Liber Resh (invocation of fire?)
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When performing Liber Resh, if the adorant is not in the A.A., they are advised to use the signs of the elemental grades. For example at noon we would make the sign of fire and recite a prayer to Ahathoor. My understanding is that we are invoking the goddess Ahathoor when this happens.
In holding the pose of the sign of fire, is the adorant also invoking the element of fire?
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@Coniuncti said
"When performing Liber Resh, if the adorant is not in the A.A., they are advised to use the signs of the elemental grades. For example at noon we would make the sign of fire and recite a prayer to Ahathoor. My understanding is that we are invoking the goddess Ahathoor when this happens.
In holding the pose of the sign of fire, is the adorant also invoking the element of fire?"
No, not really. Instead, one is using Netzach as an analogue for the south and Hathor.
BTW, one is not invoking her per se; one is adoring her.
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OK, thanks for clarifying. So are these the correct correspondences for liber Resh?
Ra - morning, east, earth
Ahathoor - noon, south, fire
Tum - sunset, west, air
Kephra - midnight, north, water -
@Coniuncti said
"OK, thanks for clarifying. So are these the correct correspondences for liber Resh?
Ra - morning, east, earth
Ahathoor - noon, south, fire
Tum - sunset, west, air
Kephra - midnight, north, water"Yes, but don't attribute them to the elements. Drop that part. (It's not even accurate for the sign.)
The idea is that you begin standing at the intersection of Peh and Samekh, with Tifereth before you, Y'sod behind you, Netzach to your right, and Hod to your left. Notice that there is no s'fiyrah corresponding to Earth in the mix, and there are two attributed to Air. It's not an elemental pattern or an elemental ritual.
Rather, you are giving the signs of the 5=6 grade (T'fereth) toward east, of 4=7 (Netzach) in the south, of 2=9 (Y'sod) in the west, and of 3=8 (Hod) in the north.
(This all assumes you are living north of the Tropic of Cancer, of course.)
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I think I got confused because in the Donald Micheal Kraig book, 11 Lessons in Modern Magick, he has the readers doing: morning - air (Ra), noon - sun (Ahathoor), sunset - water (Tum) , midnight - earth (Kephra)
Are those Golden Dawn correspondences or something? I realize Liber Resh is a Thelemic ritual, but Im just trying to figure out where the hell he got that formula."
I think he just made it up. The use of these signs if someone doesn't have an A.'.A.'. grade come from marginalia Crowley wrote in his own copy of The Equinox, and Donald Craig likely didn't have access to that information so he made up something he liked.
Yes, those attributions of elements to directions form the Microcosmic scheme of the elements, which is what the Golden Dawn used in its First Order. The scheme comes from taking the letters of the name Adonai (ADNY) clockwise from the east.