AC

Little Essays Towards Truth

The Mind of the Father
riding on the subtle guiders
which glitter with the inflexible tracings
of relentless fire.
ZOROATER.
MAN.
What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
Man being the subject of these Essays, it is first proper to explain what will be meant
therein by the word.
Man is a microcosm: that is, an image (concentrated around the point of
consciousness) of the macrocosm, or Unierse. !his !heorem is guaranteed by the
hylo"idealistic demonstration that the perceptible Unierse is an extension, or
phantasm, of the nerous system.
#t follows that all phenomena, internal and external, may be classified for the purpose
of discussing their obsered relations, in any manner which experience may show to
be the most conenient. (Examples: the elaborate classifications of science,
chemical, physical, etc., etc. !here is no essential truth in any of these aids to
thin$ing: conenience is the sole measure.) %ow for the purposes of analysing the
spiritual nature of man, of recording and measuring his experiences in this $ind, of
planning his progress to loftier heights of attainment, seeral systems hae been
deised. !hat of the Abhidhamma is on the surface ali$e the most practical, the most
scientific, and the most real& but for European students it is certainly far too unwieldly,
to say nothing of other lines of criticism.
!herefore, despite the danger of agueness inoled in the use of a system whose
terms are largely symbolic, # hae, for many reasons, preferred to present to the
world as an international basis for classification, the classico"mathematical system
which is ulgarly and erroneously (though coneniently) called the 'abalah.
!he 'abalah, that is, the (ewish !radition concerning the initiated interpretation of
their )criptures, is mostly either unintelligible or nonsense. *ut it contains as it
ground"plan the most precious jewel of human thought, that geometrical arrangement
of names and numbers which is called the !ree of +ife. # call it the most precious,
because # hae found it the most conenient method hitherto discoered of
classifying the phenomena of the Unierse, and recording their relations. ,hereof
the proof is the ama-ing fertility of thought which has followed my adoption of this
scheme.
)ince all phenomena soeer may be referred to the !ree of +ife (which may be
multiplied or subdiided at will for conenience. sa$e) it is eidently useless to
attempt any complete account of it. !he correspondences of each unit/the !en
)ephiroth and the !wo"and"!wenty 0aths/are infinite. !he art of using it consists
principally in referring all our ideas to it, discoering thus the common nature of
certain things and the essential differences between others, so that ultimately one
obtains a simple iew of the incalculably ast complexity of the Unierse.
!he whole subject must be studied in the *oo$ 777, and the main attributions
committed to memory: then when by constant use the system is at last understood/
as opposed to being merely memorised/the student will find fresh light brea$ in on
him at eery turn as he continues to measure eery item of new $nowledge that he
attains by this )tandard. 1or to him the Unierse will then begin to appear as a
coherent and a necessary ,hole.
1or the purpose of studying these +ittle Essays, it will be sufficient if a bare outline of
the 2osmic !heory which they imply be gien: but it may be added that, the fuller the
comprehension of the !ree of +ife which the reader brings to them, the clearer will
their thought appear, and the more cogent their conclusions.
(3) Jechidah
!his is the 4uintessential principle of the )oul, that which ma$es man at the same
time identical with eery other spar$ of 5odhead, and different (as regards his point"
of"iew, and the Unierse of which it is the centre) from all others. #t is a 0oint,
possessing only position& and that position is only definable by reference to co"
ordinate exes, to secondary principles, which only pertain to itper accidents, and
must be postulated as our conception grows.
(6) Chiah.
!his is the 2reatie #mpulse or ,ill of (echidah, the energy which demands the
formulation of the co"ordinate axes aforesaid, so that (echidah may obtain self"
realisation, a formal understanding of what is implicit in its nature, of its possible
4ualities.
(7) Neschamah.
!his is the faculty of understanding the ,ord of 2hiah. #t is the intelligence or intuition
of what (echidah wishes to discoer about itself.
!hese three principles constitute a !rinity& they are one, because they represent the
being, and apparatus which will ma$e the manifestation possible, of a 5od, in
manhood. *ut they are only, so to spea$, the mathematical structure of man.s nature.
8ne might compare them with the laws of physics as they are before they are
discoered. !here are as yet no data by whose examination they may be discerned.
9 conscious man, according, cannot possibly $now anything of these three
principles, although they constitute his essence. #t is the wor$ of #nitiation to journey
inwards to them. )ee, in the 8ath of a 0robationer of 9 9 :# pledge myself to
discoer the nature and powers of my own *eing.:
this triune principle being wholly spiritual, all that can be said about it is really
negatie. 9nd it is complete in itself. *eyond it stretches what is called !he 9byss.
!his doctrine is extremely difficult to explain& but it corresponds more or less to the
gap in thought between the ;eal, which is ideal, and the Unreal, which is actual. #n
the 9byss all things exist, indeed, at least in posse, but are without any possible
meaning& for they lac$ the substratum of spiritual ;eality. !hey are appearances
without +aw. !hey are thus Insane Delusions.
%ow the 9byss being thus the great storehouse of 0henomena, it is the source of all
impressions. 9nd the !riune 0rinciple has intended a machine for inestigating the
Unierse& and this machine is the fourth 0rinciple of Man.
(<) uach
!his may be translated Mind, )pirit, or #ntellect: none of these is satisfactory, the
connotation arying with eery writer. !he ;uach is a closely"$nitted group of 1ie
Moral and #ntellectual principles, concentrated on their core, !iphareth, the 0rinciple
of =armony, the =uman 2onsciousness and ,ill of which the four other )ephiroth
are (so to spea$) the feelers. 9nd these fie principles culminate in a sixth, >a?th,
@nowledge. *ut this is not really a principle& it contains in itself the germ of self"
contradiction and so of self"destruction. #t is a false principle: for. as soon as
@nowledge is analysed, it brea$s up into the irrational dust of the 9byss.
Man.s aspiration to @nowledge is thus simply a false road: it is to spin ropes of sand.
,e cannot here enter into the doctrine of the :1all of 9dam,: inented to explain in
parable how it is that the Unierse is so unfortunately constituted. ,e are concerned
only with the obsered facts.
9ll these mental and moral faculties of the ;uach, while not purely spiritual li$e the
)upernal !riad, are still, as it were, :in the air.: !o be of use, they need a basis
through which to receie impressions, much as a machine re4uires fuel and fodder
before it can manufacture the article which it is designed to produce.
(A) Nephesch.
!his is usually translated the :9nimal )oul.: #t is the ehicle of the ;uach, the
instrument by which the Mind is brought into contact with the dust of Matter in the
9byss, that it may feel it, judge it, and react to it. !his is itself a principle still spiritual,
in a sense& the actual body of man os composed of the dust of Matter, temporarily
held together by the 0rinciples which inform it, for their own purposes, and ultimately
for the supreme purposes of self"realisation of (echidah.
*ut %ephesch, deised as it is with no other object that the direct traffic with Matter,
tends to parta$e of its incoherence. #ts faculties of perceiing pain and pleasure lure it
into paying undue attention to one set of phenomena, into shunning another. =ence,
for the %ephesch to do its wor$ as it should, it re4uires to be dominated by the
seerest discipline. %or is the ;uach itself to be trusted in this matter. #t has its own
tendencies to wea$ness and injustice. #t tries eery tric$/and it is diabolically cleer
/to arrange its business with Matter in the sense most conenient to its inertia,
without the smallest consideration of its duty to the )upernal !riad, cut off as that is
from its comprehension& indeed, unsuspecting as it normally is of its existence.
,hat then determines !iphareth, the =uman ,ill, to aspire to comprehend
%eschamah, to submit itself to the diine ,ill of 2hiahB
%othing but the realisation, born sooner or later of agonising experience, that its
whole relation through ;uach and %ephesch with Matter, i!e., with the Unierse, is,
and must be, only painful. !he senselessness of the whole procedure sic$ens it. #t
begins to see$ for some menstruum in which the Unierse may become intelligible,
useful and enjoyable. #n 'abalistic language, it aspires to %eschamah.
!his is what we mean in saying that the !rance of )orrow is the motie of the 5reat
,or$.
!his :!rance of )orrow: (which must be well"distinguished from any petty personal
despair, and :coniction of sin,: or other blac$ magical imitations) being cosmic in
scope, comprehending all phenomena actual or potential, is then already an 8pening
of the )phere of %eschamah. !he awareness of one.s misfortune is itself an
indication of the remedy. #t sets the see$er on the right road, and as he deelops his
%eschamah he soon attains other Experiences of this high order. =er learns the
meaning of his own true ,ill, to pronounce his own ,ord, to identify himself with
2hiah.
1inally, realising 2hiah as the dynamic aspect of (echidah, he becomes that pure
*eing, at once uniersal and indiidual, e4ually nothing, 8ne, and 9ll.
#t is of the essence of the #deas of the )upernal !riad that the +aws of ;eason which
apply to intellectual functions are no longer operatie. =ence it is impossible to
coney the nature of these Experiences in rational language. 1urther, their scope is
infinite in eery direction, so that it would be futile to attempt to enumerate or to
describe them in detail. 9ll that one can do is to note the common types in ery
general language, and to indicate what experience has shown to be the most useful
main lines of research.
!he 'uest of the =oly 5rail, the )earch for the )tone of the 0hilosophers/by
whateer name we choose to call the 5reat ,or$/is therefore endless. )uccess
only opens up new aenues of brilliant possibility. Cea, erily, and 9menD the tas$ is
tireless and its joys without bounds& for the whole Unierse, and all that in it is, what
is it but the infinite playground of the 2rowned and 2on4uering 2hild, of the
insatiable, the innocent, the eer"rejoicing =eir of )pace and Eternity, whose name is
M9%B
MEMORY.
Memory is of the ery stuff of 2onsciousness itself. 2onsider that we can neer
$now what is happenin", but only what has just happened, een when most actiely
concentrated on what we call :the present.:
Moreoer, no impression short of )ammasamadhi can eer pretend to confer any
coherent idea of the )elf. !hat exists only in an order of 2onsciousness far deeper
than direct perception, in a type of thought which is capable of combining the
4uintessence of countless impressions into one, as also of transforming this tabula
rasa into a positie prehensile Ego. ,hether this process be hallucinatory or no, it is
surely memory which, more than any other function of the mind, determines its
possibilities.
%ow, whateer iew we may ta$e of the nature of the )elf, it is clear that our limit of
error will constantly diminish as the range of our obserations is extended. !o
calculate the orbit of %eptune from a period of days when it is retrograde could lead
to formidable fallacies. ,hen memory is seriously wea$ened, the resulting state
approximates to dementia. Memory is then, in a figure, the mortar of the architecture
of the mind.
#t seems impossible een to begin to discuss its nature as it is in itself& for it is not a
!hing at all, but only a relation between impressions. ,e must be content to obsere
its irtues.
1irst of all is that already noted, its extent in time. )econd is the faculty of selection.
#t would be as undesirable as it is impossible for the memory to retain all impressions
indiscriminately. )uch memories are found only in lunatic asylums. !he memory,
whateer it may be, depends on cerebral metabolism& and it thries on a proper
harmony of exercise, repose, and economy just as does muscular strength.
Memory as such is practically worthless& it is li$e an abandoned library. #ts data must
be coordinated by judgment, and played upon by s$ill& it resembles a great 8rgan
which re4uires an organist.
*y classifying simple impressions, one obtains ideas of a higher order& the repetition
of this process gies a structure to the mind which ma$es it a worthy instrument of
thought. 9nd this means enables one to retain, and to bring at will from their 4uiet
resting"place, a thousandfold the number of facts which would oerwhelm the
untrained memory. 8ne must model one.s mind upon the arrangement of the ends of
the nere"fibres and the brain.
9t willD =ere is the great $ey to proper selection, that one should resolutely remember
all facts that may be useful, and as resolutely forget all those impertinent, to the !rue
,ay of one.s )tar in )pace. 1or so only can one economise the mnemonic faculty&
and this is to say: no man can begin to train his memory duly until he is aware of his
!rue ,ill.
!here is then/as in all matters pertaining to the intellect/a icious circle& for one
can only become conscious of one.s true ,ill by a judgment (of )amadhic intensity)
upon all facts that it is possible to assimilate. !he resolution of the antinomy is
found ambulando: that is by the selectie training aboe indicated.
9 further complication of this whole 4uestion appears during the practice of Coga,
when, the sheaths being successiely stripped from the mind, one begins to
remember not only long"forgotten facts, but matters which do not refer to the
incarnated Ego at all. !he memory extends in time to infancy, to one.s preious
death, and so further to an unlimited series of experiences whose scope depends on
the degree of one. progress. *ut, parallel with this intensification of the idea of the
Ego, its expansion through the aeons, there arises (in conse4uence of the wea$ening
of the 9ham$ara, the Ego"ma$ing faculty) a tendency to remember thing which hae
happened not to :oneself,: but to :other people: or beings.
=erein is one of the most irritating obstacles in the 0ath of the ,ise& for the normal
deelopment of the memory in !ime leads to a better understanding of the !rue ,ill
of the indiidual (as he conceies of himself) so that he perceies an unierse
teleologically more rational as he progresses. !o be compelled to assimilate the
experiences of supposes :alien beings: is to become confused: the old hotchpot of
2horon-on (;estriction be unto him in the name of *9*9+8%D) gapes once more for
the 9dept, who possibly supposed himself already (in a sense) a 1reeman of the 2ity
of the 0yramids.
*ut it is just this experience/in default of any other/which eentually insists on his
underta$ing to cross the 9byss: for the alternatie to sheer insanity is seen to be the
discoery of a 5eneral 1ormula comprehensie of Uniersal Experience without
reference to the Ego (real or supposed) in any sense.
!his paradox, li$e all others, should be a lesson of supreme alue: this, that eery
difficulty is for our antage, that eery 4uestion is posed only in order to lead us to an
answer inoling a triumph infinitely more glorious than we could otherwise hae
conceied.
9nd meditation upon this whole matter may not unli$ely bring us to this further ision
of wonder: that the nature of things themseles is in reality but a function of Memory.
SORROW.
!he 9spiration to become a Master is rooted in the !rance of )orrow.
!his trance is not simple and definite& indeed, it commonly begins in a limited selfish
form.
!he imagination cannot pierce beyond terrestrial conditions, or the sense of self
grasp more than the natural consciousness.
8ne thin$s at first no more than this: :there is nothing possible that is good enough
for me.: 8nly as one grows by #nitiation dies one approach the asymptote :sabbE pi
>u$$ham:* *:Eerything is )orrow: of the *uddha, when the relations of subject and
object, both expanded to infinity, are seen to be no less in the bosom of the 5reat
2urse than were their first aatars, the petty Ego and the perceptible Unierse.
)o also for the transcending of this !rance of )orrow. 9t first the ictory often comes
by tric$ of mind& extending subject or object, as the case may be, by an effort to
escape reality, one seems for a moment to hae defeated the E4uation& but the
clouds regather as the mind recoers its e4uilibrium. !hus, one inents some
:=eaen,: defining it arbitrarily as free from sorrow: only to find, on exact
examination, that its conditions are the same as those of :Earth.:
%or is there any rational issue from this hell of thought. !he transcending of the
!rance of )orrow is to be made by means of such other trances as the =igher
*eatific Fision, the !rance of ,onder, and others, een the !rance call the Uniersal
(o$e, though this last is thereunto strangely a$inD
!here is this further consideration& that eery subject of contemplation as$s only that
the mind should become fixed upon it, in a degree far inferior to that of true
concentration such as secures )amadhi, to become eidently an illusion.
)o much for a brief summary of the technical aspects of the matter. *ut all this is
remote indeed from the simplicity of the affirmation of #he $oo% of the &aw:
;emember all ye that existence is pure joy: that all the sorrows are but as shadows& they pass G are
done& but there is that which remains.
Upon what can depend this perception, which claims to sweep away with the fire of
scorn the formidable batteries of all serious philosophical thoughtB !he solution must
lie in the metaphysics of !helema itself.
9nd here we come upon what is apparently a paradox of the most disconcerting
order. 1or #he $oo% of the &aw, anticipating the most subtle of recent mathematical
conceptions, that of the greatest genius of this generation, ma$es the unit of
existence consist in an Eent, an 9ct of Marriage between %uit and =adit& that is, the
fulfillment of a certain 0oint"of"Fiew. 9nd is not the procession of eents the ery
conditions of )orrow as opposed to the perfection of :0ure ExistenceB: !hat is the
old philosophy, a tangle of false words: we see more clearly. !hus:
Each Eent is an 9ct of +oe, and so generates (oy: all existence is composed solely
of such Eents. *ut how comes it then that there should be een an illusion of
)orrowB
)imply enough& by ta$ing a partial and imperfect Fision. 9n example: in the human
body each cell is perfect, and the man is in good health& but should we choose to
regard almost any portion of the machine which sustains him, there will appear
arious decompositions and the li$e, which might well be ta$en to imply the most
tragic Eents. 9nd this would ineitably be the case had we neer at any time seen
the man as a whole, and understood the necessity of the diers processes of nature
which combine to ma$e life.
9>>E%>UM
1urthermore, to the normal or dualistic consciousness it is precisely the shadows
Hwhich pass and are doneI which constitute perceptibly: what maJn :sees: is in fact
just that which obstructs the rays of light. !his is the justification for the *uddha
saying: :Eerything is )orrow:: in that word HEerythingI he is most careful to include
specifically all those things which men count joyous. 9nd this is not really a paradox&
for to him all reactions which produce consciousness are ultimately sorrowful, as
being disturbances of the 0erfection of 0eace, or (if you prefer it) as obstructions to
the free flow of Energy.
(oy and )orrow are thus to him relatie terms& subdiisions of one great sorrow,
which is manifestation. ,e need not trouble to contest this iew& indeed, the
H)hadowsI of which our boo$ spea$s are those interferences with +ight caused by the
partiality of our apprehension.
!he ,hole is #nfinite 0erfection, and so is each Unit thereof. !o transcend the !rance
of )orrow it is thus sufficient to cancel the subject of the contemplation by marrying it
to its e4ual and opposite in imagination. ,e may also pursue the analytical method,
and resole the complex which appears )orrow into its atoms. Each eent of it is a
sublime and joyous act of +oe& or the synthetical method, proceeding from the part
to the ,hole, with a similar result.
9nd any one of the moements of the mind is (with assiduity and enthusiasm)
capable of transforming the !rance of )orrow itself into the cognate !rance attributed
to Understanding, the !rance of ,onder.
WONDER.
:9 little more than $in, and less than $ind: are the !rance of )orrow, and the Fision of
the Machinery of the Unierse& this latter being the technical aspect of the
9pprehension of the +aw of 2hange, which is also a !rance of the same order as
that of )orrow. %ow one mode of ictory oer all these is the !rance of #ndifference,
in which one stands aloof from the whole matter& but it is only one mode, and (in the
generally $nown form) full of falsehood and imperfection. 1or to stand aloof is to
affirm duality, which is itself the root of )orrow. !o obtain the highest one must unite
oneself with all things, parta$e of all as a true )acrament. 9nd this motion leads to
the !rance of ,onder.
#t is written :!he fear of the +ord is the *eginning of ,isdom.: =ere the 0redicate
refers to the 8pening of the 5rade of Magus& but the )ubject, duly translated, reads
:!he ,ondering at !etragrammaton,: and so refers to this !rance. 1or herein one is
wholly identified with the Unierse in its dynamic aspect& and the first synthesis of the
understanding thereof is this 9ma-ement at the fitness and necessity of the entire
mechanism. 1or, gien the formula of Manifestation, the need to conceie and
perceie 0erfection by means of the symbolism of #mperfection, the actual process of
ideation becomes apodeictic. (# write as for the least instructed of the +ittle 2hildren
of the +ight.)
!he !rance of ,onder arises naturally/it is the first moement of the mind/from
the final phrase of the 8ath of a Master of the !emple. :# will interpret eery
phenomenon as a particular dealing of 5od with my Jsoul.: 1or, immediately the
Understanding illuminates the dar$ness of $nowledge, eery fact appears in its true
guise miraculous.
It is so' then, how marellous that it should so beD
#n all !rances of importance, and most especially in this, the 0ostulant should hae
ac4uired the greatest possible $nowledge and Understanding of the Unierse
properly so called. =is rational mind should hae been trained thoroughly in
intellectual apprehension: that is, he should be familiar with all )cience. !his is
eidently impossible on the face of it& but he should aspire to the closest
approximation to perfect 9deptship in this matter. !he method most possible is to
ma$e a detached study of some chosen branch of )cience, and a general study of
epistemology. !hen by analogy, fortified by contemplation, a certain inner
apprehension of the Unity of %ature may grow up in the mind, one which will not be
unduly presumptuous and misleading.
*ut our ,or$ demands more than this. !he %eschamah or #ntuitie Mind must also
be furnished with @nowledge and Understanding of those 0lanes of %ature which are
inaccessible to the untrained sense. !hat is, he must pursue our Methods of Fision
with indefatigable ardour.
%ow in all this the true unitie and transcendental )cience is that of Mathematics for
the ;uach, and its crown the =oly 'abalah for the %eschamah. *y this means the
,or$ is not, as would at first seem, increased beyond human capability. !here is a
definite critical stage, comparable to that familiar to the 9depts of 9sana and of
>harana, after which the terms of the E4uation (li$e the latter terms of a *inomial
Expansion) repeat themseles, though after another manner, so that the meditation
becomes progressiely easier. !he 0ostulant, so to spea$, finds himself at home.
!he added $nowledge is no longer a burden to the mind. he is able to throw off the
gross facts which present themseles as complication, and to apprehend their
essence in simplicity. =e had in fact succeeded in deeloping a higher function of the
mind. !he process is similar to that which occurs in ordinary study of a science, when
one, by grasping the nature of a general law underlying diersity of experience, is
able not only to assimilate new facts with ease, but to predict new facts wholly
un$nown. 8ne may instance the discoery of %eptune from mathematical
considerations without optical research, and the description of un$nown elements by
contemplation of the 0eriodic +aw.
+et it be $nown each such step in Meditation is itself a motie Energy capable of
inducing the !rance of ,onder& and this !rance (li$e all others) grows in sublimity
and splendour with the 4uantity and 4uality of the material which is furnished to the
mind by the 9dept.
!hose, therefore, who effect to despise :profane: )cience are themseles
despicable. #t is their own incapacity for true !hought of any serious $ind, their anity
and pertness& nay more alsoD their own subconsciousness sense of their own shame
and idleness, that induces them to build these flimsy fortification of pretentious
ignorance.
!here is nothing in the Unierse which is not of supreme significance, nothing with
may not be used as the ery $eystone of the ;ainbow 9rch of the !rance of ,onder.
#t is necessary to add but one brief word to this elementary essay: this !rance is of its
nature not only passie and intuitie. #ts occurrence floods the mind with 2reatie
Energy& it fills the 9dept with 0ower, and excites in him the ,ill to wor$. #t exalts him
to the 9t-iluthic ,orld in his Essence, and in his manifestation to the *riatic. #n a ery
special sense, therefore, it may be said that the 0ostulant is most intimately united
with the )upreme +ord 5od Most =igh, the !rue and +iing 2reator of all !hings,
whensoeer he attains to enter this most Majestic 0ylon of the !rance of ,onder.
BEATITUDE.
!here are two well"distinguished forms of the *eatific Fision. !he higher pertains to
@ether, and is thus proper only to the #psissimus, though it may be enjoyed
sporadically (and, as it were, by accident) by those of lower grades.
#t is of extremely rare occurrence, and has indeed neer been described in any detail&
it may een be said that it is doubtful whether any account of its true form has eer
been gien to the world. #t need only be said in this place that its formula is :+oe is
the law, loe under will,: and that its nature is the 0erpetual )acrament of Energy in
action. #t is dependent upon the perfect mastery of the Mysteries of )orrow and of
2hange, with thorough identification with that of #ndiiduality.
+et us then occupy ourseles with the lower form of this Fision (so called)& it is not
technically a Fision at all) which pertains to !iphareth, and is thus the natural grace
of the Minor 9dept. #t may be said at once that those who hae attained to higher
grades, especially those aboe the 9byss, can hardly return to this Fision. 1or it
implies a certain innocence, a certain defect of Understanding which is not possible
to a Master of the !emple. 9gain, the 5rades of Exempt and Major 9dept are too
energetic to admit of the balanced 4uietude of this state.
8nly in the centre of the !ree of +ife, only in the self"poised security of the )olar 9xis,
can we expect to find the steady indifference to Eent which is the basis of the
!rance, and that 8ntogenous radiance which tinges it with ;ose and 5old.
!his !rance differs notable from most others in a way which the aboe"stated
conditions would lead us to expect. #t is, psychologically, a state& as opposed to an
9ction or an Eent. !rue, all !rances of )amadhic intensity are in a sense timeless&
but it may be said that most of them are mar$ed by well"defined issues of a critical
character. !hat is, the entry to each is 4uasispasmodic.
#n this case, howeer, we find no such diagnostic.
!he !rance may be continued for wee$s or months, and the most ardent deotee of
!ahuti, searching his Magical ;ecord with the most conscientious acuteness, finds it
impossible to indicate the onset of the Fision. #n fact, it may be surmised that the
Fision arises not from any gien action but rather from a subtle suspension of action.
!he conflict of eents has ended happily in a state of serenely perfect balance, in
which, though energy continues to manifest, its issues hae become without
significance. ,e may compare the condition with the return of health of a feer"
stric$en man. !he alternation of pyrexia and subnormal temperatures has subsided&
he forgets gradually to consult the thermometer at the accustomed interals, become
absorbed instinctiely in his regular pursuits. 9t the same time he is not longer aware
of the hot and cold spells, but half consciously of the 4uiet glow of health. )imilarly in
this ision all conscious magical effort ceases, although the practices are continued
with all customary diligence, and the whole of the 9depts.s impressions, internal as
external, are suffused with the glow of beauty and delight. !he state is in many
respects closely a$in to that sought by the smo$er of opium& but it is natural and
re4uires no artificial regulation.
#t will appear from the foregoing that nothing could be more absurd than to attempt to
gie instructions for the attainment of this state.
!o aspire to it (still worse, to see$ to regain it after it has passed) must appear the
climax of bad logic. %or, delectable and blessed as it is, can one call it actually
desirable.
,e need not assume that it is in any way deleterious, that it exhausts good @arma,
or that it wastes time and damps aspiration. #t should be accepted, when it occurs,
with calm indifference, enjoyed to the full, and 4uitted without regret. #ts occurrence is
in any case clear eidence that the 9dept has reached a definite and rather exalted
state of being, since he can lie so many hours without being perturbed by the
incidence of any motie force. #t implied a mar$ed degree of attainment of internal
and external control. #t proes the possibility of perfect repose in the midst of the
greatest actiity, and thus indicates the solution of the ultimate problem of
philosophy, the proem to the con4uest of the !hree 2haracteristics. #t should
encourage the 9dept in his 9spiration by heartening him to confront the appalling
postulate of the 9byss. #t should sere him as refreshment and nourishment& it should
assure him of the possibility of perfection in the 5reater ,or$ by demonstrating its
existence as a 2rown to the +ess.
Moreoer, the enjoyment of >elight and the apprehension of *eauty in all things,
een on this plane where analysis has not yet become acute, do actually fortify the
heart and en$indle the imagination.
+et therefore the 0ostulant of the ;osy 2ross pursue his 0ath in solemn strength,
aware that at the proper moment he may receie, unas$ing, the reward, and enjoy
the reiifying flood of dulcet +ight, which has been called by the 9depts the *eatific
Fision.
LAUGHTER.
!he common defect of all mystical systems preious to that of the 9eon whose +aw
is !helema is that there has been no place for +aughter. *ut the sadness of the
mournful Mother and the melancholy of the dying Man are swept in the limbo of the
past by the confident smile of the immortal 2hild.
9nd there is no Fision more critical in the career of the 9dept of =orus than the
Uniersal (o$e.
#n this !rance he accepts fully the 1ormula of 8siris, and in the act transcends it& the
spear of the 2enturion passes harmlessly through his heart, and the sword of the
Executioner stri$es idly on his nec$. =e discoers that the !ragedy of which so many
centuries hae made such a case is but a farce for childrenIs pleasure. 0unch is
$noc$ed down only to get up grinning with his gay :;oot"too"too"titD =ere we are
againD: (udy, the *eadle, the =angman and the >eil are merely the companions of
his playtime.
)o, since (after all) the facts which he thought tragic are real enough, the essence of
his solution is that they are not true, as he thought, of himself& they are just one set of
phenomena, as interesting and as fatuously impotent to affect him as any other set.
=is personal grief was due to his passionate insistence on contemplating one
insignificant congeries of Eents as if it were the sole reality and importance in the
infinite mass of Manifestation.
#t is thus that the 0erception of the Uniersal (o$e leads directly to the Understanding
of the #dea of )elf as conterminous with the Unierse, and at the same time one with
it, creator of it, and aloof from it& which !riune )tate is, as is well $nown, one of the
most necessary stages of )amadhi. (#t is the culmination of one of the two most
important chapters of the $ha"a(ad"ita.)
!here is a further merit in this matter. #n the idea of +aughter is inherent that of
2ruelty, as has been shewn by many philosophers& and this is doubtless why it has
been excluded by the Mystic )chools of 0itymongers from their dull curricula. !he
only answer is to shrug the shoulders in humorous contempt. 1or on this roc$ and no
other hae all their brae bar$s foundered one by one amid the .anErithmon gelasma
K5;@ ,;>) (countless smiles)L of 8cean. %ature is full of cruelty& its highest points
of joy and ictory are mar$ed by laughter. #t is the true physiological explosion and
relaxation which produces it. %otably, such drugs as Cannabis
Indica andAnhalonium &ewinii, which do actually :loosen the girders of the soul which
gie her breathing,: cause immediate laughter as one of their most characteristic
effects.
8h the huge wholesome contempt for the limiting self which springs from the sense
of 5argantuan disproportion perceied by this +aughterD !ruly it slays, with jolliest
cannibal reels, that sour blac$"coated missionary the serious Ego, and plumps him
into the pot. !e"heD/the Foice of 2iilisation/the Messenger of the ,hite ManIs
5od "" bubble, bubble, bubbleD !hrow in another handful of sage, brotherD 9nd the
sweet"smelling smo$e rises and eils with ex4uisite shy seduction the shameless
bodies of the )tarsD
*eyond all this for practical alue/since the signpost at eery turn of the 0ath of the
,ise reads >9%5E;/yet springing directly from it by irtue of this ery slaying of
the Ego, is the use of +aughter as a safeguard of sanity. =ow easy for the charlatans
of oratory to seduce the simple enthusiasm of the soulD ,hat help hae we unless we
hae the wit to $now them as ridiculousB !here is no limit to the abyss of #diocy
wherein the 4uac$s would plunge us/our only saing reflex is the automatic jo$e of
the )ense of =umourD
;obert *rowning was not far from the @ingdom of 5od when he wrote:
;ejoice that man is hurled
....1rom change to change unceasingly,
=is soulIs wings neer furled
and there is after all but little salt in the sneer of (uenalIs :)atur est cum dicit
=oratius :EohMD: 1or it is yet to be recorded that any man brought aid or comfort to
his fellow by moping.
%o, the Uniersal (o$e, though it be not a true !rance, is most assuredly a means of
5race, and often proes the chief ingredient of the Uniersal )olent.
*ac$ then to *rowning, to the brae last words he wrote while fourscore struc$ upon
the timepiece of his years:
5reet the unseen with a cheerD
*id him forward, breast and bac$ as either should be.
H)trie and thrie,I cry H)peed, fight on, fare eer.I
H!here as hereDI:
9men.
,ere the world understood,
....Ce would see it was good,
9 dance to a delicate measureD
9yD let us end with that most sudden surprising ,ord of a certain 9ngel of #he )ision
and the )oice, who left the )eer lapsed in his solemn !rance with the gay laughing
phrase/:*ut # go dancingD: !he !ables of the +awB *ahD *ol(untur tabulae+risu,
INDIFFERENCE.
!he state of mind which is characterised by #ndifference is commonly called !rance,
but the misnomer is unfortunate. #t is, in fact, in a sense the precise contrary of a
!rance& for !rance usually implies )amadhi, and this state specifically excludes any
such occurrence. !hat implies a uniting, and this a willed dissociation. Cet there is
nothing here to suggest necessarily any practice of the *lac$ *rothers& for it is not,
properly spea$ing, an 9ttainment, but rather a conenient attitude. 9nd it is one of
the ery greatest practical importance and use. 8ne can not remain indefinitely in
any )amadhi& at the same time, it is proper to fill the interals between gusts of
positie wor$ in such a way as to leae oneself as free as possible to ta$e the next
step. 8ne should therefore cultiate a habit of mind which is not bound by any form
of desire. !he )tate of #ndifference is thus a form of that )ilence which is defence
and protection, and is cognate with the !hird %oble !ruth of *uddhism, )orrowIs
2easing.
!he general idea of the state is that the mind should react automatically to each and
eery impression: N#t does not matter whether the Eent be ay or nay.O *laats$y
obseres that the feeling is at least tinged with disgust. *ut this is an error& such a
state is imperfect. !here should, on the contrary, be a 4uite definite joy, not in the
impression itself but in being indifferent to it. !his joy springs doubtless from the
sense of power inoled& but that is again an imperfection& one should rather rejoice
in the cogni-ance of the ultimate truth that :existence is pure joy,: not in any feeling
more immediate.
#t is to be obsered that the attainment and maintenance of this state depends to a
great extent on the mastery of seeral !rances. 1or instance, one must be coninced
of the 1irst %oble !ruth by the !rance of )orrow, or it would not be logical to be
indifferent to all things& there might be, in the absence of this perception of NsabbM pi
>u$$ham,O some impression which actually led to a state free from )orrow, and this
is not the case. 1reedom from )orrow depends on freedom from impression.
Cet it would not be fair to say that this )tate of #ndifference was a$in to that >ullness
which succeeds the acute spasm of )orrow& it is not the anaesthesia of a nere worn
out by excess of pain. !here is neer any place in the curriculum of a Magician for
passiity/of course we here except what may be called the 9ctie or ,illed
0assiity described in Liber LXV. #ndifference is to be an intensely actie condition.
8ne may compare it with the ease of a s$illed fencer, who meets and deflects eery
possible attac$ of his antagonist with e4ual igour, unconscious of his acts, because
he has trained his eye, wrist, and een his blade to thin$ for themseles. !hus
#ndifference is the spiritual form of the 9utomatic 2onsciousness of the 9dept& and
this resides in Cesod, the place of the 1ortress on the 1rontier of the 9byss, as
described in Liber 418 in the Ee!e"#$ Ae#$%r.
!his #ndifference being a habit of %ormal Mind, it is easier to attain than any true
)amadhic )tate, and inoles less technical ability. !his is particularly the case
because, as noted aboe, the !rance of )orrow has been an almost necessary
preliminary to the proper understanding of what it implies. !he method therefore of
ac4uiring (the word is to be preferred to HattainingI) #ndifference is simple& it is, in
effect, the ,ay of the !ao.
!he following )orites may proe useful to the 9spirant:
Existence is only to be understood as a 2ontinuum.
9ll parts of Existence are therefore ultimately e4uialent, each being e4ually necessary to complete
the whole.
Each eent is thus to be receied with e4ual honour, and the reaction to it made with e4ual
indifference.
!o offer a practical parallel. )uppose one is to receie a thousand pounds, and this
amount is paid oer in diers coins, with #.8.U.Is for arious sums. )ince one $nows
in adance that the balance in oneIs faour is P3,QQQ, one does not get excited on
the appearance of any particular item, but goes on steadily counting, ma$ing the right
reaction, whether a plus or a minus item is at issue, with perfect calm and accuracy.
Each entry in the account may be different& but oneIs mental attitude is inariable.
!he common error of the unphilosophical mind is indeed due to ignorance of the true
nature of the soul. 8ne is apt to suppose that each Eent as it occurs may be HgoodI
or Hbad,I may indicate that one is winning or losing. *ut as soon as one is certain that
the issue is factitious, that it has been determined beforehand, it becomes absurd to
be affected by one incident in the illusory process which %ature uses symbolically to
express the fatality of !ruth rather than by any other.
#t is interesting to note that this method of ac4uiring #ndifference is 4uite independent
of any experience of the !rance of )orrow& it is a simple and normal consideration
based on strictly !helemic premises. #t is thus most highly to be recommended. !he
methods of the dead 9eon of 8siris were in fact attended with no inconsiderable
danger. !he 4uestion of )eparateness from the Unierse is critical, for one thing& for
another, it is a mista$e to be dependent of such a theory as that implied in the 1irst
%oble !ruth in its outer aspects. #t is altogether better to adopt the purely intellectual
attitude, and anchor it subse4uently in %eschamah by simply transcending the
normal rational mind in the usual way by the Method of 2ontradiction, or e4uating of
8pposites, such as is described in -on. /m 0a., and in the best Essays on the =oly
'abalah.
#t is apt, moreoer, to lead to seeral types of error to regard #ndifference as a state
inferior to )amadhi. #n particular one may tend to thin$ of it as passie, as imperfect,
as an interregnum& whereas it should be considered as a state of 0eace with Fictory.
#t need only be added, in conclusion, that #ndifference is not perfect until it has
entered into full possession of at least one )amadhic trait, 9utomatism. 9s long as
there remains any need of conscious effort in dealing with any impression, any need
to remember the process by which the state is reached, or een any need of
conscious interference with, or cogni-ance of, the purely spontaneous elastic reflex
reaction, the 9spirant to the )ummum *onum, !rue ,isdom and 0erfect =appiness,
has not ade4uately ac4uired the =abit of #ndifference.
MASTERY.
!he aim of him who would be Master is single& men call it 0ersonal 9mbition. !hat is,
he wants his Unierse to be as ast, and his control of it as perfect, as possible.
1ew fail to understand this aim& but many fail in the formulation of their campaign to
attain it. )ome, for instance, fill their purse with fairy gold, which, when they try to use
it, is found to be dead leaes. 8thers attempt to rule the unierse of another, not
seeing that they cannot een ta$e true cogni-ance thereof.
!he proper method of extending one.s unierse, besides the conentional apparatus
of material )cience, is tripartite: eocation, inocation, and ision. 2ontrol is a matter
of theoretical and practical ac4uaintance with Magical 1ormulae, but notably also of
)elf">iscipline. !he ground is to be consolidated, and all contradictions resoled in
higher harmonies, by arious !rances.
)o much indeed is obious to superficial consideration& strange, then, that so few
Magicians ta$e the further step of en4uiry as to the aailability of the #nstrument.
)hortsighted selfishness, good sooth, to ta$e for granted that one.s )elf is sure to
find its proper medium to hand for its next adenture.
=ere the Magical Memory is of irtue marellous to correct perspectie& for, how
often in the past has one.s life been all but sheer failure from the mere lac$ of proper
means of self"expressionB 9nd who among us can be seriously satisfied (to"day,
$nowing what we do) with een the most perfect human instrumentB
#t is then no more than simple good sense for the Magus to formulate his general
political aim in some such terms as these:
!o secure the greatest possible freedom of self"expression for the greatest possible number of 0oints"
of"Fiew.
8f which issue the practical aspect may be phrased as follows:
!o improe the human race in eery conceiable way, so as to hae aailable for serice the greatest
possible ariety of the best #nstruments imaginable.
9nd this is the rational justification of the apparently imbecile and too often
sentimental"hypocritical aphorism:
+oe all *eingsD )ere Man$indD
!hat is, upon the political plane& for also these two phrases contain (3) the Magical
1ormula which is the @ey ali$e of #nocation and of !rance (6) the implicit injunction
to ma$e clear the ,ay of the Magician through the =eaens by right ordering of
eery )tar. !he word :sere: is indeed misleading and objectionable: it implies a
false and despicable attitude. !he relation between men should be the brotherly
respect which obtains between noble strangers. !he idea of serice is either true,
and humiliating& or false, and arrogant.
!he most common and fatal pitfall which menaces the man who has begun to extend
his Unierse beyond the world of sense"perception is called 2onfusion of the 0lanes.
!o him who realises the 9ll"8ne, and $nows that to distinguish between any two
things is the basic error, it must seem natural and een right to perform what seem
perforce 9cts of +oe between incongruous ideas. =e has the @ey of +anguages:
why then should not he the Englishman aail himself of it to spea$ in =ebrew without
learning itB !he same problem offers itself daily in a myriad subtle shapes.
:2ommand these stones to become bread.: :!hrow thyself down from the pinnacle of
the !emple: as it is written H=e shall gie his angels charge oer thee, to $eep thee in
all thy waysI:/!hese last four words throw light upon the fog of 2horon-on/
;estriction be unto him in the %ame of *9*9+8%D 1or :his ways: are the ways of
%ature, who hath appointed between the planes a well"ordered relation& to deform
this deice is not, and cannot be, :thy way.: !he 9ct of +oe, so"seeming, is a false
gesture& for such loe is not :loe under will.: *e thou well aware, 8 thou who
see$est to attain to Mastery, of doing aught :miraculous:: the surest sign of the
Master is this, that he is a man of li$e passions with his fellows. =e does indeed
transcend them all, and turn them all to perfections: but he does this without
suppression (for HEerything that lies is holyI) or distortion (for HEery 1orm is a true
symbol of )ubstanceI) or confusion (for H9dmixture is hatred as Union is loeI).
#nitiation means the (ourney #nwards: nothing is changed or can be changed& but all
is trulier understood with eery step. !he Magus of the 5ods, with =is one ,ord that
seems to oerturn the chariot of Man$ind in ruin, does not in fact destroy or een
alter anything& =e simply furnishes a new mode of applying existing Energy to
established 1orms.
!he inention of electric machines has in no way interfered with Matter or Motion& it
has only helped us to get rid of certain aspects of the #llusion of !ime and )pace, and
so brought the most intelligent minds to the threshold of the Magical and Mystical
>octrine: they hae been forced to imagine the possibility of the perception of the
Unierse as it is, freed of conditions. !hat is, they hae been gien a glimpse of the
nature of the 9ttainment of Mastery. 9nd it is surely but a little step to ta$e for the
leaders of natural )cience, Mathematics their guiding )tar, that they should
understand the compelling necessity of the 5reat ,or$, and apply themseles to its
achieement.
=ere the great obstacles are these& firstly, the misunderstanding of )elf& and
secondly, the resistance of the rational mind against its own conclusions. Men must
cast off these two restrictions& they must begin to realise that )elf is hidden behind,
and independent of, the mental and material instrument in which they apprehend
their 0oint"of"Fiew& and they must see$ an instrument other than that which insists
(with eery single obseration) on impressing on them what is merely its own most
hateful flaw and error, the idea of duality.
!he 9eon of =orus is here: and its first flower may well be this: that, freed of the
obsession of the doom of the Ego in >eath, and of the limitation of the Mind by
;eason, the best men again set out with eager eyes upon the 0ath of the ,ise, the
mountain trac$ of the goat, and then the untrodden ;idge, that leads to the ice"
gleaming pinnacles of MasteryD
TRANCE.
!he word !rance implies a passing beyond: scil., the conditions which oppress. !he
whole and sole object of all true Magical and Mystical training is to become free from
eery $ind of limitation. !hus, body and mind, in the widest sense, are the obstacles
in the 0ath of the ,ise: the paradox, tragic enough as it seems, is that they are also
the means of progress. =ow to get rid of them, to pass beyond or to transcend them,
is the problem, and this is as strictly practical and scientific as that of eliminating
impurities from a gas, or of adroitly using mechanical laws. =ere is the ineitable
logical flaw in the sorites of the 9dept, that he is bound by the ery principles which it
is his object to oercome: and on him who see$s to discard them arbitrarily they
haste to ta$e a terrible reengeD
#t is in practice, not in theory, that this difficulty suddenly
disappears. 1or when we ta$e rational steps to suspend the operation of the rational
mind, the inhibition does not result in chaos, but in the apprehension of the Unierse
by means of a faculty to which the laws of the ;eason do not apply& and when,
returning to the normal state, we see$ to analyse our experience, we find that the
description abounds in rational absurdities.
8n further consideration, howeer, it becomes gradually clear/gradually, because
the habit of !rance must be firmly fixed before its fulminating impressions are truly
intelligible/that there are not two $inds of !hought, or of %ature, but one only. !he
+aw of the Mind is the sole substance of the Unierse, as well as the sole means by
which we apprehend it. !here is thus no true antithesis between the conditions of
!rance and those of ratiocination and perception& the fact that !rance is not
amenable to the rules of argument is impertinent. ,e say that in 2hess a @night
traerses the diagonal of a rectangle measuring three s4uares by two, neglecting its
motion as a material object in space. ,e hae described a definite limited relation in
terms of a special sense which wor$s by an arbitrary symbolism: when we analyse
any example of our ordinary mental processes, we find the case entirely similar. for
what we Hsee,I Hhear,I etc., depends upon our idiosyncrasies, for one thing, and upon
conentional interpretation for another. !hus we agree to call grass green, and to
aoid wal$ing oer the edge of precipices, without any attempt to ma$e sure that any
two minds hae exactly identical conceptions of what these things may mean& and
just so we agree upon the moes in 2hess. *y the rules of the game, then, we must
thin$ and act, or we ris$ eery $ind of error& but we amy be perfectly well aware that
the rules are arbitrary, and that it is after all only a game. !he constant folly of the
traditional mystic has been to be so proud of himself for discoering the great secret
that the Unierse is no more than a toy inented by himself for his amusement that
he hastens to display his powers by deliberately misunderstanding and misusing the
toy. =e has not grasped the fact that just because it is no more than a projection of
his own 0oint"of"Fiew, it is integrally =imself that he offendsD
=ere lies the error of such 0antheism as that of Mansur el"=allaj, whom )ir ;ichard
*urton so delightfully twits (in the -as1dah) with his impotence/
Mansur was wise, but wiser they who smote
....him with the hurlMd stones&
9nd though his blood a witness bore, no
....,isdom"Might could mend his bones.
5od was in the stones no less than within his turband"wrapping& and when the twain
crashed together, one point of perception of the pact was obscured/which was in no
wise his designD
!o us, howeer, this matter is not one for regret& it is (li$e eery phenomenon) an 9ct
of +oe. 9nd the ery definition of such 9ct is the 0assing *eyond of two Eents into
a !hird, and their withdrawal into )ilence or %othingness by simultaneous reaction. #n
this sense it may be said that the Unierse is a constant issue into !rance& and in fact
the proper understanding of any Eent by means of the suitable 2ontemplation
should produce the type of !rance appropriate to the complex Eent"#ndiidual in the
case.
%ow all Magic$ is useful to produce !rance& for (R) it trains the mind in the discipline
necessary to Coga& (S) it exalts the spirit to the impersonal and diine sublimity which
is the first condition of success& (T) it enlarges the scope of the mind, assuring it full
mastery of eery subtler plane of %ature, thus affording it ade4uate material for
ecstatic consummation of the Eucharist of Existence.
!he essence of the idea of !rance is indeed contained in that of Magic$, which is
pre"eminently the transcendental )cience and 9rt. #ts method is, in one chief sense,
+oe, the ery $ey of !rance& and, in another, the passing beyond normal conditions.
!he erbs to transcend, to transmit, to transcribe, and their li$e, are all of cardinal
irtue in Magic$. =ence :+oe is the law, loe under will: is the supreme epitome of
Magical doctrine, and its uniersal 1ormula. 1or need any man fear to state boldly
that eery Magical 8peration soeer is only complete when it is characterised (in one
sense or another) by the occurrence of !rance. #t was ill done to restrict the use of
the word to the supersession of dualistic human consciousness by the impersonal
and monistic state of )amadhi. 1ast bubbles the fountain of Error from the morass of
#gnorance when distinction is forcibly drawn :between any one thing and any other
thing.: Cea, erily, and 9menD it is the first necessity as it is the last attainment of
!rance to abolish eery form and eery order of diiduality so fast as it presents
itself. *y this ray may ye read in the *oo$ of your own Magical ;ecord the authentic
stigma of your own success.
ENERGY.
Energy is the )acramental Motie of Eent: it is thus omnipresent, in manifestation
by interruption and compensation and otherwise by the corresponding withdrawal. (#n
this connection let there be remembered the full formula of !etragrammaton.)
!here are, howeer, three main types of special experience which are noteworthy
landmar$s in the process of #nitiation, and of urgent practical alue to the Magician.
!he symbol of the )acrament being obsered they differ as do the three participants
therein: the 5od, the 0riest, and the 2ommunicant.
#n the highest, that is of @ether, the Energy radiates wholly from oneself: that is, one
is entirely identified with =adit.
#n the middle, that of 2ho$mah, the Energy passes wholly through oneself: that is,
one assumes the functions of !ahuti.
#n the lowest, that is of 5eburah, the Energy impinges wholly upon oneself: that is,
one absorbs it as a man.
#n all cases, the Energy of which it is here written is not particular or personified& it is
Energy in itself, without 4uality.
!he highest mode can only be fully apprehended by an #psissimus: it is the final
attainment. #t is the actie counterpart of the higher form of the *eatific Fision.
!he middle mode is proper to a Magus, or to one aspiring to his prophetic function. it
is described, and the method of attaining it set forth, in the *oo$ called /pus
&utetianum.
!he lowest mode is the peculiar tas$ of a Major 9dept. #t is best accomplished by
means of the )ecret of the )anctuary of the 5nosis. (#U
V
8.!.8.)
8f the highest mode it would be neither fit not useful to treat more intimately: the
middle mode concerns each Magician in his peculiar and priate relations with the
#nfinite, and demands from each of its 9depts a special preoccupation: but of the
lowest it is conenient to ma$e further mention.
#t is strangely conincing proof of the true care of %ature for =er instruments, despite
the superficial eidence to the contrary on which the doctrines of pessimism are
based, that the most precious, the one ultimately essential 5race that can possibly
be bestowed on man$ind is, of all Magical benefit, that which may be attained with
more ease and certainty than any other. 1or Energy is itself all that is: and we ary
with the 4uantity and 4uality thereof, which we can call :ourseles.:
!he price which )he demands is without doubt heay enough for a certain class& but
it is e4ually to be paid, in arying degree, for eery type of Mystical and Magical
9denture.
!his price is in essence the full Understanding of the Mind of %ature =erself, and
complete sympathy with =er ,ay of ,or$. 9ll the moral codes of man$ind, for all
their absurd diersities, hae one common factor: they pretend to hae found moties
and methods which are superior to =ers.
that is, they presume a conception of the End which is beyond =er iew: they assert
the possession of an #ntelligence loftier than that which has produced the Unierse.
2onsider only that the highest manifestation possible to the rational mind is the
discoery of the +aws which summari-e =er manner of operationD
,e may then say at once that all such pretentious arrogance is impudence and
absurdity& and it must be surrendered, nay more, uprooted and calcined before any
serious progress can be made in the ;oyal and )acerdotal 9rt. =ence also any
aspiration of a partial order, any which depends for its wisdom on the justice of our
perceptions of our own needs, is almost certain to be tainted with the ery poison of
which %ature would purge us.
!here is in fact only one Magical 8peration of whose propriety we may always be
sure& and that is the increase of our sum of Energy. #t is een indiscreet to try to
specify the $ind of Energy re4uired, and worse to consider any particular purpose.
Energy being increased, %ature will herself supply clarity: our Fision is obscure only
because our Energy is deficient. 1or Energy is the )ubstance of the Unierse. ,hen
it is ade4uate, we are in no doubt as to how to employ it& witness the eident case of
the will of the 9dolescent. #t is also to be well noted that moral obstruction to the right
use of this Energy cause at once the most hideous deformations of character, and
determine the graest lesions of the nerous system.
+et therefore the Magician diest himself of all preconceptions as to the nature of his
!rue ,ill, but apply himself eagerly to increasing his 0otential. #n this discipline
(moreoer) he is beginning to fit himself for that ery abdication of all that he has and
all that he is which is the essence of the 8ath of the 9byssD
!hus then do we find one more of those paradoxes which are the images of the !ruth
of the )upernals: by destroying our own highest morality, and relying upon our
natural instinct as the sole guide, we come unaware upon the most simple, and the
most sublime, of all ethical and spiritual conceptions.
&NOWLEDGE.
>a?th/@nowledge/is not a )ephira. #t is not on the !ree of +ife: that is, there is in
reality no such thing.
8f this thesis there are many proofs. !he simplest (if not the best) is perhaps as
follows:
9ll $nowledge may be expressed in the form )W0
*ut if so, the idea 0 is really implicit in )& thus we hae learnt nothing.
9nd, of course, if not so, the statement is simply false.
%ow see how we come at once to paradox. 1or the thought :!here is no such thing
as $nowledge,: :@nowledge is a false idea,: or howeer it may be phrased, can be
expressed as )W0: it is itself a thing $nown.
#n other words, the attempt to analyse the idea leads immediately to a muddle of the
mind.
*ut this is of the essence of the 8ccult ,isdom concerning >a?th. 1or >a?th is the
crown of the ;uach, the #ntellect& and its place is in the 9byss. !hat is, it brea$s into
pieces immediately it is examined.
!here is no coherence below the 9byss, or in it& to obtain this, which is one of the
chief canons of !ruth, we must reach %eschamah.
1or this there is another explanation, 4uite apart from the purely logical trap. )W0
(unless identical, and therefore senseless) is an affirmation of duality& or, we may
say, intellectual perception is a denial of )amadhic truth. #t is therefore essentially
false in the depths of its nature.
!he simplest and most obious statement will not bear analysis. :Fermilion is red: is
undeniable, no doubt& but on in4uiry it is found to be meaningless. 1or each term
must be defined by means of at least two other terms, of which the same thing is
true& so that the process of definition is always :obscurum per obscurius.: 1or there
are no truly simple terms. !here is no real intellectual perception possible. ,hat we
suppose to be such is in fact a series of more or less plausible conentions based
upon the apparent parallelism of experience. !here is no final warrant that any two
persons mean precisely the same thing by HsweetI or HhighI& een such conceptions
as those of number are perhaps only identical in relation to practical ulgar
applications.
!hese and similar considerations lead to certain types of philosophical scepticism.
%eschamic conceptions are nowise exempt from this criticism, for, een supposing
them identical in any number of persons, their expression, being intellectual, will
suffer the same stress as normal perceptions.
*ut none of this sha$es, or een threatens, the 0hilosophy of !helema. 8n the
contrary, it may be called the ;oc$ of its foundation. 1or the issue of all is eidently
that all conceptions are necessarily uni4ue because there can neer be two identical
points"of"iew& and this corresponds with the facts& for there are points"of"iew close
$in, and thus there may be a superficial general agreement, as there is, which is
found to be false on analysis, as has been shewn.
1rom the aboe it will be understood how it comes that there are no !rances of
@nowledge& and this bids us en4uire into the tradition of the 5rimoires that all
$nowledge is miraculously attainable. !he answer is that, while all !rances are
>estroyers of @nowledge/since, for one thing, they all destroy the sense of >uality
""they yet put into their 9dept the means of $nowledge. ,e may regard rational
apprehension as a projection of !ruth in dualistic form& so that he who possesses any
gien !ruth has only to symbolise its image in the form of @nowledge.
!his conception is difficult& an illustration may clear its iew. an architect can indicate
the general characteristics of a building on paper by means of two drawings/a
ground plan and an eleation. %either but is false in nearly eery respect& each is
partial, each lac$s depth, and so on. 9nd yet, in combination, they do represent to
the trained imagination what the building actually is& also, :illusions: as they are, no
other illusions will sere the mind to discoer the truth which they intend.
!his is the reality hidden in all the illusions of the intellect& and this is the basis of the
necessity for the 9spirant of haing his $nowledge accurate and ade4uate.
!he common Mystic affects to despise )cience as :illusion:: this is the most fatal of
all errors. 1or the instruments with which he wor$s are all of this ery order of
:illusory things.: ,e $now that lenses distort images& but for all that, we can ac4uire
information about distant objects which proes correct when the lens is constructed
according to certain :illusory: principles and not by arbitrary caprice. !he Mystic of
this $ind is generally recogni-ed by men as a proud fool& he $nows the fact, and is
hardened in his presumption and arrogance. 8ne finds him goaded by his
subconscious shame to actie attac$s on )cience& he gloats upon the apparent
errors of calculation which constantly occur, not at all understanding the self"imposed
limitations of alidity of statement which are always implied& in short, he comes at last
to abandon his own postulates, and ta$es refuge in the hermit"crab"carapace of the
theologian.
*ut, on the other hand, to him who has firmly founded his rational thin$ing on sound
principles, who has ac4uired deep comprehension of one fundamental science, and
made proper paths between it and its germans which he understands only in general,
who has, finally, secured the whole of this structure by penetrating through the
appropriate !rances to the %eschamic !ruths of which it is the rightly"ordered
projection in the ;uach, to him the field of @nowledge, thus well"ploughed, well"sown,
well fertili-ed, well left to ripen& is ready for him to reap. !he man who truly
understands the underlying formulae of one root"subject can easily extend his
apprehension to the boughs, leaes, flowers, and fruit& and it is in this sense that the
mediaeal masters of Magic$ were justified in claiming that by the eocation of a
gien >aimon the worthy 8ctinomos might ac4uire the perfect $nowledge of all
sciences, spea$ with all tongues, command the loe of all, or otherwise deal with all
%ature as from the standpoint of its Ma$er. 2rude are those credulous or critical who
thought of the Eocation as the wor$ of an hour or a wee$D
9nd the gain thereof to the 9deptB %ot the pure gold, certes, nor the )tone of the
0hilosophersD *ut yet a ery irtuous weapon of much use on the ,ay& also, a
mighty comfort to the human side of him& for the sweet fruit that hangs upon the !ree
that ma$es men 5ods is just this sun"ripe and soft"bloom"eiled globe of @nowledge.
UNDERSTANDING.
!he nature of @nowledge, the culmination and stasis of the #ntellectual faculties, has
been discussed in the preious essay. #t implies a contradiction in terms.
Understanding is the resolution of this antinomy. #t is the chief 4uality of %eschamah,
the #ntelligence/an idea insusceptible of true definition because suprarational, and
only appreciable by direct experience. 8ne can say, at most, that it is independent of
any of the normal modes of motion of the mind.
(#t is a significant illustration of the truth of this 'abalistic theory, that women often
possess most excellent #ntelligence, while totally incapable of the @nowledge and
;eason on which, logically, it is founded.)
)amadhi, at first onset productie of bewildering Ecstasy, ultimates in this
Understanding& one may say, therefore, that Understanding implies a certain
)amadhic 4uality of apprehension. >uality is (perhaps) not absolutely abolished sae
in the superstructure of the state& but it assumes a form which it would be absurd to
call dualistic.
(#t will be noticed that iolation of logic is essential to eery true effort to coney the
conception.)
!his fact lies at the root of all !rinitarian symbolism& the scheme is geometrical in
idea, and een arithmetical, as shewn by the attribution of *inah to the number 7. *ut
the solution of eery dyad in a !riune !riad is misleading, in so far as it purports to
interpret the phenomenon in terms of intellect, and only useful as it may train the
reasoning faculties to supersede themseles in a sublime suicide upon the 9ltar of
the Mystic #ntuition/though this, after all, is a mean imitation of the proper process.
1or it is, firstly, unscientific in method& and secondly, illegitimate in its denial of its
own alidity.
!he only correct and ade4uate mode of the 9ttainment of Understanding is to shut off
and to inhibit the rational mind altogether, thus leaing a #abula rasa upon which the
entirely alien faculty/de no(o and sui "eneris/can write its first word.
*ut then (it will surely be said) what is more unintelligent than this supposed
#ntelligenceB than this formless, een delirious Ecstasy which sweeps away all
shapes of thoughtB %o sane man would deny this premiss: but the explanation is that
this Ecstasy is (so to say) the throe of *irth of the new faculty. #t is surely natural for
an obserer to be startled, for the moment, by the discoery of a new Unierse.
9nanda must be mastered manfully, not indulged as a ice in the manner of the
MysticD )amadhi must be clarified by )ila, by the stern irtue of constraint: and then
appears the paradox that the new +aw of the Mind has :come not to destroy but to
fulfil: the old. !he Understanding ta$es full cogni-ance of all that ast material which
the ;eason was unable to build into any coherent structure. !he contradictions hae
disappeared by absorption& they hae been accepted as essential factors in the
nature of !ruth, which without them were a mere congeries of 1acts.
#t will be clear from all these considerations that there need be no surprise at this
primordial paradox: that )cepticism, absolute in eery dimension, is the sole possible
basis of true 9ttainment. 9ll attempts to shir$ the issue by appeals to :faith,: by
mystic transcendental sophistries, or any other spiritual arieties of the !hree"2ard"
!ric$, are deoted to the most abject destruction.
8ne cannot :find the +ady: by any other way than that of the @night"Errant, of the
5reat 1ool/the ,ay of the Eagle in the 9ir/whose )acred %umber is the )acred
Xero. Cea also, %aught being 9ll, and 9ll being 0an, the only due address to
5odhead is in the dual form
K5;@ ,;>) (all"deourer, all"begetter)L 09M0=95E 0955E%E!8;.
1or all must be destroyed that 9ll may be begotten.
CHASTITY.
!hose ,or$s of 9ncient and Mediaeal +iterature which more particularly concern
the )ee$er after !ruth, concur on one point. !he most worthless 5rimoires of *lac$
Magic, no less than the highest philosophical flights of the *rotherhood which we
name no, insist upon the irtue of 2hastity as cardinal to the 5ate of ,isdom.
+et first be noted this word Firtue, the 4uality of Manhood, integral with Firility. !he
2hastity of the 9dept of the ;ose and 2ross, or of the 5raal"@nights of Monsalat, is
not other than ery opposite to that of which the poet can write:
......2hastity that slaering sates
=is lust without the walls, mews, and is gone,
0reening himself that his lewd lips relent.
8r to that emasculate frigor of 9lfred !ennyson and the 9cademic )chools.
!he 2hastity whose Magical Energy both protects and urges the aspirant to the
)acred Mysteries is 4uite contrary in its deepest nature to all ulgar ideas of it& for it
is, in the first place, a positie passion& in the second, connected only by obscure
magical lin$s with the sexual function& and, in the third, the deadliest enemy of eery
form of bourgeois morality and sentiment.
#t may assist us to create in our minds a clear concept of this noblest and rarest "" yet
most necessary "" of the Firtues, if we draw the distinction between it and one of its
ingredients, 0urity.
0urity is a passie or at least static 4uality& it connotes the absence of all alien
admixture from any gien idea& as, pure gallium, pure mathematics, pure race. #t is a
secondary and derie use of the word which we find in such expressions as :pure
mil$,: which imply freedom from contamination.
2hastity, per contra, as the etymology (castus, possibly connected with castrum, a
fortified camp*)
Y!he root cas means house& and an house is $eth, the letter of Mercury, the Magus of the !arot. =e is
not still, in a place of repose, but the 4uintessence of all Motion. =e is the +ogos& and =e is phallic.
!his doctrine is of the utmost 'abalistic importance.
suggests, may be supposed to assert the moral attitude of readiness to resist any
assault upon an existing state of 0urity.
)o dear to heaen is saintly chastity
!hat when a soul is found sincerely so
9 thousand lieried angels lac$ey it,
sang Milton, with the true poet.s eil"piercing sword"ision& for serice is but waste
unless action demands it.
!he )phinx is not to be mastered by holding aloof& and the brutish innocence of
0aradise is always at the mercy of the )erpent. it is his ,isdom that should guard
our ,ays& we need his swiftness, subtlety, and his royal prerogatie of dealing death.
!he #nnocence of the 9deptB ,e are at once reminded of the strong #nnocence of
=arpocrates, and of =is Energy of )ilence. 9 chaste man is thus not merely one who
aoids the contagion of impure thoughts and their results, but whose irility is
competent to restore 0erfection to the world about him. !hus the 0arsifal who flees
from @undry and her attendant flower"witches loses his way and must wander long
years in the >esert& he is not truly chaste until he is able to redeem her, an act which
he performs by the reunion of the +ance and the )angraal.
2hastity may thus be defined as the strict obserance of the Magical 8ath& that is, in
the +ight of the +aw of !helema, absolute and perfected deotion to the =oly
5uardian 9ngel and exclusie pursuit of the ,ay of the !rue ,ill.
#t is entirely incompatible with the cowardice of moral attitude, the emasculation of
soul and stagnation of action, which commonly denote the man called chaste by the
ulgar.
:*eware of abstinence from actionD: is it not written in 8ur lectionB 1or the nature of
the Unierse being 2reatie Energy, aught else blasphemes the 5oddess, and see$s
to introduce the elements of a real death within the pulses of +ife.
!he chaste man, the true @night"Errant of the )tars, imposes continually his essential
irility upon the throbbing ,omb of the @ing.s >aughter& with eery stro$e of his
)pear he penetrates the heart of =oliness, and bids spring forth the 1ountain of the
)acred *lood, splashing its scarlet dew throughout )pace and !ime. =is #nnocence
melts with its white"hot Energy the felon fetters of that ;estriction which is )in, and
his #ntegrity with its fury of ;ighteousness establishes that (ustice which alone can
satisfy the yearning lust of ,omanhood whose name is 8pportunity. 9s the function
of the castrum or castellum is not merely to resist a siege, but to compel to
8bedience of +aw and 8rder eery pagan within range of its riders, so also it is the
,ay of 2hastity to do more than defend its purity against assault. 1or he is not wholly
pure who is imperfect& and perfect is no man in himself without his fulfillment in all
possibility. !hus then must he be instant to see$ all proper adenture and achiee it,
seeing well to it that by no means should such distract him or diert his purpose,
polluting his true %ature and hamstringing his true ,ill.
,oe, woe therefore to him the unchaste who shir$s scornful the seeming"triial, or
flees fearful the desperate, adenture. 9nd woe, thrice woe, and four times woe be to
him who is allured by the adenture, slac$ing his ,ill and demitted from his ,ay: for
as the laggard and the dastard are lost, so is the toy of circumstance dragged down
to nethermost =ell.
)ir @night, be igilant: watch by your arms and renew your 8ath& for that day is of
sinister augury and deadly charged with danger which ye fill not to oerflowing with
gay deeds and bold of masterful, of manful 2hastityD
SILENCE.
8f all the Magical and Mystical Firtues, of all the 5races of the )oul, of all the
9ttainments of the )pirit, none has been so misunderstood, een when at all
apprehended, as )ilence.
#t would not be possible to enumerate the common errors: nay, it may be said that to
thin$ of it at all is in itself an error& for its nature is 0ure *eing, that is to say, %othing,
so that it is beyond all intellection or intuition. !hus then the utmost of our Essay can
be only a certain ,ardenship, as it were a !yling of the +odge wherein the Mystery of
)ilence may be consummated.
1or this attitude there is sound traditional authority& for =arpocrates, 5od of )ilence,
is called :!he +ord of >efense and 0rotection.:
*ut =is nature is by no means that negatie and passie silence which the word
commonly connotes& for =e is the 9ll",andering )pirit& the 0ure and 0erfect @night"
Errant, who answers all Enigmas, and opens the 2losed 0ortal of the @ing.s
>aughter. *ut )ilence in the ulgar sense is not the answer to the ;iddle of the
)phinx& it is that which is created by that answer. 1or )ilence is the E4uilibrium of
0erfection& so that =arpocrates is the omniform, the uniersal @ey to eery Mystery
soeer. !he )phinx is the :0u--el or 0ucelle,: the 1eminine #dea to which there is
only one complement, always different in form, and always identical in essence. !his
is the signification of the 5esture of the 5od& it is shewn more clearly in =is adult
form as the 1ool of the !arot and as *acchus >iphues, and without e4uiocation
when =e appears as *aphomet.
,hen we in4uire more closely into =is symbolism, the first 4uality which engages our
attention is doubtless =is innocence. %ot without deep wisdom is =e called the twin
of =orus& and this is the 9eon of =orus: it is =e who sent forth 9iwass =is minister to
proclaim its adent. !he 1ourth 0ower of the )phinx is )ilence& to us then who aspire
to this power as the crown of our ,or$, it will be of utmost alue to attain =is
innocence in all its fullness. ,e must understand first of all that the root of Moral
;esponsibility, on which Man stupidly prides himself as distinguishing him from the
other animals, is ;estriction, which is the ,ord of )in. #ndeed, there is truth in the
=ebrew fable, that the $nowledge of 5ood and Eil brings forth >eath. !o regain
#nnocence is to regain Eden. ,e must learn to lie without the murderous
consciousness that eery breath we draw swells the sails which bear our frail essels
to the 0ort of the 5rae. ,e must cast our 1ear by +oe& seeing that Eery 9ct is an
8rgasm, their total issue cannot be but *irth. 9lso, +oe is the law: thus eery act
must be ;ighteousness and !ruth. *y certain Meditations this may be understood
and established& and this ought to be done so thoroughly that we become
unconscious of our )anctification, for only then is #nnocence made perfect. !his state
is, in fact, a necessary condition of any proper contemplation of what we are
accustomed to consider the first tas$ of the 9spirant, the solution of the 4uestion,
:,hat is my !rue ,illB: 1or until we become innocent, we are certain to try to judge
our ,ill by some 2anon of what seems HrightI or HwrongI& in other words, we are apt to
criticise our ,ill from the outside, whereas !rue ,ill should spring, a fountain of
+ight, from within, and flow unchec$ed, seething with +oe, into the 8cean of +ife.
!his is the true idea of )ilence& it is our ,ill which issues, perfectly elastic, sublimely
0rotean, to fill eery interstice of the Unierse of Manifestation which it meets in its
course. !here is no gulf too great for its immeasurable strength, no strait too arduous
for its imperturbable subtlety. #t fits itself with perfect precision to eery need& its
fluidity is the warrant of its fidelity. #ts form is always aried by that of the particular
imperfection which it encounters: its essence is identical in eery eent. 9nd always
the effect of its action is 0erfection, that is, )ilence& and this 0erfection is eer the
same, being perfect, yet eer different, because each case presents its own peculiar
4uantity and 4uality.
#t is impossible for inspiration itself to sound a dithyramb of )ilence& for each new
aspect of =arpocrates is worthy of the music of the Unierse throughout Eternity. #
hae simply been led by my loyal +oe of that strange ;ace among whom # find
myself incarnate to indite this poor stan-a of the infinite Epic of =arpocrates as being
the facet of =is fecund *rilliance which has refracted the most needful light upon
mine own dar$ling Entrance to =is shrine of fulminating, of ineffable 5odhead.
# praise the luxuriant ;apture of #nnocence, the irile and pantomorphous Ecstasy of
all"1ulfilment& # praise the 2rowned and 2on4uering 2hild whose name is 1orce and
1ire, whose subtlety and strength ma$e sure serenity, whose Energy and Endurance
accomplish the 9ttainment of the Firgin of the 9bsolute& who, being manifested, is
the 0layer upon the seenfold pipe, the 5reat 5od 0an, and, being withdrawn into
the 0erfection that he willed, is )ilence.
LOVE.
Now the 2a"us is &o(e, and bindeth to"ether #hat and #his in his Conjuration!
!he 1ormula of !etragrammaton is the complete mathematical expression of +oe.
#ts essence is this: any two things unite, with a double effect& firstly, the destruction of
both, accompanied by the ecstasy due to the relief of the strain of separateness&
secondly, the creation of a third thing, accompanied by the ecstasy of the realisation
of existence, which is (oy until with deelopment it becomes aware of its
imperfection, and loes.
!his formula of +oe is uniersal& all the laws of %ature are its seritors. !hus,
graitation, chemical affinity, electrical potential, and the rest/and these are ali$e
mere aspects of the general law/are so many differently"obsered statements of the
uni4ue tendency.
!he Unierse is consered by the duplex action inoled in the formula. !he
disappearance of 1ather and Mother is precisely compensated by the emergence of
)on and >aughter. #t may therefore be considered as a perpetual"motion"engine
which continually deelops rapture in each of its phases.
!he sacrifice of #phigenia at 9ulis may be ta$en as typical of the formula: the mystical
effect is the assumption of the maid to the bosom of the goddess& while, for the
magical, the destruction of her earthly part, the fawn composes the rage of Zolus,
and bids the >anaids set sail.
%ow it cannot be too clearly understood, or too acutely realised by means of action,
that the intensity of the (oy liberated aries with the original degree of opposition
between the two elements of the union. =eat, light, electricity are phenomena
expressie of the fullness of passion, and their alue is greatest when the diersity of
the Energies composing the marriage is most strenuous. 8ne obtains more from the
explosion of =ydrogen and 8xygen than from the dull combination of substances
indifferent to each other. !hus, the union of %itrogen and 2hlorine is so little
satisfying to either molecule, that the resulting compound disintegrates with explosie
iolence at the slightest shoc$. ,e might say, then, in the language of !helema, that
such an act of loe is not :loe under will.: #t is, so to spea$, a blac$ magical
operation.
+et us consider, in a figure, the HfeelingsI of a molecule of =ydrogen in the presence
of one of 8xygen or of 2hlorine. #t is made to suffer intensely by the realisation of the
extremity of its deiation from the perfect type of monad by the contemplation of an
element so supremely opposed to its own nature at eery point. )o far as it is egoist,
its reaction must be scorn and hatred& but as it understands by the true shame that is
put upon its separateness by the presence of its opposite, these feelings turn to
anguished yearning. #t begins to crae the electric spar$ which will enable it to
assuage its pangs by the annihilation of all those properties which constitute its
separate existence, in the rapture of union, and at the same time to fulfil its passion
to create a perfect type of 0eace.
,e see the same psychology eerywhere in the physical world. 9 stronger and more
elaborate illustration might well hae been drawn, were the purpose of this essay
less catholic, from the structure of the atoms themseles, and their effort to resole
the agony of their agitation in the beatific %irana of the HnobleI gases.
!he process of +oe under ,ill is eidently progressie. !he 1ather who has slain
himself in the womb of the Mother finds himself again, with her, and transfigured, in
the )on. !his )on acts as a new 1ather& and it is thus that the )elf is constantly
aggrandi-ed, and able to counterpoise an eer greater %ot")elf, until the final act of
+oe under ,ill which comprehends the Unierse in )ammasamadhi.
!he passion of =atred is thus really directed against oneself& it is the expression of
the pain and shame of separateness& and it only appears to be directed against the
opposite by psychological transference. !his thesis the )chool of 1reud has made
sufficiently clear.
!here is then little indeed in common between +oe and such tepid passions as
regard, affection, or $indliness& it is the uninitiate, who, to his damnation in a hell of
cabbage soup and soap"suds, confuses them.
+oe may best be defined as the passion of =atred inflamed to the point of madness,
when it ta$es refuge in )elf"destruction.
+oe is clear"sighted with the lust of deadly rage, anatomi-ing its ictim with $een
energy, see$ing where best to stri$e home mortally to the heart& it becomes blind
only when its fury has completely oerpowered it, and thrust it into the red maw of the
furnace of self"immolation.
,e must further distinguish in this magical sense from the sexual formula, symbol
and type though that be thereof. 1or the pure essence of Magic$ is a function of
ultimate atomic consciousness, and its operations must be refined from all confusion
and contamination. !he truly magical operations of +oe are therefore the !rances,
more especially those of Understanding& as will readily hae been appreciated by
those who hae made a careful 'abalistic study of the nature of *inah. 1or she is
omniform as +oe and as >eath, the 5reat )ea whence all +ife springs, and whose
blac$ womb reabsorbs all. )he thus resumes in herself the duplex process of the
1ormula of +oe under ,ill& for is not 0an the 9ll"*egetter in the heart of the 5roes
at high noon, and is not =er :hair the trees of Eternity: the filaments of 9ll">eouring
5odhead :under the %ight of 0anB:
Cet let it not be forgotten that though )he be loe, her function is but passie& she is
the ehicle of the ,ord, of 2ho$mah, ,isdom, the 9ll"1ather, who is the ,ill of the
9ll"8ne. 9nd thus they err with grieous error and dire who prate of +oe as the
1ormula of Magic$& +oe is unbalanced, oid, ague, undirected, sterile, nay, more, a
ery )hell, the prey of abject orts demonic: +oe must be :under will.:
TRUTH.
,hat is !ruthB #t is absurd to attempt to define it, for when we say that ) is 0, rather
than ) is ' or ) is ;, we assume that we already $now the meaning of !ruth. !his is
really why all the discussions as to whether !ruth depends on external
correspondence, internal coherence, or what not, neither produce coniction, nor
withstand analysis. *riefly, !ruth is an idea of a supra"rational order, pertaining to
%eschamah, not to ;uach. !hat all rational conceptions imply that we $now !ruth,
and that !ruth is in their propositions, only shows that these so"called rational ideas
are not really rational at all. !ruth is by no means the only idea that resists rational
analysis. !here are ery many ideas that remain indefinable: all simple ideas do so.
9t the bac$ of all our efforts is the dead wall that we must already $now what we are
pretending to find our. 2onsider the statement of the 9ngel in the '#$ Ae#$%r in The
Vision and the Voice:
...all the symbols are interchangeable, for each one containeth in itself its own opposite. 9nd this is the
great Mystery of the )upernals that are beyond the 9byss. 1or below the 9byss, contradiction is
diision& but aboe the 9byss, contradiction is Unity. 9nd there could be nothing true except by irtue
of the contradiction that is contained in itself.
,hen that was gien to the Master !herion, how obscure a saying and hard that
seemed to himD Cet in the light of the aboe paragraphs, how simply obious the
proposition has become, and how far short of/!ruthD
,hat then can be meant by the title of this compilation: :+ittle Essays toward !ruth:B
>o we not all assume a perfectly illogical conception of !ruth as an entity of :the
supra"mundane order, whence a whirling flame and flying +ight subsistB: >o we not
instinctiely assimilate these ideas of !ruth and +ight, though there is no rational
nexusB #s it not clear, then, that we do understand each other perfectly, so far as we
can understand each other at all, in a sphere such as Xoroaster calls :#ntelligible,:
which :subsisteth beyond Mind. but which we should :see$ to grasp with the 1lower
of Mind:B Must we not then assent to that other 8racle, in which that Magus most
sublime asserts:
1or the @ing of all preiously placed before the polymorphous ,orld a !ype, intellectual, incorruptible,
the imprint of whose form is sent forth through the ,orld, by which the Unierse shone forth dec$ed
with #deas all"arious, of which the foundation is 8ne, 8ne and alone. 1rom this the others rush forth,
distributed and separated through the arious bodies of the Unierse, and are borne in swarms
through its ast abysses, eer whirling forth in illimitable radiation.
!hey are intellectual conceptions from the 0aternal 1ountain parta$ing abundantly of the brilliance of
1ire in the culmination of unresting !ime.
*ut the primary self"perfect 1ountain of the 1ather poured forth these primogenial #deas.:
(#t is to be remembered that the /racles of 3oroaster continually proclaim in words of
boundless brilliance the doctrine here set forth: these Essays are indeed a species of
2ommentary thereupon, and # may say that # only came to understand them as
perfectly as # now do in the course of this writing.)
%ow the same !ruth, which is +ight, which is implicit in each spar$ of the #ntelligible&
what is it but the )elf of EerymanB #t is this that informs his eery motion, this that
lies closest to his heart and soul, being indeed their mainspring and their dial, the
principle of section and of measure.
%ow #nitiation is, by etymology, the journeyin" inwards& it is the Foyage of >iscoery
(oh ,onder",orldD) of one.s own )oul. 9nd this is !ruth that stands upon the prow,
eternally alert& this is !ruth that sits with one strong hand gripping the helmD
!ruth is our 0ath, and !ruth is our 5oal& ayD there shall came to all a moment of great
+ight when the 0ath is seen to be itself the 5oal& and in that hour eery one of us
shall exclaim:
:# am the ,ay, the !ruth, and the +ifeD:
Cea, the +ife also, +ife eternal in !ime and boundless in )pace& for what is +ife but
the continual resolution of the antimony of the dierse by the spasm of +oe under
,ill, that is, by the constantly explosie, the orgiastic, perception of !ruth, the
dissolution of diiduality in one radiant star of !ruth that eer reoleth, and goeth,
and filleth the =eaens with +ightB
# beseech you earnestly, dear *rethren, to grapple manfully as mighty wrestlers with
the ideas in these +ittle Essays: to understand them/
...with the extended flame of far"reaching Mind, measuring all things except that #ntelligible. but it is
re4uisite to understand this& for if thou inclinest thy Mind thou wilt understand it, not earnestly& but it is
becoming to bring with thee a pure and in4uiring sense, to extend the oid mind of thy soul to that
#ntelligible, because it subsisteth beyond Mind.
1or thus not only will you deelop the spiritual intuition, the ery %eschamah of your
diine *eing, but (in the degree of your 2oncentration of your power to slow down
and finally to stop the irritable moements of your ratiocinatie machinery) to
transmute these Essays/the 0rima 2ateria of your 5reat ,or$& passing through the
stage of the *lac$ >ragon, in which your rational ideas are wholly destroyed and
putrefied, you will succeed in enflaming them in the fierce 1urnace of your 2reatie
,ills, until all things burn up together into one bla-ing mass of liing, of relentless
+ight.
9nd thus come ye to )ammasamadhi/thus are ye free for eer of all the bonds that
bound your 5odheadD
9 similar 1ire flashingly extending through the rushings of 9ir, or a 1ire formless whence cometh the
#mage of a Foice, or een a flashing +ight abounding, reoling, whirling forth, crying aloud. 9lso there
is the Fision of the fire"flashing 2ourser of +ight, or else a 2hild, borne aloft on the shoulders of the
2elestial )teed, fiery, or clothed with gold, or na$ed, or shooting with the bow shafts of +ight, and
standing on the shoulders of the horse& then if thy meditation prolongeth itself, thou shalt unite all
these )ymbols into the 1orm of a +ion.
!hen shall ye understand what is !ruth, for ye shall understand your )eles, and CE
9;E !;U!=D
GLOSSARY.
A.
9*=#>=9MM9. J!he collection of treatises which embody the metaphysics of the
*uddhist philosophy.
9=9M@9;9. !he Ego"ma$ing faculty.
9%9%>9. *liss.
9)9%9. 0osture. 9ny correct position of holding the body.
9!X#+U!#2 ,8;+>. !he 9rchetypal ,orld that gae birth to three other worlds,
each containing a repetition of the )ephiroth, but in a descending scale of brightness.
)ee >iagram.
B.
*9*9+8%. 8ur +ady. )ee 45uino. F. The Vision and the Voice.
*E!=. )econd letter of the =ebrew 9lphabet. #t is the letter of ,isdom, Magic$,
Mercury.
*=959F9>5#!9. )acred hymn of the Fedanta 0hilosophy, translated by )ir Edwin
9rnol in #he *on" Celestial.
*#%9=. Understanding. !he !hird :Emanation: of the 9bsolute. !he first :=e: of the
!etragrammaton, the :Mother: of the !rinity. )ee >iagram.
C.
2=#9=. !he 2reatie impulse or ,ill. !he )econd principle of the fiefold constitution
of man. )ee >iagram.
2=8@M9=. ,#)>8M. !he )econd :Emanation: of the 9bsolute, the :Cod: of
!etragrammaton, the :1ather: in the !rinity. )ee >iagram.
2=8;8%X8%. )ee 45uino. F. The Vision and the Voice, 1(#$ Ae#$%r.
D.
>9[!=. @nowledge, child of 2ho$mah and *inah in one sense, in the other the
empty and structureless condition of 2horon-on.
E.
EUEM0! 9>E0!. 5rade \
V
W<
]
which refers to 2hesed, a correspondence of (upiter.
)ee >iagram.
G.
5E*U;9=. )trength& the 1ifth :Emanation: of the 9bsolute. !he )ephira of Mars.
)ee >iagram.
H.
=9>#!. !he infinitely small and atomic yet omnipresent point. )ee +iber +egis,
E4uinox F##. alsoLiber '''.
=9;082;9!E). !he Egyptian 5od of )ilence, the babe in the egg. (!he image of
the concealed 1ather.) !he +ord of >efence and 0rotection. )ee \\\.
=8;U). #n Egyptian cosmogony, the child of #sis and 8siris. !he true Magic$ of
=orus re4uires the passionate Union of opposites. !he new 9eon of =orus. !he
2rowned and 2on4uering 2hild. )ee Magic$.
I.
#0)#))#MU). 5rade 3Q
V
W3
]
#s beyond all comprehension of those of lower degrees.
).
(E2=#>9=. !he 4uintessential principle of the soul. 8ne principle of the fiefold
constitution of man. )ee >iagram.
&.
@9;M9. !hat which is made. !he law of cause and effect, see )cience and
*uddhism. 2rowley.sCollected Wor%s, Fol. 6.
@E!=E;. !he 2rown. !he 1irst :Emanation: of the 9bsolute. @ether is in Mal$uth
and Mal$uth is in @ether, but after another manner, Mal$uth reflects @ether, for that
which is aboe is li$e that which is below, and that which is below is li$e that which is
aboe. )ee >iagram.
M.
M95#2@. !he science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with the ,ill.
)ee 2a"ic% in #heory and 0ractice, by the Master !herion.
M95U). 9 Magician& also, technically, a Master of the 5rade ^
V
W6
]
!he highest
grade which it is eer possible to manifest in any way upon this plane. 9ttains to
,isdom, declares his law, and is the Master of all Magic$ in its greatest and highest
sense. )ee E4uinox F##., Liber I., and elsewhere.
M9(8; 9>E0!. 9 grade of 9deptship. _
V
WA
]
8btains a general mastery of all
practical Magic$, though without full comprehension. )ee 45uino. #. and ###.
N.
%E)2=9M9=. #ntuition. 9spiration. #ntelligence. !he !hird principle of the fiefold
constitution of man. )ee >iagram.
%E0=E)=. !he :9nimal )oul: of man, senses, emotion. !he 1ifth principle of the
fiefold constitution of man. )ee >iagram.
%U#!. #nfinite )pace. )ee &iber &e"is and 45uino. F##., p. 33.
O.
8)#;#). !he 9ncient Egyptian ;edeemer, father of =orus.
82!#%8M8). Master Magician.
*.
0C;9M#>). !he 2ity of *inah, the !hird )ephira, referred to )aturn. !he final
destruction of the $nowledge of >a?th opens the gate of the 2ity of 0yramids.
)ee The Vision and the Voice!
+.
'9*9+9=. :!he !radition of the )ecret ,isdom of the =ebrews.: )ee 45uino. F.
R.
;U92=. !he #ntellect and other mental 4ualities. ;eason. !he 1ourth principle of the
fiefold constitution of man. )ee 777, and >iagram.
S.
)9**(92E)E 0# >U@@9M. :Eerything is sorrow.:
)9M9>=#. Ecstasy or )uper"consciousness. Etymologically: !ogether with the +ord.:
)9MM9)9M9>=#. ;ight )amadhi.
)E0=#;8!=. !he !ree of +ife. )ee :!emple of )olomon,: E4uinox F. !he *epher
*ephiroth, the *oo$ of Emanations, describes the gradual eolution of the >eity from
negatie into positie existence. )ee 45uino. #., F###. )uppl., and >iagram.
)#+9. Firtue.
T.
!9;8!. !he *oo$ of !hoth, a pictorial epitome of the 9ncient #nitiated ,isdom. 9
method of >iination based on the 'abalistic !ree of +ife.
!=E E%>.