The Preperations of The Corpse For The Tomb.
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@RifRaf said
As some of you can tell by my recent threads, I am digging through Viarum Vae and analyzing, dissecting, and making notes of every practice, and ritual cited.
This particular one, I do not understand what-so-ever. I have a general idea of the rest, but what this refers to, I can't even speculate upon. I would assume, it may have something to do with getting ready to cross the Abyss, destroying the Rauch, something in that general direction?
You have the rough idea, but it's way too low on the Tree to refer to the crossing of the Abyss.
The item listed for the Path of Nun - which opens from Netzach to Tiphereth, and is therefore part of the process of the Dominus Liminis grade (and a specific assignment of the Philosophus grade) - is listed as "The Preparation ofthe Corpse for the Tomb" and lists Liber XXV. Although this document number was laster given to The Star Ruby, at the time of writing Liber Viarum Viae Crowley expected either Liber 5 or Liber 25 to be an instruction in the Buddhist meditation through the five senses called Mahasatipatthana. The best Crowley-based instruction on this is the section in his article "Science & Buddhism."
Since we are on the topic of Viarum Vae.... I can't find much relating to the Sabbath of Adepts, other than what the notation points to (Liber CCCLXX) which doesn't give me much to work with. I noticed there is a note saying that *The Interpretation of this Book will be given to members of the Grade of Dominus Liminis *. If this is accessible to the public, could someone point it out?
In each case, for each path, the phrase is simply a poetic phrase applying to the specific task assigned in the A.'.A.'. curriculum. (In some cases, it is based on an early draft of the A.'.A.'. design, and some things were changed.) The specific purpose of this book is to walk, step-by-step, through the A.'.A.'. grades. In this particular example, the task eventually settled for the Path of A'ayin was to master evocation and the construction of talismans. However, the allusion in this earlier draft is specifically to Liber A'ash, as you've discerned.
At least one Crowley annotated commentary on Liber A'ash has been published (that written and submitted by Frater Achad, with Crowley's notes), but that's not the "interpretation" meant by the phrase you quoted. Notice it doesn't say who in that sentence who does the giving. Primarily the Dominus Liminis - the aspirant in the last stage before for Knowledge & Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel - is called upon to understand Liber A'ash with his or her intuition, and has also the resource of his or her Superior in the Order (who is at least an Adeptus Minor).
In other words, the statement that, "The Interpretation of [Liber A'ash] will be given to members of the Grade of Dominus Liminis" is a more particular paraphrase of the line in the Task of the Dominus Liminis that, "He shall in every way establish perfect control of his intuition, according to the advice of his Adeptus Minor..."
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@RifRaf said
"Ah thanks, that clears some things up.
I was wondering, when did Crowley dictate A'ash?"
I'm away from home and don't have my references - but the date is given in the front sections of Holy Books of Thelema.