Liber XXV

THE STAR RUBY

(Seal of A.'.A.'.)

A∴A∴
Publication in Class D

Facing East, in the centre, draw deep deep deep thy breath, closing thy mouth with thy right forefinger pressed against thy lower lip. Then dashing down the hand with a great weep back and out, expelling forcibly thy breath, cry: ΑΠΟ ΠΑΝΤΟΣ ΚΑΚΟΔΑΙΜΟΝΟΣ1.

With the same foreginger touch thy forehead and say ΣΟΙ2, thy member, and say Ω ΦΑΛΛΕ3, thy right shoulder, and say ΙΣΧΥΡΟΣ4, thy left shoulder, and say ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΟΣ5 then clasp thine hands, locking the fingers, and cry ΙΑΩ.

Advance to the East. Imagine strongly a Pentagram, aright, in thy forehead. Drawing the hands to the eyes, fling it forth, making the sign of Horus, and roar ΧΑΟΣ.6 Retire thine hand in the sign of Hoor pa kraat.7

Go round to the North and repeat; but scream ΒΑΒΑΛΟΝ.8

Go round to the West and repeat; but say ΕΡΩΣ.9

Go round to the South and repeat; but bellow ΨΥΧΗ.10

Completing the circle widdershins, retire to the centre, and raise thy voice in the Paian, with these words ΙΩ ΠΑΝ with the signs of N.O.X.11

Extend the arms in the form of a Tau, and saw low but clear:

ΠΡΟ ΜΟΥ ΙΥΓΓΕΣ ΟΠΙΣΩ ΜΟΥ ΤΕΛΕΤΑΡΧΑΙ ΕΠΙ ΔΕΞΙΑ ΣΥΧΕΣ ΕΠΑΡΙΣΤΕΡΑ ΔΑΙΜΟΝΕΣ ΦΛΕΓΕΙ ΓΑΡ ΠΕΡΙ ΜΟΥ ’Ο ΑΣΤΗΡ ΤΩΝ ΠΕΝΤΕ ΚΑΙ ΕΝ ΣΤΗΛΗΙ ’Ο ΑΣΤΗΡ ΤΩΝ ’ΕΞ ΕΣΤΗΚΕ.12

Repeat the Cross Qabalistic, as above, and end as thou didst begin.


Notes

If the Greek text is not displaying properly – which it might not on older browsers which do not fully implement HTML 4 character extensions – click here for the version with the speechs transliterated into the Latin alphabet.

This ritual was first published as Chapter 25 of The Book of Lies. A later revision appeared in Appendix VI of Magick in Theory and Practice which introduced a number of variant readings.

1: Literally, "away all evil spirits." Approximately the Greek equivalent of "Vade retro Satanas!" Allegedly a formula of exorcism used in the Eastern Orthodox church. Crowley is on record as recommending that it be used when encountering Christians in public, but was apparently hideously embarrassed when a young and enthusiastic Kenneth Grant took this reccomendation seriously, and yelled it at a group of nuns in Hastings while walking with Crowley.
2: "Thy"
3: "O phallus." A note to this line in The Book of Lies states "The secret sense of these words is to be sought in the enumeration thereof." By Greek numerology, Ω ΦΑΛΛΕ = 1366 = 831 + 535 = ΦΑΛΛΟΣ + ΚΤΕΙΣ.
4: "Mighty"
5: "Beneficient"
6: Magick has "roar ΘΗΡΙΟΝ"
7: Magick has "Hoor-paar-Kraat."
8: Magick has "say NUIT."
9: Magick has "whisper BABALON."
10: Magick has "bellow HADIT." CHAOS, BABALON, Eros and Psyche probably represent the formula of Tetragrammaton in this case. The names of the quarters in the later version match those in Liber V vel Reguli although the order differs.
11: The signs of N.O.X. are called Puer, Vir, Puella, Mulier and Mater Triumphans and are described in Liber V vel Reguli (see appendix VI of Magick in Theory and Practice). There is no general agreement on which order they should be given in this instance, although in the order listed above they symbolically represent a progression through the Sephiroth of the Tree of Life from Geburah through Chesed and across the Abyss to Binah. But there are other readings possible. For example in some rituals, Puella is answered with Puer and becomes Mulier, and the signs of Vir and Mater Triumphans (or Isis Rejoicing) represent a continuation from then on.
12: "Before me the Iunges, behind me the Teletarchs, on my right hand the Synoches, on my left the daimons, for about me flames the Star of Five and in the column stands the Star of Six." The Iunges, Synoches and Teletarchs comprise the "Intelligible and Intellectual Triad" in the Empyræan World according to some formulations of Neoplatonic mysticism – specifically, Proclus' interpretation of the Chaldæan Oracles, where they are first mentioned, albeit briefly. See for example Chaldæan Oracles and Theurgy by Hans Lewy.
The Iynges (pl. of Ιυνξ) appear to have been a group of ministering powers serving as intermediaries between the theurgist and the Supreme God. The name also appears to have been applied to some kind of "spinning top" used in magical rituals (apparently it consisted of a disc on the end of a leather thong which was whirled round the operator's head).
The Teletarchs were considered "Rulers of the Mysteries"; there were three of them, assigned to the three worlds (intellegible, celestial and material); they are also referred, in one cryptic fragment, to three "virtues", Truth, Faith (which Proclus suggested should be understood as referring to the oath of silence concerning the mysteries) and Love (Ερως) There is probably no connection between these and Paul of Tarsus' triad of virtues, Faith, Hope and Charity (Αγαπη), as mentioned in the Rose-Croix degree of Freemasonry.
The Synoches are literally the "connectives" or binding powers of the Universe; possibly they should be identified with the Platonic Ideas in a certain aspect. All this is very tentative.


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