16 January (Heru-Ra-Ha) Liber CCXX, 3:16-17
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(v. 161) 16. Deem not too eagerly to catch the promises; fear not to undergo the curses. Ye, even ye, know not this meaning all.
(v. 162) 17. Fear not at all; fear neither men nor Fates, nor gods, nor anything. Money fear not, nor laughter of the folk folly, nor any other power in heaven or upon the earth or under the earth. Nu is your refuge as Hadit your light; and I am the strength, force, vigour, of your arms. -
@Aiwass said
"(v. 161) 16. Deem not too eagerly to catch the promises; fear not to undergo the curses. Ye, even ye, know not this meaning all."
In reference to the verses preceding, it means simply, “Don’t even think you know what I’m talking about. Just take it all down like I said, and it will be clear (to someone) in time.”
Aiwass is giving the same advice that found its way into Cap. I of Liber O. In this Third Chapter are portrayed things of both of great horror and great beauty. We should not, however, ascribe to anything soever the importance it first appears to have.
“Don’t go rushing off toward the good stuff you think is promised! And don’t be all in a panic about this horrible-sounding stuff. Cool out! You’re taking it all wrong, man. You ain’t gettin’ what I’m saying.”
Besides this, there is, of course, the point that, even if we did understand these verses correctly, we should have a certain detachment, giving way neither to fear nor to lust of result.
“...know not this meaning all (AL) is, of course, one of the Frater Achad keys, invoking the LA [Lamed-Aleph, lo] = AL [Aleph-Lamed, el] complement - which veils a secret, or rather a class of secrets, subsequently related to the 7=4 Grade of A.'.A.'. and, by analogy, to the 7° of Temple of Thelema.
"(v. 162) 17. Fear not at all; fear neither men nor Fates, nor gods, nor anything. Money fear not, nor laughter of the folk folly, nor any other power in heaven or upon the earth or under the earth. Nu is your refuge as Hadit your light; and I am the strength, force, vigour, of your arms."
Practical advice, both for life and for the practice of yoga. “Fear is failure, and the forerunner of failure.” Fear is the entrapment of the martial force natural to the Svadisthana chakra into a withdrawn and introverted state; and the essence of this force is the will. Even the Neophyte of the A.'.A.'. learns, in confronting the façade of fear, that
Thy flame is mine
To weave my maiden spell.
This verse is a good catalog of things in our contemporary world before which most of us, at one time or another, cower in a self-conscious tremor of self-diminishment. Money means power, so we may feel helpless in the face of another’s wealth, or at least inwardly (and wrongly) diminish ourselves in the face of another’s wealth.We fear ridicule, finding it oh so easy to join others in our own diminishment (for, after all, we know better than anyone else, what pathetic failures we are).
Yet - equally with this - only we can know, each person for himself or herself, the real measure of the pure gold of which we are made.
We fear “Fate” if we feel out of control of our destinies; yet Fate is but the assurance of the immutable omnipotence of our inmost self. We fear “gods” and “men” if we are unwilling to step forward and stand as equals among their company. In brief, if we will not own and actualize our own power, it becomes (by its suppression) a projection, and we see nothing but the power of others and, in contrast, our own weakness.
Fear is the self-consuming intraversion of our strength and courage and light. It is a Will that knows not where to go, or that will not go.
Do we fear, most of all, the damage we will do - the Tower-like destruction of which we are capable - if we, in fact, do our wills? Do we fear our clumsy first trials at truth? Is it not love, which should be most fulfilled in the free expression of will, that in fact stifles our power of action in fear?
The antithesis of this verse - the fearless expression of honest power - is the refrain in Liber Samekh:
@Liber Samekh said
"Hear Me, and make all Spirits subject unto Me: so that every Spirit of the Firmament and of the Ether: upon the Earth and under the Earth: on dry Land and in the Water: of Whirling Air, and of Rushing Fire, and every Spell and Scourge of God may be obedient unto Me."
“in heaven or upon the earth or under the earth” can easily be taken as the three strata of the psyche: Neshamah, Ruach, and Nephesh, respectively.
The final sentence is a powerful formula of many aspects. Taken of itself it expresses Nuit as the all-encompassing mother, the refuge which is the whole of the universe itself. How could we ever fear while in the arms of such a mother? And there is, in fact, no place else to be. Hadit, furthermore, is the inmost light. How fear the dark when we have such a light? And Ra-Hoor-Khuit Himself - the Holy Guardian Angel to each of us - is strength, force, and vigor in life. (Actually, Nu, Had, and RHK are here each credited with an important attribution of the HGA.)
“Nu is your refuge” is a formula, as a Buddhist might begin a meditation by acknowledging refuge in the Dhamma. Surely this is as potent a formula, at least for those who love Thelemic symbols. Commence a meditation by saying, “Nu is my refuge” (pause to take refuge in Her), “as Hadit my light” (pause to find the real center of light which begins the meditation), “and Heru-Ra-Ha is the strength, force, vigour of my arms” (experience the star that you are, in Their union). I have used this in a different way in the ritual Liber Pleiades.
Finally, this sentence is the Thelemic phrase corresponding to the traditional Rosicrucian prayer of the Osiris Age:
Ex Deo nascimur.
In Iesu morimur.
Per Spiritum Sanctum reviviscimus.
The O.C. makes reference to “the great Red Triangle” which is “as a shield.” This refers to the distinctive symbol of Ra-Hoor-Khuit, a red triangle, one point down (such as is usually attributed to Water). It especially refers to the middle triad on the Tree of Life.This ensign of Horus is a powerful symbol. I suspect it would have as much defensive and authoritative power on the astral as would a Pentagram. I have never tried this, but believe it is so. AC’s description of it as a “shield” tipped me to the idea. He described it as having “rays” (as from the points) that “are far-darting arrows.”
The exact form of this worn by the Adepts of Temple of Thelema would be especially powerful on the astral in almost all conditions, especially to one sacramentally linked to the symbol and who knows its intent; and, secondarily, to all others to whom those Seniors have pledged their magical protection and support.
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Thank you.
By the way, it works.
"This ensign of Horus is a powerful symbol. I suspect it would have as much defensive and authoritative power on the astral as would a Pentagram. I have never tried this, but believe it is so. AC’s description of it as a “shield” tipped me to the idea. He described it as having “rays” (as from the points) that “are far-darting arrows.”"
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Great meditation thoughts. They're very reflective of a lot of what I'm currently addressing about myself.
"if we are unwilling to step forward and stand as equals among their company. In brief, if we will not own and actualize our own power, it becomes (by its suppression) a projection, and we see nothing but the power of others and, in contrast, our own weakness."
It reminds me of the parable of the talents--where a master entrusts talents to 3 servants to invest while he is away. One is afraid of the master's judgment, and so hides his talent. And fear becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
My meditation for the day, to help me overcome fear, is to accept that I will fail and blunder often. And in the end, my individual incarnation is finite. It's going to get "used up" either way, so the only thing I can do is invest in things that really matter, and that really suit me. I will not worry about what rewards I can get out of it, or how miserable my failures might be.
“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'”--MLK