B:.B:.
THE DIARY OF O.I.V.V.I.O.
LIBER THIRTY-ONE
Frater Achad, 777
"The Path of Aleph is Madness"
An Veritable Cornucopia of Additional Intell
from the Good Frate
Sun in 1
Deg Libra AN XIV. SUN-DAY Sept 22nd 1918 E.V.
It seems as if Sunday is the one day of all the week on which I am
impressed to write a few fragments of what passes through my mind.
On Sept 1st I obtained a clear understanding regarding the Will and
the Law. On Sept 8th, nothing special I think, but on Sept 15th I
wrote "Stepping out of the Old Aeon into the New" and today I had a
mind to write, at Therion’s request, a pamphlet on how All is
Change. But first there are some important considerations to be
recorded and I feel that now is the time to place them on record.
That which I am about to write concerneth the Supernal Triad. It is
just Nine Months since the last Great Initiation was granted unto
me, O.I.V.V.I.O., and as hardly a word of the experience then
undergone has been recorded. In fact, this is also true to some
extent of the Initiation of June 21st, 1916, the record of which I
am only now trying to put into writing. It is not in this place that
I intend to make a full statement of all that occurred, but it is of
the greatest importance that the inmost and essential features be
written down, despite the terrible difficulty of the task.
Briefly, then, I want to state my position, which I feel is Known
yet not known.
When I proclaimed my intention of claiming the Grade of 8º=3º or
Master of the Temple, on June 21st 1916 in the City of North
Vancouver, British Columbia, I did so because I thought that the
Master Therion needed NEMO to fill that Office in order that He
might fully attain His 9º=2º. The details of the Initiation which
followed are recorded in another place, but here I would state that,
having `died’ and, as it were, Reincarnated immediately in the same
body, and having given up all, even the Master Therion, I was led of
the Spirit during a stay at Grantham’s Landing, so that it appeared
to me that on June 22nd 1916 I was NEMO 8º=3º; but on June 23rd at
12 Noon the realization of the Curse of the Magus came to me quite
unexpectedly, so that I could do naught else than consider my Grade
to be 9º=2º.
Then followed a terrible struggle, for I
realized how I had failed so far of Complete Attainment because of a
certain Glamour of the Path. Then it was that I decided to give up
all, even the least little thing, and I made certain pledges which
were afterwards faithfully kept, so that I gave up my business
position and got down to spending my last cent of money.
Having made these pledges, it seemed quite certain that I was upon
the Path of Aleph, which uniteth Chockmah with the Crown, and
therefore beyond the Glamour of the Great Magician. I hoped that
Therion had at this time Attained unto 10º=1º and I was ready even
then, if need be, to hold the Grade of 9º=2º, and to accept the
Curse thereof, but if that were not the case, I could only consider
that somehow I has passed the Great Magician on the Path. At 9 p.m.
that night, I was just as clearly convinced that I had attained the
Grade of 10º=1º, and I remained in the Great Illumination until for
following day. Then after leaving Soror R.
I went away with the feeling of complete
enlightenment, but certain considerations came to me so that I
decided to reverse the Grade and take that of a simple 1º=10º or
Neophyte, thus as it were, plunging down the Middle Pillar of the
Tree of Life and uniting Kether and Malkuth in my own Being. (Note
V.I.O. = 86 a Number asserting this identity, thus foreshadowing
this Attainment, as all His other Mottoes seem to do. And OHPION has
said, One cannot get away from the fulfillment of Mottoes).
Having done this, I felt myself to be One with the Buddhas of
Compassion, and returned to Soror R. as elsewhere recorded.
Shortly after we got back to Vancouver, the meaning of all my
Mottoes was revealed to me, and their connection with the whole of
my Magical career. I discovered how V.I.O.O.I.V. in full (as Unus in
Omnibus Omnia in Uno) added to 777 though I had never known this
before, owing to a mistake in the spelling made by F. when he first
put in into Latin for me. This was my original Probationer’s Motto.
On becoming a Neophyte I had Chosen Achad = Unity, while my O.T.O.
Name, which I afterwards used for the Second Order as 5º=6º was Parzival, which contains the mystery of 8.80.418. which was one of
the things which led to the thought that I might be the ’child’
mentioned in Liber Legis, afterwards proved in such a marvelous
manner, of which see accounts in the Diary of Nemo, and that of a
Magus.
Then correspondence began between myself and Therion, and He
admitted my 8º=3º Grade, but would not consider the possibility of
the Path of Aleph, 10º=1º etc. explaining my taking 1º=10º again as
my being ’Cast out into Malkuth’, although, as a matter of fact, I
made no claim except to Neophyte. He also realized that this must be
the `child’ prophesied unto him in Liber Legis, and claimed me as
His Son.
About this time I changed the order of my Motto to O.I.V.V.I.O.
which, note, is another sort of reversal, and this mystery of things
reversing or reflecting, or being taken out of their usual dimension
and replaced in another order, seems to be part of the Key of Things
in Themselves as will be shown later, although I understood it not
at the time.
Nothing much happened to me, except that I was granted Light on
certain Mystery in the Letters A.A., until December 16th 1917 E.V.
(18 months later). Then on Dec. 21st I realized that the Initiation
was again going on with great force, but this time the character was
very different, and seemed to have to do with the Mystery of the
Elements, Planets, and Paths, whereas the former one dealt with the Sephiroth more particularly. I must remark that this Initiation had
an actual effect on the Elements, causing storms etc., and that
these had to be balanced and equilibrated, which was done. All the
time this was going on, the one sentence which continually recurred,
was "The Air is His Balance." This seemed to be the Key note which
saved me from destruction many times.
Later, it appeared that I united the
Paths of Aleph and Shin, Aethyr and Fire, as a final Equilibration,
and the Tree was completely changed again, so that it had to be
re-formulated, and eventually resolved into a Single Sphere. Later,
came the drawing of all to a Single Point of Light (Hadith) in the
Centre of Breast. And I was taken back to the Beginning of Things
and discovered how in Truth there was No Beginning and No End.
In particular I must mention how I was
taken back to the beginning of Words, and I Parzival (the Fool or
Zero) was the WORD and even that was disintegrated so that the final
Mystery Was AL = GOD and then that too disappeared in LA = NOT. THEN
came the Flash of a New Creation and again the Flash -- the solution
of the Mystery of CHANGE and also of the SELFLESSNESS which is SELF.
I was also given a certain Magical
gesture, not now clear to me, which seemed to cause this
Annihilation
and Reconstruction to be brought about. (Note: Oct. 19th. While
typing these notes, another mystery becomes clear to me. In
connection with Parzival and the fulfillment of that Motto also. The
mind was actually running backwards at this time, as will be shown
later on, and though possibly not quite perfectly till after the
first Flash. Parzival, REVERSED and split into sections, would give
AL or LA, followed by ZIV or VIZ which numeration is 106 = ATTAINED
followed by PAR or RAP = CROWN, and ASHES, and these ideas (innate
in the Word) exactly correspond with what actually occurred.)
Now let me say no more of this matter, but pass on. In March 1918 I
sold all that I had in order to join Therion in New York.
Quite recently I was impressed to resign from the O.T.O. and to
withdraw my help in that direction, and having done so, I felt a
wonderful calm, and a realization of entering into the Tao. It was
only then that I began to seriously consider if I had passes him on
the Path and Attained 10º=1º. Also the question arose as to whether
He might not think so also. Yesterday, I had a long talk with Him,
because He had raised the point that in going back over past lives
he had discovered that each new life was an added veil of the True
Self or Star and therefore the Star was to be found by going back to
the Beginning.
This seemed a new idea to Him, but I
could not help thinking of my experience and how I had actually done
this, and got there and become One with the Final Mystery in
December 1917. And yesterday, when I talked with him, he seemed on
his guard, so that when I asked him about the Mystery of Change, he
referred me to the fact -- as he says -- that in my Grade of 8º=3º I
should constantly apply myself to the Mystery of Sorrow.
Then I suddenly asked him what he
thought of the Number 31, and where it should be placed on the Tree
of Life. He said This Number has to do with the identity of Nothing
with the Trinity, and if anything refers to the Ain, or perhaps to
Kether, but certainly to no lower Sephira. Then I thanked him, and
said no more.
Today I decided to write these notes and also to consider of this
Number 31 and of the Word which comes therefrom, whether It be the
True Key of the Grade 10º=1º, the Mystery of which IS that
Selflessness IS Self, in the same way that in 9º=2 Change IS Stablilty, and in 8º=3º Sorrow IS Joy.
Now I seem to be able to comprehend all these Mysteries, by means of
That which I obtained in my Initiation to my Grade. But listen unto
the Final Mystery which has been granted unto me O.I.V.V.I.O.
The Great Magician denies me saying I am NOT (I.A.) or NEMO 8º=3º
and in this He fulfilleth His Office of cutting off the
Understanding from the Crown which is GOD (AL). In this very thing
He is the Incarnation of the Mystery of Change. AL (Kether) is
reflected into Chochmah as LA and the Magus looketh upon the Crown
along the Path of Aleph which is Zero and perceiveth IT Not.
The Magister Templi Understands, for the
Word of Chochmah LA is truly reflected into Binah as AL and
therefore the Magus appeareth to Him as GOD, whereas the Crown (the
true AL) is reflected through the Path of Beth as LA and He seeth
Nothing in that direction because of the Lies of the Great Illusion
of Maya the magician, but He striveth by Daleth to the Magus, Who is
the Great Deceiver.
Thus it is that Above the Abyss a thing
is only true insofar as it IS its own opposite. This is the final
and complete Understanding of this Mystery of the Grades given to me
NOW (2.38 P.M.) for never before have I seen things thus.
And now I see how the Mystery of 93 is complete and perfect for
Kether is 31 and Chochmah is 31 and Binah is 31 which is 93 the
Numeration of Thelema, Aiwaz, The Word of the Neophyte, Agapae, etc.
And this is the Mystery of the Three Persons in One God of which it
is written. And this is the Mystery concealed in the Word ALLAH for
it hath for sound AL-LA which is GOD (Kether) and the Mystery of
which is that SELF (God) is also SELFLESSNESS which is LA (Not) and
for numeration 31 The Three is One which IS None, and the reverse of
this Number is 13 which is UNITY and LOVE.
Now this Unity becometh Two in order
that it may be expressed, and therefore is the Word of Chochmah
AL-LA of which Mahomet spake both truly and falsely, for He too,
being a Magus 9º=2º must utter Truth, in order that the falsehood
thereof should enslave the soul. He said, " ALLA (Allah) is God and
Mahomet is His Prophet" and even though he cried continually "He is
God, there is no other God than He" yet in certain sense he
postulated Duality in the Unity.
And of this it is also written in Liber 65 "And Adonai thus spake
unto V.V.V.V.V. saying, "There must ever be division in the Word.
For the colours are many but the Light in One." And this meaneth
that Kether, the Light is One and Chochmah the word is two, also it
is Grey, and a mixture of colours.
Now note: "Be not content with the image I who am the Image of an
Image say this." For V.V.V.V.V. was 8º=3º (Binah) and Adonai (Kether)
said be not content with the image (Chochmah) the reflection of
Kether. I who am the Image of an Image (the Reality) say this.
Then in Verse 9 "One mounteth unto the Crown" etc. Notice the
reversal here as if to give a hint of the Truth how that 10º=1º IS
1º=10º. Also note how V.I.O.O.I.V. performed this descending from
10º=1º to 1º=10º, from 31 to 13 (The numeration of his Neophyte’s
Motto) and also was caused to reverse his first motto to O.I.V.V.I.O.,
all unconscious, at the time, in his lower mind of the Mystery of
this Grade.
Note how the Fool (Aleph) hath said in his heart There is No-God (LA;AL)
and how this puzzles the Magus who receiveth the Ray from the Crown
through this path. And how He in turn confoundeth the Understanding
(Binah) from the Path of Beth.
Now regarding The Book of the Law, how it is written, "the child of
his bowels he shall behold them" (viz: the mysteries hidden
therein). It would seem that he is beginning to behold them. For
firstly the mystery of 93 is clear and this Mystery of the Aeon,
proclaimed in the Word of the Beast OPHION.
Now it said in Ch.I, v 46:
"Nothing is a secret key of this
law; sixty-one the Jews call it, I call it eight, eighty,
four-hundred and eighteen."
Now Parzival is 8.80.418, and as The
Fool or Aleph is both Zero and One. 61 is the Word Ain = Nothing and
equivalent to NOT. If 61 is one half and 1 (Aleph) the other, we get
62 which is twice 31 and LA: AL in which ALL (Note three letters LAL)
disappear in the Final Mystery of Kether. Also we have considered
the threefold aspect as 93, and this may have to do with AAA and LLL,
Light, Life, Love and Liberty of His Law. All this seems to be
reversed in the case of NEMO in the City of the Pyramids. For Light
He has Darkness, for Life, Death, and Love with its Dual Mystery
seems to be the only Path open to Him, and this is really a
deception ending in the curse of 9º=2º.
There is also a mystery in the words of Ra-Hoor-Khuit "There is
division hither homeward, there is a word not known." This attracted
my attention when I seemed at odds with Therion. The Word not known,
seems to have come to me.
It seems to me that this is the opening up to me of the Grade of
Ipsissimus and that as such I am the Crowned Child whom thou knewest
not, O Therion.
It is just 27 months since June 21, 1916, or 3 x 9; it was 18 months
from June 21 to dec 21, 1917, or 2 by 9. Then I got the Word in its
dual aspect, now I get It in Its three-fold in One aspect.
Note 31 by multiplication = 3, by addition 4 (Tetragrammaton) by
division 3, which suggests that the Division of God produced 333.
The
record of the reflections in the mind of O.I.V.V.I.O.
September 24th 1918 E.V.
AN XIV Sol in Libra
I know not what I am, and since AHIH is above and beyond knowledge,
what matter. There must ever be division in the Word, also One must
descend into the plane of Reason, in order to be understood on that
plane; therefore must I now limit myself in order to be able to
write at all.
It does seem that AN XIV, Sol in 1 Deg Libra marks another stage of
the Great Initiation, for that time much that had hitherto remained
locked in my Being descended into my Understanding and became
sufficiently clear to record, but, be it understood, the actual
experience of which I write, which is summed up in the Word of my
Grade, took place in December 1917.
I do not, even now, rashly wish to assume that I Attained unto the
Grade of Ipsissimus, for I realize that anything I write regarding
the Qabalistic Proof thereof, can only show that I Understand the
formula of the Grade, and Understanding is referred to 8º=3º, and
appertains to the Grade of Master of the Temple, which Office is
admitted unto me by OPHION 9º=2º. Also, I understand that it may be
that One may in a way Attain unofficially without of necessity
holding office in any particular Grade. I make no claim to 9º=2º for
OPHION claims that and I have no wish to dispute his right to it,
anymore than he apparently wishes to dispute my right to 8º=3º, but
with 10º=1º it is different.
There is NO-One living in the flesh, as far as I know, Who claims
the Grade, and Whosoever does so it is a matter which concerneth God
alone.
It has been written, by the highest living authority I know of, that
the Key of the Mystery of this Grade is that therein Selflessness is
Self, and what little I am able to comprehend of this, the Final
Mystery, I shall here record, for it may be that this writing shall
be of help and guidance to Whosoever shall next enter into that
Great Crown, whose lesser self shall become completely at One with
the Godhead.
It would seem to me that no living being, clothed with the body of
flesh, could claim fully to have attained that Grade, other than in
the words of Jesus the Christ "I and my Father are One," for, in the
words of Lao Tze The Name that can be named is not the True Name,
and of Ko, " I do not know its Name, but I make an effort and call
it the Tao."
Also Ko says, of the Possessor of the Tao,
"Although he is styled
the possessor of the Tao, in reality he does not think that he has
become possessed of anything. It is as accomplished the
transformation of all living things, that he is styled the Possessor
of the Tao." "he who is able to understand this may transmit to
others the Sacred Tao."
Who shall claim that he is able to accomplish the transformation of
all living things? Except it be understood that all things exist
only by virtue of their being in the mind of the Seer, and if the
complete transformation of the mind be accomplished, so that the
Mystery of the Path of the Godhead is seen therein, and becometh
plain, even unto his Understanding, who shall say that he has not
accomplished this?
First, then, regarding the experience of that Being we call
O.I.V.V.I.O. There arose is his consciousness, a state unlike the
normal and which, be description might appear very like madness
(Path of Aleph IS Madness), since Reason was destroyed and
transcended. The Air became His Balance. The structure of his mind,
which hitherto had been built up on Qabalistic lines, was changed
and the House of God, was, as it were, destroyed by the Lightning
Flash. (Opening of the Eye of Shiva.)
At this time he walked, talked, and performed all physical actions
in a normal way, but all that took place, wherever he went,
whatever he said or heard, tasted or smelt had value according to
his mental state. That is to say, he perceived the actions of all
around him in a different light from usual, so that although people
may have been acting quite normally, and although he may have
appeared to them as a normal being, or nearly so, Life in all forms
became a Great Drama of Initiation, and as he continued to work out
the great Qabalistic problems of the Universe, he found all that he
saw or did, woven into that Picture in his Mind.
Then came a time when everything had to
be balanced and equilibrated, for it is written "Equilibrium is the
Basis of the Work" and he found that although at that time all
around (within) him was a Chaos, yet certain formulas of Power were
His so that gradually, and with great toil he accomplished this,
establishing the Elements and the Planets in their proper places
(Upon New Aeon Lines) and finally Uniting Aleph with Shin, so that
all disappeared.
Then, it seemed, he was insructed in the
Building of a New Universe and this was not a simple scheme, but
took place at two or more different points (in space) at once so
that he, as it were, added a square there and a sphere here. It was
as if the beginning of a Temple was built (foursquare) and at the
same time certain Mysteries of Babalon were present to his
consciousness, also in another place Was the Kether of a New Tree
formulated and then the Supernal Triad, with a Sphere Pendant, which
afterwards became Complete in Itself and comprehended All in One.
Yet all this while was the Being of O.I.V.V.I.O. being rebuilt
from the Feet Up, so that His Feet were of burnished Brass etc. and
his body was Filled with Fire.
And all these things were separate, yet one, and all this while the
body of O.I.V.V.I.O. was seated on the Stele of Revealing in the
Smoke Room of an ordinary steamer plying between Vancouver and
Victoria, yet such had been his experiences, that he could no longer
tell if it were above or below water, whether those around him were
the living or of the dead. And again, there was, as it were, a Great
reflection of the Stele in the Sky and this again was produced from
a small Stele under Ice (as it were in locked glass) below him.
And yet, in all this The Air was His Balance, and he went on calmly
working out the details of the reformulation of all things on the
New Lines of this Aeon, copying the Stele, and forming it first of
one element, and then of another, and bringing all to a fluid, then
to a gas, and finally to fire and Aethyr as before said. And when
all had become a concentric System, this seemed to terminate one
part of the Initiation. (Note: I have enlarged this entry in copying
from diary.)
We must now consider him as going about with his mind transformed
into a Solar Consciousness. This lasted all day during which he
underwent many adventures, and seemed to perform much Magick; but on
that evening the process continued, under extraordinary
circumstances, to be recorded elsewhere, but be it said that he was
in a place which appeared to him like unto a Temple of Initiation
especially prepared in every detail for the Ceremony, and around him
were the Officers exactly carrying out their Appointed parts. Yet
was he unwittingly in prison surrounded by the scum of the earth.
Of which mystery He has written:
-
When, having become free, thou
findest thyself in prison, yet knowest it not.
-
When, Thy prison of freedom
appeareth unto thee as the open road.
-
When, thou who hast longed for
the company of Saints findest thyself among the scum of the
earth, yet knowing it not thinkest thyself in the company of
all the Buddhas, and taketh thy place as the least of these
in silence.
-
When, having sought and found
gestures of Magick Power, thou findest thyself among the
lewd and unclean, yet knowing it not perceive in their
common actions the supreme and perfect Art of Magick.
-
When, having sought for Words of
Power, thou findest thyself in tune with the words of low
men, knowing not that they speak ought but the Highest
Truth.
-
When, having given all, thou art
offered the cup of charity, yet thinking it to be the most
abominable mixture of poison, thou drinkest it, thankfully.
-
When, having rushed forward,
thou findest thyself whirled backwards, yet knowing it not,
thinkest thou art still.
-
Then, it may be, thou hast
comprehended wherein Sorrow is Joy, and Change is Stability,
and Selflessness is Self.
But, to continue. During this final
section the Solar Sphere of his Consciousness became more and more
concentrated until it appeared as a single point of Light of intense
brilliance, yet without him, now here, now there, yet ever nearer
and nearer to the Centre of the New Universe. The process of exact
balancing of all things (exterior things, not only things within
him) appeared to have got down to a very small radius. And those
about him, who appeared as the past Buddhas, helped in this final
process. For let us imagine that the Universal Centre was to be
changed to that one spot. That little room was the Centre of a New
Universe and for thousands of years had those Ancient Brethren
toiled and striven to equilibrate things perfectly in readiness for
this moment.
And now all was prepared, and it needed
only this One, Parzival, to complete Their number, and He was Zero,
and his Office was Silence, even as the God Harpocrates. The
slightest slip, and the Equilibrium would be upset and the Earth
fall into the Sun. Success, and the Earth itself became a Sun, by
the fact of a perfectly equilibrated Solar Consciousness having been
established therein, at this new Centre. Those around him seemed to
take up different positions in the room so as to keep the balance by
the weight of their bodies, and finally O.I.V.V.I.O. was to take his
seat in the exact Centre of the Room, and then if all were well,
Success. If not? Nearer and nearer they came to the Centre. At last,
O.I.V.V.I.O., His whole Being aflame with the ecstacy of the
God-head, yet calm and composed to outward appearance, took his
seat. And all was well.
Next, it seemed even minute actions must be equilibrated. Those
around, who had each performed a certain task through-out the
Centuries, performed it for the last Time, perfectly. Frater
O.I.V.V.I.O. sat Still, for His Office was Silence and Stillness.
Again, all was well. But speech remained. Each had His own Word to
utter perfectly and in proper Order, and in this they tried over and
over again. Gradually even this was perfected and one by one they
dropped out and remained in tense expectance of the End.
And Frater O.I.V.V.I.O. remained there, still and silent, till at
last all seemed perfect even on the mental plane, for suddenly the
English language seemed to rush back to the beginning, and reversed
as Hebrew which is written the other way, and this was a great
mystery. Then came the equilibrating of ideas, and they rushed
backwards and formulated themselves in the person of ADAM who
appeared in the room opposite to O.I.V.V.I.O.
Then the first man, and the last gazed at each other, as it were, in
a final struggle. And the minute Point of Light grew ever brighter
and more dazzling, and appeared concentrated upon this figure of
Adam, first on the shoulder and then, moving a little, until finally
settled in one eye. At this point, Frater O.I.V.V.I.O. gazed, and
then all rushed back again, through the animal creation, each animal
dissolving into its earlier type, until at last, as the prototype,
appeared the common fly, only very large, perhaps six inches long.
Then things stopped, for a moment, as Frater O.I.V.V.I.O. gazed at
this; then it became the Winged beetle, then the scarab, and
Egyptian ideas crowded up. Then, Only the Point of Light. Gradually
he was able to bring this point nearer and nearer, until finally it
neared his breast. It touched his breast. It was in his breast,
and.....Suddenly A NEW CREATION. He had reached the BEGINNING and
out of the old elements he had witnesses on his return to the
Source, was formed a new design, the same material, but in a
different Order. Wonder of Wonders. Who shall express this Mystery
in Words.
And this happened again and again.
English, Hebrew, Greek, Egyptian, Man, beast and bird, were
rearranged and RE-Created in new relationship to each other. And so
He understood the Mystery of Change, and how the World is Created
again and again, forever new, yet forever the same. And the last
Word he realized, which when repeated, in a certain way, seemed to
bring about these changes again and again, as it were, alternating
between Nothingness and Creation, was AL, and there was a certain
gesture, not unlike the sign of the Cross, which was connected with
this miracle.
Now all this, and more, has remained sealed up in my mind so that I
could not express the smallest part of it in writing until now --
though there are those who I have told it to in part -- and it was
not until I began to question of this Most Holy Word that all this
became clear to me. Therefore, let me now discourse for a moment, in
the light of perspective, on this Holy Name.
There was no self THEN, and yet all was SELF when I Parzival
pronounced this Word and the Universe was destroyed, and reformed.
And at that time it did seem that He accomplished the transformation
of all living things, and as having done such He may be styled
Possessor of the Tao, and now he does not know that he has become
possessed of anything. As it is written: Of all this the Ipsissimus
knoweth nothing.
Immediately I cease telling of actual experience the Path becomes
hard again, but I will try.
The Qabalists say that in the Beginning was NOT, and they called it
Ain. They also say the veils of the Negative depend back from Kether.
Now LA is NOT, and I think this Word in its True aspect is the
Supreme Mystery of the Godhead.
NOT (LA) concentrated upon itself till it became a Point of Light
and flashed forth as AL-GOD, Kether then is the perfectly
equilibrated juncture of the Not and God, which in this Word are
ONE. This caused the Lightning-flash which formulated the Tree of
Life, and the numeration of the Paths of which is 777. And the
numeration of this Word is 31 and it contains the Mystery of the 3
in 1. (See Book 777 Col XXXVI Line 1, which confirms this.)
Now see Book 777 LXXXIV Lines 1,2,3, which attributes (although I
knew nothing of this at the time) to Briah the Creative World of the
Divine Name AL in the First Three Sephiroth. Now consider how 31 by
3 is 93. The numeration of Thelema etc. also of 1º=10º Grade, as
before mentioned.
Now it seems (and here I shall repeat parts of what I have
previously said in order to express the matter more fully) that
Kether in Its aspect as Not and God, is reflected into Chochmah, and
this passes along the Path of Aleph or Folly. And the Fool hath said
in his heart There is NO-GOD (LA-AL) so that the Magus becometh the
Word, and as it were, the creator of the Universe for in Him is
Folly reflected as Wisdom.
And Kether is reflected into Binah as LA, so that NEMO sitteth in
Darkness in the City of the Pyramids by the Great Sea. And this is
transmitted to Binah by the Path of the Great Magician -- Beth --
who is the Father of Lies. Notice that the Flaming Sword does not
touch that Path, for the Wisdom of the Magus became at the lowest
depth, the cunning of the Serpent, and He crawled up the Tree again
by the paths, and being Dual he created Opposite paths, thus
producing Balance, and at the same time fixing the Tree and
Creation, therefore it is that the Light appears NOT to NEMO.
Whereas there is a real current from Kether to the Magus and from
the Magus to Nemo.
And the Word reflecteth from Chochmah
into Binah as AL, which is partly false and partly True. Then the
Light of the Supernal reflecteth, or rather crosses the Abyss as a
spark, into Chesed Jupiter, the Father, and here again see 777 Col V
Line 4 which attributes the God name of this sphere in Assiah as AL.
Therefore is it written that this is the Sphere all manner of men
call The First (See Konx OM Pax). Note also that this Word is
attributed to the Path of Mem, which is the Hanged Man, or Redeemer,
who shall re- establish the true order of things, and in this symbol
he is shown with his head downwards, or reversed. And Mem = Water,
suggests the Great Sea, and the reflection of the True Name therein.
Note also how simple all this is, and how the highest Word is also
one of the most common, for it is tacked on to every Angel and
Archangel, to imply their connection with the true God. Also note
St. John, how he says
"In the Beginning was the Word and
the Word was with God and the Word "was GOD"" (AL).
Note also how the "31st" Path is called
Perpetual Intelligence and how this Path has always been pointed to
as having to do with the ultimate mystery. It may be that the
numeration was intended to point the way from the beginning of the
Journey.
Another thing which strikes me, is that Aleph is the OX and the only
letter which seems to have a meaning definitely connected with it is
Lamed the OX- goad. Here again seems to be a hint of the secret to
the discerning one.
September 25th
1918 E.V.
Last night, before sleeping, I discovered, or rather remembered for
I had noticed the fact in December last, that AL is the silent-sound
of the indrawn breath through the nose with mouth closed, and LA
that of the outgoing breath. This is a further proof of the Nature
of the Holy Word which is Before the spoken Word. Note the
similarity with that of Neophyte. Also it means this, that one
cannot help repeating the Most Sacred Name of God whenever one is
Silent; so that every man and women has been doing this from birth.
September 26th 1918 E.V.
I have been making further considerations of this Holy Mystery of
the Silent Breath and it is very wonderful to think how whenever one
breathes silently, one is pronouncing that True and Ineffable Name.
Every living creature, is then by reason of their Nature worshipping
the True God, whatever their opinion may be. Also note that neither
Wisdom nor Understanding is essential to this. It IS and as long as
we live we must perform this operation at least during sleep. And it
is written: " He giveth Himself unto His Beloved in sleep."
September 30th
1918 E.V.
I have to-day finished a design for a Symbol to express as well as I
can the results of my Initiation of Dec 21 1917 as explained in my
further Enlightenment of Sep 22 1918.
It is intended to represent Kether with the Supernal Triad radiating
therefrom. This forms AL and LA, also A.A. and IAO and O.I.V. Also
the Centre of Circle is Hadith and the Circle Nuit. The Circle can
be taken to represent LA etc. The Angle is 120 degrees or One third
of a Circle. The Shape bounded at top by Circle and below by Our
Lady Nuit for her pantacle atc. Have ordered it to be made in White
Gold on One inch base.
Monday
to Tuesday October 7th and 8th
Have been working on the theory that the Holy Word revealed to
O.I.V.V.I.O. in its inmost aspect is also the Key of the Mysteries
of the Book of the Law. Let us consider in what ways this may be so.
My experience showed me that Hadith was Kether, and Nuit appears to
be very similar to The Veil of the Negative which the Qabalists
speak of 777 seems to confirm this, for Hadit is attributed to Line
One and Nuit to 0; also same idea is symbolized in that which was
granted to me when I made the Pantacle of Nuit.
I think the idea we ahould try to formulate, is very much that of
the Qabalists, though the real meaning, is, I am convinced, a matter
of experience. First was Nothing, and this may be called LA while it
is considered as expanding into Limitless Space (Ain Soph) and
becoming Limitless Light, perhaps. The Beginning of things was
caused by a simple change of conception, as it were a "looking
inwards" instead of outwards, and a corresponding change from LA to
AL.
I think the difference in the way the
English and Hebrew Alphabets are written, is a good symbol of this,
the direction is different, so that the two letters might stand for
either LA or AL according to the manner in which we look upon them.
The great value of this Word lies in the fact that the self-same
symbol contains the ideas of Nothing and Something, without any
change in itself, and this seems to be the one Symbol that gets over
the difficult transition from NOT to ONE.
Of course it was not even a Word in the beginning, but the Silent
Breath, Expansion and Contraction, and the true theory of the
Universe is that it was created by the First Breath of the Tao, or
Nuit. We find this confirmed in "Liber Legis" Ch. 1 Verse 28. "None
breathed the light faint and faery of the stars and two."
Here we have the idea of the first breath of Not (LA) the Limitless
Light, which concentrates upon Kether which is ONE or Hadith, or AL
and gives the first faint idea of duality which shows forth in the
Word later -- but which being composed of the ideas Nothing and One
is really One.
Now Hadit is really unextended, and can only be imagined as the
Minute Point of Light at that Point where LA changes into AL, for he
is the Secret Centre. In order to get a somewhat clearer idea we
must consider Nuit as dual, viz: LALA, when AL shows up as that
Centre. In this case it is strange and worth noting that we have a
word with the sound Laylah or Night, and I don’t think the spelling
matters for see Ch. III, "spelling is defunct." It is the sound that
matters.
I cannot help thinking ALLA in the same
way produced and was concealed in Allah. We are told in Ch. I, V.9
to worship the Khabs (the house of Hadit) and behold my (Nuit’s)
light shed over you, because Khabs is the Central Point of Light,
and we thus perform an act similar to that which made Creation
manifest, rather than Not.
-
Ch. I v 21. With the God and the
Adorer I am nothing, they do not see me. They are upon the
earth. I am Heaven and there is no other God than me and my lord
Hadit.
Now if Hadit = AL = God, then with Him is Nuit (LA) nothing.
Also this is so with the Adorer unless he concentrates on Hadit
as the Centre as instructed. Yet is also true that "there is no
other God than me and my lord Hadit " for looked at one way the
God is Nuit and the other Hadit.
-
Ch. I. v 22. Clearly tells us that
Nuit has a secret name. This I take to be LA (or possibly LALA).
Also it is written in this verse "Bind nothing " and besides its
obvious sense, this may be an expression of the binding of
Nothing by concentration on a point. This Word binds nothing, as
it causes the transition from Nothing to God.
-
Ch. I v 29.30 It will be seen that
there really is no division.
-
Ch. I v 35. Note "threefold" Book of
Law. [A]
-
Ch. I v. 40. Note "Three grades."
(Since making this note, I have had an opportunity of looking at
the Equinox for a moment, and discovered that in Vol. 7,
Comment. The Tarot Keys of the three Grades add to 31, which I
consider a further proof. I may remark that I have been placed
where I have no books but the V.S.L. for reference, and am
therefore writing all these notes entirely from memory of my
experience, which seems to make certain things clearer from day
to day, as I apply my attention to different aspects of the
work.)
-
Ch. I, v 45. The Perfect and the
Perfect are one Perfect and not two, nay are none.
Here I think Nuit and Hadit are referred to as the Perfect, for
this is claimed by Hadit, see Ch II, v 15. If Nuit be considered
as LA and Hadit as AL, this is at once clear for they are One
and yet None.
-
Ch. I, v 46. Nothing is a secret key
of this Law, sixty one the Jews call it. I call it eight,
eighty, fourhundred and eighteen.
(I made a partial explanation of this in
diary, but since I got a clearer and fuller one on Oct 21, I insert
same here in its proper place.)
Today I have made another attempt at the Qabalistic explanation of
the verse. It is getting clearer. At the time of Initiation, it will
be remembered O.I.V.V.I.O. identifies himself entirely with Parzival
throughout. [B] For he says he found the Word, and the Word was Parzival. (There is of course a very definite connection between
Parzival and Abrahadabra, the Word of the Aeon, through 418. And it
is said that Abrahadabra shall be His child and that strangely) And
Parzival having Eight letters, and Initial value 80 and total
numeration of 418 is therefore connected with this verse. It was
through this Name that he came upon the Mystery of AL and LA which
is finally summed up in A, (as will be shown later.)
Let us take this verse again;
-
Nothing (LA) is a secret key of this
"Law". 61 (Ain) the Jews "called" it, I call it 80.80.418 (Parzival,
The Fool, Aleph, One). Therefore 61 plus 1 = 62.
-
But they have (also) the half 31 =
AL (and they have Not (LA) the other half) and twice 31 is 62.
-
Therefore ALLA = 62 which is 6 plus
2 = 8 = Cheth = 418 = Parzival = Fool = Aleph = One (or None)
and thus all disappears in One. Also since "ALLA" becomes A,
"ALL" has disappeared.
Again it is written The Fool hath said
in his heart There is NO-GOD = LA AL which again indicates the
secret and I think LA AL in this form is the secret name or word of
Ra HOOR Khuit. See Ch. III, v 49. I am s secret "fourfold" word, the
blasphemy against all the gods of men. Also, whereas Nuit and Hadit
are ever united the division becomes manifest in R.H.K. For he says
in Ch. III, v 2. There is division hither homeward, there is a word
"not" known. (Can there be any connection here with "She shall be
known and I never?) Spelling is defunct, all is "not aught". Not:
AUGHT, may indicate the nature of the All LA, Not AL aught.
-
Verse 48. Note the OX or Aleph and
the Fool or O, seems to indicate the explanation given above,
also points to the idea that the key is something which itself
combines these ideas.
-
Ch. I, v 51. Mentions the 4 Gates,
and this is the mystery of the Path of Aleph again, and the
fourfold name R.H.K. One can enter these in turn or at once, if
he understands the trick of combinations.
-
Ch. I, v 52. "If this be not aright,
if ye confound the space marks saying: They are one, or saying,
They are many" etc.
There should be no space-marks, except on the plane of reason.
When the experience of this mystery is granted, it will be seen
how there are none, for the whole thing is a continuous process,
even as Nuit is continuous.
-
Ch. I, v 55. He has beheld some of
them I think, as is proved by this writing.
-
Ch. I, v 56. Indicates that there
are two halves of the equation, even as there are two aspects of
this Word.
-
Ch. I, v 57. ?House of God = Beth-EL
= Path of Beth?
-
Ch. II, v 2. "I, hadit am the
complement of Nuit my bride". This indicates they are really One
or None, and I think the Word clears this up.
-
Verse 7. "Come unto me" is a foolish
word; for it is I that go". "Come unto me" is the call of Nuit.
When Hadit (AL) considers Nuit (LA) or "lifts up his head" He
becomes "Not" therefore He goes.
-
Ch II, v 14. "Now let there be a
veiling of this shrine; now let the light devour men and eat
them up with blindness"
-
Verse 15. "For I am perfect being
Not and my number is nine by the fools, but with the just I am
eight and one in eight which is vital, for I am none indeed."
Hadit here clearly says he is Not, or BEING-NOT (a combination
of Nuit and Hadit as the Perfect and Perfect, which, be it
remembered are One, nay None.) We have considered His particular
aspect as AL rather than LA, but the previous verse indicates a
blind. He is the shrine veiled by Not, for AL is the
manifestation of LA, and LA is the hiding of AL (See first verse
of Chapters I and II). He is Eight with the just because they
consider the balance of things and so consider him as AL-LA
which again gives 62 = 8 = Cheth = 418 = Fool = Aleph = None as
explained before in answer to the riddle of Nuit. This shows he
is One (Aleph) in eight, and also None, quite clearly.
Now comes the striking indication of an underlying formula in
this Book, which can be read in two ways, and the very same Word
is used to express this, only in the English instead of the
Hebrew, which of course throws one off the scent of the mystery.
-
Ch. II, v 19. "Is a God to live in a
dog? No. But the highest are of us."
Now in English, God is Dog if reversed, but the Hebrew for God
is AL which reversed gives LA which is Not. One can hardly get
away from the hint of the true nature of the Key, once it is
pointed out, especially since it is followed by the negative No.
(another translation of LA) and a statement that the highest or
those who comprehend this mystery. "are of us".
-
Ch. II, v 23. I am alone; there is
no God where I am.
I am AL-ONE, there is LA-AL where I am, viz: He is both one with
Nuit and Ra- Hoor-Khuit.
-
Ch. II, v 26. I am the secret
serpent (Wisdom of the Word) coiled about to spring. If I lift
up my head I and my Nuit are one. If I droop down my head and
shoot forth venom, there is rapture of the earth, and I and the
earth are one.
Gives another proof of the peculiar dual aspect of the Word. It
will be noticed that Nuit has said that the God and the Adorer
are upon the Earth. As God, Hadit is one with the Earth, as NOT,
he is one with Nuit. Also Hadit is called Her secret centre and
the world, her heart and her tongue, the House or Home of Hadit,
makes the spoken Word possible.
-
Verse 27. There is great danger in
reasoning over this Mystery, it must be realized.
-
Verse 32. All their words are
skew-wise, viz: they do not partake of the true peculiar nature
of the True Word which is equally balanced and can be read
either backwards or forwards.
-
Verse 33. "Damned for a dog", the
reverse of God in its wrong aspect.
-
Verse 76. I don’t make this out yet,
but it seems to indicate that it will not come till later, after
the Prophet’s time. Anyway AL appears twice among the letters.
-
Ch. III, v 2. This was commented
upon before. This whole chapter appears to me to be quite a
different character to the former ones. R-H-K is the Word as the
offspring of Hadit and Nuit.
-
Verse 35. The half of the word of
Heru-ra-ha probably indicates some mystery in this division as
indicated in Verse 2. I think thus far he has been LA, for in
Verse 35 we have him worshipped as AL or God.
(Unity-uttermost-might of "breath")
-
Verse 47. Note according to this
theory the importance of the letters and their positions to one
another. Also the statement that one shall discover the key of
it all. (By the way, V. 39 makes a statement "In it is the word
secret and not only in the English". I think this may mean that
the Word AL does not appear at all, and NOT only appears in the
English instead of Hebrew) [C]
I think Verse 48 terminates the AL section, and Verse 49
mentions the Fourfold word, which I have taken to be LA AL.
-
Verse 71 may indicate AL as Chochmah
and LA as Binah and the solution of the Mystery in Kether Hadit.
-
Verse 74 may indicate that the
splendour in His name hidden and glorious is the two centre
letters A.A. The Silver Star. Note, according to Blavatsky AL is
the Sun or Phallus.
Friday,
11th October 1918 E.V.
I spent last evening with Therion; during our conversation, he said
that he thought Nuit and Hadit were best expressed as Matter and
Motion. He also said that all things must be considered as Zero or
Two, as if One were arrived at "there was no getting away from it."
I pointed out that there must be some formula combining Zero and
One, or the Tree of Life could never have been conceived of and
formulated. He admitted this but said that so far he had failed to
find such.
When I got to bed, I could not sleep, and a number of other things
connected with this mystery came to me.
One was, the significant fact that when A.C. first got into touch
with the Brothers of A:.A:. (See Vision and Voice, I have not any
books here, so cannot quote), the Pass word was "There is No-God."
This seems to confirm this Word, as the central secret of A:.A:. Who
also gave out the New Law.
I also notice that NU reversed is UN or One. Likewise with the
addition of IT Nuit is Unit.
Then I remembered that in Equinox V (I think) AL is clearly defined
as the Ox and the Goad, also as MATTER and MOTION, and I cannot see
how A.C. could have missed this connection with Nuit and Hadit,
since it is undoubtedly the true formula of his present conception
of Their nature.
Then I noticed another very important thing. I was wondering why A
and L should be chosen, or rather why L, the 12th letter of the
Hebrew alphabet should follow A, the first. But this is not actually
the case for AL is the first sound in the pronunciation of Aleph the
First letter of the Hebrew alphabet (as it is also of Alpha) and the
addition of Pe shows the mouth as necessary to the spoken word,
though in Kether, it was but a silent breath through the nose.
(Notice kether is called "Long of nose", also the Image is on a Face
seen in profile, viz: only one aspect of the word can be comsidered
at a time in the reasoning mind). It is strange also how L is
pronounced LA-med, this showing the duality as soon as it is taken
into consideration as a seperate letter.
Thus is AL, in very truth the first possible sound, and notice that
when one pronounces it aloud, the tongue is raised and placed
against the teeth, but as soon as it is released, LA is
automatically pronounced by a slightly indrawn breath. In the Silent
breath of the Beginning this is reversed, AL is the underlying sound
of the indrawn breath and LA that of the outgoing.
Now notice how Hadit is spoken of as the tongue of Nuit and how when
His head is raised etc. and lowered etc.
Note also how in pronouncing the first letter Aleph, one’s tongue
must meet the teeth, and the tooth is Shin, the 31st path; also see
how these paths were welded in the Initiation of O.I.V.V.I.O.
Note. LA LA may stand for NOT NOT, or "something"; it also suggests
0º=0º or 0 to the 0 degree.
ALLA suggests 1 to the 0 degree
LAAL suggests 0 to the 1st degree
Nothing under its three forms.
I also found, which seems to be of the
greatest importance that the essence of Thelema is summed up in this
Word. A is the pentagram, the Star of Will and L is Libra, Justice
or the Law, while 31 backwards is 13 which is Love and Unity.
[D]
October
16th
Another discovery. During the Initiation of Dec. 1917 the mind of
O.I.V.V.I.O. must have actually reversed and run backwards (See
Liber Thisharb) so that on reaching the beginning of the ideas
underlying the Hebrew Alphabet he naturally arrived at the first
letter ALP in its reverse order. He came therefore to P which
accounts for the Flash (destroying the House of God or Beth EL) then
in due sequence to LA or nothing. This again reversed, as stated,
and he got AL followed by another flash P. Observe how all this is
summed up in the One letter ALP which is One and None.
Further, the process as described, produces the two A’s thus
indicating the inmost meaning of A:.A:.
But now if we begin to take into consideration 2 letters, we find in
the return process BA = To come or Go, which again reverses as AB,
The Father. Analyzing the complete process we get
Th.I.P.B.L.A.A.L.B.I.Th.
Th = The Tau Cross mentioned by
O.I.V.V.I.O. as the sign accompanying the process. Also, The
Universe.
I = The creative essence (also hand which makes sign) and
this is the Spark of Light, first seen outside.
B = The Magician who makes the sign; also the House of God,
the Body.
P = The Flash referred to, and the destruction of all
resulting in
L = balance, then
A = Equilibrium, the Point perfectly centered in breast. (Hadit
comprehended for a moment.)
AL = God
P = Another Flash (Flaming Sword).
B = Comprehension of this dual process in One and Nothing
and understanding of Beth El as true House of God.
I = Creative essence of the Word.
Th = Producing a New Universe. (Notice how all this is borne
out in the actual experience of O.I.V.V.I.O. as recorded.)
October 19th
Another discovery re
PARZIVAL, (as already mentioned) that this Word reversed was what led
me to the discovery of the Mystery of AL and finally to that of
Aleph in which all is summed up.
I also noticed to-day that the Three Grades of the Order may be
summed up in the Letter Beth. For Beth is the Magician or the Lover, Yod is the Hermit and Th the Universe or Man of Earth.
Again AL suggests, by shape, the Square and Compass very accurately,
as used by Masons to Symbolize God.
Now I feel that there is no more to be said on this matter at this
time, therefore I may return to the Contemplation of this Mystery in
Silence.
STATEMENT OF THE
AUTHOR
March 13, 1948
I, CHARLES STANSFIELD JONES, (Frater Achad, etc.) of "Tall Timbers",
Deep Cove, British Columbia, Canada, being the author of the
accompanying manuscript entitled "Liber Thirty-One" (a part of my
private magical diary, originally transcribed and typed with one
carbon copy in November 1918, the single copy having been delivered
to Aleister Crowley by mail early in September 1919 and since lost
or destroyed) do now make the following statement:
On March 4, 1948, I received from Gerald J. Yorke, Esq., of 5,
Montaque Square, London, W.1., England, a letter which contained the
following:
"As you probably know A.C. had died.
I am sorting his papers prior to their dispatch to America. Your
Liber 31 has not survived amongst these papers, though there is
a reference to it on page 127 of The Equinox of the Gods.
Would you care to send me a copy, which on my death will go to
the British Museum with my other Crowleyana. I think it
important that one copy of your treatise 31 should exist in this
country, as if it does so exist it will be available for anyone
sufficiently interested in Liber Al to wish to see it. "
In response to this request, and for the
purpose stated by Mr. Yorke, I have had prepared from the single
original manuscript in my possession one further typescript and four
carbon copies. The typescript which accompanies this statement has
been personally checked by me and is a true copy (only one extra
note having been added on the first page in reference to original
date of delivery of ms.)
Of the four extra carbon copies it is my
intention to deliver one to Miss Grace R. Hallam of Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada and one to Dr. J.P. Kowal of 5821 Chene
Street, Detroit 11, Michigan, U.S.A. so that there may be a record
in these countries as well as in England. One of the remaining two
copies will be attached to the original manuscript in my files, and
the other kept in case of later publication or other need. Further
copies are not be be made without my written permission.
FOOTNOTES
[A] Oct. 31st. "LAW" is LA (Nuit-Hadit)
completed by W = {Vau Vau}, the Son RHK is His dual aspect as
Horus-Harpocrates. Also Vau is the Hierophant "Hoor in His
secret name and splendour is the Lord initiating."
[B] Oct 31st 1918 E.V. Just before sleeping I had an impression
that if I added up the total letters in my Mottoes they would =
31. I did so mentally and found UNUS IN OMNIBUS (= 13 = Achad)
OMNIA IN UNO (= 10:.1 = 10) PARZIVAL = 8. 13 = 10 = 8 = 31.
This is extraordinary because it was a kind of revelation.
[C] I think this is one of the reasons why the Original in the
writing of the Beast must always be included with any
translation into other tongues. For there are mysteries in the "English" that would not work out if translated.
[D] Ruler of {Libra} is {Venus} = Love. Love is the law, love
under will.
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