Introduction

"When Aleister Crowley became Frater OY MH and had to write his thesis for the grade of Adeptus Exemptus, he had already collected his ideas when Levi's "Clef des Grands Mysteries" fell into his hands.  It was remarkable that he, having admired Levi for many years, and even begun to suspect the identity, had not troubled (although an extravagant buyer of books) to get this particular work.  He found, to his astonishment, that almost everything he had himself intended to say was there written.  The result of this was that he abandoned writing his original work, and instead translated the masterpiece in question." (53) - Aleister Crowley in Magick In Theory and Practice, also known as Book 4 Part III.

    My work must proceed, as any field of scientific research, by expanding on already existent systems of thought.   It does not make sense to re-invent the wheel.  When Bjarne Stroustrup created the C++ programming language, he patterned it on his knowledge of the C programming language, which was, in its turn, derived from another programming language.  In submitting my research on the Qabalah, and ceremonial/ritual magic, I will endeavor   to comment on the materials written by Aleister Crowley.   I have yet, to read a more knowledgeable author on magic.  Crowley who expanded, upon the teachings of the Golden Dawn, Enchain, O.T.O., Freemasonry, Eliphas Levi, Taoism, Yoga, Nihilism, Monism, Dualism, and many others, incorporating them into his own system, provided elegant solutions to many seemingly insoluble universal riddles, addressing such topics as the riddle of evil, freewill/predestination, as well as others that have eluded both philosophers, scientists, and theologist throughout the ages.  His works, although exceedingly valuable, have remained for the most part inaccessible to the average reader.  

    The problem is that it is impossible to understand Crowley without having crossed the Abyss.   It is impossible to understand the full implications of magick, without having transcended Duality, thought, the self or the ego.  One may understand the lower aspects - how thought creates on the astral plane; while failing to grasp the deeper implications - the magician dreams the universe into existence, etc.   The question of how to bring magick into the forefront and contribute to its restoration in light of modern research presents a number of possibilities.

    Many magicians are stuck in their egos, and many mystics have no interest in developing powers or siddhis.  It takes a mystic who has realized unity in the midst of duality, to set the work aright.   Likewise, the mystic is only too likely to dodge the work of the lower grades, upon which the higher grades rest, producing an imbalance in some aspect of his life. In contemplating the materials, the value of my training in skepticism, philosophy, and mystical experience all bear evidence to the difficulties that arise in communicating such information. It is as Crowley writes in his book Moon Child (26):

The clever man, so-called, the man of talent, shuts out his genius by setting up his conscious will as a positive entity.  The true man of genius deliberately subordinates himself, reduces himself to a negative, and allows his genius to play through him as It will.  We all know how stupid we are when we try to do things.  Seek to make any other muscle work as consistently as your heart does without your silly interference - you cannot keep it up for forty-eight hours.  (I forget what the record is, but it's not much over twenty-four.)  All this, which is truth ascertained and certain lies at the base of the Taoist doctrine of non-action.   Yield yourself utterly to the Will of Heaven, and you become the omnipotent instrument of that Will.  Most systems of mysticism have a similar doctrine; but that it is true in action is only properly expressed by the Chinese.  Nothing that any man can do will improve that genius; but the genius needs his mind, and he can broaden that mind, fertilize it with knowledge of all kinds, improve its powers of expression; supply the genius, in short, with an orchestra instead of a tin whistle.  All our little great men, our one-poem poets, our one picture painters, have merely failed to perfect themselves as instruments.

1) Simplify - make Crowley's teaching more accessible.  How accessible?   Afterall, we don't expect everyone to have the capacity (or the desire) to be a programmer for instance; less so a magician.  However, magick (like mathematics) lends itself to all fields of research, for it is the science of mind, the mechanics of thought by which means all other fields of research are undertaken.  To put it simply we do everything using our minds, and a trained mind is one that is more effective in every aspect of life.  It is for this reason that Crowley tried to show that magick was essential to all.  Yet, we cannot expect the common man to observe ritual practice as consistently as physical hygiene.  Crowley's teachings will never influence the average man directly, for he has no interest beyond the mundane.  The magician understands the power of ideas and how they influence the masses.  Just as the politician, orator, the economist perceive the principles (though he will not label his method magick) and apply them to their advantage.  Only the Adept is may link the mundane with the existential.  The curriculum of the Golden Dawn, with its requirements of a complete lodge, and officers, has made the work particularly difficult for the solitary practitioner.  It is advised that the student begin his study by reading the following books, in the order listed.  It would be particularly helpful, if the student studied Yoga, Zen or Taoist systems (see the Complete Bibliography) in conjunction with his magical regiment, and had some experience with samadhi or gnosis, along with a grounding in philosophy - Socrates, Decartes, Neitzche, etc.:

A) Modern Magick - Donald Michael Kraig
B) The Chicken Qabalah - Lon Milo Duquette
C) The Golden Dawn - Israel Regardie
D) The Mystical Qabalah - Dion Fortune
E) The Eye in the Triangle - Israel Regardie
F) The Magick of Thelema - Lon Milo Duquette
G) Book 4 Parts I & II - Aleister Crowley
H) Magick Without Tears - Aleister Crowley
I) The Law is For All - Aleister Crowley

2) Demonstrate the Aeon of Horus and the following Aeon of Thmaist. The Aeon of Horus was initiated in 1904 in sync with the end of Agricultural Economy (remember agriculture is associated with the planting of the seed which gives it's life, the Aeon of Osiris, and the formula of the "Dying God" (see my paper The Formula of the Sun), and the onset of the In-dustrial revolution.  The Aeons of Horus and Thmaist imply the achievement of physical immortality. NOTE:  I am aware that Aleister Crowley considered physical immortality to be undesirable partly because he felt that the death of the physical body was necessary in order for an individual to transcend one's ego.  I will address this along with other issues in greater detail in the future.

 "...for this sacrament is the Tree of Life itself, and whoso partaketh of the fruit thereof shall never die.  Unless he so will.  Who would not rather work through incarnation; a real renewal of body and brain, than contend himself with a stagnant immortality upon this mote in the Sunlight of the Universe which we call earth"

 "The use of the Elixir of Life is only justifiable in peculiar circumstances.  To go counter to the course of natural Change is to approximate perilously to the error of the 'Black Brothers'."

    As I demonstrated in my earlier paper The 5 Steps and 3 Points to Enlightenment and Physical Immortality physical immortality does not run contrary to the course of natural Change as Crowley puts it.  Individual cells die to be replenished (resurrected) by new one's.  There is no need for the body to die.  One can transcend ego by stopping thought.  There is no need for the body to die to experience the worlds beyond the body (normally experienced at death) through the practice of astral projection.  Physical immortality does not indicate that you will be stuck on earth.  At this level one is free to come and go as one wills; because one has a corresponding body on each of the levels, as a vehicle for one's consciousness or self.   In his book Mantak Chia Awaken Healing Light of the Tao writes :

Sealing the Five Senses, Union of the Kun and Kan, Reunion of Heaven and Man

    At this level death is transcended entirely.   One can simply transform the physical body into the immortal body and leave this world or return to it at will.  This is the state of complete physical immortality.   It takes from 80 to a few hundred years to complete these practices and transform all the material elements of our body into immaterial.  The final goal of ascending to heaven in broad daylight is reached.

    There are records in Chinese history of many thousands of Taoist immortals who reached the level of daylight ascension in the presence of many witnesses.  In the Bible, Elijah and Moses also accomplished this feat.   In the final stage of this practice, the adept can unite the immortal spirit body, the energy body, and the physical body, or separate them at will.  It is then that the human being knows full and complete freedom as an immortal, where no world is a boundary.

3) Show how magick and Qabalah relate to computer programming; and how the Hebrew language corresponds to assembly language.  Illustrate how binary relates to the symbols like the yin/yang, pillars, paths on the Tree of Life, the sexual act, the symbolism of the magician in the circle or the One in the Zero (see The Formula of the Sun and Metaphysica.)

Works Cited

Chia, Mantak, and Chia, Maneewan. Awaken the Healing Light of the Tao. Huntington, NY:Healing Tao, 1993.

Crowley, Aleister. Magick in Theory and Practice. Secaucus, New Jersey: Castle Books, 1991.

Crowley, Aleister. Moon Child. York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, 1997.

�2004 by Ian Axir.  All rights reserved.