Liber Resh & Ankh-f n Khonsu The very popular Thelemic liturgy Liber Resh uses a fourfold schema

quite different to the famous Egyptian cycle of Kephra = Rising sun Ra = Noon Day Tum = Sunset 1. HAIL UNTO THEE WHO ART RA IN THY RISING EVEN UNTO THEE WHO ART RA IN THY STRENGTH WHO TRAVELLEST OVER THE HEAVENS IN THY BARK AT THE UPRISING OF THE SUN 2. HAIL UNTO THEE WHO ART AHATHOR IN THY TRIUMPH EVEN UNTO THEE WHO ART AHATHOR IN THY BEAUTY WHO TRAVELLEST OVER THE HEAVENS IN THY BARK AT THE MIDCOURSE OF THE SUN

3. HAIL UNTO THEE WHO ART TUM IN THY SETTING EVEN UNTO THEE WHO ART TUM IN THY JOY WHO TRAVELLEST OVER THE HEAVENS IN THY BARK AT THE DOWNGOING OF THE SUN 4. HAIL UNTO THEE WHO ART KEPHRA IN THY HIDING EVEN UNTO THEE WHO ART KEPHRA IN THY SILENCE WHO TRAVELLEST OVER THE HEAVENS IN THY BARK AT THE MIDNIGHT HOUR OF THE SUN TAHUTI STANDETH IN HIS SPLENDOR AT THE PROW AND RA HOOR ABIDETH AT THE HELM 1. 2. 3. 4. HAIL HAIL HAIL HAIL UNTO UNTO UNTO UNTO THEE THEE THEE THEE FROM FROM FROM FROM THE THE THE THE ABODES ABODES ABODES ABODES OF OF OF OF NIGHT! MORNING! DAY EVENING!

Crowley obviously took this from the translation of the XXVIth Dynastic Stele of Ankh-f n-Khonsu which became Thelemas cult object:
O exalted one to whom praise is given Great one of souls mightily respected soul Whom the gods hold in awe Who appears in glory on your throne The great one who makes pathways For my soul, my spirit and my shade You have provided sunshine for me there A way is prepared for me to the place Where Khnum, Itum, Khopri and Hathor live

This recent translation by Terence Duquesne has the four in the last line as Khnum, Itum Kophri and Hathor. Crowley commissioned two translations of the Stele, the first by Emile Brugsch, (younger and less talented brother of the brilliant Heinrich Brugsch.) He obviously needed a second and for this he enlisted the help of two fellow occultists who happened to also be the celebrated Egyptologists Sir Alan Gardiner & George Battiscombe-Gunn. (See Aleister Crowley (1988) The Holy Books of Thelema, NY p 253). (Thank you Dr John Ward of the Sirius Project for this insight).

The Gardiner/Battiscombe-Gunn has the gods as: Ra, Itum, Kephri and Hathor

Crowley used the names for something that was never intended in the original spell. But if anything Id say the order should be Khopri, Ra, Itum and then Hathor Perhaps given the provenance of the stele as Gurna on the Theban necropolis the original prayer was dedicated to the sun in his/her various avatars plus Hathor as personification of the sacred mountain?

Mogg Morgan

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