (editor). Book of Lies: The Disinformation Guide to Magick and the Occult. Disinformation Company: New York, 2003.

Mistlberger, P.T. The Three Dangerous Magi: Osho, Gurdjieff and Crowley. O-Books: Ropely, 2010. Mitchell, B. Neutrality and Commitment. Clarendon Press: Oxford, 1968. Mollick, A. Living with Magick in a Mundane World. n.p., 2006. Moore, A., Williams III, J.H., Gray, M. & Klein, T. Promethea. Americas Best Comics, 1999-2005, 32 issues. Moore, R. & Gillette, D. King, Warrior, Magician, Lover. HarperCollins: New York, 1990. Morgan, M. (editor). Thelemic Magick II. Golden Dawn Publications: Oxford, 1996. Mortimer, G.T. The Probationer’s Handbook. Media Underground, 2007. Moses Maimonides. The Guide for the Perplexed. Dover: New York, 1956. Navratilova, H. Egyptian Revival in Bohemia, 1850-1920. Set Out: Prague, 2003. Naydler, J. Temple of the Cosmos: The Ancient Egyptian Experience of the Sacred. Inner Traditions International: Rochester, 1996. Nema. Maat Magick. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1995. Nema. The Way of Mystery. Llewellyn: St. Paul, 2003. Newcomb, J.A. 21st Century Mage. Red Wheel/Weiser: York Beach, 2002. Newcomb, J.A. The New Hermetics. Red Wheel/Weiser: York Beach, 2004. Nichols, S. Jung and Tarot. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1980. Nicoll, M. Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky. Shamballa: Boston, 1987, in five volumes. Nott, C.S. Teachings of Gurdjieff. Arkana: London, 1990.

O’Brien, B. Operators and Things: The Inner Life of a Schizophrenic. Abacus: London, 1976. O’Regan, V. The Pillar of Isis. Aquarian: London, 1992. Ophiel. The Art and Practice of Caballa Magic. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1977. Orage, A.R. Psychological Exercises. Janus Press: London, 1968. Orpheus, R. Abrahadabra. Red Wheel/Weiser: York Beach, 2005. Ouspensky, P.D. The Fourth Way. Routledge & Kegan Paul: London, 1970. Overton-Fuller, J. Blavatsky and Her Teachers. East-West Publications: London and The Hague, 1988. Owen, A. The Place of Enchantment. The University of Chicago Press: Chicago and London, 2004. Ozaniec, N. The Element Tarot Handbook: Initiation into the Key Elements of the Tarot. Element: Shaftesbury, 1994. Paris, G. Pagan Grace: Dionysus, Hermes and the Goddess Memory in Daily Life. Spring Publications: Dallas, 1990. Patterson, W.P. Struggle of the Magicians: Exploring the Teacher-Student Relationship. Arete Communications: Fairfax, 1998. Pauwels, L. and Bergier, J. The Morning of the Magicians. Mayflower: London, 1971. Peers, E.A. (editor). The Art of Contemplation. The Macmillan Co: London, 1925. Penczak, C. Ascension Magick. Llewellyn: Woodbury, 2007. Perkins, K. & Johnson, K. Egyptian Life and the Tree of Life. International Order of Kabbalists: London, 1982.

Petrement, S. A Separate God: The Origins and Teachings of Gnosticism. HarperCollins: New York, 1984. Phillips, O. Aurum Solis. Thoth Publications: Loughborough, 2001. Place, R. The Tarot: History, Symbolism and Divination. Tarcher/Penguin: New York, 2005. Plato. Timaeus. Dent: London, 1965. Pogson, B. The Work Life. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1994. Power, R. (editor). Great Song: The Life and Teachings of Joe Miller. Maypop: Athens, Georgia, 1993. Quirke, S. Ancient Egyptian Religion. British Museum Press: London, 1992. Rabelais, F. Gargantua and Pantagruel. Penguin Books: Harmondsworth, 1978. Raine, K. Yeats, the Tarot and the Golden Dawn. Dolmen: 1976. Redfield, J. & Adrienne, C. The Celstine Prophecy: An Experiential Guide. Bantam: London, 1995. Redfield, J. The Celestine Prophecy. Bantam: London, 1994. Reeves, M. Joachim of Fiore and the Prophetic Future. SPCK: London, 1976. Reeves, N. Ancient Egypt: The Great Discoveries, a Year-by-Year Chronicle. Thames & Hudson: London, 2000. Regardie, I. Ceremonial Magic. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1980. Regardie,

I.

Foundations

Wellingborough, 1983.

of

Practical

Magic.

Aquarian

Press:

Regardie, I. My Rosicrucian Adventure. Llewellyn: St. Paul, 1981. Regardie, I. The Art of True Healing. Helios: Toddington, 1974. Regardie, I. The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic. Falcon Press: Phoenix, 1984. Regardie, I. The Eye in the Triangle: An Interpretation of Aleister Crowley. Falcon Press: Phoenix, 1982. Regardie, I. The Middle Pillar. Llewellyn: St. Paul, 1998. Rhinehart, L. The Book of the Die. HarperCollins: London, 2000. Rhinehart, L. The Dice Man. The Overlook Press: New York, 2001. Rhinehart, L. The Search for the Dice Man. HarperCollins: London, 1994. Rice, M. Egypt’s Legacy: The Archetypes of Western Civilization 3000-30 BC. Routledge: London, 1997. Richardson, A. & Claridge, M. The Old Sod: The Odd Life and Inner Work of William G. Gray. Skylight Press: Cheltenham, 2011. Richardson, A. & Hughes, G. Ancient Magicks for a New Age. Llewellyn Publications: St. Paul, 1992. Richardson, A. Aleister Crowley and Dion Fortune: The Logos of the Aeon and the Shakti of the New Age. Llewellyn: Woodbury, 2009. Richardson, A. Dancers to the Gods: The Magical Records of Charles Seymour and Christine Hartley 1937-1939. The Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1985. Richardson, A. Priestess: The Life and Magic of Dion Fortune. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1987. Richmond, O. Temple Lectures. Fyfe: Chicago, 1892. Rinpoche, S. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Rider: London, 1995.

Roberts, B. The Experience of No-Self. Shamballa: Boston & London, 1982. Roberts, N. A Lucid Dreamer: The Life of Peter Redgrove. Jonathan Cape: London, 2012. Rosen, S. My Voice Will Go With You. W.W. Norton & Co: London, 1991. Sanders, M. Firechild. Mandrake: Oxford, 2008. Sandford, L.T. Strong at the Broken Places. Virago Press Ltd: London, 1991. Scholem, G. Kabbalah. Dorset Press: New York, 1974. Schreck, N. Flowers from Hell: A Satanic Reader. Creation Books, 2001. Sedgewick, D. The Wounded Healer: Countertransference from a Jungian Perspective. Routledge: Hove, 1994. Seznec, J. The Survival of the Pagan Gods. Princetown University Press: Chichester, 1972. Shea, R. Illuminatus! Sphere Books: London, 1976, in three volumes. Sherwin, R. The Book of Results. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Leeds, n.d. Sherwin, R. The Theatre of Magick. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Leeds, n.d. Shiva, F. Inside Solar Lodge: Outside The Law. Teitan Press: York Beach, 2007. Shorter, A.W. The Egyptian Gods. Routledge & Kegan Paul: London, 1937. Sinnett, A.P. Esoteric Buddhism. Wizard’s Bookshelf: San Diego, 1981. Slater, S. The Complete Book of Heraldry. Anness Publishing: London, 2002. Sockett, H. Designing the Currriculum. Open Books Publishing: London, 1976.

Spiegelman, J.M. The Tree of Life: Paths in Jungian Individuation. New Falcon Publications: Phoenix, 1993. Spierenburg, H.J. The Inner Group Teachings of H.P. Blavatsky. Point Loma Publications: San Diego, 1985. Squires, G. The Curriculum Beyond School. Hodder & Stoughton: London, 1987. St. George, E.A. The Casebook of a Working Occultist. Rigel Press: London, 1972. Starr, M.P. The Unknown God: W.T. Smith and the Thelemites. The Teitan Press: Bolingbrook, 2003. Stein, M. Psyche, on the Development of the Soul. Spring Publications: New York City, 1970. Steinbrecher, E.E. The Inner Guide Meditation. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1982. Steiner, R. The Way of Initiation, and Initiation and Its Results. Theosophical Publishing Society: London, 1910. Stephens, J. Retelling Stories, Framing Culture: Traditional Story and Metanarratives in Children’s Literature. Routledge: London, 1998. Stewart, R.J. Celebrating the Male Mysteries. Arcania: Bath, 1991. Stewart, R.J. The Underworld Initiation. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1985. Stock, G. Metaman. Bantam Press: London, 1993. Sturzaker, J. & Sturzacker, D. Colour and the Kabbalah. Thorsons: Wellingborough, 1975. Sturzaker, J. Kabbalistic Aphorisms. Theosophical Publishing House: London, 1971.

Summers, C. & Vayne, J. Seeds of Magick. Quantum: London, 1990. Suster, G. Crowley’s Apprentice. Samuel Weiser, Inc: Maine, 1990. Suster, G. The Legacy of the Beast. W.H. Allen: London, 1988. Sutin, L. Do What Thou Wilt: A Life of Aleister Crowley. St. Martin’s Press: New York, 2000. Sutin, L. (editor). Dick, P.K. In Pursuit of Valis: Selections from the Exegesis. Underwood-Miller: California, 1991. Symonds J. & Grant, K. (editors). The Confessions of Aleister Crowley. Routledge & Kegan Paul: London, 1986. Symonds, J. The Great Beast. Mayflower: London, n.d. Symonds, J. The King of the Shadow Realm. Duckworth: London, 1989. Symonds, J. The Magic of Aleister Crowley. Frederick Muller Ltd: London, 1958. Tart, C.T. Waking Up. Element Books: Longmead, 1988. Templar, E. The Path of the Magus. Kingfisher Press: Irchester, 1986. Templar, E. The Tree of Hru. Kingfisher Press: Irchester, 1990. Thomas, K. Religion and the Decline of Magic. Penguin Books: Harmondsworth, 1978. Thorndike, L. History of Magic and Experimental Science. Macmillan & Co: London, 1923. Tickhill, A. The Apogeton. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Leeds, n.d. Tolle, E. The Power of Now. Hodder & Stoughton Ltd: London, 2011. Torrens, R.G. The Secret Rituals of the Golden Dawn. Aquarian: 1973. Trowbridge, G. Swedenborg: Life and Teaching. Swedenborg Society: London, 1934.

Tweedy, I. Daughter of Fire. Blue Dolphin: Nevada City, 1986. Tyson, D. Three Books of Occult Philosophy written by Henry Cornellius Agrippa of Nettescheim. Llewellyn: St. Paul, 1998. Ursin, J. Création et histoire du Rite Écossais Rectifié. Petite bibliotheque franc- mac, 1993. van den Broek, R. & Hanegraaff W.J. (editors). Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times. State University of New York Press: New York, 1988. Vogler, C. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters. Pan Books: London, 1999. von Stuckrad, K. Western Esotericism. Equinox Press: London, 2005. Voss, A. Marsilio Ficino. North Atlantic Books: Berkeley, 2006. W.W. (Bloom, W.) QHE! The Taming Power. Mayflower: St. Albans, 1974. Waite, A.E. Lamps of Western Mysticism. Rudolph Steiner Publications: New York, 1973. Waite, A.E. Pictorial Key to the Tarot. Rider and Company: London, 1974. Waite, A.E. The Occult Sciences: A Compendium of Transcendental Doctrine and Experiment. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, & Co: London, 1891. Waite, A.E. The Pictorial Key to the Tarot. Rider & Company: London, 1974. Waite, A.E. The Real History of the Rosicrucians. Kessinger Publishing, 1999. Walker, D.P. Spiritual and Demonic Magic from Ficino to Campanella. Sutton Publishing Ltd: Stroud, 2000.

Wang, R. The Rape of Jewish Mysticism by Christian Theologians. Marcus Aurelius Press: Columbia, 2001. Washington, P. Madame Blavatsky’s Baboon. Secker & Warburg: London, 1993. Waterfield, R. Hidden Depths: The Story of Hypnosis. Macmillan: London, 2002. Webb, D. Uncle Setnakt’s Essential Guide to the Left Hand Path. RunaRaven Press: Smithville, 1999. Webb, J. The Flight from Reason. Macdonald & Co: London, 1971. Webb, J. The Harmonious Circle. G.P. Putnam’s Sons: New York, 1980. Webster, C. From Paracelsus to Newton: Magic and the Making of Modern Science. Dover: Mineola, 1982. Wellbeloved, S. Gurdjieff: The Key Concepts. Routledge: London, 2003. Wells, H.G. The Open Conspiracy and Other Writings. Waterlow and Sons: London, 1933. Weor, S.A. The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of Tarot and Kabbalah. Thelema Press: Aloha, 2006. Westcott, W.W. An Introduction to the Study of the Kabbalah. Metaphysical Research Group: Hastings, 1978. Wetzel, J. The Paradigmal Pirate. Megalithia Books: Stafford, 2006. Wheatley, D. The Satanist. Arrow Books: London, 1974. White, R. (editor). The Rosicrucian Enlightenment Revisited. Lindesfarne Books: Hudson, 1999. Wilbur, K. The Spectrum of Consciousness. Quest Books: Wheaton, 1979. Wilde, J. Grimoire of Chaos Magick. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Leeds, n.d.

Wildoak, P. By Names and Images: Bringing the Golden Dawn to Life. Skylight Press: Cheltenham, 2012. Wilkinson, R.H. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson: London, 2003. Williams, B. The Woman Magician. Llewellyn: Woodbury, 2011. Williams, J. Winning With Witchcraft. Finbarr: 1986. Wilson, C. Aleister Crowley: The Nature of the Beast. Aquarian: London, 1987. Wilson, C. The Mind Parasites. Panther Books: London, 1969. Wilson, C. The Outsider. Pan Books: London, 1963. Wilson, R.A. Cosmic Trigger: Final Secret of the Illuminati. Abacus: London, 1979. Wilson, R.A. Prometheus Rising. Falcon Press: Phoenix, 1986. Wilson, R.A. Right Where You Are Sitting Now. And/Or Press: Berkeley, 1982. Wilson, R. A. The Earth Will Shake (Historical Illuminatus Chronicles Vol. I). Lynx: New York, 1988. Wind, E. Pagan Mysteries in the Renaissance. W. W. Norton & Co: New York, 1968. Windschuttle, K. The Killing of History. Encounter Books: San Francisco, 1996. Wolfe, J. The Cefalu Diaries 1920-1923. The College of Thelema of Northern California: Sacremento, 2008. Wolff-Salin, M. Journey into Depth: The Experience of Initiation in Monastic and Jungian Training. Liturgical Press: Collegeville, 2005. Woodcock, A. & Davis, M. Catastrophe Theory. Penguin: Harmondsworth, 1980.

Yaj Nomolos. The Magic Circle: Its Succesful Organization and Leadership. International Imports: Hollywood, 1987. Yates, F.A. Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition. Routledge & Kegan Paul: London, 1964. Yates, F.A. The Rosicrucian Enlightenment. Paladin: St. Albans, 1975. Yates, F.A. The Rosicrucian Enlightenment. Routledge & Kegan Paul: London, 1971. Yeats, W.B. A Vision. Papermac: London, 1981. Young, L.B. The Unfinished Universe. Simon & Schuster: New York, 1986. Z’ev ben Shimon Halevi. School of the Soul: Its Path and Pitfalls. Gateway Books: Bath, 1985. Zalewski, P. & Zaleswki, C. The Equinox and Solstice Ceremonies of the Golden Dawn. Llewellyn: St. Paul, 1992. Zalewski, P. & Zaleswki, C. The Golden Dawn. Llewellyn: St. Paul, 1989. Zanoni. The Light of Egypt, Volume I. Wagner: Denver, 1963. Zimbardo, P. & Boyd, J. The Time Paradox: Using the New Psychology of Time to your Advantage. Rider: London, 2008.

[1] Knight, G. & McLean, A. Commentary on the Chymical Wedding. Magnum Opus: Edinburgh, 1984, p.10. [2] Eco, U. Foucault’s Pendulum. Picador: London, 1990, p.391. [3] “God will bring upon the whole universe the Great Ignorance, in order that all things may remain in their natural condition” – Basilides of Alexandria, a Gnostic who lived immediately prior to Valentinus, c. 120130 A.D. Jung attributed his visionary writing, Seven Sermons to the Dead, to Basilides. See Holroyd, S. Gnosticism. Element Books: Dorset, 1994, pp.41-47. [4] Fortune, D. Psychic Self-Defence. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1992, pp.18-19. [5] An archaic term meaning ‘restoration to a former state’. [6] Sutin, L. (editor). of Dick, P.K. In Pursuit of Valis: Selections from the Exegesis. Underwood- Miller: California, 1991, p.266. This edition of Dick’s notebooks forming his ‘Exegesis’ demonstrates much of Dick’s Gnostic concerns and development of Gnostic concepts, many of which were written into his published fiction. His A Scanner, Darkly. Panther Books: London, 1985, is also now a major film starring Keanu Reeves (who also starred in The Matrix trilogy, also derived in part from Gnostic theology). Also refer to Jackson, P. & Lethem, J. (editors). The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick. Gollanz: London, 2011. This provides a large part of Dick’s attempt to respond to his revelatory experiences in what the editors wonderfully refer to as an “open laboratory of interpretation.” We will return to Dick’s writings in a subsequent volume of The Magister.

[7] Churton, T. The Gnostics. George Weidenfeld & Nicolson Limited: London, 1987, p.22. [8] Faivre, A. Naturphilosophie in Hanegraaff, W.J. (editor) with Faivre, A., van den Broek, R., & Brach, J-P. Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism. Brill: Leiden, 2005, Vol. II, pp.822-826. [9] Murray Stein suggests ‘biography’ as a less ponderous translation than ‘developmental history’ in her ‘Precis of Parts Two and Three of Psyche’, an Appendix in Psyche, on the Development of the Soul. Spring Publications: New York City, 1970. [10] Psyche, on the Development of the Soul, op. cit., p. ii, James Hillman, An Introductory Note, ‘C.G. Carus – C.G. Jung’. [11] Carus, C. in Psyche on the Development of the Soul, op. cit., p.53. [12] See Ellenberger, H.F. The Discovery of the Unconscious. Basic Books Inc: New York, 1970, particularly pp.202-210. [13] Ash, E. Hypnotism and Suggestion. William Rider & Son: London, 1912, p.110. [14] For Bernheim’s classic work Suggestive Therapeutics and its influence, see ‘Classics in Psychology’ Robert H. Wozniak – Bryn Mawr College, Hippolyte Bernheim: Suggestive Therapeutics (1886; English 1889) at: http://www.thoemmes.com/psych/ernheim.htm [last accessed 14 January 2012].

[15] Chertok, L. & De Saussure, R. The Therapeutic Revolution. From Mesmer to Freud. Brunner/ Mazel: New York, 1979. [16] Owen, A. The Place of Enchantment. The University of Chicago Press: Chicago and London, 2004, particularly Chapter Four. [17] Owen, A. Ibid, p.125. [18] Mathers, M. Preface to the fourth edition of MacGregor-Mathers, S.L. Kabbala Denudata, viii. Quoted in Owen, A. Ibid, p.67. [19] Adeptus Minor Oath. See Regardie, I. The Golden Dawn (1982 printing), Volume 2, Book 3, p.214. [20] Anna Mary Bonus Kingsford, Esotericist, Visionary, Hermetic Mystic, Paradoxos Alpha, 2004. http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/kingsford.htm [last accessed 08 February 2013]. [21] Greer, M.K. Women of the Golden Dawn. Park Street Press: Vermont, 1995, p.52-55. [22] For an appraisal of Regardie’s relationship with Crowley, see Suster, G. Crowley’s Apprentice, referenced herein, and for similar analysis of Dion Fortune’s relationship see Chapman, J. The Quest for Dion Fortune, which also reproduces verbatim a letter from Regardie to Chapman on Dion Fortune’s position on Crowley, p.43-46. [23] Regardie, I. The Eye in the Triangle. Falcon Press: Arizona, 1982, third reprint, p.157.

[24] Regardie, I. Ibid, p.156. See also illustration earlier in this present volume. [25] Suster, G. Crowley’s Apprentice. Samuel Weiser, Inc: Maine, 1990, p.116. [26] Regardie, I. Ibid, p.137. [27] Regardie, I. Ibid, p.183. [28] The identification of this establishment was not given by Dion Fortune, but has since been reasonably identified from several primary sources by Chapman, J. The Quest for Dion Fortune. Samuel Weiser: Maine, 1993, p.4-5. [29] Fortune, D. Psychic Self-Defence. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1981, Preface, pp.14-15. [30] Chapman, J. Ibid, p.77. Chapman produces a transcript of a conversation with Helah Fox, who had known Dion Fortune. In this Fox notes that Fortune had only become really interested in Jung in 1943. However, in Fortune’s own Machinery of the Mind, published in 1922, she demonstrates more than a passing knowledge of Jungian thinking in ‘Chapter XXI: Psychoanalysis’, where she contrasts the Jungian and Freudian methods and theories, albeit in brief. [31] Knight, G. Dion Fortune and the Inner Light. Thoth Publications: Loughborough, 2000, p.66-71, ‘The Occultist as Psychologist’.

[32] Firth, V. (Dion Fortune). Machinery of the Mind. George Allen & Unwin, Ltd: London, 1922, p.82. [33] Fortune, D. The Mystical Qabalah. Ernest Benn Limited: London & Tonbridge, 1979, 13th impression, first published 1935. This is one of the few books that really re-writes itself through each grade of one’s own personal progress. I have returned to this book many times over 30 years, fully satisfied that I had read it thoroughly and comprehended its various messages each time, only to find myself again astonished at what Dion Fortune actually wrote in it for those ‘with ears to hear’. And I expect that to continue for some time. [34] Fortune, Ibid, p.101. [35] See particularly in this context Hardy, J. A Psychology with a Soul. Arkana: London, 1987.

[36] Duncan neglects to note that in Assagioli’s preface, he states that “Dr Leuner now prefers to call his method ‘Guided Affective Imagery’ and uses ‘Initiated Symbol Projection’ to refer to the diagnostic aspects of his work.” (Assagioli, R. Psychosynthesis. Turnstone Press: Wellingborough, 1975). This use of imagery is a fundamental technique in both esoteric practice and psychological work, for example, Steinbrecher, E.E. The Inner Guide Meditation. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1982; Farrell, N. Magical Pathworking: Techniques of Active Imagination. Llewellyn: St. Paul, 2001; Glouberman, D. Life Choices and Life Changes through Imagework. Mandala: London, 1989; Denning, M. & Philips, O. Magical States of Consciousness. Llewellyn: St Paul, 1985; Ashcroft-Nowicki, D. The Shining Paths. Aquarian, Wellingborough, 1983, and other titles. Assagioli was also concerned about the concept of Will, and shows a similar stress on the importance of Will as members of the Golden Dawn – in particular, Aleister Crowley, whose ‘tradition’ is named Thelema, meaning ‘Will’. See Assagioli, R. The Act of Will. Crucible: Wellingborough, 1990. There has been very little research into this similarity between psychosynthesis and the Western esoteric tradition – authors have instead concentrated upon the similarities between the ‘egg’ diagram of psychosynthesis and the Tree of Life, see Hardy, p.12 & p.30. [37] Duncan, A. The Christ, Psychotherapy and Magic. p.196. [38] Duncan, A. Ibid. p.187. [39] Regardie, I. in Wilson, R.A. Prometheus Rising. Falcon Press: Arizona, 1983, IV, Introduction.

[40] Ibid, p.259. [41] Newcomb, J.A. The New Hermetics. Red Wheel/Weiser: York Beach, 2004, p.1. [42] Ibid, p.59. [43] Ibid, pp.158-160. [44] Bandler, R. & Grinder, J. The Structure of Magic. Science and Behaviour Books: Palo Alto, 1985. See also Rosen, S. My Voice Will Go With You. W.W. Norton & Co.: London, 1991, for an introduction to the teaching tales and techniques of Milton Erickson. A similar synthetic title used by a therapist applying NLP to clinical psychotherapy is Lankton, S. Practical Magic. Meta Publications: Capitola, 1980. [45] Grant, K. Nightside of Eden. Frederick Muller: London, 1977, p.23-26 for a discussion of consciousness, subject and object, and the identification of Self with its objects. [46] Carus, p. iii [47] Nema. Maat Magick. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1995, p.65. See also Stock, G., Metaman. Bantam Press: London, 1993, on the birth of a global super-organism or global mind. [48] Carus, p. 63

[49] Farber, P.H. Future Ritual: Magick for the 21st Century. Eschaton: Chicago, 1995, which also represents versions of Golden Dawn and Crowley-modified ritual forms. [50] A phrase used by Bertrand Russell in conversation with Alfred Whitehead, referring to Western philosophy as a whole. [51] King, F. (editor). Astral Projection, Ritual Magic and Alchemy. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1987. This is the first comprehensive publication of the Flying Rolls. [52] Blavatsky, H.P. Isis Unveiled. (Online edition, see: http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/isis/ iu1-01.htm last accessed 23 March 2007) Volume I, p.17 on which page is also quoted an extract from Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s Zanoni, of relevance to note below. [53] For example, The Servants of the Light School of Occult Science, also known as SOL, is a “fully contacted Mystery School, teaching throughout the world, by correspondence.” The official site for the School states they have more than 6,000 students in 23 different countries. http://www.servantsofthelight.org/ [last accessed 23 March 2007]. [54] Barker, A.T. (editor). The Letters of H.P. Blavatsky to A.P. Sinnett. Theosophical University Press: Pasadena, 1973. Letter LXI, pp.150-151. [55] Webb, J. The Flight from Reason. Macdonald & Co: London, 1971, pp.50-52.

[56] Johnson, K.P. The Masters Revealed. State University of New York Press: Albany, 1994. [57] Blavatsky, H.P. ‘Mahatmas and Chelas’ in Theosophist, July 1884. [58] Spierenburg, H.J. The Inner Group Teachings of H.P. Blavatsky. Point Loma Publications: San Diego, 1985, p.74. [59] Adams, E. ‘The Masters of Wisdom’, in Theosophical Siftings (1890) Volume

III.

http://www.theosophical.ca/MastersOf

WisdomEA.htm,

paragraph 16. [last accessed 21 March 2007]. [60] Trowbridge, G. Swedenborg: Life and Teaching. Swedenborg Society: London, 1934, p.110. [61] Hanegraaf, W.J. (editor). Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism. Brill: Leiden, 2006, II, p.630. [62] http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/hund_k/hund_k.html, paragraph 3, [last accessed 23 March 2007]. Quoting Ursin, J. Création et histoire du Rite Écossais Rectifié. Petite bibliotheque franc-mac, 1993. [63] Washington, P. Madame Blavatsky’s Baboon. Secker & Warburg: London, 1993, p.36. [64] Geoffrey A. Farthing. Deity, Cosmos and Man. Point Loma Publications: San Diego, 1993, p.3.

[65] Westcott, W.W. ‘Christian Rosenkreuz and the Rosicrucians’ in the Theosophical Siftings, Volume 6, 1893-1894 at: http://www.theosophical.ca/ChristianRosenkreuz.htm, paragraph 38 [last accessed 21 March 2007]. [66] Leadbeater, C.W. The Masters and the Path. The Theosophical Publishing House: Adyar, 1953, p.141. [67] The Theosophical Congress Held by the Theosophical Society at the Parliament of Religions, World’s Fair of 1893, at Chicago, IL, September 15-17: Report on Proceedings and Documents (New York: American Section Headquarters, 1893), p.24. [68] Leadbeater, C.W. Ibid, p.142. [69] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Age, para. 7, [last accessed 23 March 2007]. [70] Hanegraaff, W. (editor). Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism. Brill: Leiden, 2005, II, p.631. [71] Faivre, A. Access to Western Esotericism. State University of New York Press: Albany, 1994, p.13. [72] Ibid. [73] Blavatsky, H.P. The Secret Doctrine. Theosophical University Press: Pasadena, 1988, I. p.274.

[74] Blavatsky, H.P. The Key to Theosophy. Theosophical Publishing House: London, 1987, p.201. [75] Blavatsky, H.P. The Secret Doctrine. Theosophical University Press: Pasadena, 1988, I. [76] Blavatsky, H.P. Ibid. Theosophist 1884. [77] Jinarjadasa, C. (editor). Letters from the Masters of Wisdom. The Theosophical Publishing House: Adyar, 1973, p.149. [78] Jinarjadasa, C. Ibid, p.150. [79] Jinarjadasa, C. Ibid, p.17. [80] Codd, C.M. Theosophy as the Masters See It. Theosophical Publishing House: Adyar, 1926, p.20. [81] Codd, C.M. Ibid, p. 22. [82] Godwin, J. The Theosophical Enlightenment. State University of New York Press: Albany, 1994, p.224-225. [83] Overton-Fuller, J. Blavatsky and her Teachers. East-West Publications: London and The Hague, 1988, p.57, quoting from C. Jinarajadasa, (editor). H.P.B. Speaks. The Theosophical Publishing House: Adyar, 1950, p.222. [84] Hanegraaff, W.J. (editor). Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism. Brill: Leiden, 2006, II, pp.1118-1119.

[85]

Harrison,

V.

(1997)

‘H.P.

Blavatsky

and

the

SPR’.

http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/ hpb-spr/hpb-spr1.htm . He wrote, “I cannot exonerate the SPR committee from blame for publishing this thoroughly bad report. They seem to have done little more than rubberstamp Hodgson’s opinions; and no serious attempt was made to check his findings or even to read his report critically. If they had done so (...) the case would have been referred back for further study. Madame H.P. Blavatsky was the most important occultist ever to appear before the SPR for investigation; and never was opportunity so wasted.” [86] Johnson, K.P. The Masters Revealed. State University of New York Press: Albany, 1994, pp.120-175. [87] ‘The Himalayan Brothers’, in Light (London), March 4, 1882, p.98. http://www.blavatsky-archives.com/olcottandmahatmas.htm [last accessed 23 March 2007]. [88] Kunz, F. The Men Beyond Mankind. The David McKay Company: Philadelphia, 1937, p.180. [89] Codd, Ibid, p.13. [90] Wheaton (editor). Blavatsky: Collected Writings. The Theosophical Publishing House, 1982, XIII (1890-1891), p.236-237. [91] Codd, Ibid, p.353 (from The Mahatma Letters, Ibid, p.266). [92] Codd, Ibid, p.173.

[93] Codd, Ibid, p.6. [94] Codd, Ibid, p.5 & p.448. [95] Sinnett, A.P. Esoteric Buddhism. Wizard’s Bookshelf: San Diego, 1981, p.17. 43 Kunz, Ibid, p.206. [96] Kunz, Ibid, p. 206. [97] Blavatsky, H.P. ‘Mahatmas and Chelas’ in Theosophist, July 1884. [98] Theosophical Glossary. [99] Kant, I. Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysics § 13, Note II [100] Levi, I. Key to the Mysteries. Rider: London, 1984. [101] Crowley, A. Little Essays Towards Truth. Sut Anubis: Northampton, 1985, p.12. [102] Perkins, K. & Johnson, K. Egyptian Life and the Tree of Life. International Order of Kabbalists: London, 1982. [103] Farr, F. Egyptian Magic. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1983. [104] Hardy, J. A Psychology with a Soul. Arkana: London, 1989. [105] We will return to this subject in greater detail within the volumes of The Magister. Also refer to my own account of the working in Katz, M. After the Angel. Forge Press: Keswick, 2011.

[106] MacGregor-Mathers, S.L. The Book of the Sacred Magic of AbraMelin the Mage. Thorsons: Wellingborough, 1977, also Dover Press: New York, 1975 which is a reproduction of the original 1900 version by John M. Watkins of London. A new edition translated from the German rather than the French version is Dehn, G. & Guth, S. (translators). The Book of Abramelin. Ibis Press: Lake Worth, 2006. [107] Crowley, A. Magick Without Tears. Falcon Press: Las Vegas, 1989, p.276, or p.465, where the angel is referred to as a ‘private God’. [108] William Bloom also wrote a pseudonymous fiction, QHE! The Taming Power. Mayflower: St. Albans, 1974, which happens to also feature a character based in Glastonbury called Willie. The book is written under the name W

∴W∴

and involves a messianic mission, a threatened

nuclear holocaust, an Amazonian Russian lady submarine commander, and a tea party in Glastonbury, amongst other novelties. [109] See, for example, Vayne, J. ‘Thou, Who Art I, Beyond All I Am” in Chaos International, 25, pp.5-10, where the HGA is compared to the Ori of Macumba and similar Western African systems, and a ritual is described involving chanting, DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine) and ketamine. Another attempt at discussing the HGA is given by Mantovani, M. ‘Holy Guardian Angel for Fun and Prophet’ in Morgan, M. (editor). Thelemic Magick II. Golden Dawn Publications: Oxford, 1996, pp.74-91. [110] Crowley, A. Magick in Theory and Practice, Chapter I, ‘The Principles of Ritual’, p.151. [111]

Ibid. Appendix III, ‘On the Astral Plane’, p.344. [112] Delaforgem, G. ‘The Templar Tradition: yesterday and today’, Gnosis (Number 6, 1998). [113]

See

‘Emergent

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergent_behavior

property’, [last

accessed

26

November 2012]. [114] http://www.philhine.org.uk/writings/ess_egregore.html [last accessed 26 November 2012]. [115] For another consideration of the Abyss, see Rowe, B. (1951-2002), ‘The Illusion of the Abyss’, 1997, at http://hermetic.com/browearchive/abyss2.htm [last accessed 26 November 2012]. [116] A witch once told me that she had “been to the bottom of the Abyss, and there were trees there.” [117] A magician once told a workshop I was attending that he had taken the ‘Oath of the Abyss’ and all it had done was “helped me give up smoking.” [118] See Rowe, B. (1951-2002), ‘The Illusion of the Abyss’, 1997, at http://hermetic.com/norton/abyss2.htm para. 12 [last accessed 26th January 2016] [119] From self-published album, used with permission.

[120] Burton, R.E. Self-Remembering. Red Wheel/Weiser: York Beach, 1995, p.16. [121]

See

radio

interview

transcript

at

http://gaffa.org/dreaming/e2_gurd.html [last accessed 29 November 2012]. [122] Wilson, C. The Mind Parasites. Panther Books: London, 1969, p. 153. [123] Borges, J.L., ‘The Library of Babel’ in Fictions. London: Penguin Books, 2000, pp.65-74. Gold, E.J., Life in the Labyrinth. IDHHB, INC: Nevada City, 1986, pp.105-117. [124] See Circle of Iron (also known as The Silent Flute) with David Carradine, directed by Richard Moore, 1978. The ‘Book of All Knowledge’ is recapitulated in The Fool on the Inner Deck. [125] Katz, M. & Goodwin, T. Tarot Flip. Forge Press: Keswick, 2010, p.46. [126] See also the painting by Aleister Crowley, ‘Four Red Monks Carrying a Black Goat across the Snow to Nowhere’, which was also used as the cover of Symonds, J. The Magic of Aleister Crowley. Frederick Muller Ltd: London, 1958. This oil painting by Crowley is taken by Churton, T. Aleister Crowley: The Biography. Watkins: London, 2011, pp.301-302, as a commentary on the “theosophist inspired fantasy” of the search for Shambhala, at that time being undertaken by Nicholas Roerich on behalf of the OGPU, the forerunner of the KGB. Here in the Tarot of Everlasting Day it indicates the futility of the search, yet also its necessity.

[127] Place, R. The Tarot: History, Symbolism and Divination. Tarcher/Penguin: New York, 2005, p.133. [128] Jodorowsky, A. & Costa, M. The Way of Tarot. Destiny Books: Rochester, 2004, p.134. [129] Crowley, A. The Book of Thoth. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1985, p.73. [130] Crowley, A. The Book of Lies. Samuel Weiser: York Beach, 1984, pp.16-17. [131] Crowley, A. Magick, p.256. [132] Crowley, A. Magick, pp.109-110. [133] The former can be accessed online at: http://www.hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib816. html [last accessed 26 November 2012]. [134] Hoffman, E. The Heavenly Ladder: Kabbalistic Techniques for Inner Growth. Prism Press: Sturminster Newton, 1996, pp.75-76. [135] Waite, A.E. Lamps of Western Mysticism. Rudolph Steiner Publications: New York, 1973, p.290. [136] The Vision of Zosimos of Panopolis at:

http://www.levity.com/alchemy/zosimos.html [last accessed 07 February 2013]. [137] Besant, W. & Rice, J. The Monks of Thelema. Chatto & Windus: London, 1910, p.15. This lesser known book by the brother-in-law of Annie Besant, a well-regarded theosophist, is

a novel of a magical fraternity

espousing the law of Thelema, totally separate to Crowley’s formulation of the same, and deriving from the same source, i.e. Rabelais, F. Gargantua & Pantagruel. Penguin Books: Harmondsworth, 1978, originally published in 1532-1534. In the opening chapter of Besant & Rice, a ritual initiation is described wherein the two new candidates are given magical names by the existing members. [138] Crowley, A. Magick. Guild Publishing: Bungay, 1989, p.70. [139] See for example, Mollick, A. Living with Magick in a Mundane World. n.p., 2006, no page numbers, section on ‘Choosing Your Magickal Motto’ where Mollick describes his first motto as ‘Artos’ from the Celtic for Arthur. [140] Ashcroft-Nowicki, D. The Ritual Magic Workbook. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1986, p.92. [141] For a deeper appreciation of the import of greetings, see Crowley, A. Magick Without Tears. Falcon Press: Phoenix, 1982, pp.149-151, particularly ‘Carthage should be destroyed’.

[142] Young, L.B. The Unfinished Universe. Simon & Schuster: New York, 1986. On the level of the psyche, one might also consider the stages described by Kegan, R. The Evolving Self: Problem and Process in Human Development. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, 1982, which takes Piaget’s work further into five stages: impulsive, imperial, interpersonal, institutional, and inter-individual. These map across to the initiatory structure at the level of the personality development, all of which run in parallel – we initiate ourselves in all worlds at the same time: we age physically, we develop psychologically, we explore the world as linear time and space allows, and we initiate our own awareness to go beyond these realms. [143] In the case of Aleister Crowley we have most of his magical mottos throughout his ascent of the grade system. These will be explored in the relevant volume of the MAGISTER dealing with Thelema. [144] Burton, R.E. Self-Remembering. Weiser/Red Wheel: York Beach, 1995, p.1. [145] Dick, P.K. Valis. Gollancz: London, 1981, p.136. [146] Kim Huggens has provided a unique series on Liber Resh in the PORTAL magazine of Magicka School at www.magickaschool.com. [147] A comprehensive overview of the myth and magic of the Moon in all her aspects is given by Brueton, D. Many Moons. Prentice Hall Press: New York, 1991. [148] Regardie, I. The Middle Pillar. Llewellyn: St. Paul, 1998, pp.69-83.

[149] Regardie, I. The Middle Pillar. Llewellyn: St. Paul, 1998. The Art of True Healing. Helios: Toddington, 1974. For more advanced techniques such as the Bornless Ritual and Opening by the Watchtower, see Regardie, I. Ceremonial Magic. Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, 1980. [150] Eaton, E. The Hours of Isis. The Baskerville Press: London, 1928, p.18. [151] Luke 24:29: “Stay with us, because it is towards evening.” [152] You may also wish to refer to Duquette, L.M. Ask Baba Lon: Answers to Questions of Life and Magick. New Falcon Publications: Las Vegas, 2011.