~ May 1st - 9th 2009 ~
Saturday May 9th 2009 – 9:00pm Luna and I corresponded back and forth alot today; in one of her emails she wrote - “93! I actually Adore your "yoni" art. It is Refreshing to find an artist like you these days. I used to do a lot of softsculpture of vaginas.....made purses out of them, and sex toy holders. Your work is simply real...and it is nice to see this kind of work alive again. There was a little more of it around 20 years ago, or longer...but you are the only working artist that I know now. keep it coming! 93s )O(.” ...... and I replied:
Luna 93
Your words are too kind. Gee I never heard my artwork called yoni art before. Actually, years ago a friend of mine counted all the vaginas and penises in my oil paints. She came to the conclusion that I paint more penis images than those of pussies. I agreed and told her that this was to be expected. My artwork is first and foremost about me; about my quest for Self; of my body and Soul. But tragically I think you and I are dinosaurs; the canvas of our bodies; the utterances of our soul, have now become taboo. I (once) wrote – “I am always mystified at how society can be so tolerant of the sexcapades between young people on TV, reality shows, movies, music videos etc but dare an artists like myself come out with anything ‘sexual’ then I'm classified as a pervert and often shunned, or ridiculed. My artwork, paintings and photographs have always been very erotic; rooted in sexual, metaphysical and magickal symbology; some claim bordering on perversity with a touch of immoral and depraved humor but to me my work is simply bathed in the beauty of that which I was born; or not, as in the case of the female form. There is an overbearing sense, as with everything that I do, that the underlying nature of my very existence is rooted in my quest not only of Self but of my opposite. In the early-seventies when I performed in the magickal and experimental theatre our work bordered on theatrical satire, perversity and adolescent experimentation with our bodies in dramatic group settings on a stage. We were never ashamed of our bodies; nor of what motivated us; we learned by listening, we learned by acting out the taboos that society in Puritanical New England had forces upon us. I guess you don’t get so into artistic portrayal of bodily parts as I do unless you’ve practiced a lot and to me; anyone can have sex but few really know how to play ... theater taught me magick.” Ah yes, my art work is never dull. The greater tragedy is that most people simply cannot handle nudity, much less graphic portrayals of bodily functions; especially if the images are equate with the body parts of a friend. Men especially have difficulty if shown as an example a naked photo, no matter how artistic the ejaculation might seem, of a close male friend. They don’t want to examine it too closely out of fear that they might be seen as gay. Most women I know don’t have this problem with seeing other females naked. How I miss the days of my youth; when adolescent allowed us to be curious about sexual functions before age taught us about ‘sex’ ... so many people of our age; if we do now what we did in our youth, we’d be classified a sexual perverts and degenerates. Now don’t get me wrong, I personally haven’t slowed down one Iota; I just don’t go as public as I once did ... I think my paintings are about an ‘outward’ expression as I care to go. Well, I’m rambling ... you have a great evening Much love ... much hugs, and etcs ...93 93/93 Jerry------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:10pm NEWS: Berkeley just had another earthquake at 5:47pm; the 4th today. It was just a 2.1 magnitude but its odd to get an aftershock larger than the previous. This is rare ... this may be a precursor of greater things to come! [Note today's 2:15pm posting]------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4:50pm Under the subject "Stag! You're it!" one of our students writes - "93 Jerry, I just wanted to try to touch on, or rather elaborate on, a couple of things that haven't really come up. First-- back to Mars-- why is this the ruler of the Tower? I find it interesting because I have often thought of Mars as basically being the fiery energy that moves things on this plane. Obviously in working the path of the Tower we're trying to avoid energy coming out on this plane. Here I think that Mars is representing energy in its grossest form. Its tendency it so earth out, but what happens when it doesn't...? The Kundalini rises and "I and my Nuit are one" (II:26). It's interesting here to consider the placement of Mars in Geburah placed below Binah or Babalon. Also, Fr. Orpheus touched on the symbolism of the Stag-Beetle, but how does it relate more directly to this chapter? If Kephra is the Beetle that carries the sun through the death of night so it may be reborn in the morning, it seems to make a great metaphor for carrying energy across the path of the Tower to die along the path of Death and be reborn in the sun in Tipareth. Love, Frater Volo Aquila 93 93/93." ......... Reply: Very good. All four adorations of Liber RESH vel Helios refer to the Sun through its cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth. The midnight Sun of Khephra (rebirth) teaches us how to take the 'seed' out of the the night's womb through an understanding of The Devil card; which channels the first ABRA (Sun) on the left side of the Tree [The Formula of O-Male-418] via the path of The Tower into the right side of the Tree [The Formule of N-Female-156] in order to continue the Solar cycle by bringing the energy back up into Tiphereth (Sun -second ABRA) via an understand of the Death card. However, without an understanding of Phe the first ABRA dies and its energy descends the left-hand pillar into Malkuth or Earth. ... see Liber Aleph, Qabalistic Considerations on the Formula, pg. 87; also note pg.173 On The Keys of Death and The Devil. ... Although we will not be studying it in these discussions; now that you've have an understanding of a few critical chapters under your belt; read No.65 Sic Transeat from The Book of Lies. Read the Commentary. Better yet, note Aleister Crowley's Crowley on Christ (C. W. Daniel Company, Ltd. London: 1974 pg.64) where he writes - "There is no reason at all why a man should not describe his own death and burial, as luck would have it, I did it myself some years ago in my Book of Lies, chapter 65."------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2:15pm NEWS (update from USGS): It seems Berkeley is really shaking today! At 11:53am we were hit by a 2.0 magnitude earthquake; then virtually a minute later we had a 1.3 magnitude quake and at 1:02pm we were hit by a 1.2 magnitude. ... I didn't feel them; then again, after last night, I'm not feeling much of anything today.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1:50pm Luna writes re: my 10:45am posting -"Wouldn't it be nice if all that the police had to be called out for was nekkedness? This story of last nights Berzerkeley weirdness reminds me of the film 'Pleasantville' when they call out the fire dept. to get cats out of trees. Sounds like a nice quiet night for a full moon in Scorpio, actually." ........ Reply: But I didn't even tell the whole story of everything happening outside; I just picked one incident. As another example; one old homeless guy came up to Paul and me while we watching the cops put the naked guy in the patrol car; why he searched us out in the crowd was anyone's guess but started explaining what he saw but he was a babbling idiot! I thought of calling out to the cops, pointing to this guy and yelling - "Hey guys, you missed one!" ... Then to quote more from my diary: ... as I got near my building, walking up the stairs, I turned and looked off into the bushes to see some kid pissing. He looked up at me, smiled and I told him that with all the cops a few doors down it wouldn't take much of an effort to get them to come over here and arrest your ass. He zipped up his fly and left without saying a word. I thought to myself, “It’s going to be a long night.” ... People outside our crazy little city haven't a clue that this city is held together by wing-nuts on every corner! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10:45am A BERKELEY TALE: last night a little after six I headed downstairs with a book to sit on my apartment stoop for my Friday night ordeal. It was a beautiful Californian evening; great weather, great sights! Young girls were everywhere! I was waiting to see who would show up for the lecture that I had planned on astrology. Jay and Jennifer were the first two to arrive and we chatted for awhile, making small talk. Ben Hance and Dave Solina soon walked up with beer, wine and popcorn. They were followed by Arden and then Charles our local astrologer and tarot reader on the avenue. It was getting kinda crowded on the stoop so after a bit we all went upstairs. Luna and Leigh soon arrived; followed by Paul Hohlt. I think the lecture went really well. Throughout and afterwards there were great conversations, good times. Luna brought a bunch of her elves drawings to give out; they are quite nice; a really crowd pleaser. I personally love this woman's artwork. She would later send me an email when she got home - "Leigh had a 'fascinating time.' He said that he could listen to you lecture all day long. We hope to come to more of the lectures, get togethers." ... I hope so too! ... Anyway, most people left between ten-thirtyish to eleven or so; Paul hung around to chat and for one last beer. 12:07am When Paul was leaving I decided to walk him downstairs. My apartment building is right next door to numerous outdoor and indoor restaurants and social areas and on a Friday night it can get kinda crowded, noisy and loud. I was just curious to see if it was a typical circus. It was a beautifully warm evening; bright restaurant lights lit up the night, lots of laughter, people talking and generally everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Then Paul and I both realized that there were about a half dozen cop cars blocking the street a few doors down; along with a huge crowd of people on both sides watching as a bunch of police officers were arresting someone. I wondered; was it about a robbery? A fight, a mugging; what? - No! - It turned out to be a crazy naked guy who had been running up and down Durant Street annoying people. It’s never dull in Bezerkeley. I could only smile, shake my head and go back upstairs. I needed another beer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:20am For the history buffs: On this date in 1910 Aleister Crowley evoked Bartzabel, the Spirit of Mars, into the body of Victor Neuburg at the Dorset home of G. M. Marston, a high- ranking officer in the Admiralty. ……... Also, on May 9, 1945 Rudolf von Sebottendorff, whose real name was Adam Alfred Rudolf Glauer, the founder of the German Thule Society, committed suicide by jumping off a bridge into the river Bosporus. He was the man known to have provided an ideological basis to Nazism by combining the anti-Semitic activities prevalent in Germany with occultist ideas. His Thule Society slowly transformed from being a religious cult into that of an organization of political activists. …...…. And finally, on May 9, 1996 the Espinoza family in Mexico heard something strange out in their front yard around 2 a.m. Upon opening the door they saw a creature about 3 to 4 foot high with scaly skin, clawed hands, eerie red eyes, and a row of spines from the skullcap and down the back. They claimed the creature “mumbled and gestured” before running off. Later in the morning a seven year old boy in the same house woke to find the creature standing on his bed, he screamed and it leaped toward the window and escaped upon hearing other family members coming. Both the older and younger Espinoza family members described a smell “like a wet dog.”------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday May 8th 2009 – 1:50pm Miguel Walters writes regarding the Stag-Beetle :
Br. Cornelius, 93,In Magick chapter XVI, also refered to Atu XVI, the Tower, is divided into two parts. The first part precedes chapter XV refered to Atu XV, The Devil and the 2nd part follows this chapter. The first part of chapter XVI is called “Of the Oath” and speaks of the purposes of taking the oath as an expression of the Will. The oath serves the purpose of setting limits upon the wants of the lower Ruach and transforming them into the potentials of the higher. In this regard the oath is part of the discipline required of the initiate of the mysteries. Liber Aleph chapter Aκ speak s “On Cultivating Strength Through Discipline” and relays a paradox of philosophy in which freedom is only to be understood within the limits which define it. This first part of chapter Xvi in Magick also references Magick , part II, chapter V, which is on The Wand, the weapon of the Will. Of particular interest to me at this time is the quote which reads:“The best vow, and that of most universal application, is the vow of Holy Obedience; for not only does it lead to perfect freedom, but it is a training in that surrender which is the last task.”This “last task” implies the Oath of the Abyss which is the second and last task of theaspirant to the A.’.A.’.; the first being to obtain the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. The text follow this quote describes in further detail the conflict between the aspirants “wants” and “Will” which should be resolved by his or her proper understanding of the oath which she or he has taken. Crowley also reminds us that it is occasionally necessary for the Teacher to sometimes “gently and firmly” remind the pupil of this oath. The above course of reading is in my opinion invaluable to all pupils and aspirants to the A.’.A.’.. The 2nd part of chapter XVI (following that on invocations) has V parts and is called “Of the Charge to the Spirit, with some Account of the Constraints and Curses Occasionally Necessary.” These five parts reflects the five elements that define the matter upon which the Magical Will works. In both parts of chapter XVI the implication seems to be of a binding that also leads to a particular release of energy.
In connection with this the commentary to chapter 16 of the Book of lies relays that Keph-ra the Egyptian God of Midnight bears the Sun through the underworld.” Keph-ra in the practice of Resh referred to as part of the disciplinary practice imparted in chapter 16 of Liber Aleph is associated with the direction of North. Br. Cornelius relates this direction to the O.T.O. I˚ and the Qabalistic Sephira Chockmah where “Tetragrammaton hath His Root” Liber Aleph Ch ΔΥ This refers to Yod whose root is THAT refered to in the STAG-BEETLE; reference should be made to chapters, 9, 10, and 11 in the Book of Lies to elucidate this fact; THAT both precedes and is embodied in the logos. As is stated in Liber XV “Thou art that and That am I.” Night in the Gun-Barrel as in “This is the Night wherein I am Lost, the love through which I am no longer I,” is associated with Samadhi which has already been determined as a particular release of energy through discussion of the Gun-Barrel. The underworld is often associated with the Abyss of which a lesser veil known as Paroketh , The viel of the holy, exist in reflection in Atu XVI also known as the “exciting Intelligence in the Sepher Yetzirah, which states “it is so called because through it every existent being receives its spirit and motion.” 93/93Reply: This is far better than your last attempt. You are articulate and offer thought provoking statements rather than snippets which require far too much interpretation. Very good. I like to see this.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12:35pm And never discount the fact that another student won't come forward and offer still more priceless gems on the Stag Beetle. Jerri sent us this email; she writes:93 Jerry,
To add a few brief thoughts here...first, I wanted to discuss the quality of Silence. I am fascinated by the sublime choice of words here. Silence is described from the perspective of the Malkuthian plane. If the Word is the active force, Silence must be it's passive. Due to it's nature, the Word must die here, upon the moment of speech (the Word must take on the characteristics of Life--Death is always within, and eternal). This is true of the phallus upon ejaculation, and true of our thoughts, as the moment they are perceived, we are past the point of their experience. So, where and how do the two meet (Force and Form, Masculine and Feminine)?Silence, is the quality of stillness. Of allness. Of nothingness. Silence is limitless possibility. It is eternity, which is why Silence could also be described as a quality of Death, or Nun. Pranayama and Mantra Yoga seek to silence our thoughts and emotions. During the performance of the Maha Bandha, we complete the circuit in our subtle bodies (through the Path of Pe), and when performed correctly, Silence is perceived (we travel through the path of Nun) and Samadhi is attained (we reach the Sun). This circuit must be first controlled in the Mulhadara chakra (through the path of the Devil). Ben touched upon this during our discussion of the Gun Barrel. It is Mudra involving the pressing of the anus with the left heel and placing the right foot upon the left thigh. You then contract the anus and muscles of the perineum. After this is mastered, one performs the Jalandhara Bandha. One contracts the throat, pressing the chin firmly against the chest. The Ida and Pingala unite and the Kundalini serpent become straight. This combined energy rushes through the center channel, or Sushumna, and we experience Samhadi. This marriage, achieved in Pe, consumes the nectar which exudes out of the Sahasrara Chakra through the hole in the palate. If the Daemon is equivalent to Kundalini energy, it would then make sense to translate the practices of Kundalini yoga into our daily lives as one method to reach the Sun, or to accomplish the Great Work. Die Daily!! This process has been well described through the initiatory system of the OTO. We could also translate these concepts into pranayama as personal and practical, applicable methods to reach the same end. 93 93/93Jerri------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10:10am Benjamin Hance writes this rather brilliant little addition to Frater Orpheus posting on the Stag-Beetle. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Loved the posting this morning. My hat is off to you. Here is what I had for you.
The Stag-Beetle“Invoke me under my stars! Love is the law, love under will. Nor let the fools mistake love; for there are love and love. There is the dove, and there is the serpent. Choose ye well! He, my prophet, hath chosen, knowing the law of the fortress, and the great mystery of the House of God.” (AL I.xlvii).Here, in this quote from Liber AL (I,lvii), from The Book of Thoth, p. 108, we begin to see the manifestation of that which was contained within our original discussions of chastity, or the House (Beth) of God (Mercury=messenger/logos). Or, maybe more accurately, the movement of that energy towards said manifestation. The path of Peh is the first horizontal path one encounters on their path from Malkuth through the Qabalistic Tree of Life. Peh, or the Tower, represents the movement between the pillars, specifically, the spheres of Hod to Netzach, via the Martian path that “…seems to indicate the quintessential quality of the Lord of the Aeon.” (The Book of Thoth, p. 107). He we again see the Eye of Horus, rooted in Hod, from our “Gun Barrel” discussions. As we move into Netzach we begin to see our “…reward of Ra Hoor Khut.” (AL III,i), which Crowley’s commentary states is the Formula of ABRAHADABRA. This formula provides one with the ability to perform the Great Work (c.f. The Law is For All, pp. 265-6).“The Stag-Beetle” seems to concentrate on love and death, which we could say is a more blatant expression of the two forms of desire, or Will to Live and Will to Die (The Book of Thoth, pp. 108-9) hinted at by the dove and serpent. The phallus (Magician) dies in the womb (Chalice of Nuit), but its seed (Logos), and itself again, are born therefrom. This concept of death necessarily brings us to the Nun in the Formula of ON. The symbolism of III degree O.T.O. (Hod) is death. This may be seen as the slaying of the individual, by love, that allows us to progress into the IV degree O.T.O. (Netzach). Death also implies Silence, the fourth power of the sphinx, and Kephra by his carrying the Sun through the Underworld. This idea of Death has a messianic overtone (Nun), but, “…if thou be THAT…what hast thou to do with death?” We see the Phallic energy purified by Will (or the Magickal Oath= Logos= seed). Crowley says “Purity means singleness. God is one. The wand is not a wand if it has something sticking to it which is not an essential part of itself.” (Magick in Theory and Practice, p. 101). Love is the law, love under will.Ben------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9:45am am Ok folks; or all those who are participating in The Book of Lies discussion; you might enjoy Chapter 26 from Magick Without Tears which is titled Mental Processes, Two Only are Possible. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9:35am One of last 'Wizard of OZ' Munchkins died in his sleep yesterday morning in St. Louis. His name was Mickey Carroll, born Michael Finocchiaro. He played the role of the candy-striped violin-playing Munchkinland Town Crier who escorted Judy Garland down the yellow brick. He died just two months short [no pun intended] of his 90th birthday. He once said - "When we were making the movie, we were singing Ding-Dong the Witch is Dead! and Follow the Yellow Brick Road. We didn't know what we were saying, it was like gibberish."------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7:20am I have asked Frater Orpheus to hold off toward the beginning of each week and always write a summation toward the end on the chapter from The Book of Lies that we are discussing. His gems always seem to nail it and rather than having it spelled out for everyone on Monday, I'd like to give people a chance to think and submit their own ideas. However, this Mercury retrograde has everyone scared and being very quiet. But it's good to see Fra O is not one of the slaves who serve the forces but is one who uses them properly. Too many people tend to think that a planet’s energies are always directed toward outward expression in our lives but magicians must remember that a retrograde is a valuable tool for us, when the planet is retrograde it means that part of the energy is now directed inward, away from the world. Such qualities often give us a deeper sensitivity in regards to the planet and the house in which it falls. Mercury is retrograding in Gemini right now ... use it! ... Anyway, regarding the Stag-Beetle he writes:Jerry, Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the LawThe Stag-Beetle is attributed to the 16 key of the Tarot, “The Blasted Tower” which is also called “The House of God”. In a nut shell this path is all about That transition of Life or Light into Death or Silence. That place where the Solar phallic energy transitions from Svadisthana into Manipura. The goal is to move the Mercurial Word into Venus via the path of Peh and hence conquer Death. (III-IV° OTO) As Crowley says, if you are “ THAT which hath no person… what hast thou to do with Death?”The Stag-Beetle itself being that Kephera like beetle we saw at the bottom of the Moon card which bears in her mouth the Sun. “It is this Beetle that bears the Sun in his Silence through the darkness of Night and the bitterness of Winter.”… She is also water and midnight. In Egypt she was The great God of Creation and Resurrection as she laid her eggs in a ball of dung which will eventually hatch, nurtured from the warmth of the sun.This path of Peh is the lowest horizontal path on the Tree and along with Ayin and Nun (70-80-50 =200) are a reflection of the Light from your Microcosmic star. That is your own personal Tiphereth located in your heart center. This is ‘true’ in both sexes as we are each the center of our own universes and have within us a complete Tree. It is therefore vital that both sexes make this internal connection to their Star; if either fails to make this “Solar” connection then they will not be able to direct the Kundalini forces.On the Microcosmic Tree your word emanates from your Star or the Anahata Chakra. “Every man and every woman is a star.” This “Sun” casts its light upon everything in your universe. In other words on the Microcosmic Tree you are the Sun. Hence the importance placed upon the formula of ON and the need for that “Solar connection“ as you are dealing with currents inside of your psychic body. However, as above so below; and if true then it can be said that the SUN on both the Macro and Microcosmic Trees are interdependent upon each other and a good reason why we would do Resh. The myth of the Tower card has its roots in that of the Tower of Babel.The story is essentially this…After the Flood the world was repopulated by the descendants of one family, Noah’s. Obviously they spoke but one language. After ‘wandering’ they came to settle and build a city with a Tower; as a monument to preserve their fame and was to reach to the ‘heavens’; quite literally a “Gateway“ between Man and the Gods. Well YHWH didn’t like this so he decided to make it that everyone spoke different languages and they were unable to work together (hence the term Babel). In Genesis 11 we are informed that the confounded builders were compelled to disperse over the face of the Earth…sounds like the original Word was lost and dispersed on Malkuth.
Note that the traditional Tower card depicts the towers destruction by lightning and Fire with Yods(seeds) and people falling from the Tower; so the word is lost. But this is an Old Aeonic concept and clearly what we want is to preserve or “recover the Word” in Netzach.Our path of Peh then is a transitional phase between Life and Death. Peh literally means Tongue and is therefore the organ directly related to speech and here the Word Passes into Death or Venus which is “nourished” by the Sun through the formula of Babalon which ends in Nun or Death. Simply said the Kundalini moves from Svadisthana (III°) into Manipura (IV°) where it will be Annihilated (P.I.) and re-absorbed back into their own Star in Anahata (V°). By now it should be clear that this path of Peh indeed plays a vital role in the formula of ON. In 777 Crowley directly attributes this path of Peh with this most sacred of magical formulas. (ON)Lets look again at this Mercurial word that Survives Death and whose formula is Abra-had-Abra. As previously mentioned the Word is four-fold in nature and recall that in Liber Legis Ra Hoor Kuit says, “I am in a secret fourfold word, the blasphemy against all gods of men.” and also that HE is “the Hawk-Headed Lord of Silence” and therefore both Horus and Harpocrates (as the Sign of the Enterer is always followed by the sign of Silence). Crowley wrote that “Hoor hath a secret fourfold name: it is Do What Thou Wilt.” this he describes as the ’Cry of the Hawk”. I see this as that aspect of the solar phallic word which is manufactured in my Star and manifested into Mercury through the formula of Abra-Had-Abra and survives Death. This Pillar of Abrahadabra may be seen then as the Fire of your internal Star at work; Note that the Paths on this entire Pillar are free from the rule of any planet within the Ruach…it is purely elemental (water-water-fire). These paths are influenced only by Saturn which is the only planet outside our Ruach and therefore serves as a bridge. When directed correctly Abra-Had-Abra becomes a Pillar of fire to chase away the shadows of the Earth.In Peh this Mercurial word transitions into Death via BABALON… as all power comes through the Whore of Babalon whose root is the word Babilim, a pre-Semitic name meaning “Gate of God” and according to Hebrew tradition it is also the “Grove of Life”. So Babalon is quite literally the “Gate of ON”.So again we are left with the question, how does this word escape Death???A secret to understanding how this transition works is to understand that what you have is a male formula moving inside of female formula??? Simple enough to achieve on Malkuth but in the Ruach this means that the Kundalini forces are moving from an “active/male” polarity to a “passive/female” polarity: And are not the currents of Ida and Pingala thought to intertwine the chakras as they rise? So how does the male assumes his opposite formula? Maybe the answer lies in understanding “Peaches”, or that ability to accept all impressions which “fructify you“ (via those Dew Drops). Or simply put the answer as to how we to stop the Word from earthing out, in both sexes, is to be found in the new Aeonic principles of the “Daughter”.Yet remember that the formula for either a man or a woman is Hadit on this plane. Consider this if Hadit is the Kundalini snake and also the four fold Prana, then our goal is to raise the “Square” to Kether…from 1=10 to 10=1 it’s a continuous cycle and the tables flip once you get to Anahata so you really must have your Ruach balanced because now, in order for the Serpent to rise, everything is placed back into your Star and that which you’ve created below… but with Right Thinking, balanced Ego, and Economy of application or simply CHASTITY the Snake may continue to rise.Also consider the Myth of Jesus; is he not the Word made flesh which died and likened to the Moon was reborn in three days? Jesus is a direct descendent of Zerubabbel which translates as “The shoot of Babalon“ (LK 3:27). His fate is unknown but in the Royal Arch system he is identified as SOLOMON.We who are in our bodies and can not escape manifestation or we would not be. Yet our goal is to unite with the Divine while still in our bodies. But the Macrocosmic has always been connected to “You”…it is you that must raise yourself to it! You climb the Tree just as the Serpent does and you both descend in that mystical moment of Samadhi. It’s a continuous cycle… DIE daily!Hopefully I given you some food for thought…Love is the law, love under will Frater Orpheus------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7:10am Mick writes - "Jerry 93, Thanks for doing this 333 project. It's affecting. I've found myself turning more inward lately, so all the more, the images are suggestive, as Crowely meant them to be. In that sense maybe the entries in the Book of Lies could be thought of as the Thelemic equivalent to Zen Koans - maybe. Both are meant to produce an experience. The Koan produces a pause in the machinery of awareness. Book 333 constructs a strange weaving of archetypal currents in one's awareness by which, eventually, all threads are connected and a magician knows what the interior path is. It may appear simple because it's composed of everything he's taken in all along anyway - which is maybe the point. I don't know. We'll see. ... Along with the keys in the Book of Lies I've been reflecting a lot on my life. It seems right to interiorize this particular set of lies because attributing meaning is my task - if I'm up to it. I've been lining the images up: Dewdrops and the Moon; gun barrels and stag beetles and that Darn Blasted Tower (the subject of this email) - lining them up with related experiences from my own life from sex to the numinous. That's really the only way I know to draw understanding out of something. Anyway, all this by way of saying I'm writing something in my journal about the images in the Book of Lies. It's an essay of reflections - for whatever that's worth. I'll send it along when I finish it this weekend. Mick 93 93/93." ............ Reply: This is one of the first truly magickal emails that I've received since we started this project. Too often individuals write their 'interpretations' which, although they may be rooted from within and are vastly important, often has one forgetting that these particular chapters from The Book of Lies deal with Seventh Degree OTO magick. On that note, few students are asking how and why Crowley picked these, of all the chapters, to study. Ah, yes, the first great Law - KNOW THYSELF. Very good.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:50am For the history buffs: Although the actual year is not given, this is the actual ‘day’ of the Triffids according to John Wyndham’s 1951 classic novel The Day of the Triffids. …...…. Madame Blavatsky died on this day in 1891 in her home at 19 Avenue Road in London. In the end she was unable to walk and she suffered from numerous diseases. Her body was cremated with a third of her ashes remaining in Europe, a third going to America and the final amount being sent to India. Theosophists commemorate her death on May 8, calling it White Lotus Day. …....…. And finally, Robert A. Heinlein died peacefully on this date in Carmel California at the age of 80 in 1988. It happened during his morning nap, where he finally succumbed to a combination of emphysema and other related health problems that had plagued him for many years. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered off the coast of California, near his beloved Santa Cruz home of twenty years.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday May 7th 2009 – 9:40am Of note: the stag beetle's mating season begins toward the end of May and goes until the beginning of August.
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9:15am Ed Wormuth writes this gem about yesterday's Stag-Beetle postings: – “93 Jerry, This brings a whole new light to "Stag" movies. usually part of 'men only" pre-nuptial celebration or should I say "Ritual where the enticements of the coupling soon to come are made explicit." Participants are likely to cajole the perspective bride-groom, telling them that it's "all over" for them now. And, in fact, the wondrous Stag Beetle whose desire has crystalized into "horns' does not survive long after mating. That's my 2 cents of musing. 93 93/93, Ed.” ............ Reply: I've been married twice, I understand :)-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:15am For the history buffs: Susan Denise Atkins, aka Sadie Mae Glutz, was born on this date in San Gabriel, California in 1948. She was a member of Charles Manson’s Family. …....…. And equally important, on this date in Tarcolitos, Costa Rica in 1996, Erlinda Vega reported being attacked by a hideous creature with huge wings that landed on her car and tried grabbing her through a half opened window. She described the creature as resembling a huge bat, but hairy and with bright eyes. Samples of a substance without color and flavor were collected from the window which authorities maintain had to have belonged to the creature.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday May 6th 2009 – 9:45pm And jay writes re: the Stag Beetle - "93 Jerry, Boy, really takes awhile to get this crowd moving... I'm thinking about Mars and its rulership over the path of the Tower; in the Book of Thoth Uncle Al says that this is The Eye of Horus that destroys the Universe (Scorpio, Apophis, Destroyer). I get the impression that this is where the ego is destroyed, the devotee destroyed by Shiva (-Uncle Al). I find it difficult here to distinguish from Death though (ruled by Scorpio) as they seem implicit in each other; thus "in love the individuality is slain" and what is being united in Love is the micro and macrocosm. The whole process is fueld by the Dewdrops coming down through Tipareth, into the lower Ruach or ego ("the birth of individuality") so that the individuality may be slain when it unites with the macrocosm back in Tipareth. It also seems worth noting that the pillars of Mercy and Severity are being united... Love, Jay 93 93/93." ........... Reply: I've had a lot to drink tonight and it still seems like you're reaching .... get off Malkuth; think ... [p.s. we saw all the pictures of you tonight at the Feast for the Writing of the Book of Law, I promise not to post them. Although I'm drunk enough where I should!!!!]
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9:40pm Luna wries in regards to my 9:00am posting - "93! "Then as if he was a master piercer, who apprenticed under none other than The Great Fakir Musafar himself, The Stag Beetle pinched/ pierced her third nipple, otherwise known as a "witch's tit", and deftly inserted a brilliant band of blue steel embedded with lapis, sapphires and diamonds. She looked down, smiled and said:....." 93s )O(>' ...... Reply: .... "Ohlala." And then the beetle replied back with a great grin as only a true stag beetle can with an 8mm, ........"------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9:35pm Ricky writes - "93 Jerry, Interesting going on's with the astrological circumstances we find ourselves in right now. My wife is a hair stylist at a salon that up until Saturday has been all but busy. But on Saturday a veritable wave of business hit her salon and has been increasing all week. Is this a natural reaction for the mundane with Mercury retrograding in Gemini? To maybe reflect inward and not be happy with what they see so try to 'change' their appearance, possibly the only thing they know how? Anyway, I thought this was an interesting coincidence, what do you think? 93 93/93 Ricky." ........ Reply: I've been in the bar for hours upon hours, pitcher after pitcher, then we went to my apartment for more ... what do I think? Is this a trick question?------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11:00am I previously mentioned how the Bank of America on 2347 Telegraph Avenue, a half block from my apartment, was robbed on April 24th, well, on Monday it happened again! At approximately 12:11pm a black male suspect, wearing a blue baseball cap and a blue coat, passed a note to a bank teller which stated that he had a gun and demanded cash. The teller complied and the suspect fled the scene. The Police searched the area but were unable to locate the suspect. This seems like an easy bank to rob? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9:00am Everybody is so quiet; I'm getting absolutely no emails on the stag beetle. How about if we talk about sex, will that get you to submit something? ... Ok, here we go - "The stag beetle slowly made its way across the hot naked sweating flesh of the female's body as she slept in the lounge chair in her garden. With throbbing pinchers snapping in the air, the beetle was happy to have finally reached the forest like pubic area. Then, as if ... " ... OK, now what does the Tower card mean to you? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7:05am Anyone want to submit thoughts on Keph-ra since Crowley equates the stag beetle with this God?------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7:00am Well, with Mercury Retrograding it is no wonder that all my students are so quiet when it comes to submitting thoughts on The Stag Beetle. Either they hit a brick wall or they are lost in thoughts. I was at least hoping people would review The Tower card which rules this chapter symbolically. But noooooooo! Anyway, here are some hints. Most books on the Tarot will tell you that the card of The Tower card represents energies connected with spiritual awakening. In a way, they are correct but only if you view the card from its correct angle of Silence. In Masonry the most sacred Word is that of the Third Degree. It must never, never be uttered outside the Temple but rarely is the reason fully explained. Even Crowley never violated this single Law because he knew that if he did such it would imply that he had failed, and I stress failed miserably, at conquering and understanding Death. He would have no right to the Fourth Degree. In other words, anything you utter onto this plane must follow the course of the Sun to be born, live its life and then die, The Minerval Degree in the OTO faces North and encompasses the Qabalistic sphere of Chockmah. The First Degree faces East toward the rising Sun and is rooted in Binah. The Second Degree South toward the height of noon or Life and works out of three Qabalistic spheres; Chesed, Geburah and Tiphereth. And finally Third Degree faces the West toward the setting Sun embracing death in the Qabalistic Sphere of Hod. This is one of the lessons taught from Minerval to Third Degree OTO. The Word must remain within the Temple and the Temple is our body, need I say more? True magicians know that only in Silence, or through the path of The Tower toward the Fourth Degree (Netzach) can Death be truly conquered. Besides these mysteries and sexual connotations, on the most mundane level the tongue enables us to speak and therefore plays a critical role in understanding the path as well as uttering the ‘Word’. The Tower (of Babel) is normally shown being struck by a lightning bolt hurled by God whose mission it is to utterly destroy the structure. The people who built the Tower are then scattered throughout, or into, the world, each unto themselves forming their own language or speech. In fact, the word ‘babel’ has come to imply any confusion between tongues or people. And, in fact, the division continues by the misuse of the symbolic path of The Tower which is crucial in uniting Third and Fourth Degree energies as well fulfilling the Formula of of ON; being the male formula of O (Ayin) and the female of N (Nun) uniting, mutating and 'Changing.' In Qabalistic symbolism the sphere of Hod (Third Degree) is often equated with that of a serpent (phallus) while Netzach (Fourth Degree) is that of a dove. Remember, The Book of the Law tells us, “There is the dove, and there is the serpent. Choose ye well.” (I:57). Yes, the dove or Holy Ghost is symbolic of the sphere of Venus and more important, HRILIU, the metaphysical ecstasy. See Liber Aleph - De Hac Formula Considerationes Kabbalisticae.Enough food for thought? Or have I said too much? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:30am I would like to send out a big HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY to Luis Alvarado. He was born on May 6, 1959 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. He was initiated into the Ordo Templi Orientis at Brocken Mountain Lodge and was later Chartered to run the Harz Camp, O.T.O. in Hartford, Connecticut but this Camp closed when Luis moved to California in March of 1994. He not only knew Grady Louis McMurtry but he is also an AA initiate in his lineage; duly recognized and Charter to run The Throne of The Double-Wanded One Clerk House. He is the author of Psychology, Astrology & Western Magic (1991). ... Luis' website: http://www.lalvarado.com/ ... In truth, turning fifty may bother some people but birthdays are actually quite good for you because statistics show that the people who have accumulated the most birthdays live the longest. Can’t beat those odds. My personal advice to Luis comes from Lucille Ball who once said – “The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.”------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:15am I would like to remind my readers; Mercury Retrogrades in the sign of Gemini today, on May 6th, and it won’t go direct until May 30th in the sign of Taurus; moving from an air sign to an earth sign. More important; Gemini is a Mutable sign; it allows us to adjust and mutate to differing circumstances while Taurus is a Fixed Sign; or the sign which is most resistant to change. In a way, Taurus is the perfectors and finishers rather than originators. Here is my take on this Mercury Retrograde and there are not many ways you can go with it; either you can used the intellectual side of Gemini to do serious self reflections upon past actions in order to revise one’s conclusions which allows Taurus to strengthen a solid foundation toward positive conclusions or you can simply use Gemini's Mercury influence through your intellect and speech to babble an endless defense of your past actions which allows the inevitable pull of a stubborn Taurus-like Bull to dig its feet in. In either case, we tend to think that all our natal planet’s energies are always directed toward outward expression but rarely do astrologers examine what it implies when the planet is retrograde which means that part of the energy is now directed inward, away from the world and into your 'thinking' process. Such qualities often give us a deeper sensitivity in regards to the planet and the house in which it falls. Use it!------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:00am For the history buffs: On this date in 1586 John Dee & Edward Kelly slip out of Prague for Leipzig after hearing rumors of a Papal Nuncios being issued which accuses them of having ‘intercourse with angels’ which could get them thrown in prison, or worse. …...…. Also, on May 6, 1678 Catherine Deshayes, who was better known as La Voisin, was condemned to die and, after being tortured for many hours, she was finally burnt alive in the ‘iron chair’ for her crimes in France. …...…. And it should be noted that Sigismund Schlomo Freud was born on this date to a Jewish wool merchant in the small town of Freiberg, which is now part of the Czech Republic in 1856 . At the time of his birth his father was 40 years old while his mother, which was his father’s 3rd wife, was only 20. He gained no great love from his father, who always belittled him but his mother always pampered young Freud. From this he drew his theory of the Oedipus Complex which dealt with a young child’s attachment to the opposite sex parent, while viewing the same sex parent as a rival for the affection of the other parent. In a nutshell, it is best said that Freud’s goal in therapy was simply to make the ‘unconscious conscious.’ …...…. And also of interest; the poet Victor Benjamin Neuburg was born on this date at 129 Highbury Hill, Islington in 1883. Neuburg was present in Africa with Aleister Crowley in 1909 when the Beast evoked the demon Choronzon. During the actual ceremony Choronzon was able to throw sand from the triangle, wherein he stood, into the circle so that a break was made in the circumference. The demon then leaped forth and attacked Neuburg in the form of a ‘naked savage.’ Luckily Neuburg was able to fend him off with divine names and his magickal dagger. Neuburg once had an affair with Ione de Forest (Joan Hayes) who had a role in Crowley’s Rites of Eleusis. For some reason, this infuriated Crowley who later wrote in Magick in Theory and Practice that he once found it necessary to slay a Circe who was bewitching brethren. What Crowley is implying is that he cursed Ione de Forest who, two months after starting affair with Neuburg, committed suicide by shooting herself. Neuburg never forgave Crowley for this treacherous act. He died on May 31, 1940 of tuberculosis. …….... And Orson Welles was born on this date in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1915. In the early 1920s he formed The Mercury Theater which later became a radio show. He gained famed for a stunt that he pulled on October 30th, 1938. This is when he adapted a live version of H. G. Wells story ‘The War of the Worlds’ but with one important change. The book was to be performed by numerous actors so that it would sound like a real radio news broadcast about an invasion from Mars, a technique that, presumably, was intended to heighten the dramatic effect on Halloween. As the broadcast unfolded the dance music was interrupted a number of times by fake news bulletins reporting that a “huge flaming object” had dropped out of the sky onto a farm near Grovers Mill, New Jersey. At one point in the broadcast an actor in a studio, who was playing a newscaster in the field, described the emergence of one of the aliens from its spacecraft: “Good heavens, something’s wriggling out of the shadow like a gray snake.” The radio broadcast was so convincing that Welles unintentionally fooled people into thinking that Martians had actually invaded Earth. Hundreds of people packed the roads to watch the sky, others hid in cellars, loaded guns, and even wrapped their heads in wet towels as protection from Martian poison gas. Clearly those who missed the opening statements, who had turned into the middle of the broadcast, were oblivious to the fact that they were acting out the role of the panic-stricken public which should have belonged in a radio play and not in the real world. …...…. And finally, it was on May 6, 1938 that The Church of Aphrodite, one of the earliest sources of the divine feminine in the United States, was founded by Reverend Gleb Botkin in West Hempstead, Long Island. He was supposedly “the son of the court physician to the last Russian Tsar.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday May 5th 2009 – 9:30am To answer an incoming email from an anonymous women: yes, it is true that if Ninth Degree sex magick is performed correctly a man can obtained spawned genius but no, it’s not true that he becomes smarter simply because he's plugged into a genius.
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5:20am the NEWS said that we had an 2.5 magnitude earthquake here in Berkeley at 11:46pm last night. I don't think that I felt it but I did wake from a sound sleep just about at that exact moment. It may not be a mere coincidence; although I thought I woke simply because I had to go take a pee. Also of note: about twenty minutes earlier Oakland had a .08 quake; area is a shaking!------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4:45am And Ricky sent in his views regarding the Stag Beetle. He writes - "Jerry 93 At first sight this chapter seems to just put forth specific technical attributes of a species of Samadhi. But, on further examination and from what we had discovered so far there seems to be much more to it than that."Death implies change and individuality if thou beTHAT which hath no person, which is beyondthe changing, even beyond changelessness, whathast thou to do with death?"Atu XVI is the Blasted Tower to which is assigned the letter Pe, a mouth. Speech, which the idea of a 'mouth' immediately brings to mind, is the manifestation of thought and so it is the death of that thought. This is all in line with 'earthing out' the energies we have been talking about thus far. Also AC states that the Tower Atu refers to the manifestation of cosmic energy in its grossest form. But more so it seems to be telling us to 'realize' as it were, that we are, in our essence- the truest part of ourselves, that Dewdrop spoken of previously. "The birth of individuality is ecstasy; so also is its death. In love the individuality is slain; who loves not love?"These are both Marriages of their own kind. Unions through Love. The birth of the individuality is the manifestation of the spirit into Malkuth and the Death is the Union of microcosm and macro through Samadhi.."Love death therefore, and long eagerly for it. Die Daily."Through this death of individuality is the adept free to Know Himself most. 93 93/93Ricky." Reply: Like Jay's of 4:36am, you both are doing good but always remember that this practice is not just about seeing who is the smartest or who can figure out Crowley's writings as much as it is a practice to train our students to bring out of their mind archetypal imagery from the Ruach into a coherent reality; i.e. sentence. Someday you might have a student of your own and if you have never learned to articulate ‘thought’ you will be at a grave disadvantage. We want people to meditate upon these chapters from The Book of Lies, thinking deeply and then when the brain is ready to explode into a million universes, write and find joy in writing. Never assume a person reading your interpretation is simply on the same page ... explain everything clearly. It is better to write one paragraph about one line that is an epiphany rather than trying to write about the whole chapter in brief snippets. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4:36am And Jay sent me an email re” The Stag Beetle under the subject -“Killed by Death" where he writes – “93 Jerry, Well the Stag-Beetle has made me step back a moment: how does one burn the corpse of desire? Perhaps this is a matter of moving into the higher Ruach as our desires, our individual proclivities, are a matter of the lower ego. Also, I keep thinking of death as Death, the path from Netzach to Tipareth (even though I know this chapter is dealing largely with The Tower). But if Tipareth is the pivot point between the lower and higher Ruach, it seems that the path of Death would be essential in burning the corpse of our desires. It seems this is also what Crowley means by slaying the individuality as individuation takes place in the lower Ruach. This, I suppose, is accomplished by uniting with the macrocosm. This leads me to wonder where the gods reside. I would venture to guess at least in the higher Ruach, though the line "if thou be THAT which is which hath no person, which is beyond the changing, even beyond changelessness" leads me to think that Uncle Al is looking above the Abyss where the self is identified with the non-self. Something like that... Love, Jay 93 93/93.” ............ Reply: Well, this is a start. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4:30am Evelyn from Belgium writes under the subject "Do you Voodoo?" - "93 Jerry, How curious to read Luna's email today after just having returned from Amsterdam where I went to see an extraordinary exhibition on the art and mysticism of Haitian Voodoo. I'm enclosing this link incase she wants to look at more details: http://www.tropenmuseum.nl/smartsite.shtml?ch=FAB&id=21827. ... By the way, I continue to enjoy Fr. Orpheus' beautiful interpretations from the Book of Lies. Evelyn."------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4:20am For the history buffs: On this date in 1941 Karl Germer was officially appointed Aleister Crowley’s personal representative of the Ordo Templi Orientis in the United States of America. He had just been released from a Nazi concentration camp, had applied for a visa and, on April 9th, he moved to New York City. Germer’s appointment would become very problematic over the next few years. Placing someone like Germer, a hard-nosed German who admittedly was not an American, in charge of dictating policies and critiquing other people’s life-styles in, of all places, California, was an accident waiting to happen. Even in this day and age most Americans cannot fathom the antics of Californians. Karl Germer was obviously going to have his hands full. ….....… Also of note: James Branch Cabell, the author of Jurgen (1919) a book which make use of Crowley’s Gnostic Mass, died in his house at 3201 Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia on this date in 1958. The cause of death was a cerebral hemorrhage.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday May 4th 2009 – 11:50am Regarding Saturday's 7:30am posting, Dave Solinas writes - "Hey Jerry, 93 BTW I don't think that we need astrology to determine Noe Hance's aptitude to speak his mind in a forthright manner, this appears to be a predominantly hereditary trait of the Hance family and let us not forget stubborn determination." ... Reply: Noe's astrological chart is merely saying that amongst the Hances, Noe needs an edge to survive!
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6:50am I wish to thank Kathy for sharing this website with me - http://maria.fremlin.de/stagbeetles/photos_lc_mt.html.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:30am Luna sent a great email. She writes - "93! I have recently experienced a New Aeonic Awakening/Exchange with the people at The Botanica Yoruba in S.F. ... On Jerry's blog: Jerry wrote to Frank about how (paraphrased): "...we want the students to experience the new aeonic 93 current themselves....." ... About 4 months ago I accidently tapped into an Orisha ....'OBBA" I then visited Botanica Yoruba...a very Orthodox Conservative House of Ifa' in S.F. I talked with Yolanda, the Madrina of the house about what I had tapped into about OBBA. Yolanda gave me the "green light' to work with the Obba Current. I returned to the botanica last week, (Arden was with me)...one of the workers at the botanica, a young woman, whose mother is a Child of Obba....she, Yolanda and I stood and "tapped into Obba".....they were very willing to pull down their own feelings and impressions of the orisha, and share what they felt with me.......To me, having worked with this House for 30 years...this was a HUGE breakthrough...not only were they recognizing me, an outsider, as a valid trance medium artist...but they were freely surrealing into their orisha with me. ... This was amazing.......and I am so happy to be part of this New Aeonic current that is cross-channeling, and not afraid to experiment a little. ... Keep up the great work with the Book of the Lies project/working....and I, for one, and gaining a LOT out of the energy of The 93 Current that you, Friend's of Grady and the A.'.A.'. are producing/energizing right now. Thank you, 93s )O(WWe."------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:25am For the history buffs: On this date in 1939 Maurice Richardson, the well-known British writer and critic who wrote numerous short articles, had lunch with the Great Beast. Crowley’s diary simply records - “1 o’c Maurice Richardson to luncheon....A good lunch: he stayed till after 5.” Richardson described the Beast, who was sixty-three, by stating - “His once athletic physique had become blurred by fat. He was bald as a stone, and his huge expanse of naked hairless yellowish face was faintly suggestive of an enormous penis, which is no doubt why the adjective ‘obscene’ has often been applied to it. His eyes protruded like gooseberries.” ... He candidly goes on to add - “It was difficult not to keep staring at them, though the hypnotic effect clashed with the tartan bow tie.”------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday May 3rd 2009 - 7:30am Frank asks a good question. “What is the point of this exercise in deciphering chapters from The Book of Lies?” ..... Reply: The Mystic may not require this training but Magickal Theory is very important to the serious magician. So often we see books upon books being released that reportedly teach us New Aeonic magick but which merely babble the same Old Aeonic Golden Dawn style theories redundantly under a new format. Yes, these are important to understand as foundation stones in order to see the evolution of our spirit in the Ruach but in our A.’.A.’. we are training our initiates to go further. We want them to think for themselves; to look around the world and watch how the people are unconsciously changing; to watch the signs, to see the New Aeon. It’s not found in books. It’s found in the 93 Current that is slowly effectuating change in society regardless if people are aware of it or not. Just as a person’s astrological sign offers them a unique quality inherent in their behavior, so does the Aeon Aquarius affect us all. We want our A.’.A.’. initiates to tell us how. We want them to explore regions in their own mind of symbolic imagery known as the Ruach, to describe these formulas, to learn what has been and then tell us how they are mutating in themselves. Unlike so many A.’.A.’. lineages which have their initiates go through the same old curriculum established by Aleister Crowley over 100 years ago, we take his knowledge, his rationalization and theories and bring them forward in time. The A.’.A.’. is a College, it’s thinking must be ahead of society; it can not sit still using a hundred year old curriculum while the world passes it by. This has been the death of so many good fraternities; they begin with a great idea but they stop growing. ... The exercises that we are doing by discussing chapters from The Book of Lies are part of our student's training in the Lover Grade ... in order for them to interpret the dreams!
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7:55am I have posted another chapter from The Book of Lies above that I'd like you all to interpret and discuss for the upcoming week; it is the 16th called The Stag-Beetle. So far these weekly exercises have been very productive. I like it! ... Aleister Crowley's COMMENTARY (ΙΣ) on The Stag-Beetle is as follows - "This seems a comment on the previous chapter; the Stag-Beetle is a reference the Kheph-ra, the Egyptian God of Midnight, who bears the Sun through the Underworld; but it is called the Stag-Beetle to emphasise his horns. Horns are the universal hieroglyph of energy, particularly of Phallic energy. The 16th key of the Tarot is "The Blasted Tower". In this chapter death is regarded as a form of marriage. Modern Greek peasants, in many cases, cling to Pagan belief, and suppose that in death they are united to the Deity which they have cultivated during life. This is "a consummation devoutly to be wished" (Shakespeare). In the last paragraph the Master urges his pupils to practice Samadhi every day." .... The previous chapter is of course, The Gun-Barrel another of the VIIth Degree Chapters. ... In Crowley's Commentary he gives many of great hints as to specific things our students should be researching and studying before making any harsh interpretations. Pick just one thing; like the 'The Blasted Tower' and lets start here.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:45am Regarding The Gun Barrel, Frater Orpheus concludes our weekly discourse with another gem. He writes - "Jerry, Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. There are few points I would like to elaborate upon.The “Divine” Solar and Lunar currents are carried throughout the body of both sexes on both the Microcosmic and Macrocosmic Trees. The source of both these currents lies beyond Kether. In other words from the highest to the lowest there is an interplay of “opposites” who on the Microcosmic Tree can be seen as reflected in the mysteries of ON; Yet, as above so below. “Nu! is the hiding of Hadit.” and “Had is the manifestation of Nuit.” Hadit is the Knower and Nuit is the Known, their marriage births Knowledge, a “Child” which is of the Nature of both. Prana (Hadit) and Akasha (Nuit) come through the macrocosmic Star/Sun bound together as one and inseparable. The Ida and Pingala currents within our psychic bodies represent that interplay of opposites reflected throughout the Tree as the Kundalini snake climbs up through the Chakras. Then if it is true that the initiate of the OTO, the HGA and the Word of the Magus all traverse the same course then it is easy enough to see this as the path of the Sun; by that I mean to say that everything which “is“…is born, lives and dies in a continuous cycle….O-N!Our DEVIL (O) is one half of this formula and our mutable MOON (N), in another manner, is the other. Yet these two paths are within the Ruach and reflected through our own STAR. One is external and the other internal. One projected out from your Star and downwards towards Malkuth (Devil) and the other one internal back into our Star (N). On the Microcosmic Tree this all happens with the Ruach of man and therefore “creates” his “reality” below. “Upon it I have Burned the corpse of my desires” that is your own personal Venus! These two paths are united in Peh and unite the sacred trilogies of Father, Son and Holy Ghost or Tiphereth, Mercury and Venus. (Liber Aleph pg.87) The Angel and the Solar tides unite with our body in Yesod. The source of which, on the macrocosmic Tree, is quite literally the Sun in the sky which gives life to everything on this plane; but on the microcosmic Tree it is our own heart center or the Anahata Chakra….in other words we pull from our own star at the center of our universe. Now do you understand why the Pillar of 418 pulls downward from Tiphereth, your own star to create all that which lies below. (your Clerk House)This left hand Pillar which pulls from Tiphereth via our DEVIL is an external projection from our own star. Note that the spheres of Binah, Geburah, Hod and Tiphereth are united Malkuth via the paths of Cheth, Mem, DEVIL, Shin which = 418 and ABRA - HAD - ABRA.This formula of ABRA - HAD - ABRA can therefore be seen as everything that transpires between Binah and Malkuth on one level or as Crowley clearly points out in Liber Aleph, It is that which transpires between Tiphereth and Hod; mind and Phallus. That is ABRA/Tiphereth - HAD/Devil - ABRA/Hod. (Mind - Libido - Phallus) Here HAD is that un-manifested aspect between Father and Son and yet internally connected to the divine. Note that on the Devil card we see HAD the goat erected upon twin squares, and at the point of Ajna/Chockmah we see the EYE; that’s Hadit from the highest to the lowest yet his true Creative nature is unknown.Once again we are left with the question… so how do we stop from Earthing out this ‘energy’ or in other words how does the WORD survive DEATH? This is the real ‘secret’ laid out in the III° and in the path of Peh. Consider this the Master Magician is expected to apply the 4 powers of the Sphinx, Knowledge, Will, Courage and Silence to obtain full control over his “subtle” body…with this and a 4-fold WORD he escapes Death…Long live the King!Love is the law, love under will Frater Orpheus
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6:40am For the history buffs: D. J. Conway, the Wiccan author, was born on this date in Hood River, Oregon, to a family of Irish-North Germanic-Native North American descent but I don’t know in what year. [help?]. She has studied the occult for over 35 years. Her quest for knowledge has covered every aspect of Paganism and Wicca to New Age and Eastern philosophies; plus history, the magical arts, philosophy, customs, mythologies and folklore. In 1998, she was voted Best Wiccan and New Age author by Silver Chalice, a Pagan magazine. She lives a rather quiet life, with most of her time spent researching and writing. She wrote such books as: Moon Magic, Dancing With Dragons, Magickal, Mystical Creatures, Celtic Magic, Norse Magic, Animal Magick as well as By Oak, Ash & Thorn and Maiden, Mother, Crone. ……..... And shortly before this date the Angel Madimi appeared in the crystal before Edward Kelly and said: “Hear what I say God is the unity of all things.” She then instructed both John Dee and Kelley to share all things, including their wives. And thus it was on this date in 1587 that John Dee and Edward Kelley, along with their wives, put their names to a document swearing to carry out any and all Angelic commands, which meant wife swapping. …….... And it was on May 3, 1932 that the author Charles Fort died. He left over 30 boxes of weird and bizarre stories which the Fortean Society began publishing in their Fortean Society Magazine, which was created by one of Fort’s few friends, Tiffany Thayer. Its premise was to promote and encourage Fort-like attacks on science and scientists. Charles Fort always claimed that he believed nothing was real and nothing was unreal, that “all phenomena are approximations one way or the other between realness and unrealness.” …....…. And finally, on May 3, 1996 near Calderon Village Sinaloa, in northern Mexico, a giant bat-like creature terrorized the local village. Goats were being found daily with their blood sucked dry and farmers formed nightly vigilante squads. One villager remarked, “We are telling people to keep the women and children locked up inside at night,” adding, “Nobody knows really what it is.” Dozens of goats had fallen victim to this bloodsucker by now and it even allegedly attacked one human. Other dead animals were found in Sonora, Veracruz and Agua Prieta, as well as other areas.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday May 2nd 2009 – 10:55am Luna writes - "93! CONGRATULATIONS Hance Family, and, Welcome Noe! Leigh and Luna 93s."
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8:30am I have just up-loaded and added the next or eighteenth installment of a series which Frater Hymenaeus Alpha 777 (Grady Louis McMurtry) wrote on magick and philosophy. The series is titled FROM THE CALIPH. The first installment appeared in The Magickal Link in October of 1981. I wish to thank Frater Orpheus for making this page and all the other pages possible in this series. The latest installment was originally published in The Magickal Link, Volume III No.3 March 1983e.v. and is titled ON THELEMA & THE DAO. Click HERE for details.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7:30am For those who attended our Feast for the Writing of The Book of the Law last month, you might have remembered Ben Hance’s brother Bob and his rather pregnant wife Johanna. I just received this email from Ben – “Well I'm a uncle. The boy's name is Noe Hance, 2 May '09, 6.58 a.m., here in Berkeley.” ... Reply: Ah, I immediately drew up a chart; little Noe has a Sun in Taurus in the Twelfth House with a Taurus rising and a Leo Moon in the Fourth House! He also has Mercury in Gemini the First House which means that he'll probably tell you exactly what is on his mind! He’s going to be a hand full of stubbornness around the house! Anyway, big congratulations go out to Bob & Johanna ... and to Uncle Ben! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:15am And today is the last day of our discussion on The Gun Barrel from The Book of Lies; tomorrow we shall begin a new chapter. If you have any last minute ideas, today is the day to vomit them my way! Like the previous week, this week’s discussion has proved very fruitful and I’m pleased with what has been achieved by all of you. To read all the entries on The Gun Barrel click HERE.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:00am There is alot that I'd like to mention to you history buffs. For starters, the quintessential Renaissance man best known for his masterpieces of The Last Supper and Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci, died on this date in Cloux, France in 1519. …….... And I should report that Athanasius Kircher was born on this date in Geisa, Abbacy of Fulda, or Thuringia, Germany in 1601. He was sometimes called the last Renaissance man, important for his prodigious activity in disseminating knowledge. He joined the Society of Jesus in 1616. He first read mathematics and philosophy at Würzburg, then moved to Avignon and lastly to Rome, where he was appointed teacher of mathematics at the Collegio Romano c. 1638. A prolific writer of European fame, Kircher authored works on subjects ranging from philology to physics, sacred writings, astronomy, natural history, mathematics, music, Egyptology, geography, and Chinese civilization. His greatest legacy has to do with one of the most well-known symbols in the Qabalah known as Otz Chim, or the Tree of Life. This Tree of Life symbol represents everything about our Universe, both above and below, both externally and internally. This glyph supposedly teaches us the hidden secrets of creation itself. It is important to recognize the fact that the Tree of Life has been evolving over the centuries. Its fundamental shape has undergone many mutations as well as numerous additions. Although there are many archaic drawings portraying the Ten Divine Spheres of God, called the sephiroth, most have a totally different quantity and configuration of paths that unite these spheres. Even the shape of the Tree itself varies. Many people mistakenly think that image of the Tree of Life used amongst today’s magicians and found in most Qabalistic books is of an ancient Jewish glyph it is not. Although the Tree’s theoretical origins are webbed deep in Judaic lore, its design was actually conceived in the mind of Athanasius Kircher. While attending the Jesuit College in Rome he devoted most of his life to collecting information from many different religions, observing the Universe, analyzing, synthesizing, and publishing what he learned. His books are filled with a multitude of beautiful illustrations. In one such book titled Oedipus Aegyptiacus (1652) he drew a glyph of the “Sephirothic System” on a Tree of Life as he has ascertained it to be. His drawing clearly shows three pillars comprising of ten spheres, which he connected by twenty-two paths of his own devising while attributing these paths to the Hebrew letters. Hebrew Qabalists so embraced Kircher’s design as being an accurate portrayal of God’s Will that over a period of time it has become acceptable Judaic lore. However, most historians agree, it is Kircher’s design, from the mind of a Christian, which is the earliest rendition of the Tree of Life most readily used today. Kircher died on November 27, 1680 in Rome. …..…. And also of note; the only son of Aleister Crowley was born on this date to Patricia ‘Deirdre’ MacAlpine in London in 1937. He was name Aleister Ataturk. In September of 1955 he came to America aboard the Queen Mary and briefly stayed with Karl and Sascha Germer before settling in with the Agape Lodge member named Jean Sihvonen. Ataturk, by this time in his early twenties, would inevitably become her lover. Grady McMurtry once commented upon this relationship, “... what the hell. An older woman & she has a chance like this. For godsake let her have it.” …........ and it was on May 2, 1951 that the movie The Thing opened in theaters. The original sci-fi chiller is about scientists in an Arctic research station who find an alien spaceship buried in the ice. Upon closer examination, they discover the frozen pilot. When the alien is accidentally thawed, it unleashes a rampage of horror. .....….. and finally I’d like to report that on May 2, 1996 near the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas, a pet goat was found dead with three puncture wounds in its neck, a ‘telltale mark’ of the “Chupacabra.” On the same day, down in Juarez, Mexico, besides finding the usual slain animals, people reported seeing the creature itself. It was described as a tall creature with three toes and hands, on haunches with the fore arms suspended at chest level very similar to a kangaroo. It was also said to have a row of spikes or straight feather like projections from its head and down its back that raise and lower and have been seen to glow with their own light. People reported it standing upright and running on all fours. One person witnessed the “sucking device” which seemed to be a tube like projection from the creature’s mouth.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday May 1st 2009 – 7:25am Andy West writes - "Jerry 93! The blog has been hopping with great interpretations. I read "The Oyster" and "Peaches" after your reply to what I wrote on "Dewdrops". They both opened my mind to the interpretation below and showed me how this exercise itself is very much in line with their contents. From the many (all of us sendng in our interpretations) you (as the one mother) are creating but one child (the resulting epistles woven together from the many with your comments and editing uniting them). Well played, Cornelius. ... It seems like the "Gun Barrel" taken in conjunction with what we learned from "Dewdrops" shows how the Lunar energy of Nuit is brought down by the magician from Binah through the male side of the self, the Pillar of 418 to Hod. Instead of earthing out the energy and manifesting it on Malkuth along the path of Shin (upon it have I burned the corpses of my desires) and completing the male formula of 418, the magician becomes a vehicle for the energy, reverses "his" formulae to that of the feminine side of the self, the Pillar of 156, and "she" then absorbs the energy from Hod along the path of Pe to Netzach and up. (I am not I: I am but a hollow tube to bring down Fire from Heaven, Mighty and marvelous is this weakness, this heaven which draweth me into her womb). Interesting that the Devil card usually depicts a hermaphroditic Satan or Baphomet. Also interesting that the Secret Master said: "Therefore do I make the female male and the male female, that ye may be on earth as your fathers in heaven." How the energy moves up the Pillar of 156 to Chockma and then flows over into Binah creating Daath, through which the Gnosis descends, is probably covered in another chapter but it seemed important to mention as the next logical step. Loving this series. 93, 93/93 -Andy." ....... Reply: Very good grasshopper!
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7:15am Regarding Jay's last night's 7:40pm posting; I was to brain dead having been up since the early hours of the morning and I decided to let Frater Petros field it! He writes - - "Dear Jay, 93 A very interesting question indeed, I might actually say that it is “tricky.” If you were someone else’s student I would do the “hand off” too. I do not have Fuller’s book handy, so I’m going to respond to the context of the question. If this does not answer your question let me know (I know you will). ... Before I get into your question I think it might be germane to quote from “The Hatha Yoga Pradipika” regarding our original discussion of Siddhasana, “(35) Press one heel into the place below the sex organs [the perineum] and put the other heel just above this region [close to the abdomen]. Press the chin upon the chest, sit up straight, with controlled organs, and fasten the eyes between the eyebrows. This is siddhasana, whereby all obstacles on the path to perfection are removed.” (Rieker, Hans-Ulrich, The Yoga of Light, p. 54.) There are several variations on this particular posture. I would like to point out that the eyes should be focused on the Ajna chakra, or Pineal Gland, and the eyes should be closed. ... By “mudra” I believe that you are referring to an exercise in pratyahara, and not a position for holding one’s fingers (a more common interpretation). In this exercise the eyes, ears, mouth, and nose are closed manually to direct the senses inward. In either sense a physical manipulation of the Kundalini is anticipated. Anytime we are looking at the “God of Love” we are talking about the Anahata chakra (or, Tiphareth). If we are looking to unite the Shiva and Shakti it can be seen as a metaphor for the Holy Hexagram. This is not a perfect analogy, but good enough. In the Indian system this is as follows “In the two nadis, prana and apana have been united into one continuous flow, and neither a separation of the two nor a reversal of the current can occur after this point. From the nostrils to the muladhara chakra a current-bearing path now extends, or rather two paths, which unite at the lower end of the sushumna. From there the path again goes upward to the “moon.” The flow of nectar is diverted by the upcurled tongue, so that the “sun” can now unfold its fiery power.” (Rieker, Hans-Ulrich, The Yoga of Light, p. 121.) This is somewhat complicated within the Hindu system, but it will be somewhat illuminated by reference back to the “Dewdrops” discussion. Another approach is to look at the “bandhas” especially the “Uddiyana bandhas.” I don’t mean to make this any more complicated than it already is, but the union of the bandhas relates to the Ida and Pingala of Hatha Yoga. This may also be seen as the Solar tides that are discussed within the “Liber Resh” discussions within our Order, or a Solar/Lunar ebb and flow. I believe this more analogous to the discussion of “The Stag-Beetle,” but that is for others to determine. ... Jay, I’m not sure that I have addressed your question directly, feel free to let me know if I may be of any other help. I think this should give you plenty to think about. 93 93/93 Fr. Petros."------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7:00am For the history buffs: It was on this date in 1776 that Adam Weishaupt, a professor of Canon (Church) Law at Ingolstadt in the German state of Bavaria, founded the Illuminati, or the Illuminated Ones. He wanted to create an elite circle of intellectuals who would be privy to the most esoteric mysteries of the cosmos, and be the rightful heirs to all the mysteries and secret societies of the ancient world. …...… I don’t know the actual year but we do know that on this date Maria Teresa de Miramar, whom Crowley called the High Priestess of Voodoo, was born in Nicaragua. She and Crowley were married in Germany on August 16th 1929. Although they were seemingly a nice couple, Crowley would leave her within a year for the 19-year-old German artist Hanni Jaeger. …..…. And I’d like to point out that Dr. Josef Allen Hynek, an icon in the history of UFO, was born on this date in Chicago, Illinois in 1910. He worked for U.S. Air Force’s UFO project Blue Book as a consultant astronomer. Admittedly, when he first started in the program his attitude toward people who had seen UFOs was that, quote, only “kooks ans Crackpots” saw UFOs. But after a couple of years he started to notice that many of the reports were by highly credible military personal and civilians. Finally, being forced to dismiss several credible witnesses at the Michigan as seeing ‘swamp gas,’ he resigned. Hynek led the investigation of the Socorro UFO landing case in 1964 with the FBI. He went on with the at the time young Jaques Vallee and founded the Center of UFO Studies in Illinois in 1973. In April of 1986 Hynek died. He wrote such books as The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry, Night Siege: The Hudson Valley UFO Sightings and What You Should Know About UFOs. …….... And it was on this date in 1923 that Aleister Crowley was expelled from Italy by Mussolini and forced to leave his Abbey of Thelema. Three months later he released a small pamphlet titled Songs For Italy. The subtitle of this piece was ‘Parturiunt Montes - Nascitur Ridiculus Mus – Saolini’, which has been translated as ‘The mountain brought forth a mouse and who was the mouse?’ This is a quote from a fictitious Saolini, whose name when added to the last word of the quote, ‘Mus’, equals ‘Mus-Saolini’ or Mussolini. …....…. And finally, on this date in 1974 Arnold Crowther, the stage magician and ventriloquist who had a strong interests in paganism and witchcraft, died. He authored such books as Let’s Put on a Show (1964), Linda and the Lollipop Man (1973), Yorkshire Customs (1974), Hex Certificate (late 1970s). His greatest claim to fame in witchcraft is that he was the person responsible for introducing Gerald B Gardner to Aleister Crowley.CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY
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