15 October (Mercury) Liber VII, 5:46-48
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46. Nor by memory, nor by imagination, nor by prayer, nor by fasting, nor by scourging, nor by drugs, nor by ritual, nor by meditation; only by passive love shall he avail.
47. He shall await the sword of the Beloved and bare his throat for the stroke.
48. Then shall his blood leap out and write me runes in the sky; yea, write me runes in the sky. -
@Jim Eshelman said
"**47. He shall await the sword of the Beloved and bare his throat for the stroke.
- Then shall his blood leap out and write me runes in the sky; yea, write me runes in the sky.**"
THE SWORD OF THE BELOVÉD
October 24, 1998I await the sword of the Belovéd,
--- Baring my throat for the stroke.
The severing lightning of Heaven —
--- The caress of the God I invoke.
A loud-speaking Silence engulfs me,
--- An intimate knowledge provok’d:
I await the sword of the Belovéd,
--- In Whose arms love’s mad fire I stoke.(Not my best, and I've never liked the result of the last line; but I'd forgotten, until this morning, that this verse had inspired it - mostly as an experiment in certain word techniques, i.e., in the spirit of Mercury. I always think of it as Babalon-related, but the above is where it started one day as a bhakti exercise in the spirit of Mercury.)
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46. Nor by memory, nor by imagination, nor by prayer, nor by fasting, nor by scourging, nor by drugs, nor by ritual, nor by meditation; only by passive love shall he avail.
47. He shall await the sword of the Beloved and bare his throat for the stroke.
48. Then shall his blood leap out and write me runes in the sky; yea, write me runes in the sky.My reaction is fairly elementary:
But what of all the things we are prepared to do, and actually do to bring this moment on—the magick, the meditations, the prayers?
I mean, if it is simply a question of waiting. Or maybe waiting simply is a lot harder than might appear on the surface of it—easier said than done.
I identify myself with that proactive doer, but sometimes I am not so sure who actually does anything...
Love and Will
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interestingly enough, i just wanted to thank you for sharing, giving me something new to ponder upon for i feel as though i'm steadily making progress while doing the most nothing of anyone i know
its almost like the biggest sacrifice i never wanted to give & yet cannot control the amount of "Nothing" i achieve so often. but it brought me to this wiki on Telang Swami, a man who was believed to be the reincarnation of the lord Shiva & he had a great deal of nothing about him that was otherworldly, and it made me feel alot better about myself.
so not to use it as an excuse, but to at least enjoy the relaxation instead of feeling like you must always be making progress, because that is backwards progress in itself, thinking so negatively. -
@Jim Eshelman said
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@Jim Eshelman said
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--- In Whose arms love’s mad fire I stoke.(Not my best, and I've never liked the result of the last line..."
"Ar bart Writing runes in the sky and the smoke?
Good poem, by the way! -
I do not see it as "doing nothing," instead emphasizing surrender. The act of fasting, drugs, ritual etc merely an act of surrender and not a means in itself.
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I don't see it as doing nothing as well.
Rather, it isn't really my small I's ability to make it happen, not in the least. Ultimately it comes down to the willfulness, the grace if you will, of the lord.
The best I can deduce is that 'actively waiting' is the best one can do from this end, and then it's up to something, someone else, to make the next move.
Proposition: We are not in control, despite all the things we do to assert that control and to achieve this grace.
The further question I pose myself is this: when I do something, and it works—I get a little bliss from a magical operation or something... Did I do it, or was the real motivation hidden from me? Did I only think it was my idea?
In which case was it just the whim of my angel to bend down in that moment and whisper something sweet into my ear, not because I asked for it or did anything to make it happen, but only because it pleased my angel in that moment to do it?
Love and Will