Book of Lies Commentary
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First thing to note is the picture of Frater Perdurabo on the inside of the book-- he's riding an ass, not a camel. And is that an eye-patch? "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king..."
Chapter 4, Peaches-- I believe the title, Peaches, refers to the testicles, not the vulva.
Chapter 18, Dewdrops-- This chapter correlates to the Moon tarot card and the god Kephra. The aspirant in this chapter is urged to let the Elixir do what it wants, rather than trying to control. This is frightening. The Moon of Qoph is contrasted with the Moon of Gimel, the aspirant again urged to take the higher Moon rather than explore witchcraft with the lower Moon. In spite of the blindness, take the Path of Tav up rather than muck around in the Path of Qoph. This is what the Universe wants to do.
Chapter 21, The Blind Webster-- "It is not necessary to understand; it is enough to adore."-- I think this is beautiful.
Chapter 24, The Hawk and the Blindworm-- "Language was made for men to eat and drink, make love, do barter, die. The wealth of a language consists in its Abstracts; the poorest tongues have wealth of Concretes." Abstracts here being new concepts and meta-concepts, or in other words new ideas. The original use of language was for the human species, not for God.
Chapter 26, The Elephant and the Tortoise-- "The Absolute and the Conditioned make One Absolute." I believe this refers to Kether, Chockmah and Binah. The Absolute as Samadhi, "able to do anything," and the Conditioned as one's place on Earth.
Chapter 39, The Looby-- "It is thinkable that A is not-A; to reverse this is but to revert to the normal. Yet by forcing the brain to accept propositions of which one set is absurdity, the other truism, a new function of brain is established." This seems like the formula of Magick, no? To make a bunch of meaningless gestures and believe them to mean something. And this is the same thing we do with language: we take something that is not-A, the word or the signifier, and take it to mean A, the reference or the signified. To revert this is not to revert to normal, because "normal" here would be prior to language and the Fall. The conscious use of this, according to this chapter, creates a new function of the brain.
Chapter 43, Mulberry Tops-- Whole Chapter:
Black blood upon the altar! and the rustle of angel wings above! Black blood of the sweet fruit, the bruised, the violated bloom-that setteth The Wheel a-spinning in the spire.** Death is the veil of Life, and Life of Death; for both
are Gods.**
This is that which is written: "A feast for Life, and
a greater feast for Death!" in THE BOOK OF
THE LAW.
The blood is the life of the individual: offer then
blood!Commentary:
The title of this chapter refers to a Hebrew legend, that of the prophet who heard "a going in the mulberry tops"; and to Browning's phrase, "a bruised, black- blooded mulberry".** In the World's Tragedy, Household Gods, The
Scorpion, and also The God-Eater, the reader may
study the efficacy of rape, and the sacrifice of blood, as
magical formulae. Blood and virginity have always
been the most acceptable offerings to all the gods, but
especially the Christian God.
In the last paragraph, the reason of this is explained;
it is because such sacrifices come under the Great Law
of the Rosy Cross, the giving-up of the individuality,
as has been explained as nauseam in previous chapters.
We shall frequently recur to this subject.**
By "the wheel spinning in the spire" is meant the
manifestation of magical force, the spermatozoon in the
conical phallus. For wheels, see Chapter 78.Virgin blood is Life and Death either way. To rape someone with this is to give them their own virgin blood, their own claim upon the Universe.
Chapter 46, Buttons and Rosettes-- "The title of this chapter is best explained as a reference to Mistinguett and Mayol." A quick search of these two names gives a French lesbian and a French gay guy-- the rosette and button-- or the other way around? The female as gay, the male as a lesbian.
Finite and Infinite Games. Sex is a never-ending game one can never master. "All law, all nature must be overcome."
Chapter 60, The Wound of Amfortas-- "Vir-tus has become "virtue"... O that every man did No Matter What, provided that it is the one thing he will not and cannot do!" Virtus is Power in Latin. From the commentary, "the shame of sex consists in the usurpation of its function by the unworthy. Sex is a sacrament." Note that here the unworthy can mean unworthy elements of one's personality. This doctrine is to push-- if you can even use an active verb here-- the sex drive into the service of THAT. To Hell with the Universe.
Chapter 61, The Fool's Knot-- I believe the term "Pay" is a blind here. It's just the formula of IAO or VIAOV. "Pay" is to give you a feeling of guilt, whereas otherwise the Innocence is unbearable. Life can keep going; you don't really have Death. That was make-believe. "You're all gay." Put yourself in the Real (or the Absolute in this chapter) and ride on. No, you don't know what will happen. From chapter 4, Peaches-- "This child shall be the heir to the Fate of the Father." Moving from the Moon of Qoph to the Moon of Gimel. See the previous chapter.
Chapter 66, The Praying Mantis-- The number 1001 appears to have something to do with insects. The chapter Dragon Flies also references 1001. 1001 Arabian Nights maybe.
Chapter 68, Manna-- "How was Earth?" "Well, it sucked, but the food was good at least."
Chapter 79, Bal Bullier-- Chapter title refers to a dance hall in France. "Viens, beau negre! Donne-moi tes levres encore!" Means "Come, beautiful negro! Give me your lips once more!"
Chapter 82, Bortsch-- Commentary, "How can we baffle the Three Characteristics?" That's the question, indeed.
Chapter 84, The Avalanche-- Title refers to the mountain-climbing expedition Crowley was leading where he let a bunch of people die.
Chapter 88, Gold Bricks-- "A SUCKER IS BORN EVERY MINUTE"-- I believe this refers to the oral stage, being a baby. This is part of the formula of the New Aeon: no part of you is wrong. "It is certain that every letter of this cipher hath some value; but who shall determine the value? For it varieth ever, according to the subtlety of Him that made it." So suck dick, give the Universe the benefit of the doubt, allow it to rebirth itself, and you too can be reborn. "I'm a complete fool."
Chapter 90, Starlight-- Whole Chapter:
Behold! I have lived many years, and I have travelled in every land that is under the dominion of the Sun, and I have sailed the seas from pole to pole. Now do I lift up my voice and testify that all is vanity on earth, except the love of a good woman, and that good woman LAYLAH. And I testify that in heaven all is vanity (for I have journeyed oft, and sojourned oft, in every heaven), except the love of OUR LADY BABALON. And I testify that beyond heaven and earth is the love of OUR LADY NUIT. And seeing that I am old and well stricken in years, and that my natural forces fail, therefore do I rise up in my throne and call upon THE END. For I am youth eternal and force infinite. And at THE END is SHE that was LAYLAH, and BABALON, and NUIT, being...Commentary:
This chapter is a sort of final Confession of Faith.
It is the unification of all symbols and all planes.
The End is expressible.BABALON! The most beautiful chapter in the book in my opinion. "I am old and well-stricken in years" refers to the Hermit, the male virgin or the philosopher. "I Am Searching For An Honest Man."
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