The Book of Babalon and Astrum Argentum
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Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
Just received Wormwood Star by Spencer Kansa. I am interested what is Astrum Argentum's official attitude about The Book of Babalon? Just read in the book about Germer's lack of sympathies for Parson's Babalon Workings. Is something different today?
Love is the law, love under will.
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By "Astrum Argentum," do you possibly mean the A.'.A.'.? (That's not what the letters stand for.)
The Book of Babalon has no official standing in the A.'.A.'. canon.
If you have my book The Mystical & Magical System of the A.'.A.'., you will have a complete list of all official documents.
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Yes, I mean A.'. A.'. I have your book, first edition and for years my impression that was photocopy because of spiral bounding. After reading Spencer Kansa's book for a couple of hours, I still have no idea why Germer and it seems Jane Wlfe also, were strogly agaist this. As well as Gerald York. And Grant was ot cntra but very pro. In fact, in the book is suggested that the possible real reason for Grant's expulsion was his readiness to recognise Cameron Parsons as physical manifestation of the Babalon force.
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@HPK said
"Yes, I mean A.'. A.'. I have your book, first edition and for years my impression that was photocopy because of spiral bounding."
It has been much improved since then (in addition to far superior binding). The tables to which I referred you have been improved. But the ones you have are mostly correct.
"After reading Spencer Kansa's book for a couple of hours, I still have no idea why Germer and it seems Jane Wlfe also, were strogly agaist this."
From Phyllis Seckler and others I knew who were in Agape Lodge at the time, I know that Jack was generally regarded as reckless and this particular work held in very low esteem.
From my own reading of it, I find it an interesting personal artifact with a sufficiently detailed magical record that we can trace serious magical mistakes which explain how the operation went off track.
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@Alrah said
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@Jim Eshelman said
"From my own reading of it, I find it an interesting personal artifact with a sufficiently detailed magical record that we can trace serious magical mistakes which explain how the operation went off track."Out of curiosity... would you care to elaborate a little on the nature of these magical mistakes?"
To be sure of accuracy, I'd have to reread the diaries - it's been perhaps 20 years since I've done so. But one of the things I remember is that use used the 7th Enochian call when he wanted to open the 7th Aethyr. (Doh!)
The 7th Call (going from memory and some quick mental math) invokes the Water subquadrant of the Air tablet - and, instead of Babalon, he got a true Water-of-Air result in the form of a charming, desirable pixie spirte sort. (I knew her years later, and it still fit her - though she was much more seasoned and wisened.)
That's the kind of gross mistakes that flitted through the work.
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His stated purpose was to open the 7th Aethyr. This is done by using the 19th Call. (All 30 Aethyrs are opened with the same call, except that the name of the Aethyr is substituted.)
If it had been logic, that would have been one thing. But it wasn't. It was a bonehead mistake. That is, his stated purpose was something different than he ended up doing.
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Thank you for your explanation. I am just currious in a couple of things. For example, there are several A.'. A.'. lines. What if one of them canonise The Book of Babalon, for example? I know that following is unapropriate but I must make comparation with Christian Churches. The Book of Enoch is canonised in Ethiopic Church, for example, but not in others. Are there some special cnditions for cnnising txts in A.'. A.'. naking this different than canonisig in hristian Churches? And how this works - that some text become canonised in Astrum Argentum? Only texts Crowley cononised, or it is possible that some new got this status?
Returning back to Parsons, was Cameron inspired/infused by Babalon, or only by elemetal force you mentioned? It seems Gerald Yorke was under similar impression (quote is from the book):"In medical language Cameron is a lunatic. Elementals and forces and ideas like Babalon when uncontrolled are dangerous. She is now uncontrolled because Jack is dead. Her lunatic four or five fold black and white moonchild operations or attempted operations are summarised by AC's comment; 'I get fairly frantic when I contemplate the idiocy ( these louts.' I would insist on a vow of Holy obedience and forbid such workings. In my opinion the poor girl is too far gone now to stop. You should dissolve and excommunicate her if she does not take and keep the oath. But when she refuses - as she will do - endeavour through Jane to get a copy of her letters and/or diary as a warning to others. She will be shut up and rightly so in a lunatic asylum as soon as she comes n out in the open."
Babalon or only elementals? Once I asked Gerald Suster, friend of late Gerald Yorke, about Parsons. For him Parsons really contacted Babalon, or better to say Babalon contacted him. Who was right?
Secnd, I met some traditonal witches here. I done some researches also. I am now under impression about occult current,very old, representing Babalon force. Not connecting Babalon with Ishtar or Innana, but with Cybele. And with ancient female priesterhood from Dalmatia, mostly. They were called Babas, and this name Baba) is still very often toponime as a part of names of Mountains both here and in Macedonia. They are, these Priestess, in some way conected with witches, maybe even our witches are their descendents. Snake and a special type of cow were their sacred animals. For example, when our witches perform Drawing Down the Moon ritual they identify moon on the sky with the cow and downloaded moon with the calf. My opinion is that Parsons really contacted one very ancient magickal stream. Also, IMO, in the Middle Ages this stream was conected with Bogumiles - sometimes they are compared with witches and through their name Babuns there were conection with Babas. At least some of our linquists think so. Bertiaux wrote something about Bogumiles and Aiwass. Maybe he is so much poetic to be reliable, but...In Bosnia there is a Hill named Ajvatovica. This is the biggest place for Moslem gatherings for special feast. In fact this feast is the biggest Moslem gathering in Europe. This feast is not approved from official Moslem authorities because they consider this as heresy. Namely, this is feast based on some Bogumiles (Gnostic) legends conected with Aiwas Djed (Grandfather). Djed was the name for Bogumiles Priests. My impression for long time is that this possible current, present in the past here, was mostly explanation for too many Members of Ordo Templi Orientis in the past. Just to remind that in one moment Ordo Templi Orientis in ex-Yugoslavia was, after America, the biggest in the world. OTO in Serbia is now dying, but this is another story...
I am not a person who like to talk about experiences ... and there is no too much think to speak. But one thing strenghten my opinion about all above. 20 years ago I was a Member of Ordo Templi Oriuentis Antique and in vrief contact with, then retired from the position of Grand Master, Ken Ward. He was interesting and nice man. I got some of his rituals for Necronomicon Gnosis. Combining this with Magickal Mirror, and experiments with hypnagogic states of mind introduced to me by one our psychologist after his reading of Mavromatis' book Hypnagogia, a started my workings. In fact nothing happened for a couple of times. Suddenly, I had impression, audio halucination I would say, about something like strange buzzling. I didn't saw anything. Just hearing. And feeling of presence of something around me. And impressions in my head, like thoughts, that "they are my friends". Strong impression that they need my body and this is conected with sexuality. And only thing, visual halucination, was in mirror. Something like zigzag, very fast and very chaotic moving, lines. And I was really confused and feeling like I will become schisophrenic. I don't know why I was under impression that this was conected with Biblical moment testing of forbidden fruit and expeling from the Paradise. And that the thing is in accepting or not tehse thoughts and this something I felt around me . And I, for unknown reason, I connect this with Parsnon's workings and Babalon. In one moment I gather enough mental strenght to say NO and to point my dagger on the surface of the mirror. I don't know why but I starting to cal Vavalon name and used verses, ones I was able to remember, from The Book of Babalon... like 56 and 67 verse. And lwhole tension from the Air around me ad all of these voices in my head, left the space through the blade of my dagger and then in mirror. I never experience such episode, psychotic if we use medical vocabulary, again. Only later a lot of nightmares with some masked people who perform strage rituals to serve these things I sent in mirror. I really have no rational arguments, but I used to think, or better to say to feel, about this as something connected with Parsons and Hubbard workings. And frm this moment I was for many years very oriented toward Babalon, maybe just I felt she can protect me from such experience.
I now don't know is in The Book of Babalon real occult power, or all of this was just my idea that this book is really "holy book"? This is why I asked this.
BTW, interestng thing is Parsons identifivation of Babalon with gnostic Sophia and Holy Ghost. I foud somewhere medieval symbol for Holy Spirit. Seve fold star, like Star of Babalon, but with the point up. In every angle was first letter of one of the seven gifts of Holy Spirit. Venus was conected with Holy Spirit (The Golden Dawn: a complete course in practical ceremonial magic, by regardie, Page 272) and with dove. Just currious, Parsons workings was very christian (or better t osay anti-christian). Babalon, in my opinion, is pre christian Goddess with the role in Apocalypse. How Thelema is depenfing on Revelato of Saint Joh and can we have Thelema without Apocalypse?
And I apologise for so long and partialy confuse message, just something I think for years... sorry folks .( -
@HPK said
"I am just currious in a couple of things. For example, there are several A.'. A.'. lines. What if one of them canonise The Book of Babalon, for example?"
Well, let me ask a question back: If they did, what would that mean to you? - That would be the question that might reveal something useful to you.
It wouldn't mean much of anything for the book, and it wouldn't mean anything at all for the A.'.A.'..
"And how this works - that some text become canonised in Astrum Argentum?"
<sigh> My stomach turns every time you call it that. That isn't the name of the Order. (It isn't even good Latin!)
"Only texts Crowley cononised, or it is possible that some new got this status?"
There are things not written by Crowley that are in the official canon of A.'.A.'. documents. (Crowley put them there, by the way.)
"BTW, interestng thing is Parsons identifivation of Babalon with gnostic Sophia and Holy Ghost."
Yes, there is a subtle commonality. ("Identification" is, I think, too strong.)
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Star Ship, Crowley's poem The Ship... and I notice similarity in myth with the legend of Saint Patrick with voice "Behold, thy ship is ready." ...ok, I apologise and I will start to do Jugorum every tme when I say the wrong name... just to avoid stomach problems
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@Jim Eshelman said
"His stated purpose was to open the 7th Aethyr. This is done by using the 19th Call. (All 30 Aethyrs are opened with the same call, except that the name of the Aethyr is substituted.)
If it had been logic, that would have been one thing. But it wasn't. It was a bonehead mistake. That is, his stated purpose was something different than he ended up doing."
Did Parsons even attain the KACCHGA or was he one of these reckless guys who dabble in Enochian work yet do not have the wherewithal to attain to their HGA?
Did this working effect powerful changes in the modern world? For example, it talks of festivals and nakedness which is what we saw in the 60s and so on, decades after it was skryed. There was no cultural trend at the time of the Babalon working that would indicate that such massive changes would take place.
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@gerry456 said
"Did Parsons even attain the KACCHGA? "
I can't answer that question since (1) there is no public record of that per se and (2) I never reviewed his record (of a portion of his work pertaining directly to that). I see traces of every other grade up through Philosophus in his public record (but don't know if he, in fact, fulfilled each task of those grades).
"Did this working effect powerful changes in the modern world? For example, it talks of festivals and nakedness which is what we saw in the 60s and so on, decades after it was skryed. There was no cultural trend at the time of the Babalon working that would indicate that such massive changes would take place."
One could debate that several ways. For example, Crowley had already set that prophesy in motion, and (with the specific life he lived) Parsons could quite easily be seen as the fruit of that flow, not its prophet. (There were so many prophets of it before him.)
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Ok cool. Did we establish if this passage was a prophecy about Parsons?
AL III,31: "There cometh a rich man from the West who shall pour his gold upon thee."
The Old Comment
31. Not yet accomplished.
The New Comment
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I do not know whether this is to be taken in a practical sense.The obvious meaning of "from the West" in an Egyptian document would be "from the House of the Dead".
Alternatively, there may be a reference to the name of the person in question. I feel convinced that some event will occur to fit the passage with unmistakeable accuracy. (I write this in AN XVII {?} in {?}.)
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Given the framing of the Book as a declaration of the Equinox of the Gods, it has definitely resonated for me as Horus, ascending from the West to the East, pouring the gold of Tiphereth on those of the New Aeon who seek him via K&C.