John Symonds “The Great Beast 666”
-
I’m going through Symonds book right now and I would like to dedicate this thread to questions on details found in his biography of Crowley.
*Testing spirits via “Do What Thou Wilt”
**
Symonds notes Crowley challenged and tested the spirits that Soror Virakam saw during the Ab-ul-Diz Working:
*
“Crowley does not mention how exactly he challenged the old man, but it was probably by saying to him, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law!” If, at this thelemic greeting, he did not immediately vanish, he was someone to be trusted” (p. 139)I duly note the “probably by saying”, but is there any other documentary evidence to justify Symond's conjecture?
On a magickal level, would this thelemic greeting be a useful guide in distinguishing friendly allies from hostiles in the spiritual realm?
If yes, would this be applicable to, and useful only for, Crowley, in that it aligns himself with his HGA, or could it be applied by anyone?
Thanks for any feedback.
-
@he atlas itch said
"I duly note the “probably by saying”, but is there any other documentary evidence to justify Symond's conjecture?"
The Ab-ul-Diz conversations are readily available from different sources online - the transcript has been circulating for at least a decade. I haven't read them in a few years (and don't have my copy here at work), but recall the cross-examination.
Symonds was likely alluding to the fact that AC elsewhere recommended that one way of testing spirits (in contrast to Secret Chiefs) was to require them to say "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." (A similar technique is to say this to them and see what the response is.)
"On a magical level, would this thelemic greeting be a useful guide in distinguishing friendly allies from hostiles in the spiritual realm? "
Not per se. The key idea here is that a Yetziratic being is composed of certain forces, and its nature is intensified by the reiteration of its component parts, and weakened or dispersed by things contrary. For example, if you summon Spirit XYZ, you should get it to state, "I am Spirit XYZ" because, its nature being composed of the letters of its name, this will cause the real Spirit XYZ to grow stronger and more vibrant, and an imposter to weaken or disperse.
Along different but related lines, a spirit that either will declare the Law of Thelema, or will appropriately respond to it, shows itself to be in conformity with the present facts of Nature and working according to authentic spiritual law.
"If yes, would this be applicable to, and useful only for, Crowley, in that it aligns himself with his HGA, or could it be applied by anyone?"
The Law of Thelema is as universally applicable as the Law of Gravity. It wasn't stated just for Crowley, but for all.
-
i have kind of a bibliographical question;
if one already owns both john symonds 'the magick of aleister crowley' and crowleys 'confessions' and has read symonds 'the great beast'is it worth it to buy the great beast 666? or is the material just a rehashing of the same info in the above 3 books ?
i would like to learn new things but i dont want to waste money and space at the cost of redundancy. thanks!
-
@christibrany said
"i have kind of a bibliographical question;
if one already owns both john symonds 'the magick of aleister crowley' and crowleys 'confessions' and has read symonds 'the great beast'is it worth it to buy the great beast 666? or is the material just a rehashing of the same info in the above 3 books ?
"Christibrany,
Symonds writes in the Preface of The Great Beast 666:
Between 1951 and 1989 I published three biographical accounts of Aleister Crowley; they were issued by different publishers. The first and second editions were called The Great Beast; the third was called The King of the Shadow Realm. In this fourth and, I hope, definitive edition, to distinguish it from the first two, I have decided to call it The Great Beast 666.
Given Symond's antipathy toward Crowley, I suspect financial consideration played a role in coming up with these different versions.. So I wouldn't bother buying the 4th definitive edition. Though in fairness to Symonds, I have not read his three earlier biographies of Crowley so I can't compare them with the 4th edition. I can say Symonds provides certain details in the 4th edition to craft a narrative around events, but glosses over other important areas - for example the details of Crowley's rediscovery of Liber Legis in his attic are ignored. But this might be due to Symonds not wishing to repeat information already stated in Confessions..
-
Jim - thanks for that answer. I've been mulling it over for a week.
@Jim Eshelman said
"Along different but related lines, a spirit that either will declare the Law of Thelema, or will appropriately respond to it, shows itself to be in conformity with the present facts of Nature and working according to authentic spiritual law."
Would it be correct to say the angels and good guys in white are still connected with the Supernals whereas the demons of the Goetia have lost this connection to the Supernals, hence explaining why a spirit's response to "Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law" can indicate if it is working with the evolutionary current of the New Aeon?
-
@he atlas itch said
"
@Jim Eshelman said
"Along different but related lines, a spirit that either will declare the Law of Thelema, or will appropriately respond to it, shows itself to be in conformity with the present facts of Nature and working according to authentic spiritual law."Would it be correct to say the angels and good guys in white are still connected with the Supernals whereas the demons of the Goetia have lost this connection to the Supernals, hence explaining why a spirit's response to "Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law" can indicate if it is working with the evolutionary current of the New Aeon?"
To give a perfectly serious and fair answer: I haven't interrogated the goetic spirits to find out where they stand on this. But anything that is evoked starting with a Divine Name (which includes all goetic spirits invoked by classic goetic methods) have a connection to Atziluth.
However, a particular spirit (which we can characterize as a particular concatenation of the letters composing its name) may or may not be in alignment with the "laws of nature" as they presently exist, much in the same way that some ancient theories of astronomy may not conform to what is presently known of astrophysics. (Come to think of it, there's more than a little similarity between the composition of any Yetziratic being on the one hand, and a prevailing scientific theory on the other.)
-
Can you explain the rules for ascertaining the character of a spirit based on the letters of its name? For example most angels end with the suffix EL. Does that mean all spirits with the suffix EL originate from Chokmah/plane of Atziluth?
-
@he atlas itch said
"Can you explain the rules for ascertaining the character of a spirit based on the letters of its name? For example most angels end with the suffix EL. Does that mean all spirits with the suffix EL originate from Chokmah/plane of Atziluth?"
That part of their name is sort of a generic angelic signature - it reflects characteristics they tend to all have in common (among angels: wings, power of flight, beauty, poise, etc.). So, while it is part of the nature, it is not what makes them distinctive.
There's an easy way to break into this understanding if you already have generous experience with meditating on the major arcana of Tarot: Lay out the Tarot trumps corresponding to the letters of the name and meditate on them. Thus, for the archangel of Chokmah, for example - Raziel, RZYAL - from right to left put The Sun, The Lovers, The Hermit, The Fool, and Adjustment and, with primary attention on the first three letters, come to a synthetic understanding of the nature of Raziel (all in the context of being the Archangel of Chokmah).
-
Very interesting - thanks!
-
@Jim Eshelman said
"
That part of their name is sort of a generic angelic signature - it reflects characteristics they tend to all have in common (among angels: wings, power of flight, beauty, poise, etc.). So, while it is part of the nature, it is not what makes them distinctive.There's an easy way to break into this understanding if you already have generous experience with meditating on the major arcana of Tarot: Lay out the Tarot trumps corresponding to the letters of the name and meditate on them. Thus, for the archangel of Chokmah, for example - Raziel, RZYAL - from right to left put The Sun, The Lovers, The Hermit, The Fool, and Adjustment and, with primary attention on the first three letters, come to a synthetic understanding of the nature of Raziel (all in the context of being the Archangel of Chokmah).
"
By the same logic, could anyone transliterate their name into Hebrew letters, find the corresponding Atu for each letter, and gain a sense of the general configuration or "lens" via which their True Will expresses itself? Would the particular sequence of letters be significant - e.g. the stages of one's evolution - or should they be meditated upon only as a composite whole?
-
I don't know if it would disclose True Will. For some people, their civil name is a deep expression of their identity as they know it. For others, it's more of a social convention and fairly superficial.
-
thanks atlas itch!
if I had to recommend only one Symonds book on crowley it would actually be the magick of aleister crowley . This is because it is only about what most of us find the most interesting, the magick, and secondly because the first part and tiny part at the end are a very poignant sketch by symonds of meeting crowley. it is very well written and you feel as if you were there. you get the sense that Symonds didn't so much dislike crowley as start out liking and being intrigued by him, and the more he knew him the less he liked him till at the end the overlaying emotion was basically pity. You also get the full force of Crowley's naivety in expecting Symond's politeness means more than it does in thinking Symonds is interested in Thelema (even enough to offer to start an Abbey with him!) even though we can tell from his personal thoughts he is not. So that was kind of sad. a great overview of his magickal workings though. and the cover with the goat and red robed monks painting by crowley is awesome. -
Completion of Abramelin Operation
According to Symonds, Crowley wrote the following letter to Yorke – of which I cite only the relevant excerpt:
What we have to do is to concentrate on carrying out the instructions of the Book of the Law. If you will give all that you have and all that you are to the Great Work, it will be to you what my renunciation of the Abramelin operation in Easter 1898 was to me.
(The Great Beast 666, p. 469)
Crowley refers to his preparation of the Abramelin operation at Boleskine during which he received a request for help from Mathers and decided to give up the operation for the greater good of the GD:
*Anyhow, as far as I was concerned, Mathers was my only link with the Secret Chiefs to whom I was pledged. I wrote to him offering to place myself and my fortune unreservedly at his disposal; if that meant giving up the Abra-Melin Operation for the present, all right.
The result of this offer was recorded as follows: D.D.C.F. accepts my services, therefore do I rejoice that my sacrifice is accepted. Therefore do I again postpone the Operation of Abra-Melin the Mage, having by God's Grace formulated even in this a new link with the Higher and gained a new weapon against the Great Princes of the Evil of the World. Amen. *
hermetic.com/crowley/confessions/chapter22.html
I would like some clarification on this aspect of Crowley, especially since it is central to his entire system, yet the facts of which remain disturbingly cloudy when it comes to his own attainment.
-
Did Crowley ever fully complete the Abramelin operation in the subsequent years? I've heard accounts that he thereafter quickly completed the Abramelin operation in a hotel room in London, but have been unable to find any confirmation of this assertion.
-
If yes, how is the HGA of the Abramelin operation reconciled with Crowley’s claim that Aiwass was his HGA – especially since the Cairo Working did not follow the conditions laid out by Abramelin? I've heard ppl suggest that perhaps Crowley had two HGAs, one of them being Aiwass and the other being his personal HGA, which he never disclosed to anyone. Others have noted that Crowley's account of Aiwass being his HGA and the Cairo Working definitely does not conform to the method of KCHGA laid out by Abramelin.
-
-
@he atlas itch said
"1. Did Crowley ever fully complete the Abramelin operation in the subsequent years? I've heard accounts that he thereafter quickly completed the Abramelin operation in a hotel room in London, but have been unable to find any confirmation of this assertion."
I think 1898 is wrong - and that it was 1900. I have hard copy of the diaries around here somewhere.
Crowley was part way through his Abra-melin in late '99 or early 1900 IIRC. In any case, Mathers need him to perform some special service (which ended up being the events around the London schism). He later picked the operation up in early 1906 and finished it that year (not in a hotel room, but during his "walk across China" and the events following).
"2. If yes, how is the HGA of the Abramelin operation reconciled with Crowley’s claim that Aiwass was his HGA – especially since the Cairo Working did not follow the conditions laid out by Abramelin?"
For one, the final conclusion was after 1904. For another, it doesn't appear that he got his HGA's name as such during his successful completion (that became clear later).
"I've heard ppl suggest that perhaps Crowley had two HGAs, one of them being Aiwass and the other being his personal HGA, which he never disclosed to anyone."
People disclose a lot about themselves when they make statements like that...
"Others have noted that Crowley's account of Aiwass being his HGA and the Cairo Working definitely does not conform to the method of KCHGA laid out by Abramelin."
Absolutely true. OTOH the Abramelin method as such is not essential to "Crowley's method," it's just one approach and no Adept should be held to a standard of a particular method. (Results are what matter, and the path there is quite individual.) But what might be useful to say here is that the HGA commonly has various levels of communion and communication long before the K&C. At the time Crowley received Liber Legis he appears to have been at the level that the A.'.A.'. system later would have called 3=8 (maybe 4=7). From his description of the Cairo Working, it was quite clearly not an example of K&C of the HGA - he reports hardly being changed or affected by the experience except psychologically (and brief moments of kundalini action during a couple of points in the dictation). It was, however, a communication.
-
I did some further research and math on the dates given in Confessions. Crowley commenced on the Easter weekend of April 1906 during his walk across China. On the 21st of September 1906 he claimed to have completed 32 weeks of the Abramelin Operation and 31 weeks of actual daily invocation. This would seem to locate the completion of the Abramelin Operation on the date of 9 October 1906 at Ashdown Park Hotel, Coulsdon, Surrey:
*I intended to use this Invocation in practice. The amethyst was to be, so to speak, the lens through which the Holy Guardian Angel should manifest. On September 17th I went to Ashdown Park Hotel, Coulsdon, Surrey and recovered my health suddenly and completely. On the twenty-first I had completed thirty-two weeks of the Operation and thirty-one weeks of actual daily invocation. The next day D.D.S. came to see me: we celebrated the Autumnal Equinox and reconstructed the old Neophyte Ritual of the G.'. D.'., eliminating all unnecessary features and quintessentializing the magical formulae.
On the ninth, having prepared a full invocation and ritual, I performed it. I had no expectation, I think, of attaining any special success; but it came. I had performed the Operation of the Sacred Magick of Abra-Melin the Mage.*
hermetic.com/crowley/confessions/chapter59.html
Questions:
- On the coversheet of *Liber Legis *Crowley wrote the following words:
- [This MS. (which came into my possession - * i.e., I meant I could be its master from that date – A.C. Oct. ’09. - in July 1906) is a highly interesting example of genuine automatic writing. Though I am in no way responsible for any of these documents, except the translations of the stele inscription, I publish them among my works because I believe that their intelligent study may be interesting & helpful. AC.]*
The only event found during “July 1906” is Crowley's meeting with George Cecil Jones and the two men deciding to establish the A.A on 29 July 1906. Would Crowley’s comment of “possessing” Liber Legis from July 1906 refer to the A.A. becoming the vehicle for transmitting the 93 current or to some aspect of his ongoing Abramelin Operation?
- The details of Crowley’s completion of the Abramelin Operation are fragmentary, but it sounds like a full-blown kundalini illumination. No mention of Aiwass is made. How did he move from this illumination to the recognition that Aiwass was his HGA - especially given that as late as April 1906 he was interested in having Soror Fidelis support him, like before, in his rebellion against Liber Legis?
Incidentally, I recently put forth the opinion on Lashtal.com that I believe one of the aspects of KCHGA would entail the Adept having the "collective unconscious at his disposal" and someone, who claimed to be 8=3, told me I was wrong - which contradicts Crowley's statements at the beginning of Chapter 60 in Confessions, where he is fully knowledgeable, and working with, archetypes in his writings.
-
I'm a little confused Jim. Separating Abramelin from K&C per se:
Crowley starts Abramelin, but doesn't finish it
Later, Crowley attains to 4=7 or 3=8 and receives TBOTL as a communication from HGA
Later, Crowley finishes Abramelin during trek across ChinaAt what point does the K&C happen? Did the essential points happen before Cairo, and then he sort of went back and 'cleaned up his work' while in China? Or did the actual K&C happen after Cairo?
(Am I misunderstanding K&C itself as being a dramatic, with a crescendo that's easy-to-pin to a moment? And is it possible to have K&C 'out of order' like that?)
-
@AvshalomBinyamin said
"At what point does the K&C happen? Did the essential points happen before Cairo, and then he sort of went back and 'cleaned up his work' while in China? Or did the actual K&C happen after Cairo?"
No. The Cairo Working doesn't have K&C characteristics. It's more in the sense of communication from the HGA (which starts to happen very early in most cases, generally by 1=10... but not at the level of CCXX). K&C was the phenomena that started to break through in July 1906 and climaxed in October of that year, expanding throughout the fall.
-
I see my confusion. I was being dyslexic, and thought you said Crowley was an 8=3 (not 3=8) at the time of Cairo, and then attained K&C when he finished the Abramelin afterward. I was trying to fathom how that could possibly happen.
Makes much more sense now.
(side point: I would say that confusing K&C with "meeting and chatting" is even more common that newbie obsession with crossing the abyss....
) -
Blasphemy as a magickal act
Symonds notes Crowley attained the grade of Magus through the operation of Starous Batrachou, in which a frog, symbolizing Christ, was sacrificed:
*
It is not surprising that he did not recoil from the childishness of this ritual. Having thrown down Christ (in the form of a frog), he then sets himself up in Christ’s place, his aim since the time he decided that he was the Beast of Revelation. Some people are just weak and do nothing about it, but Crowley made a religion out of his weakness. I, the Great Beast…He called the frog ritual “the assumption of the Curse of the Grade of Magus”, a phrase which reveals his antithetical attitude towards everything, including himself. And shortly afterwards ratification by the gods of his seating himself next to them took place.*
(p. 216)
Even taking into consideration Symonds dislike of Crowley and biased interpretation of facts, this frog ritual makes no sense. On the most obvious level, Horus is not opposed to Osiris. Rather he avenges the memory of his dismembered father against Set. Crowley, by identifying the frog with Christ/the Old Aeon and proceeding to sacrifice the frog, thus supplanting the Word of the Old Aeon with his own Word as Magus of the New Aeon, completely disregards the Egyptian symbolism and symbolic logic of aeonic succession. Crowley associates Christ with a repression of sexuality as seen when the frog is condemned by these words:
Lo, Jesus of Nazareth, how thou art taken in my snare. All my life thou hast plagued me and affronted me. In thy name – with all other free souls in Christendom – I have been tortured in my boyhood; all delights have been forbidden unto me; all that I had has been taken from me, and that which is owed to me they pay not – in thy name.
(p. 215)
The frog = Christ = Osiris = Old Aeon. However, in the original Egyptian system, Osiris is very much an open solar/sexual being, popular with Isis and Nephthys, Set’s wife, whereas Set is the sexually repressed one who feels inadequate and subsequently dismembers Osiris out of envy of his sexual power – hence the later contending between Horus and Set is one of sexual supremacy. In the Bible Christ displays a far more tolerant and forgiving attitude toward sexuality (e.g. the woman accused of having five husbands, his association with prostitutes) than the legalistic Pharisees. Stranger still, in Crowley’s writing expressed elsewhere, instead of Horus opposing Set as a restrictive and order-imposing principle who sacrificed his father Osiris, Set is equated with Hadit, the secret stellar self.
- Can anyone explain the confused symbolism of this frog ritual?
- Is blasphemy really an effective technique for strong magick? Is it not, in fact, a reaction against one's childhood conditioning and not in alignment with True Will - if we accept that True Will chooses the environment one is born into?
-
But even interpreting the frog ritual as a reaction against the repressive conditioning of Crowley's childhood upbringing makes no sense, since he would have presumably left all that behind in the transition from 7=4 to 8=3 before attaining to 9=2.
The facts do not add up in this account..