Michael Wynn's Occult Reference Library
ASPIRANT,ASPIRANTS

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n of silence) hierophant "honored hiereus, remind us of the chief officers" hiereus "there are three chief officers, the hierophant, the hiereus, and the hegemon" hierophant "is there any peculiarity in these names" hiereus "they all commence with the letter 'h" hierophant "and of what is this letter a symbol" 26 hiereus "of life, because the letter h is our mode of representing the ancient greek aspirant or breathing, and breath is evidence of life" hierophant "how many lesser officers are there" hiereus "there are three: the kerux, stolistes and dadouchos and in addition, the sentinel. the sentinel, armed with a lethal weapon, guards the temple, keeps out intruders, and prepares the candidate" hierophant "dadouchos, your station and duties" dadouchos "my station is in the south to symbol

0 0 INITIATION CEREMONY

iereus (knock) konx. heg (knock) om. hiero (knock) pax. heg (knock) light. hiero (knock) in. hiereus (knock) extension. ceremony of admission (the candidate is not to be told the name of the order until his admission) hiero (knocks) fraters and sorors of the order of the golden dawn in the outer, i have received a dispensation from the greatly honoured chiefs of the second order to admit (name of aspirant) to the grade of neophyte honoured hegemon instruct (name of aspirant) to hold himself(or herself) in readiness for the ceremony of his (or her) admission and superintend his (or her) preparation. heg: removes his chair from between the pillars, salutes hierophant, quits temple and prepares candidate as follows: the candidate is hoodwinked and a rope tied thrice around the waist. kerux: m

epares candidate as follows: the candidate is hoodwinked and a rope tied thrice around the waist. kerux: moves to temple entrance. heg: leads candidates to temple entrance. heg: child of earth, arise and enter the path of darkness. kerux: kerux opens door but bars the entrance. kerux (knocks) very honoured hierophant is it your pleasure that the candidate be admitted? hiero: it is. admit (name of aspirant)in due form, who will hereafter be known by the motto xyz. frater stolistes and dadouchos assist the kerux in the reception. stol: moves to temple entrance. dad: moves to temple entrance. kerux: child of earth, unpurified and unconsecrated thou canst not enter our sacred hall. stol (signing a cross on candidate's forehead) child of earth, i purify thee with water. dad (censing the candida

ith water. dad (censing the candidate) child of earth, i consecrate thee with fire. hiero: conduct the candidate to the foot of the altar. child of earth, why dost thou request admission into this order? cand (prompted by hegemon) my soul is wandering in darkness seeking for the light of occult knowledge, and i believe that in this order the knowledge of that light may be obtained. hiero (name of aspirant) i hold in my hand your signed pledge to keep secret all relating to this order, but to confirm it i now ask if you are willing in the presence of this assembly to take a great and solemn obligation to keep inviolate the secrets and mysteries of our order? let me however assure you that this obligation contains nothing incompatible with your civil, moral or religious duties. cand: i am. h

ht. kerux: advances to the altar picks up the triangle and delivers it to the hierophant. hiero: thou wilt kneel on both knees, give me your right hand, which i place on this sacred and sublime symbol. places candidate's right hand on the center of the triangle. place your left hand in mine. bow your head, repeat your full name at length and say after me all rise. the obligation hiero: i (name of aspirant, in the presence of the lord of the universe and of this hall of neophytes of the order of the golden dawn in the outer, regularly assembled under warrant from the greatly honoured chiefs of the second order, do of my own free will and accord hereby and hereon most solemnly pledge myself to keep secret this order. its name, the name of its members, and the proceedings which take place at

f the guardian of the lake of fire and the burning bush. hiero: honoured frater kerux, i command you to declare that the neophyte has been initiated into the mysteries of the neophyte grade. kerux: advances to the north east, faces west, raises his wand and says: kerux: in the name of the lord of the universe and by command of the very honoured hierophant hear all ye that i proclaim that (name of aspirant) who will hereafter be known unto you by the motto xyz, has been admitted in due form to the neophyte grade of the order of the golden dawn in the outer. all clap hands. hiero: very honoured hiereus, i delegate to you the duty of pronouncing a short address to our frater on his admission. hiereus: as you have now passed through the ceremony of your admission, allow me to congratulate you

ABRAMELIN2

cian teaching, which is very different to that of the outer and uninitiated world. 27 this is the great point to be studied in all magical operations soever, and unless the whole heart and soul and faith go with the ceremony, there can be no reliable result produced. 28 the title of the eleventh chapter of the second book is: concerning the selection of the place. 29 meaning in the case where the aspirant unto the sacred magic is a servant actually then serving a master. 30 the object of most of these instructions is of course to keep the astral sphere of the aspirant free from evil influences, and accustom him to pure and holy thoughts and to the exercise of will power and self-control. the student of the indian tatwas will know the value of active meditation at sunrise because that momen

eings through the knowledge of his higher self, and of his guardian angel. 137 i.e. of the second book. 138 i think this system of substitution should be very rarely actised. he must be a very spiritless person who would be dissuaded by the prospect of fasting for a day or two. 139 before alluded to in several places. 140 this would apparently apply to a command given to the demons, and not to an aspirant for the sacred wisd fthe sacred magic of abramelin the mage book iii translated by s.l. mac gregor mathers the book of the sacred magic of abramelin the mage: book three translated by s.l. macgregor mathers this adobe acrobat edition contains the complete and unaltered text and illustrations of the corresponding sections in the second (1900) edition published by john m. watkins, london. p

ADEPTUS MINOR INITIATION

first point (chief is not seen, the second adept becomes leading officer. third adept is present and the hodos chamelionis is introduced) second "very honored fraters et sorors, our h. frater/soror, lord/lady of the 24th, 25th and 26th paths of the portal of the vault of the adepti, is a candidate for admission to the second order and is waiting without. v.h. frater hodos chamelionis, prepare the aspirant and act as an introducer. associate adeptus minor, guard the hither side of the portal and admit them in due form (carries his grade sash along with the recommendation from the chief of the order, the lamen of the hiereus, and a separate prepared speech) third (opens door "who bringest thou here with thee" 9 aspirant (loudly and firmly gives speech "hear ye all that i, the honored frater/

th, 25th and 26th paths in the portal of the adepti. i bear a written recommendation from the chiefs of my temple guaranteeing my qualifications, honor and fidelity; as also an attestation of my having passed the pentagonal examination. by virtue of these honors and dignities, i now come to demand my reception and acknowledgement as an adeptus minor of the 5=6 grade of the second order" second "o aspirant; it is written that he who exalteth himself shall be abased, but that he who humbleth himself shall be exalted. blessed be the poor in m for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. it is not by proclamation of honors and dignities, great though they may be, that thou canst gain admission to the tomb of the adepti of the rose of ruby and the cross of gold, but only by that humility and purity of

en that he who exalteth himself shall be abased, but that he who humbleth himself shall be exalted. blessed be the poor in m for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. it is not by proclamation of honors and dignities, great though they may be, that thou canst gain admission to the tomb of the adepti of the rose of ruby and the cross of gold, but only by that humility and purity of m that befitteth the aspirant unto higher things. associate adeptus minor, bring unto me the recommendation and attestation which he beareth, and test thou his knowledge ere he be rejected for the sins of presumption and spiritual pride" third "thou knowest the arrangement of the ten sephiroth on the tree of life; now what symbolic weapon doth their natural succession form (aspirant answers unprompted) third "and what

he recommendation and attestation which he beareth, and test thou his knowledge ere he be rejected for the sins of presumption and spiritual pride" third "thou knowest the arrangement of the ten sephiroth on the tree of life; now what symbolic weapon doth their natural succession form (aspirant answers unprompted) third "and what symbolic creature is traced by the natural succession of the paths (aspirant answers unprompted) second "oh aspirant, let this be a sign unto thee. for the flaming sword and the serpent of wisdom shall be the symbol which shall produce thee admission. return thou then and divest thyself of these ornaments. they are not humble enough to entitle thee to be received. very honored frater hodos chamelionis, clothe him in the black robe of mourning, bind him with his ha

aments. they are not humble enough to entitle thee to be received. very honored frater hodos chamelionis, clothe him in the black robe of mourning, bind him with his hands behind his back, symbolic of the binding force of his obligations, and put a chain about his neck, the emblem of repentance and humility" hodos "mighty adeptus major, it shall be done (hodos chamelionis salutes and retires with aspirant, strips him of all ornaments, brings him back to the door in a plain black robe, roped and carrying diagram of sword and serpent. gives one gentle knock. third adept opens door) 10 (serpent on the tree of life) third "by the aid of what symbol do ye seek admission" hodos (shows diagram "by the aid of the flaming sword, and the serpent of wisdom" second "whom bringest thou there" hodos "mi

ALEISTER CROWLEY EIGHT LECTURES ON YOGA

nation, incapable of choice. the niyama corresponding to her influence, the first of all, is that quality of aspiration, the positive purity which refuses union with anything less than the all. in greek mythology artemis, the goddess of the moon, is virgin; she yielded only to pan. here is one particular lesson: as the yogi advances, magic powers (siddhi the teachers call them) are offered to the aspirant; if he accepts the least of these- or the greatest- he is lost. 15. at the other end of the scale of the niyama of the moon are the fantastic developments of sensibility which harass the yogi. these are all help and encouragement; these are all intolerable hindrances; these are the greatest of the obstacles which confront the human being, trained as he is by centuries of evolution to rece

is profound. it is because nothing at all is known about him. anyhow it hardly matters; we have surely had enough of niyama for one evening! 19. it is now proper to sum up briefly what we have learnt about yama and niyama. they are in a sense the moral, logical preliminaries of the technique of yoga proper. they are the strategical as opposed to the tactical dispositions which must be made by the aspirant before he attempts anything more serious than the five finger exercises, as we may call them- the recruit's drill of postures, breathing exercises and concentration which the shallow confidently suppose to constitute this great science and art. we have seen that it is presumptuous and impractical to lay down definite rules as to what we are to do. what does concern us is so to arrange mat

is not really satisfactory to start serious yoga unless you are in a country where the climate is reliable, and where the air is not polluted by the stench of civilisation. it is extremely important, above all things important, unless one is an exceedingly rich man, to find a country where the inhabitants understand the yogin mode of life, where they are sympathetic with its practices, treat the aspirant with respect, and unobtrusively assist and protect him. in such circumstances, the exigency of yama and niyama is not so serious a stress. there is, too, something beyond all these practical details which it is hard to emphasise without making just those mysterious assumptions which we have from the first resolved to avoid. all i can say is that i am very sorry, but this particular fact i

ar's before rendering to god the things which are god's. woe to that seven months' abortion who thinks to take advantage of the accidents of birth, and, mocking the call of duty, sneaks off to stare at a blank wall in china! yama and niyama are only the more critical stages of yoga because they cannot be translated in terms of a schoolboy curriculum. nor can schoolboy tricks adequately excuse the aspirant from the duties of manhood. do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. rejoice, true men, that this is thus! for this at least may be said, that there are results to be obtained in this way which will not only fit the aspirant for the actual battle, but will introduce him to classes of hitherto unguessed phenomena whose impact will prepare his mind for that terific shock of its own

to find out which are good and which are bad, the why and the what and all the other questions. it all comes to the same thing in the end. there is only one way to still the body in the long run, and that is to keep it still. it's dogged as does it. 18. the irritations develop into extreme agony. any attempt to alleviate this simply destroys the value of the practice. i must particularly warn the aspirant against rationalising (i *have* known people who were so hopelessly bat-witted that they rationalised. they thought 'ah, well, this position is not suitable for me, as i thought it was. i have made a mess of the ibis position; now i'll have a go at the dragon position' but the ibis has kept his job, and attained his divinity, by standing on one leg throughout the centuries. if you go to t

ALEISTER CROWLEY BOOK OF LIES

umination of ain as ain soph aour; step 2, the concentration of ain soph aour in kether; step 3, duality and the rest of it down to malkuth; step 4, the stooping of malkuth to the qliphoth, and the consequent ruin of the tree of life. part 2 show the impossibility of stopping on the path of adeptship. the final couplet represents the first step upon the path, which must be taken even although the aspirant is intellectually aware of the severity of the whole course. you must give up the world for love, the material for the moral idea, before that, in its turn, is surrendered to the spiritual. and so on. this is a laylah-chapter, but in it laylah figures as the mere woman. book of lies get any book for free on: www.abika.com 156 [159] 75 kappa-epsilon-phi-alpha-lambda-eta omicron-epsilon plo

ALEISTER CROWLEY MAGICK IN THEORY AND PRACTICE

elf from one's environment. even in magick we cannot get on without the help of others<magician must know every detail of his work, and be able and willing to roll up his shirtsleeves and do it, no matter how trivial or menial it may seem. abramelin (it is true) forbids the aspirant to perform any tasks of an humiliating type; but he will never be able to command perfect service unless he has experience of such necessary work, mastered during his early training> there was, however, a further object in this recommendation. the more trouble and difficulty your weapon costs, the more useful you will find it "if you want a thing well done, do it yourself" it would be qui

atural vengeance is genuine; it proceeds from a section of themselves which is in irreconcilable conflict with their rascality. neither side can conciliate, suppress, or ignore the other; yet each is so craven as to endure its enemy's presence. such men are therefore without pure principles; they excuse themselves for every dirty trick that turns to their apparent advantage. the first step of the aspirant toward the gate of initiation tells him that purity- unity of purpose- is essential above all else "do what thou wilt" strikes on him, a ray of fierce white flame consuming all that is not utterly god. very soon he is aware that he cannot consciously contradict himself. he develops a subtle sense which warns him that two trains of thought which he had never conceived as connected are inco

bricks without straw. with regard to invocations of the gods, such considerations do not apply. the gods are beyond most material conditions. it is necessary to fill the "heart" and "mind" with the proper basis for manifestation. the higher the nature of the god, the more true this is. the holy guardian angel has always the necessary basis. his manifestation depends solely on the readiness of the aspirant, and all magical ceremonies used in that invocation are merely intended to prepare that aspirant; not in any way to attract or influence him. it is his constant and eternal will<knowledge and conversation is not universal, it seems at first as if an omnipotent will were being baulked. but his will and your will together make up that one will, because you and he are one. that o

herefore divided against itself, so long as your will fails to aspire steadfastly. also, his will cannot constrain yours. he is so much one with you that even your will to separate is his will. he is so certain of you that he delights in your perturbation and coquetry no less than in your surrender. these relations are fully explained in liber lxv. see also liber aleph cxi> to become one with the aspirant, and the moment the conditions of the latter make it possible, that bridal is consummated. iii the obstinacy of a spirit (or the inertial of a talisman) usually implies a defect in invocation. the spirit cannot resist even for a moment the constraint of his intelligence, when that intelligence is working in accordance with the will of the angel, archangel 134 and god above him. it is ther

kward for the diviner who is also a magician, for as a magician he has been constantly at work to keep all his forces under his own control, and to prevent the slightest interference with them by any alien will. it is, in fact, commonly the case, or so says the experience of the master therion, that the most promising magicians are the most deplorable diviners, and vice versa. it is only when the aspirant approaches perfection that he becomes able to reconcile these two apparently opposing faculties. indeed, there is no surer sign of all-round success than this ability to put the whole of one's powers at the service of any type of task. with regard to the mind, again, it would seem that concentration on the question makes more difficult the necessary detachment from it. once again, the div

ALEISTER CROWLEY MAGICK WITHOUT TEARS

inherited money on this work: and if i had a thousand times that amount today it would all go in the same direction. it is only when one is built in this way, to stand entirely aloof from all considerations of twopence halfpenny more or fourpence halfpenny less, that one obtains perfect freedom on this plane of discs. all the serious orders of the world, or nearly all, begin by insisting that the aspirant should take a vow of poverty; a buddhist bhikku, for example, can own only nine objects- his three robes, begging bowl, a fan, toothbrush, and so on. the hindu and mohammedan orders have similar regulations; and so do all the important orders of monkhood in christianity. our own order is the only exception of importance; and the reason for this is that it is much more difficult to retain

brow; but i refuse to be ashamed for finding kipling's if and henley's don't remember-the title; they may not be poetry- but they are honest food and damned good beer for the plebeian wayfarer. it was such manhood, not the left-wing high-brow bloomsbury sissies, that kept london through the blitz. pray forgive the digression) there is only one method to adopt in such circumstances as those of the aspirant to magick and yoga: the method of science. trial and error. you must observe. that implies, first of all, that you must learn to observe. and you must record your observations. no circumstance of life is, or can be irrelevant "he that is not with me is against me" in all these letters you will find only two things: either i tell you what is bad for you, or what is good for you. but i am n

to try to explain them away, or to excuse them, is certain to involve one in a maelstrom of sophistry; and when, despite these laudable efforts, the facts jump up and land a short jab to the point, one is even worse off than before. this has to be said, because sammasati is assuredly one of the most useful, as well as one of the most trustworthy and most manageable, weapons in the armoury of the aspirant. you stop me, obviously with a demand for a personal explanation "how is it" you write "that you reject with such immitigable scorn the very foundation-stones of buddhism, and yet refer disciples enthusiastically to the technique of some of its subtlest superstructures" i laff. magic without tears get any book for free on: www.abika.com 188 it is the old, old story. when the buddha was ma

e (b) i am carried away by the exultant exaltation of my theme: i boil over with rapture- not the crystalclear, the cool solution that i aimed at. on the path of the wise there is probably no danger more deadly, no poison more pernicious, no seduction more subtle than spiritual pride; magic without tears get any book for free on: www.abika.com 223 it strikes, being solar, at the very heart of the aspirant; more, it is an inflation and exacerbation of the ego, so that its victim runs the peril of straying into a black lodge, and finding himself at home there. against this risk we look to our insurance; there are two infallible: common sense and the sense of humour. when you are lying exhausted and exenterate after the attainment of vishvarupadarshana it is all wrong to think "well, now i'm

u, having got so far in this incarnation, there must be a revolution. you must no longer hesitate, no longer plan; you must leap into the dark, and leap at once "the voice of my higher soul said unto me: let me enter the path of darkness; peradventure thus i may attain the light" love is the law, love under will. fraternally yours, 666 p.s. let me adduce an example of the way in which the serious aspirant bends to the oar. this is not boasting as if the facts denoted superlative excellence; they speak. the only comment is that if such conduct magic without tears get any book for free on: www.abika.com 228 is not normal and universal, it ought to be. yet no! i would add this: that i have not yet heard of anyone who has attained to any results of importance who does not attribute his success

ALEISTER CROWLEY MEDITATION

l 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. every one who signs the oath of a probationer is stirring up a hornets' nest. a man has only to affirm his conscious aspiration; and the enemy is upon him. it seems hardly possible that any one can ever pass through that terrible year of probation- and yet the aspirant is not bound to anything difficult; it almost seems as if he were not bound to anything at all- and yet experience teaches us that the effect is like plucking a man from his fireside into mid-atlantic in a gale. the truth is, it may be, that the very simplicity of the task makes it difficult. the probationer must cling to his aspiration- affirm it again and again in desperation. he has, p

ALEISTER CROWLEY TAO TEH KING

erious aspirants to the hidden wisdom to understand with fair accuracy what lao tze taught. it must however be laid to 10 heart that the essence of his system will inevitably elude intellectual apprehension unless it be illuminated from above by actual living experience of the truth. such experience is only to be attained by unswerving application to the practices which he advocates. nor must the aspirant content himself with the mere attainment of spiritual enlightenment, however sublime. all such achievements are barren unless they be regarded as the means rather than the end of spiritual progress, and allowed to infiltrate every detail of the life, not only of the spirit, but of the senses. the tao can never be known until it interpret the most trivial actions of everyday routine. it is

ALEISTER CROWLEY THE OLD AND NEW COMMENTARIES TO LIBER AL

lights in uniting with the woman; the woman in parting from the child the brothers of a'.a. are women; the aspirants to a'.a. are men" in order to have motion one must have change. in fact, one must have this in order to have anything at all. now this change is what we call love. thus "love under will" is the law of motion. the re-entrant character of this motion is difficult to conceive; but the aspirant is urged to try to assimilate the idea. a hindu might compare the cosmic process to a churn which out of milk made butter to feed a milk-producing woman, every step in the cycle being a progress of joy. time is necessarily created by us in order to make room for the apparent existence of the duality which we devise for the presentation of unity, or nihility "two things" must evidently exi

ndard of right, cut it out. the curse of society has been procrustean morality, the ethics of the herd-men. one would have thought that a mere glance at nature would have sufficed to disclose her scheme of individuality made possible by order. al i,43 "do that, and no other shall say nay" the old comment 43. no other shall say nay may mean- no-other (nuit) shall pronounce the word no, uniting the aspirant with herself by denying and so destroying that which he is. the new comment the general meaning of this verse is that so great is the power of asserting one's right that it will not long be disputed. for by doing so one appeals to the law. in practice it is found that people who are ready to fight for their rights are respected, and let alone. the slave-spirit invites oppression. al i,44

cannot say that any significance of that gesture is forbidden, for "there is no law beyond do what thou wilt" but this may and shall be said, that a significance with indicates ignorance or forgetfulness of the central truth of the universe, is an acquiescence in that opacity caused by the confusion of the veils which conceal the soul from the consciousness, and thus create the illusion which the aspirant calls sorrow, and the uninitiate, evil. the sexual act, even to the grossest of mankind, is the agent which dissipates the fog of self for one ecstatic moment. it is the instinctive feeling that the physical spasm is symbolic of that miracle of the mass, by which the material wafer, composed of the passive elements, earth and water, is transmuted into the substance of the body of god, tha

e are exhorted to offer ourselves unto nuit, pilgrims to all her temples. it is bad magick to admit that one is other than one's inmost self. one should plunge passionately into every possible experience; by doing so one is purged of those personal prejudices which we took so stupidly for ourselves, though they prevented us from realizing our true wills and from knowing our names and natures. the aspirant must well understand that it is no paradox to say that the annihilation of the ego in the abyss is the condition of emancipating the true self, and exalting it to unimaginable heights. so long as one remains "one's self" one is overwhelmed by the universe; destroy the sense of self, and every event is equally an expression of one's will, since its occurrence is the resultant of the concou

e interfered. i should have tried to better my instructions. see, in liber 418, the series of visions by which i actually transcended sorrow. but the considerations set forth in the comment on verse 9 lead to a simpler, purer, and more perfect attainment for those who can assimilate them in the subconscious mind by the process described in the comment on verse 6. it may encourage certain types of aspirant if i emphasize my personal position. aiwaz made no mistake when he spoke this verse- and the triumphant contempt of his tone still rings in my ear! after seventeen years of unparalleled spiritual progress, of unimaginably intense ecstasies, of beatitudes prolonged for whole months, of initiations indescribably exalted, of proof piled on proof of his power, his vigilance, his love, after b

ALEISTER CROWLEY THE QABALAH

g s a trap; a trap s a snare; a snare s a gin; gin s a spirit; and a spirit s a ghost. but our identities are not thus false; meditation reveals their truth. further, as i shall explain fully later, 9 is not equal to 1 for the neophyte. these equivalences are dogmatic, and only true by favour of him in whom all is truth. in practice each equivalence is a magical operation to be carried out by the aspirant. part ii the universe as we seek to make it in the first part we have seen all numbers as veils of the one, emanations of and therefore corruptions of the one. it is the universe as we know it, the static universe. now the aspirant to magic is displeased with this state of things. he finds himself but a creature, the farthest removed from the creator, a number so complex and involved that

ter templi, too, understands why zero must plunge through all finite numbers to express itself; why it must write itself as n n instead of 0; what gain there is in such writing. and this understanding will be found expressed in liber 418 (episode of chaos and his daughter) and liber legis (i. 28-30. but it must never be forgotten that everyone must begin at the beginning. and in the beginning the aspirant is a rebel, even though he feel himself to be that most dangerous type of rebel, a king dethroned* hence he will worship any number which seems to him to promise to overturn the tree of life. he will even deny and blaspheme the one whom, after all, it is his ambition to be because of its simplicity and aloofness. he is tempted to curse god and die. atheists are of three kinds. 1. the mere

tand with the members of the sovereign sanctuary64 that all is symbolic; all, if you will, the jugglery of the magician. he is tired of theories and systems of theology and all such toys; and being weary and anhungered and athirst seeks a seat at the table of adepts, and a portion of the bread of spiritual experience, and a draught of the wine of ecstasy. it is then thoroughly understood that the aspirant is seeking to solve the great problem. and he may conceive, as various schools of adepts in the ages have conceived, this problem in three main forms. 1. i am not god. i wish to become god. this is the hindus conception. i am malkuth. i wish to become kether. this is the qabalistic equivalent. 2. i am a fallen creature. i wish to be redeemed. this is the christian conception. i am malkuth

ative. 11. the great magical number, as uniting the antitheses of 5 and 6 etc. dwa the magic force itself. 12. useless. mere symbol of the goal. 13. helpful, since if we can reduce our formula to 13, it becomes 1 without further trouble. 17. useful, because though it symbolises 1, it does so under the form of a thunderbolt. here is a magic disk for me to hurl, and win heaven by violence, says the aspirant. 21. as bad, nearly, as 7. 26. accursed. as bad as 4. only useful when it is a weapon in your hand; then if satan be divided against satan, etc. 28. attainable; and so, useful. my victory, my power, says the philosophus. 30. the balance truth. most useful. liber lviii 39 31. al the reply to la, who is the god of chesed, 4. the passionate denial of god, useful when other methods fail. 32

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQ I 1

lties; hath it not ever been so with the sages and hierophants of the past? they have been persecuted and reviled, they have been tormented of men; yet through this also has their glory increased. 4. rejoice therefore, o initiate, for the greater thy trial 17 the greater thy triumph. when men shall revile thee, and speak against thee falsely, hath not the master said "blessed art thou? 5. yet, oh aspirant, let thy victories bring thee not vanity, for with increase of knowledge should come increase of wisdom. he who knoweth little, thinketh he knoweth much; but he who knoweth much hath learned his own ignorance. seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool, than of him. 6. be not hasty to condemn others; how knowest thou that in their place, thou couldest have resi

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQ I 5

he zenith a minute point of light. and this light shall radiate until a right cone be established upon the sea, and it is day. with this thy body shall be rigid, automatically; and this shalt thou let endure, withdrawing thyself into thine heart in the form of an upright egg of blackness; and therein shalt thou abide for a space. 5. when all this is perfectly and easily performed at will, let the aspirant figure to himself a struggle with the whole force of the universe. in this he is only saved by his minuteness. but in the end he is overthrown by death, who covers him with a black cross. 6. so lying, let him aspire fervently unto the holy guardian angel. 7. now let him resume his former posture. two and twenty times shall he figure to himself that he is bitten by a serpent, feeling even

poortant question of what we are to meditate upon. the subjects of meditation are classified in the books under forty heads; and in the old days a man wishing to practise "kammatthana" would go to some great man who had practised long, and had so attained to great spiritual knowledge, and by virtue of his spiritual knowledge that arahat could tell which of the forty categories would best suit the aspirant. now-a-days this is hardly possible, as so few practise this kammatthana; and so it is next to impossible to find anyone with this spiritual insight. so the best thing to do will be to practise those forms of meditation which will most certainly increase the highest qualities in us, the qualities of love, and pity, and sympathy, and indifference to worldly life and cares; those forms of s

g's a trap; a trap's a snare; a snare's a gin; gin's a spirit; and a spirit's a ghost" but our identities are not thus false; meditation reveals their truth. further, as i shall explain fully later, 9 is not equal to 1 for the neophyte. these equivalences are dogmatic, and only true by favour of him in whom all is truth. in practice each equivalence is a magical operation to be carried out by the aspirant. part ii the universe as we seek to make it 6 the complete dictionary, begun by fra. i.a, continued by fra. p. and revise by fra. a. e. g. and others, will shortly be published by authority of the a. a. in the first part we have seen all numbers as veils of the one, emanations of and therefore corruptions of the one. it is the universe as we know it, the static universe. now the aspirant

templi, too, understands why zero must plunge through all finite numbers to express itself; why it must write itself as "n- n" instead of 0; what gain there is in such writing. and this understanding will be found expressed in liber 418 (episode of chaos and his daughter) and liber legis (i. 28-30. but it must never be forgotten that everyone must begin at the beginning. and in the beginning the aspirant is a rebel, even though he feel himself to be that most dangerous type of rebel, a king dethroned.7 hence he will worship any number which seems to him to promise to overturn the tree of life. he will even deny and blaspheme the one- whom, after all, it is his ambition to be- because of its simplicity and aloofness. he is tempted to "curse god and die" atheists are of three kinds. 1. the

erstand with the members of the sovereign sanctuary that all is symbolic; all, if you will, the jugglery of the magician. he is tired of theories and systems of theology and all such toys; and being weary and anhungred and athirst seeks a seat at the table of adepts, and a portion of the bread of spiritual experience, and a draught of the wine of ecstasy. it is then thoroughly understood that the aspirant is seeking to solve the great problem. and he may conceive, as various schools of adepts in the ages have conceived, this problem in three main forms. 1. i am not god. i wish to become god. this is the hindu conception. i am malkuth. i wish to become kether. this is the qabalistic equivalent. 110 2. i am a fallen creature. i wish to be redeemed. this is the christian conception. i am malk

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQ I 5

ng ra. i wanted to go back to the king's chamber. the angel pushed me away, saying "thou shalt see these visions from afar off, but thou shalt not partake of them save in the manner prescribed. for if thou change so much as the style of a letter, the holy word is blasphemed" and this is the manner prescribed: let there be a room furnished as for the ritual of passing through the tuat. and let the aspirant be clad in the robes of, and let him bear the insignia of his grade. and at the least he shall be a neophyte. three days and three nights shall he have been in the tomb, vigilant and fasting, for he shall sleep no longer than three hours at any one time, and he 7 no angel has been mentioned. the seer was lost to being. shall drink pure water, and eat little sweet cakes consecrated unto th

l the hiereus in the ceremony of magister templi. 19. now cometh forth the angel who giveth instruction, in the lowest form. the hegemone in the ceremony of magister templi which the seer is about to undergo. 18. the vault of preparation for the ceremony of m.t. the veil is the crucifixion, symbol of the dead aeon. the first ordeal is undergone. 17. the symbol of the balance is now given unto the aspirant. 174 16. the sacrifice is made. the high priestess (image of babalon) cometh forth upon her beast and maketh this. 15. the mystic dance by salome. the new temple, the signs of the grades are received and the a.e. rejected. 14. the shrine of darkness. final initiation into grade of m. t. 13. the emergence of nemo into the world; his work therein. this is the first mystery revealed to a m.t

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 2 2

ut darkness and foolishness to the natural man. the "hierophant" giving his permission to the kerux to admit the candidate, seals the candidate with a motto as a new name. this motto is not a name given to the outer man's body, but an occult signifier of the aspiration of his soul "in affirmation of this motto, now doth osiris send forward the goddesses of the scales of the balance to baptize the aspirant with water and with fire. even as it is written 'except a man be born of water and of the spirit: in no wise shall he enter unto the kingdom of heaven. 253 the "kerux" however, at once bars the way, as the candidate is still unpurified. thereupon the goddesses of the scales purify and consecrate him. this is the first consecration "but even as there be four pillars at the extremities of a

. then the hiereus returneth to the east of the black pillar so that the three chief officers may draw down upon him the forces of the supernal triad. the candidate now therefore is standing between the pillars bound with the rope, like the mummied form of osiris between isis and nephthys. and in this position doth the fourth and final consecration by the goddesses of the balances take place; the aspirant for the first time standing between the pillars, at the point wherein are localized the equilibrated forces of the balances, and meanwhile the kerux goeth to the north in readiness for the circumambulation, so as to link the latter with the final consecration of the candidate. the "stolistes" then says "frater x y z, i finally consecrate thee by water" and the "dadouchos "frater x y z, i

are beyond. the only path now open to you, however, is the thirty-second, which leads to the 2= 9 grade of theoricus, and which you must traverse before arriving at that degree. take in your right hand the cubical cross, and in your left hand the banner of light, and follow your guide anubis4 the guardian: who leads you from the material to the spiritual "kerux "anubis the guardian spake unto to aspirant, saying 'let us enter into the presence of the lords of truth' arise and follow me" 266 4 it will be noticed that from here this ritual becomes unnecessarily complicated with egyptian deities- in fact, its mysteries become rather "forced" still more so will this be seen in the next ritual, which becomes ridiculously complex with samothracian nonentities. the symbols in themselves are not

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 2

it is in that supreme state in which the man has built himself 79 up into god. one may doubt whether the drug alone ever does this. it is perhaps only the destined adept who, momentarily freed by the dissolving action of the drug from the chain of the four lower skandhas, obtains this knowledge which is his by right, totally inept as he may be to do so by any ordinary methods. in the case of the aspirant to meditation, this stage is even more terrible than the last. he has, to use our previous figures, suspended the law of gravitation; the stream is still, and the sun of the soul is faithfully reflected in its brilliance; the mighty engine is stopped. but "there it is" we have got rid of motion, but matter remains (again must i apologise for taking so elementary a view of physics) and whi

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 3 2

y light: ever affirming to eternity the equilibration of the powers of god the vast one! let me pass the gate of the east land! let me pass the gate of the tuat, issuing forth with r in the glory of red dawn [pass to the north-east, project double to the place of the throne of the east, saying] thou canst not pass by me, saith the guardian of the east, except thou canst tell me my name [saith the aspirant "light dawning in the darkness" is thy name: the light of a golden day [saith the osiris] 20 these are the two pillars of the tree of life; the first containing the sephira chesed, and the second the sephira geburah. child of earth! remember that unbalanced force is evil: unbalanced mercy is but weakness, unbalanced severity is but cruelty and oppression. thou hast known me now: so pass t

word lvx, i have opened the vault of the adepts [all present give the lux sign as above""first point [the officers in this part of the ceremony are the second adept, who is now the principal officer, the third adept, who is second, and the introducing adept, who is spoken of as v.h. frater hodos camelionis. the "second adept" opens the first point by bidding v.h. fra: hodos camelionis prepare the aspirant, who is waiting without, and the associate adeptus minor to guard the inner side of the portal. the aspirant is then admitted, and at once commences to read out a list of the grades and honours he has attained to. when he has finished, the "second adept" turns to him and says] it is not by the proclamation of honours and dignities, great though they may be, that thou canst gain admission

nours he has attained to. when he has finished, the "second adept" turns to him and says] it is not by the proclamation of honours and dignities, great though they may be, that thou canst gain admission to the vault of the adepts of 5 for these signs see "liber o" the equinox, vol. i, no. 2. the rose of ruby and the cross of gold; but only by that humility and purity of spirit which befitteth the aspirant unto higher things [the aspirant then retires and divests himself of his ornaments, and is clothed in the black robe of mourning with his hands bound behind him, and a chain about his neck. the introducer then conducts him back to the door and gives a loud knock "third adept [opens the door and says] by the aid of what symbol do ye seek admission "introducer" by the flaming sword, and the

ngs [the aspirant then retires and divests himself of his ornaments, and is clothed in the black robe of mourning with his hands bound behind him, and a chain about his neck. the introducer then conducts him back to the door and gives a loud knock "third adept [opens the door and says] by the aid of what symbol do ye seek admission "introducer" by the flaming sword, and the serpent of wisdom [the aspirant is then made to kneel facing east between the second adept and the third adept, the second adept offering up a prayer which ends. o god, the vast one; thou art in all things. o nature, thou self from nothing, for what can i else call thee? in myself i am nothing; in thee i am self, 212 and exist in thy selfhood from nothing. live thou then in me, and bring me unto that self which is in th

r which ends. o god, the vast one; thou art in all things. o nature, thou self from nothing, for what can i else call thee? in myself i am nothing; in thee i am self, 212 and exist in thy selfhood from nothing. live thou then in me, and bring me unto that self which is in thee. amen. illustration facing page 212 the elemental tablets and cherubic emblems [the "third adept" then earnestly bids the aspirant not to look upon the trial of humility through which he has just passed as one ordained to jest with his feelings, but as a true manifestation of his own ignorance. the aspirant shortly after this rises to his feet and the "second adept" addresses him as follows] despise not sadness and hate not suffering. for they are the initiators of the heart; and the black robe of mourning, which tho

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 3

coming of the lord in the air as king and judge of this corrupted world; wherein under the form of a discourse between marsyas an adept and olympas his pupil the whole secret of the way of initiation is laid open from the beginning to the end; for the instruction of the little children of the light. written in trembling and humility for the brethren of the a. a. by their very dutiful servant, an aspirant to their sublime order, aleister crowley illustration facing page 10 partly described: this is a collotype in bright crimson. it is a photo of crowley in black robe, only visible from diaphragm up. his elbows rest on a table before him, and his hands form the sign of the "horns of horus" against his face on a level with his eyes. his hood is turned back and pulled on as a hat, showing the

ng on the planes; but still there remain to be shown the ceremonial methods he adopted; however, before we enter upon these, we must return to our first point, namely_ the meaning and value of ceremonial magic. ceremonial magic, as a means to attainment, has in common with all other methods, western or eastern, one supreme object in view_ identification with the godhead; and it matters not if the aspirant be theist or atheist, pantheist or autotheist, christian or jew, or whether he name the goal of his attainment god, zeus, christ, matter, nature, spirit, heaven, 135 reason, nirvana, asgard, no-thing or no-god, so long as he "has" a goal in view, and a goal he is striving to attain. without a goal, he is but a human ship without port or destination; and, without striving, work, will to at

ction, or equally safe. the traveller who would walk to rome must use his own legs_ his will to arrive there; but should he discard as useless the advice of such as know the way and have been there, and the maps of the countries he has to journey through, he is but a fool, only to be exceeded in his folly by such as try all roads in turn and arrive by none. as with the traveller, so also with the aspirant; he must commence his journey with the cry "i "will" attain! and leave nothing undone that may help him to accomplish this attainment. by contemplating the great work, and all means to 136 its attainment, little by little from the knowledge he has obtained will he learn to extract that subtle understanding which will enable him to construct such symbols of strength, such appliances of pow

rk, and all means to 136 its attainment, little by little from the knowledge he has obtained will he learn to extract that subtle understanding which will enable him to construct such symbols of strength, such appliances of power, such exercises of will and imagination, that by their balanced, chaste and sober use, he must succeed if he will to do so. so we see, it matters very little whether the aspirant, truly the seer, cry "yea" or "nay" so long as he do so with a "will" a "will" that will beget a sorcery within the cry; for as levi says "the intelligence which denies, invariably affirms something, since it is asserting its liberty" let us now inquire what this liberty is, but above all, whatever we write "be not satisfied with what we tell you; and act for yourself" and, if you act wit

be impassible, sober and chaste, disinterested, impenetrable, and inaccessible to any kind of prejudice or terror. he must be without bodily defects, and proof against all contractions and all difficulties. the first and most important of magical operations is the attainment of this rare pre-eminence.1 the "via mystica" leading to this pre-eminence may aptly be compared to a circle. wherever the aspirant strikes it, there he will find a path leading to the right and another leading to the left. to the right the goal is all things, to the left the goal is nothing. yet the paths are not two paths, but one path; and the goals are not two goals, but one goal. the aspirant upon entering the circle must travel by the one or the other, and must not look back; lest he be turned into a pillar of s

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asual mutterings of mantra. 10.44 a.m. pr n y ma quite bopeless. 10.48 a.m. 11.20 a.m. 32 m. 30 breaks [went to edinburgh to meet h. l.]281 182 the following analysis of breaks which frater p. deduced from his practices during this retirement is both of great interest and importance. it is the only analytical table of this character we know of, and must prove of very great use to investigator and aspirant alike. the character of breaks 1. primary centres. 278 not understood. 279 om tat sat aum. 280 30. 15. 60. 281 this meeting with h. l, though of no importance in itself, led to cone of the most important happenings in p.'s life; for it was through him that he again met ouarda the seer, as we shall see at a later date. the senses. 2. secondary. these seem to assume a morbid activity as soo

for his palate and his stomach; he is always longing for tasty foods and spends his whole life seeking them. let us now substitute the symbol of the augoeides or atman for that of food and drink, let him every time he thinks of food and drink push the thought aside and in its place contemplate his higher self, and the result is a natural invocation of the atman, augoeides, or higher self. if the aspirant be an artist let him do the same with his art; if a musician, with his music; if a poet, with his verses and rhymes. for the best foundation to build upon is always to be found upon that which a man "loves "best" it is no good asking a glutton who does not care a row of brass pins for music, to turn music into a magical formula, neither is it of the slightest use to impress upon a clean-m

t, in spite of the mental attitude of the chela towards them, so long as the instructions of the guru are properly carried out.294 as already pointed out, the mere fact of sitting for a time in a certain position, of inhaling, exhaling and of holding the breath, brings with it, even in the case of the most obdurate sceptic, a natural concentration, an inevitable ppraty h ra, which develops in the aspirant the siddhis, those seemingly miraculous powers which distinguish an adeptus major from an adeptus minor, and entitle the possessor to the rank of 6= 5. from this discovery295 frater p. made yet another, and this time one of still greater importance. and this was, that if the 194 adept, when once the siddhis were attained, by a self-control (a still higher concentration) refused to expend

have made the universe in your image; if you see sex in everything, and think of sex as something unclean, it is because you are a sexual maniac. true, it is, of course, that the soul must not unite herself to every symbol, but only to the god which every symbol veils. and lake harris is perfectly clear on the point. the "counterpart" is often impersonated, with the deadliest results. but if the aspirant be wise and favoured, he will reject all but the true. and i really fail to see much difference between this doctrine and our own of attaining the knowledge an conversation of the holy guardian angel, or the hindu doctrine of becoming one with god. we may easily agree that lake harris made the error of thinking men pure-minded, and so used language which the gross might misinterpret; but

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on prostitute, the toy of any man. to maintain this purity, this virginity, are the mysteries kept secret from the multitude. 10 and yet again this is a sheer deceit, as every conceit must be "verily he who has seen, heard, comprehended and known the atman, by him is this entire universe known."11 because there is but one atman and not many atmans. 54 the first veil against which we must warn the aspirant is the entanglement of language, of words and of names. the merest tyro will answer "of course you need not explain to me that, if i call a thing 'a' or 'b' it makes no difference to that thing in itself" and yet not only the tyro, but many of the astutest philosophers have fallen into this snare, and not only once but an hundred times; the reason being that they have not remained silent1

which is so affected, he has beheld like a glittering circle of sparks brahman bright as the sun, endowed with all might, beyond the reach of darkness, that shines in yonder sun as in the moon, the fire and the lightning. 27 brihad ranyaka upanishad, 4. 3-4. 28 these refer to the mystic lights in man. compare this with the diagram 2 "the paths and grades" in "the neophyte" after the atman in the aspirant has been awakened by the trumpet of israfel (the angel) he proceeds by the path of hb:shin. the next path the aspirant must travel is that of hb:resh- the sun; the next that of hb:qof- the moon; the next that of hb:tzaddi- the star. this path brings him to the fire of netzach. when this fire is extinguished comes the voice or lightning, after which the light which guides the aspirant is h

enounced all false desires and chains, the sanny si and yogi see certainly in their own spirit the universal spirit. 63. having seen the spirit that brings forth happiness in their own spirit, they forget this universe, and enjoy the ineffable bliss of sam dhi.35 as in the west there are various systems of magic, so in the east are there various systems of yoga, each of which purports to lead the aspirant from the realm of m y to that of truth in sam dhi. the most important of these are: 1. gana yoga. union by knowledge. 2. raha yoga. union by will 3. bhakta yoga. union by love. 65 4. hatha yoga. union by courage. 5. mantra yoga. union though speech. 6. karma yoga. union though work.36 the two chief of these six methods according to the bhagavad-g ta are: yoga by s khya (raja yoga, and yog

uces fuel to ashes, o arjuna, so doth the fire of wisdom reduce all actions to ashes. verily there is nothing so pure in this world as wisdom; he that is perfected in yoga finds it in the atman in due season.41 karma yoga. union through work. very closely allied to gana yoga is karma yoga, yoga through work, which may seem only a means towards the former. but this is not so, for not only must the aspirant commune with the atman through the knowledge or wisdom he attains, but also through the work which aids him to attain it. a good example of karma yoga is quoted from chuang-tzu by flagg in his work on yoga. it is as follows: prince hui's cook was cutting up a bullock. every blow of his hand, every heave of his shoulders, every tread of his foot, every thrust of his knee, every "whshh" of

should be kept secret.45 these three mantras can only be learnt from a guru, and are not given in the above book. by repeating them a various number of times certain results happen. such as: after eighteen lacs, the body will rise from the ground and remain suspended in the air; after an hundred lacs "the great yogi is absorbed in the para-brahman.46 bhakta yoga. union by love. in bhakta yoga the aspirant usually devotes himself to some special deity, every action of his life being done in honour and glory of this deity, and, as vivek nanda tells us "he has not to suppress any single one of his emotions, he only strives to intensify them and direct them to god" thus, if he devoted himself to shiva, he must reflect in his life to his utmost the life of shiva; if to shakti the life of shakti

ALEX SANDERS THE KING OF THE WITCHES

estess for as long as the high priestess is away. iso. if she returns not at the end ofa year and a day, then shall the coven elect a new high priestess. lsi. unless there is a good reason to the contrary. 152. the person who has done the work shall reap the benefit of the reward, maiden and deputy of the high priestess. 153. it had been found that practising the art doth cause a fondness between aspirant and tutor, and it is the cause of better results if this be so. 154. and if for any reason this be undesirable, it can easily be avoided by both persons from the outset firmly resolving in their minds to be as brother and sister, or parent and child. iss. and it is for this reason that a man may be taught only by a woman and a woman by a man, and women and women should not attempt these p

ALEXANDRIAN BOOK OF SHADOWS OCCULT

if she returns not at the end of a year and a day, then shall the coven elect a new high priestess, 151. unless there is a good reason to the contrary. the person who has done the work should reap the benefit of the reward. if somebody else is elected, the deputy is made maiden and deputy of the high priestess. 152. training it has been found that practicing the art doth cause a fondness between aspirant and tutor, and it is the cause of better results if this be so. 153. and if for any reason this be undesireable, it can easily be avoided by both persons from the outset firmly resolving in their minds to be as brother and sister or parent and child. 154. and it is for this reason that a man may be taught only by a woman and a woman by a man, and women and women should not attempt these p

tar. a short cord is tied like a garter round the initiate's left leg above the knee, with ends tucked in. another is tied round right ankle and ends tucked in so as to be out of the way while moving about. these cords are used to tie feet together while initiate is kneeling at the altar and must be long enough to do this firmly. knees must also be firmly tied. this must be carefully done. if the aspirant complains of pain the bonds must be loosened slightly; always remember the object being to retard the blood flow enough to induce a trance state. this involves slight discomfort; but great discomfort prevents the trance state, so it is best to spend some little time loosening and tightening the bonds until they are just right. the aspirant alone can tell you when this is so. this, of cour

with various tortures whilst sitting in a cramped position, which retarded the flow of blood; these tortures, long and continued, gave good results. in the art, we are taught an easier way, that is, to intensify the imagination, at the same time controlling the blood supply, and this may best be done by using the ritual. incense is good to propitiate the spirits, also to induce relaxation to the aspirant and to help build up the atmosphere which is necessary for suggestibility. myrrh, gum mastic, aromatic rush roots, cinnamon bark, musk, juniper, sandalwood and ambergris, in combination, are all good, but the best of all is patchouli. the circle being formed, and everything properly prepared, the aspirant should first bind and take his tutor into the circle, invoke suitable spirits for th

ambergris, in combination, are all good, but the best of all is patchouli. the circle being formed, and everything properly prepared, the aspirant should first bind and take his tutor into the circle, invoke suitable spirits for the operation, dance round till giddy, meanwhile invoking and announcing the object of the work, then he should use the flagellum. then the tutor should in turn bind the aspirant- but very lightly, so as not to cause discomfort- but enough to retard the blood slightly. again they should dance round, then at the altar the tutor should use the flagellum with light, steady, slow and monotonous strokes. it is very important that the pupil should see the strokes coming, as this has the effect of passing, and helps greatly to stimulate the imagination. it is important t

kes coming, as this has the effect of passing, and helps greatly to stimulate the imagination. it is important that the strokes be not hard, the object being to do no more than draw the blood to that part and away from the brain; this, with the light binding, slowing down the circulation of the blood, and the passes, soon induce a drowsy stupor. the tutor should watch for this, and as soon as the aspirant speaks or sleeps the flagellum should cease. the tutor should also watch that the pupil becomes not cold, and if the pupil struggles or seems distressed he should at once be awakened. be not discouraged if no results come at the first experiment- results usually occur after two or three attempts. it will be found that after two or three attempts or experiments results will come, and soon

ALICE A BAILEY02 INITIATION HUMAN AND SOLAR

e underlying the form, and recognises the purpose of pervading circumstances. it is the capacity that senses the lesson to be learnt from any given occurrence and event, and that by means of these comprehensions and recognitions effects an hourly, weekly, yearly growth and expansion. this process of gradual expansion the result of the definite effort and strenuous right thinking and living of the aspirant himself and not of some occult teacher performing an occult rite leads to what one might term a crisis. at this crisis, which necessitates the aid of a master, a definite act of initiation is performed, which (acting on a particular centre) produces a result on some one body. it keys the atoms to a certain pitch, and enables a new rate of rhythm to be attained. this ceremony of initiation

ith the miasmas, the fogs, the dangers, the troubles, the sorrows and pains of everyday living. they have trodden every step of the path of suffering, have undergone every experience, have surmounted every difficulty, and have won out. these elder brothers of the race have one and all undergone the crucifixion of the personal self, and know that utter renunciation of all which is the lot of every aspirant at this time. there is no phase of agony, no rending sacrifice, no via dolorosa that they have not in their time trodden, and herein lies their right to serve, and the strength of the method of their appeal. knowing the quintessence of pain, knowing the depth of sin and of suffering, their methods can be exquisitely measured to the individual need; yet at the same time their realisation o

achohan. daily he pours out his blessing on the world, and daily he stands under the great pine in his garden at the sunset hour with hands uplifted in blessing over all those who truly and earnestly seek to aspire. to him all seekers are known, and, though they may remain unaware of him, the light which he pours forth stimulates their desire, fosters the spark of struggling life and spurs on the aspirant until the momentous day dawns when they stand face to face with the one who by being "lifted up (occultly understood) is drawing all men unto himself as the initiator of the sacred mysteries. the work of the lord of civilisation, the mahochohan. group three has as its head the mahachohan. his rule over the group persists for a longer period than that of his two brothers, and he may hold o

rtunity, success, and disappointment, the gibes and machinations of enemies, the lack of comprehension on the part of those we love all is but to be used, and all exists but to be transmuted. continuity of vision, of aspiration, and of the inner touch, is seen to be of more importance than them all. that continuity is the thing to be aimed at, in spite of, and not because of circumstances. as the aspirant progresses he not only balances the pairs of opposites, but is having the secret of his brother's heart revealed to him. he becomes an acknowledged force in the world and is recognised as one who can be depended upon to serve. men turn to him for assistance and help along his recognised line, and he begins to sound forth his note so as to be heard in deva and human ranks. this he does at

ised line, and he begins to sound forth his note so as to be heard in deva and human ranks. this he does at this stage through the pen in literature, through the spoken word in lecturing and teaching, through music, painting and art. he reaches the hearts of men in some way or another, and becomes a helper and server of his race. two more characteristics of this stage might here be mentioned: the aspirant has an appreciation of the occult value of money in service. he seeks nothing for himself, save that which may equip him for the work to be done, and he looks upon money and that which money can purchase as something which is to be used for others and as a means to bring about the fruition of the master's plans as he senses those plans. the occult significance of money is little appreciat

ALICE A BAILEY04 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE

permanent atom. the egoic ray has a similar action upon the astral permanent atom. the monadic ray has a close connection with the mental unit. the effect which they have is threefold, but is not simultaneous; they work ever, as do all things in nature, in ordered cycles. the stimulation, for instance, that is the result of the action of the monadic ray upon the mental unit is only felt when the aspirant treads the path, or after he has taken the first initiation. the action of the egoic ray upon the astral permanent atom is felt as soon as the ego can make good connection with the physical brain; when this is so the egoic ray is beginning to affect the atom powerfully and continuously; this occurs when a man is highly evolved and is nearing the path. this threefold force is felt in the f

g the action of the centres, but he will pay the price of ignorance in the destruction of matter, in the burning of bodily or brain tissue, in the development of insanity, and in opening the door to currents and forces, undesirable and destructive. it is not the part of a coward, in these matters concerning the subjective life, to move with caution and with care; it is the part of discretion. the aspirant, therefore, has three things to do: 1. purify, discipline and transmute his threefold lower nature. 2. develop knowledge of himself, and equip his mental body; build the causal body by good deeds and thoughts, 3. serve his race in utter self-abnegation. in doing this he fulfils the law, he puts himself in the right condition for training, fits himself for the ultimate application of the r

onstrated the quickening of vibration by means of touch. inertia, mobility, rhythm, are the qualities manifested by the not-self. rhythm, balance, and stable vibration are achieved by means of this very faculty of touch or feeling. let me illustrate briefly so as to make the problem somewhat clearer. what results in meditation? by dint of strenuous effort and due attention to rules laid down, the aspirant succeeds in touching matter of a quality rarer than is his usual custom. he contacts his causal body, in time he contacts the matter of the buddhic plane. by means of this touch his own vibration is temporarily and briefly quickened. fundamentally we are brought back to the subject that we deal with in this treatise. the latent fire of matter attracts to itself that fire, latent in other

rsonal knowledge of the ruling powers and forces, will perhaps be on the probationary path, or will be initiates of the first degree. thus the present scepticism will become non-existent. the dangers then will be along other lines those incident to the very influence of this ray itself: the dangers of crystallisation into form so that the true spiritual devotee may become rare, and the scientific aspirant will take his place. the true occultist is a scientist and a devotee, and where these two are not merged, we have the mystic and the man in danger of black magic, being governed by the intellect and not by selflessness; there are dangers incident also upon contact with the deva evolution and the knowledge of the powers and forces made available through their agency. the coming into incarn

to give more data concerning the unfoldment of the petals and their connection with the etheric centres. three hints of practical import anent this stupendous subject may however be given which, if duly pondered upon, may carry illumination to those who are ready. the first is that the etheric centres become active in a fourth dimensional sense (or become wheels turning upon themselves) when the aspirant has complied with certain details. he must work upon the unfoldment of the fifth and sixth petals, or the final two in the second circle and must endeavour to bring about two things in connection with his threefold lower nature: a. he must align his three bodies so that there is a direct channel of contact formed between the ego and the physical brain. b. he must strive to bring about a s

ALICE A BAILEY05 THE LIGHT OF THE SOUL

ght use of the mind and its utilisation by the soul for the achievement of group objectives and the development of group consciousness upon the physical plane- 1- copyright 1998 lucis trust hitherto the mind has either been prostituted to material ends or has been deified. through the science of raja yoga, the mind will be known as the instrument of the soul and the means whereby the brain of the aspirant becomes illuminated and knowledge gained of those matters which concern the realm of the soul. under the law of evolution likewise, the mind, being the fifth principle, the fifth root race must be intimately concerned with it, and its corresponding fifth subrace more intimately than any other. students would do well to bear in mind the following correspondences: 1. the fifth root race. ar

ds of every student, the bhagavad gita, the new testament, and the yoga sutras, for in these three is contained a complete picture of the soul and its unfoldment. in the gita we have given us (in its eighteen chapters) a description of the soul, of krishna, the second aspect, in his true nature as god in manifestation, culminating in that marvellous chapter where he reveals himself to arjuna, the aspirant [page xiii] as the soul of all things, and the point of glory behind the veil of every form. in the new testament there is depicted for us the life of a son of god in full manifestation, wherein, freed from every veil, the soul in its true nature walks the earth. it becomes apparent to us, as we study the life of christ, what it means to develop the powers of the soul, to attain liberatio

god walking on earth. in the yoga sutras there are embodied for us the laws of that becoming, and the rules, methods, and means which when followed make a man "perfect even as your father in heaven is- 3- the light of the soul copyright 1998 lucis trust perfect" step by step there is unfolded for us a graded system of development, leading a man from the stage of average good man, through those of aspirant, initiate and master on to that exalted point in evolution at which the christ now stands. john, the beloved disciple, has said that "we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" and the revelation of the soul to man in physical plane incarnation works ever the great transformation. christ himself has said that "greater works than i do shall ye do" holding out to us the promise of

y, when the first aspect of the lower personal self, the mental body, is restrained, then the will aspect of the ego can be known, and through its activities, the purpose of the logos himself will be cognized. there are certain lines of least resistance in the spiritual life and along them certain forces or energies are released. a. emotional. intuitional or buddhic. monadic .t o the heart of the aspirant b. mental .s piritual or atmic .l ogoic .t o the head of the aspirant. the student is therefore given the word of restraint or control as a key to all his endeavors. the chitta is the mind, or mind-stuff, the mental body, the faculty of thought and of thought-form making, the sum total of the mental processes; it is the material governed by the ego or soul out of which thought forms are m

re of the soul, 3. identifies himself with the inner reality, and no longer with the concealing forms, 4. dwells in the centre and no longer upon the periphery, 5. achieves spiritual consciousness, 6. awakes to recognition of the god within. in these three verses, the method and the goal are described in clear and certain terms and the way prepared for the more detailed instruction to follow. the aspirant faces his problem, the clue to its solution is given to him, and the reward union with the soul is held before his seeking eye. the past is briefly covered in the next verse. 4. up till now the inner man has identified himself with his forms and with their active modifications. these forms are the modifications mentioned in the various translations, conveying the subtle truth concerning t

ALICE A BAILEY07 FROM INTELLECT TO INTUITION

ards knowledge of the soul and the use of the mind in the apprehension of spiritual truth. the head and the heart become united in their endeavor. mind and pure reason are blended with love and devotion in an entire re-adjustment of the personality to a new realm of awareness. new states of consciousness are registered, a new phenomenal world is gradually perceived, and it begins to dawn upon the aspirant that his life-focus and his consciousness can be lifted entirely out of all past fields of endeavor. he finds that he can walk with god, dwell in heaven, and be aware of a new world lying within the familiar outer forms. he begins to regard himself as a conscious denizen of another kingdom in nature, the spiritual, which is as real and as vital, as ordered and as phenomenal as any we now

nized: 1. prayer for material benefits, and for help. 2. prayer for virtues and for graces of character. 3. prayer for others, intercessory prayer- 28- from intellect to intuition copyright 1998 lucis trust 4. prayer for illumination and for divine realization. it will be seen from a study of these four types of prayer that all have their roots in the desire nature, and that the fourth brings the aspirant to the point where prayer can end and meditation begin. seneca must have realized this when he said "no prayer is needed, except to ask for a good state of mind, for health (wholeness) of soul" meditation carries the work forward into the mental realm; desire gives place to the practical work of preparation for divine knowledge and the man who started his long career and life experience w

fly the objectives which we set before ourselves as we seek to reorient the mind to the soul, and through the union thus effected, enter into communication with a higher world of being. we are seeking to utilize the equipment with which a long series of life experiments and experience has endowed us, and whether we undertake the work from the standpoint of the mystical devotee or the intellectual aspirant, there are certain basic requirements which must precede any definite exercises. the words of the rev. r. j. campbell state succinctly our story and our task. he says "for the purpose of realizing the nature of the self, we have had to come out from our eternal home in god that we might strive and suffer amid the illusions of time and sense. we have to overcome before we can enter into th

athe towards" as webster puts it. the word "spirit" comes from the same root. aspiration must precede inspiration. there must be a breathing out from the lower self before there can be a breathing in by the higher aspect. from the standpoint of eastern mysticism, aspiration involves the idea of fire. it denotes a burning desire, and a fiery determination which eventually does three things for the aspirant. it throws a fierce light upon his problems, and constitutes the purificatory furnace into which the lower self has to go in order that all dross may be burned out, and it also destroys all hindrances which might keep him back. this same idea of fire runs through all books on christian mysticism, and many passages in the bible of a similar nature will come readily to mind. willingness to

er that all dross may be burned out, and it also destroys all hindrances which might keep him back. this same idea of fire runs through all books on christian mysticism, and many passages in the bible of a similar nature will come readily to mind. willingness to "bear the cross" to "enter the fire" to "die daily (it matters not what the symbology employed may be, is the characteristic of the true aspirant, and, before we pass on to the way of meditation and place our footsteps in those of the myriads of sons of god who have preceded us, we must gauge the depth and the height and brace ourselves for the arduous climb and the fierce endeavor. we must say with j. c. earle "i pass the vale. i breast the steep. i bear the cross: the cross bears me. light leads me on to light. i weep for joy at

ALICE A BAILEY08 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC

gh their misplaced devotion, to contact certain authoritative personages, and to get into heaven by some short cut- 4- a treatise on white magic copyright 1998 lucis trust you have wisely guarded your books from the reaction accorded to those who claim to be masters, adepts and initiates. my anonymity and status must be preserved, and my rank be regarded as only that of a senior student and of an aspirant to that expansion of consciousness which is for me the next step forward. what i say of truth alone is of moment; the inspiration and help i can accord to any pilgrim on the path is alone vital; that which i have learned through experience is at the disposal of the earnest aspirant; and the wideness of the vision which i can impart (owing to my having climbed higher up the mountain than s

nborn, the soul that passes not away, though i am the lord of beings, yet as lord over my nature i become manifest, through the magical power of the soul" gita iv.6. the statistical and the academic is a necessary basis and a preliminary step for most scientific study, but in this book we will centre our attention on the life aspect, and the practical application of truth to the daily life of the aspirant. let us study how we can become practical magicians, and in what way we can best live the life of a spiritual man, and of an aspirant to accepted discipleship in our own peculiar times, state and environment. to do this we will take the fifteen rules for magic to be found in my earlier book, entitled a treatise on cosmic fire. i will comment on them, dealing not with their cosmic signific

e life of a spiritual man, and of an aspirant to accepted discipleship in our own peculiar times, state and environment. to do this we will take the fifteen rules for magic to be found in my earlier book, entitled a treatise on cosmic fire. i will comment on them, dealing not with their cosmic significance or with solar and other correspondences and analogies, but applying them to the work of the aspirant, and giving practical suggestions for the better development of soul contact and soul manifestation. i shall take for granted certain knowledges and assume the students can follow and comprehend certain technical terms that i may be led to use. i am not dealing with babes but with matured men and women who have chosen a certain way and who are pledged to "walk in the light" i seek in this

hat is not; that until we have submitted ourselves to the needed training we are in no position to deny or affirm anything. our attitude should be that of reasonable enquiry and our interest that of the investigating philosopher, willing to accept an hypothesis on the basis of its possibility, but being unwilling to acknowledge as proven truth anything until we know it for and in ourselves. i, an aspirant to the higher mysteries, and one who has searched into them for a longer period than has been possible as yet to many, may write of things as yet impossible of demonstration to you or to the public who may read these instructions. to me they may be and are truth and proven fact and for me that may suffice. for you they should be regarded as significant possibilities and hints as to the di

cis trust rule one some basic assumptions we are entering upon a course of study wherein the entire tendency will be to throw the student back upon himself, and thus upon that larger self which has only, in most cases, made its presence felt at rare and highly emotional intervals. when the self is known and not simply felt and, when the realisation is mental as well as sensory, then truly can the aspirant be prepared for initiation. i would like to point out that i am basing my words upon certain basic assumptions, which for the sake of clarity, i want briefly to state. firstly, that the student is sincere in his aspiration, and is determined to go forward no matter what may be the reaction of and upon the lower self. only those who can clearly differentiate between the two aspects of thei

ALICE A BAILEY09 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME I ESOTERIC PSYCHOLOGY I

and understanding, and not that of individual benefit. by studying and reading with care, a group interplay is set up, the group becomes more closely integrated, the units in it more closely linked together and as a group more closely blended in the unfolding plan of the treat ones. we are building and planning for the future and for humanity, and not for the personal unfoldment of any particular aspirant. the individual growth is of no tremendous significance. the formation and development of a band of pledged aspirants, trained to work together and to respond in unison to a teaching, is of real moment [page xviii] to those of us who are responsible for the training and for the preparation of the group of world disciples who will function with freedom and power in a later cycle. you see a

ge. ponder upon these three main approaches to truth, and think upon them with clarity of thought. mental appreciation of their significance will produce understanding and will likewise increase the group apprehension of the teaching which i have sought to impart. any student who thinks clearly and applies the teaching to his daily life is contributing most valuably to the group awareness. oft an aspirant says to himself "of what real use am i? how can i, in my small sphere, be of service to the world" let me reply to these questions by pointing out that by thinking this book into the minds of the public, by expressing before your fellow men the teaching it imparts, and by a life lived in conforming with its teaching, your service is very real. this will necessarily involve a pledging of t

de to lose sight of self in service a service to be rendered in the place and under the circumstances which a man's destiny and duty have imposed upon him. i mean a renewal of the effort to bring about the purification of all the bodies so that the entire lower man may be a pure channel and instrument through which spiritual force may flow unimpeded. i mean the attaining of an attitudewherein the aspirant desires nothing for the separated self, and in which he regards all that he has as something which he can lay upon the altar of sacrifice for the aiding of his brethren. could all who read this book see the results of such a united effort, there would emerge a group activity, intelligently undertaken, which would achieve great things. so many people run hither and thither after this indiv

you not, with determination and because the world cries out for help, cast away fear and go forward with joy and courage into the future? there has been, behind all the books which i have written, a definite purpose and a planned sequence of teaching. it may be of interest to you if i trace them for you: the first book issued was initiation, human and solar. this book was intended for the average aspirant, to lead him on from where he was to a vision of an organised band of teachers who were seeking to aid humanity (and incidentally himself, and to give some idea of their technique of work and modes of procedure. letters on occult meditation indicated how these teachers could be reached and the discipline of life that the treading of the path involved. these two are especially for aspirant

ome idea of their technique of work and modes of procedure. letters on occult meditation indicated how these teachers could be reached and the discipline of life that the treading of the path involved. these two are especially for aspirants. a treatise on cosmic fire is in an entirely different category. in the last analysis, it is for the guidance of the initiates of the world, and will lift the aspirant's eyes away from himself and his own growth to a vaster conception and a universal ideal. the mark of the initiate is his lack of interest in himself, in his own unfoldment and his own personal fate, and all aspirants who become accepted disciples have to master the technique of disinterestedness. their eyes have also to be lifted away from the group of workers and from the hierarchy whic

ALICE A BAILEY10 FROM BETHLEHEM TO CALVARY

own the ages, proves that god has never left himself without witness and that always there have been those who have achieved. the fact of the cosmic christ, manifest as the urge towards perfection in all the kingdoms of nature, proves the fact of god and is our eternal hope. humanity stands at the portals of initiation. 3 always there have been temples and mysteries and holy places where the true aspirant could find what he sought, and the needed instruction as to the way he should go. the prophet of old said. a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it, for he shall be with them; the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein."16 it is a way that leads from that which lies without to that which dwells within

old said. a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it, for he shall be with them; the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein."16 it is a way that leads from that which lies without to that which dwells within. it reveals, step by step, the hidden life which every form and symbol veils and hides. it assigns to the aspirant certain tasks which lead to his understanding, and produces an inclusiveness and wisdom which meet his deeply sensed need. he passes from the stage of enquiry to what the tibetans call "straight knowledge" upon that path vision and hope give place to realisation. initiation after initiation is undergone, each one leading the initiate nearer to the goal of complete unity. those who in the

tes are taught to be inclusive in their thoughts and non-separative in their attitudes. they never set themselves apart from the rest of humanity by asserting their status and thus automatically placing themselves upon a pedestal. nor are the requirements, as stated in many of the esoteric books, quite as simple as they are made out to be. to read some of them, one would think that as long as the aspirant has achieved a measure of tolerance, of kindness, devotion, sympathy, idealism, patience and perseverance he has fulfilled the major requirements. these are indeed primary essentials, but to these qualities must be added an intelligent understanding and a mental unfoldment which will lead to a sane and intelligent cooperation with the plans for humanity. it is the balance of head and hear

ity. initiation is therefore a reality and not a beautiful and rather easily attained vision, as so many occult and esoteric books seem to claim. initiation is not a process which a man undergoes when he joins certain organisations, and which can be understood only by joining such groups. it has nothing to do with societies, esoteric schools and organisations. all that they can do is to teach the aspirant certain well known and- 17- from bethlehem to calvary copyright 1998 lucis trust basic "rules of the road" and then leave him to understand or not, as his earnestness and development permit, and to pass on through the portal as his equipment and destiny allow. the teachers of the race, and the christ, who is the "master of all the masters and the teacher alike of angels and of men" are no

to express the transition which man can make out of the consciousness of the fourth or human kingdom, into the fifth or spiritual kingdom, the kingdom of god. christ came to reveal the way into that kingdom. this initiating soul, as we have already seen, is called by many names in the new testament, and in the other religions it is called by a terminology suited to the time and temperament of the aspirant. where the christian disciple speaks of "christ in you, the hope of glory,"11 the oriental disciple may speak of the self or the atman. the modern schools of thought speak of- 27- from bethlehem to calvary copyright 1998 lucis trust the ego, or the higher self, the real man, or the spiritual entity, whilst in the old testament reference is made to the "angel of the presence" a long list o

ALICE A BAILEY11 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME II ESOTERIC PSYCHOLOGY II

f the mind has a very close relation to the solar angel, and there is a peculiar affiliation between the angel of the presence and the mental man. it is this deep-seated, though oft unrecognised, interplay and cultivated intercourse, which produces the at-one-ment between the soul and its mechanism, man in the three worlds. from the angle of these three ray influences, we have (in the life of the aspirant) a recapitulation of the triple process which we could call the "processes of unfoldment of the lemurian, atlantean, and aryan consciousness" on the path of probation, the ray of the physical body must become subordinated to the potencies emanating from those soul rays which stream forth from the outer tier of petals in the egoic lotus (see a treatise on cosmic fire) these are the- 13- a

ce, and a final stage at the end of the age. these stages are carried forward over so long a period of time, and are so closely interrelated, that one stage and period makes possible that of another, and only the analytical mind sees or seeks differentiation. the reflection of this fivefold experience in any individual life takes place in the following order in the life of the average intelligent aspirant, who responds to, and takes advantage of the civilisation and education of the present time. 1. appropriation of the physical sheath. this takes place between the fourth and seventh year, when the soul, hitherto overshadowing, takes possession of the physical vehicle. 2. a crisis during adolescence, wherein the soul appropriates the astral vehicle. this crisis is not recognised by the gen

e being- 34- a treatise on the seven rays- volume ii: esoteric psychology ii copyright 1998 lucis trust magnetically related to each other and which are temporarily subordinated to varying aspects of force, in order to produce those fields of magnetic activity wherein certain needed rates of vibration may be established. from the angle of the initiates of the ageless wisdom, the story of man, the aspirant, is the story of his response to, or repulse of, applied energies. the fact that the interplay between different types of energy results in the formation of those aggregations or condensations of force which we call bodies, sheaths or vehicles (material or immaterial) is incidental to the main issue, which is the development of a conscious response to the life of god. small units of energ

ying principle which differentiates the mechanisms; there is a general synthesis and purpose, which defies the powers of man to emulate it creatively, and which is outstandingly the major characteristic of divinity. it expresses itself through colour and beauty, through reason and love, through idealism and wisdom, and through those many qualities and that purpose which, for instance, animate the aspirant. this is briefly and inadequately expressed divinity. it is, however, a relative expression of divinity. when each of us stands where stand the masters and the christ, we will regard this whole question from another point of view. the developing of virtues, the cultivation of understanding, the demonstration of good character and high aims, and the expression of an ethical and moral point

those practices which tend towards right conduct, right speech, and good character. the thought underlying this paragraph links the conclusions of the materialistic school of psychologists with the introspectionist school and those schools which posit a self, a soul or a spiritual entity, and shows that both groups are dealing with facts, and that both must play their united parts in training the aspirant in the new age. 4. as the introspective method is pursued, and as we study the human subject, we discover that underlying the human body in all its parts, and constituting a definite part of the human apparatus, there is a vehicle which has been called the "etheric body, composed entirely of threads of force which, in their turn, form the channels along which still more subtle and varying

ALICE A BAILEY12 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE VOLUME I

archy exists, that its members are interested in human progress and that there is a definitely planned system of training offered by them which can lead a man out of the human kingdom into the kingdom of god; that this moving forward upon the path of evolution out of the fourth kingdom into the fifth can be brought about consciously, scientifically and with the full consent and cooperation of the aspirant. the day has now come when belief can (and does) give place to knowledge a knowledge gained through the acceptance of a hypothesis in the first place, a conviction that this hypothesis is backed by adequate testimony and planned experience. the reasoning mind of the disciple can then take the successes and failures he encounters in his training and learn the intended lessons; he finds tha

iples that the sanity, the breadth of vision, the lack of authority, and the understanding evidenced by a member of the hierarchy could do nothing but good. we found also that he was quite ready for his instructions to be made public. a third reason was the desire to make clear a point which is continually emphasised by the tibetan as it is by all masters and which is of major importance to every aspirant. only those who are beginning to come under the influence and the control of their own souls and are, therefore, mentally focussed and attuned, are eligible for the training offered by the hierarchy. devotion, emotional reactions and sentiment are not enough. esoteric training is also an impersonal matter; it is concerned with the development of soul consciousness and with the expansion o

ent of soul consciousness and with the expansion of that consciousness to include, and not exclude, all forms of life through which pulses the life and love of god. the true disciple is ever inclusive and never exclusive. it is this- 2- discipleship in the new age- volume i copyright 1998 lucis trust inclusiveness which is the hallmark of all true esotericists. where it is lacking you may have an aspirant but you do not have a true disciple. there is far too much exclusiveness extant today among esotericists and in occult schools and too much theological separativeness. it has been felt that this book of instructions may do much to offset this evil tendency and may help to open the door still wider into the kingdom of god. much in this book is new. much is very old, tried and proved. none

i may be led to give (probably at widely separated intervals) to my disciples. i am not basically writing for any of you at all but in order to lay the foundation for the group work to be done in the world during the coming years. what i say should be read with care, for the written word may contain several meanings and these can be sensed, according to the intuition awakened or otherwise of the aspirant. i, your tibetan brother, am supposing upon the part of each of my disciples, one basic essential at least and that is a persevering earnestness which nothing will deter. each of you starts upon this work with certain fundamental characteristics; each of you is beginning this definite enterprise of training for initiation with certain defects which act as deterrents and as handicaps; each

ulness. may i beg of you to leave results alone and to work without attachment for you know not with exactitude what are my goals for you; may i beg you to desist from that constant self-analysis which is such an outstanding characteristic of the introspective, yet ambitious occidental mystic. what, therefore, is the position i take? that i, one of a great group of disciples who from the humblest aspirant up to the highest member of the hierarchy link humanity with the spiritual kingdom can teach you the ancient rules and give suggestions to you so that you may travel more rapidly along the path and arrive at greater usefulness to your fellowmen. there is not the slightest suggestion of authoritative pronouncement by a member of the hierarchy who must be obeyed and whose word is infallible

ALICE A BAILEY14 THE REAPPEARANCE OF THE CHRIST

idable experience. he does not come as the omnipotent god of man's ignorant creation, but as the christ, the founder of the kingdom of god on earth, to complete the work he started, and again to demonstrate divinity in far more difficult circumstances. the christ suffers, however, far more from those in his own household than from those in the outer world; his work is more impeded by the advanced aspirant than by the intelligent thinker. it was not the cruelty of the outer world of men which caused the depths of sorrow to the christ; it was his own disciples, plus the massed sorrow spread over the entire cycle of living past, present and future of humanity. he comes to correct the mistakes and the misrepresentations of those who have dared to interpret his simple words in terms of their ow

, generated during the christian era. 5. aquarian energy, already generating upon the inner planes of thought and feeling, and to be generated during the centuries ahead of us. the lines which his training follows are known only to christ, to the buddha and to the avatar of synthesis. all esoteric or spiritual training has to be self-applied; this is as true of the christ as it is of the humblest aspirant. into the processes of christ's thinking, reactions and planning, it is not possible for us to enter. in palestine, his appearance was mainly prophetic and his work primarily that of laying the foundation for the activities which will follow his reappearance, plus the sowing of the seed, the harvest of which he will garner in the new age. the tragedy of his appearance two thousand years a

believed christ will give when again here with us in physical presence. little as the orthodox christian may care to admit it, the entire gospel story in its four forms or presentations, contains little else except symbolic details about the mysteries which are (as far as humanity is concerned) five in all. these mysteries indicate, in reality, five important points in the spiritual history of an aspirant; they indicate also five important stages in the progress of human consciousness. this advance will become definite and clear in a manner not understood today, at some point during the aquarian age. humanity, the world disciple (through its various groups all at various stages of unfoldment) will "enter into" new states of awareness and into new realms or spheres of mental and spiritual c

of this period of appalling deprivations through which men are every day passing. the real tragedy is that the western hemisphere, particularly the united states, will not share in this definite spiritual and vitalising process; they are at present too selfish to permit it to happen. you can see, therefore, that initiation is not a ceremonial procedure, or an accolade, conferred upon a successful aspirant; neither is it a penetration into the mysteries of which the mysteries of masonry are, as yet, only the pictorial presentation but is simply the result of experiencing "livingness" on all three levels of awareness (physical, emotional and mental) and through that livingness bringing into activity those registering and those recording cells within the brain substance which have hitherto no

part also of that unreal world to which we refer when we pray the ancient prayer "lead us from the unreal to the real" what is said about it has little basis in fact; it has, however, served a useful purpose as a field of experience in which we can learn to differentiate between the true and the- 70- the reappearance of the christ copyright 1998 lucis trust untrue; it is an area also in which the aspirant can use the discriminating faculty of the mind the great discloser of error and the eventual revealer of truth. once that "mind is in us which is also in christ (phil. ii.5, we shall find that the control of this emotional nature and this sentient area of consciousness (the astral plane, if you prefer the term) becomes complete. then this past sentient control and its entire area of influ

ALICE A BAILEY15 THE DESTINY OF THE NATIONS

advanced humanity) the sequence of the recognition of these expansions of consciousness is as follows: 1. the world of psychical living. this requires the recognition, by the brain consciousness, of the need for mental and spiritual control, as the first step. 2. the world of mental unfoldment. 3. the world of the soul or ego, the individualised man. when these recognitions are established in the aspirant, then there comes the recognition by the disciple of the master who should guide him. 4. the control of the physical plane life by the soul. 5. the functioning and the utilisation of the psychic powers and their place and part in the field of intelligent service. 6. the interpretative faculty of the illumined mind. 7. an inspired creative life upon the physical plane. in that development

the physical plane. in that development of the racial consciousness, the process does not necessarily follow the above seven stages and sequence. this is owing to the stimulation and consequent sensitising of the form aspect through the increased radiation and potency of the dynamic new group of world servers; their ranks are filled by those who have passed, or are passing, through the stages of aspirant and disciple, thus learning to serve. psychic unfoldment in the masses parallels the spiritual unfoldment of advanced humanity. this can be seen going on today on a large scale everywhere and it accounts for the tremendous growth of the spiritualistic movement and for the enormous increase in the lower psychic powers. old atlantean magic and the lower psychism are upon us again in the gre

rom method and mode into characteristics and established habits. it is the new ways of working and the new forces and objectives which the disciple of this present era has to master; he must do this relying upon the lessons learnt in the past and must base his new structure of truth upon the foundations and the stabilised orientations, which must now be established. the first step for the sincere aspirant is at this point to stop for a moment to enquire and discover whether he is working primarily under the sixth ray impulse or the seventh ray influence. i use these words "impulse and influence" deliberately because they describe the general effect of the two functioning energies. upon one thing all disciples and aspirants can rely and this is the basic and enduring effect of all the sixth

ity and its major characteristics first of all. they are, for us, the most familiar and can be rapidly considered, enabling us to pass on to the new ways of demonstrating and discovering the ancient wisdom, and to the comprehension of the fresh modes of working which will give new vitality to the work of the hierarchy upon the physical plane. the outstanding characteristic of the disciple and the aspirant under the old regime was devotion. the race had, of necessity, to achieve a different and right orientation to the world of spiritual values, and hence the effort of the hierarchy during the past twenty centuries was to lay the emphasis upon the realm of religious values. the world religions have held the centre of the stage for several thousand years in an effort to make humanity seek on

even the "lowest of the sons of men" ray iv this ray, as you know, begins to come into incarnation early in the next century and in collaboration with the developing saturnian influence will lead many on to the path of discipleship. when the peculiar energy to which we give the somewhat unsatisfactory name of "harmony through conflict" and the forces of that planet which stage opportunity for the aspirant are working in combination and an ordained synthesis, we can then look for a very rapid adjustment in human affairs, particularly in connection with the path. this fourth ray is, in the last analysis, the ray which teaches the art of living in order to produce a synthesis of beauty. there is no beauty without unity, without embodied idealism and the resultant symmetrical unfoldment. this

ALICE A BAILEY16 GLAMOUR A WORLD PROBLEM

common vision and an established group purpose is very great, and can be a real service to mankind. the newer aquarian techniques include such group endeavours. the published writings by the tibetan and alice a. bailey provide information for wise and useful experimentation in group work which is undertaken as a spiritual world service and not as a means of spiritual unfoldment of the individual aspirant- 1- copyright 1998 lucis trust such group action, voluntarily entered into, when not dominated by autocratic leadership control, and if undertaken with due humility and caution, is greatly to be desired at the present time. such action should be recognized as being pioneering experimental ventures. groups of this sort have already appeared in various parts of the world and may well contri

bjective reality. 2. it tends to bring about a close integration between soul-mind-brain, and when that is brought about, the inflow of the intuition and, consequently, of illumination and truth becomes more rapidly possible. 3. it will put a strain upon certain unawakened areas in the brain and arouse into activity the brain cells there found, and this is the first stage in the experience of the aspirant. with the majority of true aspirants, the centre between the eyebrows is awakened, whilst the centre at the top of the head is vibrating very gently, but is not in full functioning activity. this higher centre must be awakened more fully before aspirants can measure up to their full opportunity. in the study of symbols, i would urge upon you the necessity always to put before yourselves t

interpretation of life forms and their meaning. also, too much academic interest in symbols may presuppose a tortuous and intricate mind which loves design and line and form and numerical relationships, but which misses entirely the significance of meaning. the balancing in the mind of form and concept, of expression and quality, of sign and meaning is vital to the growth of the disciple and the aspirant. the great need for most students is to arrive at meaning and to work with ideas and concepts. this activity will necessitate the use of the mind to understand, to grasp and to interpret. it requires the development of that mental sensitivity which will enable its possessor to respond to the vibrations of what we call the universal mind, the mind of god, the instigator of the plan. it pre

r: a world problem copyright 1998 lucis trust 3. maya is vital in character and is a quality of force. it is essentially the energy of the human being as it swings into activity through the subjective influence of the mental illusion or astral glamour or of both in combination. 4. the dweller on the threshold, always present, swings however into activity only on the path of discipleship, when the aspirant becomes occultly aware of himself, of the conditions induced within him as a result of his interior illusion, his astral glamour and the maya surrounding his entire life. being now an integrated personality (and no one is a disciple, my brother, unless he is mental as well as emotional, which is a point the devotee oft forgets) these three conditions (with the preponderance of the effect

induce these situations of difficulty. 3. to find out what methods are effective in inducing a cessation of the bewildering deceiving conditions. it must be remembered also that these distorting conditions, found in all of you, are the medium whereby you are tuned in on the world glamour and illusion. the emphasis has been laid in esoteric teaching on the training and liberation of the individual aspirant. this is, of course, necessary, for the mass is made up of the individuals, and in the steady release from the control of these inner delusions will come the eventual clarification of humanity. therefore each of you in this group must of necessity work separately and apart with himself, and learn to induce those conditions of clarity and truth which will overcome the ancient rhythms and d

ALICE A BAILEY17 TELEPATHY AND THE ETHERIC VEHICLE

t it to his group of disciples as he was working in the occident. one of these disciples on the inner planes, seized upon the suggestion and passed it on (or rather stepped it down) until it registered in the brain of colonel house. he, not recording the source (of which he was totally- 3- telepathy and the etheric vehicle copyright 1998 lucis trust unaware, passed it on in turn to that sixth ray aspirant, called woodrow wilson. then, fed by the wealth of analogous ideas in the minds of many, it was presented to the world. it should be borne in mind that the function of a disciple is to focus a stream of energy of some special kind upon the physical plane where it can become an attractive centre of force and draw to itself similar types of ideas and thought currents which are not strong en

ashram has to learn that 1. groups are held together by an inner structure of thought. 2. the focus of the externalised group life is the etheric body. the etheric body is: a. a receiving agency. b. a circulating medium for energy coming from the mind, from the soul, from the master, or from the group mind. 3. the mind is the first exoteric expression of the soul consciousness, as far as the true aspirant is concerned. 4. the following telepathic relationships are possible and must be borne in mind: a. solar plexus to solar plexus- 19- telepathy and the etheric vehicle copyright 1998 lucis trust b. mind to mind. c. master to disciple. d. groups of disciples to other similar groups. e. subjective groups to objective receptive groups. f. the hierarchy, through its great leaders, to the vario

and eventually found its place upon the mental plane. you will see also why disciples and world workers have to function as minds, as receptive and perceptive intelligences and as creators in mental matter. it is all related to this science of impression with which we have been dealing. you will note also that this whole process is capable of expansion in the processes of meditation, so that the aspirant can be sensitive to impression and (because he is oriented to the world of ideas and is aware of the subtlety and delicacy of the apparatus required to register the "overshadowing cloud of knowable things) is safeguarded from the sensitivity required to register impacts from other minds, good or bad in their orientation, and from the thought currents of that which is in process of taking

naturally concerned with what is inherent in man and in his relation to his environment and circumstances. the germ or embryonic capacity for all types of planetary contact is inherent in every man and will not be frustrated in the long run. in this knowledge of goals already achieved in the three worlds lies the guarantee of achievement in the more subjective worlds which are present within the aspirant's surroundings but to which he remains as yet unawakened and unenlightened. i am seeking to make the matter as simple as i can, for much of the abstract formulations of the occult sciences and the academic psychologists are incident to the over-activity of men's minds and emotional natures. if you can grasp certain broad and relatively simple facts and recognise that you possess the key o

o take up now in the interests of clarity and understanding. i have called this science of rapport and of reaction, the supreme science of contact. that is essentially what it is. the reaction to this contact, whether cosmic as in the case of sanat kumara, or planetary as in the case of the members of the hierarchy, is nevertheless limited and circumscribed (from the point of view of the informed aspirant, is responsible for the creation of karma or the setting in motion of causes which must unalterably have their effects these effects being negated and rendered useless (or innocuous, if you prefer that word) when the entity concerned brings to the engendered circumstances the needed intelligence, wisdom, intuition or will. ponder on this. consciousness is inherent in all forms of life. th

ALICE A BAILEY18 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME III ESOTERIC ASTROLOGY

lism of the above creatures, this sign gives us a rather complete picture of man with his feet upon the earth, yet running free and climbing to the heights of worldly ambition or of spiritual aspiration in search of what he realises (at any particular time) to be his major need. as the goat, he is man, the earthly, human, greedy seeker after the satisfaction of desire, or man, the equally selfish aspirant hunting for the satisfaction of his aspiration. this sign portrays to us man, an ambitious animal in two senses of the word: in the early stage upon the mutable cross, man, the blend of desire (water) and the animal nature (earth, and upon the reversed wheel, man, the blend of soul and form. it gives us the picture also of the triumphant initiate, the "unicorn of god" the symbol of the un

e path of initiation and is called the experience of the mountain top. all are needed the depths, the plains and the mountain top. as you know, sagittarius is one of the four arms of the mutable cross. an idea of the general symbology of this cross, from the quality angle, can be gained if we give the two sets of characteristics which distinguish the man upon this cross both unevolved man and the aspirant to divinity. we might list these as follows, finding for each arm a distinctive phrase: gemini changeableness. instability. interplay. sagittarius ambitious desire. direction- 109- a treatise on the seven rays- volume iii: esoteric astrology copyright 1998 lucis trust orientation. unevolved man virgo material life. the cherishing of an idea. pisces sensation. mediumship. fluidity. gemini

ason that the constellation libra occupies a unique place in the great wheel, for it is the energy coming from this constellation which controls what we might call (for lack of a more suitable word) the "hub of the wheel" this is that point in intermediate space where the twelve zodiacal energies meet and cross. libra, therefore, controls the "moment of reversal of the wheel" in the life of every aspirant, for there comes a moment in the cycle of lives wherein a point of balance is reached and a relative equilibrium is attained, and over this event libra presides. some day it will be of interest to make a scientific research and investigation into the power of balance which libra wields and a consequent analysis of the effect of libra in an individual life. it might then be possible to dis

rry him through the portal of initiation. in studying sagittarius, it becomes obvious that one of the major underlying themes is that of direction. the archer is guiding his horse towards some one specific objective; he is sending or directing his arrow towards a desired point; he is aiming at some specific goal. this sense of direction or guidance is characteristic of the enlightened man, of the aspirant and disciple, and this is a growing recognition; when this faculty of sensitive direction is rightly developed it becomes, in the early stages, an effort to identify all soul and personality activity with god's plan, and this is, in the last analysis, the ordered direction of god's thought. there is no true direction apart from thought, and i would have you remember that thought is power

toward group awareness and group response, plus group service, are now taken. such is the outcome and the reward of the experience in scorpio. it is in this sign that the prodigal son comes to himself, and having eaten of the husks of life and having exhausted the resources of worldly desire and ambition he says "i will arise and go to my father" there are two such major crises in the life of the aspirant: 1. when the intelligent man of the world comes to himself and then re-orients himself to the soul and its requirements. this leads to the tests in scorpio. 2. when the initiate of the third degree upon a higher turn of the spiral re-orients himself to the monad and passes through most subtle tests to certain undefinable and spiritual recognitions- 125- a treatise on the seven rays- volum

ALICE A BAILEY19 THE UNFINISHED AUTOBIOGRAPHY

a couple of weeks or a month and then decide what i felt about it. it was during these few weeks that i got the first chapters of "initiation, human and solar" i would like to make it quite clear that the work i do is in no way related to automatic writing. automatic writing, except in the rarest cases (and, unfortunately, most people think their case is the rare exception) is very dangerous. the aspirant or disciple is never supposed to be an automaton. he is never supposed to let any part of his equipment out of his conscious control. when he does, he enters into a state of dangerous negativity. the material normally then received is mediocre. there is nothing new in it, and it frequently deteriorates as time goes on. many a time, the subject's negativity permits the entrance of a second

itself. this work as it deals with elemental forces is dangerous and even the pure in heart need protection. esotericism is in reality the science of- 120- the unfinished autobiography copyright 1998 lucis trust the soul. it concerns the living, spiritual, vital principle found in every form. it establishes a unity both in time and space. it motivates and implements the plan from the angle of the aspirant and is the science of the path, and it instructs man in the techniques of the coming superman and thus enables him to set his feet upon the path of the higher evolution. the curriculum of the school was gradually unfolded. we kept the work, and still keep it, fluid in an effort to meet the changing needs and we were gradually acquiring a staff of trained men to superintend the work. fifte

cane school as reading matter only. it is the first book ever given out upon the training and control of the astral or emotional body. many occult books have been written on the subject of the physical body and its purification and upon the etheric or vital body. most of them have been compilations of other books, both ancient or modern. this book of mine, however, is intended to train the modern aspirant in the control of his astral body, by the aid of the mind as that mind is, in its turn, illumined by the soul. the next book undertaken was a treatise on the seven rays. it is a long book, not yet completed. it is taking shape in four volumes, two of which are already published, one is ready for publication and the final volume is in process of writing. volumes one and two deal with the s

e with the highest ideals, and upon the presentation of a teaching which will evoke both the respect and the intuitive response of the disciple. the teacher of the future will simply point the way, tread the way with the disciple, and emphasise the ancient rules but with their new interpretations. he will no longer stand (as he frequently does today) between the group and the light or between the aspirant and the master. these preparatory schools are already in process of forming and the starting of the arcane school in 1923 was a part of this spiritual effort. from these proposed schools will emerge, early in the next century, the first of the true schools of initiation. up to date, the so-called esoteric schools have dealt with aspirants upon the path of probation or of purification. the

ecognising joint responsibility, united loyalty to group intention and purpose, as indicated by the group leader (suggested by him and not presented as a command. the presence of authoritative statements, emanating from the teacher of the group, or any demand upon his part for recognition, or for the unquestioning obedience and loyalty of his followers marks him out as a beginner and as simply an aspirant well-meaning and with good intention. it indicates that he is not a disciple, charged with the work of the hierarchy. 6. an esoteric group is one in which the rounded-out development of the disciple receives attention. character-building and unselfish aspiration are regarded as necessarily present, but no great emphasis is laid upon the ordinary virtues, or upon the purity in the outer li

ALICE A BAILEY20 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME IV ESOTERIC HEALING

postulate that every form is a part of a still greater form, and that we do indeed "live and move and have our being" within the body of god (as st. paul expresses it) we, as integral parts of the fourth kingdom in nature, share in this general limitation and imperfection. more than this general premise is beyond our powers to grasp and to express, for the general mental equipment of the average aspirant and disciple is inadequate to the task. such terms as "cosmic evil, divine imperfection, limited areas of consciousness, the freedom of pure spirit, divine mind" which are so freely bandied about by the mystical and occult thinkers of the time: what do they really mean? the affirmations of many schools of healing as to ultimate divine perfection, and the formulation of their beliefs in th

s of people throughout the world, and those whom we call the vast unthinking public, the dominating factors are the stream of life and the stream of astral or desire energy. this can be either of a low or medium calibre. with the thinking public, the dominating factors are these two streams, plus a steady inflowing and increasing tide of mental energy. with the intelligentsia of the world and the aspirant (those ready for, or already on, the probationary path) we find the above three streams reaching a point of equilibrium, and thus- 21- a treatise on the seven rays- volume iv: esoteric healing copyright 1998 lucis trust producing an integrating or coordinating personality. these number amongst them also the mystics of the world and the creative workers, who are conscious of the inspiratio

y, whilst the other three energies are being increasingly subordinated to this higher type of control. it should be borne in mind that there are two other types of energy with which to reckon, when considering intelligent man. 1. the energy which is composed of the fused and blended forces of a coordinated personality. 2. the energy of the physical plane itself, which is finally identified by the aspirant or disciple, and becomes so utterly negated that eventually it constitutes one of the major factors in the release of the centres. finally the time comes when the initiate works simply with three types of energy whilst expressing himself in incarnation: the energy of life itself, the negative energy of the personality, and the positive energy of the soul. thus he is an expression in consc

nsciousness. 2. it is the most developed of the bodies at this time, and therefore receives the bulk of the life energy as it comes down the life stream, from the soul, and likewise receives the energy of the stream of consciousness. 3. it is oriented, if i may so express it, outwards or towards the plane of physical experience. that orientation shifts at times and, temporarily in the case of the aspirant, turns inwards. just as the centres in man, the "lotuses of life" are depicted as turned downwards and with the stalk upwards in the undeveloped man, but are turned upwards in the case of the developed, so there are conditions in the astral body analogous to this. in the case of the highly evolved man, of the initiate or the master, the astral body is steadily oriented towards the soul. i

and with the stalk upwards in the undeveloped man, but are turned upwards in the case of the developed, so there are conditions in the astral body analogous to this. in the case of the highly evolved man, of the initiate or the master, the astral body is steadily oriented towards the soul. in the mystic, the- 26- a treatise on the seven rays- volume iv: esoteric healing copyright 1998 lucis trust aspirant and the disciple, the process of thus definitely changing the direction of the forces is going on and producing, therefore, a temporary chaos. 4. the astral body of man, being the latest to develop (the physical and the etheric being the first two in order of time) is still the most alive and potent. it reached its acme of development in late atlantean days and its potency is still great

ALICE A BAILEY21 EDUCATION IN THE NEW AGE

. man weaves a thread which is like the thread the spider weaves so amazingly. he reaches out still further into his possible environment and then discovers an aspect of himself of which he had little dreamt in the early stages of his development. he discovers the soul and then passes through the illusion of duality. this is a necessary but not a permanent stage. it is one which characterises the aspirant of this world cycle, perhaps i should say this manvantara or world period. he seeks to merge himself with the soul, to identify himself, the conscious personality, with that overshadowing soul. it is at this point, technically speaking, that the true building of the antahkarana must be begun. it is the bridge between the personality and the soul. the recognition of this constitutes the pr

cessful has been the evolutionary process that today the time has come for a group understanding of this emerging technique, for a group bridging, leading to a consequent or subsequent group revelation. this provides the modern opportunity in the field of education. it indicates the responsibility of the educator and points out the necessity for a new unfoldment in educational methods. the "group aspirant" must be met and the group antahkarana must be built. this, however, when rightly understood, will not negate individual effort. that always must be met; but the group understanding will increasingly aid the individual. coordination and integration thus far we have been occupied with generalisations as to the educational processes later to be applied, with the mental apparatus which comes

ehind all happenings in the world of phenomena (and by that i mean the three worlds of human evolution) exists the world of energies; these are of the greatest diversity and complexity, but all of them move and work under the law of cause and effect. it is hardly necessary for me therefore to indicate the very practical nature of this definition and its applicability to the life of the individual aspirant, to community life and world affairs, or to the immediate conditioning levels of experimental spiritual energies which are constantly seeking impact upon or contact with the world of phenomena. this they do, under spiritual direction, in order to implement the plan. the above statement is foundational in its importance; all other definitions are implicit in it, and it is the first importa

onditioning levels of experimental spiritual energies which are constantly seeking impact upon or contact with the world of phenomena. this they do, under spiritual direction, in order to implement the plan. the above statement is foundational in its importance; all other definitions are implicit in it, and it is the first important truth anent esotericism which must be learnt and applied by each aspirant to the mystery and the universality of that which moves the worlds and underlies the evolutionary process- 44- education in the new age copyright 1998 lucis trust the first task of the esotericist is to comprehend the nature of the energies which are seeking to condition him and which work out into expression on the physical plane through the medium of his equipment or his vehicle of mani

and spiritual integration, which is their goal; the fruits of their labour will be seen in the third and final solar system. their activity will produce a great spiritual and planetary fusion, of which the fusion of personality and soul (at a certain point upon the path of evolution) is the symbol in the microcosmic sense. you can see by this the close relation between the work of the individual aspirant or disciple as he redeems, salvages and purifies his threefold body of manifestation and the work of the planetary logos as he performs a similar task in connection with the "three periodical vehicles" through which he works: his personality vehicle, his soul expression and his monadic aspect. by means of all that i have said you will realise that i am endeavouring to take the vagueness o

ALICE A BAILEY22 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE VOLUME II

the group work per se; none of them concerned you, as individuals. i could continue with the groups as they existed but, brother of mine, what more could i say, or do or teach them? the constant impartation of teaching and of information, the constant pointing out of failure, and the constant individual training are no part of the technique of the hierarchy certainly not as far as the individual aspirant is concerned. where world values and where group consciousness are involved, the indication of needed change, the cyclic bringing about of the presentation to the soul of the ageless wisdom and the training of the world disciples such is the definite and ordained technique of the hierarchy. but this is not their method of work with personalities and with those whose orientation is primari

ht 1998 lucis trust the stimulation to which they have been subjected. in your personal instructions i will give you information as to the nature of your prevailing glamour. you may ask, what do i really mean by that phrase? i mean that aspect of thought, that quality of feeling, or that innate predisposition, which stands between you and the light of life and truth. there is in the life of every aspirant some outstanding tendency which acts as a limitation. this should receive due attention, leading to its eventual eradication. most disciples and aspirants are too general in their handling of themselves and of their respective characters. less diffused attention to the multiplicity of inherited habits and a more concentrated attention to a main, or at least a major, issue would result in

group, and of other groups similarly motivated, is to achieve these undertakings together: together to face the dweller and triumph; together to arrive at understanding; together to stand before the presence because the angel's light reveals "that which the eye has never seen" together to walk the path of revelation; together to serve and together to aid the faltering steps of humanity, the world aspirant; together to stand with your backs to the light because you comprehend the ancient aphorism which states "he who faces the light and stands within its radiance is blinded to the issues of the world of men; he passes on the lighted way to the great centre of absorption. but he who feels the urge to pass that way, yet loves his brother on the darkened path, revolves upon the pedestal of lig

one of great difficulty to the average disciple. he is either working constantly under a sense of pressure and of haste or he is "strolling along the path of life" feeling that evolution is long and why, therefore, the need to make speed? only a very few work from that point of balance which inhibits the spasmodic rushing activity of the intense devotee or the lazy moving forward of the awakened aspirant. i would ask you to study time in relation to your own souls, having in mind the peculiar opportunities of the present cycle and the outstanding need of humanity. many are still too preoccupied with what they are attempting to do, with their own development and with their own capacity or non-capacity to help; but at the same time they are inadequately handling the problem of self-effaceme

nd its personnel. in the minds of disciples this knowledge and this aspiration obliterates the need of their fellowmen. this constitutes one of the problems with which the hierarchy is faced. the problem of balance and of dual orientation is a very real one. as regards the impartation of spiritual knowledge, the masters who take pupils are faced with two problems: 1. the problem of the unawakened aspirant. 2. the problem of the learned disciple. ignorance and knowledge must both give place to understanding and wisdom- 18- discipleship in the new age- volume ii copyright 1998 lucis trust i particularly wish to speak about the work that i desire you should do at the time of the full moon during the coming year. this aspect of your work should become increasingly potent and interesting. i reg

ALICE A BAILEY23 THE EXTERNALISATION OF THE HIERARCHY

ature blossoming, and this in order more rapidly and effectively to serve the race, and to cooperate with the plan of the hierarchy. such students thereby lay themselves open to dangers and difficulties which would have been avoided had they chosen to go the slower and equally sure way. this fact should be realised by all workers in such schools and the problem carefully explained to the entering aspirant, so that he may be on his guard and adhere with care to the rules and instructions. he should not be permitted to be afraid or to refuse to subject himself to this forcing process, but he should enter upon it with his eyes wide open and should be taught to avail himself of the safeguards offered and the experience of the older students. the emphasis in all esoteric schools is necessarily

f of the safeguards offered and the experience of the older students. the emphasis in all esoteric schools is necessarily, and rightly, laid upon meditation. technically speaking, meditation is the process whereby the head centre is awakened, brought under control and used. when this is the case, the soul and the personality are coordinated and fused, and at-one-ment takes place, producing in the aspirant a tremendous inflow of spiritual energy, galvanising his whole being into activity, and bringing to the surface the latent good and also evil. herein lies much of the problem and much of the danger. hence also the stress laid in such true schools upon the need of purity and truth. over-emphasis has been laid upon the need for physical purity, and not sufficient emphasis laid upon the avoi

nd due safeguards, and under direction, and when the process is spread over a long period of time there is little risk of danger, and the awakening will take place normally and under the law of being itself. if, however, the tuning up and awakening is forced, or is brought about by exercises of various kinds before the student is ready and before the bodies are coordinated and developed, then the aspirant is headed towards disaster. breathing exercises or pranayama training should never be undertaken without expert guidance and only- 12- the externalisation of the hierarchy copyright 1998 lucis trust after years of spiritual application, devotion and service; concentration upon the centres in the force body (with a view to their awakening) is ever to be avoided; it will cause overstimulati

be brought to the requisite stage of "aliveness" i cannot too strongly advise students against the following of intensive meditation processes for hours at a time, or against practices which have for their objective the arousing of the fires of the body, the awakening of a particular centre and the moving of the serpent fire. the general world stimulation is so great at this time and the average aspirant is so sensitive and finely organised that excessive meditation, a fanatical diet, the curtailing of the hours of sleep or undue interest in and emphasis upon psychic experience will upset the mental balance and often do irretrievable harm. let the students in esoteric schools settle down to steady, quiet, unemotional work. let them refrain from prolonged hours of study and of meditation

d to remember that devotion to the path or to the master is not enough. the great ones are looking for intelligent cooperators and workers more than they are looking for devotion to their personalities, and a student who is walking independently in the light of his own soul is regarded by them as a more dependable instrument than a devoted fanatic. the light of his soul will reveal to the earnest aspirant the unity underlying all groups, and enable him to eliminate the poison of intolerance which taints and hinders so many; it will cause him to recognise the spiritual fundamentals which guide the steps of humanity; it will force him to overlook the intolerance and the fanaticism and separativeness which characterise the small mind and the beginner upon the path, and help him so to love the

ALICE A BAILEY24 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME V THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS

you. work, my brothenacopyright 1998 lucis trust the rays and the initiations a treatise on the seven rays volume v by alice a. bailey copyright 1960 by lucis trust copyright renewed 1988 by lucis trust part one the fourteen rules for group initiation preliminary remarks it might be here of value, my brothers, if i again laid emphasis upon the fact that the formless world is only entered when the aspirant has acquired somewhat the capacity to center himself on the abstract levels of the mental plane. this involves necessarily certain developments within the aspirant's own nature. the demanded contact would otherwise be impossible. what is needed is self-exertion, the resultant developments of which might be touched upon as follows: i. the repolarisation of the entire lower man so that his

urious position, being simply the vehicle for prana or life and the centre which it uses exists in a category by itself. 3. all subhuman forms in their aggregate prove a powerful deterrent factor in the progress towards emancipation of the real man. they form the opposite to what we understand by the world of the master and the two are in direct opposition to each other from the standpoint of the aspirant. the adept can enter the world of form, can contact it, work in it and remain unaffected by it because there is nothing in him to respond to it. he sees through the illusion to the reality behind and, knowing where he stands himself, there is naught in the appeal and the demand of these lunar lords to attract him. he stands midway between the pairs of opposites. in the realisation of the

knowing where he stands himself, there is naught in the appeal and the demand of these lunar lords to attract him. he stands midway between the pairs of opposites. in the realisation of the nature of this world of form, in a comprehension of the lives which compose it, and in an ability to hear the voice of the "formless one" above the strife of all the lower voices, comes the opportunity for the aspirant to escape from the dominance of matter. this is the true magical work, my brothers, the understanding of the sounds of all beings, and the ability to speak the language of the soul is the clue to the work. these faculties rightly used impose upon these lesser lives that control which will lead to the final liberation, and which will- 6- a treatise on the seven rays- volume v: the rays and

but basically it leads to an unalterably staunch loyalty, underlying the surface of the outer life. the master's influence, as he seeks to aid his disciple, always produces transitory turmoil transitory from the angle of the soul, but frequently appalling from the angle of the personality. similarly, the projection of the life and influence of any senior disciple into the periphery or aura of the aspirant or lesser disciple is in its degree likewise disturbing and upsetting; this is a point which should be carefully borne in mind, both as regards the disciple's own reactions and training, and as regards any effect which he may call forth in the life of a probationary disciple or lesser disciple in his own sphere of influence. these intrusive influences and their consequent effects which ar

consequent effects which are produced upon an individual or a group by a master or a senior disciple are usually interpreted in personality terms, and are very little understood. they are nevertheless aspects of the higher will in some higher disciple and are beating upon the personality will and evoking the sacrificial will of the ego, and hence lead to a period of temporary discomfort. this the aspirant and the inexperienced disciple resent and blame the evoking sources for their discomfort, instead of- 21- a treatise on the seven rays- volume v: the rays and the initiations copyright 1998 lucis trust learning the needed lesson of receiving and handling force. where, however, real love exists, it will produce the lessening of the personality will, the evocation of the sacrificial egoic w

ALICE BAILEY THE LABOURS OF HERCULES

ation can be modern and practical. it must indicate the inclusiveness of the goal, once those problems have been surmounted, and must avoid the tiresome reiteration of that basic rule of life, which has been expressed in the two words "be good. again and again we have been told that we must overcome the lure of the world, the flesh and the devil. there has been built up in the mind of the western aspirant a feeling that the path is necessarily one of misery, of self-abnegation and of endless distress. his attitude is one of active endurance until such time as he mysteriously and miraculously breaks through into a world of peace and plenty, wherein all troubles come to an end, the [4] flesh ceases to annoy, and the devil comes to an untimely end. and this as the reward of a meek submission

nd the devil comes to an untimely end. and this as the reward of a meek submission to the will of an inscrutable creator. there is, however, dawning on the human consciousness, a growing realization of innate divinity and that man is in very truth made in the image of god, and one in nature with his father in heaven. the idea of purpose and of plan is being grasped, and the entire attitude of the aspirant towards life is rapidly changing. surely it should now be possible to gain such a synthetic picture of the progress of the soul from ignorance to wisdom, from material desire to spiritual achievement that the end may be visioned from the beginning and intelligent cooperation with soul purpose take the place of blind endeavor? when this comes about, the pilgrim can proceed upon his way wit

ul purpose take the place of blind endeavor? when this comes about, the pilgrim can proceed upon his way with his face turned towards the light, and irradiated with joy. the story of the dramatic experiences of that great and ancient son of god, hercules- 6- the labours of hercules or herakles, will be found to give us just such a synthetic picture. it leaves untouched no phase in the life of the aspirant and yet links him up with cosmic enterprise. its theme will be found to be so inclusive that all of us, struggling in our present modern life, can make application to ourselves of the tests and trials, the failures and achievements of this heroic figure, who strove, centuries ago, towards the same goal as we do. through a reading of his story, fresh interest may be evoked in the mind of t

et links him up with cosmic enterprise. its theme will be found to be so inclusive that all of us, struggling in our present modern life, can make application to ourselves of the tests and trials, the failures and achievements of this heroic figure, who strove, centuries ago, towards the same goal as we do. through a reading of his story, fresh interest may be evoked in the mind of the bewildered aspirant, and such a picture painted of universal sequential development and destiny that he will go forward with fresh courage. we shall trace the story of hercules and endeavor to show how he, in his twelve labors, played the part of the aspirant upon the path of discipleship. on it, he undertook certain tasks, symbolic in nature, and passed through certain episodes and events which portray for

perfection underlies his willingness to make the attempt to tread the path. this perfection can be attained in two ways. it can be the result of slow and steady evolutionary growth, carried forward under nature's laws, cycle after cycle, until gradually the hidden god can be seen in man and in the universe. or, it can be the result [6] of systematized application and discipline on the part of the aspirant, producing a more rapid unfoldment of the power and life of the soul. in one analysis of discipleship, it has been defined as "a psychic resolvent, which eats- 7- the labours of hercules away all dross and leaves only the pure gold behind" it is a process of refining, of sublimation and of transmutation, carried steadily forward until at length the mount of transfiguration and of illumina

ANALYSIS OF THE 5 6 INITIATION

s dead already, unless osirified, he too must be slain. like christ, he must be stripped and flogged, and placed on the cross of suffering. but first, he enters. at this point, the second adept is still horus. the third adept is now anubis. hodos, or the introducing adept, is themis. themis is a greek goddess of justice. she is titan like, thus she fits better than maat. anubis now challenges the aspirant who exalteth his ego and lower self with proclamations. the aspirant is seeking the kingdom of heaven by horus and force. horus, the chief guardian of the sacred tomb will not allow him to enter the tomb. the sword and the serpent are presented unto the aspirant who is now clothed in black to show his uninitiated state and the darkness in which he lives and dies. his hands are bound which

and the flaming sword represent wisdom and strength. the slow and subtle movement of the serpent and the rush of the lightening flash portray opposites in harmony and wisdom. this is the conjoining of the ankh and zauir anpin in a h i h v h= 32= the paths and the sephiroth in total. the second adept proceeds to lead a potent prayer that is designed to bring the first formulation of light into the aspirant. the prayer begins "and the \yhla jwr moved upon the face of the waters" the prayer is an invocation unto the higher. 6 the hands of the aspirant are then unbound and the lesson of humility is again reinforced deeper; once in the twenty-one hours of darkness and now. the chains are placed around tud, the neck region. this is a scolding of death, for it will be remembered that tud prevents

on the face of the waters" the prayer is an invocation unto the higher. 6 the hands of the aspirant are then unbound and the lesson of humility is again reinforced deeper; once in the twenty-one hours of darkness and now. the chains are placed around tud, the neck region. this is a scolding of death, for it will be remembered that tud prevents the lower will from uniting with the higher will. the aspirant the candidate hangs on the black cross of suffering. although black is symbolic of evil, in this instance, it is also the charging or flashing color of white. as the candidate hangs upon the cross the arrow of i within the aspirant is formulated upward into trapt. all has been done to bring the aspirant to a state of equilibrium (see the 14th key in the portal initiation. the three, the s

ss of suffering. although black is symbolic of evil, in this instance, it is also the charging or flashing color of white. as the candidate hangs upon the cross the arrow of i within the aspirant is formulated upward into trapt. all has been done to bring the aspirant to a state of equilibrium (see the 14th key in the portal initiation. the three, the seven, and the twelve are bound as one in the aspirant. the rose of the aspirant is formulated- twenty-two petals, the five grades preceeding love forged this cross. the aspirant is now in touch with his yechidah (in rtk only as yet. the crucifixion on the cross of pain and suffering has served the candidate well in that now he is equilibriated. the invocation of h v a follows after the obligation/oath is taken. it is divided into ten parts

n that now he is equilibriated. the invocation of h v a follows after the obligation/oath is taken. it is divided into ten parts. the rtk of the candidate who is speaking binds the lower nine. it is a most sacred oath, never to be forgotten. next, themis commemorates the life and death of osiris. the symbolic archetype of christian rosenkruetz, the founder of our order, is now that of osiris. the aspirant is now in a state of mourning. it is the mourning of isis. recall that the aspirant is dead, having been crucified on the cross. the rose cross is pointed out as a symbol of the completion of the great work, though it may be several years before the aspirant fully understands the mysteries of the sublime and sacred symbol. next, the tomb is discovered. this is the tomb of the initiate. l

BLUE EQUINOX

ount of the history of the a.a. in recent times. this history contains no mythology: it is a statement of facts susceptible of rational proof. liber cl. de lege libellum. a short explanation of the law, extolling its sublime virtue. by the master therion. liber lxv. the book of the heart girt with a serpent. this magical treatise describes particularly the pr monstrance of a.a. 13 relation of the aspirant with his higher self. it is, alike in conception and execution, a masterpiece of exaltation of thought, carved in pure beauty. liber vii. the book of lapis lazuli. gives in magical language an account of the initiation of a master of the temple. this is the only parallel, for beauty of ecstasy, to liber lxv. liber xxvii. vel trigrammaton. it describes the course of creation under the figu

e (queen elizabeth.s astrologer) and sir edward kelly. liber cmxxxiv. the cactus. an elaborate study of the psychological effects produced by anhalonium lewinii (mescal buttons, compiled from the actual records of some hundreds of experiments; with an explanatory essay. liber cclxv. the structure of the mind. a treatise on psychology from the mystic and magical standpoint. its study will help the aspirant to make a detailed scientific analysis of his mind, and so to learn to control it. liber ccclxv. the preliminary invocation of the goetia so-called, with a complete explanation of the barbarous names of evocation used therein, and the secret rubrick of the ritual, by the master therion. this is the most potent invocation extant, and was used by the master himself in his attainment. liber

apparently axiomatic. the general object of this course, besides that already stated, is to assure sound education in occult matters, so that when spiritual illumination comes it may find a well-built temple. when the mind is strongly biased towards any special theory, the result of an illumination is often to inflame that portion of the mind which is thus overdeveloped, with the result that the aspirant, instead of becoming an adept, becomes a bigot and fanatic. the a.a. does not offer examination in this course, but reccomends these books as the foundation of a library. section 2. other books, principally fiction, of a generally suggestive and helpful kind zanoni, by sir edward bulwer lytton. valuable for its facts and suggestions about mysticism. a strange story, by sir edward bulwer l

as the foundation of the aspiration of the adept. the account of the master of the templi should in particular be taken as authentic. the instruction in the 8th thyr pertains to class d, i.e. it is an official ritual, and the same remarks apply to the account of the proper method of invoking thyrs given in the 18th thyr. liber lxv. liber cordis cincti serpente. an account of the relations of the aspirant with his holy guardian angel. this book is given to probationers, as the attainment of the knowledge and conversation of the holy guardian angel is the crown of the outer college. similarly liber vii is given to neophytes, as the grade of master of the temple is the next resting-place, and liber ccxx to the zelator, since that carries him to the highest of all possible grades. liber xxvii

ublications. instructions given for elementary study of the qabalah, assumption of god forms, vibrations of divine names, the rituals of curriculum of a.a. 29 pentagram and hexagram, and their uses in protection and invocation, a method of obtaining astral visions so called, and an instruction in the practice called rising on the planes. liber ix. liber e vel exercitiorum. this book instructs the aspirant in the necessity of keeping a record. suggests methods of testing physical clairvoyance. gives instruction in asana, pranayama and dharana, and advises the application of tests to the physical body, in order that the student may thoroughly understand his own limitations. liber xxx. liber libr. an elementary course of morality suitable for the average man. liber lxi. liber caus. the prelim

BOOK OF PLEASURE

s to whether it is hidden, except by the strata of your experience and atmospheres of your belief. the pertinent question now proposed by "thee" should be asked by those desirous of some measure of genius. my answer like the mighty germ is in agreement with the universe, simple and full of deep import and for a time extremely objectionable to your ideas of good and beauty. listen, attentively, o! aspirant, all agog for information, to my answer, for by living the meaning thou shalt truly be freed from the bondage of constitutional ignorance. thou must live it thyself; i cannot live it for thee. the chief cause of genius is realization or "i" by an emotion that allows the lightning assimilation of what is perceived. this emotion is immoral in that it allows free association of knowledge wit

CASE PAUL F THE BOOK OF TOKENS

become clear channels for the outpouring of my will, until all the follies of "thine" and "mine" are cleared out by the irresistible downpouring of my power. in the numeration of guph, canst thou see the spiralling light-power working through the mouth of the eternal, when lightning flashes, thunder roars, and thunder hath been from time immemorial a symbol for the voice of god. so is thy body, o aspirant, more, far more, than an earthen clod. it is gimel, token of the intelligence that uniteth thee with the crown; it is vav, the nail that joineth thee to the paternal wisdom; and it is truly peh, the mouth of the lord, for in guph are the letters which uniteth thee forever with the kingdom [198] e p i l o g o s yet is all this naught but words. without the key supplied by the understanding

DICTIONARY GLOSSARY OF OCCULT TERMINOLOGY

eference to the second question concerning modern times the adversary is more so alive now as ever. this force exists through those who affirm satan 40 and those who ignore this force. it is very much a part of us and a model for that which we may become. choose your models well, for you may become just as they. suggested reading by michael w. ford azothot glossary of terminology for the grade of aspirant (0=0) of the order of the astral star. within this document the reader will find most all of the terms used in the aspirant's course curriculum for the 0ro degree. when the writer was asked to assemble this dictionary for the order, he really had no idea what was in store for him. the writer has tried to be fair to the many different traditions and religions which the terminology covers w

or him. the writer has tried to be fair to the many different traditions and religions which the terminology covers while maintaining the validity from the perspective of his own order, and his own experiences. this list comes from his own personal journal, and from the major glossaries at the end of the required and recommended reading list for the order of the astral star's own bibliography for aspirant. the main glossaries used were from donald michael kraig's modern magick: eleven lessons in the high ceremonial arts; donald tyson's ritual magic: what it is and how to do it; denning and phillips' the llewellyn practical guide to the development of psychic powers; and the llewellyn practical guide to creative visualization. the other works of the aspirant bibliography were used to augmen

q.v. on the rainbow wand (q.v) and on the lotus wand aries is represented by the color red. keywords include: courage, forceful, animation, outgoing, ardently, egotistically, ardently, impulsively, vigorously, aggressively, enthusiastically. artificial elemental: an entity similar to an elemental, but created by a magician from an element (q.v) or a combination of elements for a specific purpose. aspirant: from the french from the latin "ad" and "spirare" meaning "to breath. in the order of the astral star [o.a.s (q.v, an aspirant is the title of the zero degree of (associate) membership, and correlates to the earth of earth in the sephiroth of malkuth (i.e. the black colored quarter of malkuth. the primary principle of this grade is based on entering the light from spiritual darkness. asp

ans (q.v "those of the earth" who are attempting to reconstruct an ancient non-christian religion from the original source material of a particular mythos. neophyte: a beginner. literally a new plant. in most magickal orders, students in the first or earliest degree are known as neophytes. in the order of the astral star [o.a.s (q.v, a neophyte is numbered the second degree; zero or ought degree= aspirant; first degree= adelphon; second degree= neophyte, correlating to the water of earth in the sephiroth of malkuth. nephesch (nee nephesh: the most superficial layer of the ninth sephirah (q.v) on the tree of life (q.v. neptune: the eighth planet of the terran solar system. in astrology (q.v, the planet named after the greek god who served as the lord of the ocean and seas. attributed as bei

DION FORTUNE MYSTICAL QABALA

the kingdom of the shades. this is the root-motive for the acquisition of occult powers upon the right-hand path, and explains why initiates do not abandon all for the mystic divine union, but cultivate a white magic. 9. it is this white magic, which consists in the application of occult powers to spiritual ends, by means of which a large proportion of the training and development of the western aspirant is carried out. i have seen something of a good many different systems, and in my opinion the person who tries to dispense with ceremonial is working at a great disadvantage. development by meditation alone is a slow process in the west, because the mind-stuff upon which it has to work, and the mental atmosphere in which the work has to be done, are very resistant. the only purely meditat

atever system he may be working, whether he be assuming the god-forms of egypt or evoking the inspiration of iacchus with chant and dance, he has the diagram of the tree at the back of his mind. it is in the symbolism of the tree that western initiates are drilled, and it supplies the essential ground plan of classification to which all other systems can be related. the ray upon which the western aspirant works has manifested itself-through many different cultures and developed a characteristic technique in each. the modern initiate works a synthetic system, sometimes using an egyptian, a greek, or even a druidic method, for different methods are best suited for different purposes and conditions. in all cases, however, the operation he designs is strictly related to the paths of the tree o

f the cosmic tides. 16. each symbol upon the tree represents a cosmic force or factor. when the mind concentrates upon it, it comes into touch with that force; in other words, a .urface channel, a channel in consciousness, has been made between the conscious mind of the individual and a particular factor in the world-soul, and through this channel the waters of the ocean pour into the lagoon. the aspirant who uses the tree as his meditation-symbol establishes point by point the union between his soul and the world-soul. this results in a tremendous access of energy to the individual soul; it is this which endows it with magical powers. 17. but just as the universe must be ruled by god, so must the many-sided soul of man be ruled by its god-the spirit of man. the higher self must dominate i

of the will, directed by the higher [page 246] intelligence, those developed reaction-capacities which have hitherto only responded blindly to their appropriate stimuli. 19. be it well noted that it is only in proportion as our capacities for reaction are lifted out of the sphere of emotional reflexes and brought under rational control that we can make of them magical powers. it is only when the aspirant) having the capacity to respond on all planes to the call of venus) can easily and without effort refrain at will from responding, that he can be made an initiate of the sphere of netzach. this is why it is said of the adept that he has the use of all things, hut is dependent upon nothing. 20. these concepts are shadowed forth for those who have eyes to see in the symbolism of hod. the ye

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 1

avel. last known address: 880 emerson st, palo alto, ca 94301. bo and peep see applewhite, jr, marshall herff; nettles, bonnie lu truesdale; and human individual metamorphosis bodhisattva a buddhist term for one who exists in enlightenment of truth and compassion guided by love and wisdom. in mahayana buddhism, the bodhisattva is the ideal of progress; in theravada buddhism, the bodhisattva is an aspirant for buddhahood. in theosophy the bodhisattva is the director of the spiritual development of each root-race and founder of religions, which he propagates through his messengers. sources: the bodhisattva doctrine in buddhism. waterloo, ontario: canadian corporation for studies in religion, wilfrid laurier university press, 1981. candragomin. difficult beginnings: three works on the bodhisa

a and egypt. the bektash sufis offer a representative example of the dervishes. in the fifteenth century bektash of bokhara received his mantle from ahmed yesevee, who claimed descent from the father- in-law of mohammed. bektash established a path to spiritual truth consisting nominally of seven degrees, only four of which, however, were essential. these aimed to establish an affinity between the aspirant and the sheik, the latter leading the aspirant, through the agency of the spirit of bektash, and that of mohammed, to allah. the initiation ceremony provided a severe test. the aspirant was tried for a year with false secrets. when his time of probation expired, a lamb was slain, from the carcass of which a cord was made for his neck and a girdle for his loins. two armed attendants then l

rets. when his time of probation expired, a lamb was slain, from the carcass of which a cord was made for his neck and a girdle for his loins. two armed attendants then led him into a square chamber, where he was presented to the sheik as a slave who desires to know truth. he was then placed before a stone altar, on which were 12 scallops. the sheik, attended by 11 others, gripped the hand of the aspirant in a particular way and administered the oath of the order, in which the neophyte promised to be poor, chaste, and obedient. the aspirant was then informed that the penalty for betraying the order was death. he then stated, mohammed is my guide, ali [mohammed s son-in-law] is my director, and was asked by the sheik, do you accept me as your guide? the reply being made in the affirmative

degrees to nine, and in 1004 erected a stately home for the society, which he elaborately furnished with mathematical instruments. because the institution did not meet the approval of the authorities, it was destroyed in 1123 by the then grand vizier, but meetings continued elsewhere. the officers of the society were sheik, dai-el-keber (deputy, dai (master, refik (fellow, fedavie (agent, lassik (aspirant, and muemini (believer. the tarik taught that there had been seven holy imams, that god had sent seven lawgivers, who each had seven helpers, who in turn had 12 apostles (see also assassins) houston, jean (1939) professor of psychology, formerly an actress and new york city drama critics award-winning playwright. she was born may 10, 1939. houston taught at columbia university and the new

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 2

asses i have mentioned are placed the malignant daemons, the anti-gods. each spiritual order has gifts of its own to bestow on the initiated who evoke them. the gods confer health of body, power and purity of mind, and, in short, elevate and restore our natures to their proper principles. angels and archangels have at their command only subordinate bestowments. demons, however, are hostile to the aspirant, afflict both body and mind, and hinder our escape from the sensuous. principalities, who govern the sublunary elements, confer temporal advantages. those of a lower rank, who preside over matter, often display their bounty in material gifts. souls that are pure are, like angels, salutary in their influence. their appearance encourages the soul in its upward efforts. heroes stimulate to g

on through spiritual disciplines in order to give integrity to spiritual growth or eventual transcendental consciousness. traditional hindu mysticism regards meditation as a later stage in the program of continuing spiritual discipline, and passive meditation is considered secondary to active meditation in quality and results. moreover mantra-diksha, or initiation, is not normally given until the aspirant has proven his or her fitness to engage in meditation. hinduism also reserves its highest transcendental experiences for those who have properly fulfilled their social and religious obligations. criticisms aside, the five million tm participants (as asserted by the program) seem to attest to the everyday value of tm as a simple, natural means of relaxation and a feeling of wellbeing. the

FELDMAN DANIEL QABALAH THE MYSTICAL HERITAGE OF THE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM

hy calls these three levels of awareness dualistic (dvaita, qualified non-dualistic (vasishtadvaita, and unqualified non-dualistic (advaita).8 within the context of the mystical qabalah, the dualistic level of awareness sees the lord hvhy and his/her creation (i.e. matter and spirit) as separate. it is also called the fall of adam. this is the vantage of the normal waking state of most humans. an aspirant with this perspective would generally have a predominant mood toward their chosen ideal, regarding themselves as a servant to their divine master, or as a child to their divine father or mother, etc. the qualified non-dual level in the qabalah regards the creation as a great unity in the name hvhy rooted in the negatively existent substratum. from this perspective, the mysterious unknown

s of the mind. 4 repeating a mantra over time creates a sympathetic vibration in the mind. it purifies desires, intensifies unconditional love and surrender, and naturally cultivates and enhances discrimination, same-sightedness, renunciation, and one-pointed concentration. true mantra have an intrinsic power to purify the shells (qlifoth. the one name of small face that naturally appeals to each aspirant is called their chosen ideal. through years of practice and divine grace, the mind of the meditator literally becomes the mantra that is repeated, and everything in the universe is seen as a form of their chosen ideal. the intention of repeating a root mantra that includes a small face chosen ideal is to get the consciousness of small face xthe male and female active principle of the ayn(

tator merges with the witness states of vast face in the negatively existent roots of the tree. in the roots of the tree, the nun n and yod y in ani yna exchange places: ani has now become ayn ]ya, the mysterious unknown at the roots of the thing. the mantra ani yod heh vav heh is versatile in that it can be built upon. any additional divine name, attribute, or gatekeeper, to which the mind of an aspirant is attracted, can be added to ani hvhy. examples are: ani hvhy shekhinah belimah (hmylb hnyks, intangible presence, ani hvhy ahavah (hbha, love, ani hvhy echad (dxa, unity, ani hvhy avraham(,hrba, master abraham, etc. the visualization used can be modified according to what is added to the mantra. the visualizations could be simple or complex. for instance, with ani hvhy shekhinah belimah

he shem ayin are essentially the same.15 la is the not (al, illaha is vast face, il is the glue between vast and small face, and allah is the small face totality archetype. hu refers to the visible sefirah knowledge/first in the throat center seen from the sefirah crown/above in atziluth on a perfect tree. allah, the most important name of small face in islam, is also a brilliant name of fire. an aspirant attracted to% e2 2 e" 2' 8: h f e 2 allah as their chosen ideal would repeat a root mantra containing the name allah, and would visualize allah as dancing letters of fire on a background as described above. sufis, the qabalists of islam, call the process of taking the name or repeating root mantra dikhr (lit. remembrance, which is the equivalent of the hebrew word zakhor (rkz) in the cont

ach haqodesh in the heart sefirah beauty/last is accompanied by great bliss. the individuated consciousness sustains the constant and exclusive experience of its chosen small face ideal. this vision often filters down through the astral senses of the geviyah, so that the chosen ideal is seen and heard. attachment to the bliss experience of small face in the ruach haqodesh must be renounced if the aspirant is to further ascend the tree. at that point, the experience may deepen further into the formless world of b riyah through sefirah beauty/last, or continue to move up the central column of the tree. the gate of the gimel g is a mirror upon which collects the residue of karmic impressions (san. samskaras) of many lifetimes. hence, in the beginning stages, when we move consciously into sefi

FRATER ELIJAH ANGELS OF CHAOS

more and more (after the rite) and it seems that similar factors have been brought to the fore. as if the rite induced and called for an analysis/ correction of my personality (in this arena. this is where i am at now, confronting different "issues. another interesting thing occurred, during the rite, upon calling set, i felt a presence, a very cynical presence. it felt like "oh look, another god aspirant" a sigil manifested during the rite. a sigil whose attribution is the phoenix. i do not know what this sigil means yet (sigil omitted call [1) whose number is 76, it sort of looks like a 7& 6 combined. upon being in an 'in-between' sleep/ awake state on samhain night, a voice came to me. it sounded like a multitude of robot-like voices in unison. it said something to the effect of "you we

ce and references along this particular pathway. iii/1a: an automatic drawing of ecstasy. iii/1b: the pain of division burns thee. a face of pain and bliss. burning. iii/2a: when following the pathway of a scarlet brother, when treading congress with the angel. there comes a time of suffering (see detailed above, the rite of suffering. the key is given for unleashing the denizens of hell upon the aspirant (opening the doorway of the abyss, this must be resonated. this is a win or lose situation as demonic forces attempt to tear the initiate apart for the duration of this trial. we see a doorway on it s side in the shape of daleth, with some form of monster coming out of it. iii/2b: this being the first explicit reference to the scarlet brotherhood. and our rejection of the concepts and tru

ot to get caught up on trivial things, but we become the living gateways of gnosis as we yearn for truth. this is what we seek: nothing is true; everything is permitted. there is one maze and there are many mazes. iii/4a: buddhism? not quite. desire does trap one in many things. wanting to be a shaper, we cannot be trapped by desire, unless this is in desires needs iii/4b: a warning given for the aspirant. there are many traps and pitfalls along the way. a picture of the goal. iii/5a: another warning. the trials and initiations are of an astral nature (as all true initiations are. the greatest obstacle for the magus is his self. the surrender spoken of is not in a savior sense, but possibly one of the most difficult things to do. iii/5b: a few notes on the nature of the quliphoth, whose or

FREEMASONRY AND CATHOLICISM BY MAX HEINDEL 2

an extent that it becomes a brilliant and luminous fire, the fire of purification and regeneration. this is the field of action of the great spiritual hierarchy from neptune and is designated azoth by the alchemists. this spiritual fire is not alike in every man nor is it as luminous in one as in another. the state thereof depends upon the spiritual advancement of the person in question. when the aspirant to the higher life had been instructed in these mysteries of symbolism and the time had come to speak to him plainly, the following teachings were communicated to him, not necessarily in these words nor in this manner. but at any rate he was given to understand and it was made clear to him that-"anatomically man belongs to the animals, and that below that kingdom in the scale of evolution

n of self-denial and self-sacrifice. therefore, seek the temple door and you shall find it; knock and it shall be opened unto you. if you seek prayerfully, if you knock persistently and if you labor manfully you will in time reach the goal and you will become the philosopher's stone. celibacy and marriage in order to avoid misunderstanding, it should be said that this lesson was only given to the aspirant to discipleship to show him the reason why it is necessary for him to live a pure and chaste life. it does not apply to the masses who have no spiritual aspirations and are as yet unable to restrain their passions. the rosicrucians do not even advocate an entirely celibate life for their pupils; indeed they regard it as a religious duty for the enlightened mystic, man or woman, to wed a k

he spiritual development undertaken to become the philosopher's stone, and the soul- growth gained by assuming the duties of parenthood would far outweigh any possible loss. what the rosicrucians teach then is that marriage between people who will limit their use of the creative function to the purpose of propagation is eminently good, noble and productive of great soul-growth, but that unmarried aspirant should live an absolutely celibate life if they wish to attain the highest. part viii the path of initiation in an earlier chapter we noted that the transition of the adept from the dominion of death to the realm of immortality was foreshadowed in the daring leap of hiram abiff, the grand master-workman of solomon's temple, into the seething sea of molten metal and his passage through the

FULLER J F C SECRET WISDOM OF THE QABALAH

ince has thou power with god and with men [as above so beneath] and hast prevailed [attained to the spiritual vision. jacob then asks of him his name, but the wrestler is silent because his name cannot be pronounced. and jacob called the name of the place peniel, for i have seen god face to face and my life [reason] is preserved. this ordeal, it will be seen, is of a three-fold nature. first, the aspirant must equilibrate all the opposite forces within him, and not merely those he considers vicious. secondly, he must cut himself away from all outward things and influences and meditate on the spirit he desires to unite with. thirdly, he must persevere, that is wrestle with this spirit. these three acts will lead him to the vision of god, the world soul, a spark of which burns within him and

GILBERT THE GOLDEN DAWN TWILIGHT OF THE MAGICIANS

xtend to england the knowledge of certain rosicrucian doctrines which he had received from students and initiates in that country, where he had resided for some years as an english tutor in the familyofan austriancount."this'austrian count' was onecountapponyi, from whom mackenzie is alleged to have received 'rosicrucian initiation .16 thegoldendawntheoriginal rules of the society stated that 'no aspirant shall be admitted into the society unless he be a master mason, and of good moral character, truthful, faithful and intelligent. he must be a man of good abilities, so as to be capable of understanding the revelations of philosophy and science; possessing a mind free from prejudice and anxious for instruction. he must be a believer in the fundamental principles of the christian doctrine

GILBERT THE MAGICAL MASON

r and water; but these are doubtful authenticity, for so many mithraic caves were of too small a size to make it possibletocarry out elaborate tests.1. the1stgrade ofraven;its name was due to this bird being sacred to the sun.2. the 2ndgradeofgryphiushas been called the man of the secret or the occult man.3. in the 3rd grade of milesor soldier we know from tertullian that a crown was offeredtothe aspirant, who refused it saying,'no,mithras is my crown, and he never after could wear a garland on the head.4. in the 4thgradeofthe lionwe read that the aspirant's hands and lips were anointed with honey, the food of the blessed in heaven; this association of the lion with the bee and honey reminds us of the riddle of sampson; see judges xiv.5.the 5thgradeofperses,conferred the special cap of the

GILBERT THE SORCERER AND HIS APPRENTICE

he ancients in each point of our zelator grade, are pregnant with meaning. in the one they are arranged in a column,as inleadingthe candidate from the west to the east.in the second point, however,asifthey had then finished their officein thisrespect,they are placed at the cardinal points, apparently to mark still further, yet in a secret manner, some particular relations of thearmsofacrossto the aspirant, who standsin thecentreafthatcross,with his arms extended in the form of the same mystic symbol, and is made to say at the same time that he is then standing in the 'centre of the earth; just as the greeks were told thatforthemdelphi represented<>o(lepot'ao,.tljt;yij'.alsothe 4 ancients preside over the four elements of air, fire, water and earth; or as the teaching of occultism would say

stthe symbolism of the 4 ancients 21fymbollsmofthecourseof thezelatorpastthe4aticiehtseastfire.it .july.,redwate:r.mi.,3ai.anr.imt.oeeritblueair.2!!lanl'ient;jan, 225yellowwest.nwnj.nv',u",vmz255.;u":u22thesorcerer and his apprenticeevident. in the scorpion,inoctober..come the water floods, andin.aquarius,injanuary, come the keen and biting winds,ofwhich the element air is the type. note that the aspirant is led, asitwere backwards,up theseasonsin his course past thefrom \vest toe.ast.i.,i. but the' hebrew rabbis said that the divine namej"nrrihvh rushesthroughthe.foreac.hletter presides oyer an element-yod over fire, he over water, vau over air, andhepvereltrth,andthattherefore he who could pronounce itwould make both heaven andearthtotterandquake,seeing that he would have used the, creat

GOLDEN DAWN RITUALS Z1

of the way for the enterer. therefore she is the reconciler between light and darkness, and the mediator between the stations of hierophant and hiereus. the symbols and insignia of the hegemon are: the robe of pure whiteness, bearing on the left breast a red cross. the mitre-headed sceptre. the lamen suspended from a black collar. the robe represents the spiritual purity which is required in the aspirant to the mysteries, and without which qualification none can pass between the eternal pillars. it represents the divine light which is attracted thereby and brought to the aid of the candidate. it symbolizes the self sacrifice that is offered for another to aid him in the attainment of the light. it also signifies the atonement of error; the preparer of the pathway unto the divine. upon the

GOLDEN DAWN RITUALS Z2

to the form that he may retain it under his proper control and guidance. v. he states clearly to the form what he intends to do with it. w. similar to the w.section of invisibility, save that the conjurations, etc, are to be made to the appropriate plane of the form instead of to hnyb. 14 c spiritual development a. the sphere of sensation. b. the augoeides. c. the sephiroth, etc. employed. d. the aspirant, or natural man. e. the equilibration of the symbols. f. the invocation of the higher. the limiting and controlling of the lower and the closing of the material senses to awaken the spiritual. g. attempting to make the natural man grasp the higher by first limiting the extent to which mere intellect can help him herein and then by purification of his thoughts and desires. in doing this le

he higher by first limiting the extent to which mere intellect can help him herein and then by purification of his thoughts and desires. in doing this let him formulate himself as standing between the pillars of o and cloud. h. the aspiration of the whole natural man towards the higher self, and a prayer for light and guidance through his higher self, addressed to the lord of the universe. i. the aspirant affirms aloud his earnest prayer to obtain divine guidance, kneels at the west of the altar in the position of the candidate in the enterer, and at the same time astrally projects his consciousness to the east of the altar, and turns, facing his body to the west, holding astrally his own left hand with his astral left. he raises his astral right hand holding the presentment of his lotus a

ls at the west of the altar in the position of the candidate in the enterer, and at the same time astrally projects his consciousness to the east of the altar, and turns, facing his body to the west, holding astrally his own left hand with his astral left. he raises his astral right hand holding the presentment of his lotus and by the white portion thereof, and raised in the air erect. j. let the aspirant now slowly recite an oration unto the gods and unto the higher self (as that of the second adept in the entering of the vault, but as if with his astral consciousness which is projected to the east of the altar. note: if at this point the aspirant should feel a sensation as of faintness coming on, let him at once withdraw the projected aura and properly master himself before proceeding an

an oration unto the gods and unto the higher self (as that of the second adept in the entering of the vault, but as if with his astral consciousness which is projected to the east of the altar. note: if at this point the aspirant should feel a sensation as of faintness coming on, let him at once withdraw the projected aura and properly master himself before proceeding any further) k. then let the aspirant pass unto the north, and facing east solemnly repeat the oration of the hierophant, as before endeavoring to project the speaking conscious self to the place of the hierophant (in this case, to the throne of the east. then, let him slowly mentally formulate before him the eidolon of a great angel torch-bearer, standing before him as if to lead and light the way. l. following it, let the a

of the divine ideal, and then to the severity thereof. let him then imagine himself as standing between two great pillars of o and cloud, whose bases indeed are buried in black ever rolling clouds of darkness, which symbolizes the chaos of the world of hycu, but whose summits are lost in glorious light undying, penetrating unto the white glory of the throne of the ancient of days. m. now does the aspirant move unto the west, faces southeast, and repeats alike the speeches of hiereus and hegemon. 15 n. after another circumambulation, the adept aspirant halts at the south and repeats the meditation in l. o. he passes unto the east, and repeats alike the words of the hierophant and the hegemon. p. let him pass to the west of the altar, ever led by the angel torchbearer. he projects his astral

GOLDEN DAWN RITUALS Z3

of the 42 lettered name in the palaces of hryxz (the gods of which are usually called the great assessors of judgment) the actual evil persona would at once formulate and be able to obsess the jwr of the candidate. for, seeing that at this time, the simulacrum of the higher soul is attracting the neschamah of the candidate, the human will is not as powerful in the jwr for the moment, because the aspirant of the mysteries is now, as it were, divided. in other words, his neschamah is directed to the contemplation of his higher self which is attracted by the hegemon. his natural body is bound and blinded, his jwr is threatened by the simulacrum of the evil persona attracted by omoo-szathan, and a species of shadow of himself is thrown forward to the place of the pillars, where the scales of

GOLDEN DAWN RITUALS ZAM13

ngth. as brothers and sisters of the inner light, let us vow always to be strong, for we are the inheritors of a dying world. as we give up ourselves and our hearts, we become the heart of yehashuah, the glory of tiphareth, the reflected light of kether. we shine light on the world, thus giving it life. now, in the divine name of iao, i invoke the great avenging angel hua to lay thy hand upon the aspirant as he/she repeats the solemn obligation of our hidden and secret fraternity of the red rose on the golden cross" obligation "kether: i frater/soror, a member of the body of christ, do this day spiritually bind myself, even as i am now bound physically upon the cross of suffering. chokmah: that i will to the utmost lead a pure and unselfish life, and will prove myself a faithful and devote

GOLDEN DAWN RITUALS ZAM22

with my will under the mastery of laykn. i proclaim that through the help of laykn, the spiritual vision of a shall be mine and that it shall help me overcome all obstacles of both a spiritual and material nature so that i may be enabled to do the great work! invocation of the four elements step 1 take up talisman in left hand, circumambulate one time. say: laykn spake unto the exorcist, i am the aspirant to the throne of trapt. i am the intelligence of the sphere of cmc. i have entered the presence of the majesty divine through the power of the mighty name. step 2 after one full circumambulation, stop at the fire tablet. say: before thy body can be filled with the glory of the divine ones in wisdom, it must be potent with the fires of life. step 3 set the talisman before the fire tablet o

GOLDEN CHAIN AND THE LONELY ROAD

microcosmic quest to ensorcel the all-possible of his or her own self-existence. having successfully passed through the period of tuition and the various ordeals and austerities which it demands, the novitiate is 'summoned- formally entreated to undergo the rite of initiation. the initiation rite is 'the seal of the mysteries' and serves as the focusing context for all that has passed between the aspirant and the initiating power (the initiator in all its forms: the physical teacher, the spiritual guide, the familiars and guardian-spirits of the path, the diverse lessons of praxis, the dreams, visions, and solitary realisations, et alia. all that constitutes the 'initiator' confronts the seeker and guides him into the true circle of the arte magical. in the singular magical act called 'the

others. in and of themselves mysteria of this kind are grand initiations serving to convey the lineages of certain spiritual entities or magical techniques. within the higher body of our magical lore, known as 'the gnosis of the crooked path, there are numerous examples of such advanced workings. for example 'the rite of the turnskin. this is an initiatory procedure intending the entrance of the aspirant into the circle of therionic atavisms: the zodiak of living forms. by passing through its ordeals the skin-leaper's arte is impressed upon the flesh; the bestial ancestry of an individual is 'raised, made self-conscious in his sentient physicality; the animal-headed god is realised! another notable example is 'the devil's masquerade: the initiation rite of draku-ezhu, the 'grand famulus'

the skin-leaper's arte is impressed upon the flesh; the bestial ancestry of an individual is 'raised, made self-conscious in his sentient physicality; the animal-headed god is realised! another notable example is 'the devil's masquerade: the initiation rite of draku-ezhu, the 'grand famulus' of the crooked path teachings. this particular mystery-rite obtains the meeting, soul to soul, between the aspirant and the deity. in the stream of sabbatic wisdom descended from yelda paterson through zos vel thanatos (austin osman spare, there is a line of transmission facilitated by the 'passing -on' of a spirit-familiar. in its contemporary manifestation this arcanum has itself 'fleshed out' via the medium of a mystery-rite 'the black eagle rite, simply named after the spirit itself. this instance

suming process of such rituals (many being of great duration and procedural complexity) facilitates the saturation of the mundane self with the magical ambience of a state or entity. herein the impress of the unseen initiator upon the matrix of sentience or 'mind' is most powerful and efficacious. in practice, mystery-rites comport additional 'degrees, adjunctive zones of empowerment, to which an aspirant has access and in which he or she may gain authority. self-initiation if by predilection one is led to the craft and the only means of entrance there-to is by an initiation self-performed, then let that gate be freely and rightly chosen. if the individual is led there-to by dreams and portents, and is told how to perform such a rite then a way of unique transmission is revealed. if a pers

abel, the body of profanity which must be resurrected or re-integrated into the body of cain or the initiatic self. the incorporation of more potent elements into the witches' supper depends wholly upon the rite and its assembly. in solitary rites, it is known that in some forms of old craft an entheogenic elixir has sometimes been used to assist in the creation of the initiatory apotheosis 'the aspirant, after being mentally prepared by his or her sponsor, and drinking of the potion, is left alone to spend the night by three stones that stand overgrown in the centre of the wood (taliesin 'a wood in the west country, published in pentagram, august, 1965. this is somewhat reminiscent of the medieval alpine initiatory potion which provoked its drinker to have 'all of a sudden the sensation

GRERALD SCHUELER AN ADVANCED GUIDE TO ENOCHIAN MAGICK

d in my forthcoming book, enochian physics. enochian magick, with its emphasis on individual study, may better serve those who prefer not to participate in the group ceremonies of more traditional wicca or occult organizations. although similar in theory, enochian magick is probably best practiced alone and in secret. all true religious, philosophical, occult, and magical systems lead the sincere aspirant to the same goal-a dearer understanding of the meaning of l i fe. it is sometimes described as many paths, all leading up the same mountain toward the same invisible peak. some paths slowly meander around the mountain. these paths require little effort, and offer great security and many resting places along the way. others attack the mountain in a direct and aggressive ascent which is bot

HAMIL THE ROSICRUCIAN SEER

on, to know that my prayer was heard: after a moment's farther anguish i obtained these words 'why have you called me back' i paid but little attention to her complaints; i was only too happy to hear her speak.in truth, the majority of the magnetic world will care little about m. cahagnet's theory, or whether his logic is of the school or not, any more than for the theories which almost every new aspirant for mesmeric fame seems impressed with the necessityofexpounding, and which generally turn out as valueless as the 'wonderful' experiments ofdrscoresby" who gravely places before his readers, as startling discoveries'[ofhis own, a number of experiments, common as household words, abounding in mesmeric works almost to nausea, and which, after all, only prove that the eccentric author has

HELENA BLAVATSKY THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY

es. the most solemn and occult were certainly those which were performed in egypt by "the band of secret-keepers" as mr. bonwick calls the hierophants. maurice describes their nature very graphically in a few lines. speaking of the mysteries performed in philae (the nile-island, he says: it was in these gloomy caverns that the grand mystic arcana of the goddess (isis) were unfolded to the adoring aspirant, while the solemn hymn of initiation resounded through the long extent of these stony recesses. the word mystery is derived from the greek mu "to close the mouth" and every symbol connected with them had a hidden meaning. as plato and many of the other sages of antiquity affirm, these mysteries were highly religious, moral, and beneficent as a school of ethics. the grecian mysteries, thos

HOWE THE ALCHEMIST OF THE GOLDEN DAWN

, i should be very glad to give you the benefit of my experience and practice, but i dare not do it in writing, nor except under the most inviolable secresy [sic. the difficulties in the practice are immense and inconceivable except to those who have made attempts at it. chacombe vicarage 12 april 1890- just a line to congratulate you on your acquisition of books. it is always a good sign when an aspirant attracts to himself books on the one important subject. langlet dufresnoy is most useful, one to whom i am always referring. if i see a book in a catalogue, i refer to dufresnoy and mostly can see whether it is worth while getting. pernety is not mentioned by dufresnoy, i think, but he is by ragon, and is invaluable. naude is well worth reading. i do not possess these last 2, but have rea

f him, i daresay. arnold de villeneuve was a voluminous writer, and i think the ms you mention is not given amongst his works. he is said to have learned ofraymond lully. something may be learned of it, but when these old writers pretend to tell you great secrets, then you may most suspect of them of mystifying. however, altogether you have made a valuable acquisition. it is one of the stages the aspirant has to go through, to have well impressed upon the mystic and for the most part unintelligible jargon in which this art is veiled. you say you should like to see me to have a talk. as you seem so bent upon this, it would be as well, if you could, but i hardly see how it can be done just now. i like your tenacity and perseverance, and i would do all i could to help you. we may,be in london

INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW CHUMBLEY

self-dedication as a legitimate act or process for those who cannot or do not want to work within a coven structure and wish to follow the path of a solitary practitioner? ac: yes, i do, but i prefer to use the term solitary initiation. i think self- initiation is something of a misnomer; initiation is always a matter of relation and transformation, whether that be between prentice and master or aspirant and deity. one initiates the other and the relations between both are transformed to a new status, usually through the transmission of new kinds of knowledge to the initiand. in the sabbatic craft, solitary initiation or the lonely road is recognised as a vital aspect of every practitioner s path and the understanding of solitude is subject to many levels of interpretation. autonomy is th

KNOWLEDGE LECTURE FIVE

ersal love which would express itself in perfect service to all mankind and which embraces nature both visible and invisible. let him identify himself with the powers of fire, consecrating himself wholly until the burnt sacrifice is consummated and the christ is conceived by the spirit. let him meditate upon the triplicity of fire- its attributes and correspondences. meditation number six let the aspirant meditate upon the cross in its various forms and aspects as shown in the admission badges throughout the grades. let him consider the necessity and prevalence of sacrifice throughout nature and religion. let him realise the saying of the master, whosoever shall save his life shall lose it, and whosoever shall lose his life shall save it. except an ear of wheat fall into the ground and die

KNOWLEDGE LECTURE ONE

al meaning of the two pillars called in the ritual the "pillars of hermes" of "seth" and of "solomon" in the 9th chapter of the ritual f the dead they are referred to as the "pillars of shu" the "pillars of the gods of dawning light" and also as "the north and southern columns of the gate of the hall of truth" in the 125th chapter, they are represented by the sacred gateway, the door to which the aspirant is brought when he has completed the negative confession. the archaic pictures on the one pillar are painted in black upon a white ground, and those on the other in white upon a black ground, in order to express the interchange and reconciliation of opposing forces and the eternal balance of light and darkness which gives force to visible nature. the black cubical bases represent darkness

d "posessor of truth controlling the feet" while that on the left is "possessor of strength, binding the male and female animals" the 42 judges of the dead are represented as seated in a long row, and each of them has to be named, and the sin over which he presided has been denied. this chapter describes the introduction of the initiate into the hall of truth by anubis, who, having questioned the aspirant, receives from him an account of his initiation, and is satisfied by his right to enter. he states that he has been taken into the ante-chamber of the temple and there stripped and blind-folded, he had to grope for the entrance of the hall, and having found it he was reclothed and anointed in the presence of the initiated. he is then asked for the pass-words and demands that his soul shou

LEADBEATER C W THE HIDDEN LIFE IN FREEMASONRY 2E

uter environment that comes to us as the result of the actions that we have done in past lives- come opportunities for progress and sometimes obstacles, which, however, when rightly faced, increase our inward strength. as emerson put it, man learns in this world through tuition and intuition- both externally and internally he is being taught. on the occult path it is still more important that the aspirant shall proceed without impetuosity or reluctance, without rashness or fear. just as one wishing to walk on a line must go neither too slowly nor too fast, so must the candidate proceed on the path which is narrow as the edge of a razor. gfestina lente h might well be taken as his motto. 481. it should be noted that the symbolism of the c c t c requires that whoever conducts the candidate i

rd the s c s of freemasonry. 494. just inside the door of the lodge stand the s. and j.d.s with crossed w c s, representing thereby the triangular door of the ancient egyption lodge, and also the first of the symbolical portals through which the candidate has to pass. as he stands within that portal the candidate is directed to bow his head as a further token of the humility which should mark the aspirant. from the emblematical point of view the lodge typifies the higher world into which man passes when he leaves this physical plane, so that this first portal represents the gate of death, and in relation to this the bowing of the head signifies that submission to the divine will with which the man should enter upon this new field of life, calm, and ready to receive without agitation whatev

the questions, though quaint, seem self-explanatory, and the various points which they raise have been already considered. 576. the p c g. and the p c w c are then given to the candidate. in connection with these it is interesting to note that a sheaf of corn is often carved on the chair of the w.s.w. as his emblem; and this is probably connected with the fact that an ear of corn was shown to the aspirant as symbolical of the supreme mystery at eleusis, indicating to him at the same time the universality of evolution and the indestructibility of life. gexcept a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. h(*john, xii, 24) it is perhaps worth noting that the p c g c between the first and the second degree indicates the necessity

cted by his devi girija. to transmute the passions of the astral body the f.c. must use his intuitional love that comes from vishnu, the second person, through lakshmi. to conquer the wavering mind and make it a perfect instrument for the higher self, the m.m. must use the power of his thought, the divine activity of brahma, the third person, reflected by saraswati. madame blavatsky said that the aspirant should make a bundle of the lower things and nail them up to the higher self; when he has done this he will have fulfilled the destiny which is indicated for him- he will have stepped with t c s c over his o c g c 722. this allusion is similar to that of the k c s in the three degrees, and in no way affects the fact that the e.a. is at the same time learning to control the emotions, and t

s of the soul and spirit. in his hand is kriyashakti, the creative power. 725. the path of the moon is said to typify the life of the ordinary man, who clings to objects of desire and parts with them reluctantly at death. after a period in the astral and heavenly worlds he returns to earth, to repeat the process. it is the path of rebirth after intervals. the path of the sun is that of the occult aspirant, the man of spiritual desires, who values life only for what it can give to the higher self in others as well as himself. he also is reborn, but usually without an interval, or after a very short one. the path of fire is the path of ascension, from which there is no longer any rebirth under the law of necessity, but only at the choice of the ego- only for the helping of the world. 726. th

LEADBEATER CW GLIMPSES OF MASONIC HISTORY

was this inscription: the mortal who shall travel over this road without hesitating or looking behind shall be purified by fire, by water, and by air, and if he can surmount the fear of death he shall emerge from the bosom of the earth; he shall revisit the light and claim the right of preparing his soul for the reception of the mysteries of the great goddess isis. 120. the conductor now left the aspirant, warning him that many dangers surrounded and awaited him, and exhorting him to continue unshaken. heavy doors closed behind him, rendering his return impossible. presently he entered a spacious hall filled with flames through which he had to rush with the greatest speed. even when he had passed through this fiery furnace he came to another hall the floor of which was covered with a huge

the priests in charge (who were for the most part members of the three grand lodges, what we now call red masonry existed, as well as the teaching which is now included in our royal arch and kindred degrees, culminating in the splendid quest of the knights of the rose-croix for the lost word, man s true divinity. 168. in the symbolic teaching corresponding to our degree of the holy royal arch the aspirant was taught to clear away from the various levels of his consciousness all the veils which yet obstructed his vision of reality, and then in the power of that vision to recognize for himself the hidden light in every form, however deeply it might be buried and concealed from the eyes of the flesh. this was typified as a journey upwards, during which four veils were passed, and then by a se

tigated by the inner sight, and shown to the student. the whole of what we now call black masonry led up to an explanation of karma as divine justice, this having been preserved for us in shadow in what is now the 31, that of the grand inspector inquisitor commander, whose symbol is a pair of scales. in egypt this pair of scales was taken as an emblem of the perfect balance of divine justice; the aspirant learnt that all the evil and horror associated with the working out of karma was indeed based on perfect justice, although it had appeared as evil to the lesser vision of the profane. 176. thus the first stage of the higher instruction, that of the rose-croix or red masonry, was devoted to the knowledge of good, while the second stage, that of k.h. or black masonry, was devoted to the kno

ich in sanskrit is called kundalini. it was laid by the hierophant against the back of the candidate, and thus used as a strong magnetic instrument in order to awaken the forces latent within him, and to free the astral body from the physical, so that the candidate might pass in full consciousness to the higher planes. to help him in the efforts that lay before him the priest in this way gave the aspirant some of his own magnetism. this rod of power was of the greatest importance, and we can understand why it was regarded with so much awe when we realize something of its occult potency. 379. there was also the krater or cup, always associated with dionysus, and emblematical of the causal body of man, which has ever been symbolized by a cup filled with the wine of the divine life and love

here was a sudden crash of waters, typifying the deluge, and the murder of dionysus was enacted, his limbs being scattered on the waters. then, amid lamentations, commenced the search of rhea for the remains of dionysus, and the apartments were filled with shrieks and groans, accompanied by the frantic dances of the corybantes. suddenly the body was found, the scene changed to one of joy, and the aspirant was released from his confinement. after that he descended into the infernal regions, where he saw the sufferings of the wicked and the rewards of the good, and afterwards became an epopt or seer- one who could look upon the world from above, see it as a whole, and therefore understand it. among the followers of this bacchic form of the mysteries were the celebrated dionysian artificers

LIBER HAD

eligious consciousness. berkeley: university of california press, 1976, pp. 180 202. baddeley, gavin. lucifer rising: sin, devil worship and rock n rolci liber h a d svb figvra dlv a. a. publication in class d (for winners of the ordeal x) imprimatur: three flags/axes meaning "neteru. v.v.v.v.v. n. fra a. a. o.m. 7 degree= 4square. 000. this is the book of the cult of the infinite within. 00. the aspirant is nuit. nuit is the infinite expansion of the rose; hadit the infinite concentration of the rood("instruction of v.v.v.v.v) 0. first let the aspirant learn in his heart the second chapter of the book of the law("instruction of v.v.v.v.v) 1. worship "i.e" identify thyself with, nuit, as a lambent flame of blue, all-touching, all-penetrant, her lovely hands upon the black earth, and her li

desire you. put on the wings, and arose the coiled splendour within you: come unto me. sing the rapturous love-song unto me! burn to me perfumes! wear to me jewels! drink to me, for i love you! i love you! i am the blue-lidded daughter of sunset; i am the naked brilliance of the voluptuous night-sky. to me! to me "this is the second practice of meditation("ccxx. i" 13, 61, 63, 64, 65. 3. let the aspirant apply himself to comprehend hadit as an unextended point clothed with light ineffable. and let him beware lest he be dazzled by that light "this is the first practice of intelligence("ccxx. ii" 2. 4. let the aspirant apply himself to comprehend hadit as the ubiquitous centre of every sphere conceivable "this is the second practice of intelligence("ccxx. i" 2. 5. let the aspirant apply him

e aspirant apply himself to comprehend hadit as the soul of every man, and of every star, conjoining this in his understanding with the word("cxx. i" 2 "every man and every woman is a star" let this conception be that of life, the giver of life, and let him perceive that therefore the knowledge of hadit is the knowledge of death "this is the third practice of intelligence("ccxx. ii" 6. 6. let the aspirant apply himself to comprehend hadit as the magician or maker of illusion, and the exorcist or destroyer of illusion, under the figure of the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. also as the universal soul of motion (this conception harmonises thoth and harpocrates in a very complete and miraculous manner. thoth is both the magus of taro (see lib. 418) and the universal mercury; ha

versal soul of motion (this conception harmonises thoth and harpocrates in a very complete and miraculous manner. thoth is both the magus of taro (see lib. 418) and the universal mercury; harpocrates both the destroyer of typhon and the babe on the lotus. note that the "ibis position" formulates this conception most exactly. ed "this is the fourth practice of intelligence("ccxx. ii" 7. 7. let the aspirant apply himself to comprehend hadit as the perfect, that is not, and solve the mystery of the numbers of hadit and his components by his right ingenium "this is the fifth practice of intelligence("ccxx. ii" 15, 16. 8. let the aspirant, bearing him as a great king, root out and destroy without pity all things in himself and his surroundings which are weak, dirty, or diseased, or otherwise un

components by his right ingenium "this is the fifth practice of intelligence("ccxx. ii" 15, 16. 8. let the aspirant, bearing him as a great king, root out and destroy without pity all things in himself and his surroundings which are weak, dirty, or diseased, or otherwise unworthy. and let him be exceeding proud and joyous "this is the first practice of ethics("ccxx. ii" 18, 19, 20, 21. 9. let the aspirant apply himself to comprehend hadit as the snake that giveth knowledge and delight and bright glory, who stirreth the hearts of men with drunkenness. this snake is blue and gold; its eyes are red, and its spangles green and ultra-violet (that is, as the most exalted form of the serpent kundalini "this is the sixth practice of intelligence("ccxx. ii" 22, 50, 51. 10. let him further identify

LIBER CCXLII AHA

he coming of the lord in the air as king and judge of this corrupted world; wherein under the form of a discourse between marsyas an adept and olympas his pupil the whole secret of the way of initiation is laid open from the beginning to the end; for the instruction of the little children of the light. written in trembling and humility for the brethren of the a a by their very dutiful servant, an aspirant to their sublime order, aleister crowley v a a publication in class c i the argumentation a little before dawn, the pupil comes to greet his master, and begs instruction. inspired by his angel, he demands the doctrine of being rapt away into the knowledge and conversation of him. the master discloses the doctrine of passive attention or waiting. this seeming hard to the pupil, it is expla

LIBER COLLEGII SANCTI

from a to g a a publication in class d this paper is to be returned to the chancellor of the a a by the neophyte introducing through his zelator. a a publication in class d. imprimatur. d.d.s. pramonstrator. date. no. a a the task of a probationer 0. let any person be received by a neophyte, the latter being responsible to his zelator. 1. the period of probation shall be at least one year. 2. the aspirant to the a a shall hear the lection (liber lxi) and this note of his office; if he will, shall then procure the robe of a probationer; shall choose with deep forethought and intense solemnity a motto. 3. on reception he shall receive the robe, sign the form provided and repeat the oath as appointed, and receive the first volume of the book. 4. he shall commit a chapter of liber lxv to memor

he grade of zelator. the task of a zelator. g. he shall go to his practicus. h the gems and equinox iv (1) printings of gliber clxxxv h (and presumably the original) had gto his zelator h; this has been changed on the basis that the general rule of the outer order grades, as far as can be ascertained from other references in gliber clxxxv h and elsewhere, was that the person supervising any given aspirant was, or at least in that instance functioned as, a member of the grade immediately above; i.e, practici supervising zelatores, philosophi supervising practici, etc. similarly the corresponding section in the task of a practicus had gto his practicus h and that for the philosophus had gto his philosophus h; these have been amended on the same basis. the task of a philosophus. g. the medita

LIBER HAD

on of augoeides h in equinox iv (1, including the two paragraphs previous to gand thus shall he do. h and the two paragraphs following g. into the city of the pyramids. h and with paragraph numbers addheliber had svb figvra dlv v a a publication in class d (for winners of the ordeal x) imprimatur. v.v.v.v.v. n. fra. a a o.m. 7 =4 1 000. this is the book of the cult of the infinite within. 00. the aspirant is nuit. nuit is the infinite expansion of the rose; hadit the infinite contraction of the rood (instruction of v.v.v.v.v) 0. first let the aspirant learn in his heart the second chapter of the book of the law (instruction of v.v.v.v.v) 1. worship, i.e, identify thyself with, nuit, as a lambent flame of blue, all-touching, all-penetrant, her lovely hands upon the black earth, and her lith

ht-sky. to me! to me! this continues the first practice of meditation1 (ccxx. i. 13, 61, 63, 64, 65. 1 [in equinox printing .the second practice of meditation. but section 10 was also said to be the second practice, 12 the third practice, 16 the fourth practice and 25 the fifth practice. combining 1 and 2 into the .first practice. matches the numbering in section 28. t.s] liber h a d 2 3. let the aspirant apply himself to comprehend hadit as an unextended point clothed with a light ineffable. and let him beware lest he be dazzled by that light. this is the first practice of intelligence (ccxx. ii. 2. 4. let the aspirant apply himself to comprehend hadit as the ubiquitous centre of every sphere conceivable. this is the second practice of intelligence (ccxx. ii. 3. 5. let the aspirant apply

aspirant apply himself to comprehend hadit as the soul of every man, and of every star, conjoining this in his understanding with the word (ccxx. i. 2 .every man and every woman is a star. let this conception be that of life, the giver of life, and let him perceive that therefore the knowledge of hadit is the knowledge of death. this is the third practice of intelligence (ccxx. ii. 6. 6. let the aspirant apply himself to comprehend hadit as the magician or maker of illusion, and the exorcist of destroyer of illusion, under the figure of the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. also as the universal soul of motion (this conception harmonises thoth and harpocrates in a very complete and miraculous manner. thoth is both the magus of tarot (see lib. 418) and the universal mercury; h

ersal soul of motion (this conception harmonises thoth and harpocrates in a very complete and miraculous manner. thoth is both the magus of tarot (see lib. 418) and the universal mercury; harpocrates both the destroyer of typhon and the babe in the lotus. note that the .ibis position. formulates this conception most exactly. ed) this is the fourth practice of intelligence (ccxx. ii. 7. 7. let the aspirant apply himself to comprehend hadit as the perfect, that is not, and solve the mystery of the numbers of hadit and his components by his right ingenium. this is the fifth practice of intelligence (ccxx. ii. 15, 16. 8. let the aspirant, bearing him as a great king, root out and destroy without pity all things in himself and his surroundings which are weak, dirty, or diseased, or otherwise un

right ingenium. this is the fifth practice of intelligence (ccxx. ii. 15, 16. 8. let the aspirant, bearing him as a great king, root out and destroy without pity all things in himself and his surroundings which are weak, dirty, or diseased, or otherwise unworthy. and let him be exceeding proud and joyous. this is the first practice of ethics (ccxx. ii. 18, 19, 20, 21. svb figvra dlv 3 9. let the aspirant apply himself to comprehend hadit as the snake that giveth knowledge and delight and bright glory, who stirreth the hearts of men with drunkenness. this snake is blue and gold; its eyes are red, and its spangles green and ultra-violet (that is, as the most exalted form of the serpent kundalini) this is the sixth practice of intelligence (ccxx. ii. 22, 50, 51) 10. let him further identify

LIBER HHH

he zenith a minute point of light. and this light shall radiate until a right cone be established upon the sea, and it is day. with this thy body shall be rigid, automatically; and this shalt thou let endure, withdrawing thyself into thine heart in the form of an upright egg of blackness; and therein shalt thou abide for a space. 5. when all this is perfectly and easily performed at will, let the aspirant figure to himself a struggle with the whole force of the universe. in this he is only saved by his minuteness. liber hhh sub figura cccxli 3 but in the end he is overthrown by death, who covers him with a black cross. let his body fall supine with arms outstretched. 6. so lying, let him aspire fervently unto the holy guardian angel. 7. now let him resume his former posture. two-and-twenty

LIBER LIBRAE

ies; hath it not ever been so with the sages and hierophants of the past? they have been persecuted and reviled, they have been tormented of men; yet through this also has their glory increased. 4. rejoice, therefore, o initiate, for the greater thy trial the greater thy triumph. when men shall revile thee, and speak against thee falsely, hath not the master said, gblessed art thou! h? 5. yet, oh aspirant, let thy victories bring thee not vanity, for with increase of knowledge should come increase of wisdom. he who knoweth little, thinketh he knoweth much; but he who knoweth much hath learned his own ignorance. seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool, than of him. 2 liber libra 6. be not hasty to condemn others; how knowest thou that in their place, thou coul

LIBER LLL PARADIGMAT PIRATE

d anywhere from six months and onward. the exercises presented in the following sections are only guidelines. if the neophyte possesses knowledge of additional techniques and practices, or possesses the capacity to create her own, she is encouraged to do so. the iot considers every candidate on his or her individual merits and qualifications. no single approach could possibly fit every individual aspirant to either the pact or to the 3rd degree within the pact. however, there is a need to set down some guidelines for those who would like some indication of what is expected of them. section 1: the first section is a continuation of the dream work begun in liber mmm. however, if it has been awhile since the magician performed her liber mmm or if the practice of lucid dreaming is new to the m

the latter a state in which you have surrendered your control to addiction. in the author fs estimation, gaddiction h is nothing more than a personal demon run amuck. it isn ft a gdisease h or a gtragedy. h it is a personal failing that can be corrected through the direct application of will. chemical dependency (addiction) to any substance listed below is considered a disqualifying factor to an aspirant seeking the 3rd degree. the iot desires individuals who are proactive and in control of their own wictthe animal soul cpn 10 xx 300 sh c 31 xxi 400 th t 32. t 32 bis. c 31 bis 3 the temple of solomon the king (continued) great as were frater p..s accomplishments in the ancient sciences of the east, swiftly and securely as he had passed in a bare year the arduous road which so many fail to

LIBER LVII

g.s a trap; a trap.s a snare; a snare.s a gin; gin.s a spirit; and a spirit.s a ghost. but our identities are not thus false; meditation reveals their truth. further, as i shall explain fully later, 9 is not equal to 1 for the neophyte. these equivalences are dogmatic, and only true by favour of him in whom all is truth. in practice each equivalence is a magical operation to be carried out by the aspirant. part ii the universe as we seek to make it in the first part we have seen all numbers as veils of the one, emanations of and therefore corruptions of the one. it is the universe as we know it, the static universe. now the aspirant to magic is displeased with this state of things. he finds himself but a creature, the farthest removed from the creator, a number so complex and involved that

templi, too, understands why zero must plunge through all finite numbers to express itself; why it must write itself as .n. n. instead of 0; what gain there is in such writing. and this understanding will be found expressed in liber 418 (episode of chaos and his daughter) and liber legis (i. 28-30. but it must never be forgotten that everyone must begin at the beginning. and in the beginning the aspirant is a rebel, even though he feel himself to be that most dangerous type of rebel, a king dethroned* hence he will worship any number which seems to him to promise to overturn the tree of life. he will even deny and blaspheme the one.whom, after all, it is his ambition to be.because of its simplicity and aloofness. he is tempted to .curse god and die. atheists are of three kinds. 1. the mer

hyha+ alga, the four divine names of the lesser ritual of the pentagram. t.s] 65 [the title of a high degree in certain masonic rites, immediately proceeding grand inspector general. sometimes called prince of the royal secret. t.s] 66 [another masonic term, generally denoting the highest degree or ruling council of a particular rite. t.s] 44 liber lviii it is then thoroughly understood that the aspirant is seeking to solve the great problem. and he may conceive, as various schools of adepts in the ages have conceived, this problem in three main forms. 1. i am not god. i wish to become god. this is the hindus conception. i am malkuth. i wish to become kether. this is the qabalistic equivalent. 2. i am a fallen creature. i wish to be redeemed. this is the christian conception. i am malkuth

ative. 11. the great magical number, as uniting the antitheses of 5 and 6 etc. dwa the magic force itself. 12. useless. mere symbol of the goal. 13. helpful, since if we can reduce our formula to 13, it becomes 1 without further trouble. 17. useful, because though it symbolises 1, it does so under the form of a thunderbolt .here is a magic disk for me to hurl, and win heaven by violence. says the aspirant. 21. as bad, nearly, as 7. 26. accursed. as bad as 4. only useful when it is a weapon in your hand; then..if satan be divided against satan. etc. 28. attainable; and so, useful .my victory .my power. says the philosophus. on the qabalah 47 30. the balance.truth. most useful. 31. al the reply to la, who is the god of chesed, 4. the passionate denial of god, useful when other methods fail

LIBER NU

ou have found this useful, please purchase the official copy: liber null& psychonaut. isbn: 0-87728-639-6 available at most online occult book stores, or by mail order (i presume) from mandrake and otheakliber nv svb figvra xi v a a publication in class d (for winners of the ordeal x) imprimatur. v.v.v.v.v. n. fra. a a o.m. 7 =4 1 000. this is the book of the cult of the infinite without. 00. the aspirant is hadit. nuit is the infinite expansion of the rose; hadit the infinite contraction of the rood (instruction of v.v.v.v.v) 0. first let the aspirant learn in his heart the first chapter of the book of the law (instruction of v.v.v.v.v) 1. worship, i.e, identify thyself with, the khabs, the secret light within the heart. within this, again, unextended is hadit. this is the first practice

ds all in none. also 50+ 6= 56= 5+ 6= 11, the key of all rituals. and 50 6= 300, the spirit of the child within (note n#i= 72, the shemhamphorash and the quinaries of the zodiac, etc) this is the second practice of intelligence (ccxx. i. 25, 26. 2 liber n v 5. the result of this practice is the consciousness of the continuity of existence, the omnipresence of the body of nuit. in other words, the aspirant is conscious only of the infinite universe as a single being (note for this the importance of paragraph 3. ed) this is the first indication of the nature of the result (ccxx. i. 26. 6. meditate upon nuit as the continuous one resolved into none and two as the phases of her being [for the universe being self-contained must be capable of expression by the formula (n- n= 0. for if not, let i

n- m= p. that is, the infinite moves otherwise than in itself, which is absurd. ed] this is the second practice of meditation (ccxx. i. 27) 7. meditate upon the facts of samadhi on all planes, the liberation of heat in chemistry, joy in natural history, ananda in religion, when two things join to lose themselves in a third. this is the third practice of meditation (ccxx. i. 28, 29, 30. 8. let the aspirant pay utmost reverence to the authority of the a a and follow its instructions, and let him swear a great oath of devotion unto nuit. this is the second practice of ethics (ccxx. i. 32. 9. let the aspirant beware of the slightest exercise of his will against another being. thus, lying is a better posture than sitting or standing, as it opposes less resistance to gravitation. yet his first d

is the second practice of ethics (ccxx. i. 32. 9. let the aspirant beware of the slightest exercise of his will against another being. thus, lying is a better posture than sitting or standing, as it opposes less resistance to gravitation. yet his first duty is to the force nearest and most potent; e.g. he may rise to greet a friend. this is the third practice of ethics (ccxx. i. 41. 10. let this aspirant exercise his will without the least consideration for any other being. this direction cannot be understood, much less accomplished, until the previous practice has been perfected. this is the fourth practice of ethics (ccxx. i. 42, 43, 44. svb figvra xi 3 11. let the aspirant comprehend that these two practices are identical. this is the third practice of intelligence (ccxx i. 45. 12. let

ant exercise his will without the least consideration for any other being. this direction cannot be understood, much less accomplished, until the previous practice has been perfected. this is the fourth practice of ethics (ccxx. i. 42, 43, 44. svb figvra xi 3 11. let the aspirant comprehend that these two practices are identical. this is the third practice of intelligence (ccxx i. 45. 12. let the aspirant live the life beautiful and pleasant. for this freedom hath he won. but let each act, especially of love, be devoted wholly to his true mistress, nuit. this is the fifth practice of ethics (ccxx i. 51, 52, 61, 63. 13. let the aspirant yearn toward nuit under the stars of night, with a love directed by his magical will, not merely proceeding from the heart. this is the first practice of ma

LIBER SAMEKH

ated h] a high degree of initiation is required. this means that the process of analysis must have been carried out very thoroughly. the adept must have become aware of his deepest impulses, and understood their true significance. the gresistance h here mentioned is automatic; it increases indefinitely against direct pressure. it is useless to try to force onself in these matters; the uninitiated aspirant, however eager he may be, is sure to fail. one must know how to deal with each internal idea as it arises. it is impossible to overcome one fs inhibitions by conscious effort; their existence justifies them. god is on their side, as on that of the victim in browning fs instans tyrannus. a man cannot compel himself to love, however much he may want to, on various rational grounds. but on t

LIBER SEPTEM REGUM SANCTORUM

& crook.4 the candidate, well fed& joyful, clad in the robe of a probationer& crowned with laurel, is led by the hegemon (his neophyte) into the hall. taken to the altar, on which burns a small fire of odorous wood, cedar or sandal or lign aloes, he is made to kneel thereat& the black officer comes forward threatening him with his scourge& saith: hiereus: who art thou? hegemon (for cand: i am the aspirant to the sacred& sublime order of a\a& i seek the aid of osiris. 1 missing in this copy. but the text implies that the temple contains (i) an altar of some kind, probably in the west (near the entrance to the room (ii) seven thrones for the planetary stations, probably arranged in a heptagon, with the fourth in the east (iii) a dais of seven steps in the east, beyond the station of sol, wit

that the full complement of nine should assist) hail unto thee, osiris, triumphant, lord of amennta, lord of enenet! hail unto thee, all glorious sun of mercy& justice, upon whose head is the golden crown of light that is invisible to men! hail unto thee, hail unto thee, sole light in our darkness! hail unto thee through whom alone.)5 may attain unto the brotherhood immortal. deign to guide this aspirant in the straight path& let him not fall into the way of those who err (there is no answer. let us arise& seek osiris (they come to the first throne) saturn welcome. welcome, welcome, for thou art chosen, o thou that hast aspired to the brotherhood immortal. aspiration is strength& i give thee of my bounty: peace& plenty& contentment& good health& length of days. all these host thou won by

answers, removing the hoodwink once and for all:6 verily, thou sayest well; know that osiris is a black god& the straight way unto the sacred& sublime order lieth not through the green pastures& beside still waters. but in the valley of the shadow of death, his crook& scourge shall avail thee. take them therefore& fold thine arms upon thy breast; ascend with me the seven steps of the throne. the aspirant then does so, standing between the officers. the fourth throne is removed to leave a passage. the seven kings rush upon him& belabor him with their weapons; but he makes his way& they fall one by one; the seventh upon the second step, the sixth upon the third, the fifth upon the fourth, the fourth upon the fifth, the third upon the sixth, the second upon the seventh& the first at the foot

o, standing between the officers. the fourth throne is removed to leave a passage. the seven kings rush upon him& belabor him with their weapons; but he makes his way& they fall one by one; the seventh upon the second step, the sixth upon the third, the fifth upon the fourth, the fourth upon the fifth, the third upon the sixth, the second upon the seventh& the first at the foot of the throne. the aspirant passes over their bodies& takes his seat. they then, each from his place, adore him while the two officers support him on either side& the hierophant addresses him: frater_ this day have i symbolically placed thee in the seat of a brother of the a\a. see to it that thy life truly reflect this gradual conquest of the powers7 of the seven& never forget that thy path is the path of osiris,8&

wo officers support him on either side& the hierophant addresses him: frater_ this day have i symbolically placed thee in the seat of a brother of the a\a. see to it that thy life truly reflect this gradual conquest of the powers7 of the seven& never forget that thy path is the path of osiris,8& that osiris is a black god. they then conduct him from the temple) after the seven hours are past, the aspirant is rescued by osiris, the black officer, in the words already given, omitting verily thou sayest well& using a sterner tone for the beginning of the speech. the ceremony then proceeds as before. source: this text was emailed to me in january of 2001. i am unaware of its provenance. certain errors in the copy i was sent suggest it had been ocr scanned at some point. the statements at the s

LIBER THISHARB

p. 28-59, and especially pp. 48-56. we have little to alter or to add. its most important result, as regards the oath of the abyss, is the freedom from all desire or clinging to everything which it gives. its second result is to aid the adept in the second method, by supplying him with further data for his investigation.3 1 those in posession of liber 185 will note that in every grade but one the aspirant is pledged to serve his inferiors in the order [the adeptus minor is not so pledged; the probationer has no inferiors in the order. t.s] 2 make the adeptus exemptus perfect as such before proceeding [note added in mtp publication of liber 913] 3 the magical memory (i.e, of former incarnations) frees one from desire by shewing how futile and sorrow-breeding all earthly and even sub-magical

LIBER XXV THE STAR RUBY

psyche. for eros and psyche see the fable in the metamorphoses (golden ass) of apuleius, the reference in any case being to vau and he final of tetragrammaton, as chaos and babalon (see gthe vision and the voice h) represent yod and he. magick has gbellow hadit. h. t.s] 11 [the signs of n.o.x. are described in gliber v vel reguli. h the order in which they are given is left to the ingenium of the aspirant. t.s] 12 [grk, gbefore me the iunges, behind me the teletarchs, at my right the sunoches, at my left the daimons; for about me flames the star of five and in the column the star of six is fixed. h for the iunges, teletarchs and sunoches see the chaldaan oracles and the secondary literature thereon. t.s] 13 [commentary by crowley on this chapter as printed in the second edition of the book

LOGOMACHY OF ZOS

past, the events masquerading as metaphor or allegory in an ideographic language. beware the demagogue with a plausible ideology for your betterment, he is a dangerous throwback, mass murder his weapon. so we are necessary, and necessitarians of a limitless necessarianism. things become only by making the necessity. gods, souls, bodies. anything will obtain, leveled to the necessitousness of the aspirant. art should show us the likeness we desire to know, the likeness we miss in our day-to-day seeing..it is true that it is untrue, that we cannot believe the unbelievable (i.e, the unrelatable. if i cannot relate to god, am i more than the fetishmaker? and can you say this is ungodly if all things are god? for all things being god and his will, he also determines the will of man and is also

MASTERING WITCHCRAFT

by dint of this, the ceremony concludes with the new initiate scourging his initiator with thrice as many blows as he himself received, namely, one hundred and twenty in all. he is then presented to the powers at the four quarters as a duly consecrated high priest and wizard, or high priestess and queen of the sabbat, whichever the case may be. in the second ritual, instead of the progress of the aspirant through the four elements, the myth of the goddess is implied, where the witch goddess andred, aradia, habondia, or whatever other name you may care to know her by, descends into the world of the dead somewhat like persephone in hades or ishtar in the realm of ereshkigal, and receives the scourge and fivefold kiss of the horned god of death and subsequent conferment of power. sometimes th

MEANING OF MASONRY

the materials for building the temple of the heavenly city. and so, as the sign peculiar to the degree suggests, he endeavours to examine and lay bare his heart, to cast away all impurity from it, and he stands, like joshua, praying that the light of day may be extended to him until he has accomplished the overthrow of his own inward enemies and of every obstacle to his complete development. the aspirant who attains proficiency in the work of self-perfecting to which the f.c. grade alludes, has passed away from the n. side of the lodge, the side of darkness and imperfection; and now stands on the s.e. side in the meridian sunlight of moral illumination (so far as the natural man may possess it, but yet still far removed from that fuller realization of himself and of the mysteries of his o

alsehood and dishonour" those imperfections of his own nature, that may delay his after-progress. no! the death to which masonry alludes, using the analogy of bodily death and under the veil of a reference to it, is that death-in -life to a man's own lower self which st. paul referred to when he protested" i die daily" it is over the grave, not of one's dead body but of one's lower self, that the aspirant must walk before attaining to the heights. what is meant is that complete self-sacrifice and self-crucifixion which, as all religions teach, are essential before the soul can be raised in glory" from a figurative death to a reunion with the companions of its former toils" both here and in the unseen world. the perfect cube must pass through the metamorphosis of the cross. the soul must vo

ower, raises the faithful and regenerated soul to union w ith itself in an embrace of reconciliation and at-one-ment. in all the schools of the mysteries, as well as in all the great religions of the world, the attainment of the spiritual goal just described is enacted or taught under the veil of a tragic episode analogous to that of our third degree; and in each there is a master whose death the aspirant is instructed he must imitate in his own person. in masonry that prototype is hiram abiff: but it must be made clear that there is no historical basis whatever for the legendary account of hiram's death. the entire story is symbolical and was purposely invented for the symbolical purposes of our teaching. if you examine it closely you will perceive how obvious the correspondence is betwee

the man whose initiation is not a conventional one find himself threatened at the door of the higher knowledge by opposing invisible forces if he rashly rushes forward in a state of moral unfitness into the deep secrets of the centre. better remain ignorant than embark upon this unknown sea unwisely and without being properly prepared and in possession of the proper passports. and eventually the aspirant, after these preliminary disciplines, has to learn the great truth embodied in the third degree; that he who would be raised to perfection and regain what he has long realized has been lost to himself, may do so only by utter self-abnegation, by a dying to all that to the eyes and the reason of the uninitiated outer world is precious and desirable. the third degree, brethren, is an exposi

life scheme be discerned; yet even these should be subordinate to the three chief qualifications, namely, faith in the possibility of attaining the end in view; hope, or a persistent fervent desire for its fulfilment; and finally an unbounded love which, seeking god in all men and all things, despite their outward appearances, and thinking no evil, gradually identifies the mind and nature of the aspirant with that ultimate good upon which his thought, desire and gaze should be persistently directed. it is important to note here that this enlargement of consciousness is in no way represented as being dependent upon intellectual attainments, learning or book-knowledge. these may be, and indeed are, lesser staves of the ladder of attainment; but they are not numbered among the principal ones

MICHAEL FORD WITCHMOON

and emergent thought patterns. dream control stems from the ability to understand the self and offer a power base within the subconscious. foundations of iron are most important. to create something strong one must use the highest quality of materials available. evolving a mental connection to the astral plane requires the most rigorous self-analysis. it is during this period of analysis that the aspirant becomes a 'solitary, shunning unnecessary contacts. the reason is that the mind and its magickal abilities are 21 21 strengthened in solitude, and the methods of will training in isolation are therefore the best companions. it is during this time that the sorcerer is able to further practice the methods of sorcery; chaos, thelemic and other methods of magick which will enable a strong tra

tice the methods of sorcery; chaos, thelemic and other methods of magick which will enable a strong transference into the astral world of vampiric sorcery. the individual will begin to learn and understand that all things in this world can be changed or adjusted to the warlock s will and that he/she is ultimately the master of their own destiny. an aspect of proper training techniques is that the aspirant takes to viewing and studying things normally disgusting to their own personal taste. there are objective but subtle reasons for this that will become clearer as they proceed. at the starting point, it is of the utmost significance that the individual focuses on understanding their own fears and pains, without these reasons necessarily being clear. it will however be seen at once that thi

MICHAEL WYNN THE SOUL TRAVELERS

ail. surely, this is an aspect of the occult that has kept the merely curious at bay. but there was something else about magic that violated and troubled my computer-like mind. magic's arbitrary nature. while reviewing medieval grimoires, one is struck by the countless strange requirements for a given spell. you have to say these incantations, at this time of year, facing that direction. a modern aspirant to the magical arts will find himself saying things like "the testicle of a wild bull! where the hell am i gonna get that" oh, but don't forget that you have to cut that bull's balls off at midnight, and only in february, or that spell is a big no-go. this may sound like an absurd exaggeration, unworthy of being included in an objective analysis of magic, but this is exactly the kind of s

MORALS AND DOGMA

ent. herodotus tells us that the temple of bal at babylon was a tower composed of seven towers, resting on an eighth that served as basis, and successively diminishing in size from the bottom to the top; and strabo tells us it was a pyramid. faber thinks that the mithriac _ladder_ was really a pyramid with seven stages, each provided with a narrow door or aperture, through each of which doors the aspirant passed, to reach the summit, and then descended through similar doors on the opposite side of the pyramid; the ascent and descent of the soul being thus represented. each mithriac cave and all the most ancient temples were intended to symbolize the universe, which itself was habitually called the temple and habitation of deity. every temple was the world in miniature; and so the whole wor

e ceremonies were performed at dead of night, generally in apartments under-ground, but sometimes in the centre of a vast pyramid, with every appliance that could alarm and excite the candidate. innumerable ceremonies, wild and romantic, dreadful and appalling, had by degrees been added to the few expressive symbols of primitive observances, under which there were instances in which the terrified aspirant actually expired with fear. the pyramids were probably used for the purposes of initiation, as were caverns, pagodas, and labyrinths; for the ceremonies required many apartments and cells, long passages and wells. in egypt a principal place for the mysteries was the island of phil on the nile, where a magnificent temple of osiris stood, and his relics were said to be preserved. with their

ishments. no one can be initiated, says suidas, until after he has proven, by the most terrible trials, that he possesses a virtuous soul, exempt from the sway of every passion, and at it were impassible. there were twelve principal tests; and some make the number larger. the trials of the eleusinian initiations were not so terrible; but they were severe; and the suspense, above all, in which the aspirant was kept for several years [the memory of which is retained in masonry by the _ages_ of those of the different degrees, or the interval between admission to the _inferior_ and initiation in the _great_ mysteries, was a species of torture to the curiosity which it was desired to excite. thus the egyptian priests tried pythagoras before admitting him to know the secrets of the sacred scienc

n; and raw flesh was distributed to the initiates, which each ate, in memory of the death of the deity, torn in pieces by the titans. these mysteries also were celebrated at the vernal equinox; and the emblem of generation, to express the active energy and generative power of the divinity, was a principal symbol. the initiates wore garlands and crowns of myrtle and laurel. in these mysteries, the aspirant was kept in terror and darkness to perform the three days and nights; and was then made [greek: a?a??s, or ceremony representing the death of bakchos, the same mythological personage with osiris. this was effected by confining him in a close cell, that he might seriously reflect, in solitude and darkness, on the business he was engaged in: and his mind be prepared for the reception of the

a symbolic death; the deliverance from it, regeneration; after which he was called [greek: d] or twin-born. while confined in the cell, the pursuit of typhon after the mangled body of osiris, and the search of rhea or isis for the same, were enacted in his hearing; the initiated crying aloud the names of that deity derived from the sanscrit. then it was announced that the body was found; and the aspirant was liberated amid shouts of joy and exultation. then he passed through a representation of hell and elysium "then" said an ancient writer "they are entertained with hymns and dances, with the sublime doctrines of sacred knowledge, and with wonderful and holy visions. and now become perfect and initiated, they are free, and no longer under restraint; but, crowned and triumphant, they walk

MOTTA MARCELO THE COMMENTARIES OF AL

magus of the aeon in which he lives (which fortunately is absurd, although they are always trying, mankind might very well go the way of the dinosaur and other extinct species. which is not about to happen, by any means. we are at war, certainly, and under atomic threat, certainly. better this than the stagnation that certain well intentioned fools would call 'peace! from the point of view of the aspirant, what is the fundamental difference between the formula of the fools and that of the gods? the gods crossed the abyss; they are perfect. see verse 45 "the perfect and the perfect are one perfect and not two; nay, are none" that is, they are the "fool of god" zero. with a true god you achieve samadhi, union; with a false god, one of the "fools" a 'black brother' you are enticed or ordered

students to interpret. 16. for he is ever a sun, and she a moon. but to him is the winged secret flame, and to her the stooping starlight. a. c "was inclined to believe" that "the beast" and "the scarlet woman" are titles of office rather than persons. whether this is true or not, speculation as to the secret meaning of this verse may lead to disaster. it is obvious that it is a temptation for an aspirant's vanity to fancy himself as "the next beast' or herself as "the scarlet woman. there has been, in the last 65 years, a painful abundance of self- deluded disciples who fancied themselves as such. it must be stated here that either office is neither easy nor pleasing to anyone's ego, and that those who seriously aspire to become "beast" or "scarlet woman" are more to be laughed at than en

ses 11 and 45 of this chapter. 18. burn upon their brows, o splendrous serpent! in them, kundalini must have reached the ajna. 19. 0 azure-lidded woman, bend upon them! the eternal sakhti (nuit) must activate the sahashara in them, attracted by the awakening of the ajna. 20. the key of the rituals is in the secret word which i have given unto him. this word is communicated directly to any serious aspirant when needed. 21. with the god& the adorer i am nothing: they do not see me. they are as upon the earth; i am heaven, and there is no other god than me, and my lord hadit. samadhi with any god is not the ultimate trance. the ultimate trance is the union of nuit and hadit. that is why over the head of ra-hoor-khuit in the stele, kundalini has reached the sahashara, and is radiating into emp

im by a secret name which i will give him when at last he knoweth me. since i am infinite space, and the infinite stars thereof, do ye also thus. bind nothing! let there be no difference made among you between any one thing& any other thing; for thereby there cometh hurt. in a. c 's case, this secret name of nuit was babalon. see liber 333, chapter 49, and the commentary thereof. however, to each aspirant to her love she gives a secret name when at last he knows her. see liber nv, and verse 60 of this chapter. nevertheless, the name given to 666 is of generic importance to all thelemites, because of his office as prophet. that name is, therefore, the seal of the a and restriction to choronzon. see liber 156, and liber 418, the tenth aethyr. 23. but whoso availeth in this, let him be the ch

s; that men speak not of thee as one but as none; and let them speak not of thee at all, since thou art continuous! there are several secret meanings, all of a technical nature, in this passage; it is unnecessary to dwell on them, since they become clear to earnest seekers during training. one thing, however, is better said here, and has to do with the vampire. at some time during his career, the aspirant will meet a woman who will either insinuate to him, or he will by his own vanity be led to believe, is nuit incarnate. now, the key to the ordeal, and its difficulty, is that all women are, in a sense, incarnations of nuit. but no woman is, or can ever be, nuit in a finite sense. the drop of sea water is of the nature of the ocean, but it is not the ocean. nevertheless, one can certainly

MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS E

divinity into rome. the nemoralia, or grove festivals, were celebrated in her honour on the 13th of august, on the lacus nemorensis, or forest-buried lake, near aricia. the priest who officiated in her temple on this spot, was always a fugitive slave, who had gained his office by murdering his predecessor, and hence was constantly armed, in order that he might thus be prepared to encounter a new aspirant. hephastus (vulcan. hephastus, the son of zeus and hera, was the god of fire in its beneficial aspect, and the presiding deity over all workmanship accomplished by means of this useful element. he was universally honoured, not only as the [98]god of all mechanical arts, but also as a house and hearth divinity, who exercised a beneficial influence on civilized society in general. unlike th

ONYX TABLET OF SET

aspirants have attained the *highest of life* only through diligent, hard work. only through personal effort, personal destiny, and the hand of set does an adept ever become a priest or priestess. were there another way, the temple would be- instead of a fellowship of left-hand path elites- just another club, chock-full of cardcarrying couch-magicians. how do we know that xeper works, or that an aspirant really has become something he was not? look at yourself in the mirror. if you find this uncomfortable, so much the better. the truth of becoming is the manifest being. the "job" of becoming something you were not before is yours alone. truly others before you have blazed trails. some have even been iconoclastic in their self-delivery and [re]manifestation of the gift. so the priesthood o

REGARDIE ISRAEL THE COMPLETE GOLDEN DAWN

. quit the night and seek the day" to the <36> transfiguration in the vault ceremony, the whole system has as its objective the bringing down of the light. for it is by that light that the golden banner of the inner life may be exalted; it is in light where lies healing and the power of growth. some vague intimation of the power and splendour of that glory is first given to the 24 the golden dawn aspirant in the neophyte grade when, rising from his knees at the close of the invocation, the light is formulated above his head in the symbol of the white triangle by the union of the implements of the three chief officers. by means of the adeptus minor ritual, which identifies him with the chief officer, he is slain as though by the destructive force of his lower self. after being symbolically

minds. thus when the hierophant leaves the throne of the east, he represents that higher self inaction, and as osiris marks the active descent of the supernal splendour. for he says, as he leaves the dais with wand uplifted "i come in the power of the light. i come in the light of wisdom. i come in the mercy of the light. the light hath healing inits wings <46> and having brought the light to the aspirant, he returns to his throne, as though that divine genius of whom he is the symbol awaited the deliberate willing return of the aspirant himself to the everlasting abode of the light. 28 the golden dawn even in the communication of the usual claptrap of secret societies, the signs and grips, all these are explained solely in terms of the quest for the light. also the various groupings of of

essary one chaos is to be transcended. from of light, for it is always from the rubbish 32 the golden dawn <56> manifestation of god-head. these symbols have a dual reference. not only do they refer to the epochs of creative evolution whose memory has long since faded even from the visible memory of nature, but also to the recapitulations of these periods within personal progress on the path "the aspirant on the threshold of initiation" observes crowley very aptly "finds himself assailed by the 'complexes' which have corrupted him, their externalisation excruciating him, and his agonised reluctance to their elimination plunging him into such ordeals that he seems (both to himself and to others) to have turned from a noble and upright man into an unutterable scoundrel" these are the experie

on" observes crowley very aptly "finds himself assailed by the 'complexes' which have corrupted him, their externalisation excruciating him, and his agonised reluctance to their elimination plunging him into such ordeals that he seems (both to himself and to others) to have turned from a noble and upright man into an unutterable scoundrel" these are the experiences and events which occur to every aspirant when initiation forces the realisation upon him that "all is sorrow" in fact, it is my belief that the criterion or hall mark of successful initiation is the occurrence of these or similar experiences. the whole universe, under the stimulation of the magical elements and inward analysis, seems to tumble like a pack of cards crazily about one's feet. this is the solve half of the alchemica

i will not abuse the great power entrusted to me" the preface to the assumption of the obligation is under these circumstances a tremendously impressive occurrence, and few could fail to be even faintly moved by it. it consists of an invocation of an angelic power "in the divine name iao, i invoke thee thou great avenging angel hua, that thou mayest invisibly place thy hand upon the head of this aspirant in attestation of his obligation" it is not difficult to realise that this is a critical and important phase of the ceremony. during this obligation, because of the symbolism attached to it and because of the active aspiration which is induced at this juncture, illumination <69> may quite easily occur. in one of the documents describing certain effects ensuing from this initiation, one of

RITUALS OF THE SOCIETAS ROSICRUCIANIS IN ANGLIA

ry, byinvestigating alchemy, astrology and astronomy, etc. at the climax of the philosophus ceremony,the initiate sees gualdi return to life 226 the hymn which is sung at this point giving some telling cluesrituals of the societas rosicrucianis in angliaforeword3 as to the real nature of the "elixir vitae"alex sumner.rituals of the societas rosicrucianis in angliaforeword4 zelatorfirst sectionthe aspirant in the preparation room, retains his citizen222s dress, but uncovered. over his head andface is thrown a light scarlet veil. the conductor of novices is robed in black with a cowl on hishead, and taking the left arm of the aspirant approaches the door leading from the porch into thesacred hall; while the two heralds stand one on each side of the entrance.conductor of novices:i will go unt

scarlet veil. the conductor of novices is robed in black with a cowl on hishead, and taking the left arm of the aspirant approaches the door leading from the porch into thesacred hall; while the two heralds stand one on each side of the entrance.conductor of novices:i will go unto the altar of god.the first heraldmeeting them at the entrance: to god who giveth joy to my heart.the entrance of the aspirant into the sacred hall is now made in the following order:first herald and second herald, then conductor of novices and aspirant and finally torch bearer.five circuits of the sacred hall are made, with the course of the sun, which the fraters and officersare standing, and the following ode is sung:ere god the universe began, in one rude heap all matter laywhich wild disorder over-ran, nor k

reigns, and native innocence regains.here crystal fountains flow, here naught that222s vile can enter inthe tree of knowledge here doth grow, whose fruit we taste, yet free from sinwhile sweet friendship does aboundand guardian angels hover round.at the close of the ode, the procession halts in front of the suffragan in the west.suffragan: brother conductor of novices, what is the desire of this aspirant?zelator5 conductor of novices:he desires to proceed from darkness into the pure light of knowledge, to learn the secrets anddoctrines of nature, and discern the wondrous principles by which the universe is governed.suffragan:my brother, your desire is laudable, but we are mortal like yourself, why come to us?conductor of novices: because he believes that among you are practiced many great

wisdom. ourobjects are fraternal aid and encouragement in working out the great problem of life, in theadvancement of science, in the propagation of knowledge and in the diffusion of that gloriousacclamation "glory to god in the highest and on earth, peace, good-will toward men."my brother, of your faith we are assured, but of your zeal, i demand proof.conductor of novices: i am instructed by the aspirant to say in his behalf that he is ignorant of much pertaining to god, tonature and himself; that he is surrounded with spiritual doubt and darkness; that his search is just andsincere. he desires, he beseeches to be received.suffragan: you have spoken wisely. a brave heart may seek anything pure of the pure. zeal in an exaltedpurpose is most commendable, and with it faith can remove mountai

onature and himself; that he is surrounded with spiritual doubt and darkness; that his search is just andsincere. he desires, he beseeches to be received.suffragan: you have spoken wisely. a brave heart may seek anything pure of the pure. zeal in an exaltedpurpose is most commendable, and with it faith can remove mountains. prepare then to undergo theelementary tests requires by our order.let the aspirant be conducted to the gate of life, and there be unfolded to him the elementary tests,and primary secrets of nature and truth.the aspirant, with the attendants, pass towards the north, then southward to the front of the 1stancient, who places a little clean earth on his lips.1st ancient: and the voice of the first ancient was heard, saying "hearken ye aspirant. death is the gate oflife, fea

RUBY TABLET OF SET

g about the aon of harwer. the book of coming forth by night contains references to and explanations of the magus aleister crowley so we need not go into a detailed account of him here. in forming what the magus crowley referred to as "the structure and system of the great white brotherhood"(5) he divided his system into three orders and eleven grades, plus a designation of "student" in which the aspirant was to gain a varied knowledge from a number of recommended volumes [compare his with our reading list for the temple of set] the probationer (0=[0] occupied the bottom of magus crowley's first division "the order of the golden dawn" this, along with the neophyte (1=[10, the zelator (2=[9, the practicus (3=[8, and the philosophus (4=[7, is described in both the degrees of initiation in th

egardie, i. 5. magick in theory and practice, crowley, a (9=[2] 6. letter to m. aquino vi from bill heidrick of the california o.t.o, march 8, 1981 ce. aeonic topics true will working this ritual was designed to provide initiates with a tool with which to seek greater clarity on and understanding of their inner destinies as individual black magicians. the self-unifying purpose at the core of each aspirant's being gives meaning and direction to the individual's classification: v2- a15.2- 1 author: john j. felczak iii date: september 28, xxvi html revision: oct 07, 1997 ce subject: thelema reading list: life, both magical and mundane. to know this purpose and focus one's thoughts, words, and deeds towards its accomplishment is to gain control of one's life, with the calm sense of inner certa

f a diary or journal, which enables us to begin to discern the fundamental pattern of our life as it develops through time. ritual can also aid immensely in this journey within. the grimoires of olden time, such as the book of the sacred magic of abramelin the mage, often prescribed magical retreats or retirements as times of preparation for the mighty works of sorcery. these were times where the aspirant isolated himself from profane concerns and devoted himself exclusively to intense self-examination, contemplation, and frequent and fervent ceremonial invocation of his higher genius. following the guidelines set down by abramelin, aleister crowley used as his specific invocation ritual an adapted form of a hellenistic graeco-egyptian rite of exorcism. this beautiful but exceedingly compl

everyone else has a rifle- crowley, magick, page #332. 47. here there is a paradox. to become a magister templi, an individual is told to destroy his capacity for logical thought, i.e: his ability to draw deductive or inductive conclusions from the phenomena of the objective universe. since it is precisely this capacity that produces the "mirror in which the self may be seen (cogito ergo sum, the aspirant is invited to obliterate just what it is that enables him to perceive himself as a unique entity. theoretically he is "reconstructed by the gods in a perfect form- an ideal "self. herein lies the heart of the paradox: it is that an independent will, capable of perceiving itself in contrast to the objective universe, cannot be entirely a product of forces derivative of that universe [see b

anings. it is each magician's task to comprehend truth (ma'at) and to become it. to consider undertaking the changes and creation that are necessary within the being to xeper and to create xem, it is most important to seriously consider all the implications. xem shall require a great amount of zealousness, of magical work, of self-discipline, of selfinspection, and no compromise. it is up to each aspirant to determine their own willingness and readiness to meet the challenge of entering xem. once begun, there is no going back, for it is a new dimension of being that is initiated. to begin and then to turn back, the aspirant will lose all that has been gained and worse yet, that which was gained will become as a malignancy against which there is no cure. it must be further understood that w

SCHLAGER NEIL WORLD RELIGIONS REFERENCE LIBRARY

gment. fickle: likely to change. fletcher: arrow maker. dominion: control, authority. world religions: primary sources 169 the dhammapada 35. the mind is unstable and flighty. it wanders wherever it desires. therefore it is good to control the mind. a disciplined mind brings happiness. 36. the mind is incomprehensible and exceedingly subtle. it wanders wherever it desires. therefore, let the wise aspirant watch over the mind. a well-guarded mind brings happiness. 37. those who control the mind which wanders afar, solitary, incorporeal, and which resides in the inner cavern (of the heart, will liberate themselves from the shackles of mara. 38. he whose mind is not steady, who is ignorant of the true dhamma, whose tranquility is ruffled, the wisdom of such a man does not come to fullness. 39

uffering. having myself recognized this, i proclaimed this path which removes all thorns. 276. you yourself must make the effort. the tathagatas (buddhas) can only point the way. those who have entered the path and become meditative are freed from the fetters of mara. flighty: changing constantly. incomprehensible: beyond understanding. subtle: complex, capable of understanding small differences. aspirant: someone who wants to achieve something. incorporeal: without a body. dhamma: the teachings of buddhism. ruffled: disturbed. defiled: damaged, polluted. devoid: missing, lacking in. dichotomy: division into two widely different things. vigilant: watchful, cautious, on one s guard. corporeal: physical. citadel: fortress, castle. attachment: a feeling of closeness, an emotional tie or bond

SEVEN SHADES OF SOLITUDE

o is perpetually overcome in the ordeals of initiation. it may also be seen to reside under the auspices of the witch-father called qinaya habil-zhiva, he who is known as the resurrector of abel, who watches over all such deeds that succeed in the transmutation of will through self-sacrifice. the gifts bestowed at this station of the soul are numerous and it is within this hermitage that any true aspirant must secure himself in introspective contemplation if he is truly to comprehend the orientations and dispositions of his own nature. by abiding long hours in the companie of this solitude one may find the wellspring of the magical power within oneself. by actively sojourning there, in the very ebb and flow of the current within, the voice of oracles may be heard from the depths, the visio

SIR EDWARD BULWER LYTTON ZANONI A ROSICRUCIAN TALE

nd the mirth of spring. man's common existence is as one year to the vegetable world: he has his spring, his summer, his autumn, and winter, but only once. but the giant oaks round him go through a revolving series of verdure and youth, and the green of the centenarian is as vivid in the beams of may as that of the sapling by its side "mine shall be your spring, but not your winter" exclaimed the aspirant. wrapped in these sanguine and joyous reveries, glyndon, quitting the woods, found himself amidst cultivated fields and vineyards to which his footstep had not before wandered; and there stood, by the skirts of a green lane that reminded him of verdant england, a modest house, half cottage, half farm. the door was open, and he saw a girl at work with her distaff. she looked up, uttered a

raph thou couldst soar not from the slough of thy mortality. thy desire for knowledge, but petulant presumption; thy thirst for happiness, but the diseased longing for the unclean and muddied waters of corporeal pleasure; thy very love, which usually elevates even the mean, a passion that calculates treason amidst the first glow of lust. thou one of us; thou a brother of the august order; thou an aspirant to the stars that shine in the shemaia of the chaldean lore! the eagle can raise but the eaglet to the sun. i abandon thee to thy twilight "but, alas for thee, disobedient and profane! thou hast inhaled the elixir; thou hast attracted to thy presence a ghastly and remorseless foe. thou thyself must exorcise the phantom thou hast raised. thou must return to the world; but not without punis

ch they tempt, and the horror they engender. dread them most when thou beholdest them not. and thus, son of the worm, we part! all that i can tell thee to encourage, yet to warn and to guide, i have told thee in these lines. not from me, from thyself has come the gloomy trial from which i yet trust thou wilt emerge into peace. type of the knowledge that i serve, i withhold no lesson from the pure aspirant; i am a dark enigma to the general seeker. as man's only indestructible possession is his memory, so it is not in mine art to crumble into matter the immaterial thoughts that have sprung up within thy breast. the tyro might shatter this castle to the dust, and topple down the mountain to the plain. the master has no power to say 'exist no more' to one thought that his knowledge has inspir

rent of my thought. i sprang forward, and cried"'imposter or fiend, we meet at last "the figure rose as i advanced, and, unmasking, showed the features of mejnour. his fixed eye, his majestic aspect, awed and repelled me. i stood rooted to the ground"'yes' he said solemnly 'we meet, and it is this meeting that i have sought. how hast thou followed my admonitions! are these the scenes in which the aspirant for the serene science thinks to escape the ghastly enemy? do the thoughts thou hast uttered thoughts that would strike all order from the universe express the hopes of the sage who would rise to the harmony of the eternal spheres"'it is thy fault, it is thine' i exclaimed 'exorcise the phantom! take the haunting terror from my soul "mejnour looked at me a moment with a cold and cynical d

d him, so changed were his gloomy brow, his resolute, careworn features, from the graceful form and careless countenance of the artist-lover. his dress, though not mean, was rude, neglected, and disordered. a wild, desperate, half-savage air had supplanted that ingenuous mien, diffident in its grace, earnest in its diffidence, which had once characterised the young worshipper of art, the dreaming aspirant after some starrier lore "is it you" she said at last "poor clarence, how changed "changed" he said abruptly, as he placed himself by her side "and whom am i to thank, but the fiends the sorcerers who have seized upon thy existence, as upon mine? viola, hear me. a few weeks since the news reached me that you were in venice. under other pretences, and through innumerable dangers, i have co

STEINER RUDOLF CHRISTIANITY AS MYSTICAL FACT

hat were in existence well before the time of christian origins.153 the essenes were one of the sects active in palestine. they were of a closed nature and with an estimated membership at the time of christ of around four thousand. they formed a community, whose members were directed to lead a life suited to the development of the higher self within their souls, and so to achieve rebirth. 154 the aspirant was subjected to stringent tests in order to establish whether or not he was sufficiently mature to make himself ready for the higher life. on being accepted, he had to spend a period as a probationer, and to swear a solemn oath not to reveal to outsiders the secrets of their discipline. jesus in his historical setting 141 community life itself was devoted to the crushing of humanity s lo

TECHNICIANS GUIDE TO THE LEFT HAND PATH

, and what is to be, of your future actions. it is an inner vision that must be articulated in order to take form, many times this form is symbolic, or follows a symbolic methodology. exploring life and its events have become symbols revealing the existence of a further dimension to existence by symbolic representation. by understanding, in a symbolic sense, an entire universe is opened up to the aspirant. but, the vision must be the result of doing those things which make the higher consciousness state of man possible. nothing of significance will just happen on its own in the lhp, everything is the result of doing. the "birthed self" is conscious, it moves along in its events with some degree of control, made possible by the choices inherent within each circumstance. but, there is no rea

our consciousness, but is yet unique and separate to it. here it begins, and as one searches inward towards the source of that, there is an ever increasing manifestation of creation extending outward from that search as its treasures are discovered. the path will not come to you, you must go to it, awake and prepared, this is why there are schools. chapter 3. the time to wake up..it is up to each aspirant to determine their own willingness and readiness to meet the challenge of entering xem. once begun there is no going back for it is a new dimension of being that is initiated. to begin and then to turn back, the aspirant will lose all that has been gained and worse yet, that which was gained will become as a malignancy against which there is no cure" from- the book of opening the way the

THE BLACK LODGE

ns" and thus do they attempt to protect the consciousness of the cave dweller, the troglodyte which they have been protecting for millions of years. when we attempt to raise our consciousness above the evolutionary "norm (which these "demoniac forces" represent) we incur the automatic "instinctual, response of censure from these complexes or entities. put another way (for it is essential that the aspirant come to understand this key concept) when the aspirant vibrates on the spiritual planes, and calls the attention of the hierophant (or hierophants, immediately it is reflected into all the other planes, and sets moving the forces needed for the psychosomatic dissolution and reorganization of the candidate. when any human aspires to the path of the wise at once the infernal forces are acti

bs who serve the logos (see the seal of the order of thelema; and to the four great princes of the demoniac world, whose obligation it is to serve the adept (cf the sacred magic of abramelin the mage and liber viii for more on this subject. when any human being truly aspires to the path of the wise, the infernal forces are activated to tempt- read test- the candidate along the planes on which the aspirant has consciousness and volition, no matter how undeveloped they may be, the act of aspiring itself is irrevocable. there is no turning back. thus it is said that a magickal oath truly taken can never be broken. when aspiration is not pure, the process may be temporarily activated in one or two planes; but this innervation will cease once the energy that stirred things runs out. many are th

s irrevocable. there is no turning back. thus it is said that a magickal oath truly taken can never be broken. when aspiration is not pure, the process may be temporarily activated in one or two planes; but this innervation will cease once the energy that stirred things runs out. many are the energies that can activate this process. not the least common of these is sexual attraction to some other aspirant (this is also one reason that aspirants in the a .a. are required to work alone) once that attraction has been sated and the energy of that attraction fades so does the aspiration. candidates of this type work strenuously for a while and then suddenly they become inactive or disruptive. with this type of candidate you will find them after a few years totally uninterested in initiation or

re such that they can only really be understood by masters of the temple of the a .a, and therefore we will not further discuss the subject here. the work of the black lodge shows itself under these main aspects: they incite hierarchic indiscipline in aspirants. we cannot insist too much on the point that the whole process, once aspiration is formulated, becomes automatic. let us suppose that the aspirant, man or woman, becomes linked to a true initiatic order. his or her vehicles are immediately dynamized and encouraged to expand. at the same time, he or she must obey a guru, or a hierarchic superior. beginners on the way, simultaneously exalted by the magick current of the order or by the guru s aura, and subjected to agitation of all their faculties, will experience impulses of vanity

is that the demoniac forces, stimulated in the disciple s vehicles, are organizing a defense system against the impact of the master s, or the order s influence. the psychosoma of the disciple is under attack, and tries to defend itself. the situation becomes more difficult since this defense mechanism is a legitimate process: the purpose of the master (or of the order) is to kill the ego of the aspirant, so the phoenix (symbol of a higher stage of consciousness) may be reborn from those ashes. every step is a death and a birth. it is not the master who dies and resurrects in the initiatic process- as we have already remarked, at least in theory he or she has already got a diploma- but the pupil. the demonic influences are, then, manifesting themselves precisely to protect the ego of the

THE BOOK OF PLEASURE

s to whether it is hidden, except by the strata of your experience and atmospheres of your belief. the pertinent question now proposed by "thee" should be asked by those desirous of some measure of genius. my answer like the mighty germ is in agreement with the universe, simple and full of deep import and for a time extremely objectionable to your ideas of good and beauty. listen, attentively, o! aspirant, all agog for information, to my answer, for by living the meaning thou shalt truly be freed from the bondage of constitutional ignorance. thou must live it thyself; i cannot live it for thee. the chief cause of genius is realization or "i" by an emotion that allows the lightning assimilation of what is perceived. this emotion is immoral in that it allows free association of knowledge wit

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL 1

the tests, and he fallen into the abyss of matter. if, however, the initiate had resisted the seductress, 12 neocoros would enter the room to lead him in triumph into the sanctuary of isis, where the priests awaited him beneath a massive statue of the goddess. beneath this representation of isis, a gold rose at her breast, wearing a crown of seven rays, and holding her son horus in her arms, the aspirant would take oaths of silence and submission as a disciple of isis. from that day forward, he would be a recipient of the mysteries of isis. m delving deeper brandon, s. g. f. religion in ancient history. new york: charles scribner s sons, 1969. imel, martha ann, and dorothy myers. goddesses in world mythology. new york: oxford university press, 1995. schure, edouard. the great initiates. n

and cults death or lord of the west, referring to his mastery over all those who had traveled west into the sunset of death. an initiate into the cult would be led at dusk into the lower crypt of the temple by four priests carrying torches. in a corner of the crypt was an open marble sarcophagus supported by four pillars placed upon four sphinxes. the chief priest of the mystery would advise the aspirant that no man could ever escape death, but every soul who died was also destined to be resurrected and to receive life anew. those who would be a priest of osiris must enter the tomb alive and await his light. he must spend the night in the coffin and enter through the door of fear to achieve mastery. the initiate would lie down in the open sarcophagus and be left alone in the crypt. the pr

THE MIDDLE PILLAR

self a microcosm of the macrocosm,2 a reflection of the universe, a world within himself, ruled and governed by his own divinity, can he escape from the wheel. it is the achievement of this one realization which all schools of mysticism, magic, and various forms of occult teachng refer to as the great work.3 the great work is not accomplished overnight, or even in one lifetime. but the sooner the aspirant undertakes the task, the sooner will it be finished, and the quicker will he be released from the cycle of necessity, the wheel of evolution to which common humanity is bound. millions of years may pass in the normal process of evolution before the mass of mankind will reach the state of freedom whch those few individuals who apply themselves to this work can accomplish in a fraction of t

so-called banishng ritual of the pentagrams is a vital techruque designed to eliminate undesirable elements from the psychc sphere, and thus to permit the process of consciousness expansion to proceed without harm or hndrance. the use of the archaic exercise referred to as the middle pillar will increase the field of attention, aid in the achievement of balance and equilibrium, and unfold to the aspirant a completely new and remarkable sphere of power and spiritual perception. v i i iin troductiotno the seconedd ition every techruque of magic is intended in various ways to widen the field of vision of the conscious ego to the deeper, more spiritual aspects of the divine nature-which, in reality, is his true or higher self. of the numerous techruques available in the vast armamentarium of

tten to act as a definitive exposition of what magic really is. inasmuch as something of the nature of modern psychology is at least partially understood by a fair section of the educated world, were it said that magic is akin to and concerns itself with that same subjective realm of psychology, some notion of its character and objectives come within hailing distance. so far as the average man or aspirant to magic is concerned, unquestionably the analytic technique should comprise the first stage of the routine employed in spiritual development. for until one understands himself according to that peculiarly penetrating light which psychology has thrown upon our motives, he cannot hope to bring effectively into operation the dormant side of his nature. and lest anyone casually dismiss this

n. it is eternal truth, wisdom, and love. it is light and life. this is what you should imagine flowing freely through every pore of your body and mind. regular practice of this exercise is designed to bring the student to a hgh level of divine consciousness. every aspect of mystical experience and knowledge may be brought fully into play during this meditation. although it is an extension of the aspirant's earlier work, this meditation is designed to bring about a true realization concerning the infinity of the eternal spirit and the complete fulfillment of the divine within. many of these exercises require that the student lie on the floor to get the maximum benefit. however, as one relaxes and lets go of all tension, there is always the possibility of falling asleep. this is not a probl

his method is based on a type of behavior modification therapy. keep in mind that there is nothing moralistic in this procedure. the student who undertakes this practice is not "avoiding (bad) vices in favor of (good) virtues" the point is to strengthen the will, which in and of itself is neither good nor bad. ths exercise is a disciplinary vow that a certain habitual action will be denied by the aspirant. in order to perform this techruque properly, the student should deliberately set a goal which is not in any way connected with a "bad" habit, such as smoking, swearing, or drinking. an impersonal and guilt-free attitude of detachment should be maintained. the aspirant should select a personal idiosyncrasy such as tapping the foot to music, saying a certain word, or crossing the legs when

THE STAR IN THE WEST BY CAPTAIN FULLER A CRITICAL ESSAY ON THE WORKS OF ALEISTER CROWLEY

y darkness purified and sanctified, to soar resplendent into the sunny realms of the higher self; nor did he rest, but entranced in the immensity of hope, rushing on, whirling through the abyss of time and space, he ultimately lost self in the rapture of nirvana. again, in others so subtle is the psychology of sense that this hysterical clinging to the chaste often reacts, hurling its unfortunate aspirant into the arms of lubentina. the lust after god and the lust after man are near akin. a woman crossed in love and debarred from enjoying the sweet embraces of her lover, will embrace in his stead the sour feet of her god. similarly, magdalene, having passionately sought love, and having lost the skein of her desires in the labyrinthine byways of lust, threw her weeping form at the feet of

ly be realized by following the noble eightfold path. this intimate connection between sorrow and desire, as we have seen, is vividly described by crowley in many of his poems. in gthe nameless quest h we find the yearning gfor one beyond all song. h *the temple of the holy ghost, vol. i, p. 189. in gthe triumph of man h we again find the same idea crystallized, but in gthe ultimate voyage, h the aspirant, on his spiritual journey towards the supreme knowledge, at one point on his journey all but attains nirvana. in many other poems do we find this idea of nirvana. in gwhy jesus wept h we have: thy flower-life is shed into eternity, a waveless lake *why jesus wept, vol. iii, p. 41. which reminds us of sir edwin arnold fs: om, mani padme, om! the dewdrop slips into the shining sea! again, i

gh marsh and mire, down dale and o fer hill, deep through the frozen forest, and the broad sun-scorched plain, over seas and oceans, over continents, and worlds, far, far through universes and systems, past stars, past comets and suns, deep into the depths of unutterable mystery; and there through the aons midst, the birth of worlds, in the very womb of time sunk on some fleeting asteroid, is the aspirant, go hope! o hope! where hast thou led me, ever near me, never with me? h gon, on, o weary one, past man, past gods, on, on to the rim of time h: then from the parched lips bursts the echoing cry, gagnosco, agnosco. h the hyperbola of time, the parabola of infinity, lie far to the north in the hyperborean regions of the unknowable. knowledge is but a ring smitten into the face of the water

d in the west by magic. gthus east and west from a to z agree c h* in the east, by an entirely artificial and scientific method, in the west by a stimulation and sudden outflowing of the poetic faculty. the east, we may take it, is almost entirely static; whilst the west is wholly dynamic. yet their methods, whatever they may be, ultimately harmonize (as everything ultimately must do, leading the aspirant through various stages of illuminism, till he stands out from the illusions of his birth, and becomes one with that higher glow of glory in exalted states of ecstasy or samadhi *pentecost, vol. ii, p. 173. crowleyanity has now led us through the realms of sceptical idealism, in which rationalism has been found completely wanting as a constructive force, and through which we have travelled

are. their nature know! act! nor for faith nor folly turn! the hour is nigh when man and wife, knowing, shall worship face to face, beget and bear the royal race *gargoyles, vol. iii, pp. 85, 86. this is the divine union of the active y with the passive hwh formulating tetragrammaton, and of the c descending upon the hwhy formulating christ* it is the old story of devaki or of mary, in which the aspirant falling into an ecstatic state, is visited by the divine essence; in the one case under the form of mahadeva, in the other under that of the holy spirit; and losing consciousness of all worldliness, in a boundless bliss the divine child is conceived *similarly with one voice eckart and tauler, ruysbroek and suso exclaim: garise, o man! realize the end of thy being: make room for god withi

THOUGHTS ON SETH

cs and information theory, and indeed any of the esoteric sciences especially the dangerous ones, like nuclear physics. seth does represent darkness of course, but seth is also aiwass/prometheus, the "spark" in the darkness, the "black flame" of intelligence and will. this is indicated by the white triangle on the black ground that is the badge of the heirus. seth gives the grips and words to the aspirant, the symbolic secrets of the gods. seth gives power, including ethical power, the power to choose one's will, to "do that, and no other shall say nay" seth has a very luciferian aspect (i believe there are luciferian aspects to high degree scottish masonry) seth is the bringer of intelligence, and by personifying the darkness, he is the avatar of the knowledge of the good and evil; withou

TYSON DONALD NEW MILLENNIUM MAGIC

s will become dry. you will swallow, you will shift about in your seat. small noises will soon be magnified into thunder. your mind will race like an engine out of control. and any time you focus your attention on these matters you will be turning away from the voice of your guardian. the grimoires and the sacred texts of christian mysticism and the kabbalah lay down various harsh regimes for the aspirant who wishes to attain the conver- sation of the guardian angel. to become inwardly still requires that the seeker set aside the world and, in effect, become a holy person totally dedicated to the light, for a time at least. all forms of stimulation must be avoided, even those seemingly harmless, because they distract the mind from truth. you may not wish to hear that the only way you can o

TYSON DONALD SOUL FLIGHT

the tree that was occultly linked in the golden dawn system with the astrological sun and with the messiah, resulting in a significant degree of spiritual enlightenment (see the illustration in chapter 13. aleister crowley was an enthusiastic advocate of both pathworking and rising on the planes, and emphasized the importance of these techniques in his 1929 work magick in theory and practice "the aspirant should remember that he is a microcosm. he should make it his daily practice to travel on the astral plane, taking in turn each of the most synthetic sections, the sephiroth and the paths. these being thoroughly understood, and an angel in each pledged to guard or to guide him at need, he should start on a new series of expeditions to explore the subordinate sections of each. he may then

gain and again. at first, it is likely to be fragmented or vague, too much for your mind to comprehend, and a confusion of sounds and colors. indeed, theosophists describe the first perception of the astral world as nothing but vaguely defined forms. the tibetan sage who instructed alice a. bailey wrote that "the appearance of the astral plane when first definitely seen by the 'opened eye' of the aspirant is one of dense fog, confusion, changing forms, interpenetrating and intermingling colors, and is of such a kaleidoscopic appearance that the hopelessness of the enterprise seems overwhelming. it is not light, or starry or clear. it is apparently impenetrable disorder, for it is the meeting ground of forces."236 this description exaggerates the experience of most astral travelers, who fin

WESTERN MANDALAS OF TRANSFORMATION SR AL

is given in the book, meditations on the tarot (1991) by valentin tomberg (who here calls himself anonymous, in his reflection on the temperance key(#14. it is truly an inspirational chapter where he explains, from a hermetic point of view, the functions of the h. g. a: to guard, cherish, protect, visit and defend. there are many other excellent books on angels available today that can deepen the aspirant's relationship with his or her h. g. a. this is an age in which humankind is being visited by angelic beings in a way perhaps never known in recorded history. these techniques for forming a telesmatic image of an angelic figure can be successfully used with any angel or archangel. although there are other color scales. in the golden dawn tradition there are four, which correspond to the f

mations of dr. case was the one corresponding to chesed on the tree of life, from his famous "pattern on the trestle board (a complete copy of which can be found in his true and invisible rosicrucian order, p. 158: from the exhaustless riches of its limitless substance, i draw all things needful, both spiritual and material. this is a very valuable affirmation and would greatly enrich any sincere aspirant's life if it was said with devotion and concentration every day. it would also be a useful adjunct to any jupiter figure 6-c: zvg talisman. figure 6-b: ab-el. the kamea of chesed/jupiter. 83 there are sixteen squares in the jupiter kamea and there are also sixteen geomantic figures (see correspondence charts at the end of this chapter. the sixteenth path on the tree of life between chokma

nt called aibam. one can begin to get clues of how to establish a relationship with these 231 gates by making flashing color tablets of these letters and it would serve as a very useful meditation exercise. one can also substitute tarot keys, since in case's interpretation they evoke the same energy. the revelations connected to these particular pairs of gates are seldom written about because the aspirant needs to discover them him or herself. at the threshold, one must forge one's own tools. it must be understood that daath is not meant here to supplant chesed as the fourth sephira; it is simply an alternate method of pairing the spheres with the gates represented by the mystical combinations of the letters. in the kabbala denudata, the spheres have their own names using the letters in th

ZALEWSKI SECRET INNER ORDER RITUALS OF THE GOLDEN DAWN OCR

to a wheel chair and over eighty years of age, he held age as no real excuse, and did all he could to insure that the golden dawn knowledge would not die with him. over twenty years ago a well known english occultist once remarked that revelation of the rituals renders them diminished in power. of course, this is utter nonsense, as any ritual being correctly performed by a competent and developed aspirant, generates powerful energies each time it is so performed. the 6=5 and the 7=4 rituals of the r.r. et a.c. do generate power. this is what counts, though the burden still rests squarely on the temple officers to insure this in practice. in the final analysis, whether or not one has been initiated through aspostolic succession, the student can still work gradually through the rituals, ther

e official history of the order, written by wyn wescott (under the initials of his order motto) further provides us with a bridge in which to interpret the rosicrucian history relating directly to the r.r. et a.c: history of the rosicrucian order by g.h. frater n.o.m. the opening words of that part of the 5=6 ritual which deals with the history of the order of the r.c. are as follows: know them 0 aspirant, that the order of the rose and cross bath existed from time immemorial and that its mystic rites were practiced and its hidden knowledge communicated in the initiations of the various races of antiquity: egypt, eleusis, samothrace, persia, chaldea, and india alike cherished these mysteries, and thus handed down to posterity the secret wisdom of the ancient ages. this statement is one whi

t, from whence he has come forth. he occupies a central position between kether and the world of shades, being there protected by the rising glory of the golden cross and the rose. then this prayer is said "unto thee sole wise, sole mighty and sole eternal one, be praise and glory forever" now it must be the macroposopus, the amen, who is addressed here; the lord of kether, who has permitted this aspirant who now kneeleth before him to penetrate thus far into the sanctuary of his mysteries (which is in the centre of the universe "not unto us, but unto his name be the glory (which is the name yhvh, with the addition of the letter shin "let the influence of thy divine ones descend upon his head (these divine ones are angelic forces, and the higher self is that of the divine one "and teach hi

latter, you could touch the genius. now this transference of consciousness from ruach to neschamah is one object of the ceremony of the 5=6 ritual: it is a thing which will be more readily understood when the grade of adeptus minor is reached. it is especially intended to effect the change of the consciousness into the neschamah, and there are places where it can take place. the first is when the aspirant is on the cross, because he is so exactly fulfilling the symbol of the abnegation of the lower self and the union with the higher self; there is also the invocation of the angel h.u.a. the second place is when he touches the rose of the representative of c.r. in the vault, when he has taken on himself the symbols of suffering and self sacrifice, and says that his victory is in the cross o

f the rose. the third place is when he enters the vault in the third point and kneels down, and the chief adept says al am the reconciler with the ineffable: i am the dweller of the invisible: let the white brilliance of the divine spirit descend" in these three cases a possible exchange of consciousness from the ruach into the neschamah is initiated, so that whether he understands it or not, the aspirant actually approaches his own genius (there are some cases where the genius may have attained a height and fallen: that is when, having touched the ruach in one incarnation, it has been so wrought upon by the sufferings of the lower part, that it has for the moment consented to slaken the tension of their union. now if the genius part, instead of identifying itself with the god part, identi

ALEISTER CROWLEY BOOK OF LIES

with the mother of the child.(4) the many is as adorable to the one as the one is to the many. this is the love of these; creationparturition is the bliss of the one; coitiondissolution is the bliss of the many. the all, thus interwoven of these, is bliss. naught is beyond bliss. the man delights in uniting with the woman; the woman in parting from the child. the brothers of a'.a. are women: the aspirants to a'.a. are men. book of lies get any book for free on: www.abika.com 15 [16] commentary( gamma) gimel is the high priestess of the tarot. this chapter gives the initiated feminine point of view; it is therefore called the oyster, a symbol of the yoni. in equinox x, the temple of solomon the king, it is explained how masters of the temple, or brothers of a'.a. have changed the formula o

ALEISTER CROWLEY MAGICK IN THEORY AND PRACTICE

e order, has also a "natural" grade appropriate to his intrinsic virtue. he may expect to be "cast out" into that grade when he becomes 8 degree= 3square. thus one man, throughout his career, may be essentially of the type of netzach; another, of hod. in the same way rembrandt and raphael retained their respective points of view in all stages of their art. the practical consideration is that some aspirants may find it unusually difficult to attain certain grades; or, worse, allow their inherent predispositions to influence them to neglect antipathetic, and indulge sympathetic, types of work. they may thus become more unbalanced than ever, with disastrous results. success in one's favourite pursuit is a temptress; whose yields to her wiles limits his own growth. true, every will is partial;

their order, save the generalised instructions in liber 418 (the 8th aethyr) and the detailed canon and rubric of the mass actually used with success by frater perdurabo in his attainment. this has been written down by himself in liber samekh. but they have published such accounts as those in "the temple of solomon the king" and in "john st. john" they have taken the only proper course; to train aspirants to this attainment in the theory and practice of the whole of magick and mysticism, so that each man may be expert in the handling of all known weapons, and free to choose and to use those which his own experience and instinct dictate as proper when he essays the great experiment. he is furthermore trained to the one habit essential to membership of the a. a; he must regard all his attai

of the whole of magick and mysticism, so that each man may be expert in the handling of all known weapons, and free to choose and to use those which his own experience and instinct dictate as proper when he essays the great experiment. he is furthermore trained to the one habit essential to membership of the a. a; he must regard all his attainments as primarily the property of those less advanced aspirants who are confided to his charge. no attainment soever is officially recognised by the a. a. unless the immediate inferior of the person in question has been fitted by him to take his place. the rule is not rigidly applied in all cases, as it would lead to congestion, especially in the lower grades where the need is greatest, and the conditions most confused; but it is never relaxed in the

and woe, woe, woe, yea woe, and again woe, woe, woe, unto seven times be his that preacheth not his law to men! 20. and woe also be unto him that refuseth the curse of the grade of a magus, and the burden of the attainment thereof. 21. and in the word chaos let the book be sealed, yea, let the book be sealed. 424 liber resh vel helios sub figura cc. 0. these are the adorations to be performed by aspirants<equinox i, 6 has "all aspirants> to the a. a. 1. 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 a

ALEISTER CROWLEY MAGICK WITHOUT TEARS

ar to the average intelligent educated person, but even those who understand him perfectly and are most sympathetic to his work, agree that in this respect he has often failed "so much for the diagnosis- now for the remedy "one genius, inspired of the gods, suggested recently that the riddle might be solved somewhat on the old and well-tried lines of 'dr. brewer's guide to science; i.e, by having aspirants write to the master asking questions, the kind of problem that naturally comes into the mind of any sensible enquirer, and getting magic without tears get any book for free on: www.abika.com 4 his answer in the form of a letter 'what is it 'why should i bother my head about it 'what are it's principles 'what use is it 'how do i begin, and the like "this plan has been put into action; the

ALEISTER CROWLEY TAO TEH KING

and commentaries) i completed my translation within three days, but during the last five years i have constantly reconsidered every sentence. the manuscript has been lent to a number of friends((weh note: lady harris would be one of these. hence, there may be other typescripts beside the one used for this proof- reading, with later alterations by crowley, scholars who have commended my work, and aspirants who have appreciated its adequacy to present the spirit of the master's teaching. those who had been disappointed with legge's version were enthusiastic about mine. this circumstance is in itself sufficient to assure me that love's labour has not been lost, and to fill me with enthusiastic confidence that the present publication will abundantly contribute to the fulfillment of my true wi

of hiram at high noon, etc. etc) 7. so then the tao-man holdeth to mass, and avoideth motion; he is attached to the root, not to the flower. he leaveth the one, and cleaveth to the other((that is, if his road be towards the tao. in our language, he adores nuit; but the perfect man, when he needs to manifest, is on the opposite curve. cf. the 'book of lies 'the brothers of the a. a. are women; the aspirants to a. a. are men) 44 chapter xxxix the law of the beginning. 1. these things have possessed the tao from the beginning: heaven, clear and shining; earth, steady and easy; spirits, mighty in magick; vehicles('spirits' and 'vehicles' refer to the lance and cup, correlatives of heaven and earth) overflowing with joy; all that hath life; and the rulers of men. all these derive their essence

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQ I 5

he has secrets to reveal. on the contrary, he says 'an indicible arcanum is an arcanum which "cannot" be revealed' the writer of that sentence has learned at least one fact not to be learned from books "g.c.j" william northam, robemaker- mr. northam begs to announce that he has been entrusted with the manufacture of all robes and other ceremonial apparel of members of the a. a. and its adepts and aspirants. no. 0. probationer's robe. 5 0 0 1" superior quality. 7 0 0 2. neophyte's. 6 0 0 3. zelator symbol added to no. 2. 1 0 0 4. practicus" 3. 1 0 0 5. philosophus" 4. 1 0 0 6. dominus liminis" 5. 1 0 0 7. adeptus (without" 0 or 1. 3 0 0 8 (within. 10 0 0 9. adeptus major. 10 0 0 10. adeptus exemptus. 10 0 0 11. magister templi. 50 0 0 the probationer's robe is fitted for performance of all

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 4 2

noble truths were none other than the complete yoga, and that in the three characteristics293 the summit of philosophy (the ruach) had been reached. the terrific strain of asana and pr n y ma, the two chief exercises of hathavidya, p, by months of trial proved to be 193 not only methods of great use as a sedative before commencing a magical operation, but methods of inordinate importance to such aspirants, who, having discarded the shibboleths of sect, have adopted the fatuities of reason. for it is more difficult for one who has no natural magical aptitude, and one who perhaps has only just broken away from faith and corrupted ritual, to carry out an operation of western magic, than it is for him to sit down and perform a rational exercise, such as the pr n y ma exercises of yoga, which

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 6 2

e whole. sloth and activity and peace, when will ye learn that ye must cease? typhon. how should i cease from lethargy? hermanubis. how should i quench activity? sphinx. how should i give up ecstasy? c.i.c.t. what shines upon your foreheads? s.h.t("together. the eye within the triangle. 25 c.i.c.t. what burns upon your breasts? s.h.t("together. the rosy cross. c.i.c.t. brethren of the rosy cross! aspirants to the silver star! not until these are ended can ye come to the centre of the wheel. when the chill of earth black-breasted is uplifted at the glance of the red sun million-crested, and the forest blossoms dance with the light that stirs and lustres of the dawn, and with the bloom of the wind's cheek as it clusters from the hidden valley's gloom; then i walk in woodland spaces, musing o

is an arcanum which "cannot" be revealed' the writer of that sentence has learned at least one fact not to be learned from books "g.c.j" william northam "robemaker" 9 henrietta street, southampton street, strand telephone- 5400 central= mr. northam begs to announce that he has been entrusted with the manufacture of all robes and other ceremonial apparel of members of the a. a. and its adepts and aspirants. no. 0. probationer's robe. pounds5 0 0 1" superior quality. 7 0 0 2. neophyte's. 6 0 0 3. zelator symbol added to no. 2. 1 0 0 4. practicus" 3. 1 0 0 5. philosophus" 4. 1 0 0 6. dominus liminis" 5. 1 0 0 7. adeptus (without" 0 or 1. 3 0 0 8 (within. 10 0 0 9. adeptus major. 10 0 0 10. adeptus exemptus. 10 0 0 11. magister templi. 50 0 0 the probationer's robe is fitted for performance o

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 6

to chaos her lawful lord; but unto the crowned child is it known? it is not known if it be known. 22. therefore unto hadit and unto nuit be the glory in the end and the beginning; yea, in the end and the beginning. 27 liber resh vel helios svb figvra cc 29 a. a. publication in class d. imprimatur: n. fra a. a. liber resh vel helios. svb figvra cc 0. these are the adorations to be performed by all aspirants to the a. a. 1. 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 o

ALICE A BAILEY02 INITIATION HUMAN AND SOLAR

r the holy grail. all these symbols allied, interwoven, or taken in part, are combined to express one or other of the seven secrets. the initiate has to recognise them by sight as well as to hear them, and by an effort of the will to imprint them irrevocably upon his memory. this he is aided to do in three ways: first, by a long prior training in observation; this can be begun here and now by all aspirants, and as they learn to imprint details accurately upon their memory they are laying the foundation for that acute instantaneous apprehension of that which is shown them by the hierophant; secondly, by having cultivated within themselves the power to visualise again that which has once been seen. it will be apparent here why the emphasis has been laid by all wise teachers of meditation upo

et the disciple refrain from taking life, and let him nourish that which is lowest with the produce of the second. this rule might be summed up in the trite instruction to each disciple that he be strictly vegetarian. the lower nature becomes clogged and heavy, and the inner blaze cannot shine forth when meat is included in the diet. this is a drastic rule for applicants, and may not be violated. aspirants can choose to eat meat or not as they prefer, but at a certain stage upon the path it is essential that all meat eating of every kind be stopped, and the strictest attention must be paid to diet. a disciple must confine himself to vegetables, grains, fruits and nuts. only thus can he build the type of physical body which can stand the entry of the real man who has stood in his subtler bo

ALICE A BAILEY04 A TREATISE ON COSMIC FIRE

s not by any means so universally developed. most men do not as yet distinguish with accuracy between themselves as the thinker, persistent in time and space, and the vehicle through which they think, which is ephemeral and transient. the real recognition of this essential duality, and the scientific appreciation of it is to be seen in the mystics, the advanced thinkers of the race, the conscious aspirants, and those nearing the portal of initiation. third. discrimination between soul and spirit, or the realisation by the man that not only can he say "i am; not only can he realise that "i am that; but that he can advance to a still further realisation, and say "i am that i am" in all these expansions and appreciations the discriminative faculty of manas is utilised. therefore, we can see f

the animal monad into the human kingdom, with all the vast knowledge that is included in that idea. much lies ahead to be accomplished, but in the appreciation of the magnitude of the task need be no place for discouragement, for in the wise outlining of the future, in the cautious promulgation of knowledge concerning the necessitated stages, will come strenuous effort and aim on the part of many aspirants, and the evolutionary bringing in of those who can achieve. the problem of speaking clearly on this subject of transmutation is a very real one, owing to the vastness of the subject and the fact that in the transmutation process the magician or alchemist works with deva essence through the control of the lesser builders in co-operation with the greater devas. in order, therefore, to brin

ra, and will be succeeded by the judgment day when the sons of manas will be cast out and the dragons of wisdom rule. this only means that those in whom the manasic principle is over-potent or under-developed will be considered as failures and will have to wait for a more suitable period for development, while those who are living the buddhic life, and in whom it is waxing stronger spiritual men, aspirants, disciples of various degrees, initiates and adepts will be left to pursue the natural course of evolution on this scheme. the mystery of capricorn is hidden in these five and in the biblical words "the sheep and the goats."36(206) the christian hints at this when he speaks of the christ reigning on earth a thousand years during which the serpent is imprisoned. the christ principle will

ch passes through the astral- 568- a treatise on cosmic fire copyright 1998 lucis trust plane. their reactions are largely based on desire, and are emotional. intellectual men utilise the sutratma as it passes through the lower levels of the mental plane, down through the astral to the physical in its two sections. their activities are energised by mind and not by desire, as in the earlier cases. aspirants on the physical plane use the sutratma as it passes through the two lower subplanes of the abstract levels of the mental plane, and are beginning gradually to build the antaskarana, or the bridge between the triad and the personality. the power of the ego can begin to make itself felt. applicants for initiation and initiates up to the third initiation use both the sutratma and the antask

e further advance can be made, and this process is karmic and unavoidable. third, speech is very largely a mode of communication on the physical levels; on the subtler levels whereon the worker stands, and in his communications with his fellow workers and chosen co-operators it will play an ever lessening part. intuitive perception and telepathic interplay will distinguish the intercourse between aspirants and disciples, and when this is coupled with a full trust, sympathy and united effort for the plan we will have a formation wherewith the master can work, and through which he can pour his force. the master works through groups (large or small) and the work is facilitated for them if the interplay between units of the group is steady and uninterrupted. one of the most frequent causes of

ALICE A BAILEY05 THE LIGHT OF THE SOUL

e divided into three main groups. these can correspondingly be divided into nine. there are those who use the will with such intensity that exceedingly rapid results are achieved, attended however with certain dangers and risks. there is the risk of uneven development, of a negation of the heart side of nature, and of certain destructions which will later have to be remedied. then there are those aspirants whose progress is less rapid, and who are exponents of the middle path. they proceed steadily and moderately and are called the "discriminative adepts" as they permit no excesses of any kind. their method is to be recommended to men in this particular cycle. again there are those gentle souls whose will may be regarded as characterised by an imperturbable pertinacity and who go steadily

re those gentle souls whose will may be regarded as characterised by an imperturbable pertinacity and who go steadily, undeviatingly forward, eventually arriving at their goal. they are distinguished by intense tenacity. their progress is slow. they are the "tortoises" of the path just as the first group are the "hares" in some of the old books there are detailed accounts of these three groups of aspirants and they are portrayed under three symbols: 1. the intense group are depicted as goats, and aspirants of this type are frequently found in incarnation under the sign capricorn, 2. the moderate group are depicted by a fish, and many born under the sign pisces are found in this category, 3. the gentle or slow group are pictured as crabs and often come into incarnation under the sign cancer

f the whole, of the all-soul. each expansion of consciousness which a man undergoes fits him to be a master to those who have not taken a similar expansion. therefore mastery being achieved there is nothing (speaking in terms of the human kingdom) to be found except masters who are likewise disciples. all are learners and all are teachers, differing only in degree of realisation. for instance: a. aspirants to the path are disciples of lesser disciples, b. probationers on the path are disciples of higher ones, c. accepted disciples are the disciples of an adept and of a master, d. an adept is the disciple of a master, e. a master is the disciple of a mahatma, f. the mahatmas are the disciples of still higher initiates, g. these in turn are the disciples of the christ or of that official who

soul cognition are bodily disability, mental inertia, wrong questioning, carelessness, laziness, lack of dispassion, erroneous perception, inability to achieve concentration, failure to hold the meditative attitude when achieved. obstacle i. bodily disability- 39- the light of the soul copyright 1998 lucis trust it is interesting to note that the first obstacle has relation to the physical body. aspirants would do well to remember this and should seek to adjust the physical vehicle to the demands later to be made upon it. these adjustments will be great and they fall into four groups: 1. the rendering of the body immune to the attacks of disease or indisposition. this is in itself a triple process involving: a. the eradication of present disease, b. the refining and the purifying of the b

the soul copyright 1998 lucis trust principle, the light of the world, the soul will work, pouring light and life on all things, and using it as the great organ of awareness. through the last, the work of creation will be carried on, and the creative word sent forth. this general view is given so as to present to the student the vision of what lies ahead. it is, however, of no present value; most aspirants are concerned with the solar plexus and hence the necessity of our present consideration. 2. it is the organ of the astral nature, of the emotions, moods, desires and feelings and hence is most active in all. it is through it that the lower bodily functions are aroused desire to eat, to drink, and to procreate, and through it the lower centres are contacted and work with them is carried

ALICE A BAILEY07 FROM INTELLECT TO INTUITION

success without this disappearance into the solitudes of the world, into the forests and jungles, and into monastic seclusion? let us take each question and deal with it. these two questions must be disposed of and answered before we can go on to outline meditation work and indicate the method which it is advisable to follow. in replying to the first question, as to the general suitability of all aspirants for this arduous work, it should be remembered, at the outset, that the very urge itself to do so can be taken as indicating the call of the soul to the path of knowledge. no one should be deterred if he discovers that he lacks in certain essentials the needed qualifications. most of us are bigger and wiser, and better equipped than we realize. we can all begin to concentrate at once if

n, and the helping of the plan. the mind, illumined by the soul, should be the controlling factor, and when we think straight, live straight, and raise all thoughts and energies- 115- from intellect to intuition copyright 1998 lucis trust into the "heavenly places" we shall solve our problems through the development of a spiritual normality which is greatly needed at this time, particularly among aspirants and esoteric students. it might be well also, before this chapter comes to a close, to refer to the dangers to which many are liable if they respond to the appeal of teachers for pupils to "sit for development" they are then taught to meditate upon some centre of energy, usually the solar plexus, sometimes the heart, curiously enough never the head. meditating upon a centre is based upon

ALICE A BAILEY08 A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC

r beauty and reality. three types of people will respond to this book. they are: 1. those open minded investigators who are willing to accept its fundamentals as a working hypothesis until these are demonstrated to be erroneous. they will be frankly agnostic, but willing temporarily, in their search for truth, to try out the methods and follow the suggestions laid down for their consideration. 2. aspirants and disciples. they will study this treatise in order to understand themselves better and because they seek to help their brother man. they will not accept its dicta blindly but will experiment, check and corroborate with care the stages and steps laid down for them in this section of the teachings of the ageless wisdom. 3. initiates. these persons will arrive at a meaning which will not

ance of spirit, the one life back of all forms, the central energy which is the cause of all manifestation. the first reaction of the average student on reading the above is to think immediately of the body nature as it expresses some type or other of energy. thus the duality is the thing noted, and that which employs the thing is present in his mind. yet one of the main necessities before occult aspirants at this time is to endeavour to think in terms of the one reality which is energy itself and nothing else. therefore, it is of value to emphasise in our discussion of this abstruse subject, the fact that spirit and energy are synonymous terms and are interchangeable. only in the realisation of this can we arrive at the reconciliation of science and religion and at a true understanding of

hus the activity of the lower nature decreases, and the man little by little enters into- 37- a treatise on white magic copyright 1998 lucis trust conscious contact with his master and his group. but this follows upon the "lighting of the lamp" the aligning of the lower and higher and the downflow of illumination to the brain. it is essential that these points should be grasped and studied by all aspirants so that they may take the needed steps and develop the desired awareness. until this is done, the master, no matter how willing he may be, is powerless, and can take no steps to admit a man to his group and thus take him into his auric influence, making him an outpost of his consciousness. every step of the way has to be carried out by a man himself, and there is no short or easy road ou

n white magic copyright 1998 lucis trust must, for lack of other and better material, be utilized. some physical injudiciousness may make the physical body non-receptive; some worry or care may cause the astral body to vibrate to a rhythm impossible for the right reception of the inner purpose; some prejudice, some criticism, some pride, may be present that will make the mental vehicle of no use. aspirants to this difficult work must watch themselves with infinite care, and keep the inner serenity and peace and a mental pliability that will tend to make them of some use in the guarding and guiding of humanity. the following rules might therefore be given: 1. it is essential that there should be an endeavor to arrive at absolute purity of motive. 2. the ability to enter the silence of the h

reathing of the entity of the earth affects vibration potently, that is the vibration of the physical plane matter. there is a connection also between this and the moon. those members of humanity who are specially under lunar influence respond to this attraction more than any others, and they are difficult to use as transmitters. the silence that comes from the inner calm is the one to cultivate. aspirants are urged to remember that the time will come when they too will form part of the group of teachers on the inner side of the veil. if then they have not learnt the silence that comes from strength and from knowledge, how will they bear the apparent lack of communication that they will then find exists between them and those on the outer side? learn therefore, how to keep quiet or usefuln

ALICE A BAILEY09 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME I ESOTERIC PSYCHOLOGY I

god, and ends the man upward in that dread point of intercourse, nor needs a place, for it returns to him. what does, what knows, what is; three souls, one man. from death in the desert by robert browning- 3- a treatise on the seven rays- volume i: esoteric psychology i copyright 1998 lucis trust foreword [page xvii] the question arises, each time a book is written which is to be read by earnest aspirants: what line of instruction will carry forward their training with the most speed? for speed is an essential factor, if the present day unfoldment is to be rightly utilised and the stress and strain in the world relieved. the teaching to be given must likewise increase their mental competency, and lead to that stabilisation of the emotional body which will most rapidly set them free for se

ted with that two-thirds of humanity who will stand upon the path at the close of the age, and with that one-third who will be held over for later unfoldment. we are training men and women everywhere so that they can be sensitive to the plan, sensitive to their group vibration, and thus able to co-operate intelligently with the unfolding purpose. it is a mistake to think that the plan is to train aspirants to be sensitive to the vibration of a master or to the hierarchy. that is but incidental and of minor importance. it is for the purpose of training aspirants so that group awareness may be developed that these books have been written. recognise clearly that you personally do not count, but that the group most surely does. teaching is not given only in order to train you or to provide you

at you personally do not count, but that the group most surely does. teaching is not given only in order to train you or to provide you with opportunity. all life is opportunity, and individual reaction to opportunity is one of the factors which indicate soul growth. for this, the training school of the world itself suffices. there should be in all impartation of truth no imposition of authority. aspirants must be left free to avail themselves of the teaching or not, and spiritual work must go forward because of the free- 4- a treatise on the seven rays- volume i: esoteric psychology i copyright 1998 lucis trust choice and self-initiated effort of the individual student. in the books already published three basic lines of teaching can be traced: first, a relatively new technique has been g

here a perfect analogy to the way the great ones work at this time. regard, therefore, all your work as group work, causing effects which are inevitable and contributing to the potency of the group thought form- 13- a treatise on the seven rays- volume i: esoteric psychology i copyright 1998 lucis trust the second thing upon which i seek to touch concerns the testing going on inevitably among the aspirants and disciples at this time. this is not so much a testing of their place upon the path, as of their power to live in the world as citizens of another kingdom, and as the custodians of that which the world as a rule does not recognise. in so far as that testing is applied, and in so far as it can be gauged, i seek to point out that the testing is not applied, as some think, because of the

ve in the world as citizens of another kingdom, and as the custodians of that which the world as a rule does not recognise. in so far as that testing is applied, and in so far as it can be gauged, i seek to point out that the testing is not applied, as some think, because of their affiliation with any group or because of their one-pointed determination to tread the path. it is applied because the aspirants' own souls so ordained it, prior to incarnation, and it was the will of their souls that a certain measure of growth, hitherto unknown, should be attained, a certain degree of detachment from form should be achieved, and a certain preparation should be undergone which would lead to a liberation from the form life. the idea that a renewed effort towards the goal of spiritual light is the

ALICE A BAILEY10 FROM BETHLEHEM TO CALVARY

definition of experience, and each giving us the sequence of the revelation of christ in the human heart. there is first of all the phrase "christ in you, the hope of glory."22 this is the stage which precedes and immediately follows the new birth, the birth at bethlehem. it is the stage towards which the masses of men are slowly but steadily working, and it is the immediate goal for many of the aspirants in the world today. secondly, there is the stage which is called that of a full-grown man in christ, indicating an increased experience of the divine life and a deeper unfoldment of the christ consciousness in the human being. towards this the disciples of the world are now oriented. then there is the stage of achievement, referred to by st. paul in the following terms "till we all come

tion is a basic requirement, both in the individual and in the race. today humanity aspires to great heights, and this aspiration is responsible for the great national movements seen in so many countries. at the same time, individual disciples are striving anew towards illumination, incited thereto by their longing to meet world need. spiritual selfishness, which has been such a characteristic of aspirants in the past, has to be transcended and transmuted into love of man and a sharing in the "fellowship of christ's sufferings."25 self must be lost to sight in service. service is rapidly becoming the keynote of the time, and one of the incentives in racial endeavour. the meeting of disaster and the undergoing of painful experiences is ever the lot of the individual disciple. it is becoming

and attention should be called to certain factors which are frequently overlooked. it might be asked at this point "who is the initiator? who is eligible to stand before him and to pass through an initiation" it cannot be too clearly emphasised that the first initiator with whom a man has to deal is, ever and always, his own soul. many esoteric schools and teachers direct their teaching and their aspirants towards some great master who is supposed to prepare them for this step, and without whom no progress is possible. they forget that it is not possible for such a master even to contact a man in this relationship until he has made a clear and definite contact with his own soul. it is on the level of awareness which is that of the soul itself that those who can help are to be found, and un

t know, for it will not be heard until the race is ready. but there is a common word of power which will be given into the custody of our race if we measure up to our opportunity and, through the new birth, enter into the kingdom of god. it is this word which will quicken into life the hidden soul of man and galvanise him into a renewed spiritual activity. as the race grows in sensitivity, as the aspirants- 34- from bethlehem to calvary copyright 1998 lucis trust of the world in all the many religions cultivate the ability (through meditation) to hear the voice which can tune out all other voices, and as they learn to register the sound which will obliterate all other sounds, they will, as a group, record the new word which will issue forth. at each initiation of jesus, as we shall see, a

symbol or form was seen which was indicative of the revelation. christ himself tells us that at the end of the age the sign of the son of man will be seen in the heavens.29 just as the birth at bethlehem was ushered in by a sign, that of the star, so shall that birth towards which the race is hastening be likewise ushered in by a heavenly sign. the appeal which goes up from the hearts of all true aspirants to initiation is beautifully embodied in the following prayer "there is a peace that passeth understanding; it abides in the hearts of those who live in the eternal. there is a power which maketh all things new. it lives and moves in those who know the self as one. may that peace brood over us; that power uplift us, till we stand where the one initiator is invoked, till we see his star s

ALICE A BAILEY11 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME II ESOTERIC PSYCHOLOGY II

atlantean. it is the condition of the masses at this present time. the bulk of human beings are still atlantean, still purely emotional in their reactions and in their approach to life. they are still governed predominantly by selfish desires and by the calls of the instinctual life. our earth humanity is still in the atlantean stage, whereas the intelligentsia of the world, and the disciples and aspirants, are passing rapidly out of this stage, for they reached individualisation on the moon chain, and were the atlanteans of past history. workers in the world today should have these facts and sequences most carefully in mind, if they are rightly to appreciate the world problem, and correctly guide and teach the people. they should realise that, speaking generally, there is little true ment

of crisis in the life history of any soul down through the ages, but these major five crises can be traced with clarity from the standpoint of the higher vision. one of the ways in which the life story of a soul is charted in the archives of the masters (under the present planetary experiment) is by means of graphs, which give these crises racial and individual. sometimes, with the more advanced aspirants, even the physiological crises of importance are charted. the entire story of the relationship of a soul with its several vehicles of expression in the three worlds, is the story of the various types of energy which are being- 34- a treatise on the seven rays- volume ii: esoteric psychology ii copyright 1998 lucis trust magnetically related to each other and which are temporarily subordi

n kingdom, free from the limitations of human life) is imprisoned by and subject to the control of the lower energies for the major part of its experience. then, upon the path of probation, the dual energy of the soul begins to be increasingly active, and the man seeks consciously to use his mind, and to express love-wisdom on the physical plane. this is a simple statement of the objective of all aspirants. when the five energies are beginning to be used consciously and wisely in service, a rhythm is then set up between the personality and the soul. it is as if a magnetic field were then established, and these two vibrating and magnetic units, or grouped energies, begin to swing into each others field of influence. in the early stages, this happens only occasionally and rarely. later it oc

ite alignment and at-one-ment. this section will, however, be relatively abstruse to all those whose lives are centred in the personality. down the ages, the scriptures of the world and those who have attempted to elucidate them, have been occupied with imparting to humanity an understanding of the nature of those qualities and characteristics which should distinguish all true believers, all true aspirants and all sincere disciples, whether christian or otherwise. the teaching has always been given in terms of good behavior and of right action, and therefore given in terms of effects, produced by inner causes which have not always been specified. basically, all such virtues, good inclinations and attempted sound qualities represent the emergence into expression upon the physical plane of c

there will be. does this itself sound of the nature of separation and aloneness? it does, as far as outer activities are concerned. only as servers cooperate from the standpoint of an inner subjective linking can a united world be carried forward. at this time in the history of the world and its periodical salvaging from conditions which are wrecking the current civilisation, it is necessary that aspirants grasp the fact that that salvaging process must be carried on under the law of sacrifice, and that only a relative outer unity can be at this time achieved. not as yet is the vision seen with a sufficient clarity by the many servers, to make them work with perfect unanimity of purpose and objective, of technique and method, or complete understanding and oneness of approach. that fluid, p

ALICE A BAILEY12 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE VOLUME I

er times and when the demand of humanity for help is so outstanding, the hint has given place to explanation and the disciple is trusted with information, hitherto withheld. he is regarded as having reached a stage in his unfoldment at which he can make his own decisions and proceed with rapidity, if he so chooses. certain definite reasons have prompted me to make these instructions available for aspirants everywhere after requesting permission from those who received them. one is the need to bring to the attention of the general public the fact that the hierarchy exists, that its members are interested in human progress and that there is a definitely planned system of training offered by them which can lead a man out of the human kingdom into the kingdom of god; that this moving forward u

chools and too much theological separativeness. it has been felt that this book of instructions may do much to offset this evil tendency and may help to open the door still wider into the kingdom of god. much in this book is new. much is very old, tried and proved. none of the people chosen for instruction and for inclusion in the ashram of the master are saints or perfect. all are, however, true aspirants and will go on to the very end in spite of pain and sorrow, discipline, success, failure, joy and a spiritual recognition of almost unattainable goals. some have been on this path of accepted discipleship (technically understood) for many lives. some are venturing for the first time consciously and with deliberate effort to tread the way to god. all are mystics, learning to be occultists

rientation to truth and a life dedicated to service and to the alleviation of human sufferings. this is the determined goal of all whose instructions are found in this book a goal which they have not yet attained and a mode of life which they have not yet perfected. they are, nevertheless, unalterably upon their way and that way is the way. christ said "i am the way, the truth and the life; these aspirants, working under a great disciple of the christ, are beginning to grasp some of the significances and implications of that statement which holds true for all time and for all disciples, because "as he is, so are we in this world" the work with this particular group began twelve years ago. each person's instructions are given in their ordered sequence, year by year, so that a real picture o

instructions were probably not received on the dates given and the initials are none of them correct. no information will be given by any of us who know the relation between the initials and the disciple. questions as to identity will not be answered at any time. it is the subject matter of the teaching which is of importance and not the name of the disciple for what is said is applicable to all aspirants. one other reason might be mentioned here as indicative of the value of this book. in every case, the disciple is told what are the types of energy to which he most easily responds and upon which ray or divine emanation he finds himself. he, therefore, becomes aware of what constitutes his line of least resistance and where the major point of his life conflict is to be found. we are taug

e seven rays or emanations are: 1. the first ray of will or power. many great world rulers are found on this ray, such as julius caesar. 2. the second ray of love-wisdom. the christ and the buddha are to be found on this ray. it is the great teaching ray. 3. the third ray of active intelligence. the mass of intelligent humanity are found on this ray. 4. the fourth ray of harmony through conflict. aspirants. struggling, well-meaning people. workers for unity emerge along this line. 5. the fifth ray of concrete knowledge or science. scientists and people who are purely mental and governed only by the mind. 6. the sixth ray of devotion or idealism. many christian people. fanatics. numbers of earnest churchmen of all the world religions. 7. the seventh ray of ceremonial order or magic. masons

ALICE A BAILEY13 PROBLEMS OF HUMANITY

they participate in the rites of their religion and take advantage of the opportunity of united worship and prayer to lay their demands for help before god. this group, added to the mass of men, creates a huge body of invocative applicants and, at this time, their massed intent is in great evidence and their invocation is rising to the most high. then, lastly, there are the trained disciples and aspirants of the world who use certain forms of words, certain carefully defined invocations and who as they do focus the invocative cry and the invocative appeal of the other two groups, giving it right direction and power. all these three groups are, consciously or unconsciously, swinging into activity at this time and their united effort guarantees a resultant evocation. this new invocative wor

ALICE A BAILEY14 THE REAPPEARANCE OF THE CHRIST

e is unknown. all this has taken place in the space of eighteen months. this new invocation, if given widespread distribution, can be to the new world religion what the lord's prayer has been to christianity and the 23rd psalm has been to the spiritually minded jew. there are three approaches to this great prayer or invocation: 1. that of the general public. 2. that of the esotericists, or of the aspirants and the disciples of the world. 3. that of the members of the hierarchy. first, the general public will regard it as a prayer to god transcendent. they will not recognise him yet as immanent in his creation; they will send it forth on the wings of hope hope for light and love and peace, for which they ceaselessly long. they will also regard it as a prayer for the enlightenment of all rul

of today which so distress and trouble mankind may be done away with and some vague source of evil may be harnessed. they will regard it finally as a prayer that some equally vague primeval condition of blissful happiness may be restored and all unhappiness and pain disappear from the earth. this is, for them, entirely good and helpful and all that is immediately possible. secondly, esotericists, aspirants and spiritually minded people will have a deeper and more understanding approach. to them it will convey the recognition of the world of causes and of those who stand subjectively behind world affairs, the spiritual directors of our life. they stand ready to strengthen those with true vision, ready to indicate not only the reason for events in the various departments of human living, but

s able clearly to indicate to others the techniques of the path; he combines both head and heart, intelligence and feeling, plus an intuitive perception, hitherto lacking. the clear light of the spiritual hierarchy now illumines the way of the modern mystic, and not simply the light of his own soul; this will be increasingly the case. thirdly, both of these groups the general public and the world aspirants in their varying degrees have, among them those who stand out from the general average as possessing a deeper insight and understanding; they occupy a no-man's-land, intermediate on the one hand between the masses and the esotericists and, on the other, between the esotericists and the members of the hierarchy. forget not, they also use this great invocation and that not a day goes by th

archy are doing is much indeed; those disciples who are in conscious touch with the masters of the wisdom or, if you prefer the term, with the senior disciples of the christ are working day and night in order to establish such confidence, correct attitudes and an understanding of the divine spiritual "push" or enterprise that his way will be made easier. they and their groups of lesser disciples, aspirants and students of the realities stand unitedly behind the christ and can thus enable him to accomplish his purpose. their major realisation is that of a cyclic crisis in the spiritual life of our planet; it is one which has been anticipated in the father's house (shamballa) for thousands of years. they have registered the fact that, for the first time in human history, all the three spirit

probably give. the fact of the continuity of the revelation and teaching given down the ages entitles us to a wise consideration and spiritual speculation upon the probable lines which his work will take. over the years, much has been given out from many sources, schools of thought and churches about the christ, the situation which he faces and the probabilities as to his reappearance. disciples, aspirants, and men of goodwill have done much already to prepare the world for his so-called return. today, the east and the west stand equally expectant. as we approach the theme of his work, it is essential that we remember that the eastern teacher embodied in himself the wisdom of god, of which human intelligence (the third aspect of divinity) is an- 32- the reappearance of the christ copyright

ALICE A BAILEY15 THE DESTINY OF THE NATIONS

for synthesis. all of the great nations are controlled by two rays, just as is the human being. with the smaller- 26- the destiny of the nations copyright 1998 lucis trust nations we need not concern ourselves. all the nations are controlled by a personality ray, which is the dominant potent and main controlling factor at this time, and by a soul ray which is sensed only by the disciples and the aspirants of any nation. this soul ray must be evoked into an increased functioning activity by the new group of world servers, for this is one of their main objectives and tasks. this must never be lost to sight. much could be written about the historical influence of the rays during the past two thousand years and of the way in which great events have been influenced or brought about by the peri

re speak of disciples, i am using the term in connection with all who aspire to true humanity, to brotherhood, and to the living expression of the higher and spiritual values. i am not using it altogether in the technical sense, which involves a recognised relation to the hierarchy through the grades of probationary or accepted discipleship, though these are included in my thought. i refer to all aspirants and to all who have any sense of true values and an urge to meet the world's need. to understand a little the problem involved and the differing modes of work which characterise- 59- the destiny of the nations copyright 1998 lucis trust those who worked in the past under the influence of the sixth ray and those who are learning to work under the influence of the incoming seventh ray, it

omparative, even if inadequate, study of the old and of the new types of discipleship, one of the problems facing the hierarchy is how to bring about the necessary changes in technique and method of development which the seventh ray type will require and yet at the same time so condition these changes that there can be smooth process of adjustment and interplay between the hierarchy and the world aspirants. this adjustment must include the two groups (one at present large and the other still small) of sixth and seventh ray disciples. the problems of the hierarchy- 68- the destiny of the nations copyright 1998 lucis trust are, of course, no real concern of those who have not achieved liberation and cannot, therefore, look at life through the eyes of those who are no longer held by the force

resting piece of information in this book. if this is your attitude, then it only indicates your unpreparedness for true esoteric teaching. students need a greater sense of the real governing values and a sense of spiritual proportion. planetary facts and solar facts (under which heading the above item of information might well be placed) can stimulate your imagination and widen your horizon; for aspirants and disciples, that is the major value. all information and happenings which are connected with shamballa are always exciting to the neophyte who is apt to forget that he must make his contact with the more familiar hierarchy before true and related perception is his. i would have you study the tabulation which i gave you in initiation, human and solar, and which you will find in the app

ALICE A BAILEY16 GLAMOUR A WORLD PROBLEM

ss of the work of the new group of world servers. information about this worldwide group of servers is given in a treatise on white magic and in a treatise on the seven rays, vol. ii. foster bailey, july 1950 certain preliminary clarifications all groups involved in esoteric work have their own dharma or duty and all have their peculiar objective. in order that you may clearly vision what you, as aspirants to discipleship have to do, and so intelligently cooperate, i will concisely state the purpose: dharma means duty, or obligation, and it is your definite and specific obligation to develop the intuition. the means or methods whereby this development is to be brought about, can be by the study of symbols. i would ask you to note that generalities concerning the intuition, and attempts to

that builds barriers, makes criticism, and produces separation. it sees no distinction, even when it appreciates need, and it produces in one who loves as a soul immediate identification with that which is loved. these three words sum up the three qualities or aspects of the intuition and can be covered by the word, universality, or the sense of universal oneness. is that not something which all aspirants aim to achieve? and is it not something that each of you, as individuals, needs in a peculiar sense? where it is present, there is an immediate decentralisation of the dramatic "i" of that capacity always to relate all happenings, all phenomena, all group work to oneself as the centre. i cannot enlarge further upon the subject of intuition. it is too vast a matter, and too abstruse. all

s world of concepts with freedom. to work and live in the world of ideas now becomes your objective and main effort. you train yourself in the recognition of ideas and concepts as they lie behind every form; you begin to think clearly about them and to- 10- glamour: a world problem copyright 1998 lucis trust see the direction in which they lead you and where, within the eternal plan, they fit. if aspirants will do three things: a. develop the power to visualise, b. train the mind to intuit reality, c. rightly interpret that which is seen, they can provide a demonstrating laboratory for the trained observers of the world. one of the things which the developed intuition can do is to break the glamour and illusion which invade the life. one of the things that a group of aspirants, whose intui

oped intuition can do is to break the glamour and illusion which invade the life. one of the things that a group of aspirants, whose intuitional interplay is established, can accomplish, is to aid in the work of smashing world glamour. such work can be done when you have awakened the intuition, and when your inter-related understanding is firm and true. the hierarchy will be able to use the world aspirants as an instrument for the breaking of group glamour wherever it may be found. i refer to this possibility in order to incite you all to more rapid and steady growth and effort. you have been told that one of the needs lying before all aspirants is to arrive at that intuitional knowledge and that intelligent understanding of glamour, both individual and planetary, which will enable them mo

ral concept or some differentiation of that concept. speaking generally, the interpretations have been as follows, and they are only partial interpretations, and are almost in the nature of distortions of the real truth, owing to the limitations of the human consciousness. glamour has oft been regarded as a curious attempt of what are called the "black forces" to deceive and hoodwink well-meaning aspirants. many fine people are almost flattered when they are "up against" some aspect of glamour, feeling that their demonstration of discipline has been so good that the black forces are interested sufficiently to attempt to hinder their fine work by submerging them in clouds of glamour. nothing could be further from the truth. that idea is itself part of the glamour of the present time, and ha

ALICE A BAILEY17 TELEPATHY AND THE ETHERIC VEHICLE

ule, and who will be recognised by the mass as eligible for that high office through the coordination that they have established between: 1. the universal mind. 2. their individual mind illumined by the soul consciousness. 3. the brain, reacting to the individual mind, and 4. the group of those whose minds and brains are similarly tuned and telepathically related. in connection with disciples and aspirants to discipleship, it is presumed that their minds are somewhat attuned to the soul; that they are also so aligned that the soul, mind and brain are coordinated and are beginning to function as a unit. this is the individual responsibility. now comes the task of learning to be responsive to the group and to find and contact those minds which are energised by similar thought currents. this

. c. between solar plexus and solar plexus, and therefore purely emotional. d. between all these three aspects of energy simultaneously, in the case of very advanced people. 3. telepathic communication is also- 8- telepathy and the etheric vehicle copyright 1998 lucis trust a. between a master and his disciples or disciple. b. between a master and his group and a group or groups of sensitives and aspirants on the physical plane. c. between subjective and objective groups. d. between the occult hierarchy and groups of disciples on the physical plane. e. between the hierarchy and the new group of world servers in order to reach humanity and lift it nearer the goal. this concerns the new science of group telepathic communication, of which herd or mass telepathy (so well known) is the lowest k

n in two great stages, therefore, bringing it into concrete manifestation. we now carry this conception of divine impression down to the level of the human consciousness. 3. the impression of humanity by: a. the hierarchy, through the stimulating of ideas. these demonstrate through a steadily growing and enlightened public opinion. b. the influence of the ashrams of the masters as they affect the aspirants of the world, the humanitarians and the idealists. these impressing agencies, being seven in number, constitute seven different streams of impressing energy which affect the seven ray types. the united ashrams, forming the great ashram of the christ, affect humanity as a whole; this great united ashram works solely through the new group of world servers whose members are on all rays, of

his science of impression is the mode of life of the subjective world which lies between the world of external happenings (the world of appearances and of exoteric manifestation) and the inner world of reality. this is a point which should be most carefully taken into the calculations of the occult investigators. impressions are received and registered; they form the basis of reflection for those aspirants who are sensitive enough to their impact and wise enough to record carefully in consciousness their emanating source. after due practice, this period of brooding upon the registered impression is followed by another period wherein the impression begins to take form as an idea; from that point it follows the familiar course of translation from an idea into a presented ideal; it then comes

ning to that which eternally is, and to what is ever present in the environment but of which the subject is unaware, owing to short-sightedness. the aim must be to overcome the undue concentration upon the foreground of daily life which characterises most people, the intense preoccupation with the interior states or moods of the lower self which characterises the spiritually minded people and the aspirants, and the imperviousness or lack of sensitivity which characterises the mass of men. the kingdom of god is present on earth today and forever has been, but only a few, relatively speaking, are aware of its signs and manifestations. the world of subtle phenomena (called formless, because unlike the physical phenomena with which we are so familiar) is ever with us and can be seen and contac

ALICE A BAILEY18 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME III ESOTERIC ASTROLOGY

rds the light until finally he emerges at the end of the path in pisces as a world victor and a world saviour. he then knows the significance of the triumph over death because he has surmounted and overcome desire. this reversal of the way a man travels through the signs of the zodiac will necessitate a readjustment of the method employed by astrologers when they are casting a horoscope of senior aspirants, of disciples and of initiates. according, therefore, to an individual's point of evolution upon the path or (in other words) the individual's place upon the wheel of life, the practising astrologer will arrange the interpretation of the horoscope. it will require the work and the thought of the intuitive astrologer, dependent upon soul contact and much meditation, to determine the proce

above. of this, the "point of crisis" in libra and the present world situation and needed adjustment is the forerunner; this time the balancing is, however, upon the astral plane and the desires of men are predominantly in a position of casting the deciding factor, whereas in the next great cycle it will be the minds of men which will do the deciding. today, the foremost men of the age disciples, aspirants and the intelligentsia are being tested under the scorpio experience whilst the masses are in the scales; the weight of mass desire will turn them either up towards spiritual decision or down towards material and selfish ends. it is because of this balancing quality in libra that this constellation can be associated more specifically with the problem of sex than can any of the others. se

on can be associated more specifically with the problem of sex than can any of the others. sex is usually connected in the mind of the average astrological student with the signs taurus and scorpio. this is probably due to the fact that the bull is so frequently regarded as the symbol of the mad urges of the uncontrolled sex principle and because in scorpio fundamental tests are applied. for most aspirants in the early stages, sex does constitute a fundamental problem. esoterically, however, it is in libra that the whole question comes up and will increasingly come up for answering, and it is in libra that the balancing of the pairs of opposites must take place and reach solution through the activity of the judicial mind and the establishing of a point of equilibrium between the male and t

this, in its turn, is both undesirable and dangerous, as are all violent reactions, for the one is as untrue as the other; it is at the centre of the scales or at the hub of the wheel that the true perspective and indicated action can be seen correctly. when the basic "sex" relation is finally established and soul and body (negative and positive) are permanently related in the lives of the world aspirants, then we shall see the right handling of the world teaching on the subject of physical sex. this teaching will come from the merging and synthesis of the best views of all the spiritually minded teachers in both hemispheres, embodying the experience of the east and of the west, and of the mystical and the scientific approaches to a mystery which is both physical (requiring scientific und

from this group of signs and their attendant constellations, three are omitted. these are leo, libra and capricorn. these three signs are all signs of crisis and indicate the progressive influence of the other nine and the situations which evolve out of their activity. they are the testing points in the process of the play of energies from the other nine signs as these energies affect individual aspirants. they are: 1. leo. the crisis of individualisation. this shows itself in two stages as: a. diffused inchoate power. b. personality integration. it signifies the emergence of personality and preparation for the christ experience. it is self-consciousness and the lower synthesis. 2. libra. the crisis of balance. the emergence of the sense of self-direction and equilibrium. it is the point

ALICE A BAILEY19 THE UNFINISHED AUTOBIOGRAPHY

ncy of her own great long-suffering heart. some have asked why she should have had to suffer for she did suffer mentally and emotionally as well as physically. i alone know how triumphantly she opened herself to receive the impact of many types of destructive forces so rampant in this time of world turmoil and how amazingly she transmuted them, thus safeguarding all those hard pressed, struggling aspirants and younger disciples who have come to her and to her school through the years. by far the greater part of her life work has always been subjective. we have seen the outer effects, watched the outer comings and goings, helped her and loved her, sometimes criticised, sometimes complained, but always gone on, with her and because of her, yet a little higher and a- 2- the unfinished autobio

e difficulty of finding words which can express newer truths and those intuitive perceptions which are still only hovering on the borders of man's developing consciousness. the books that the tibetan has written are regarded of importance by the teachers responsible for the giving out of the new truths which humanity needs. new teaching, along the line of spiritual training and the preparation of aspirants for discipleship has also been given. great changes are being made in methods and techniques and because of this the tibetan has been peculiarly careful to see that i do not make mistakes. at the time of the second phase of the world war, which started in 1939, many pacifists and well meaning, though unthinking, people among the students of the arcane school and the general public, which

civilisation during the next 2,500 years. these qualities are primarily a spirit of inclusiveness, a potent desire selflessly to serve one's fellowmen plus a definite sense of spiritual guidance, emanating from the inner side of life. this new group of world servers includes two definite divisions. the first part of the group has a close relationship to the spiritual hierarchy. it is composed of aspirants working towards discipleship under the guidance of certain of the masters' disciples who, in their turn, are directed and guided by a few world disciples whose work is on such a large scale that it is definitely international in scope. this group acts as a definite intermediary between the spiritual hierarchy of our planet and the mass of humanity. through them the masters of the wisdom

f christ when brotherhood will be established and men will be banded together in the bonds of divine relationship. the old barriers between man and man and nation and nation will, during the next 2,000 years slowly disappear. it was to inaugurate and institute this work that the hierarchy announced the emergence on earth of the new group of world servers, led and guided by disciples and spiritual aspirants who know no sense of separateness, who see all men alike, irrespective of colour or creed, and who are pledged to work without cessation for the promotion of international understanding, economic sharing and religious unity. the second part of the group in the organisation of the new group of world servers is composed of the men and women of goodwill. these are not strictly speaking spir

nts who know no sense of separateness, who see all men alike, irrespective of colour or creed, and who are pledged to work without cessation for the promotion of international understanding, economic sharing and religious unity. the second part of the group in the organisation of the new group of world servers is composed of the men and women of goodwill. these are not strictly speaking spiritual aspirants. they are not particularly interested in the plan and have little or no knowledge of the planetary hierarchy. they do, however, want to see right relations established among men. they want to see justice and kindness prevail on earth. under the direction of the world disciples and their helpers these people can be trained in practical and effective ways of expressing goodwill. in this wa

ALICE A BAILEY20 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME IV ESOTERIC HEALING

much definite deduction has been made as to the cures of such complaints; there has been also much formulation of methods, of techniques, of formulae, of prescription, of varied manipulations and of theories. all these serve to fill the mind with many ideas some correct, some erroneous and this makes it most difficult for new ideas to enter and for the student to assimilate the hitherto unknown. aspirants lose much by refusing to let go of that which the lower mind cherishes. when they do succeed in being entirely open minded and are ready to accept the new theories and hypotheses, they discover that the old and dearly held truth is not really lost, but only relegated to its rightful place in a larger scheme. all initiates of the ageless wisdom are necessarily healers, though all may not

out here the need for patience as a healing group integrates and the auras of the group members blend. it takes a little time for people to learn to work together in perfect understanding and impersonality, and at the same time to achieve, during their work, a one-pointedness which will produce the needed group rhythm a rhythm of such unity and intensity that the work can synchronise internally. aspirants and students as they work along these lines must train themselves to think as a group, and to give to the group (without a niggardly or reticent spirit) the best that is in them, and also the fruit of their meditation upon these matters. i might also add that these instructions must be as concise as possible. i shall have to endeavour to put much truth and information into a brief space

tendency to self-perpetuation of the life within the form is one of our greatest god-given capacities and will persist. but in the human family this must eventually give place to the use of death as the organised, freeing process in order to conserve force and give to the soul a better instrument of manifestation. for this liberty of action, mankind as a whole is not yet ready. the disciples and aspirants of the world should now, however, begin to grasp these newer principles of existence. the instinct to self-preservation governs the relation of spirit and matter, of life and form as long as the deity himself wills to incarnate within his body of manifestation a planet, or a solar system. i have in the above statement given to you a hint as to one of the basic causes of disease, and to t

pointed out earlier that the three major groups of diseases for the masses are 1. tuberculosis. 2. the social diseases, as they are called: the venereal diseases and syphilis. 3. cancer. to these we must add two other groups of disease which predominantly affect those who are a little above the average and whose general level of intelligence is higher than that of the mass; this includes also the aspirants of the world. 4. heart diseases, but not what is called heart failure. 5. the nervous diseases so prevalent at this time. these five groups of disease, and their various sub-divisions are responsible for the bulk of the physical ills which attack humanity. a right grasp of their preponderating causes will be of definite assistance to future medicine. how much will be accepted is at this

oil. of these as yet but little is known. the soil of our earth, however, is very ancient, and is impregnated with disease germs which take their toll of the vegetable, animal and human kingdoms, manifesting differently in each, yet being due basically to the same causes. 5. diseases which are the difficulties of mysticism. these are the peculiar ills and complaints which attack the disciples and aspirants of the world. these can be traced in every case to the pouring in of energy through centres which are not properly equipped, or adequately developed, to handle the force. the above is a generalisation which may be found useful. the method whereby these astral forces (which are, as we know, preeminently the determining life forces for the majority of men at this time) work out into manife

ALICE A BAILEY21 EDUCATION IN THE NEW AGE

lt when soul and mind and brain are aligned and coordinated. flashes of insight and vision when seen in the young, are frequently the reaction of their very sensitive response apparatus to group ideas and the dominant thoughts of their time and age, or of someone in their environment. let me now deal briefly with the points raised concerning the attitude of the teacher, particularly towards adult aspirants. the true teacher must deal in truth and in sincerity with all seekers. his time (in so far as he is held by the time equation on the physical plane) is too valuable to waste in social politeness or in refraining from making critical comment where a good purpose would be served. he must depend thoroughly upon the sincerity of those whom he teaches. nevertheless, criticism and the pointin

which passes through the astral plane. their reactions are largely based on desire, and are emotional. intellectual men utilise the sutratma as it passes through the lower levels of the mental plane, down through the astral to the physical in its two sections. their activities are energised by mind and not by desire, as in the earlier cases- 25- education in the new age copyright 1998 lucis trust aspirants of the physical plane use the sutratma as it passes through the two lower subplanes of the abstract levels of the mental plane, and are beginning gradually to build the antahkarana, or the bridge between the triad and the personality. the power of the ego can begin to make itself felt. applicants for initiation and initiates up to the third initiation use both the sutratma and the antahk

that all future intelligent psychic unfoldment must be based. in the above paragraph and its implications you have a brief and inadequate statement as to the science of the antahkarana. i have endeavoured to express this in terms, symbolic if you will, which will convey some general idea of the process to your minds. we can learn much through the use of the pictorial and visual imagination. many aspirants have already established the following links of the bridging antahkarana: 1. from the physical to the vital or etheric body. this is really an extension of the life thread between the heart and the spleen. 2. from the physical and the vital, regarding them as a unity, to the astral or emotional vehicle. this thread emanates from, or is anchored in, the solar plexus, and is carried upward

the lines of force are then so interrelated that the soul and its mechanism of expression are a unity. a higher blending and fusing can then go on. it is necessary for me to stop at this point and indicate that all the above are simply word pictures of a process of energy interrelations, and have a definite value if they can introduce and make real to you the fact of the indicated processes. some aspirants and students have the mystical consciousness highly developed, and are therefore apt to resent and regard as unnecessary the more technical and intellectual presentation of a truth which they sense and know, but which remains a truth yet undefined. it is my purpose to assist you towards a greater definiteness of realisation and expression; this should in no way detract from the wonder an

nd these works can be more easily appreciated through the revelations education and science i. knowledge. civilisation. culture. illumination petals the masses of men. the intellectuals. spiritual man path of discipleship. path of initiation. path of purification plus religion and philosophy ii. l ove. cooperation .l oving understanding .g roup love petals the intellectuals .t he hierarchy. world aspirants plus governments and social order iii. will and. participation. purpose. precipitation sacrifice (in the plan (directed will of all (of the plan by the petals disciples) hierarchy) of science than by the hymns, prayers and sermons of the churches throughout the world. what then will be the task of the churches in the future? and what will be the major objective of the coming new religion

ALICE A BAILEY22 DISCIPLESHIP IN THE NEW AGE VOLUME II

a senior disciple as an intermediary? what is it that prevents you from having such direct relation to myself? one or two in this group have direct approach, and another one of you has it but knows it not; several others are well-intentioned and hard-striving disciples but never for a second do they forget themselves; the problem of glamour and preoccupation with spiritual ambition condition some aspirants, a spiritual ambition which is working through a very small personality; some could make rapid progress but are prone to inertia perhaps they just do not care enough. all desire to move forward, all possess a strong inner spiritual life, but the group antahkarana is usually still incomplete and the aspect of pure reason, which is of the heart, does not control. the evocative power of the

sentation of the thoughtform which embodies the lesson i desire the students to learn. all this necessitates an expenditure of force and of time on my part which i feel is well warranted if the students on their side will prepare their minds, give the needed time, respond to the few requests i may make, and eventually cooperate with the work of bringing the edited instructions to the attention of aspirants and disciples everywhere and later to a wider public. and let me here clarify also the question which is in your minds concerning the basis of the rapport between a.a.b. and myself. earlier, i explained that a neophyte in an ashram is under the guidance of a more advanced chela and that "the master is receiving regular reports (based on certain charts) from the senior disciple who has th

interrogation and consideration of himself. what i shall say may be very brief and very scant. i am only seeking to indicate and not to direct; i intend to point out, but not dictate to you, modes of eradication. the times are serious and the world disciples are hard pressed. the hierarchy and its affiliated groups are seeking active help and cooperation in the work of salvage. all disciples and aspirants are needed, and all can give much if the desire, the loving heart and the consecrated mind are united in service. i ask aid in the task of reconstruction. i ask for your consecrated help. i ask you to discipline yourselves anew, to hold back nothing, either objective or subjective. i ask for your wholehearted cooperation in the work of world salvage. group instruction december 1941 my br

ary human being. i do not desire to deal with problems already considered by us in the various pamphlets and in my books. it is the new world which we shall start to study, the new opportunities and the new complexities, as well as the new and coming simplifications in life and being. they concern primarily the service of the initiate; hitherto we have only considered the service which disciples, aspirants and men of goodwill can render. v. i shall give you some clear and definite instructions anent the uses of the etheric body. this vehicle of vitality or energy is the ultimate conditioning factor in the activity of the physical body. it is an initiator, for there is no physical activity as we understand it unless impulsed by some energy emanating from the etheric body. an understanding o

which i may give anent telepathic communication and the manipulation of energy by the initiate-disciple, via the centres, via the group centres and when of very high development and initiate degree via the planetary centres. i have not yet given you much on this theme but there is much that will later be said. i shall, however, have to deal with it only briefly and tentatively, as the majority of aspirants and disciples are not yet ready for this particular study. vi. i shall, once a year, give to each of you a measure of individual help, personal instruction and individual meditation. the clue to your next step towards the door of initiation and towards the presence will also be indicated by me. this i will do at the time of the full moon of may (taurus) each year. this may involve at tim

ALICE A BAILEY23 THE EXTERNALISATION OF THE HIERARCHY

1998 lucis trust of those who achieve, even if their physical vehicles are destroyed in the process. the destruction of the body is not the worst disaster that can overcome a man. it is not my purpose to cover the whole ground possible in relation to the situation in the field of psychism caused by the inflow of astral energy at this time. i seek to confine myself to the effect of this inflow on aspirants and sensitives. these two words aspirants and sensitives are employed by me in this article to distinguish the awakened seeker after control and mastery from the lower type of psychic, who is controlled and mastered. it is necessary here to remind you that psychism, so-called, can be divided into the following two groups: higher psychism lower psychism divine animal controlled uncontroll

significance of the opportunity proffered can be understood, and the right use of knowledge be employed to bring good out of the present critical period, and thus the psychic and spiritual growth of man be fostered and nurtured. two questions should, i believe, at this time engross the attention of all workers in the field of esotericism and those who are engaged with the training of students and aspirants. i. how shall we train our sensitives and psychics so that the dangers can be avoided and men can go safely forward to their new and glorious heritage? ii. how can esoteric schools or "disciplines" as they are sometimes called, make right use of the opportunity? let us speak first of the training and safeguarding of our psychics and sensitives. i. the training of psychics the first thing

should cease to consult and train our psychics and mediums, but that we should train them rightly and guard them intelligently and so link, through their means, the two worlds of the physical and the astral*(1) ii. esoteric schools and disciplines our second question relates to the work of the esoteric schools or "disciplines" as they are sometimes called, and the training and safeguarding of the aspirants found working in them. i would like first of all to make one point clear. the great hindrance to the work of the majority of the esoteric schools at this time is their sense of separateness and their intolerance of other schools and methods. the leaders of these schools need to absorb the following fact. all schools which recognise the influence of the trans-himalayan lodge and whose wor

will meet with each other and learn to know and understand each other. some day this recognition and understanding will bring them to the point where they will endeavour to supplement each other's efforts, exchange ideas with each other, and so in truth and in deed constitute one great college of esotericism in the world, with varying classes and grades but all occupied with the work of training aspirants and preparing them for discipleship, or superintending the work of disciples as they prepare- 11- the externalisation of the hierarchy copyright 1998 lucis trust themselves to take initiation. then will cease the present attempts to hinder each other's work by comparison of methods and of techniques, by criticism and defamation, by warning and the cult of fear, and the insistence on excl

lisation of the hierarchy copyright 1998 lucis trust themselves to take initiation. then will cease the present attempts to hinder each other's work by comparison of methods and of techniques, by criticism and defamation, by warning and the cult of fear, and the insistence on exclusiveness. it is these attitudes and methods which at this time are hindering the entrance of the pure light of truth. aspirants in these schools present a different problem from that of ordinary psychism and mediumship. these men and women have offered themselves for intellectual training and have subjected themselves to a forcing process which is intended to bring the full flower of the soul into premature blossoming, and this in order more rapidly and effectively to serve the race, and to cooperate with the pla

ALICE A BAILEY24 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME V THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS

st the keys of the mysteries connected with energy, with polarity, and with group relation. certain words of power which will give him control over the elemental forces of nature. insight into the planetary plans. upon these i need not enlarge, nor need i take up with you here the subject of initiation (discipleship in the new age, volumes i and ii. the first work to be done is the stimulating of aspirants and the preparing of the few earnest ones to tread the path of discipleship. the final point of our theme concerns: v. the basic essential of pure character. this is something more than just being good. it deals with the matter aspect and has relation to the hold or control that the form has over the man. we might express it this way and therefore give its more occult connotation. if one

self-discipline must proceed side by side, he will find that the spiritual energy he may appreciate and contact will only serve to stimulate the latent seeds of evil in his nature and thereby demonstrate the exactitude of the truth that the great lord taught when he pictured the man who swept his house, cast out seven devils and eventually was in a worse condition than ever. it is essential that aspirants should understand the nature of the lower man and should grasp the fact that every coherent system has its varying types of energy, and that perfection is achieved when the highest type of energy inherently possible dominates. if the lower energy of the aggregate of the form-atoms is the controlling factor three things will take place: 1. the form itself will grow by accretion and will b

, they were driving these lives onward to self-conscious unfoldment, they might proceed more earnestly and more intelligently. this is the message that must go forth, for all the varying aspects of the life of god are interdependent and not one proceeds onward into fuller realisation without benefitting the entire group. a few simple suggestions i will give you. these can be useful to all sincere aspirants. in the ordered regulation of the life comes eventual synthesis and the right control of time with all that eventuates therefrom. in the right elimination of that which is secondary, and in a sense of rightly adjusted proportion comes that accuracy and one-pointedness which is the hallmark of the occultist. in the right aspiration at the appointed time comes the necessary contact and the

of the way or path with which the modern disciple is faced lies the secret of the coming revelation and of the spiritual dispensation which will emerge as humanity constructs the new world civilisation and begins to formulate the new culture. the burning, purifying, destructive effects of the monadic will upon its distorted reflection, the individual will, deeply deserves consideration. for long, aspirants have noted and have been taught the effect of the will upon the astral, or emotional body. it is one of the primary and most elementary of the initial tensions, and is taught upon the probationary path. it leads to the purifying and the re-organising of the entire psychic and emotional life, as the result of its destructive action "if you will only think "if you will only use a little wi

iation of all the members simultaneously into the same group development is not required. basically, what i am endeavouring to say anent these rules has relation to the third initiation the initiation of the integrated personality. they necessarily, however, have a correspondence to the second initiation, and are consequently of more general interest, for it is that initiation which faces so many aspirants today the demonstration of the control of the formidable emotional nature. i would ask you to think much about this point which i have just made. group initiation means that the bulk of the members are correctly oriented; that they are proposing to accept the discipline which will prepare them for the next great expansion of consciousness, and that none of them can possibly be deviated f

ALICE BAILEY THE LABOURS OF HERCULES

the twelve labors have prepared the disciple. the oracle has spoken, and down the ages the word has sounded forth: man, know thyself. this knowledge is the outstanding attainment upon the path of discipleship, and the reward of all the work done by hercules. the nature of discipleship it might be of value here if we considered briefly the nature of discipleship. it is a word in constant use among aspirants in christian lands, as in the oriental religions. discipleship could be defined as the final stage of the path of evolution, and as that period in a man's experience in which he is definitely self-conscious. it is the stage in which he knowingly pledges himself to impose the will of the soul (which is essentially the will of god) upon the lower nature. upon this path he submits himself t

illusion. if the serpent symbology is studied, we shall find that three serpents are depicted: one standing for the serpent of matter, another for the serpent of illusion, and the third for the serpent of wisdom. this last serpent is only discovered when the other two have been slain [19] this sense of duality is the first stage of the spiritual experience and colors the thoughts of all the great aspirants and mystics of the world. note how st. paul cries out as he wrestles with the problem "i find then a law, that, when i would do good, evil is present with me "for i delight in the law of god after the inward man: but i see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members "i thank god through jesus chris

parts of his nature have to be unfolded; his mind must be well-stocked and functioning, and he must know how to use it; his sensitive emotional nature must be responsive to every type of contact; his physical body must be a fit medium of expression for the indwelling soul and- 15- the labours of hercules equipped to undertake the tasks to which the man has pledged himself. there has been amongst aspirants for many centuries a tendency to decry and belittle the mind. they are apt to say glibly "the mind is the slayer of the real" and, through an unrecognized mental inertia and laziness, to feel that the important thing is to have the heart nature developed. they regard the mind, with its capacity to analyze and discriminate, as a snare and a delusion. but this surely is an error. knowledge

ed them all and got rid of them. why? because he had reached the point where he could stand on his own feet, forming his own conclusions, guiding his own life, and handling his own affairs. it was necessary, therefore, to rid himself of all those who sought to supervise him; he had to break away from authority and set out to find his own way and make his own contacts with life. this is where many aspirants stand at this time. they are in possession of much theory, they have a relatively wide technical knowledge of the nature of the path and of what they should do upon it, but they do not as yet stand on their own feet and tread that path, alone and unsupported. they need props, and look for people to tell them what to do and what they should believe. we shall find in the third labor which

except the starry heavens, the story of the zodiac and the significance of the names of the various stars found in the different constellations, we should be able to retrace the history of man, recover the knowledge of our goal and learn the mode of its achievement- 43- the labours of hercules the lesson of the labor the whole of this story really signifies the lesson which is the first that all aspirants have to master, and one which it is impossible to learn until the tests in aries and in taurus have been undergone. then, on the physical plane, in the field of the brain and in his walking consciousness, the disciple has to register contact with the soul and to recognize its qualities. he must no longer be the visionary mystic, but must add to the mystical achievement the occult knowled

ARTHUR E WAITE TEMPLAR ORDERS IN FREEMASONRY

at some favourable epoch that they would be restored to their former glory and reenter into their possessions. we hear nothing of kilwinning or heredom, and indeed no one country is designated as a place of asylum; but it is affirmed that this group of survivors created freemasonry and its three craft degrees to conceal from their enemies the fact that the chivalry was still in being and to test aspirants who entered the ranks, so that none but those who were found to be of true worth and fidelity should be advanced from the third degree into that which lay beyond. to such as were successful the existence of the secret chivalry became known only at the end of seven years, three of which were passed as apprentice, two as companion or fellow craft, and two as master mason. it was on the sam

BLUE EQUINOX

al. liber xliv. the mass of the phoenix. a ritual of the law. liber xli. thien tao. an essay on attainment by the way of equilibrium. liber dccclxviii. liber viarum vi. a graphic acccount of magical powers classified under the tarot trumps. course viii publications are specially suited to the grade of major adept, whose task is the attainment of the full magical power. it is highly desirable that aspirants to this grade should have attained the 9th degree of o.t.o, in which case much secret knowledge is offered them besides that openly published. the methods of examination for the inner college differ therefore from those employed in the outer. additional publications will be referred, as they are issued, to the proper course. the exempt adept will possess a thorough knowledge of all these

.behold, i know. the last, they who in humbleness have garnered, low confess .thus have 1 heard. continues the subject, but adds a further word to discriminate from da th (knowledge) in favour of binah (understanding. the two paths 41 17 .great sifter. is the name of the .heart doctrine. o disciple. this explains the .heart doctrine. as a process of continual elimination which refers both to the aspirants and to the thoughts. 18. the wheel of the good law moves swiftly on. it grinds by night and day. the worthless husks it drives from out the golden grain, the refuse from the flour. the hand of karma guides the wheel; the revolutions mark the beatings of the karmic heart. the subject of elimination is here further developed. the favourite eastern image of the wheel of the good law is diff

CASE PAUL F THE BOOK OF TOKENS

al path of return being completed, he withdrew from his physical vehicle on march 2, 1954. it is our profound privilege and grave responsibility to carry on the great work which dr. case left in our care. correspondence lessons on occult psychology, tarot, holy qabalah, spiritual alchemy, etc, as well as books, pamphlets, qabalistic tree of life diagrams and tarot keys are available to interested aspirants. write to: builders of the adytum 5105 north figueroa street los angeles, california 90042 to you, who are about to be touched by the ineffable via the book of tokens, may light be extended upon you. in l. v. x (light, the grand chapter, builders, of the adytum the book of tokens contents* prologos 3 aleph 5 beth 17 gimel 29 daleth 39 heh 49 vav 63 zain 73 cheth 81 teth 89 yod 97 kaph 10

that the universe owes its existence to the creator's perpetual self-recognition. nature is thus the result of spirit's meditation upon the powers of its own being. the universe is thought into existence, and is maintained in existence by thought. upon this foundation rests the whole structure of practical occultism, and from this doctrine you may understand the importance of meditation "whenever aspirants really meditate they are sharing in the exercise of the divine power that created everything. thus one of the tests whereby a student may know whether or not he has really succeeded in meditation is this: let him find out whether or not what he has been doing takes form in the production of something better than he had before he began to meditate" students of tarot will be interested in

DION FORTUNE MYSTICAL QABALA

ing the poverty of a system which does not avail itself of the experience of tradition. 17. the bhakti yoga of the catholic church is only suitable for those whose temperament is naturally devotional [page 6] and who find their readiest expression in loving self-sacrifice. but it is not everybody who is of this type, and christianity is unfortunate in not having any choice of systems to offer its aspirants. the east, being tolerant, is wise, and has developed various yoga methods, each of which is pursued by its adherents to the exclusion of the others, and yet none would deny that the other methods are also paths to god for those to whom they are suited. 18. in consequence of this deplorable limitation on the part of our theology many western aspirants take up eastern methods. for those w

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 1

irds, meetings with wild animals, and various other means, foretold coming events. according to the fifteenth- century humanist laurentius valla, they carefully preserve among themselves books which treat of this science, where they find rules of all sorts of prognostications and predictions. the soothsayers are divided into two classes, one, the masters or principals, the other the disciples and aspirants. another kind of knowledge is also attributed to them, that of being able to indicate the way taken by horses and other beasts of burden which are lost, and the road followed by one or more persons. they can specify the kind and shape of the ground, whether the earth is hard or soft, covered with sand or grass, whether it is a broad road, paved or sanded, or narrow, twisting paths, and t

FELDMAN DANIEL QABALAH THE MYSTICAL HERITAGE OF THE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM

hat the ayn alone exists and all separate existence is illusory, that a manifest creation on all its levels has no basis in reality, and that all the shells of embodied existence are empty.10 it cannot be underscored strongly enough that these three distinctions exist only within the finite human intellect. they are not mutually exclusive doctrines, but represent a gradation in consciousness. all aspirants will be attracted to one of these perspectives according to their natural spiritual constitution and stage of development. one who embraces the awareness of a simple devotee i.e. who worships the name and form of his/her chosen ideal as separate from themselves, would not be attracted to and may even strongly reject a non-dual perspective that denies such separation or any real existence

a non-dual perspective that denies such separation or any real existence to name and form. conversely, one who has the innate sense that the root reality has two aspects, one without attributes and the other an intelligent, unified source of all attributes, would not find any sensibility in either a purely dualistic or a purely non-dual perspective. in practice, we find that the vast majority of aspirants in these latter days resonate with the first two categories. few souls have the concentration, discrimination, discipline, and force of will to pursue a purely non-dual path' 8: h" 2: 2 2:e 8% among qabalists, as with aspirants in all other mystical traditions, we find that the apparently disparate distinctions described above give rise to philosophical arguments and irresolvable debates

available, are built 8- f e upon expositions of earlier writers who possessed little direct mystical experience of what they wrote. in rejecting the orthodox prohibitions regarding the study and practice of the mystical qabalah, it would be reasonable and balanced to point out that there is some inherent danger in the overzealous pursuit of qabalistic disciplines. many of the problems arise when aspirants are misled by unqualified teachers, have pre-existing mental imbalances, or when aspirants engage in activities related to the side columns of the tree of life. problems can also manifest when individuals underestimate the power of the root mantra and do too much too soon. on the other hand, relatively few problems have been seen in individuals who have the guidance of a qualified mentor

n (silsilah) passed down from one spiritual preceptor, called a shaykh in arabic and a pir in persian, to another. all of the silsilah trace back to the original silsilah of the prophet mohammed through abu bakr or the fourth kalif ali. some of the chains of initiation are still anchored in living masters who transmit the genuine b rakha (blessing of spiritual potency) of mystical gnosis to their aspirants (mureed. others have become a name without a reality. congregations of sufis convene with their shaykhs in specially designated halls (persian, khanqah; arabic, zawiya; turkish, tekke. sufis are, with a few notable exceptions, devout muslims. yet, sufism is generally eschewed and viewed with suspicion by the sunnite and shiite islamic orthodox authorities. like the vast majority of mains

hoose the thematic content of the holographic narrative, which is an extension of the human imagination. and, they enter into, interact with, modify, and terminate the hologram at will while constantly remaining aware that it is only an illusion. and, from where does the hologram come from? nowhere (ayn! of what is it made? nothing (ayn! where does it go when it ends? no place (ayn! 8-,0,'0, some aspirants by nature do not have any attraction for the active, personal small face. they do not seek the consciousness of small face as a goal, or even as an intermediate stage up the tree. such aspirants focus directly on vast face and seek to establish a connection in their consciousness to the negatively existent substratum in the roots of the tree. holding on to the banner of neti, neti- not (

FREEMASONRY AND CATHOLICISM BY MAX HEINDEL 2

on to serve a waiting ego, when the prenatal conditions are pure mentally, morally and physically, when the early childhood days of the ego thus born are spent in a home atmosphere of high and noble thought, both parents and children are making wonderful progress. and as great souls cannot be born to ignoble parents any more than water can sink below its level, it would, indeed, be very wrong for aspirants to discipleship to live an entirely celibate life for the sake of self- advancement when conditions permit them to wed; furthermore, the expenditure of the creative force at the few times in a life when it is legitimately required for propagation would not seriously interfere with the spiritual development undertaken to become the philosopher's stone, and the soul- growth gained by assum

were called naim by the hebrews who used the male suffix to designate the positive spiritual faculty which they possess. and the latin catholic version of the new testament (luke, chapter vii, verses 11 to 15) speaks of the person raised by christ as the widow's son of nain. as the serpent is not fully unfolded until the ninth arch of the lesser mysteries has been passed and the candidates become aspirants to the greater mysteries, and further because the lodge of phree messen (children of light) of ancient egypt are now transferred to the various branches of the anglo-saxon race, where the sound nain means "nine" the original word has been corrupted to mislead all not entitled to the knowledge. but all things change on this terrestrial sphere, and this applies also to the methods of initi

GILBERT THE MAGICAL MASON

us together,buthas not compelled us to the association. the old rosicrucianmottowas,'inclinantastra- noncertenecessitant'.ourstars- or destiny- incline us to our fate, they do not necessitate any result. again,'astraregunthomines-sedregitastradeus'.thestars dominate mankind, the divine trinity, in each man and above all men rules these starry influences. let us then who have gathered together as aspirants to rosicrucian wisdom take a strict survey of our aims and aspira255 tions, and let us seek to know what our faith will teach us, and what is our explanation of the marvellous. there is no such thing as a miracle.thatis, there is never an absolute reversal of any natural law. every event, however unexpected by us, who are all more or less grossly ignorant of nature and of nature's laws

GOLDEN CHAIN AND THE LONELY ROAD

powers of the godhead and for the concealed radiances of the sun. in rites employing a seeress as the so-called 'ophidian oracle, a trance-state is actuated by cunnilingus and the lucid post-orgasmic dream of the priestess is guided by external manuductive passes and verbal conjurations. as can be seen, if one considers it deeply, such matters cannot be operated effectively between inexperienced aspirants. as such i conclude that it is best for such matters to be remain the preserve of those capable of deploying their arcana with knowledge and love. textual transmission: the way of the book although we may exchange money for text, money alone will never purchase initiation, neither will text alone permit us to enter the sabbat. and yet, if one is possessed of the suitable capacity, lineag

LEADBEATER C W THE HIDDEN LIFE IN FREEMASONRY 2E

ree principal virtues, faith, hope and charity. strictly speaking, the standard symbol for charity is a heart, and this does actually appear on some t c b c s instead of the cup; but the cup is the more ancient symbol, and really means much more to us. 281. another and a very beautiful interpretation of the cross upon the ladder is given to us by bro. wilmshurst, who takes it to represent all the aspirants who are engaged in mounting that ladder. he says: 282. each carries his cross, his own cruciform body, as he ascends; the material vesture whose tendencies are ever at cross purposes with the desire of the spirit, and militate against the ascent. thus weighted, each must climb, and climb alone; yet reaching out- as the secret tradition teaches, and the arms of the tilted cross signify- o

LEADBEATER CW GLIMPSES OF MASONIC HISTORY

of the egyptian priests of old; though it is certainly true that if he possessed also the knowledge of the egyptian priests he could make far better use of the power. 163. the higher grades of the mysteries 164. beyond the teaching and training which were given in the mysteries, classified in the three degrees which we have considered, the hierophants also made it their work to instruct and guide aspirants who had proved themselves fit for still further progress. we cannot say that there were in egypt any organized degrees beyond the third, that of osiris; but there was individual teaching, which led to the acquisition of still greater powers, and to the formation of links with beings at still higher levels. 165. the higher degrees of the ancient and accepted scottish rite of our modern da

LIBER RESH VEL HELIOS

the chains of ignorance, look closely into the heart of the seeker and lead him by the path which is best suited to his nature unto the ultimate end of all things, the supreme realization, the life which abideth in light, yea, the life which abideth in ligghliber resh vel helios svb figvra cc v a a publication in class d imprimatur: n. fra. a a 1 0. these are the adorations to be performed by all aspirants to the a a 1. let him greet the sun at dawn, facing east, giving the sign of his grade.1 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 o

LIBER SAMEKH

, 3) and the general relations detailed in liber 777, of which the most important columns are reprinted in book 4, part iii, appendix v. for an accound of these matters see the equinox, vol. i, gthe temple of solomon the king, h liber 418, liber aleph [cxi, john st. john [liber dccclx, the urn [liber lxxiii] and book 4, part iv. 37 appendix the stele of jeu. greek text. this is included to assist aspirants in making their own qabalistic analyses and personal adaptations of the ritual. i have given breathings but not accents. in any case neither would have been present on the original ms. ebarbarous names f are printed in small caps. for gtou deina h( ghim, nn h) would be substituted the name of the person to be delivered from the daimon. roman letters in square brackets indicate the corres

LIBER XLIV THE MASS OF THE PHOENIX

with mirth i now go forth, and with thanksgiving, to do my pleasure on the earth among the legions of the living. he goeth forth. 1 [this is generally taken to refer to the four stanzas of crowley.s paraphrase from the st l in cap. iii. vv. 37-38 .unity uttermost showed. to .abide with me, ra-hoor-khuit. t.s] 2 [what exactly constitutes .the proper sign. was either privately communicated to a.a. aspirants by their superivisors, or left to the ingenium of the magician. t.s] the mass of the ph.nix 3* this is the special number of horus; it is the hebrew blood3 and the multiplication of the 4 by the 11, the number of magick, explains 4 in its finest sense. but see in particular the accounts in equinox i, vii, of the circumstances of the equinox of the gods.4 the word .ph.nix. may be taken as

MANLY P HALL THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES

ne and became the real cause of the orgies. in certain parts of the earth it was maintained that there were natural wells, springs, or fountains, in which the water (because of the minerals through which it coursed) was tinctured with sacred properties. temples were often built near these spots, and in some cases natural caves which chanced to be in the vicinity were sanctified to some deity "the aspirants to initiation, and those who came to request prophetic dreams of the gods, were prepared by a fast, more or less prolonged, after which they partook of meals expressly prepared; and also of mysterious drinks, such as the water of lethe, and the water of mnemosyne in the grotto of trophonius; or of the ciceion in the mysteries of the eleusinia. different drugs were easily mixed up with th

MEANING OF MASONRY

g a deeper understanding of the fraternity, and this goal has been achieved. the ideals of the masonic fraternity have a wide appeal to the best instincts of men, and the craft has become one of the greatest social institutions in the world. in this new aquarian age, when many individuals and groups are working in various ways for the eventual restoration of the mysteries, an increasing number of aspirants are beginning to recognize that freemasonry may well be the vehicle for this achievement. we have here a sincere effort by a learned and earnest brother to point to the source of masonic light in elegant, and at times profound, language. they who look with him may enjoy the same felicity. the great value of this book is that it was written by one who sets an example for all masters of lo

bode up in this earthly town, or naked pass, of all they wear denied. we enter slipshod and with clothes awry, and we take with us much that by-and-by may prove no easy task to put aside. cleanse, therefore, that which round about us clings, we pray thee, master, ere thy sacred halls we enter. strip us of redundant things, and meetly clothe us in pontificals* in the schools of the mysteries, when aspirants for the higher life were wont to quit the outer world and enter temples or sanctuaries of initiation, prolonged periods were allotted to the practical achievement of what is briefly summarized in our first degree. we are told seven or more years was the normal period, though less sufficed in worthy cases. the most severe tests of discipline, of purity, of self-balance were required befor

eculative masonry is due. you must not imply from this that modern masonry is by any means a full or adequate presentation of these older and larger systems. it is but their pale and elementary shadow. but such as they are, and so far as they do go, our rituals and doctrine are an authentic embodiment of a secret doctrine and a secret process that have always existed for the enlightenment of such aspirants as, putting their trust in god (as our present candidates are made to say, have knocked at the door of certain secret sanctuaries in the confidence that door would open and that they would find in due course that for which they were seeking. those who institut ed modern speculative masonry some 250 years ago took certain material s lying ready to hand. they took, that is, the elementary

will be his great reward if he submits himself to the conditions upon which alone he may discover them. the existence of those realities and the regimen essential to their enjoyment are inculcated by masonry as they have been by every other initiatory order of the past, and it is for the fact that this knowledge is and always has been conserved in the world, so as to be ever available for earnest aspirants towards it, that gratitude is expressed to the grand master of all for having never left himself, or the way of return to him, without witness in this outer world. as much has been said about the ceremony of the third degree in other papers it is unnecessary here to expound it further. it may be stated, however, that it alone constitutes the masonic initiation. the first and second degre

age. greece was the spiritual descendant and infant prodigy of both india and egypt, though developing along quite different lines. we know that pythagoras, like moses, after absorbing all his native teachers could impart, journeyed to egypt to take his final initiation prior to returning and founding the great school at crotona associated with his name. we know, too, from the timaus of plato how aspirants for mystical wisdom visited egypt for initiation and were told by the priests of sais that" you greeks are but children" in the secret doctrine, but were admitted to information enabling them to promote their own spiritual advancement. we know from the corresponden ce, recorded by iamblichus, between anebo and porphyry, the fraternal relations existing between the various schools or lodg

MORALS AND DOGMA

ticians, in a free state, are generally hollow, heartless, and selfish. their own aggrandisement is the end of their patriotism; and they always look with secret satisfaction on the disappointment or fall of one whose loftier genius and superior talents overshadow their own self-importance, or whose integrity and incorruptible honor are in the way of their selfish ends. the influence of the small aspirants is always against the great man _his_ accession to power may be almost for a lifetime. one of themselves will be more easily displaced, and each hopes to succeed him; and so it at length comes to pass that men impudently aspire to and actually win the highest stations, who are unfit for the lowest clerkships; and incapacity and mediocrity become the surest passports to office. the conseq

ols the two-fold motion of the stars, fixed and planetary, and the passage of the soul through their successive spheres. they erected in their holy caves, in which the mystic rites of the mithriac initiations were practised, what he denominates a high _ladder, on the seven steps of which were seven gates or portals, according to the number of the seven principal heavenly bodies. through these the aspirants passed, until they reached the summit of the whole; and this passage was styled a transmigration through the spheres. jacob saw in his dream a _ladder_ planted or set on the earth, and its top reaching to heaven, and the malaki alohim ascending and descending on it, and above it stood ihuh, declaring himself to be ihuh-alhi abraham. the word translated _ladder, is [hebrew _salam, from [h

sius, and the author of the books of dionysius the areopagite. then it was necessary to win the pardon of miracles by the appearances of superstition, and of science by a language unintelligible. hieroglyphic writing was revived, and pantacles and characters were invented, that summed up a whole doctrine in a sign, a whole series of tendencies and revelations in a word. what was the object of the aspirants to knowledge? they sought for the secret of the great work, or the philosophal stone, or the perpetual motion, or the squaring of the circle, or the universal medicine; formulas which often saved them from persecution and general ill-will, by exposing them to the charge of folly; and each of which expressed one of the forces of the grand magical secret. this lasted until the time of the

he key of their allegories, the single dogma of hermes, contained in his table of emerald, and follow, to class his acquisitions of knowledge and direct the operation, the order indicated in the kabalistic alphabet of the tarot. raymond lulle has said that, to make gold, we must first have gold. nothing is made out of nothing; we do not absolutely _create_ wealth; we increase and multiply it. let aspirants to science well understand, then, that neither the juggler's tricks nor miracles are to be asked of the adept. the hermetic science, like all the _real_ sciences, is mathematically demonstrable. its results, even material, are as rigorous as that of a correct equation. the hermetic gold is not only a true dogma, a light without shadow, a truth without alloy of falsehood; it is also a mat

MOTTA MARCELO THE COMMENTARIES OF AL

ared by the confusion of a follower, or several followers, a thing which, unless we mistake, has happened all too often in the past) class b: these are utterances of high initiates of the a. a, or of people recognized as high initiates by the a. a, considered of sufficient value to be published under the aegis of the order. publications in class b are recommended for serious study by brethren and aspirants. only the commentaries by aleister crowley himself are here in this class. they are in standard type (readers may well ask why even the utterances of past magi are, when published under the imprimatur of the a. a, classified only up to b. is it because the a. a. considers all past initiates, or initiates of other orders, inferior to those who underwent its discipline? certainly not. such

ir gods& their men are fools. this verse establishes uncompromisingly that all gods g capital, that is to say 'true gods' and all men deified by legend or deceit that is to say 'false gods' are fools. how come? it is a key. distinction is clearly made between the two types: one are gods; the other is men. the key is that both types are adored, which, as verses 7-9 established, is wrong. wrong for aspirants, of course. the 'gods 'are fools that is, they reached the plane of consciousness of the fool of the tarot. the 'men' are also fools the common, abundant variety. technically, an initiate can be called a god only after crossing the abyss. however, masters of the temple do not become known, therefore cannot be adored. it is those of the grade following, the magi, who become known. it is t

do what it is that he or she fears. therefore, it is written "all fools despise" a true god needs no adoration, and will not be affected by your scorn. a 'black brother' will shrivel without one, and foam when faced with the other (exceptions to this rule pertain neither to the grade for which this commentary is being written, nor to this verse. see chapter two, verse 79. see, also, liber clxxv) aspirants must be on guard, constantly, because the 'black brethren' imitate the magi, and may be mistaken for them by sloppy thinkers. because of the confusion of their vehicles, and their spiritual pride, on reaching samadhi with a spiritual current the 'black brethren' think that they are re-incarnations of the magus who originated that particular current. they set out to do another man's job

ves a secret name when at last he knows her. see liber nv, and verse 60 of this chapter. nevertheless, the name given to 666 is of generic importance to all thelemites, because of his office as prophet. that name is, therefore, the seal of the a and restriction to choronzon. see liber 156, and liber 418, the tenth aethyr. 23. but whoso availeth in this, let him be the chief of all! naturally, all aspirants fancy themselves candidates to this 'exalted office' as well. let them ponder that the 'chief must not care whether he is 'chief, or remains so, or, even, if he is 'obeyed' he must not care even if he is a she! only venal or naive people hanker for public office. 24. i am nuit, and my word is six and fifty. see liber nv for this. but obviously, n= 50, v= 6. 25. divide, add, multiply, and

sea water is of the nature of the ocean, but it is not the ocean. nevertheless, one can certainly study some of the characteristics of the ocean in a drop of sea water. further, as the verse itself states in no uncertain manner, the heavenly isis nuit cannot be regarded as an individual monad! nuit above the abyss does not become one: she is none. the ordeal being a crucial one, it is better that aspirants be forewarned. many ships sank against this rock, some of them vessels of great promise. also, babalon being merely one of the names of nuit, what is true of nuit is true of babalon. 28. none, breathed the light, faint& faery, of the stars, and two. 29. for i am divided for love's sake, for the chance of union. 30. this is the creation of the world, that the pain of division is as nothin

NAUDON PAUL THE SECRET HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY

given that these streets were already in existence in the thirteenth century. from 1242 to 1540, the rue du petit hurleur was known as rue jean palee, referring to the name of the founder of trinity hospital. this quarter also had a rue du renard [fox (which should not be confused with the current street that holds that name) which is interesting given that journeymen designated as "foxes" those aspirants to their ranks. saint merri church is also of ancient origin. in the seventh century there was already a chapel by this name built on a site that was then part of the territory of saint gervais. saint merri was raised to parish status sometime during the seventeenth century.34 according to rochegude, the current building was constructed between 1520 and 1612. above the main portal, set b

NEW WORLD ORDER OR OCCULT SECRET DESTINY

exercised all kinds of influences and sympathies. the practice of magic became a holy quest. back in 1927, freemason w.l. wilmhurst saw the dawning of the aquarian age as the fufillment of the plan. in the meaning of masonry, p.4, he writes: in this new aquarian age, when many individuals and groups are working in various ways for the eventual restoration of the mysteries, an increasing number of aspirants are beginning to recognize that freemasonry may well be the vehicle for this achievement he would be well proud, i m sure, of today s mainstream acceptance of those very same occult mysteries. another passage on page 46-47, proves the teaching of freemasonry is the same as new age beliefs: he begins his masonic career as the natural man; he ends it by becoming through its discipline, a r

ONYX TABLET OF SET

discussion will show that you're not acting arbitrarily, nor changing your mind capriciously_ i. courtesy and respect summary: always be courteous and respectful to all setians- 1. i've been asked "does protocol mean that [regardless of their feelings, and despite our feelings about their behaviors] we are expected to treat our fellow initiates of whatever grade civilly and with respect as fellow aspirants on the left hand path- a *yes! positively yes. absolutely yes. without exception yes. even if you have unquestionable evidence that this other setian has been taking lessons from the lowest scum on earth, and not only getting 'a's but doing extra credit scum-work, yes- b. the reasons for being polite and showing respect whatever the situation are so strong that i'm repeatedly surprised w

RITUALS OF THE SOCIETAS ROSICRUCIANIS IN ANGLIA

the groins of the roof, was a white and black, yet massiverituals of the societas rosicrucianis in angliasecond section12 roman cross, deftly carved in marble. into these sacred, silent precincts none were allowed to enterexcept the adepts, the magister templi and the magus, save at the daily morning and evening hourof prayer, when all must gather for silent worship, or at periods of reception of aspirants, or duringthe annual assembly. these solitary chambers formed the home of 36 of the rosicrucianbrotherhood, no more, no less, could occupy these rock-built halls: all others were constrained toserve their learnings and to account for deeds of good and service done. their brief sojourn beingended, from the entire number the magus again tailed off those who were to serve humanity at largea

RITUEL ET DOGME DE LA HAUTE MAGIE BY ELIPHAS LEVI PART I

ymous author of the books of dionysius the areopagite. in such times it was necessary to exonerate miracles under the pretence of superstition and science by an unintelligible language. hieroglyphic writing was introduction 11 revived; pantacles and characters were invented to summarize an entire doctrine by a sign, a whole sequence of tendencies and revelations in a word. what was the end of the aspirants to knowledge? they sought the secret of the great work, the philosophical stone, the perpetual motion, the quadrature of the circle, the universal medicine formulae which often saved them from persecution and hatred by causing them to be taxed with madness, but all signifying one of the phases of the great magical secret, as we shall show later on. this absence of epics continues till ou

RITUEL ET DOGME DE LA HAUTE MAGIE BY ELIPHAS LEVI PART II

occult comprehension if he fail in attaining the absolute truth by its study. we shall now give a succinct analysis of this work, together with a few words of commentary. raymond lully, one of the grand and sublime masters of science, says that before we can make gold we must have gold. out of nothing we can make nothing; wealth is not created absolutely: it is increased and multiplied. hence let aspirants to knowledge understand and realize that neither miracles nor jugglers f feats are demanded of the adept. hermetic science, like all real sciences, is mathematically demonstrable. even its material results are as exact as a well-worked equation. hermetic gold is not only a true doctrine, a shadowless light, truth unalloyed with falsehood; it is also material, actual, pure gold, the most

RUBY TABLET OF SET

ly academic at this point and has no place here. for a description of the (5=[6 (6=[5, and (7=[4, refer again to magick in theory and practice or to "the degrees of initiation" the likenesses are there. in the third division "the order of the silver star" the golden dawn designations were kept (8=[3] magister templi (9=[2] magus, and (10=[1] ipsissimus. the magus crowley's own instructions to the aspirants to the (8=[3] were to annihilate the personality which, he said "limits and oppresses his true self" no advice could be more suicidal. the (8=[3] advice was to obliterate that which makes man unique [his capacity for discernment, rational thought, judgement, etc] in order that he might merge with the universal awareness/consciousness. this, it will be noted, is patent hogwash. nay, let u

agram openly, and initiates of all degrees wear a simple pentagram medallion as evidence of their affiliation. let the one who aspires to my knowledge be called by the name setian. the word "setian" is now used to refer generally to all initiates of the temple of set. it is used in a more specific sense as the formal title of the first degree of initiation, whose recipients are in the position of aspirants to the knowledge of the temple. i seek my elect and none other, for mankind now hastens toward an annihilation which none but the elect may hope to avoid. and alone i cannot preserve my elect, but i would teach them and strengthen their will against the coming peril, that they and their blood may endure. to do this i must give further of my own essence to my elect, and, should they fail

ures: you shall be as i who am the overpowering one. arise in your glory, behold the genius of your creation, and be prideful of being, for i am the same- i who am the highest of life. the seventeenth part ils dialprt soba vpaah chis nanba zixlay dodsih odbrint taxs hubaro tastax ylsi, sobaiad ivonpovnph aldon daxil od toatar: zacar od zamran odo cicle qaa, zorge lap zirdo noco mad hoath iaida. o aspirants to come, who shall bear the flame and wield the powers of darkness in the name of my vengeance, awaken and hear: arise in your glory, behold the genius of your creation, and be prideful of being, for i am the same- i who am the highest of life. the eighteenth part ils micaolz olpirt ialprg bliors ds odo busdir oiad ouoars caosgo casarmg laiad eran brints cafafam ds ivmd aqlo adohi moz od

nd hearts of the priesthood, as black magicians comprising the temple of set, shall do the work of actualizing xem, together, but in relation to each other's selves. the end of the world need not be taken literally, but may be so at some point in the future. for i consider your statement, magistra thomas "it scares me to death because it means the end of the world as i know it" to mean to all the aspirants who meet the challenge of initiation into xemd, that we must say good-bye to all of our standard human reactions and deficiencies in order that our beginning without end may be activated. so many things that we have been relying upon, such as emotions, fatigue, and even sickness, must be put in their places. that is, of course, easier said that done, and (for now anyway) we still have to

f the thelemites created enormous confusion among his followers and even the magus of the aeon himself completely missed the point in ii-66 of the book of the law. the "we are one; we are none" statement is patently a promise not of conscious continuation, but of cancellation. misinterpreting it was an ill-fated error in the extreme, but if the magus himself failed to comprehend it correctly, the aspirants to the knowledge of the book of the law hardly could be blamed for treading the same path, unsound though it was in places. it is ironic indeed that the sophistication of the book of the law, the most up-to-date document of its day, should hold such pitfalls in its pages. in the xx a.s. commentary on the book of the law by dr. aquino [an ipsissimus commenting on the works of a previous m

SEVEN SHADES OF SOLITUDE

espective of the presence or absence of others. by virtue of internal solitude the practitioner may dwell alone or in the presence of man and woman, he may partake in praxes of an individual or collective nature without bias or compromise; all may serve to empower the position of his spiritual equipoise. having attained to a realisation of magical autonomy the mage may serve as initiator unto all aspirants, for all other is the mirror of his own selfhood. in nomine kabilo. the secret view of solitude is the natural state of existence- the primordial condition of i as void: the autonomian vessel of the elder faith. in nomine satilo- 000- wisely we must make our way through the maze of mirror d altars. slowly, slowly, toward and beyond the crack called midnight (an earlier version of this ar

SIR EDWARD BULWER LYTTON ZANONI A ROSICRUCIAN TALE

t, ever haunts my vision amidst these perturbed and broken clouds of the fate to be. by that shadowy scaffold it stands and gibbers at me, with lips dropping slime and gore. come, o friend of the far-time; for me, at least, thy wisdom has not purged away thy human affections. according to the bonds of our solemn order, reduced now to thee and myself, lone survivors of so many haughty and glorious aspirants, thou art pledged, too, to warn the descendant of those whom thy counsels sought to initiate into the great secret in a former age. the last of that bold visconti who was once thy pupil is the relentless persecutor of this fair child. with thoughts of lust and murder, he is digging his own grave; thou mayest yet daunt him from his doom. and i also mysteriously, by the same bond, am pledg

se which the leech must extirpate with pharmacy and drugs, and know not even that it is from this condition of their being, in its most imperfect and infant form, that poetry, music, art all that belong to an idea of beauty to which neither sleeping nor waking can furnish archetype and actual semblance take their immortal birth. when we, o mejnour in the far time, were ourselves the neophytes and aspirants, we were of a class to which the actual world was shut and barred. our forefathers had no object in life but knowledge. from the cradle we were predestined and reared to wisdom as to a priesthood. we commenced research where modern conjecture closes its faithless wings. and with us, those were common elements of science which the sages of to-day disdain as wild chimeras, or despair of as

STEINER RUDOLF CHRISTIANITY AS MYSTICAL FACT

nd sense, not yet able to realize the full value of the spiritual, though the sense-world has lost its former meaning. a shipwreck ends the lives of all odysseus companions; he alone escapes, being befriended by the nymph calypso who cares for him for seven years. eventually, at the behest of zeus, she permits him to return to his homeland. here the mystai attain to a level where all their fellow aspirants fall short, and only one, odysseus, is found worthy. the one who is worthy enjoys for a time seven years in accordance with the number-symbolism of the mysteries the tranquility of a gradual initiation-process. before reaching home, however, odysseus is brought to the island of phaeacia where he is an honored guest. the king s daughter takes his part, king alcinous himself entertains and

THE BLACK LODGE

sated and the energy of that attraction fades so does the aspiration. candidates of this type work strenuously for a while and then suddenly they become inactive or disruptive. with this type of candidate you will find them after a few years totally uninterested in initiation or in occultism of any sort. others of this type become active members of organized religions cursed in al iii 49-55. when aspirants achieve entrance into a true initiatic order, if their aspiration is not pure they do not really become members of the order, although superficially they may seem to have done so. they- as do true aspirants also- become subject to the influence of the demoniac forces, whose work in initiation corresponds to the work of the necrophagi (vultures, buzzards, hyenas, jackals, worms, etc) in n

ose work in initiation corresponds to the work of the necrophagi (vultures, buzzards, hyenas, jackals, worms, etc) in nature. true candidates should always keep in mind these two apparently opposite fact: first, that they are under the attack of demoniac forces since the first moment they aspire to initiation; second, that those forces must be conquered and put to the service of the true will. if aspirants let themselves be dominated, instead of dominating, in a certain sense they are eaten and digested by the demons, and become mere instruments of the demoniac worlds on the earth. should the aspirants, out of fear or repulsion, avoid all contact with the demoniac forces, they will be unable to develop control of certain planes of consciousness, and therefore will never become balanced ini

the four princes of evil of this world. h.o.o.r. is a true initiatic order, and as soon as the 2nd grade is obtained the demoniac forces are stirred in the soul of the new member, to deviate him or her from the order s spiritual current. we must once again point out that this defense mechanism is a natural process. but it is the "super natural, with all its attendant risks and terrors, that true aspirants seek. a master (frater 215 .8=3 a .a) once wrote the following "man was once defined, by a sage, as a marine animal that went insane and decided to live on land. madness (in the sense of wilful deviation from the norm) is indeed the key word in this matter. it has been of great individual inconvenience to our species, the fact that we developed aspiration- this "infinite dis-ease in the

safety. with freedom comes responsibility. this has always been a factor, it is simply that now, in the 1990 s ev, it has become enormously more important. sexually transmitted diseases such as aids and even herpes were unknown just 25 years ago! the threat that hiv poses to the aspirant can not be underestimated. for to underestimate in this regard is to die. if thelema is to survive so must its aspirants, adherents and brothers& sisters. that adjuration in another document known to you all better if you take no partner in the outer, even sub-rosa, becomes much more intelligible and clear to you. as in all these things a balance must be maintained. your lessons in the ordeals have taught you that balance is the way and the truth and the lvx. to the women of thelema; you must be especially

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL 1

theearliest, legible human records, known as the pyramid texts of egypt (c. 3000 b.c.e, contained many prayers which were used as magical formulas and spells. systematized theologies that dealt with the essential questions about the true nature of humankind and its relationship to the cosmos. the hierophants created theological constructs and formulated esoteric answers that brought initiates and aspirants to the great religious cities of heliopolis, memphis, hermopolis magna, abydos, and thebes. m delving deeper brandon, s. g. f. religion in ancient history. new york: charles scribner s sons, 1969. cotterell, arthur, ed. encyclopedia of world mythology. london: dempsey parr book, 1999. crim, keith, ed. the perennial dictionary of world religions. san francisco: harper collins, 1989. ferm

up its reservoir of oil. from somewhere outside the tomb, he would be able to hear priests chanting his funeral song. then he would be alone in the darkness, feeling the cold of the grave close in upon him. perhaps the initiate would experience a life review or begin to see colors and lights appear around him. this illumination, he believed, was the light of osiris come to bring him visions. some aspirants might claim to have had conversations with isis or osiris. others might visualize themselves in the land of the dead, walking and talking with departed spirits and receiving special teachings from osiris. those who survived the night alone in the sarcophagus were awakened by the priests who proclaimed the initiate s resurrection and who brought him refreshing food and drink. later, at an

the blood of pigs as they emerged. a sacrifice was offered to the gods, and a procession began the journey to eleusis, where, upon the arrival of the priests, the initiates were received by the high priest of eleusis, the hieroceryx, or sacred herald, who was dressed in a manner suggesting the god hermes (mercury, holding the caduceus, the entwined serpents, as a symbol of his authority. once the aspirants had assembled, the sacred herald led them to a sanctuary of the goddess persephone hidden in a quiet valley in the midst of a sacred grove. here, the priestesses of persephone, crowned with narcissus wreaths, began chanting, warning the newcomers of the mysteries that they were about to perceive. the initiates would learn that the present life that they held so dear was but a tapestry of

y of the goddess persephone hidden in a quiet valley in the midst of a sacred grove. here, the priestesses of persephone, crowned with narcissus wreaths, began chanting, warning the newcomers of the mysteries that they were about to perceive. the initiates would learn that the present life that they held so dear was but a tapestry of illusion and confused dreams. after a stern admonition that the aspirants be careful not to desecrate the mysteries in any way lest the goddess persephone pursue them forever, they were allowed to partake of food and drink. for the next several days, the initiates fasted and participated in cleansing rituals and prayers. on the evening of the last day of the celebration of the mystery, the candidates gathered in the most secret area of the sacred grove to atte

eans, they also could worship their nature spirits in the guise of paying homage to the christian saints. the ancient role of the shaman remains central to macumba. he (it is most often a male) or she enters into a trance state and talks to the spirits in order to gain advice or aid for the supplicants. before anyone can participate in a macumba ceremony, he or she must undergo an initiation. the aspirants must enter a trance during the dancing and the drumming and allow a god to possess them. once the possession has taken place, the shaman must determine which gods are in which initiate so the correct rituals may be performed. the process is assisted by the sacrifice of an animal and the shaman smearing blood over the initiates. once the initiates have been blooded, they take an oath of l

THE KEY TO THE MYSTERIES

manoeuvring the hieroglyphic characters across the numbers<order of the golden dawn may have designed enochian chess on this suggestion> our vulgar game of goose, revived from the old grecian game, and also attributed to palamedes, is nothing but a chess-board with motionless figures and numbers movable by means of dice. it is a tarot disposed in the form of a wheel, for the use of aspirants to initiation. now, the word tarot, in which one finds "rota" and "tora" itself expresses, as william postel has demonstrated, this primitive disposition in the form of a wheel. the hieroglyphs of the game of goose are simpler than those of the tarot, but one finds the same symbols in it: the juggler, the king, the queen, the tower, the devil or typhon, death, and so on. the diceindicate

THE STAR IN THE WEST BY CAPTAIN FULLER A CRITICAL ESSAY ON THE WORKS OF ALEISTER CROWLEY

ging shadowland into the full blaze of the sunlight; in the words of the qabalist, gto attain to the crown, h and those of the christ, gto be one with the father. h now a curious vista opens out before our gaze, and it is this; a man or woman to become an adept need neither possess great intellect, great genius, nor great knowledge, in fact, in many cases the more ignorant and crass have been the aspirants, the more speedy has been their illumination (christ the carpenter; for the less have they had to conquer, and the lower, and therefore less rational, have been their symbols. gmost others, especially hinduism and buddhism, lose themselves in metaphysical speculation only proper to those who are already adepts. h*1. ignorance or knowledge have nothing to do with illumination any more tha

TYSON DONALD NEW MILLENNIUM MAGIC

orever, but the magus seeks to come and go at will in order that he or she may carry, as did the titan prometheus, the fires from heaven to light the earth. no true magic is possible unless the inner temple is at least touched, no matter how briefly. through the doors of the inner temple the light of god issues forth to illuminate the outer circles of being. it is a fact of human nature that most aspirants after magical knowledge begin to practice the art before they understand what they are practicing. they construct detailed, lavish outer temples without knowing how to erect a temple in the mind, let alone a temple of the spirit. the result is a place of worship as lifeless and as hol- low as any christian cathedral. many are discouraged at this stage when they attempt material rituals i

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