Book 4: Part 3 Chapter XI Concerning Transformations....
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Hello,
This is my first post and I needed to find a place to discuss. I have been studying magick for 9 months now and although I would not consider myself a follower of Thelema, I do identify with a lot of what I have learned from it thus far. I have been reading Book four for about 7 weeks. I just went through Chapter XI and I found the chapter to be very mysterious. I didn't understand much of what was being told and I had a hard time deciding if Crowley was speaking in literal terms or symbolic/abstract terms.
Would anyone care to share with me their interpretation of this chapter or share what they have come to know from it?
Who is the lady babalon?
is this chapter referring to astral travel?
is it related to Merkahbah mysticism?
why does Crowley suggest that the majority of the topics in chapter XI are not actually revealed and are instead kept secret for his close students?
Please help an avid student
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@The_Nazz said
"Who is the lady babalon?"
Big question, that has been addressed lengthily in other threads (and in many other places)... but, in brief terms, Babalon is one of the two most important goddess aspects in Thelema, sort of a broad "second octave" of Nuit, strongly associated with Binah and, secondarily, with Netzach (or Venus ideas overall) - a vibrant
"generic goddess" idea with particular focus on ecstatic and devouring aspects."is this chapter referring to astral travel?"
Simple answer, yes. I hesitate only because it's not about the travel aspect, but about the body in which one (otherwise) does the travelling, i.e., the Yetziratic corpus of a person. This is what he various describes as the "Body of Light" or "magical body," etc. (He then wanders off into still other areas of discussion.)
"is it related to Merkahbah mysticism?"
No. That is, there may be some elements of this that overlap with some interpretations of Merkabah but (a) that wasn't what was on Crowley's mind and (b) this chapter is about magick, not mysticism. (BTW that's why I've moved it to the Magick section of the forum. It's not much about Thelema per se.)
"why does Crowley suggest that the majority of the topics in chapter XI are not actually revealed and are instead kept secret for his close students?"
Not the majority of topics: Just the first topic, "Of Our Lady Babalon and the Beast Whereon she Rideth." He says no such thing about the second topic, "Also concering Transformations."
Of the first topic, he answers your question: "The contents of this section... are too important and too sacred to be printed." Partly (mostly?), this means that the main thing he had to say is incommunicable in general writing, and most people wouldn't understand.
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HI there, Iugum. A lot of information about astral travel I have from Tenzin Wangial - Tibetan yogas of dream and sleep. Recommend it.
"Is formulating "clearly to the mind the form intended to be taken", as the Z.2 document describes in the Transformations section, a decent way to go about this? For example, he states that one "can always use the body inhabited by an elemental, such as an eagle, hare, wolf, or any convenient animal, by making a very simple compact." Is he directly suggesting that elementals abide within animals or that these animals represent or convey the nature of the elementals? What arrangement, or compact, would be made at this point and is it of use only to those who have "succeeded in developing his Body of Light until it is able to go anywhere and do anything", as Crowley shares at the beginning of this section? Or is this a method to help create and develop the Body of Light?"
You transform yourself into an animal of your liking when you astral travel thereby gaining its sight etc - it's worldview. It's a method to understand who you are. When your mind has no blocks you can transform into anything. When we come to the question - who am I?
"Secondly, when Crowley states that there is a method, the "first method", which is to "build up an appropriate body from its elements" are we talking about elements of the physical body? Would it be ill-advised to think of this in terms of sex Magick?"
WTF Sex Magick?!
Astral Body as well as the physical body are connected, the same sign - the pentagram. You have to develop the pentagram - i.e. clear energy blocks. See Levi's pentagram. -
@Iugum said
"For example, he states that one "can always use the body inhabited by an elemental, such as an eagle, hare, wolf, or any convenient animal, by making a very simple compact." Is he directly suggesting that elementals abide within animals or that these animals represent or convey the nature of the elementals?"
The latter. That is, animals aren't whole microcosms (whole pentagrams, so to speak). The occult doctrine (I'm passing it on, not arguing it) is that the only incarnate creature known to us that is a full microcosm is the human. (This BTW would be the correct interpretation of Elohim "creating humanity in His (sic) image," for that image is the pentagram inferred by the 5-lettered name Elohim.) Animals are conceived as having less than all five "elemental parts" in their being.
"What arrangement, or compact, would be made at this point and is it of use only to those who have "succeeded in developing his Body of Light until it is able to go anywhere and do anything", as Crowley shares at the beginning of this section? Or is this a method to help create and develop the Body of Light?"
Pretty much... at least it would have to be developed to a significant level to do what he is describing. There are several kinds of pacts, the most extreme being to transfer into the physical body altogether, but a more common one would be to perceive through the creature's senses and experience through it's point of view. That isn't as rare as you might think.
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Sorry for the off topic, but Svoboda - Aghora first book has a good point on "the eucharist". No matter how much semen you take in it's still not ojas (although you grow old not that fast). If it was - any prostitute would be a saint. It makes you more lustful...
I wonder how many years and how hardcore you have to train to be that strong...