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I. The Magician
Aleister Crowley - 2 |
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Two chapters from The Book of Lies |
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10.
Windlestraws
The Abyss of Hallucinations has Law and Reason;
but in Truth there is no bond between the Toys of the Gods.
This Reason and Law is the Bond of the Great Lie.
Truth! Truth! Truth! crieth the Lord of the Abyss of Hallucinations.
There is no silence in that Abyss: for all that men call Silence is its Speech.
This Abyss is also called "Hell", and "The Many".
Its name is "Consciousness", and "The Universe", among men.
But THAT which neither is silent, nor speaks, rejoices therein. |
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Commentary: There is no apparent connection between the number of this chapter and its subject. It does, however, refer to the key of the Tarot called The Hermit, which represents him as cloaked. Jod is the concealed Phallus as opposed to T, the extended Phallus. This chapter should be studied in the light of what is said in "Aha!" and in the Temple of Solomon the King about the reason. The universe is insane, the law of cause and effect is an illusion, or so it appears in the Abyss, which is thus identified with consciousness, the many, and both; but within this is a secret unity which rejoices; this unity being far beyond any conception. |
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17.
The Swan
There is a Swan whose name is Ecstasy: it wingeth from the Deserts of the North; it wingeth through the blue; it wingeth over the fields of rice; at its coming they push forth the green.
In all the Universe this Swan alone is motionless; it seems to move, as the Sun seems to move; such is the weakness of our sight.
O fool! criest thou?
Amen. Motion is relative: there is Nothing that is still.
Against this Swan I shot an arrow; the white breast poured forth blood. Men smote me; then, perceiving that I was but a Pure Fool, they let me pass.
Thus and not otherwise I came to the Temple of the Graal. |
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Commentary: This Swan is Aum. This chapter is inspired by Frater P.'s memory of the wild swans he shot in the Tali-Fu. In paragraphs 3 and 4 it is, however, recognised that even Aum is impermanent. There is no meaning in the word, stillness, so long as motion exists. In a boundless universe, one can always take any one point, however mobile, and postulate it as a point at rest, calculating the motions of all other points relatively to it. The penultimate paragraph shows the relations of the Adept to mankind. Their hate and contempt are necessary steps to his acquisition of sovereignty over them. The story of the Gospel, and that of Parsifal, will occur to the mind. |
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A link to the College of Thelema |
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Return to Crowley Page 1 |
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Return to Jim's Paths |
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Return to Jim's Main Page |
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Home |
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