220A2-7.ASC The question of the limits of individual Liberty is fully discussed in Liber C
220A2-7.ASC
The question of the limits of individual Liberty is
fully discussed in Liber CXI (Aleph), to which we refer the
student. The following four chapters will give a general idea
of the main principles. `De Vi Per Disciplinam Colenda.
`Consider the Bond of a cold Climate, how it maketh man a
Slave; he must have Shelter and Food with fierce Toil. Yet
thereby he becometh strong against the Elements, and his
moral Force waxeth, so that he is Master of such Men as live
in Lands of Sun where bodily Needs are satisfied without
Struggle. Consider also him that willeth to excel in Speed
or in Battle, how he denieth himself the Food he craveth, and
all Pleasures natural to him, putting himself under the harsh
Order of a Trainer. So by this Bondage he hath, at the last,
his Will. Now then the one by natural, and the other by
voluntary, Restriction have come each to a greater Liberty.
This is also a general law of Biology, for all Development is
Structuralization; that is, Limitation and Specialization of
an originally indeterminate Protoplasm, which latter may
therefore be called free, in the definition of a Pendant.'
`De Ordins Rerum'. `In the Body every Cell is subordinated
to the general physiological Control, and we who will that
Control do not ask whether each individual Unit of that
Structure be consciously happy. But we do care that each
shall fulfil its Function, and the Failure of even a few
Cells, or their Revolt, may involve the Death of the whole
Organism. Yet even here the Complaint of a few, which we call
pain, is a Warning of general Danger. Many Cells fulfil their
Destiny by swift Death, and this being their Function, they
in no wise resent it. Should Haemoglobin resist the Attack of
Oxygen, the Body would perish, and the HAEMOGLOBIN would not
even save itself. Now, o my Son, do then consider deeply of
these Things in thine Ordering of the World under the Law of
Thelema. For every Individual in the State must be perfect in
his own Function, with Contentment, respecting his own Task
as necessary and holy, not envious of another's. For so only
mayst thou build up a free state, whose directing Will shall
be singly directed to the Welfare of all'. We of Thelema
think it vitally aright to let a man take opium. He may
destroy his physical vehicle thereby, but he may produce
another `Kubla Khan'. It is his own responsibility. Also we
know well that `if he be a King' it will not hurt him -- in
the end. We trust Nature to protect, and Wisdom to be
justified of, their children. It is superficial to object
that a man should be prevented from ruining and killing
himself, for his own sake or for that of `those dependent on
him'. One who is unfit to survive aught to be allowed to die.
We want only those who can conquer themselves and their
environment. As for `those dependent on him' it is one of our
chief objects to abolish the very idea of dependence on
others. Women with child, and infants, are not exceptions, as
might seem. They are doing their will, the one class to
reproduce, the other to live; the state should consider their
welfare to be its first duty; for if they are for the moment
dependent on it, it is also dependent on them. A man might as
well cut out his heart because it was weak, and in need of
cautious care. But he would be no less foolish if he tried to
prevent the used-up elements from eliminating themselves from
his body. We respect the Will-to-Live; we should respect the
Will-to Die. The race is auto-intoxicated by suppressing the
excretory processes of Nature. Each case must of course be
judged on its merits. His neighbours do well to assist one
who is weak by accident or misfortune, if he wishes to
recover. But it is a crime against the state and against the
individuals in question to hinder the gambler, the drunkard,
the voluptuary, the congenital defective, from drifting to
death, unless they prove by their won dogged determination to
master their circumstances, that they are fit to pull their
weight in the Noah's Ark of mankind.
73. There is a connection between Death, Sleep and Our
Lady Nuit. (This is worked out, on profane lines, by Dr.
Sigmund Freud, and his school, especially by Jung,
`Psychology of the Unconscious', which the reader should
consult). The fatigue of the day's toil creates the toxins
whose accumulation is the `will to Die'. All mystic
attainment is of this type, as all Magick is of the `Will to
Live'. At times we all want Nibbana, to withdraw into the
Silence, and so on. The Art of it is to dip deeply into
`Death', but to emerge immediately, a giant refreshed. This
plan is also possible on the larger scale, all Life being
Magick, all Death Mysticism. Then why is Death `forbidden'?
All things are surely lawful. But we must work `without lust
of result', taking everything as it comes without desire
indeed, but with all manner of delight! Let thy Love-Madrigal
to Death, thy Mother-Mistress, ripple and swell throughout
the years, with all the Starry Heaven for thine Orchestra;
but do not imagine that to attain Her is the sole
satisfaction. It is the yearning itself that is Beatitude.
It may seem that in this verse the word `Death' is used in a
sense somewhat other than that explained in the previous
note. It is forbidden, observe, to `man'. That is, then, the
formula must not be used by one who is still an imperfect
being. Our definition is surely confirmed by this phrase
rather than denied, or even modified. To long for death is to
aspire to the complete fulfilment of all one's
potentialities. And it would evidently be an error to insist
upon passing on to one's next life while there were hawsers
unhitched from this one. The mere inexplicability of the
various jerks would make for bewilderment, irritation, and
clumsiness. For this reason, alone, it is all-important to
ascertain one's true Will, and to work out every detail of
the work of doing it, as early in life as one can. One is apt
(at the best) to define one's will dogmatically, and to
devote one's life almost puritanically to the task, sternly
suppressing all side- issues, and calling this course
Concentration. This is error, and perilous. For one cannot be
sure that a faculty which seems (on the surface) useless,
even hostile, to one's work, may not in course of time become
one of vital value. If it be atrophied -- alas! Its
suppression may moreover have poisoned one's whole system, as
a breast debarred from its natural use is prone to cancer. At
best, it may be too late to repair the mischief; the lost
opportunity may be a life-long remorse. The one way of
safety lies in applying the Law of Thelema with the utmost
rigour. Every impulse, however feeble, is necessary to the
stability of the whole structure; the tiniest flaw may cause
the cannon to burst. Every impulse however opposite to the
main motive, is part of the plan; the rifling does not thwart
the purpose of the barrel. One should therefore acquiesce in
every element of one's nature, and develop it as its own laws
demand, with absolute impartiality. One need not fear; there
is a natural limit to the growth of any species; it either
finds food fail, or is choked by its neighbours, or overgrows
itself, and is transformed. Nor need one fret about the
harmony and proportion of one's various faculties; the fit
will survive, and the perfection of the whole will be
understood as soon as the parts have found themselves, and
settled down after fighting the matter out in the balanced
stability which represents their right reaction to each
other, and to their environment. It is thus policy for an
Aspirant to initiation to analyse himself with indefatigable
energy, shrewd skill, and accurate subtlety; but then to
content himself with indefatigable energy, shrewd skill, and
accurate subtlety; but then to content himself with observing
the interplay of his instincts, instead of guiding them. Not
until he is familiar with them all should he perform the
practices which enable him to read the Word of his Will. And,
then having assumed conscious control of himself, that he may
do his Will, he should make a point of using every faculty in
a detached way (just as one inspects one's pistols and fires
a few rounds) without expecting ever to need them again, but
on the general principle that if they were wanted, one might
as well feel confident of the issue. This theory of
initiation is so important to every aspirant that I shall
illustrate how my own ignorance bred error, and error injury.
My Will was, I now know, to be The Beast, 666, a Magus, the
Word of the Aeon, Thelema; to proclaim this new Law to
mankind. My passion for personal freedom, my superiority to
sexual impulses, my resolve to master physical fear and
weakness, my contempt for other people's opinions, my poetic
genius: I indulged all these to the full. None of them
carried me too far, ousted the other, or injured my general
well-being. On the contrary, each automatically reached its
natural limit, and each has been incalculably useful to me in
doing my Will when I became aware of it, able to organize its
armies, and to direct them intelligently against the inertia
of ignorance. But I suppressed certain impulses in myself. I
abandoned my ambitions to be a diplomatist. I checked my
ardour for Science. I trampled upon my prudence in financial
matters. I mortified my fastidiousness about caste. I masked
my shyness in bravado, and tried to kill it by ostentatious
eccentricity. This last mistake came from sheer panic; but
all the rest were quite deliberate sacrifices on the altar of
my God Magick. They were all accepted, asit then seemed. I
attained all my ambitions; yea, and more also. But I know now
that I should not have forced my growth, and deformed my
destiny. To nail geese to boards and stuff them makes foie
gras, very true; but it does not improve the geese. It may be
said that I strengthened my moral character by these
sacrifices, and that I was indeed compelled to act as I did.
The mad elephant Wantobemagus pulled over the team of oxen?
We may put it like that, certainly; but still I feel that it
might have been better had he not been mad. For, today, if I
were an Ambassador, versed profoundly in Science, financially
armed and socially stainless, I should be able to execute my
Will by pressure upon all classes of powerful people, to make
this comment carry conviction to thinkers, and to publish the
Book of the Law in every part of the world. Instead, I am
exiled and suspected, despised by men of science, ostracised
by my class, and a beggar. If I were in my teens again! I
cannot change my mind about which ridge I'll climb the
mountain by, now when I see, above these ice-glazed pinnacles
storm-swept, through gashes torn from whirling wreaths of
arrowy sleet, the cloud-surpassing summit, not far, not very
far. I regret nothing, be sure! I may be even in error to
argue that an evident distortion of nature, and its issue in
disaster, are proof of imprudence. Perhaps the other road
would not have taken me to cairo, to the climax of my life,
to my true Will fulfilled in Aiwaz and made Word in this
Book. Perhaps it is lingering `lust of result' that whispers
hideous lies to daunt me, that urges these plausible
arguments to accuse me. It may be that my present extremity
is the very condition required for the fulfilment of my Work.
Who shall say what is power, what impotence? Who shall be
bold to measure the Morrow, or declare what causes conjoin to
bring forth an Effect that no man knoweth? Was not Lao-Tze
thrust forth from his city? Did not Buddha go begging in
rags? Did not Mohammed flee for his life into exile? Was not
Bacchus the scandal and the scorn of men? Than Joseph Smith
Had any man less learning? Yet each of these attained to do
his Will; each cried his Word, that all the Earth yet echoes
it! And each was able to accomplish this by virtue of that
very circumstance which seems so cruel. Shall I, who am armed
with all their weapons at once, complain that I must go into
the fight unfurnished?
74. One does not need to be constantly popping in and out
of Trance. One ought to do both actions with ever increasing
length and strength of swing. Hence one's life-periods, where
this counts, become gradually larger and more vivid, and
one's death- periods though very short, perhaps, may be
unfathomably intense. The whole question of Time has been
thoroughly investigated already. The present remarks refer
only to the conditions of `normal' consciousness, into which
we throw ourselves at recurring intervals. The doctrine here
stated should be studied in the light of previous remarks;
verses 61 to 74 inclusive form a coherent passage: notice the
words `death' in verses 68. There is evidently an intention
to identify the Climax of Love with that of Life. It is then
not unnatural for us to ask: Can `Death' have some deeper
significance than appears? Scorpio, the Zodiacal Sign of
Death, is really the Sexual or Reproductive function of
Nature. It is the Earth-transcending Eagle, the
self-restoring Serpent, and the self-immolating Scorpion. In
alchemy it is the principle of Putrefaction, the `Black
Dragon', whose state of apparent corruption is but a prelude
to the Rainbow-coloured Spring-tide of the Man in Motley. The
nymph of Spring, Syrinx, the trembling hollow reed which
needs but Breath to fill the world with Music, attracts Pan,
the Goat-God of Ecstatic Lust, by whose Work the glory of
Summer is established anew. It is obvious that `the length
of thy longing' varies with the number of potentialities to
be satisfied. In other words, the more complex the Khu of the
Star, the greater the man, and the keener his sense of his
need to achieve it.
75. This passage following appears to be a Qablaistic test
(on he regular pattern) of any person who may claim to be the
Magical Heir of THe Beast. Be ye well assured all that the
solution, when it is found, will be unquestionable. It will
be marked by the most sublime simplicity, and carry immediate
conviction. (The above paragraph was written previous to the
communication of Charles Stansfeld Jones with regard to the
`numbers and the words' which constitute the Key to the
cipher of this Book. See the Appendix to these comment. I
prefer to leave my remark as it originally stood, in order to
mark my attitude at the time of writing).
76. It is the prophet, the `forth-speaker' who is never to
know this mystery. But that does not prevent it from lying
within the comprehension of the Beast, kept secret by him in
order to prove any one who should claim sonship. (Cf. the
note in brackets to the new comment on verse 75. The last
part of this verse presents no difficulty. An XVI, Sun in
Sagittarius. In the Appendix will be found the Qabalistic
proofs referred to in the penultimate paragraph, as
supporting the claim of sir Charles Stansfeld Jones, whose
occult names, numbers, dignities and titles, are as follows:
PARZIVAL, Knight of the Holy Ghost, etc., X O.T.O., 418, 777,
V.I.O. (Omnia in Uno, Unus In Omnibus), Achad, or
O.I.V.V.I.O. (Omnia in Uno, Unus in Omnibus), Fra A:.A:., 8
= 3 , Arctaeon, to be my son by Jeanne Foster, Soror
Hilarion. See Appendix for the technical explanation of this
verse. I may here briefly mention, however, that `Thou
knowest not' is one of the cryptographic ambiguities
characteristic of this Book. `Thou knowest' -- see Cap. I
verse 26, and `not' is Nuith. The word `ever' too, may be the
objective of `know', rather than merely an adverb. Note `to
be me', not `to be I' -- an evident reference to Nuit, `not',
MH. Cf. verse 13, comment. One can only exist by being Nuit,
as explained in discussing the general magical theory.
Observe that I am here definitely enjoined to proclaim my Law
to men, `to look forth' instead of retiring from the world as
mystics are wont to do. I may then be confident that this
Work is a proper part of my Will. Note: This `one' is not to
be confused with the `child' referred to elsewhere in this
Book. It is quite possible that O.I.V.V.I.O. (who took the
grade of 8 = 3 by an act of will without going through the
lower grades in the regular way) failed to secure complete
annihilation in crossing the Abyss; so that the drops of
blood which should have been cast into the cup of Babalon
should `breed scorpions, and vipers, and the Cat of Slime'.
In this case he would develop into a Black Brother, to be
torn in pieces and reduced to his Elements against his Will.
77. Pride is the quality of Sol. Tiphareth; Might of Mars,
Geburah. Now Leo -- my rising sign -- combines these ideas,
as does Ra-Hoor-Khuit. The christian ideas of humility and
weakness as `virtues' are natural to slaves, cowards, and
defectives. The type of tailless simian who finds himself a
mere forked radish in a universe of giants clamouring for
hors d'oeuvres must take refuge from Reality in Freudian
phantasies of `God'. He winces at the touch of Truth; and
shivers at his nakedness in Nature. He therefore invents a
cult of fear and shame, and makes it presumption and
blasphemy to possess courage and self-respect. He burrows in
the slime of `Reverence, and godly fear; and makes himself
houses of his own excrement, like the earthworm he is. He
shams dead, like other vile insects, at the insects, at the
approach of danger; he tries to escape notice by assuming the
colour and form of his surroundings, using `protective
mimicry' like certain other invertebrates. He exudes stink or
ink like the skunk or the cuttle-fish, calling the one
Morality and the other Decency. He is slippery with
Hypocrisy, like a slug; and, labelling the totality of his
defects Perfection, defines God as Faeces so that he may
flatter himself with the epithet divine. The whole manoeuvre
is described as Religion.
78. There are certain occult wonders concealed in the
first part of this text. (See Liver CCCLXX). The solution of
the last sentence may depent upon the number of the verse,
which is that of Mezla, the Influx from the Highest, and of
the Book of Thoth, or Tarot. We may take `thy name' as `the
Sun', for Qabalistic reasons given in the Appendix; the verse
need not imply the establishment of a new cult with myself as
Demigod. (Help!) But they shall worship the group of ideas
connected with the Sun, and the magical formula of the number
418, explained elsewhere.
79. So mote it be!
E-Mail Fredric L. Rice / The Skeptic Tank